LAST SATURDAY afternoon I got a phone call : Henry is out for three weeks, Rosicky for two weeks, Rosicky was injured in training.
Day before the Carling Cup Final, bad news from a good source. But I decided to sit on the story. Why put it on ANR? It might not be true. Fitness is an unreliable issue. A player who is unfit today can play tomorrow.
A manager’s life is more hand-to-mouth than fans realise. Many supporters assume that the starting eleven in every game has been picked the previous day and trained together the previous day. But it’s often not as simple as that. Backstage there are doubts, issues, choices, and it’s sometimes a case of starting a player and seeing how long he can play for.
Today, four days later, that phone call is confirmed : Henry is out with a foot injury, Rosicky with a groin injury.
Abou Diaby injured his ankle when his right foot connected with John Terry’s jaw in Cardiff, and he is out of the Blackburn game as well. Toure and Adebayor, red carded against Chelsea, are absent.
Clearly, John Terry was unfit. He should not have played. And that is one of the biggest differences between Chelsea and Arsenal. Arsene Wenger would never have fielded a player who was as unfit as JT was in Cardiff.
Benni McCarthy is back for Blackburn and Nonda is an in-form finisher.
Let’s see what happens. If Arsenal win, Arsene could go on and win his fifth FA Cup.
Reading come to the Emirates on Saturday off a 3-2 home defeat by a Manchester United side containing nine reserves.
Only Edwin van der Sar and Rio Ferdinand started last night but Reading, playing three at the back, were sliced to ribbons in the first six minutes as Heinze, Saha and Solskjaer put United 3-0 up.
Reading’s Kitson pulled a goal back with a header and they battled very well in the second half, with United becoming sloppy at the back and selfish in attack as Fletcher, Richardson et al failed to play people in, preferring to be glory-hunters.
Then Sub Leroy Lita, an explosive striker, scored with a fabulous header in 84, giving Sir Alex some nervous moments, especially when Gunnarsson hit the bar. But extra-time was avoided.
A very strange replay, that one. But Reading have plenty of bottle and a wonderful work ethic. No.2 keeper Adam Federici was at fault on all three goals. He was shocking. His positioning was terrible.
Note for Saturday : Reading obviously work on crosses and set-pieces. They scored two headers against Manchester United. That is what their FA Cup replay told us : Reading are good in the air.