Arsene Wenger has named his 18-man squad fro the third
round of the Capital One cup against Coventry City tonight. The main
surprise, for me, is that Laurent Koscielny is not included. The French
international central defender has been unable to get his place back to
due to the excellent form of Per Mertesacker. He played against
Manchester City, but only because captain Vermaelen was ill.
I had thought that Wenger would use this game to give him some time on the pitch, but maybe is being cautious. Perhaps Wenger is concerned that Vermaelen will not be fully recovered by the weekend or perhaps he does not want to risk an injury to Koscielny.
The decision probably signals a start for our next reserve, Johan Djourou. Wenger has promised the Swiss defender games this season and there is no better time than tonight to start. The young Spaniard Ignasi Miquel will probably get the nod alongside Djourou as he continues his impressive improvement in the reserves.
Miquel, who turns 20 on Friday, played in all of Arsenal’s Carling Cup games last season and also made his Premier league and Champion’s league debuts. Andre Santos should start as left back while the young Spanish right back Hector Bellerin may get the green light. None of Arsenal’s first three keepers are in the squad so James Shea could get his first start.
I had thought that Wenger would use this game to give him some time on the pitch, but maybe is being cautious. Perhaps Wenger is concerned that Vermaelen will not be fully recovered by the weekend or perhaps he does not want to risk an injury to Koscielny.
The decision probably signals a start for our next reserve, Johan Djourou. Wenger has promised the Swiss defender games this season and there is no better time than tonight to start. The young Spaniard Ignasi Miquel will probably get the nod alongside Djourou as he continues his impressive improvement in the reserves.
Miquel, who turns 20 on Friday, played in all of Arsenal’s Carling Cup games last season and also made his Premier league and Champion’s league debuts. Andre Santos should start as left back while the young Spanish right back Hector Bellerin may get the green light. None of Arsenal’s first three keepers are in the squad so James Shea could get his first start.
