Now that the International break is over, the focus will shift towards the club matches and that is a good sign for fans of the Gunners.
Arsenal are going up against Newcastle United and it will be interesting to see what kind of team Unai Emery decides to put out and his comments seem to be an indication of what he has in mind.
The makeup of the team will be determined by the fitness levels of the players who have taken part in the international break. And keeping that in mind, the press conference that Emery gave before the match was going to give us some clues as to who will and will not play.
When speaking to the Arsenal website, he was asked about a few players and this is what he had to say:
“Alex Iwobi
Missed Cardiff City (a) with illness. Back in full training.
Sead Kolasinac
Left knee injury. Progressing well and now expected to return to full training in early October (initially aiming to return during the month of October).
Ainsley Maitland-Niles
Small fracture to left fibula. Progressing well and now expected to return to full training in early October (initially aiming to return to training in November).
Carl Jenkinson
Significant sprain to right ankle. Aiming to return to training in October/November.
Laurent Koscielny
Right Achilles tendon repair. Started working outside. Aiming to return to full training in November.”
The problem in the team selection is really in the defense as the Gunners are missing out on a few key players. This kind of a situation is really bad when you think of the number of competitions in which the team is taking part.
When Emery took over the Gunners, sorting out the defense was and is one of the biggest problems that he had to face. While there have been some signings made to rectify that issue, the results are not as visible as the fans would like them to be.
It is clear that the Spaniard has a vision for the club but for that vision to become a reality, it is going to take some time. Having a fully fit team will certainly go some way in helping him establish his vision at the club.
Arsenal are in a position that they have not been in a long time as they are facing a real fight to be back in the Champions League. If they are to achieve that, then all the players need to fight together as a team and only then, can any kind of success be achieved.
