Bayern: A bitter pill

Last night was a tough one to take. I said beforehand that I expected nothing from the match but to lose it in the fashion we did was a bit gutting. Before I get into the game I just want to say a huge congratulations to REDaction who worked tirelessly to put together a card display for last night and it looked fantastic!







The first 30 minutes of the match I think we played the best I've seen all season. It's no exaggeration to say we played them off the pitch. The defence couldn't cope and he crowd could sense that we were on top. Yaya Sanogo was fantastically denied a goal by Neuer whose reactions were just top drawer. Sanogo played well and certainly looks to be a talent but he need refinement his touch was off at times and still looks a bit clumsy. 

Our moment came not long after, Wilshere slid the ball through to Ozil in the box who did a Cruyff style turn and popped the ball over Boaten who subsequently brought him down. Penalty. Ozil stepped, or more staggered up to it and his feeble effort was saved by schoolboy friend Neuer in goal. That killed the energy of the crowd and Ozil deflated. We had a couple more efforts but the moment that totally killed the game was in the 38th minute when SZCZ made contact with that bald twat Robben who went down as if he'd been shot. SZCZ off and penalty Bayern. Although they didn't score, down to 10 men we were played off the park with ruthless efficiency.

At 1-0 down we had a chance in Munich, a slim one but a chance. The Koscielny went bombing forward in the 88th minute, didn't get back and Muller found space where he should have been to nod it home. 2-0. The tie is virtually over.

I hate the rule about "denying a goalscoring opportunity" cause that's restored with the penalty. It's a stupid and annoying rule that needs to be looked at but by the law SZCZ was correctly sent off last night. Down to 10 the game dies. If he had been taken out from behind by a defender then fine.

I feel sorry for Ozil at the moment. He's penalty was shit, but you could tell that he was desperate to do well. When you look at the figures he ran he's already shattered legs off, only Flamini covered more ground. There are two reasons I'm cutting him some slack. Firstly and it's obvious to see, he's absolutely shattered, aside from Carling Cup I think he's played 90 minutes in virtually every game this season. He needs a week or so off to properly recover and recharge. Secondly it's his first season in the toughest league in the world, we've seen so many players struggle to adapt in their first season and then click into gear for their second. Give him time, we all know how good he is.

Anyway, we have 2 must win fixtures now before the next torrid run starts on the 8th. So let's start by responding against Sunderland.   

Liverpool (H)

Wednesday was, well an improved performance on Saturday but then and again that's not saying much. I think that may be the title gone with that result. A draw against the weakest United side I've ever seen was a result that I think they'll be pleased with but personally I think it's an opportunity missed. Now it may seem stupid saying that's our chance gone but on current form I can't see us beating Chelsea, City or even Tottenham. There were some positives to take from the match that said, some players picked up after the disaster of a weekend. The defence obviously were much improved and kept a clean sheet they did their job. In the midfield Cazorla and Ozil played well and looked the most dangerous, but it did show why Ozil seems to lacking in form. With no runners getting in behind the defence he has no outlet when he breaks, sure he can lay it off for Giroud but because of his style of play that allows the defence to get back in shape. Giroud missed a couple of guilt edge chances and honestly I think he looks shattered. SZCZ was easily man of the match for his world class slave against that Dutch prick who won't be named, best keeper in the league right now easily.

So a brief break from the league this weekend as we again take on Liverpool this time in the cup. Now that battering will be fresh in the mind and we'll be out to put it right. I've seen people saying going out would be an advantage in the league but at this stage you want to be in every competition you can be. Arsenal Liverpool is a classic cup fixture but I have a feeling this could be a tight game.

The boss has already said there will be wholesale changes mainly to rest players ahead of the clash with Bayern next week. I really hope we'll see Poldi because not only does he have a point to prove but the game was crying out for him the other night and Wenger in his stubborn way refused to bring him on. We're at real risk of losing the man who Arsene described as "the most natural finisher in the club" and if he sought pastures new I wouldn't remotely blame him.

We could see the OX start which would provide an outlet of power and pace going forward and the sort of player that we need right now. Another option is Gnabry who has a chance of being included. Whatever team plays there will be players who have points to prove so I don't think we'll rollover. 

Unfortunately Liverpool don't have the same problem because they were so bad last year they didn't even make Europa League. But that said, they've had off days this season and if they have another there is no reason why we can't knock them out fairly comfortably. We beat them earlier in the season and we can do it again at home in front of our fans. The back line need to stay fairly deep and very regimented if you sit high against Liverpool their pace going forward will shred any defence.

When we go forward we need to target Toure in my opinion, not only is he old he seems to be in a rough patch, giving away goals and even scoring in his own net the other net. If we put him under pressure he's bound to make mistakes and put his other defenders under pressure. We also need to stifle Gerrard who's hitting a bit of form, he needs a few hard tackles to let him know we mean business.

From a neutral point of view tomorrows match is probably very interesting, but from our point of view, we need a win. After two tough games without a result and the prospect of the European Champions midweek we need to rebuild momentum and fast. COYG!  

