Arsenal balls: the media crisis that isn’t
Arsenal have a lot of players injured. But some how they’ve managed to give themselves a fighting chance of progressing in the Champions’ League and sit just two points from the Premier League summit.
No disaster, then.
But to the Mirror Arsenal are in a “Greek tragedy”. Needing to beat an ordinary Olympiakos side by two clear goals or score three and win, the paper says the Gunners’ chances are reduced by injury. They are in “crisis”.
John Cross says Alexis Sanchez and Santi Cazorla are set to miss Arsenal’s trip to Athens. This is “blow” that “plunges Arsenal into crisis”. Does it?
A quick look at the tabloids confirms our view that the newspapers have little idea what they’re talking about. Below is the result of a search for ‘Olympiakos’:
The Indy: Arsenal “expect” Sanchez to be unfit.
The Guardian: Sanchez “could” be fit.
The Standard” “Arsenal “hope” Sanchez is fit.
All stories written from the same facts.
The Mirror says Sanchez is certain to miss the match. It complies a list of when injured Arsenal players will return:
Mirror readers learn that Theo Walcott is out for another three weeks – but Sun readers get a different story: he’s back this Saturday.
The Express says Laurent Koscielny is “doubtful” for the Athens match. But the Sun says he’s back at the weekend.
The Mail says that Koscielny, Gibbs and Walcott are all back to fitness, and that Cazorla and Sanchez could be fit in a week.
Not a crisis, then.
Such are the facts.
Posted: 1st, December 2015 | In: Arsenal, Reviews, Sports Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
