Cech will be out for four weeks with a “serious” calf injury, while Koscielny should return for next Saturday’s Premier League clash with West Brom.
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The Gunners find themselves six points off the top of the table heading into Saturday’s trip to Tottenham following back-to-back defeats, with Arsene Wenger admitting his side are lacking confidence after their 2-1 defeat to Swansea at the Emirates.
“He has not found the measurement of the fans’ angriness, of 60,000 people, straight away because he sits in the best seats in the stadium”.
“Koscielny has a small injury and he will be out for Tuesday (the FA Cup replay at Hull) as well”.
Unfortunately for the Czech Republic man, he sustained a calf injury and is now expected to miss up to four weeks of action.
Wenger confirmed that Cech had declared himself fit despite the groin complaint, trusting his experience, but is sure to rue the 33-year-old’s absence, saying “Cech had a little groin problem but declared himself 100% fit”.
“You want the players to be tough enough to sometimes be able to play through a little pain”.
“Thierry Henry has his opinions”, said Wenger at his media briefing on Friday.
“I would like not to comment on that and I say to people what I think face-to-face”, Wenger said when asked if Henry’s comments would make matters worse with restless fans.
“We have to be immune to that”, he said of the expected hostile atmosphere of Wednesday.
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“I don’t know if the capacities of the managers (has changed) or because football has changed, it’s hard to say”. For now it is White Hart Lane they must deal with and even as we approach the 20th anniversary of Wenger at Arsenal, during which he has never finished a league season beneath Spurs, it would be fair that no-one can be sure what his team will deliver.
