Panic stations at Arsenal
Arsenal face a critical weekend in their season, with Chelsea looming on Sunday after the latest round of bad injury news for Arsene Wenger and his men.
The Gunners are safely through to the knockout stages following but Tuesday night's match against Standard Liege saw Kieron Gibbs fall foul of a dreaded metatarsal injury after a horror challenge from Eliaquim Mangala.
And not only was Gibbs mangled by Mangala, William Gallas had a clash of heads with Andrey Arshavin, and has a dodgy ankle, and may not be fit to play Chelsea.
Gibbs was only covering for Gael Clichy, so the Gunners will have to try and contain Chelsea's midfield diamond without a recognised left back. Good luck!
It's enough to make Wenger launch into a foul-mouthed rant when asked a perfectly innocent question about the World Cup. Which, funnily enough, he did earlier this week.
With Robin van Persie busy massaging horse placenta fluid into his damaged ligaments these injuries are in danger of seriously damaging Arsenal's season. Sunday's encounter with Carlo Ancelotti's impressive Chelsea may be a defining moment in their season.
Should they win against the Blues and get three points from their game in hand, Arsenal would be level with second-placed United and right in the mix in the title race.
Low Standard
On a related note, Standard Liege defender Axel Witsel was responsible for one of worst tackles the ITV Spy has ever seen a few weeks back in a clash with Anderlecht (you can find it on YouTube, but we warn you, it's not for the faint-hearted).
So the question is, do they practice these studs-up stamps at Liege? As Standard, if you'll pardon the pun? As the photo suggests Mangala got nowhere near the ball in his efforts to dispossess Gibbs last night. They may not be a dirty team but on this evidence, they're in danger of getting that reputation.
Long road ahead for Rafa's Reds
Following Liverpool's UEFA Champions League exit on Tuesday night, the powers that be at Liverpool insist that Rafael Benitez's job is not under threat.
This may very well be true at the moment but a worrying scenario has now appeared on the horizon for the Spaniard and his team.
Involvement in the latter stages of the Champions League is obviously important for more than financial reasons it's essential for the prestige of the club, and for fans to know their team is challenging for the highest honours.
So the Reds need to make sure they stay in the FA Cup, having already been dumped out of the League Cup by Arsenal. (Sitting 13 points behind leaders Chelsea at the moment, they can certainly forget about the Premier League)
It's all very well for the financial director to insist that it's OK, Liverpool are financially "neutral" for this year and the Rafa roadshow will continue.
But how would the fans react to three or four barren months post-Christmas, with nothing to play for other than the race for the top four?
Perhaps the grim reality of battling the likes of Aston Villa and Manchester City for that elusive UEFA Champions League spot, with nothing else on the horizon, would shake the loyalty of even the most fervent supporter of the Spaniard.
And should Liverpool, god forbid, fail to qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League? Then it really would be time for Rafa to worry.
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