Hello everyone. It's been some time, but, unfortunately, exams are coming up and I have had little free time.
Results of Walcott's scan have emerged yesterday morning and, frankly, I was shocked. Theo has torn his anterior cruciate knee ligament and will spend six months out of the game. This means he won't be able to help neither Arsenal for the rest of the season, nor England during the World Cup.
It's a real shame, because Theo has been in great form lately, scoring five league inside a month. He has also shown he can be a capable central striker against teams with certain style of play.
It must also have been a shock for the Englishman himself, because he didn't look all that bad, when leaving the pitch on a stretcher. Quite the opposite, his behavior suggested he was in a very good mood and his gesture to the away fans have already become iconic.
Now we'll have to make do without Theo. There's talk already, that Wenger has instructed his scouts to search far and wide for an attacking player. I don't know, how much we can trust these reports, but with Walcott and Bendtner out they look logical. We are definitely short up front, with Podolski being the only person, apart from Giroud, who can play the lone striker role. And mind you, he may not be the best solution. His display against Cardiff was bleak, though I still hope it's down to him spending four months on the sidelines, rather than being a poor striker.
Luckily, we'll have players to fill the gap on the right-hand side. That's not to say Theo won't be missed, far from it, but I think we'll manage to cope. Gnabry revealed himself to be a genuine option with a wonderful display, while the Ox is also close to full fitness. He's started training with the main group, I gather, so he should be available for a clash against Villa.
In other news, a draw of the 4th round of the FA Cup has taken place and Arsenal will face Coventry. We've put six past them last season, so I don't think we'll have any difficulties progressing. It will also provide the manager with a chance to rotate the squad during a busy schedule. A good trade-off for playing Spurs this early in the Cup, in my opinion.
The interesting part, though, came a bit later. Our match will be held on Friday's evening, on the 24th January. It's the first time in my memory such a thing happens. This illustrates once more, that fans are just an afterthought, when arranging such events.
The broadcasting companies made it so, because it's more profitable for them this way. How about stretching a round for four days? And the fact, that many fans in England won't be able to get to the stadium in time after a full day's work worries no one.
It's not in England we live in, but I'm a bit disheartened, when I see a half-empty stadium. The atmosphere changes, the fans aren't able to support their side in a more effective way. And the fact, we'll have to wait for a kick-off after a day's work cannot also be dismissed.
It's something we'll have to put up with, though.
Until later