In Defence of Vermaelen, Norwich (H) Expected Lineups

Good evening all you 5 people who have read this blog!

Reports have been going around this week that Thomas Vermaelen has been hinting at a January departure should he not regain form enough to displace either Mertesacker or Koscielny in the CB spots. He has been quoted as saying:

"I'll have to think about that when it's necessary. January is still a few months ahead. Of course, never playing will not be the ideal situation for me to go to the World Cup, that's for sure," he told the Daily Mail. "People ask me if I panic because I'm not playing a lot but I'm not.

"I have spoken to the manager but it will remain private between us. Things can happen in a split second and change my situation. That can happen tomorrow or next weekend. In that case, we will speak differently in January. I have to be ready for that."

Of course, if you are reading this blog, you will no doubt have already read others commenting on how good old TV5's comments are simply a critical assessment of the situation he is in. I too will concur with these smart smart non-media swayed bloggers. As the World Cup swings back in 2014, Vermaelen will be 28, to turn 29 in November. The chances are that with a burgeoning Belgian national team, this will be the last world cup that Vermaelen will likely participate in, and in a team that has a steady chance of making it far (Look at the names on that teamsheet: Courtois, Mignolet, Kompany, Vertonghen, De Bruyne, Fellaini, Hazard, Witsel, Lukaku, Benteke to say the least). So, I don't read any more into his comments than that he would really like to play in the world cup in 2014 and that if Kosc and Per keep him out of the starting lineup he'll consider looking for playing time somewhere else.

This comment isn't necessarily a bad thing. We all know the Vermaelen before last season as a goal scoring, tough tackling, steely terminator like machine of a player - form and leadership that culminated in being given the captain's armband after the departure of the douchebag. Yet it seemed that the pressure got to him and his form slipped last season leaving the path wide open for Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny to form their impenetrable wall.

But all is not over for Vermaelen.

It is reassuring for both him and supporters that it is not his form keeping him out of the 1st XI but the solidarity and good form of the Mertesacker/Kosc partnership. In fact, when Vermaelen has played (not that he's played much), he seemed quite comfortable on the ball and steadier than in the past season at the heart of defense. It would break my heart to see the Verminator leave to another club, and in my opinion would do the squad and Verm himself some good with squad rotation. Of course I'm not advocating dropping either Mert//Kosc for long periods of time given their current form, but I think that against the weaker teams coming up in the league (Norwich, Crystal Palace), it could be good to see TV5 running out for 60 odd minutes. The other option is to play him as a DM, as cover for Flamini (Who is on 4 yellow cards and one away from suspension). If anything, Flamini has proven to Wenger that the team plays better as a unit with someone more defensively minded in that gap giving shelter to the back four - a position that Vermaelen could easily adapt to.

And now, back to the EPL after a long and arduous round of internationals. Arsenal face Norwich City this Saturday at the Emirates before Champs League in midweek against Dortmund. In the  matches against Norwich since their promotion, there have been 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss. While Arsenal sit atop the Premier League table, Norwich sit in the relegation zone with 7 points in 7 games. A win is an absolute must to hold on to that #1 spot with pressure amounting from Chelsea and Liverpool.

Norwich have no major injury concerns with only Elliot Bennett on the sidelines. Pilkington is expected to return on this fixture, which will bolster the Norwich attack. Arsenal on the other hand are missing Sagna, Podolski, AOC and of course Diaby. There is, though, a major injury boost for Arsenal as Cazorla, Walcott, Rosicky, Sanogo and Ozil are all expected to be fit for the fixture.

I think that it is important to play Cazorla and Walcott but not so much that they strain themselves in the process - considering that they are just coming back from injury, I expect them to play 60 and 30 minutes respectively.

My lineup for the game v Norwich
Szczesny, Jenkinson, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Flamini, Ramsey, Ozil, Gnabry, Cazorla Wilshere, Giroud

*UPDATE*

Arsene has spoken - Walcott is out for another 2 weeks and Cazorla is not yet match fit. Wilshere will probably play at LW and be subbed off for Cazorla/Rosicky

**

I expect that if the game is managed properly and the players turn up, this should be a relatively simple game to win, but everything must be executed properly. Expect some intricate play between Cazorla and Ozil and some direct running from Gnabry and Walcott if he plays. I predict a relatively easy 3-1 win to the good.