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Camden Sports - RICHARD OSLEY
Published: 4 December 2008

Swiss star’s defensive push

Wenger’s praise for Johan Djourou’s personality, determination and quality

JOHAN Djourou is in line to get a chance of building a central defensive partnership with William Gallas as the Gunners try to shore up their back line.
His chief rival for the job, Mikael Silvestre, was asked to play in the team of teenagers that lost at Burnley in the Carling Cup on Tuesday, a sign the former Manchester United defender has fallen down Arsene Wenger’s pecking order.
Former favourite Kolo Toure, meanwhile, has struggled to claim a regular starting position this season and is now struggling with injury. Wenger’s recent team selections have suggested that he no longer believes that together Gallas and Toure, neither of whom is over 6ft, can build a partnership capable of fixing the Gunners’ leaking rearguard.
Critically, Wenger trusted Djourou for one of his team’s biggest tests of the season on Sunday when the 21-year-old was given the task of tracking Nicolas Anelka in the crunch win over Chelsea. The free-scoring striker hardly got a sniff of goal and the Gunners boss said: “I wanted to try the partnership of Gallas and Djourou and I believe it gives us the stature to defend in the air. We were stronger in the air.”
Djourou, a Swiss international, might have thought he’d blown his big chance to impress when he scored an own-goal at Stamford Bridge, but his assured aerial ability and calm passing proved a key factor as Arsenal went on to win 2-1.
His appearance in such an important fixture was a turnaround from last season when Djourou was allowed to join Birmingham City on loan. In the summer Djourou committed his future to the club with a long-term contract and revealed he owed his progress to Wenger’s tutelage.
Wenger said before Sunday’s derby: “Djourou is not comparable to the player he was six months ago. He has gained in personality, in determination and quality.
“He is pushing all the other players at Arsenal. At the back you want players who are strong in duels and strong in the air. Johan’s size is a big advantage. He is among our top quality players.”

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