Arsenal Get Good News On the Inury Front For Once

In a week rife with up and down news on the club, it is fitting to go into the weekend a little of an optimistic tone for our our run in towards the end of the season.

The blogosphere and official website made the announcment today that defencive 4 defencive stalwarts are back to full practise with the squad. Szczesny and Djourou are back and look to be set to be part of the squad for Arsenal v Liverpool. Facing a race for fitness are Song and Denilson. The fifth member of returning to the fold is none other than last year’s defencive  ironman – Thomas Vermaelen.

Vermaelen went down in early September with an known ankle injury that went from being a few weeks to pretty much most of the season. But it looks like the surgery to repair the ankle has been successful and he is back training with the full squad. However, let’s place a realistic tone – this is a guy who hasn’t played competitive football in 6 to 7 months. His fitness is shall we say – a bit short.

According to our friends over at YoungGuns – it looks like the club are trying to set up a series of behind the closed doors reserve matches. Right now there is only one game left in the reserve league and that would hardly be enough to get the Belgian back into shape.

Arsenal have missed the man the fans termed the Verminator. In my opinion he was probably the best signing of last season. He was durable, he could defend and he could score.  His positional awareness is always good and he can play all aspects of the defencive game. I believe that the errors he did have were part of his transition into the the league.

While there is still little hope of him getting back to the club for the remainder of the season there is a scant light that he could be ready for the United match on May 2. Obviously that would be huge for Arsenal. But is it necessary? If Djourou is back right now I see them as the better choice simply because he has more games under his belt. And him and Koscielny have formed a pretty tight pair right now.  Djourou is the big man who cleans up in the air and Koscielny is very aware of the situation that he reads the game very well on the ground. They compliment each other very well.

However, that being said, I do see Vermaelen and Djourou as the obvious first choice players for next season. Well, let me amend that – if Vermaelen doesn’t become the next iteration of Rosicky and has this serious decline in form because of an ankle injury – then I can see Djourou and Vermaelen being the first choice CB pairing.

Koscielny is young and has some learning to go. But rotating them together next season and supporting them with Ignassi Miquel and Bartley would be a solid rotation of defenders. But thats another story for this summer and for next season.

It’s good to see that maybe the Arsenal medical staff is improving. Szczesny is back and that cannot be understated. If fit he will play. As everyone says this our new number one. Lehmann being his back up will only help. I just wonder which ego gets on the bus first (and I really do mean that in I love these guys kind of way).

Also Johann Djourou, first thought to be out for the entire season, is back and with big Andy Caroll coming in, with Liverpool, having someone good in the air at CB is huge. Frankly with Suarez on the ground, I think that Koscielny is enough to handle him but Squillaci doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence in covering Carroll in the air. Djourou is an important cog for this team and his health important. If he is fit he should go. It’s that simple.

All in all the run is going to be rough anyway. It would have only been worse if these important players didn’t come back soon enough.

It’s good to see us getting healthy at the right time. A little sooner would’ve been better (or not at all) but I will take what I can get. Looking for positives on a season as up and down as this is hard enough. . .

Stay Goonerish!!!!

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