 

Liverpool (A) Review

I don't really know where to start analysing this. After all the talk of our solid defence and how it had been the difference this season we shipped 4 goals in 18 minutes and the match was lost before it had started.

Liverpool came tearing out of the blocks but that's no excuse for what happened their pace pulled our defence all over the place. The entire back line was dreadful, I've never seen them come apart like that. There was no organisation whatsoever between them and it showed.

The issues didn't stop there however. The midfield were miles off the pace, Liverpool pressed them hard and the cracks were there early on. Arteta as truly awful, he dispatched his penalty but that's really it. Ozil went missing yet again and I'll come onto that a bit later. Our best player was Wilshere and that was purely because he tried and nothing more. Ox did OK at best as did Cazorla. Aside from not receiving much Giroud was pretty hopeless upfront too. It may seem harsh condemning the team that have played so well this season but it was a truly gutless performance.

There are a number of possible reasons for this: fatigue, complacency, an off day. All possibilities. Some can be put right: complacency, off days. Some can't: fatigue. We have to hope that this team have what it takes to stand up, brush themselves off and get back on the right track.

Coming back to a point I made earlier, I've read a lot on Mesut Ozil over the last few days and whilst there is no doubt he's been well off form, there's also no doubt he's a top drawer player. If you ask any other manager or fan would they want him in their team, I'm pretty sure 100% would say yes. But at the moment he is struggling and that, much like the team problems, could be due to a number of reasons. Fatigue is certainly highly possible, he's played 35 games this season and we're in February. We also have to remember this is his first season in the Premier League and there is nearly always an adjustment period regardless of how good you are.

However you look at it, he has the ability to change a game by himself. If he turns up and puts in a performance like we all know he can then that could easily be the difference. Regardless of how he's playing no team will want to see his name on the team sheet against them. Let's hope tomorrow night is his night.

The game tomorrow against an out of sorts United team really for me is must win for us to stay in touch with the top of the table. Another slip up and we could be scrapping for 4th let alone top. But more on that tomorrow. Till then have a good Tuesday, if there is such a thing.

Crystal Palace (H)

We came unstuck the other night against and very good Southampton side who broke with pace and quality and on the face of it considering how long it took us to get into the game a point was probably fair. West Ham somehow did us a favour at Stamford Bridge keeping Chelsea two points away. Tottenham, naturally, didn't fare as well and City jumped to top of the table.

 

With a huge game tomorrow in which Chelsea travel to City where we can hope that a dull draw will be on the cards (HA) we have a chance to re-take top when we take on Palace this afternoon. I'll come onto our transfer which quite honestly have baffled me later. 

The boss has admitted that we're stretched in the middle of the park with Wilshere out, Flamini out and Ramsey out. I think we'll probably go for Arteta and Rosicky in the holding roles. On the flanks I think we'll have Cazorla and then I'm not so sure on the other side. Gnabry has shown a lot of promise but he was struggling against Southampton the other night. With the typical Pulis brand of brutality I think the power of the OX or Podolski would win out. Obviously depending on who would depend on which side Cazorla plays.

We'll need to be on our game though as Palace have been picking up points here and there. They do have a few dangerous players in the form of Jedinak and Puncheon. Chamakh up front should pose no surprises, but the defence will have to be sharp. With the run in we have coming up we need to make sure we don't slip up at the first hurdle.

This presents us with an opportunity make sure regardless of the score tomorrow we'll still be in the top 2 and potentially with a bit of luck go top and with the run we have coming up every point is going to count.

I want to end with a brief bit about our new signing which is just honestly baffling. News began to emerge yesterday that he was injured in his first training session but as the day wore on it actually came out that he had a back problem before we'd bought him. We were told about this and still brought him in. Now bringing in an injured player to cover for injured players is beyond stupid and I personally can't believe Wenger went ahead unless we're missing something...

Anyway on to the football after the madness of the window. COYG!     

Cup draw and Southampton Away

It was strange thinking about Arsenal playing on a Friday night, it's happened in the past but not very often. However when you look at the stats maybe we should play on Fridays more often. Anyway we beat Coventry fairly comfortably and our reward for that is a 5th round tie at home against Liverpool. Looking at the rest of the teams in the cup we could feel hard done by but that's the cup and with City taking on Chelsea in the same round the winner of our tie will certainly fancy their chances.

Tomorrow gives us a chance to extend our lead at the top of the table, for a day albeit, against a Southampton side who have been a bit of a surprise package in this league and I think Pochetino has done fantastically well. It will be a hard game for us but then every match in this league is hard, Southampton have pace and power and they use them well when they click. They made it hard for us earlier in the season until their goalkeeper decided to show Ronaldo how it's done and gifted Giroud the opener. 

Playing before your rivals or playing after when you're top really makes no difference the simple fact is if you win, you will remain top. We can't go into it hoping that other teams drop points, we go in knowing a win will do the job. Looking around I can't see our North London Rivals taking anything from City, baring a miracle and baring a miracle of biblical proportions I can't see West Ham taking anything from Chelsea either so we treat it as we do every other week.

