The Game

Arsenal tomorrow travel to Carrow Road to face Norwich City hoping to continue the positive run started before the international break.

It’s impossible to look ahead of the game without mentioning the injuries suffered by Kieran Gibbs and Carl Jenkinson and without feeling for the two youngsters who I’m more than sure were looking forward to the busy Christmas period, knowing that they were going to enjoy plenty of action on the pitch.

Kieran is a sad mystery at Arsenal. Last year, I think, I watched a feature on him in which he was literally saying that what is important for him is not to win games or lift trophies or success or fame but to stay healthy, to play, and do it or as long as possible and you could see the pain in his face when he remembered the long time he spent on the sidelines.

Now he’s back there, with big question marks hanging over the future of his career because ultimately this is a young man who simply cannot stay fit, no matter how much GPS tracking Ivan Gazidis introduces at the Club.

As for Carl, his story is also sad, in a way, as during the International break he was telling Arsenal Player how much he is enjoying his spell at Arsenal, a dream come true, that now, at least for the time being, will turn into a nightmare as he’s out for a whole month. And who knows, he might as well lose his place in the regular team if Johan or Laurent do well at right back.

Luckily, the likes of Robin van Persie and Thomas Vermaelen all made their comeback without any injury concerns with the Dutchman not involved in the game against Germany, as it was agreed beforehand. It was a friendly so the decision was of course a smart one to take.

Anyway, there’s something funny about Norwich City as I always giggle when we get to play them and that’s because I used to like them when I was a little boy because of their jersey colours and was an admirer of goalkeeper Bryan Gunn. But as they say, that was then and this is now, as we of course hope to get all three points, another win and another step towards the top of the table.

With Chelsea to play Liverpool and Manchester £194.9m loss to host third-in-the-table Newcastle United, this could indeed be our golden opportunity to move closer and closer to the Top Four.

As always, my favourite line-up is below. Remember you can submit your own at Arsenal Interactive and then share it on Twitter and Facebook.

Favourite line-up

With Carl out for a month, the $1m question ahead of tomorrow’s game is of course who will start on the right. Personally, I would opt for Laurent as Johan Djourou is clearly uncomfortable in that position.

This will allow Thomas Vermaelen and Per Mertesacker to play in their natural positions and find the right chemistry ahead of tougher games such as the one against Borussia Dortmund in mid-week. In midfield and the offensive department I would make no changes and continue with the same players who were doing so well before the break, including the world’s best striker, Robin van Persie.

The Gunning Hawk Coverage

As always, tune in for team line-ups, streaming links, half time and full time reports, post-match thoughts, video highlights and what the press is writing. And of course, do contribute if you want to by making use of the comment box available at the bottom of the post as it’s always nice to hear your opinion. And as a final note, if you want to go one step further than just leaving a comment and want to have your articles published on our website, take a look here for more information.

Arsenal Interactive

And of course, don’t forget you’re still in time to pick your preferred team for this game. And when the final whistle blows, don’t forget to rate the players, comment on their performances and share your personal ratings with your friends. All this and more, available at http://www.arsenal-interactive.com.