Internationals – Fingers Crossed On Injuries!

With sixteen players away on international duty for the round of midweek national team games we’ve all got our fingers crossed for them all to return to London Colney on Friday without having been crocked. 

I’m probably in a minority of Gooners who love international football. That said it’s always depressing when we have players injured whilst on national team duty. Injuries can happen at any time though, as was graphically illustrated by the pre-season training injury to young midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong. 

One player who won’t be getting injured tonight is Jack Wilshere. He’s had to withdraw from the England squad for tonight’s friendly with France due to injury. We can but hope that he’s fit for selection on Saturday against the Forces of Darkness from the wrong end of the Seven Sisters Road. 

Kieran Gibbs will certainly start for England. Theo Walcott will possibly start but possibly will come off the bench if not in the final starting eleven. For France, Gaël Clichy, Bacary Sagna and Samir Nasri are all in the France squad which could mean both our senior left-backs featuring in the match. With our luck they’ll both pick up knocks! 

Marouane Chamakh is in Belfast for Morocco’s game against Northern Ireland. Łukasz Fabiański is expected to start for Poland against Ivory Coast in Warsaw. Emmanuel Eboué is in the Mighty Elephants’ squad. Cesc Fàbregas is in the Spain squad to play their Iberian neighbours Portugal in Lisbon. Robin van Persie has controversially been selected by the Netherlands for their friendly against Turkey in the Amsterdam ArenA. Nicklas Bendtner and Tomáš Rosický will be on opposite sides as Denmark faces the Czech Republic in the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen. Johan Djourou has been selected for Switzerland to face Ukraine in Geneva at the Stade de Genčve. 

For Russia, Andrey Arshavin has been selected for their game against Belgium to be played in the city of Voronezh, nearly 900 miles south of Moscow near the Ukrainian border. In the under-age games, Wojciech Szczęsny has been picked for the Poland  20s away against Switzerland. Finally last night Henri Lansbury ended up playing in goal for the last half an hour of England Under 21s 2-0 loss to Germany Under 21s in Wiesbaden. Substitute goalie Jason Steele had come on for Ryan Bertrand at half time then managed to get himself sent off leaving England with no specialist goalkeeper. Aside from conceding the penalty awarded when Steele was sent off, Lansbury who had started the game in midfield managed to keep a clean sheet for half an hour. 

In the days of reserve goalies on the bench it’s become very rare to see outfield players go in goal. I vividly remember our centre-forward John Radford having to take over from goalie Bob Wilson in the 1972 FA Cup semi-final against Stoke City at Villa Park. Radford managed to keep Stoke at bay and we won the replay at Goodison Park, only to lose the Centenary Cup Final 1-0 to Leeds United. The last time I can remember an outfield player going in goal at a game I was at was David Platt going in goal for Aston Villa at Highbury in 1991. The number of substitutes that a team could select in domestic games had been increased from one to two in the FA Cup and League Cup in 1986/87 and in league games in 1987/88.  

When the Premier League started in 1992/93 teams were permitted to select two outfield players plus a goalkeeper as substitutes and the era of outfield player having to go in goal started to fade into history. Before domestic regulations were brought into line with international regulations on the selection and use of substitutes every team would have a nominated emergency goalie amongst their outfield players. 

Enough of the trip down memory lane! I can’t finish without mentioning my Argentine “second team” River Plate’s one-nil win over Boca Juniors in the Superclásico Porteño last night. I watched the game live on the internet. As always the atmosphere in the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires was completely mental. The place became completely unhinged when River scored on 55 minutes. ¡Si, si, señores! ¡Yo soy de River! ¡River en mi corazón! (Yes, yes, gentlemen! I’m River! River in my heart!) 

¡El que no salta es un bostero! (If you don’t jump you’re a shit shoveller!). Wonderful stuff. Completely unhinged emotion. 

Keep the faith! 

vic@arsenalinsider.com

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Vic Crescit

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