While beating a much-changed Championship side is not the greatest yardstick with which to measure progress, the win at Hull keeps Arsenal’s hopes of winning a third straight FA Cup alive.
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Arsene Wenger has provided a “very positive” update on the fitness of defenders Gabriel Paulista and Per Mertesacker.
After an initial assessment on his injury on Wednesday, Ramsey is understood to be scheduled for a full scan and examination on Thursday. “There is a small alert, we don’t know how bad it is”, Wenger added. Certainly, there will be particular worry, given that Ramsey missed more than three months of action when suffering a thigh injury in late 2013.
And widespread reports on Thursday claim the Wales midfielder could face six weeks on the sidelines, ruling him out for nearly the remainder of the season. Wilshere has yet to play this season due to an ankle problem suffered last summer, while Cazorla is still on his way back from a knee injury that has ruled him out since last November.
But Wenger says they have both recovered and will be available for Sunday’s FA Cup game against the Hornets.
The team’s sustained slump had left them eight points behind leaders Leicester in the Premier League title race and with an nearly impossible task to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.
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The alarming dip in form led Arsenal’s senior players to act in the wake of last week’s 2-1 home defeat to Swansea, with Petr Cech, Mikel Arteta, Per Mertesacker and Tomas Rosicky organising a players’ meeting. For those matches, Arsenal’s midfield options are set to be limited to Francis Coquelin, Mathieu Flamini and Mohamed Elneny. With both players out, along with Laurent Koscielny, Nacho Monreal and Calum Chambers manned the center of the Gunners’ defense, which they may have to do again for Saturday’s FA Cup tie with Watford.
