TODAY Arsene Wenger starts to put his team back together to play a Premiership game for the first time in 17 days.
Ashley is on a downer after England crashed 1-0 in Belfast.
Kolo is on a downer after Ivory Coast lost 3-2 at hime to Cameroon.
Thierry is flying after scoring the winner in Dublin last night.
Freddie’s Sweden won both games and top Group 8 on 21 points, one ahead of Croatia, who drew 1-1 in – wait for it – Malta.
Philippe Senderos and Switzerland are top of Group 4 with France, after their 3-1 win in Cyprus.
The goalkeeping situation remains controversial in Germany, with Klinsmann calling up Kahn and Lehmann alternately. They do not train together !
Marco van Basten’s Holland lead Group 1 with 28 points from 10 games, ahead of Czech Repuplic, Romania and Finland.
Van Basten loves Robin van Persie and RVP has promised to repay Arsene for standing by him during those rape allegations.
SOL CAMPBELL has played two reserve games and fans are wondering whether Arsenal need his experience in September-October-November.
Rehab is one of Arsene’s specialities : he knows how to bring a player back at the right time, so that he will be physically and mentally strong and boost the team.
Middlesbough have Hasselbaink, Viduka and Yakubu. Which of them are fit to face Arsenal?
We probably won’t know that till Saturday.
Arsenal often struggle to regain their rhythm after an international break.
Their attacking style is very quick, very technical, very dependent on well-timed runs and well-timed passes into those runs.
To tune up that style in only two days, and regain the surgical accuracy required,is a tall order.
Arsene has done it before and he will do it in the future.
Can he do it this time?