Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger asks rookie keeper Mannone to grow up fast

16 September 2009 13:08
One man dominated Arsene Wenger's thoughts as he settled into his chair in the executive lounge at Luton Airport. 'Adebayor,' was his first answer, which was strange because the first question of his media briefing was a harmless enquiry about which of his players were not fit enough to travel to Belgium. Wenger quickly realised his mistake and laughed, he meant Almunia. Goalkeeper Manuel Almunia is out of the Champions League game against Standard Liege with a chest infection. With Lukasz Fabianski at least three weeks from fitness after knee surgery, it amounts to a sudden goalkeeper crisis for Wenger, who has no option but to thrust 21-year-old rookie Vito Mannone into action against the Belgian champions. Vito Mannone Boy to Man: third-choice keeper Vito Mannone Polish teenager Wojciech Szczesny, who broke both his arms in an accident in the gym and was out for six months soon after joining Arsenal, will be on the bench in Liege's Maurice Dufrasne Stadium. * VIDEO: Watch Witsel's horror tackle here Mannone, signed from Atalanta's youth ranks four years ago, has made just one senior appearance for Arsenal, in the final game of last season against Stoke. 'At least he's played one,' smiled Wenger. 'And he did quite well.' When these teams last met, Standard were thrashed 7-0 on home turf as Arsenal knocked them out in the second round of the Cup -winners' Cup in November 1993. FIND OUT ALL THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES, RESULTS, STANDINGS AND MORE WITH OUR BRILLIANT STATS CENTRE Stats Zone But Mannone cannot expect such an easy ride against a team who knocked Everton out of last year's UEFA Cup and are unbeaten in 15 home games since last December, even if they include Tottenham reject Ricardo Rocha in their back four. 'It will be quite a heated atmosphere,' Wenger added. 'It is a big challenge for a young boy to come into a Champions League game with such pressure. But I am confident. If you look at the number of shots we have conceded recently, it is not that many.' Mannone also had a spell on loan at Barnsley in 2006, which started badly when a mistake on his debut cost a goal and his career was soon curtailed by injury, but at least his European debut has been shielded by the frenzy of controversy surrounding Arsenal. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger New campaign: Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger speaks to the media ahead of their Champions League opener against Standard Liege 'Sometimes it's a big circus,' said Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen, returning to his native Belgium amid flying questions about Adebayor and Eduardo, who will start in tonight's Group H opener after winning his appeal against the two-match ban imposed for diving to win a penalty against Celtic. Wenger is delighted to have Eduardo available, especially as he is without several other injured attackers - Robin van Persie, Theo Walcott, Andrey Arshavin and Samir Nasri - but he fears the legacy of the dive row is already in evidence, with Arsenal denied two strong penalty claims in their last two games. 'We didn't get a penalty at Manchester United with Arshavin as a direct consequence,' said Wenger. 'And we didn't get the penalty at Manchester City with Gareth Barry's handball.' Eduardo was also denied what looked like a clear penalty playing for Croatia against England last week, when Glen Johnson pushed him as he headed at goal. 'That was a consequence as well,' said Wenger. 'It is the referees' problem. What you expect from the referee is to make the right decision in any circumstances and I don't believe they will have to consider that case. That case has been judged. 'Sometimes a striker makes the most of it because he wants to cheat, sometimes because he wants to protect himself and sometimes because he wants to show the referee that he has been touched. 'So you have to identify what is the right reason behind it. It doesn't mean the player is always cheating.' * Eduardo might want to avoid Standard Liege midfielder Axel Witsel. The Belgium international is currently serving an eight-match domestic suspension after a horrific tackle on Anderlecht’s Marcin Wasilewski which broke the Polish right-back’s leg.

Source: Daily_Mail