Arsenala s Mathieu Debuchy said that he felt guilty about the season he has had, having only played 14 games.
The Right Back, who was brought in from Newcastle as a replacement for Bacary Sagna who had left for Manchester City, has had an injury ridden season, having first suffered an ankle injury and then a dislocated shoulder after making his comeback.
Debuchy said, a I just need to find my rhythm and feeling. Ita s never easy having two operations in the same season. Ia m not 100%, but not far off.
a Ita s annoying to arrive at a new club and be injured. I made a good start, felt well and then have had two injuries. Inevitably, in your head, youa re not feeling great, you feel guilty. When a club signs you theya re counting on you and in return, Ia ve not brought anythinga anyway, ita s only a delay.
a After the World Cup, ita s true that I needed a break. Three weeks of holiday goes quickly. Ita s possible my first injury was related to fatigue, but I dona t know.
a Ita s not easy being in the stands or watching TV. It was hard, but I made the effort to go to the stadium and to the dressing room after the game. It is important to show our face. I could have made my recovery in France or elsewhere, but I chose to stay at Arsenal.a
Thankfully, Arsenal did not miss Debuchy too much as the youngsters at the club, first Calum Chambers and then Hector Bellerin, stepped up to fill the void of the experienced defender. Bellerin, in particular, showed he was more than capable of filling the role on a long term basis, making the return of Carl Jenkinson from loan a tricky affair for Arsenal.
If it can be recalled, Jenkinson, who was the understudy for Sagna last season, was sent on loan to West Ham to gain some experience, and while he is having a great season with the Hammers, he would definitely want to come back to Arsenal, having been a fan of the club since a kid. But with Bellerin proving to be such a success, it will be hard to see him making a successful return and has hinted that he may even consider a permanent move to West Ham if a reasonable offer was made. While there were enquiries made to see if he was available for sale in January, Arsenal promptly slapped a 15 million price tag on him, making it difficult for a prospective club to take him away easily.
It will be interesting to see how the fight for the right back place will pan out, but Arsenal fans would be happy that at last for a change, they are spoiled for choice.