Barclays Premier League

Saturday 11th February 3pm

Sunderland AFC v Arsenal

Founded in 1879 as Sunderland and District Teachers AFC, Sunderland joined the Football League in 1890 and went on to win the League the following season.

Arsene Wenger is preparing the Arsenal team for a testing week ahead with three crucial away fixtures in eight days in three different competitions, and he is happy that now new injuries happened in last weeks win over Blackburn. He said: "Everybody should be available for Saturday and we have no new injuries that's [.

Toronto and Kansas City have faired pretty well so far this winter. (Getty Images)

Many clubs are a few weeks into their pre-seasons and now that the international transfer window has shut, it is a good time to look at how each MLS side has done so far this winter. (Note: the MLS window doesn't close until April, which means players who failed to land new jobs in Europe can still head to MLS.

Given that Sam Allardyce supposedly had the hex over us while he was in charge at Bolton, it was interesting to find out that we've actually won 9 out of our last ten games against Bolton in the league. Until today, our last failure to beat Bolton was the rather galling 2-1 defeat last year, when Nasri choked, and we failed to defend our set-pieces.

Perhaps that should be, 2012 HAS to be different. More than some recent poor results, last night's 0-0 with Bolton felt like it signalled the death knell for our season.

I say this because for once we can't hide behind conceding fluke goals or wonder goals. I say this because despite keeping a clean sheet for the first time in what feels like eternity, we could not score at a ground where the likes of United and Chelsea scored five.

Perhaps that should be, 2012 HAS to be different. More than some recent poor results, last night's 0-0 with Bolton felt like it signalled the death knell for our season.

I say this because for once we can't hide behind conceding fluke goals or wonder goals. I say this because despite keeping a clean sheet for the first time in what feels like eternity, we could not score at a ground where the likes of United and Chelsea scored five.

Bright Eis

Did anyone really expect Wenger to burn holes in Arsenal's chequebook this month? The general climate in football hinted at no, the fact that Arsene is our boss said no, and the apparent need for backup up front or at the back said – haha – no. No no no.

Yesterday's Fire news was firmly in the "not good" category. In case you haven't heard, Josip Mikulic is not with the team as he attends to personal issues. He may never return to the club. Combine this with Yamith Cuesta suddenly being gone (loan ended; Fire opted not to buy) the back line is suddenly very, very thin.

I don't know if you've noticed, but January has been pretty awful so far. We've lost all three of our league games, and we've gone back to our old habit of throwing away leads. United swept us aside with an ease that was almost saddening, given how massive the games between the two clubs used to be.

Summer 2012 needs to see a change in direction in Arsenal's transfer policy. Out must go this incessant desire to collect 15-16 year olds from around the world and expect and hope that they will develop.

Arsenal have many youngsters in the reserves or on loan for whom the time is ripe for them to be given their chance.

Manchester United

Position 2nd, 15-3-3 (48 points, +32 goal differential)

Away Record: 7-2-1, +13 goal differential

Recent Form: WWLLW

Last Meeting: I don't think there was a last meeting, was there?

Arsenal has suffered some terrible bad luck with defensive injuries this season. We lost Sagna, Gibbs and Jenkinson all with a 17 days in October, but the loss that has hurt us most was the loss of Santos in December. Santos was an attacking full-back and gave us extra attacking options something that has been lacking in recent weeks.

The Chicago Fire went into the 2012 SuperDraft looking for the best available talent over filling a specific need. It looks like they got both.

With the 9th overall selection, the club selected Austin Berry, a 6'2" central defender from Louisville. A former Chicago Fire PDL member, Berry is one of the oldest players in the draft at 23 years old and his maturity showed throughout the day.

The challenge today is to see if I can go through a whole blog without mentioning Thierry Henry.

Oh, balls. Well, mentioning him again. I know we football fans live very much in the moment, and the moment is kinda all his, but I reckon I've had my fill of articles about how great he is in training.

After Vito Mannone moved to Hull on loan there was some suggestion that he had made available a space for non homegrown players to arrive.

Unfortunately this isn't the case. For the 2011/12 season we named five homegrown players over the age of 21, and 17 (the maximum allowed) non homegrown players.

After Vito Mannone moved to Hull on loan there was some suggestion that he had made available a space for non homegrown players to arrive.

Unfortunately this isn't the case. For the 2011/12 season we named five homegrown players over the age of 21, and 17 (the maximum allowed) non homegrown players.

Things just go from bad to worse in the Arsenal back line with a never-ending litany of injuries. The Gunners had already lost Sagna, Gibbs, Jenkinson and Santos long before Christmas, and Wenger had no choice but to use all four centre-backs as cover. Then Johan Djourou got sent off at the same time as [.

After Vito Mannone moved to Hull on loan there was some suggestion that he had made available a space for non homegrown players to arrive.

Unfortunately this isn't the case. For the 2011/12 season we named five homegrown players over the age of 21, and 17 (the maximum allowed) non homegrown players.

Kieran Gibbs has not featured for Arsenal since October following a hernia operation. "Kieran Gibbs has had surgery on his left groin and he will be out for a month," Arsene Wenger confirmed the grim news. In recent matches, Arsene Wenger has been forced to play a makeshift back four (all central defenders) due to [.

When Arsenal sold Gael Clichy to Manchester City in the summer, many Arsenal fans were very worried that the injury-prone left-back Kieran Gibbs was a dangerous substitute due to his unending visits to the treatment table. These fears proved to be well-founded as the 22 year-old made just 8 starts for the Gunners this season [.

Arsene Wenger has admitted that he can't find a solution to Arsenal's defensive injuries within the squad as the busy Christmas period arrives, and thinks that playing his centre-backs out of position will only make the problems worse and will reduce their attacking options as well. "It's difficult," Wenger said, "because first of all we [.

