Arsenal run out of fullbacks: Gibbs setback, Jenkinson injured

More bad injury news today, as it's been reported this morning that two of Arsenal's fullbacks will miss significant time. Kieran Gibbs, already out injured, has been diagnosed with a sports hernia that will require surgery, per Jamie Sanderson in the Metro. The surgery has a typical recovery time of four-to-six weeks, meaning it's unlikely he will see game action before Christmas. As if that wasn't bad enough, it's also been reported today that Carl Jenkinson has a stress fracture in his back, which may keep him out for an extended period of time. Luckily it was caught early, so it could be a lot worse. But it's a stress fracture, so it could also be a lot better.

This obviously means that we'll be seeing a bit more of Andre "Raging Bull" Santos in the immediate future, and Golden Corral as well. If the salad bar gets turned over, other possibilities on the right side include the usual suspects: Johan Djourou, who featured there against Chelsea; Laurent Koscielny, who can afford to move now that Thomas Vermaelen is back and fit in the center of defense; and Francis Coquelin, who has alleged prior experience at the position.

Remember when we were confident in our defense for like two weeks?