Friday Musings and Hull City Preview

By: travis | September 26th, 2008

Another Friday means match day is soon to come. This week it’s newcomers Hull City visiting the Emirates. It was a crazy week, as the youngsters were the toast of the Carling Cup’s third round with their thrashing of Sheffield United. Lots of interesting news to go around as a result.

Cesc talks about fearing for his first team place with the sort of young talent below him. It’s a good point, and while I don’t think that Cesc would ever see the bench, he knows that the manager’s willingness to play younger players means that there is always competition from below. I seriously would doubt Aaron Ramsey getting a start over a fully fit Fabregas, but I wouldn’t put it past Wenger. Cesc puts it best in his own words:

Arsene doesn’t care how old they are and it is amazing. He is the best for doing that and is not scared to play anyone. I don’t think anyone else would be able to do it. That is why so many of our young players are so good and this is the policy of the club. I think it is fantastic.

With four English players in the Carling Cup starting XI, the boss muses on his plan to use English players the backbone of his team:

We are in an international world and I always knew that I wanted to produce 60 per cent of homegrown talent and 40 per cent from elsewhere in the world.

It seems like a sensible plan, and a reminder to those that denounce Arsenal’s heavy presence of foreign players from Arsenal, the boss brings up the likes of Jermaine Pennant, David Bentley and Steve Sidwell having their club origins from the youth side. And while those three never made it here, it isn’t all hopeless. Arsenal is not turning into the French national team.

Speaking of the French, Wenger brings up former striker Thierry Henry, who is struggling for Barcelona, having been moved to play on the left wing. There are reports that he is unhappy and would want to leave Spain in his current situation. Wenger wants his old striker to be happy, and it’s a bit sad to see Henry struggle so much, even for a great team like Barcelona. He’ll either turn it around or perhaps even leave La Liga.

Ahead of tomorrow’s match against Hull City, the usual suspects (Rosicky, Diaby, and Eduardo) remain out. Nasri has failed his latest fitness test as his knee injury lingers and will also miss out. It may be the debut of Mikael Silvestre, who is now fully fit, as well as Gael Clichy, both good news. Hull has done well thus far, taking eight points off of five games, and will not be easy. However, the comfortable confines and a well rested Robin Van Persie will probably mean goals aplenty tomorrow. Here’s to three points.