Diaby's Down But Out for How Long? And a Bit about Braga and Denilson

So Bolton came and went with scandalous calls by the ref and even more scandalous No Calls. The worst no-call being the foul on Diaby by Paul "The Caveman" Robinson (above photo possible thanks to Arseblogger). And now we have no Diaby for our games against Braga and Sunderland. Other than missing those two games, Wenger is "vague" on how long Abou will be out because he's waiting for the inflammation goes down. Apparently Diaby's history of scans has always brought bad news as Wenger explained:

“I was very anxious because he had a scan yesterday [Monday] and with Diaby there are always bad surprises on the scan. But the scan looks quite promising."

I don't know why that statement made me chuckle as it's a reminder of how many scans Diaby has had to have, but still...it's a bit Eeyore-ish of Arsene. And to make it funnier, don't we all know what he means? Funny in an exasperated "I suppose..." Eeyore kind of way. Anyway, enough with remnants of my childhood. Onto to more important things. Like...

Taking on Braga with the following players out of contention: Van Persie, Bendtner, Theo, Diaby, Ramsey, Vermie, and Ping-Pong. Other than that we have no worries. We're only facing a team that is making their Champions League debut against us. Might they have something to prove at the Emirates? May they be looking for a "historic result"? Perhaps. There is probably a mix of being in awe of Arsenal and partaking in the tournament alongside not wanting to make fools of themselves. In their own league, Braga have not lost a game yet but have won two and tied two. They reportedly like to play on the counter attack so if we are disciplined, don't commit everyone forward on every charge and every player tracks back to help on defense, we should be okay.

Since we've discussed who's out, let's discuss who's in. Almunia will be in goal, and I'm pretty sure Sagna and Clichy will be starting after getting some rest last Saturday. With Vermie out for another game (I am missing that growling intensity of his), Koz and Squillaci will probably round out the back four. I really doubt that Wenger will have Djourou play as he hasn't had anything but Reserves games to practice on. This means of course that the Learning Kurve de Koz must be set on Super Sonic so as not to screw up tomorrow night. I really like this kid and hope for an error free game from him. Well, he doesn't have to be perfect, I just don't want him to make such a gaffe that would allow the opponents to score.

Song will be placed in front of the four mopping up and shutting down as usual. Tricky Tommy, Nasri or Eboue will be on the wing (I vote for Tommy as I think he's on a roll) and our Captain will be feeding the Little Russian and our Moroccan which leaves...Denilson or Jack to help out Song. Hmmm...Jack has had a good run so far but got a clattering of his own against Bolton as well (thanks to Dunderhead Davies). If you had asked me at the beginning of the season who I would want playing more, I'd have said Jack. I was tired of Denilson - not because of his passing - we all know his stats outdo almost every player with pass completion rates (just look here thanks to LadyArse and Gingers for Limpar. My problem was his complacency at tracking back on defense and revving his butt out of third into fifth gear. I remember so many times watching him seemingly jog back down the pitch as our opponents rushed on counter attack. We do all remember him getting outpaced by a referee, right (if someone remembers what game that was, please let me know. I've looked all over the web for a clue, but haven't found one.)? Anyway, the Denilson that I saw come on last Saturday as a sub was different. He sprinted all over the place! Now I know he hasn't' played since April so he probably has loads of reserve energy stored up, but I think his zest was due to something else. Competition for a starting spot.

When Denilson first became a Starter, he played almost every game and was almost a shoe-in just because there was no one vying for his position. During the 2008-2009 season, he played a total of 38 games. Diaby was trying to make it back from his broken ankle and subsequent nigglies, and Song was still trying to improve. Flamini had left so Denilson had an opening. I think he got complacent. Whether that was due to his young age or personality, I have no idea. What I do know is that last season as Aaron Ramsey fought his way into the starting XI, both Diaby and Denilson got less playing time. Denilson only played 20 matches in the 2009-2010 season (some absences were due to injury). Aaron showed a hunger every game and that warranted more playing time for him. If Aaron had stayed healthy, I'd bet that Denilson would have had to up his game or been relegated to the bench. Now Rambo is out until November and Diaby until who knows when? But Denilson still has to compete with Jack. And that can only bode well for the team as Jack doesn't seem the type to go quietly.

Back to which player should start against Braga? I say Denilson as his style of play seems better suited against the European teams and he does have Champions League experience. Jack could come on as a substitute since I'm sure Denilson will get tired due to not being totally match fit. Who knows? Perhaps Denilson will get to show off those Brazialin ankles and zing one in from 30 yards out.

Either way, I think we are still suited to win if we are smart and continue our run of form which seems to be a combination of toughness and beautiful passing. Here's to our first Champions League win of the 2010-2011 season. Go You Reds!