Arsenal return to action tomorrow, welcoming Birmingham City to the Emirates in their eighth Premier League match of the season. The match begins at 10 AM EDT and will be shown on Fox Soccer Channel in the US.
The match marks Arsène Wenger's 800th match in charge of the club, a pretty astonishing number when one considers that in European club football, managers get the axe for so much as sneezing incorrectly these days. Wenger, of course, insists that it's beside the point, as he needs to focus on winning the match.
Still, there is a reason he has been around as long as he has, and one would hope that that reason makes itself manifest in a good result tomorrow. Arsenal's Premier League train has gotten sidetracked a bit, and it's time to get three points again.
To that end, Arsenal have to figure out what team to assemble. With the additional injury news that Laurent Koscielny is out with a back problem (but Theo Walcott is available), the team could look a little something like this:
Fabianski
Eboué Squillaci Djourou Clichy
Song
Rosicky Wilshere
Nasri/Walcott Chamakh Arshavin
With Bendtner an option on the bench, along with Diaby, Denilson, Gibbs, and hopefully some cover for the right back and central defensive areas (Havard Nordtveit/Craig Eastmond?) Rosicky can hopefully offer a range of incisive passing in Cesc Fabregas' absence while Wilshere looks to attack a bit more than in some of Arsenal's away matches. Song should be able to hold by himself, provided he doesn't decide to romp forward as much as he has been so far this season. Thoughts?