Will Johan Djourou be back in time for the Barcelona games?

Johan Djourou picked up a knee injury against Newcastle on Saturday, and Squillaci proved he isn't a capable replacement for the Swiss defender. It is unknown as of yet how bad the knee injury is with various reports from different parts of the media. There are reports that the Swiss FA believe he has suffered knee ligament damage and this could be damaging to Arsenal's season as it may mean Djourou will be out for the rest of the season. The centre back has built an excellent partnership with the Frenchman Laurent Koscielny and this has led to many clean sheets in recent matches. The pair look confident together and it spreads confidence throughout the rest of the team knowing they can rely on the centre back's. However with Djourou now joining Vermaelen on the sidelines we are left with two centre backs. Squillaci and Koscielny have played together many times this season and we have lost the majority of the games when the pair start at the back. This is the dilemma now facing Wenger as tough games against Barcelona are approaching and we only have two central defenders available to play.

 We can only hope as Arsenal fan's that Djourou's injury isn't as bad as some people are saying and he will recover in time to face Barcelona. After all he has said on Twitter himself, "Hello. Thanks for the support. I was hit on my knee on Saturday as you saw it. I'm feeling better. For more infos check Arsenal.com Cheers" This appears to be a good sign for Arsenal fans and may be a sign that he may recover in time to play Barcelona. Wenger will have no option if Djourou hasn't recovered for the Barcelona game, than to pair Squillaci and Koscielny in defence. This isn't a great prospect for Arsenal and will be a worry for the Arsenal fans. This is mainly due to the duo's poor form when playing together, and the fact that they'll be dealing with the likes of Messi, Villa and Iniesta.

 I personally feel that Johan was taken off at the weekend as a precautionary measure. After all we were 4-0 up and no one thought we were going to throw the game away from that position. Wenger probably believed that we would win comfortably and that it was better to take Johan off to make sure he didn't aggravate his injury. If Johan's injury is serious, Wenger will be hoping that Vermaelen recovers quickly because otherwise his decision not to buy a centre half will look like a big mistake. I think Djourou will be back in time for the first Barcelona game and Vermaelen for the second. If this is the case there is no defensive crisis, but if the duo don't recover quickly Arsenal's season could be over in a matter of weeks. If they return quickly to the centre of defence, Arsenal will be very confident of beating Barcelona and catching United in the title race.