Szczesny in off the deep end?

Pow! We open this afternoon's blog, ahead of the small matter of a match in Manchester this evening, with some staggering team news. Asked by Polish journalist, Robert Błońskiemu, from the Gazeta Wyborcza, to confirm an article this morning stating that he would be starting tonight's top of the table clash with Manchester United, Wojciech Szczesny replied, "Yes. And I quite like it". After telling us all how good he is for months, the young Pole is now being asked to show it and make his debut in one of the most exacting environments in world football. It is the very definition of being thrown in from the deep end.

It seems as though Lukasz Fabianski is the latest spinal player to succumb to injury. It would be amazing how frequently we seem to be losing spinal players, if it didn't happen all too frequently. What boggles my mind is the way we seem to lose such a player as soon as one comes back- the cycle of life in operation here? Robin returns to the side and Lukasz leaves it. I don't think it's unfair to say that all eyes will indeed be on Wojciech this evening, a good performance from him would really set a marker in the first team stakes. What a bad performance will do for him personally, I have no idea. But it will most likely lose us the game.

Six hours before kick-off, we're still none the wiser regarding our captain's likely involvement. I don't think it's worth taking a risk with him. Much as I'd like to see him on the pitch tonight, there's no logic to losing his services as we head into what is likely to be a tough Christmas programme. Instead, I would like to think that the players we have available will be good enough to win us the match- and when you're talking about the likes of van Persie, Chamakh, Arshavin and Nasri, then yes, those players are good enough to win any match. If they play to their full potential.

And I really do think that's the key tonight. I mentioned yesterday that United seem just a little better at imposing their strengths on us whilst nullifying ours. What they are also good at is playing at, or in some cases beyond, what you would consider their normal level. I'm talking about players like Park, Nani, Fletcher and then you have the persistent irritation, like a mosquito in a tent, that is Wayne Rooney. In many ways, it's impossible to predict how this game will play out tonight. We could go up there and play with the maturity of potential champions, dishing out a masterclass in keep ball and win. Or, as we saw a year and a half ago, we could go up there, totally cowed by the occasion and be destroyed. Of course, it's eminently possible that we go up there, give the keep ball masterclass and lose, or that we play badly and win. I don't hold much hope for that latter scenario however, I don't believe that we're defensively resilient enough to play badly and win.

But I do believe we have an excellent chance tonight to underline our status as league leaders tonight. With 21 matches still to play after this one, in a way the pressure is not as great as it might be otherwise. Lose tonight and we should still end the night second, but having played a game less than the team that will replace us as league leaders. A win tonight and we will have a big fat target on our back, with the slavering dogs of Manchester and south west London hot on our heels, but knowing that we mean business. Either way, there's a lot of football to be played.

I would, of course, feel happier if we had Vermaelen available and Fabregas and van Persie ready to go at 100%, but I'm not prepared to throw the towel in on tonight's game. I'd feel happier if there weren't so many question marks over our defence, but the players we've got have been good enough to get us to the top of the table. They have to go onto the pitch tonight believing that they are good enough to stay there. It doesn't feel like anyone who's paid to give an opinion thinks that we're good enough to come away from Old Trafford with three points in the bag, does it? Good, I say. Nobody thought Arsenal were good enough to go to Anfield in May 1989 and win by two clear goals, but we did it anyway. Yes, that was a different time, a different Arsenal. But bucking the odds is part of what makes this club great, if we were interested in listening to him, Xavi might say it is in our DNA.

I say it's time we made a little history of our own. Enjoy the game, wherever you are.

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