Shouts From the Prof

The Professor gives a shout out to Gilberto - possibly also a message to Der Lemon about how to be an adult and a professional. I'm starting to wonder if we will ever see The Teutonic Tantrum grace an Arsenal side again. Wenger does not even have him traveling with the team to Manchester for this Saturday's delicious showdown with the Red Devils.

If there're any doubts about how well received Lehmann's newspaper rants were, read it in the squad selection. Wenger is not just establishing the who's who  and what's what of the side, he's administering a prison-sized bitch slapping to Lehmann. Given the German's fragile mentality, I believe his Arsenal career is over.

Not that Almunia hasn't looked strong when tested. Against Liverpool, I counted one (minor) mistake when he came out to challenge a pass in and didn't get it - Eboue saved the the day (the ref missed an obvious handling call on Liverpool). The rest of the game the Spaniard with the lousy hairstyle showed excellent form. He was sharp and made 3 great saves and a bunch of really good ones.

The Professor also took time to boost Nicklas Bendtner. I haven't seen enough of the kid to be sure, but I've liked what I saw. He reminds me of Ruud Van Nistelroy; a big, strong bloke who knows where they goal is and always seems to be heading there at the right time. It'll be interesting to see what he can do tonight in the Carling Cup match with Sheffield United.