Its been a pretty quiet week for Arsenal. On the pitch we played out a 0-0 draw against Chelsea that to be honest was a pretty dull affair. Off the pitch not much is happening at all in terms of Arsenal. In terms of RVP however its been a good week, winning both the PFA and FWA Player of the Year award, which is good as its finally gone to someone worthwhile. According to sources both were landslide victories so congratulations to Robin on what has been an amazing season.
Now back to business and with Chelsea getting the draw they needed in Barcelona it is very possible that 4th will NOT get a Champions League place next season. It annoyed me that many people including Arsenal fans were almost happy for Chelsea. We aren't 3rd yet and we travel to Stoke this weekend to play a game of Rugby with Pulis' bruisers. Now there's no denying we really don't like playing Stoke, they always seem to get something against us especially at the Britannia. We do have some new injury concerns mainly with Walcott who it appears will be out for the next 2 games. Diaby apparently was sick the other week and has a small chance of making the squad, he will face a late fitness test.
On a positive note Benayoun returns after being inelligible to play against Chelsea. The absence on the right will most likely to be taken by the young Alex OC although Gervinho may slot in on right. I expect the squad will be fairly similar apart from being out and Rosicky returning along with Benayoun.
In terms of Stoke I have no idea about their injuries and to be honest I don't really care. We know they play a physical and brutal game which doesn't suit some of our delicate players. I would like to see Diaby play purely because of his presence on the field but it's not worth the risk if he isn't fit.
With Newcastle able to come level on points with us with a win in their game in hand, its important that we make sure we keep 3rd in our hands. The way to ensure we make 3rd is simple: win our last 3 games and we're there. No worrying about Chelsea beating Bayern etc. That's the task boys...
I dealt with Wigan in the previous post so there is no need to bother ourselves with that again so we can dive right in with Chelsea this weekend. This is a massive game in the race for Champions League qualification and a win for us would be huge and could possibly sink Chelsea's chances of qualifying although they have an even bigger game with Newcastle to come.
Now there is encouraging team news coming out of the Chelsea camp today with the diving dog out with a "knee problem" although he's clearly being rested with Tuesday in mind. Not that it bother me. Drogba has an annoying record of scoring against us so with that in mind I'm glad to see him out. So instead our defence has to deal with Torres who is VERY slowly starting to score again, hopefully we can add to his torrid run of form by denying him a goal at the weekend. Along with that Chelsea are also without Luiz and and Ivanovic whose banned after his kidney punch a few weeks ago.
However we have our own problems. Arteta is out for the rest of the season sadly which leaves a gap in the midfield. Wilshere is also out for the rest of the seaon and probably the Euros (so much for back in March!), which worries me as this injury seems to be worse and worse as time goes by. Benayoun is also ineligible to face Chelsea. There is some positive news though, Koscielny returns after his ban, so Djourou will drop to the bench. Also in the defence Gibbs is expected to be back in at left back after picking up a knock. I also expect Gervinho will be back after featuring from the bench against Wigan.
So teams look something like this. Arsenal: SZCZ, Sagna, Kos, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Walcott, Song, Ramsey, Gervinho, Rosicky, RVP. A lot is being made of Ramsey slotting in to the midfield but we really have no choice. Now many of you will be aware I'm not a big fan of Ramsey at this current moment, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't get behind him. We're called supporters for a reason, however you look at it, he's going to play so we need to support him. I would genuinely love to see Ramsey score this weekend and shut me up.
Chelsea have the opportunity to rest players after 2 intensive games. So a few names may drop out but this is a huge game for them either way. The main thing is no Drogba which is a huge bonus for us.
i think this will be a tight game decided by 1 goal but I think we might just have too much for them after their last two games. If we come out firing, there's every chance we'll be celebrating at the end.
I don't normally do a post like this but its a short one just to keep you updated and to clear one thing up. So Mikel Arteta limped off after less than 10 minutes in the disappointing defeat to Wigan on Monday and news appears to be bad. It seems he'll be out for the rest of the season no matter how short it is now, its still a massive part of the season. Now according to one statistician we have a win record of 0% without Arteta in the league this season. I can't confirm or deny it but either way that's not something we want to be hearing.
Now ahead of the MASSIVE game against Chelsea on Saturday we have a gap in the midfield which we have to plug and the speculation has already started as to who will fill the gap. Many have said they think Alex OC is the answer, personally I have my doubt for 2 reasons, 1 that's not where I think he's best and 2 he isn't the answer to everything. Yes he gives us a new dimension and yes hes powerful but hes still young and as a lot to learn. A few have wearily whispered Diaby but surely he isn't fully fit if he only managed 45 minutes for the reserves the other night. Now I like Diaby and people saying hes past it due to this injury and we need to get rid of him need to wake up and realise this is the sort of situation we find ourselves in if we didn't have him. OK he can't play but what if he was fit, he makes it all more interesting. That leaves the young Aaron Ramsey who I think will start at Stamford Bridge.
