It's Shakhtar tonight: Where's the midfield?

The team news for tonight's Champions League sortie to the Ukraine suddenly became a lot clearer yesterday afternoon. Again, about five minutes after my blog was launched into cyberspace. But that's okay, I'm not bitter or anything. The team news can best be summed up in four words: we have no midfielders.

Well, actually that's not true, it just feels like it. We knew already that Cesc Fabregas was going to have no more involvement tonight than turning on his television at home. However, despite my belief that one of Song and Denilson would certainly make the plane, neither of them have. And nor has Abou Diaby. Not that there's any surprise in Diaby's continued lack of availability. Nor, it has to be said, does it seem anyone is particularly upset to see yet another game in which Diaby will not feature. The subject of Robin van Persie's future at Arsenal has come up a few times in light of his latest injury setback, but that's only because his talent seems inseparable from his fragility. In other words, we all know good he is, we just don't know how often he can play. Diaby, on the other hand... well, I think it's fair to say that nobody is sure just how good he is and nor do we know often he can play. And so Diaby is almost in danger of becoming north London's forgotten man. That may seem a dramatic read of things, but consider how little noise has been made regarding this latest absence, both by the club and supporters. Consider that there are couple of midfield tyros bulldozing their way into the first team picture and perhaps I am not being so dramatic after all.

One of those midfield tyros is, of course Jack Wilshere. I'm not going to go about him too much today, mainly because I seem to have written about little else this week. But he is the only guaranteed starter in central midfield this evening. I've seen speculation that he will play at the base of a midfield involving both Nasri and Rosicky, but that seems a touch fanciful to me. I'm not saying Jack can't dig in and defend when he has to, we've seen that he can. I just think it's asking a lot of him to sit in and screen the defence for 90 minutes. Even if he had Samir Nasri alongside him. For me, for reasons of balance if nothing else, I would go with Craig Eastmond in that "sitting" role, Wilshere alongside him and Rosicky ahead of them. It did occur to me last night that, with Koscielny back in the defence, Johan Djourou could be given a game in his preferred role, but I don't see Arsène doing that tonight. Nor do I think he should.

Then I would give Bendtner and Walcott the opportunity to wreak some havoc in the Champions League, with Nasri alongside them. Though we can't discount the possibility of Carlos Vela being given another chance to impress, or of Emmanuel Eboue being drafted in to bolster the ranks. I think you know, by now, how I would regard such a move. What is clear though, is that even with injuries taking 5 or 6 players, in addition to ones already on the treatment table, or- like Aaron Ramsey- on the training pitch and on the way back, we have options. Nick Bendtner has been talking about the competition for places. By the great Dane's standards, what he has to say is, well, a bit bland really. It's almost as if he's had some media training. He said,

"You want competition and at a big team like Arsenal there will always be competition for each place.

"As a player you want to play every game and it's up to the manager to pick the starting eleven. All I can do is give my best to get into the team.

I think that, although he hasn't said it, there's a clear implication that players are now having to work for their places and that is creating a beneficial impact in the team's performances. As it should be, but perhaps this is the first time in a few years, we've really been able to say that. One player who has, in my mind, done more than enough to earn a regular starting spot so far this season is Theo Walcott, I'll even allow him a few "TJ and the..." book signings without comment. Arsène has been talking him up, whilst explaining why he isn't playing him through the middle just yet. Speaking to Arse.com, he said,

"Theo can be a prolific goalscorer. Once he is a yard in front of the defender no-one can catch him.

"He is very, very close to playing that striker role. But when you play with only one up front you like as well a guy who is good in the air as sometimes you kick it longer.

"Still look at the two goals he scored against Newcastle, they are from a typical striker goes who plays on a counter-attack. But most of the time we face teams with a different problem. We face teams that play very deep like West Ham so there is less space in behind. That is why at the moment I use him on the flanks."

I'm not going to mention the Thierry Henry comparison, other than to say that Thierry was 22 when he arrived here, not 23. The central point being the same, Theo has been expected to produce like Henry did whilst essentially still a kid. But he's visibly growing up now and Arsène, understandably, feels that is being reflected in his finishing,

"It looks to me now that Theo has a calmness in front of goal. Before he rushed his decision but now he is different."

The "calmness" is reflected in a tally of goals this season that is set, in November and with 6 months of the season remaining, to better all four of the seasons behind him. It's almost at the point, now, where you're a bit surprised if he misses. The improvement has been vast and I take my metaphorical hat off to him. I look forward to seeing him in action tonight.

Enjoy the game, wherever you are.

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