Looking around this morning, it's probably best to start with positive injury news, which unfortunately comes almost exclusively in terms of Villa missing players.
It seems that Bent, Heskey, Herd and possibly also Collins are out for Villa.

To lose all four of our first team fullbacks at once to long-term injuries really is unfortunate.

As an example of serious bad luck it's right up there with Wayne Rooney finding himself at Grab-a-Granny night in the local nightclub with both arms in plaster; or Harry Redknapp taking a wrong turn into an auction house and accidentally winning 53 bids on account of his twitch.

Arsenal suffered yet another defensive injury yesterday in the 1-0 defeat to Manchester City, when Johann Djourou was taken off just after half time with a groin injury. Arsene Wenger said after the game that the Swiss internatinal is expected to be out for at least three weeks. But he gave Arsenal fans some good [.

I had so much fun writing this.

We start today with the very bad news that our favorite Brazilian, Andre Santos, will be out for at least 3 months due to required surgery on his right ankle. As you all know, he suffered this injury during our CL dead-rubber against Olympiakos- an unfortunate injury that could have been prevented.

The current injury list of Arsenal consist mainly of our full backs. Sagna, Jenkinson, Gibbs and now our newly purchased Brazilian left back Andre Santos, all are out with rather severe injuries. Out of desperation, Arsenal are now deploying their centre halves to play at the defensive half of the flanks, Vermaelen at left back [.

Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger has ruled out signing Chelsea's Brazilian defender Alex despite recent rumours that the club was in the market looking for a defender.

Alex who is set to leave Chelsea in the winter transfer window has struggled for regular play under coach Andres Villa-Boas and even if it were true , a move to Arsenal would probably see him continue to warm the bench and evntually leave due to Wenger's harsh policy on age.

Well that was pretty poor, wasn't it? A performance we can happily stuff down the back of the sofa, and hope no-one notices. Of course, we can (and will) wheel out the line about it being a dead rubber, and say that we'd won the group already, so no worries. But let's be honest, it was pretty rubbish.

Well that was pretty poor, wasn't it? A performance we can happily
stuff down the back of the sofa, and hope no-one notices. Of course,
we can (and will) wheel out the line about it being a dead rubber, and
say that we'd won the group already, so no worries. But let's be
honest, it was pretty rubbish.

The left back position of Arsene Wenger's era has been a rather stable position, Sylvinho to Ashley Cole to Clichy. Ever since Gael Clichy's departure to Manchester City, the left back issue is becoming a very pressing one. Though Clichy was not the best option, he was still a pretty decent player. It is also [.

Arsene Wenger has more than enough centre-backs this season after suffering with injury after injury in that department last year, but now the extras are being used to cover the wide defenders. When Arsenal played Dortmund on Wednesday Thomas Vermaelen, Laurent Koscielny, Per Mertesacker and Johann Djourou were all used during the 90 minutes.

Today is the big press releases full of protected players day. Personally it feels like a healing balm to help with the festering burn wound that was yesterday's Cup final.

Here is your creamy filled list of protected goodness:

Sean Johnson - GK
Cory Gibbs - DEF
Jalil Anibaba - DEF
Gonzalo Segares - DEF
Pavel Pardo - MID
Logan Pause - MID
Marco Pappa - MID
Sebastian Grazzini - MID
Orr Barouch - FWD
Patrick Nyarko - FWD
Dominic Oduro - FWD

Join me for some frothy instant analysis after the break.

An away win, another three points, job done, as simple as that really. Despite the injuries to two of our full backs, Jenkinson and Gibbs, we adapted and the outstanding Koscielny did very well in the right back slot. The rest of the team was the same first choice side that has been purring of late.

Speaking at his weekly presser ahead of the Norwich game Wenger was asked whether or not he believed there was adequate cover in the full-back areas following the fresh injuries to Gibbs and Jenkinson, he responded with a resounding "frankly speaking NO"

A stress fracture to the lower back and a hernia operation for the pair respectively, means there is a very good chance neither player will be in first team action again in 2011.

When Arsene Wenger sold Gael Clichy to Manchester City in the summer, did he really think that Kieran Gibbs would suddenly shake off his never-ending injuries enough to become the regular left-back? Gibbs record with Arsenal has been abysmal, and in his sixth season at the club the most league appearances he has made in [.

So, here we are. Internationals are over, real football is about to begin again, and yet there's no news. This is the post Interlull depression, from now on known as the Lullfunk. It occurs when the players have returned to their clubs but no pre-real football interviews have been given.

Today, the Lullfunk will be broken by Arsene giving an interview with the official site and there'll be some team news and so on, but for now we simply wait.

When Ashley Cole controversially left the Gunners to join Chelsea in 2006, substitute left-back Gael Clichy was given the chance to prove his capabilities on a permanent basis and didn't let Wenger down. Now the Frenchman has himself left the club – in this case to Manchester City – one would have assumed that his [.

Friday again? How does this keep happening with such regularity? I don't quite know where this last year has gone. I just remembered this morning that it's just over a year since Arseblog came back under my total control, my despotic regime is progressing nicely with Commander Tom readying the technological weapons of war and .

It is a situation that is both welcome and uncommon at Arsenal – one area of the squad is nearing full fitness. Whilst Mertesacker, Koscielny, Djourou and Squillaci are ready to play, Vermaelen is looking like a contender to be fit for the Chelsea game whilst Gibbs is days away from a return. Whilst Sagna [.

So while everyone is fretting over the merits of the John Terry 'race-row', we still have the small matter of a match tomorrow. Against Arsenal. At the Bridge. You know, that stadium the fans fought so valiantly to keep in their control. More, after the jump:

The Business At Hand.