Following this game we have Crystal Palace then we hit the start of a truly horrific run of fixtures which reads: Liverpool, Man United, Liverpool, Bayern Munich. And that's just the prelude to the quite ludicrous run we have in March but I'll rant about that nearer the time.

In other news there's good news that Ramsey, Vermaelen and Arteta are all back from injury and are available for the game although Wilshere is a doubt for the match. According to all the right people we are still working on contract talks with Bacary Sagna who I think deserves exactly what he's asking for, he's been a servant for the club and this will be his last big contract and I'd love for it to be wit us. He's a fan favourite and the best right back in the league.

Transfer news is slow around us in this window, like most windows to be honest. We shelled out a fortune on Ozil and I really can't see us repeating that despite our obvious need for a striker. I think there is concrete interest in Draxler but firstly I'm not sure he's what we need to kick our season on and secondly I think a January move is far more likely for the young German.

So we take on Southampton tomorrow night and let's hope that we can do the business to keep our title surge going. COYG.   

 

Fulham (H)

We ground out another result on Monday and another three points to take us back to the top after, as everyone predicted, Chelsea, then Manchester City jumped to the top of the pack. This weekend presents us with a potential chance of opening a slight lead against Chelsea as they welcome a very shaky United tomorrow. To do so we'll have to overcome a Fulham side who have been in poor form recently.

Ahead of the tie it seems we will have a few players missing. Rosicky will miss the match after the referee deemed a very bloody broken nose to be unworthy of stopping the match. Nacho Monreal is another doubt after picking up a knock to his ankle on Monday so I think Gibbs will step back into the team. Ramsey and Arteta remain out so I can see the two holding roles being retained by Wilshere and Flamini. Cazorla seems to be rediscovering his form last season so I think he'll start along with Ozil and of course Giroud up front. The right wing however will be interesting. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain made his return from the bench against Aston Villa after Serge Gnabry started so they'll jostle for the start. Knowing Wenger I think Gnabry will get the nod as he likes to ease players back in.

Annoyingly Hangeland and Stekelenburg will be back to face us today which gives them experience. Hangeland also gives them power at the back so Giroud could be in for a very physical game. Going up the pitch obviously Berbatov remains a real threat for them and seems to have a worrying habit of scoring against us so our defence will have to keep in quiet. Although Hangeland offers power at the back he isn't the fastest so we will need speed to get through the defence as I think our chances of winning ariel duels could be slim today.

Another important match today where we can't afford to slip up, we go into this game knowing that 3 points means we'll be top for another week and if we do win we'll pile the pressure on Chelsea tomorrow.

Tottenham Hotspur (H)

Well after a nervy 88 minutes of football yesterday, we snatched a victory breaking Welsh hearts. Nicklas Bendtner was in the right place at the right time to blast home after Sagna's header was saved. Unfortunately for him, he got injured before he could even celebrate rolling his ankle and will be out for weeks. Seconds later Walcott who has been in fantastic form clipped his shot over the keeper and we wrapped up the three points. It was the sort of match that a season or two ago we would have drawn or even lost. People talk about grinding out results and that's just what we did.

This weekend however the whole game scape changes. In a match that divides families, defines seasons and that our very own Paul Merson has said is the only time he misses playing football we take on Tottenham in the FA Cup. The draw has made me think about the intensity of this rivalry. It is up there with the big ones, it's by no means a friendly derby and it's also not one simply about two teams a few miles apart. The history of the derby goes back well before all that, but that's for another time.

The thing about this weekends match is that, although both teams are doing well in the league form usually goes out the window for these matches and along with that the fact it's a cup game just adds to the unpredictability. The team that takes it is usually the team that goes the extra yard and wants to win the game more than the other. Hopefully that's us.

At the beginning of the season I said the depth of the squad concerns me and now we are starting to see what I was worried about. We are without Ramsey and Ozil but the midfield is the one area where we do have enough depth so I'm not too concerned there. Up front we are without Giroud and now Bendtner too leaving Podolski who was virtually invisible yesterday or Walcott who I still believe is more effective down the wing. The need for a striker in January is a pressing one although I still don't think we'll see new faces.

I think Arsene will start Podolski again and maybe change it about if it doesn't go to plan. The German is a great player that we know but his style is so different from that of Giroud which means we can't expect him to hold the ball up while players dart off on runs that's just not him. That said we have plenty of midfielders who can find the net when needed. 

It will be interested to see how Tottenham set up having played with two strikers at Old Trafford. It worked for them yesterday but playing a team that can counter attack they will quickly get found out. Whether that's against us will remain to be seen but in this day and age it's a risky tactic. Especially with their full backs who like to bomb forward, they have Capoue who will sit back but on the break we could find ourselves against 3.

Trying to call the game is nearly impossible so we can but hope that we beat them and progress to the next round. A victory would boost moral which could be vital as we enter the second half of the season, along with that it would keep us in another competition which we may need at the end to end our so called trophy drought. COYG!