We never really doubted the result did we? Arsenal put their horrid weekend to bed by defeating Borussia Dortmund – a team with a perfect record in The Champions League this season so far – 2-0 in a deserved victory at The Emirates.
But such has been the drama at The Arsenal this season that we couldn’t expect the evening to go off completely smoothly. And, on cue, there was a sour note to proceedings with news that Mikel Arteta will be sidelined after getting injured during the game. Arsene Wenger said post-match:
‘That doesn’t look good, it’s a calf. I think Arteta will be out for a while.’
‘It’s difficult to take on the chin at moment, you go in to many games and need everyone available.’
Most muscle strains tend to take a while to sort themselves out and this one is said to be on the serious side. It leaves Arsenal with something of a headache in the heart of the midfield. With Jack Wilshere crocked at the weekend, and potentially facing surgery, Arsenal are once more light in the more defensive areas of the team.
But the result takes the pressure off for now and leaves them with a dead rubber in their final Champions League fixture in a fortnight – away at Galatasaray. At least that gives Arsene a chance to rest some players.
Arsenal fans: who would you play in the anchor roles in midfield now that Arteta and Wilshere are out?