Now onto Ramsey. I have been highly critical of Ramsey for the last month or so and many of you have been bitching and whining about how I'm being unfair. Read this carefully. I understand he's had a torrid year, coming back from an awful injury and losing a close friend and mentor in Gary Speed. I understand people being quick to defend him. But this is my point, he is off form and at this stage in the season when we are fighting for our Champions League status every single player has to put in his shift and I know against Wigan a lot of players were under par but Ramsey, sadly has been under par for weeks now. If we had a wealth of midfielders to choose from I'd keep him benched until I thought he was ready to come back and make an impact, but with the added annoyance of losing Arteta he's now being thrust under thee limelight.
I know many of you think that's harsh but football is a harsh game. That's just how it is. Finally on this subject, to those fans sending him death threats, its absolutely pathetic. I love Arsenal football club and I want to see us succeed, but at the end of the day there are more important things in life than football. You aren't fans, fans get behind the team. Even though I think he's off form I will cheer Ramsey on, I want to see him score on Saturday.
Another 3 points and another step closer to securing third. We waltzed over Wolves who, lets face it are pretty much down, to hold third place in what was an easy victory. As soon as Bassong was sent off our life got even easier. RVP stepped up and cheekily chipped the ball into the net to hopefully get back on track. Moments later Walcott finished well to make it 2-0. We left it till the second half to kill the game when Benayoun wonderfully wrong footed the keeper by opening his body up and then smashing the ball in at the near post. It was game that we also looked like winning.
So we turn to another team who are battling with he relegation zone, Wigan Athletic who if they win will go 5 points clear so the game clearly has massive implications for them as well as us. If we win the gap between us and the yids becomes 8 points, with them having a game in hand but it will put the pressure on. So on paper this is a game we should win, but of course games aren't played on paper.
Our line up I would imagine will be the same as last time, bar Rosicky returning to replace Ramsey who just can't do much right at the moment after missing a chance that I think i would have put away. I know it appears as if I'm giving the lad a hard time but at this pivotal stage in the season we can't afford to play people who are off form. Gibbs who picked up a knock is 50/50 but Santos can fill in if needed. Koscielny is banned so Djourou will return to the starting line up.
Wigan are without Rodallega so Moses and Di Santo will lead their attack. Apart from that their shock victory over Man United will probably mean they will retain a similar line up. That victory has given them a huge confidence boost. Hopefully tonight we can put them in their place though and pick up the points we need.
Finally I just want to say that my thoughts are with the family of Piermario Morosini who sadly died after collapsing playing for Livorno at the weekend. 25 is nothing and in tribute Livorno have decided to retire his number 25 shirt.
There's nothing quite like simultaneously putting yourself above your rivals and also shattering a teams title chances. That's exactly what we did on Sunday in a game that to be honest we fully deserved to win. From the get go, we were all over City, the first 25 minutes were all Arsenal, we just continually went forward. I said in my preview to the game that when we played them at the Emirates last time they simply parked the bus, the first 25 minutes looked like that's what they were attempting but it wasn't working.
We could have won 3-0 and when Vermaelen expertly cleared Van Persie's header off their line, it was beginning to feel like one of those games. We then hit the post again and this time somehow and I still cant quite figure out how Vermaelen missed an open goal from 2 yards out followed by Benayoun missing from 1 yard out and it just seemed as if it wouldn't come. Then in the 87th minute this happened:
A truly brilliant strike from a player who has had his critics this season (including myself). This was exactly what we needed and exactly what we deserved. Just to add to City's misery Balotelli got himself sent off which should have happened about 85 minutes earlier after an horrendous tackle on Song that could have ended his career.
So we're back into 3rd but there is no time for rest as tonight we travel to bottom of the table Wolves. With Tottenham losing at home to Norwich on Monday we have a fantastic opportunity to increase the gap to 5 points between them and in form Newcastle. Wolves are bottom of the table and Terry Connor has a job on his hands to keep them up, but that in itself makes them dangerous.
News from us isn't ideal as it seems Gibbs has a bit of fatigue and will miss out and Koscielny has a 2 match ban for picking up his 10th booking this season. So I would imagine Djourou will fill in and Santos will obviously take up the Left Back position. Normally I'm not a fan of playing someone behind the striker and if you'd told me at the beginning of the season it would be Rosicky I would have been severely worried but he has played like a man possessed recently and has been absolutely fantastic and its being rewarded.
Wolves I think will have to give it a go at home, a draw serves them no purpose so they have to attack which again suits us. So with that in mind I think Doyle and Fletcher will both start and both can score given the chance. Kightly and Jarvis on the wings can also cause problems so they will be no pushover. The defence has been leaking goals so hopefully we can get in and walk all over them.
