Arshavin’s power threatens to solve injury problems.

The Russian is the most diminutive player in the squad and yet he is the man who looks most capable of filling the void left by our injured hoards.

When Robin van Persie led the line, Arshavin was frequently left a little isolated on the left and too far away from the goal to make a decisive difference. On Saturday however, another injury to Eduardo gave Arshavin the opportunity to display his powerful style through the middle. His low centre of gravity, acceleration and shooting prowess can be unplayable and he frequently danced his way past Stoke’s defence with ease. This was most clearly exemplified by the way he won the penalty and planted the opening goal in off the post.

Eboue, Gallas and Traore added to Wenger’s injury woes during the game but a satisfactory result was sealed when Ramsey picked up the ball and finished well. The Welshman has unlimited potential but we will have to be patient as he still gives his most eye catching performances when emerging from the bench. Wenger said:

“We pick up more injuries than the other big teams, that is true. You cannot say there is not a reason for it but we have not found it yet.â€?

The most logical explanation is that Wenger’s plan to blood young players into the first team has led to the early burn out that Wenger is so keen to avoid. However, Tomas Rosicky and Eduardo should be at the peak of their powers and they too have fallen victim to the injury curse, picking up injuries again over the weekend.

Another argument sometimes offered is that the unparalleled pace and invention of which we are sometimes capable of, is too much for mere human legs to handle. Still, not every player in the squad is so injury prone and thankfully our two best players have avoided any recurring injury problems. Cesc Fabregas and Andrey Arshavin are capable of brushing aside most opposition and the latter proved how devastating he can be in the central position despite Fabregas’ failure to slot home the penalty.

Our next two league games are in the North West, with Liverpool providing the opposition this Sunday and Burnley next Wednesday. After Chelsea’s defeat in the same part of the world, two wins would secure our place in the title race which looked to have been taken away only a week ago.

Photo: Action Images

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