More defensive problems for Arsenal as they face Newcastle United
More defensive concerns for Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger as his team
prepared for Saturday's ( English
Premier League match at home to Newcastle United.
Arsene Wenger said that he had "24 hours to think about" Arsenal's
defensive problems as the team prepared for their match against
Newcastle without defenders Laurent Koscielny and Nacho Monreal.
First choice centre-back Koscielny and left-back Monreal, who has deputised for Koscielny numerous times this season, are both unfit to face the 'Magpies', but Wenger did not seem fazed by the dilemma in front of him.
"I will find a solution for tomorrow. We have to play somebody who has no experience or somebody who is not used to playing the position," he said.
The visit of Alan Pardew's side comes at a difficult time for Arsenal - one week on from a humiliating 3-2 defeat at Stoke City, while Newcastle are riding the wave of becoming the first team to defeat Chelsea since the start of the season.
"They had a great result last week, they are doing well, they are on a good run. So it will be a very interesting challenge for us, but I think we have a good dynamic in our team," said Wenger.
The Arsenal manager has recently received praise from his counterpart on Tyneside, with Pardew backing Wenger to disprove his critics and suggesting the club could even go as far as rename the stadium in his honour.
The two managers have clashed in the past, when Pardew was in charge of West Ham United, but Wenger said the two had since resolved their differences, and he had admiration for Pardew's handling of the criticism he received earlier in the year.
The pain of Arsenal's loss to Stoke was somewhat relieved by an emphatic 4-1 UEFA Champions League win over Galatasaray, featuring a brace from both Aaron Ramsey and Lukas Podolski.
Ramsey is unavailable for the Newcastle match, and Wenger couldn't be drawn on the length of time he may be out of action, but he did say that Podolski may get more first team opportunities after his good display in Turkey.
While Arsenal boast a wealth of available talent in the more attacking positions, persistent injuries to midfield and defensive players such as Ramsey and Koscielny have definitely played a part in the team's disappointing start to the season, with Wenger suggesting that these problems may force the club into the transfer market come January.
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| Arsene Wenger |
First choice centre-back Koscielny and left-back Monreal, who has deputised for Koscielny numerous times this season, are both unfit to face the 'Magpies', but Wenger did not seem fazed by the dilemma in front of him.
"I will find a solution for tomorrow. We have to play somebody who has no experience or somebody who is not used to playing the position," he said.
The visit of Alan Pardew's side comes at a difficult time for Arsenal - one week on from a humiliating 3-2 defeat at Stoke City, while Newcastle are riding the wave of becoming the first team to defeat Chelsea since the start of the season.
"They had a great result last week, they are doing well, they are on a good run. So it will be a very interesting challenge for us, but I think we have a good dynamic in our team," said Wenger.
The Arsenal manager has recently received praise from his counterpart on Tyneside, with Pardew backing Wenger to disprove his critics and suggesting the club could even go as far as rename the stadium in his honour.
The two managers have clashed in the past, when Pardew was in charge of West Ham United, but Wenger said the two had since resolved their differences, and he had admiration for Pardew's handling of the criticism he received earlier in the year.
The pain of Arsenal's loss to Stoke was somewhat relieved by an emphatic 4-1 UEFA Champions League win over Galatasaray, featuring a brace from both Aaron Ramsey and Lukas Podolski.
Ramsey is unavailable for the Newcastle match, and Wenger couldn't be drawn on the length of time he may be out of action, but he did say that Podolski may get more first team opportunities after his good display in Turkey.
While Arsenal boast a wealth of available talent in the more attacking positions, persistent injuries to midfield and defensive players such as Ramsey and Koscielny have definitely played a part in the team's disappointing start to the season, with Wenger suggesting that these problems may force the club into the transfer market come January.
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