Finally after a dull international break we return to proper footballing action this weekend and we continue our chase for a top 4 spot against Reading at home. This won't be an easy game.
Firstly we have a few doubts over the game this weekend, Gibbs is struggling with an illness so Monreal will fill in at left back. Walcott is out with a groin problem and Wilshere is out as a precautionary measure. But the really heartbreaking new came from Abou Diaby who will be out for eight to nine months with an anterior cruciate injury. Nobody deserves his luck. Sadly for him I fear this could end his career at Arsenal.
When Diaby first appeared on the scene his potential was clear and if he hadn't been hampered by injury he would have been one of the best midfielders in the world, make no mistake. After THAT tackle he didn't really seem the same player, then at the beginning of this season I really thought he might be back to his best then after that injury against Chelsea he lost it again. I really feel for the bloke who seems very genuine. As it was well put by 7amKickOff:
"Dan Smith made three appearances for Sunderland, one in which he ruined a career"
It really is that black and white, I wish Diaby a speedy recovery none the less and I really, really hope he proves me wrong.
None the less the show must go on and with all the injury news etc. I would expect Wenger to keep the same back line and although Podolski is back and available I can't help but feel Arsene will go with Gervinho on the left. I think the Arsenal team will be like this: Fab, Jenkinson, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Ramsey, Arteta, Cazorla, Alex OC, Gervinho, Giroud.
Now on paper this is a game we should win but matches aren't played on paper and Reading are scrapping for their lives and they of course have a new manager. We have to go out there and want this win. It looks as if Reading will start with Pogrebnyak upfront on his own with McAnuff just behind him. Along with this they also have Robson-Kanu on the wing who can be a pain on his day.
Reading are a team that are very capable of playing good football and as I said they are fighting for their lives and of course we have the new manager effect to deal with but of course we should dispatch them and keep our chase for the top 4 on track, especially as the scum have a potentially tricky trip to the Liberty to deal with.
So 9 games to go and everything still very much to play for, let's keep on track COYG!
It's been a while since I've posted having missed our very tidy victory against Swansea which has been followed up by the international break which has been as dull as ever. A few Arsenal players scored for their countries, one Arsenal player has been injured whilst away with his country, the usual stuff really.
We'll start with the injury and it appears that Theo Walcott has suffered a strain training with England and played no part in the 8-0 mauling over San Marino. He will play no part tonight either and he's a big doubt for the weekends clash with Reading at the Emirates. With Wilshere also a doubt it could be a very interesting midfield that is fielded on Saturday. Now the Arsenal site has Podolski up as injured before the Swansea match yet he played 71 minutes for Germany last week so make of that what you will.
Now as always when the internationals roll into town the rumour mill has started churning away. The Jovetic to Arsenal rumours have been around for some time yet and just when you thought that one had died a death, the Sun (I know) has quoted Jovetic himself as saying:
"I have an affinity with Arsenal. It's a major club with a big tradition, one of the biggest in Europe."
I'm still very skeptical about whether a move for him was ever on the cards or quite frankly ever will be. If you want to hope though you can watch him take to the field when England play Montenegro tonight.
There are other strenuous links around at the moment linking us with Diego Costa but as it's fairly obvious we need a striker it's going to be a long summer with us being linked with every forward who's scored this season.
I'm going to spare a few words for our youngsters who beat CSKA Moscow in the NextGen Series last night, a fantastic achievement and they should all be very proud of themselves. They've set up a very tasty looking semi-final with Chelsea. This has all produced the question however of when will we see any of this success in the first team? It's a question that just highlights how difficult it is to make it in this sport.
When I played football, I played just off a young lad who had plenty of talent and was easily the best player in our squad. Three times he was picked up by scouts and after spells at Fulham, Chelsea and a two year spell at City he has yet to make a name for himself on the scene and very sadly for him, I doubt he ever will. Then at school, two lads were scouted, one a goalkeeper who was actually signed by Charlton, then dropped and he has now given up on his career in football. The path to becoming a professional is littered with players who just never quite made the grade.
But there you go, that's football lets hope that our lads can go all the way! Until Friday have a good week.
After 10 days without an Arsenal match, we play in one of the most pointless games. We travel to take on the might of Bayern Munich with a weakened team. Quite frankly right now the only thing we should be focusing on is the league and we have some big games coming up. I can understand what Wenger is saying that if we could grab a win it would boost confidence but I really can't see it.
We go into the game knowing that Wilshere is out for around 3 weeks. The news on him seems to be that he will miss this weekend and the internationals but we're hopeful he'll be back when we take on Reading at home. I really hope that it only is 3 weeks because Wilshere has been the engine in midfield and without him we are certainly a weaker team. Along with Wilshere we're without Sagna which means Jenkinson will be on the right. Podolski took to twitter to say he has an "annoying" problem which may explain why we've seen so little of the dangerous German recently. In terms of on the left we may have Gibbs back which would be a real boost. Bizarrely SZCZ is out tonight, Wenger has said that he needs a rest "mentally". Make of that what you will. So my guess tonight is: Fabianski, Jenkinson, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Cazorla, Arteta, Ramsey, Alex OC, Walcott, Giroud.
The news from the German camp is that they will be without Robben and Ribery for tonight not that it makes much difference as their team has quality throughout. They're better than us in every area of the pitch and I think maybe only Wilshere would get into their team. I'm not going to go into their threats we all know who they are.
To get a result tonight is a mammoth task and you wont find many punters backing us to score at least 3 there. They have the most sound defence in the Bundesliga and to stick 1 past them there, let alone 3 will tonight be too much.
Prediction: Bayern 2-0 Arsenal
Well we huffed and puffed and got over the line against Villa thanks to a brace from Santi Cazorla. In all honesty it was a match where there was really only going to be one winner, we dominated the second half battering the goal and we were eventually rewarded, 5 minutes from time.
This weekend however is a totally different challenge and a 6 pointer if there ever was one. With the scum from up the road 4 points ahead of us in 3rd, its a game where we can pull them to within a point knowing they have some tough games to come or for them to put 7 points between us and at this stage in the season 7 points is a mountain to climb. A point does much more for us than it does for them, quite frankly I'd bite your hand off if you offered me a point right now.
Team news out of the club this morning isn't great as Bacary Sagna will miss the match with a knee problem. Abou Diaby is, in Wengers words, 50-50 for the match as he has a slight calf strain. My initial thought is that he wouldn't start even if he was fit, but it still weakens the bench if he's not available. Apart from that apart from Gibbs we have a full squad to pick from. So I think the team will probably be: SZCZ, Jenkinson, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Monreal, Arteta, Wilshere, Cazorla, Walcott, Podolski, Giroud. I think this could be a game where Podolski may cause problems so I'm hoping he'll be in the starting line up rather than sat on the bench.
Sp*rs are, annoyingly the in form team and of course by that I mean that big eared prick is in form and is carrying them. Bale aside, they don't have much in the locker. Dembele on his day can score but he's yet to be become "prolific", Holtby has just arrived but does look like theres something about him. Arsene Wenger has never been one to make special arrangements for players which in my opinion has cost us on occassions and today could be another one of those. But we know that on our day when we're up for a game we can beat any team in Europe.
I'd happily take a draw at the moment but we'll be made to work for any result we get. COYG!
Predicion: Sp*rs 2-1 Arsenal
