Time for Arsenal’s Mikel to start earning his keep

Arsenal fans have been greeted with the unwelcome news of another injury courtesy of the international break as youngster Kieran Gibbs lasted just 21 minutes of England U21’s match against Lithuania after sustaining an ankle injury. Gunners will be cursing their luck in a week that also saw their star front man Robin Van Persie put on the sidelines with an ankle injury. The situation has been made worse by the fact that Gibbs was due for an extended run in the Arsenal first team as first choice left back Gael Clichy is also on the treatment table with a lower back stress fracture. Many football fans, including myself were looking forward to seeing the 20 year old left back receive another run in the Arsenal team after impressing with performances in the previous times he has been called upon.

Arsene Wenger must now look to fill the full back void after the injuries to Clichy, Gibbs and Armand Traore and it is likely he will looked to the seasoned Premier League pro Mikael Silvestre to fill this gap.  Since the arrival of Thomas Vermaelen, and in traditional Arsenal style the emergence of youth talent such as Gibbs, Silvestre has fallen further into the background at the Emirates Stadium. However footballs forgotten man appears to have been given the chance to remind the Premier League of his presence.

Despite the fact that Mikael Silvestre may be considered by many followers of the Premier League to be old and past his best, the French defender is only 32 years of age and is likely to still have a few seasons of football left in him. He may no longer be of the quality of Arsenal’s other defenders, however in a team often criticised for its inexperience, Silvestre will bring a host of knowledge to the Arsenal line-up. During his time at Manchester United, Silvestre picked up four Premier League titles and a European Cup as well as other domestic successes. The experience that he will bring to the team should not be underestimated and Silvestre will want to use all of this to help prove his is still a quality defender at the top level. Although he does pose an attacking threat, as Arsenal have seen in the past when he scored a header in the dramatic 4-4 fixture with rivals Tottenham Hotspur, I believe Silvestre will aim to bring a more solid defensive approach to Arsenal’s game. This will no doubt benefit centre backs William Gallas and Thomas Vermaelen, as their attacking threat is often highlighted yet sometimes leaves them vulnerable. The knowledge that the experienced Silvestre is behind them may give them greater confidence when pressing on the opposition.

Arsenal’s style of football will however be hindered by the fact that Silvestre will be filling in on the left side of defensive. In recent years the Gunners have become notorious for producing explosive attacking left backs, think Ashley Cole, Gael Clichy and now Kieran Gibbs. The same attacking prowess cannot be expected of Silvestre as he clearly does not have the stamina of Clichy or Gibbs. Injuries are something that title challengers have to deal with and this could be an aspect of Wenger’s season that helps decide their fate, with a crunch match against title rivals Chelsea at the end of the month – although Gibbs should be back for this.

Silvestre appears to be confident and happy to receive his chance and will be trying to impress Arsenal fans. Silvestre stated “I feel good, fully fit. I just do what I have been doing – training hard and supporting the team. The pressure is higher because even if you are training hard, it is not like playing games. The Frenchman does however expect a tough encounter ahead of Arsenal’s match at the Stadium of Light this weekend adding, “Sunderland are proof that the Premier League is more competitive now. That’s why it is one of the most attractive leagues in the world”