The Premier League's competitive depth is such that Arsene Wenger hardly bothers to look at the fixture list these days. The opportunity that a trip to West Bromwich Albion might have offered his Arsenal team is no more in this age of vast wealth and equitable distribution.
The stewardship of Tony Pulis at The Hawthorns ensures a level of commitment and organisation guaranteed to give any team a long afternoon. Add that to the roll call of Arsenal injured and you begin to see Wenger's point.
In the absence of Aaron Ramsey, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, plus long-term casualties Jack Wilshere, Tomas Rosicky and Danny Welbeck, Arsenal struggled for fluency in the 1-1 home draw with Spurs ahead of the international break and before that in the Premier League enjoyed a 3-0 win at Swansea City that did not reflect a match dominated by the hosts.
In addition to those recovering from injury, Wenger is mindful of the miles Alexis Sanchez is piling up in the service of club and country. A round trip to Chile is no way to recover from the intensity of the Premier League in November. “I am worried because when he went to Chile he was already a bit jaded and, to see how he is when he gets back, we will have to test,” Wenger said. “But speaking to the player, if I ask him, 'Are you tired?', you can guess the answer.”
Wenger accepts the forward will have to be saved from himself at some point. “At the moment I am a bit short because no Chamberlain, no Ramsey, no Walcott, no Wilshere, no Welbeck. There are not much offensive positions where I can rotate,” he admitted.
The good news is Ramsey's frail hamstring is restored and he returns to full training on Monday. The bad is Oxlade-Chamberlain pulled up on Monday and will not be considered today as had been hoped. “He had a slight little setback but we checked by scan and there is nothing wrong. But he is still a fraction short for Saturday. Ramsey had a deeper hamstring problem than Chamberlain. He can play on Tuesday [against Dynamo Zagreb] and Chamberlain I think against Norwich [a week tomorrow].”
According to Wenger, Walcott is still a fortnight away from returning. He could not hazard a guess when Wilshere, Welbeck and Rosicky might be out of cotton wool. Arsenal were fortunate that the dropped points at home to Spurs were balanced by leaders Manchester City's draw at bottom club Aston Villa, a result that makes Wenger's point forcibly.
“I would even say that you don't even look at the table any more because you know what you get,” he said. “The difference between the teams has narrowed. It's more how much can you be close to your best that will decide the result, than the team you play against.
“I watched them [West Bromwich] against Man United and they looked a very well-organised team who are absolutely, as always with Tony Pulis, totally committed. On top of that they are in a difficult situation, a little bit, in the Premier League.
“You expect what you get now from everywhere, a committed, physical, fast game and a game where we cannot afford to make any mistake.”
Fears about the mental fitness of French team-mates Laurent Koscielny and Olivier Giroud eased after both took part in training yesterday. – The Independent