Gunners bid to bounce back
Wednesday, February 1, 2006
Article summary
Arsène Wenger is looking to put his "worst week" as Arsenal FC manager behind him as the Gunners take on West Ham United FC at Highbury tonight.
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Nightmare time
Wenger described last week as the worst he had suffered during his nine-year reign after his side were knocked out of two cup competitions and slipped even further behind in the Premiership title race by losing at Everton FC. He has conceded that catching Chelsea FC is beyond Arsenal now, but there is more at stake than trying to close the massive 25-point gap between them and the Premiership leaders when the Gunners take on West Ham United FC at Highbury tonight.
Big money spent
For Wenger, this is a significant staging post in his attempts to rebuild his ageing team and forge a new dynasty of success at Arsenal. Indeed, the usually cautious coach became one of the biggest spenders in Europe during the January transfer window. The highest-profile arrival seemed to be that of Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor from AS Monaco FC for an undisclosed fee, but the €17.5m signing of 16-year-old prospect and fellow frontman Theo Walcott from Southampton FC generated even bigger headlines.
New strikers
The fee further added to the pressure on Wenger, who freely admitted he was taking a gamble by paying such a large sum for a teenager. At the back, Wenger completed the signing of Vasiriki Abou Diaby in a deal that could eventually be worth €8m to AJ Auxerre, and Estonia goalkeeper Mart Poom also sealed a permanent transfer following a loan spell.
Injury list grows
Reinforcements were certainly called for as Wenger will be without no fewer than six defenders against West Ham after Lauren's knee injury put him out for a month, leaving the full-back on an injury list which includes Ashley Cole (thigh), Pascal Cygan (hamstring) and Gaël Clichy (foot). Emmanuel Eboué and Kolo Touré are both on African Cup of Nations duty in Egypt and will not feature.
European focus
While a convincing victory over West Ham would bring much-needed confidence back into the camp, the main focus of Arsenal's season will be trying to persuade Thierry Henry to sign a new contract, as well as seeking the European success which has eluded Wenger throughout his tenure at the club. Defeat against Real Madrid CF in the UEFA Champions League would mean Arsenal finishing the season without a trophy for the first time since 2001 - an unthinkable prospect for Gunners fans, but a very real one nonetheless.
