Do they make bananas in Croatia?

Once more Arsenal play to a national and international audience in the Champions League. Like the later rounds of the CL last season, Arsenal have the European stage to themselves, at least from a Premiership perspective this evening.

And while the big risk this evening is of Arsenal hurting their chances of progressing to the groups stage, there is another banana peel that really must be considered.

Last season, Didier Drogba got the better of Senderos for one brieft moment in the Charity Shield "competition" (a competition that Wenger takes so seriously, he plays at least 18 players in it each year). And such is the hunger for football and the absense of football news at the beginning of each season that the media grabbed on to a perceived weakness in Senderos' aerial ability and created a maelstom of criticism for the young defender. Senderos progressed to play in the later stages of the CL (and did not concede a goal at the World Cup) but not before having his talent constantly questioned in the press and even being dropped by Wenger amidst the frenzy.

I worry most that someone like Djourou makes a mistake tonight that becomes blown WAY out of proportion. The match is on ITV1 and as we all know, one passing comment from the pundits about one of our players will be repeated ad nauseum in both the tabloids and from the lips of every armchair footie expert in the country. A banana peel beckons under the bright lights of ITV1.