Senderos at Portsmouth? Or Sol Campbell? Would you change a winning team?
Arsene knows that Juventus have two centre forwards who are very good in the air.David Trezeguet is six three and Zlatan Ibrahimovic is six four. In away games the pragmatic Juve get Thuram to aim 60-yard balls for the big lads to knock down for each other, or for a wide player coming inside, or for Del Piero.They watch, wait, probe, try to nick one.
Nedved is suspended for the Highbury game, which is a relief because the Czech moptop can wallop those knockdowns in from 25 yards.
DOES ARSENE need the size and experience of Sol Campbell against Trezeguet and Ibrahimovic?
He preferred Senderos for the FA Cup Final in a similar situation where Sol was fit but lacking match practice. That was a big call. It worked, just about. Arsenal were thrashed in a 0-0 but beat Man United on penalties.
Now, ten months later, AW has to make a similar decision. Shall I stick with Senderos, since he is the future? OK, the lad has made mistakes, but he has not cost us goals. And my team is playing really well and not conceding.
Realistically, if Arsene wants to play Sol against Juventus, he has to play him against Portsmouth. Nobody can go from playing Barnet to playing the Italian league-leaders in two weeks without a proper game in between.
Main factors in this decision?
One, Arsene is paying Sol a huge salary for the next two years.
Two, Sol is 31 and too big and too injury-prone.
Three, Sol has a trauma in his private life.
Four, there was a dressing room row at half-time in the West Ham game, after Sol had given away two goals. And then he walked out of the club.
On Saturday we’ll know what Arsene has decided. I reckon he will stick with Senderos and have Sol on the bench. And the same again on Tuesday night.
DID YOU WATCH any of the FA Cup quarter-finals on the box? Not very good, were they?
Man City lost 2-1 to West Ham, as I knew they would without hot new striker Samaras. Nigel Reo-Coker would be phenomenal at Arsenal and Sven should take him to Germany. He is a dynamo who can vary his game and, when needed, play a positionally disciplined “Makelele” role, as he did at City.
Didn’t see Liverpool’s 7-0 walkover at Birmingham.The porn barons have let Steve Bruce run on far beyond his sell-by date, just as they did with Trevor Francis.
CHELSEA scored after 4 minutes and didn’t score again in a dull home win over Newcastle.
Alan Shearer walked around in his last FA Cup game. His legs have gone. He is as mobile as Douglas Bader. But he is also as brave as Douglas Bader. With eight more games to play before retiring, the stoic Shearer grins and says, “It comes to us all.” He shows the same yeoman fortitude that he showed in twice recovering from injuries that would have finished many strikers. To stop playing is a terrible moment for any footballer.
Last night’s Charlton v Middlesbrough tie featured two survivalists, Curbishley and McClaren. It was 0-0 after 90 minutes but I was on the sofa reading a book, The Osama Bin Laden I Know, by CNN reporter Peter L. Bergen, with the sound off, so I only really saw the half-time highlights. I glanced up from time to time to see if there had been a goal and saw three near-misses. Do we care who wins the replay?
A dull week for football, then.
But Barcelona still sparkled in a 3-1 win over Getafe, who scored first. About four years ago I called Samuel Eto’o an electric warrior and it’s such a shame that Cameroon didn’t qualify for the World Cup.
He scored twice in this game to make it 22 La Liga goals this season and 100 league goals in his career. Eto’o is far more bold, direct, skilful and honest than most of the strikers we will see in Germany this summer.
THE FA CUP SEMI-FINAL DRAW is Chelsea v Liverpool. Again.
Charlton or Middlesbrough will play West Ham.
A north-south final would be fun, especially if it’s Liverpool v West Ham. The toppled European Champions against the newly-promoted Irons.
Peter Crouch versus Dean Ashton, anyone ?
PS : UPDATE 4.30pm Friday.
Sol is NOT in the squad. He’s only 90% fit says Arsene, so he will be training on Saturday.