One of Wenger's greatest masterstrokes?

The treacherous Wembley turf has taken yet another victim. Well, the Wembley staircase - I returned from that ligament injury to attend the England match last night, only to aggravate it in a mad dash up ten flights of stairs to beat the anthems to my seat. Back to bed, back to demanding unreasonable favours from anyone who makes the mistake of coming over.

Theo started brightly but was fairly average overall. In fairness, service was lacking and some markedly optimistic/dreadful throughballs from his teammates were only ever going to dribble harmlessly out of play or bounce beyond his control. It could have been a different game for him had his tidy drilled cross been put away by Fat Frank when the net was beckoning irresistibly like the neon Golden Arches of a West London McDonald's. But an indifferent second half ended in Walcott's replacement by Shaun Wright-Phillips, and the Citeh winger promptly took his chance to shine. Not an awful night for Theo, not great either - but nevertheless a relief to see him get a run out and not pick up a knock.

Closer to the Arsenal training ground (which I understand is currently being re-turfed after Ryan Shawcross played in one of the England team's practice matches), and Gael Clichy has been talking about Big Sol. The left-back was full of praise for his veteran teammate, and his interview made pleasant reading.

"If I’m honest he’s been training with us for three months and I told him before he signed that I honestly believed it was the first time I’ve seen him that fit in training."

I don't think anyone would disagree with him. Sol is in tremendous shape for his age, and no one expected him to make such an emphatic return. Sure, at times his pace is lacking, but he has packed on some extra muscle and looks strong enough to carry the burden of a thousand Silvestres. Plus he seems to be a big influence in the dressing room:

"He is a big influence in the dressing room."

Signing Sol in the window could prove to be the catalyst we needed to push on this season, and he could become as inspirational in the coming months as the little imp who nicked his number last February. He has already played in two fairly big games and impressed:

"The way he played against Porto and the way he came in against Aston Villa showed that the guy is a great leader. We surely missed people like that and it’s great to have him back."

As I mentioned after the Porto and Stoke matches, when Sol signed at the end of the window I had my reservations about replacing a promising youngish centre-back with one more than ten years his senior. Evidently, something was going on in training or behind the scenes which made Wenger opt to let the Swiss go, with his standard blow-softening yet transparent aside that the door was open for Senderos to come back one day.
 
But it seems like bringing back Campbell may well be one of Wenger's greatest masterstrokes. A reliable, enormous, and - most importantly of all - successful centre-back with a huge influence on his teammates, and we brought him in on a free transfer.
 
With Gallas probably out for the next few games, we will need Sol's experience at the back to keep the defence looking solid. The home leg against Porto will be his chance to win back the plaudits he should have received at the Estádio do Dragão...