Arsenal Injury Crisis?

Arsene Wenger's side travel to face Newcastle United Wednesday with key players missing—Hleb, Fabregas, Van Persie. But also, and possibly more concerning, Flamini and Abou Diaby will be out as well.

Wenger's men started the season brightly and it has been these players who have shone the most. Fabregas in particular has caught attention with his renewed confidence in front of goal (to call it new-found ability perhaps stretches the point for a player who was the lead scorer in the 2003 U-17 world cup!).

The sparkling form of Alexander Hleb over the past few weeks, as well as eye-catching contributions from Van Persie and Diaby in the early months of the season, mean their absences are also much lamented by Arsenal fans.

Possibly the biggest worry for Wenger on Wednesday will be the absence of the battling Matthieu Flamini. After an indifferent season last year, Flamini has captured the kind of form that led Wenger to poach the young Frenchmen from Marseille—bustling, busy, skillful, tidy, quick. But it is his braveness in the face of opposition less inclined to play the beautiful game the way that Arsenal want to that could be the most sorely missed on Wednesday.

For all the undoubted talents of possible replacements—Gilberto, Denilson, and Diarra—the situation seems to be that none of them display quite the tenacity that Flamini has demonstrated so ably this season.

The accusation that has been most readily thrown at Arsenal over seasons of late has been their lack of grit for the fight, for those "cold, wet, windy nights" in the northwest, and in particular against teams like Sam Allardyce's Bolton, Arsenals co-called Bogey team. It is precisely this man who will be putting a team out to go toe-to-toe with the men from London at St. James' park, it will be Allardyce who will be motivating his team (and if the reports are true, he'll be wanting to motivate them with everything he's got in order to keep a grip on his job!) and it will be his tactics that face the Arsenal team.

On the face of it, a tough trip for the Gunners, particularly when you throw in the desire for revenge many of the Newcastle players will have to repay the humiliation at the hands of Arsene's young guns in the Carling Cup. No Flamini to battle, no Fabregas or Hleb to create magic in midfield, no Van Persie to skillfully ceate space upfront—a tough trip certainly.

But not an impossible task. For all the injuries in midfield, the Arsenal defense and attack have been incredibly consistent. Walcott has been showing glimpses of that Henry-esque pace and skill that led Wenger to buy him originally. Arsenal have never lost when Adebayor has scored, and he's not had a problem with finding the net thus far this season.

Eduardo still tantalises the Arsenal fans with his promise. Tomas Rosicky has talent and shooting power by the bucketload. Toure and Gallas are maintaining their impression of an impassable object at the center of defense and not even the grumblings of Jens Lehman on the bench has put off Manuel Almunia in goal!

And let's not forget about the players who will be coming into midfield. Gilberto, Brazil captain at the recent Copa America, has got the temperament for a big game and a bit of a battle. Denilson, another Brazil captain, this time of the U-20's, is again a player with a penchant for tough tackling and tight passing. Lassana Diarra, a player who ripped Newcastle to shreds as part of the young Arsenal team in the Carling Cup.

Wenger's production line of talent seems to roll ever onwards. The worry over lack of strength in depth that used to plague every Arsenal fan with Wenger's refusal to plunge into the transfer market seems to be past. The injury list may be illustrious, but the replacements have more than enough to be capable of filling the gap adequately.

Perhaps it's not such a worry as it might at first seem for Arsenal fans. Allardyces position as Newcastle manager will be done no favors by the opposition on Wednesday, and maybe his role as Arsenal's bogey man(ager) will be finally put to bed.

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