Finally today something that I hope will make you all smile
I hope your all enjoying your Easter weekend so far. It would make the weekend perfect if a certain team lost tomorrow and we end City's title chance on Sunday. Both games are hard to predict, Sunderland are one of those problem teams and people who assume Tottenham are going to turn up and win might be in for a shock. Similarly for people who think City are going to turn up and win. I don't think it will be that simple.
The game on Sunday is the most important one of the season so far, we've worked hard to pull ourselves out of the shit we were in at the beginning of the season to get to where we are. Letting it go now would be both frustrating and quite frankly gutting. We wobbled against QPR but we need to forget it and get ourselves up for the game. In recent weeks city have also wobbled a bit too which personally I think boils down to them not having the bottle to see the season out.
The good thing is that due to recent results they've put the pressure on themselves, every game for them now is a must win which means they they'll have to come and attack us which will leave them open on the counter. When we played them earlier in the season they parked the bus and to be honest were lucky to get all 3 points. That won't be the case this time and as Sunderland showed at the weekend when they have to go forward they can be punished. On top of that Mancini came out and said if they don't win the title is over, in my opinion that poor managing but whatever. A draw does neither team any good really but if you offered me one now I'd probably take it.
We have no new injury worries ahead of the game but this time I think we'll play Gervinho instead of Ramsey on the left and I think we need too, he's more dynamic going forward. However I think he might have a job against Richards power which means Oxlade might get the nod ahead of him. The rest of the team I think will be the same, with Rosicky slotting in behind RVP. The defence will have their work cut out for them and we really can't afford any slip ups this weekend.
In terms of City, there was news earlier this week that Aguero might be out due to a "stupid injury" but he's fit so will no doubt lead their line along with the headcase Balotelli. No matter what you think of Mario hes a dangerous player and when he's in the right place he's as good as any in front of goal. There will be yet another warm welcome for Samir Na$ri who I'm still yet to be convinced fits into their team. Yaya Toure and De Jong will provide the power in the midfield. I can't help but feel that Song will be a key player for us, he will have his hands full with the likes of Balotelli when defending, but will have to compete with power of De Jong and Toure when he pushes forward.
Theres no doubt our best chances will come on the break but for that to be a successful plan we need to make sure we don't concede early. It will be a tight game and with the title and 3rd place riding on it, it will be a game that both teams need to win, hopefully the red half will come out on top. Whatever the result have a happy Easter! COYG!
Well, we certainly could have done without that result. But we were sloppy and when a team is scrapping for safety they are always dangerous. The first goal scored by Taarabt, was one that was our own undoing. Thomas Vermaelen, usually solid at the back was caught with the ball and Taarabt unfortunately, after 69 efforts, got his first goal of the season. We didn't look convincing afterwards and then against the run of play Walcott struck the post but the ball came back to him and he side footed in the equaliser. However this wasn't the turning point we had hoped. Early in the second half Van Persie went through one-on-one and drove the ball towards the top corner, Paddy Kenny pulled of a truly amazing save.
I think people were harsh saying he should have scored, he's won us too many games this season to start picking holes in his play and it was a brilliant save. I also think people were harsh in again condemning Vermaelen for the second goal, OK he was caught napping but he slipped, its hardly his fault and on top of that where was Song and the rest of the midfield when the ball was slid in to Taiwo who smashed the ball home leaving Szczesny no chance. So our ran came to end but it was going to happen eventually, we now need to pick ourselves up for City at the weekend.
I know this is going to make me very unpopular but please read it carefully. I think we suffered going forward on Saturday due to the inclusion of Ramsey. A man who's clearly lacking confidence and most certainly isn't a left sided attacker. I struggled to understand why Wenger chose him when we had £26m worth of left winger on the bench in the form of Gerv and Alex OC. There is no way playing Ramsey on the left is going to benefit himself or the team.
So ahead to a game where we can in a sense end City's title chances but more importantly give us a huge 3 points with the Yids breathing down our necks. There's one goal in it so a 6-0 win would be perfect. Maybe asking a bit much there but at this stage of the season things like goal difference can make such a huge difference and with Chelsea starting to pick up form again we really need to make sure we keep ourselves in the race.
The game also has huge connotations for City, they could find themselves 8 points behind United come kick off. Either way they have to come and attack, a draw for them is useless, which means we can split them on the counter and as they showed at the weekend their defence can leak goals. The ongoing spat between manager and Balotelli hopefully means the dressing room is tense. I'm going to say now that I think and also hope that United win the league. When it comes down to football vs money, there is only one winner and I can accept another United title win. Ferguson has been in this position many times before and he knows exactly what to do and how to handle the game, City on the other hand haven't. Mancini said that it will come down to the derby but he may have to face the fact that it may be over by then.
Anyway enough title talk its depressing that I can't speak about Arsenal challenging for it again but there you go. Preview and predictions later in the week.
