Can Fabianski grab his latest chance?

Today, attention should definitely be focused away from the weekend's debacle and the task ahead of us in Belgrade tonight. The fact that we are without, Alex Song aside, the players you would normally expect to form our spine makes it a difficult assignment. The fact that we haven't won away in the Champions League for over a year makes it difficult. The fact that Belgrade's boisterous fans, who have been asked to behave themselves by Partizan, are known as the "gravediggers"? Well, there's a headline just begging to be written, isn't there?

The squad for the night was released yesterday afternoon. I think, bearing in mind Gaël Clichy's current form, the news that Kieran Gibbs has returned to duty will definitely come as some relief for us all. Likewise, the news that Abou Diaby has been left out. There have been some whispers about an ankle injury, but he was pictured training with the group. Maybe it's an injury that developed in the course of that training session, maybe the boss has decided that Diaby can't be counted on tonight.

I'd like to think it was the latter, not least because it's one less injury to think about; but also, if Diaby can be left out of a game like this when the squad is missing the aforementioned "spine" of the side, then it means that nobody is safe from the axe if they don't perform when needed. Apart from Arsène's favourites, that is... The point I'm making is that there is a pretty big pool of talent in the central midfield area. If Diaby doesn't fix up, then the likes of Ramsey (who, according to the Young Guns blog, is not far away from a comeback) and Wilshere (who, according to Song and, er, everyone else has shown "great things" this season) will be only too happy to displace him.

And speaking of displacement, wouldn't it be great to think that we have a goalkeeper that we could all be confident of coming and displacing our currently injured number one- or "Spain's number 30" as the West Brom fans referred to him on Saturday? Laughably, for a club like Arsenal that isn't the case, even the much vaunted "Roger Chesney" brings with him doubts over his age and ability to handle things if it all goes tits up. Although he has been promoted to the bench tonight and the way things have been going for Fabianski, who would be surprised if Roger got to see some action tonight?

Fabianski eh? There's a mystery. Well, to me, anyway. I'd liked the look of him up until that FA Cup Semi Final against Chelsea. I think it's safe to say that that game marked a very speedy descent in the fortunes of the Pole. But he gets what must be his 10th chance to right the wrongs of that game and all the other games that have followed it tonight and Arsène has backed him, again, to come through. He says,

"For Fabianski, it is another big chance - but you want a goalkeeper or any player to grab the chance when you get it.
"As a manager you can give a chance to a player who is good enough and I believe in his talent.
"He gets another opportunity to show how good he is. I want him to show how good he is.
"There is only one way to show confidence in a player and that is to put him on the pitch and give him his chance."

Personally, I wouldn't back Fabianski "to grab" anything, but that's just me, It's a bit of a rock and a hard place situation for him now, if he screws up (yes, "if", I'm being generous here), nobody will be surprised and everyone will scream at the manager. On the flip side, if he has a good game- well then, so what? What will he have proved? Everyone can have a good game now and then. It won't be until Fabianski has had ten good games in a row that people might even start to think about changing their minds and that still might not be enough. It is for that reason, although not necessarily tonight, that I would give serious consideration to blooding the younger Pole whose contract is up at the end of the season. Let's be honest here, I can sit here and say what I want, rightly it won't matter to Arsène. But if the fans don't believe in Fabianski and why should we, then it's difficult to imagine that the players having extra belief in him.

That, I suppose, is a consideration for another time. For now, he's what we've got and as with any other player who pulls on the red and white, or dons the the gloves, for us we need to get behind him and offer up our support to him. Well, that's why we're there, isn't it?

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