Didier is a Dunce.

Struggled for headline today folks and only got inspiration when I heard the news that Monsieur Deschamps might be insisting Abou Diaby travels to Clarefontaine for the WCQ against Spain. I understand the fact Diaby is integral to Les Bleus but the guy is injured, but never mind, I hear he's great at recovering.....Oh. Yeah.

Matchday tonight and we pretty much covered Olympiakos in "depth" yesterday. Arsenal will be missing Abou plus the known injury news, however Mikel Arteta will have a fitness test on an ankle injury picked up in training and I understand his selection/non-selection will have knock on effects for the rest of the team.

I expect Per Mertesacker and Olivier Giroud to start however but the rest of the lineup will become clear as the day progresses.

Arsenal (Updated, Unconfirmed)

I am Vito Mannone

Corp Jenks
BFG
Johnathan Rhys Vermaelen
Gibbo

Tets/Coq
Rambo
Ox
Santi Claus
Goldi Poldi
OG

Up the Arse.

Olympia-Kos?

It's nearly Matchday 2 in the Champions League and we welcome our perennial groupbuddies Olympiakos to the Emirates.

Last season's games were dominated by Andre Santos no less, scoring the second goal in a 2-1 win in London, and being carried off with a ankle injury that laid him off for 3 months in the 3-1 win in Piraeus. That game will also be remembered for Fabianski picking up an injury and Vito Mannone's "ninja air-kick".

Our visitors have been busy over the summer, raiding Nice for midfielder Drissa Diakite on a free and also snapping up Impressive Toulouse midfielder Paulo Machado for just under €3m. Goalkeeper Roy Carroll will be a familiar face but the Greeks have sold star players Kevin Mirallas to Everton and also former Aston Villa defender Olof Mellberg, who has joined Segunda side Villarreal.

I'm told that Olympiakos will be without Midfielder Lubomir Fjesa, striker Rafik Djebbour and both vice-captain Avraam Papadopolous and captain Vassilis Torosidis who are both defenders.

Arsenal will be without Abou Diaby who is expected to miss the next month with a hip problem and the main selection issue is whether Per Mertesacker is recalled.

Arsenal (Probable)

Mannone
Jenkinson
Gibbs
Mertesacker
Vermaelen (c)
Arteta
Ramsey
Podolski
Cazorla
Oxlade-Chamberlain
Giroud

And On And On..

The unbeaten run is over and it's annoying. It's annoying the way it happened, it's annoying who it happened against and it's annoying where it happened.

Looking back on the game, we didn't play well, Chelsea had done their research on how to press and how to rush us, you then couple that with the ability to break at lightening quick speed and you have problems.

Arsenal didn't look quite right. Vermaelen and Koscielny looked nervous, I saw Vermaelen bomb forward more in this game than I have all season, much will be made of the decision to drop or "rotate" Per but I'd of probably done the same, ultimately you live and die by the decision sword though.

We'll be alright though. I believe this team can and will recover, it starts with Olympiakos so we need to banish the defensive problems from their minds and from ours.