Gunners Alumni continue to face misfortune

Whether Arsene Wenger has developed a knack for selling players at exactly the right moment, or there is some genuine witchcraft going on, it seems that Arsenal players who move on to ‘better their careers’ don’t seem to be able to live up to expectations.

When making his home debut for Barcelona at the weekend, delicate little flower Alex Hleb was forced off the pitch with an ankle injury that will keep him out of action for three or four weeks.

Also facing misfortune during Barcelona’s 1-1 draw with racing Santander at the weekend was Thierry Henry, who was left out of the squad following a disappointing display in a 1-0 defeat to La Liga newbies Numancia two weeks ago.

Continuing the trend of stars who have failed to live up to the form and success they experienced in a red and white shirt is Mathieu Flamini, who has thus far failed to set Serie A alight with Milan, who are maintaining a 100 per cent league loss record so far. Also, when the Frenchman’s former colleagues travel to the Ukraine to begin the Champions League campaign proper,

What’s it like being a cursed Frenchman?

Whatever metaphorical rollercoaster Mathieu Flamini thought it worth boarding a few weeks ago, it was a very misjudged move, and has now crashed. Today he was cut from France’s final Euro 2008 squad.

At the beginning of the season he was considered a hyperactive midfielder with a good engine but little in the way of genuine flair, yet by the season’s close he was revered as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. The future looked great.

Mathieu’s teammates find cringe-worthy method of likening him to his AC Milan counterpart

At the start of this season, Mathieu Flamini earned himself a new nickname among his team-mates - Flattuso. He earned the moniker because his playing style is similar to AC Milan’s midfield enforcer Gennaro Gattuso.

Fans will get the chance to directly compare the two players tonight, and big-brained Arsene believes we will see Flattuso at his best:

“Yes he had that name. Flamini has a similar style to Gattuso because of his size and the fact he’s always up for it.