Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is expected to rest some of his key players, ahead of the crucial Champions League tie against Bayern Munich, with both Santi Cazorla and Theo Walcott expected to be on the bench.
The Gunners are already trailing 3-1 to the Bavarians and face a massive task of turning the tie into their own favor. Injuries to Bayern Munich players Franck Ribery and Jerome Boateng had enlightened a dimmer of hope for Arsenal to do the impossible, but injuries to their own key men including golden boy Jack Wilshere and former Bayern Munich player Lukas Podolski have quashed any hopes of the Gunners making a comeback.
Arsene’s Arsenal will be facing a team who are currently on the zenith of their form and have only lost once in the Bundesliga this term. The Bavarians have incredibly conceded only ten goals in the league, and Arsenal really do not look like the side that can break their defense.
Arsene himself has hinted that some key players might be rested for the Bayern Munich match, giving weekend’s Premier League encounter with Swansea more importance.
Speaking to a press conference the Frenchman said:
"Swansea is a massive game this weekend and qualifying for the Champions League is massive,"
Arsene has identified the danger posed by their North London rivals Tottenham and has highlighted the loss to their counterparts as a major worry. With Spurs losing to Liverpool at Anfield last Sunday, Wenger will be aiming to narrow down the difference between themselves and Tottenham.
"We want to be in there and I don’t envisage anything else. That’s why it was so difficult for us to lose at Tottenham.
"It means more because it was Tottenham, but it was the impact for us in the league which was the worry for me."
However Wenger has repeatedly claimed that “anything is possible” ahead of the Bayern Munich clash, but has contradicted his own statement by choosing to field his number two goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański for the important match.
The Pole has not played competitive football for the first team in over 13 months, and it might prove to be a costly gamble to have him play his first game of the season against one of the biggest attacking forces in Europe.
Apart from that, Fabianski’s Arsenal career has been rather comical and riddled with horrendous errors, the 27 year old has been part of the Arsenal squad for the past six years but has managed only 62 starts in all competitions.
His compatriot and Arsenal number one Wojciech Szczesny is a surprise omission from the squad, with Wenger deciding to give him a “breather”. The Arsenal manager has reiterated the fact that the 21 year old has started every game for Arsenal this season, and with his performances suffering in the past few weeks it was very important to give him a rest.
“He has played many games and [been under] a lot under pressure,” the manager said. “And recently, he had one or two games where he was performing less.
“With goalkeepers it's always a difficult problem. Do you keep them in to find confidence back or do you give them a breather?
Szczęsny's error in the FA Cup match against Blackburn, allowed Colin Kazim-Richards to steer the ball into an empty goal and dump the Gunners out of the competition, wrapping up a frustrating month for Arsenal which also saw defeats to Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur.
Wenger however has granted his support to the young keeper, and his declared that he does not want to over use his goalkeeper having already played him in all of Arsenal’s matches this season.
"He is mentally affected a little bit, so I decided to rest him. Szczęsny has played in every single game. It is only his second season at the top level and if you look at the number of goalkeepers at the top, not many are his age.”
"I also used him in the FA Cup and because he played many games it is difficult to absorb mentally. Everything is analysed because there is so much pressure at a big club.”
Apart from his first choice goalkeeper Wenger is also rumoured to be resting other key star players, including Santi Cazorla and Theo Walcott in order to keep them fresh for the weekend clash against ninth placed Swansea.
With the pressure mounting on the Frenchman, is it wise for him to prioritise the League and accept defeat in the Champions League?
Arsene’s Arsenal will be facing a team who are currently on the zenith of their form and have only lost once in the Bundesliga this term. The Bavarians have incredibly conceded only ten goals in the league, and Arsenal really do not look like the side that can break their defense.
Arsene himself has hinted that some key players might be rested for the Bayern Munich match, giving weekend’s Premier League encounter with Swansea more importance.
Speaking to a press conference the Frenchman said:
"Swansea is a massive game this weekend and qualifying for the Champions League is massive,"
Arsene has identified the danger posed by their North London rivals Tottenham and has highlighted the loss to their counterparts as a major worry. With Spurs losing to Liverpool at Anfield last Sunday, Wenger will be aiming to narrow down the difference between themselves and Tottenham.
"We want to be in there and I don’t envisage anything else. That’s why it was so difficult for us to lose at Tottenham.
"It means more because it was Tottenham, but it was the impact for us in the league which was the worry for me."
However Wenger has repeatedly claimed that “anything is possible” ahead of the Bayern Munich clash, but has contradicted his own statement by choosing to field his number two goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański for the important match.
The Pole has not played competitive football for the first team in over 13 months, and it might prove to be a costly gamble to have him play his first game of the season against one of the biggest attacking forces in Europe.
Apart from that, Fabianski’s Arsenal career has been rather comical and riddled with horrendous errors, the 27 year old has been part of the Arsenal squad for the past six years but has managed only 62 starts in all competitions.
His compatriot and Arsenal number one Wojciech Szczesny is a surprise omission from the squad, with Wenger deciding to give him a “breather”. The Arsenal manager has reiterated the fact that the 21 year old has started every game for Arsenal this season, and with his performances suffering in the past few weeks it was very important to give him a rest.
“He has played many games and [been under] a lot under pressure,” the manager said. “And recently, he had one or two games where he was performing less.
“With goalkeepers it's always a difficult problem. Do you keep them in to find confidence back or do you give them a breather?
Szczęsny's error in the FA Cup match against Blackburn, allowed Colin Kazim-Richards to steer the ball into an empty goal and dump the Gunners out of the competition, wrapping up a frustrating month for Arsenal which also saw defeats to Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur.
Wenger however has granted his support to the young keeper, and his declared that he does not want to over use his goalkeeper having already played him in all of Arsenal’s matches this season.
"He is mentally affected a little bit, so I decided to rest him. Szczęsny has played in every single game. It is only his second season at the top level and if you look at the number of goalkeepers at the top, not many are his age.”
"I also used him in the FA Cup and because he played many games it is difficult to absorb mentally. Everything is analysed because there is so much pressure at a big club.”
Apart from his first choice goalkeeper Wenger is also rumoured to be resting other key star players, including Santi Cazorla and Theo Walcott in order to keep them fresh for the weekend clash against ninth placed Swansea.
With the pressure mounting on the Frenchman, is it wise for him to prioritise the League and accept defeat in the Champions League?
