If you recall I said that a win at Reading was absolutely essential and to win it convincingly would be a nice bonus. Well we did both. In a move that I think suggested willingness rather than intent we started Walcott upfront. We started well and all 3 upfront looked sharp. I've been fairly critical of the Ox this season as I think he's had a rough start but he looked very comfortable on Monday night. We went out and instantly looked dangerous, most of it coming through hat-trick scorer and easily MOTM, Santi Cazorla who showed what a truly class player he is. There was a slight wobble when we conceded 2 but the night was nicely capped off with a Walcott goal.
This weekend we travel to a ground where we've had, well very mixed success shall we say. Wigan are a team that always fight and are difficult to defend against, although they have been slack this season and sit in the bottom 3. Hopefully we can carry on with the momentum we built up against Reading and really kick on, there are no doubts this is a game where we should be winning but, there is no definitive in football.
I think we'll see a similar team, if not the same team from the other night. I think we'll start Walcott upfront again but if things start looking a bit lapse then we might bring Giroud on from the bench and shift the front 3 around. We have no new injury worries so there is no reason to change things unless Wenger has some idea's tactically as to how he wants to play this one.
Wigan are struggling with injuries this season and it shows by their recent line ups. It looks like Di Santo should return for them though with Kone out on the wing. He's a dangerous player Kone and Gibbs will need to be sharp to deal with him and may need some help from Podolski and others ahead of him. We know Di Santo can score if given the chance so we can't afford to give them many. Our port of call though I think will be down our left with Emerson Boyce still in at right back due to injuries. We creates a raft of chances down the left against Reading and I think the speed and creativity of Gibbs and Podolski may be too much for the 33 year old to deal with.
I think Stam and Jones will have more defensive duties than they would like against us but with the speed at which we move the ball across the box I think we'll drag Wigan out of shape and that will be our main threat.
In other exciting news, we have drawn Bayern Munich in the next round of the Champions League. I'm not going to be drawn into a long debate about it but this is the sort of match we should be looking forward too, this is what the Champions League is all about, big matches against big teams. So for the weekend COYG!
Prediction: Wigan Athletic 1-3 Arsenal
It's been a tough week. Losing to Bradford then the onslaught from many ex-players all giving us their 'vital' opinion. As much as I try not to take notice of shit like this, it's hard when we're in this mess. There has been one shining light and that is Jack Wilshere who has been a breath of fresh air this season and does actually look like he cares. He has come and it looks as if he's close to agreeing a new 5 year deal, that's been reported in the Mirror. The only piece that is worth reading from this weekend is this one from an unlikely source.
We know that tonight will be a tough game, we know that reading can score goals and quite a few if they get going. But we need a win, like against West Brom, it doesn't matter that the result was secured with 2 penalties, all that matters is the result. It would be nice to see us go out there and smash them 4-0 to relieve some pressure. The one thing that needs to happen tonight is for everyone to be putting a shift in and to be giving it their all. There is no doubt that this team is more than capable of beating Reading with ease, if they turn it on.
I've heard conflicting reports that Walcott is back and that he's definitely out. I would imagine in this case he'll face a late fitness test, let's hope he's in the team either way. The good news is Giroud is back upfront after missing the car crash that was Bradford away. I would imagine the team will be something like this: Szczesny – Sagna – Mertesacker – Vermaelen – Gibbs – Arteta – Wilshere – Cazorla – Podolski – Walcott – Giroud. For me that's probably our best side.
I said the other day that there didn't seem to be any fight or passion within the squad for the club. I'm hoping that the fallout has shaken some of them up. Above all they should all be embarassed about the performance they put in at Valley Parade and they should be determined to go out there tonight and to put things right.
Tonight will be a tough game and although a win won't put everything right, it'll be a start and it will relieve some pressure and stress on everyone. Problems like the one at Arsenal can't be put right in one attempt, it needs to be done in steps and tonight is the first step.
Prediction: Reading 1-2 Arsenal
They say "Without a struggle, there can be no progress", right now we're in one of the biggest struggles I can remember as an Arsenal fan. We sent out a full strength side against a team 3 divisions below us, who claimed that this cup was a big deal to them, who said they wanted to win this competition and quite frankly deserved to go out. We went out there expecting Bradford to roll over and that just doesn't happen.
Take nothing away from Bradford who played unbelievably and they fully deserve to be in the draw for the next round. They were organised and defended well and put in a real shift. That said, we should be beating a side in their position every day of the week, strong side or not. The thing that worried me last night more than anything was the attitude of the team, they were casual and there seemed to be a feeling of "we'll pull it off", they seemed to assume that if we carried on we would score and they were right. After 87 minutes of football that saw us hit the post and saw Gervinho miss a chance that literally every footballer on the planet would score, Thomas Vermaelen who was terrible all match popped up at the far post to nod home Santi Cazorla's cross.
