Wenger: Reyes ready to shine as middleman
Reyes has operated in a wider position for much of the season, but with the non-flying Dutchman Dennis Bergkamp not travelling to Norway for tonight’s Group E encounter with Rosenborg, Reyes is set to get his chance down the middle.
And Wenger is in no doubt it will be a smooth transition.
“He has a big part to play in the game,” reflected the Arsenal manager.
“He has been fantastic and adapted quickly. His character is stronger and certainly since the start of the season he has been a big, and good, surprise.
“He can play wide left, or in just behind. He is an expected replacement for Dennis, especially away from home in Europe - that is why I bought him.
“At the moment he is happy out wide on the left. He has freedom on the wing. I feel he will be a central player, but at the moment he feels comfortable on the left.”
Wenger is wary of putting too much expectation on the 21-year-old’s shoulders.
“He is in a [Wayne] Rooney situation a little bit. Everybody expects Rooney to make the difference,” said the Arsenal manager.
“That is what people expect now from Reyes, that he scores in every game, but football is not as simple as that.
“When you are young, it is a little bit cyclic, you go up and down. We can cope with that because we have a lot of players who can make the difference.”
Wenger will, however, have to do without one key man for the next few weeks at least as Brazilian midfielder Gilberto Silva is unavailable because of a lower back problem.
“It does not look good, because he will be at least one month without physical effort,” revealed the Arsenal manager.
“It is a strange injury, because it is usually concerned with young people. I don’t know if it is a recurrence of something he had at one stage, but it might be a small fracture of his vertebrae. He will be out for at least one month and then we have to check again.
“It is a blow because he is a real team player, maybe not one of the favourites in the stands, but a real team player.”
Edu is likely to start alongside Patrick Vieira in the heart of the Arsenal midfield again, while Robert Pires could slot in on the left after shaking off a foot problem which kept him out at the weekend.
England defender Sol Campbell made his first appearance of the season in that Premiership win at Manchester City following a lay-off with an Achilles problem.
Wenger is delighted to have the centre-back available again, but admitted he could be given a rest after the trip to Norway.
“Sol certainly will be sharper than he was on Saturday,” the Frenchman said.
“Maybe three games in a week will be a lot for him, but his second game should be okay. Sol is a player who, once he is under way, he wants to go to the end.
“For us, it is a long way to go. First we have to get out of the group stage and it is a big game for us. To get out of the group stages, you need away results.”
The Arsenal manager is, though, not expecting an easy encounter at the Lerkendal Stadium against a side currently leading their own domestic championship, with the season almost complete, and a club which possesses a great deal of European experience.
“We want to go into this competition with the same belief we have in the Premiership, and do well two or three games on the trot because then you feel really strong,” Wenger declared, knowing his team must build on their opening 1-0 victory over PSV Eindhoven.
“This match will be another indicator because we are favourites, go to a difficult ground, a hostile environment, not an aggressive one, but it is not the most prestigious of games and to come back with a result would be a good test for us.”
Johnsen; Russell, Riseth, Hoftun, Dorsin; Strand, Winsnes, Gunnar Solli; Johnsen, Braathen, Storflor.
: Lehmann; Lauren, Campbell, Toure, Cole; Ljungberg, Vieira, Fabregas, Edu; Henry, Reyes.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
