Can Arsenal fire without Fabregas?
Arsenal head into this evening’s Champions League tie with Porto seeking to overturn a 2-1 deficit without talismanic captain Cesc Fabregas. The Spaniard has been pivotal to everything good Arsene Wenger’s side has done this season and his presence will be sorely missed. Can Arsenal retain a cutting edge without him?
Wenger appears confident that his side can progress, and will have been buoyed by the goalscoring return of Andrei Arshavin on Saturday in the 3-1 victory over Burnely. However, Nicklas Bendtner’s failure to find the net will have been of some concern and Wenger knows his team can not afford to be goal shy, leaving him with some difficult selection decisions.
Wenger has talked up the possibility of Samir Nasri moving in from the flanks to partner Alex Song in a more central role. However, one goal from 17 appearances this season is hardly the kind of attacking form that will give the Arsenal faithful confidence. Yet with Abou Diaby only just returning from injury and Eduardo horribly short of form, much will be expected from the Frenchman.
Can Wenger also place some of his faith in Theo Walcott? Following a disappointing display for the national side, Walcott responded in the best way possible against Burnley. The impetus is now on the 21 year-old to continue demonstrating he is worthy of a place in Wenger’s starting XI and Fabio Capello’s England squad, something a strong European display would go a long way to prove.
At the other end of the pitch, Arsenal fans can draw confidence from the fact that Manuel Almunia will start in goal following Lukasz Fabianski’s error strewn performance in the first leg. Furthermore, Wenger’s men handed Porto a 4-0 drubbing in their last meeting at the Emirates Stadium back in September 2008.
Arsenal still have a realistic chance of a Premier League and Champions League double, and it would be a surprise to see their exit at the last sixteen stage. However, those players with attacking responsibilities will have to raise their game in the absence of Fabregas to ensure the North London side don’t trip up in a tie in which they are probably still favourites.