From this point it was all Arsenal, we hit the bar, their keeper pulled off some top class saves and Jack Wilshere went through but refused to hit the ball with his right foot which in the end saw another Arsenal chance go begging. When it went to penalties we missed 3 which is inexcusable, 2 hit the woodwork and Cazorla's well, the less said about that the better. The one player that did what he needed to last night was SZCZ. He stood up when he was needed in the shootout and did his job.
The result last night sums up all the problems at Arsenal right now. The problems that occur when you sell the best striker in the country to your rival and don't replace him. The problems that occur when you know the squad isn't good enough and don't add to that squad with the quality it needs (whether that's the board or the manager's fault, who knows). And finally and I think the saddest of all, the problems that occur when the board, manager and players all live in a serene bubble of "it'll come good eventually" when the position and pride of the club seem to come below everything else. When there seems to be no hunger and fight for what they do (bar a few individuals).
That's whats wrong with the picture up there, only Jack and the Ox look gutted. All of them should be devastated. So now, confidence shot, spirit low, we have to look to Reading on Monday night, when we need a result more than ever.
I can only hope that last night was the wake up call that the board, the manager and the players needed. Sadly I doubt this will be the case. To quote Snatch, you are on thin fucking ice my pedigree chum, and I will be under it when it breaks.
3 BIG points. 3 points that we desperately needed after poor results recently. A lot was made of Santi Cazorla's dive to win our penalty, firstly it was amusing seeing United, Tottenham and Chelsea fans all go crazy over it, despite the fact they have some of the worst divers in league. But we were good value for our win, despite only scoring 2, both penalties and both expertly taken by Mikel Arteta. It could have been 3 or 4 as Wilshere and Podolski wasted chances.
Tonight we once again compete in the competition that sadly is out best chance of a trophy this year. After the most ridiculous game of football I've possibly ever seen we earned an away tie at League 2 Bradford City. Similarly to the last match I think we'll see a bit of a mish mash of a team with first team regulars being left at home before reading on Monday. That said Giroud, Walcott, Koscielny are all still out but Vito Mannone returns to the squad.
Picking our team tonight is bound to be impossible so I won't even try. There's an interesting piece on Thomas Eisfeld on the Arsenal site this morning that might suggest that he's in for a start. I really like Eisfeld, every time I've seen him start he's been quality and if he starts tonight, I might just fancy him to grab a goal. Other players to look for are Serge Gnabry who looks to be a really good footballer. I think we might see the likes of Arshavin play (here's a bit of trivia for you: Andrey Arshavin played his first professional game against Bradford) along with Chamakh.
Similarly I'm not going to attempt to guess Bradford's line up. What I will say is that if we underestimate them, we'll be stupid to do so, just ask Bolton. There's nothing more dangerous than a lower league team with nothing to lose going at it. Bradford also have a remarkable record of winning 8 consecutive penalty shoot outs and let's face it we don't have a great record on penners, so should it come down to that tonight it will be a complete 50/50.
All that said I expect us to win, but I also expect Bradford to score, possibly even first. I think be a high scoring match, but who knows in this competition. On a side note, as a token of good will, the Friends Of Bradford City have organised to give out 1000 Santa hats to travelling Arsenal fans which is kind of them and hopefully will promote a fun atmosphere for all.
Prediction: Bradford City 2-4 Arsenal
Apologies once again that I didn't post before the Olympiacos game, luckily it wasn't of great importance and I think that was reflected by the side we fielded in which just 3 of the players from the Swansea match started. It's also lucky it didn't matter due to the scoreline, but there you go, we're through none the less.
After doing the business in Europe we need to get back to business in the league and drag ourselves out of the hole we're currently in. After Wenger saying more times than you can count that "we were not sharp", he has rested a lot of the first team including players who are clearly struggling (Cazorla, Arteta) so that won't be an excuse at the weekend. With any luck we won't need one against a West Brom side who have dipped a bit in recent weeks.
The bad news for us is that we have lost both Podolski and Walcott for this one, two players that can create chances and score them. Walcott also seems to have been the key to a lot of our pace this season and without him at times we have been lethargic. We are also without Kosciely at the back and Sagna faces a late test on his foot but is expected to miss out. With all that in mind I would expect to see Gervinho and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the wings with Giroud returning to his lone striker role. Carl Jenkinson will fill in at right back if Sagna doesn't make it.
West Brom have been performing well this season but have begun to falter over the last couple of weeks. That said they still boast the attacking power of Odemwingie, Long and Morrison who are all more than capable of bagging a goal on their day. An area that I am concerned about is the midfield, Mulumbu is basically a tank and if he is on form he could give our rather smaller trio some problems, that said his pace isn't amazing so speed could be key. Ben Foster is also still out so they start Myhill, hopefully we can create some chances and really work the American.
I must admit that I am feeling slightly optimistic about tomorrow, despite being without a few key players. I don't think it will be pretty and I don't think it will be convincing but I can see us nicking it by a goal. COYG!
Prediction: Arsenal 2-1 WBA
