Stoke-ing the fire of debate - the injury mystery solved.

After seeing the game and in particularly the Ramsey injury, I felt compelled to post - mostly as a bit of therapy for myself. I was very disturbed by seeing the incident. I felt sick, absolutely gutted for the young man and also angry that once again we have lost a very talented player with bags of potential at a crucial stage of the season.

I read Arse-blogger this morning and nearly didnt post today. He said everything I wanted to say. Since then I've reflected and changed my mind somewhat.

Yes the challenge was bad and deserving of a red card.
No he didnt mean to break his leg.
No he isnt "that type of player" - but very, very few players would want to deliberately break an opponent's leg and potentially end their playing career.
Yes, the manager sent them out to play hard and physical against Arsenal - and there is nothing wrong with this!

This is where the crux of the matter is - It is a physical league, and that is what we love about it. The pace and the passion and the physicality is what makes the Premier league the best in the World. The best Arsenal sides have been able to be physical yet be able to play technically better and faster than the rest.

Let's not forget that Dennis Bergkamp, perhaps the most technically gifted player we (and probably the League) have ever had - also played dirty. He needed to, to give himself the space to do the amazing things he did.

Football is not just about being better technically than your opponent. There is a psychological battle too. There are lots of mini-battles going on all over the pitch. If the player you are marking/facing is better than you, then another weapon in your armoury can be to physically intimidate them, or harass them in terms of not giving them space.

The reason this happens more to Arsenal, and results in more injuries than any other team is that most of our players are smaller and technically better and motivated by skill not force. Teams like Chelsea do have a high level of technical ability but also are physically stronger. Therefore opponents are less likely to try to use the overly physical approach because its not going to work. Equally if they do try it, Chelsea can give as good as they get. Perhaps the same can be said of United.

It is impossible to say but maybe their players do not receive the same treatment because they can withstand it, or because they themselves are using physical force against their opponets as part of their own strategy.

Are Ramsey and Eduardo just more flimsy than Ballack and Drogba?

Arsenal are a continental team plying their trade in England, but with a higher pace. It is this pace and technical ability that could potentially win us the league. But we have to accept that the nature of the players we have and the way we play does leave us open to more injuries in such a physical league.

Arsene Wenger is a purist. He believes that the team with the best technique should win and that teams should be allowed to play their football, protected by the referee. He is right - but fouls are part of our game and by definition are players breaking the rules. So we need to find a way of standing up to the physical and essentially illegal approach of most other teams.

To be sure of sustaining a challenge on the league title every year, we need to have a squad made up of players who can withstand the fouls - players who are technically gifted, fast and strong. Or as it is very difficult (impossible) to have a team made up of Bergkamps, we need to have an even larger squad - because injuries are going to be a regular and inevitable part of the season for us.

I don't want us to change the way we play but we do need to be more savvy when it comes to protecting our players against the physical sides. Is it possible to study what players like Pires and Bergkamp did?

I think the momentum is with us now - last time the players said that they were going on to win the league for Eduardo, but they were too distracted by the Birmingham game and the whole injustice of Eduardo receiving such an horrendous injury. They were knocked off their stride and never truly regained focus. This time that negative energy is being channelled positively. It's brought the whole group of players together and I think it has united all the fans (who have been debating and criticising Arsene's strategy ever since it became apparent that we would be trophyless for a while). We all want it, so bad, and this time we think, no we believe we can do it.

Let's bring the trophy to the Emirate - the home of pure football.

'98