Danny has a job to do
DANNY WELBECK says he is focused solely on getting Arsenal back into the Champions League, with concerns about his World Cup place put on hold.
The England striker scored his first Premier League goals since September in the 3-2 win over Southampton, making a timely return to goalscoring form with Henrikh Mkhitaryan ruled out for the next fortnight at least with medial knee ligament damage.
Given Arsenal are 13 points adrift of fourth place with just six games to go, winning the Europa League looks to be their only route back into the continent’s elite competition next season.
While a 4-1 home leg advantage should make Thursday’s long trip to CSKA Moscow little more than a formality, the first leg of the semi-finals is on April 26 and appears touch and go for Mkhitaryan’s return to fitness.
That puts a lot of focus on Welbeck, and after years of injury problems he is fighting fit for the challenge.
“We don’t know how bad Henrikh’s injury is,” Welbeck said. “Hopefully he is available as soon as possible but it is the manager’s decision who he wants in the team. Obviously, with these goals I’ve staked my claim.
“I just want to give as good a performance as possible. I know I can link up with plenty of the players in this team, and with the way we play sometimes we can knock it in behind a bit more and put the other team under pressure.
“Against Southampton, I made those runs, the ball came and it put them under pressure.”
His body may have let Welbeck down, with a series of knee problems exacerbated earlier this season by a month out due to a groin strain. But mentally the striker remains as tough as ever, recovering from a bad miss moments before his winner on Sunday and answering critics with an emphatic far-post header.
“It isn’t like I wanted to miss,” Welbeck said. “You just have to know there is going to be another opportunity and WEST BROM have slammed sports minister Tracey Crouch after their proposals for safe standing at the Hawthorns were tuned down.
The Baggies wanted to turn 3,600 seats in the Smethwick End into ‘rail seats’ but the proposals were rejected by the government with no reason given publicly. The law states that all football stadiums in the top two divisions must be all-seater following the you have to keep focused. I’ve been through much tougher stuff so it’s nothing, you just have to keep your mindset strong.
“In professional football, there are always going to be critics. You see people are criticising Cristiano Ronaldo and he’s at the pinnacle.”
Ultimately, though, one person’s opinion matters more Taylor Report after the Hillsborough disaster.
“I find the decision from the minister of sport both surprising and disappointing,” said West Brom’s director of operations Mark Miles.
“I feel the minister has taken a short-sighted view and is preventing the club from creating a safer environment for supporters. The all-seater than most and, after failing to stake a claim in Gareth Southgate’s plans recently due to injury, Welbeck’s place in England’s final 23 for Russia is very much in jeopardy.
But he insisted: “My mind’s fully focused on Arsenal at the moment and, with the England stuff, that will take care of itself because I’ve got my job to do here.” policy was developed over 25 years ago and football is a very different place now.”
The Football Supporters’ Federation safe standing campaign spokesman Peter Daykin said: “The whole tenor of the debate on standing has changed massively in recent years, so this is a really disappointing decision.
“Despite what the law thinks, standing at football is a reality.”