You couldn’t make it up Rosenberg Preview Pt 2


Coach

By Kilroy Serge
December 6 2004

At this afternoons press conference Arsene Wenger confirmed starts for Mathieu Flamini and Justin Hoyte in place of the suspended Patrick Vieira and Lauren plus the return of Dennis Bergkamp; but he refused to comment over the selection of his goalkeeper.

 He told reporters that they would have to turn up to the match to find out.

Now Arsenal Times version of the press conference is confirmed by Arsenal.Com, yet Sky is now claiming that Wenger told them he was persisting with Almunia, which may well be true, but when did he tell them? The comments he is supposed to have made are most un Wenger like, with Wenger allegedly boasting that he has dropped big players before, citing Bergkamp and Kanu.

True he has dropped Kanu, but Bergkamp has been part of squad rotation, it strikes me that the story is part good guess part shite stirring. Ian Ridley’s story of Wenger's one to one interviews, in the Observer,  with the whole team might also be true, but one thing was also fishy in that story – the claim that Wenger put the team sheet up on the Friday. If he wanted to keep the goalie situation quiet, and he did, then that was probably the last thing he would have done. He has never confirmed his Premiership teams on a Friday before.Nonetheless uncertainty surrounds the goalkeeping situation at Arsenal.

Such uncertainties are not the best preparation for such an important game but fortunately, we are facing Rosenborg (not Real Madrid) who have not won away for four years. If we have to play a weakened team this is the best time to have to do it. Captain Henry will be keen to do well, and as long as a weakened midfield can get the ball to the forwards there should be plenty of goals. There is not a lot of point in Rosenborg playing for a draw, but they have so little chance of qualifying for anything (not even the UEFA vase) that they might consider a draw a considerable scalp in itself. However if they want to have go then it could be ideal.

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