Arsenal vs Queens Park Rangers Preview

After a brief sabbatical, I have just now got the time and the resources to write. And unfortunately, this is an extremely short preview of the game to take place in a few minutes time.

Having dropped two points against Wolves in the midweek(owing to their goalkeeper Wayne Hennesey's heroics), we are in real need of getting our momentum going again. It was disappointing that we could not capitalize on the slip up by our rivals for a top four place. Nevertheless, we need to buckle up and get the job done today.

There has been news of a loan move for club legend Thierry Henry. At the moment it's not official yet but the deal looks almost done, as reported by the media and corroborated by Arsene Wenger.

Team Line Ups:

Arsenal(4-3-3): Wojciech Szczesny, Thomas Vermaelen, Laurent Koscielny, Per Mertesacker, Johan Djourou, Mikel Arteta, Alex Song, Aaron Ramsey, Andrey Arshavin, Robin van Persie, Theo Walcott.

Substitutes: Manuel Almunia, Francis Coquelin, Tomas Rosicky, Yossi Brnayoun, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gervinho, Marouane Chamakh.

Manager: Arsene Wenger.


Queens Park Rangers(4-2-3-1): Radek Cerny, Armand Traore, Daniel Gabbidon, Matthew Connolly, Luke Young, Joey Barton, Alejandro Faurlin, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Adel Taarabt, Jamie Mackie, Jay Bothroyd.

Substitutes: Brian Murphy, Heidar Helguson, Bradley Orr, Clint Hill, Shaun Derry, Tommy Smith, D.J. Campbell.

Manager: Neil Warnock.

Arsenal vs Everton 2011-12 Preview

It's a big occasion today as we celebrate 125 years of Arsenal's existence. Three statues of Gunners legends, of Herbert Chapman, Tony Adams and Thierry Henry have been made for the event and the match official ( Howard Webb) will toss the coin using a sixpence coin as a symbolic gesture.

It was moving to see Thierry tear up a bit during the statue presentation and it rolled back memories of recent glory when he was in top form and was one of the most feared and admired footballers on the planet. Of the three legends who have been honoured, I confess I have only seen Henry in action as I am a relatively new Gooner( though I have followed up the history of our club since and read about the exploits of Tony Adams and the vision and management skills of the late Herbert Chapman). I have been lucky to see Henry in full pomp and I hope some of the current players can reach the heights that he scaled.

Coming back to the game, our opponents Everton have started the season slowly like us. Still, they have always proved to be a big thorn in our path and I hope the players are focused for the match and don't get too carried away by the celebratory atmosphere. Everton will come with a game plan and it will be crucial for us to carry on our league form. We can only hope those in front of us slip up somehow and when that happens, we need to be picking up points ourselves.

With Andre Santos getting injured in the midweek defeat in the dead rubber against Olympiacos, we now do not have a fit full back for the match. Thomas Vermaelen is set to take up the position at left back while Djourou mans the right back and Koscielny returns at the centre to join Mertesacker. It will also be an emotional game for Mikel Arteta as he faces his former club.

Apparently, the broadcasters here have thought the Man United and Liverpool games are more important to show live. F*** those people I say. The internet connection is proving to be very unreliable at the moment and I think I have to do with the 11:30 pm repeat telecast of the match. I'll have to somehow survive three hours without looking at any football sites during that time. Woe is me!

Team Line Ups:

Arsenal(4-3-3): Wojciech Szczesny, Thomas Vermaelen, Laurent Koscielny, Per Mertesacker, Johan Djourou, Mikel Arteta, Alex Song, Aaron Ramsey, Gervinho, Robin van Persie, Theo Walcott.

Substitutes: Manuel Almunia, Ignasi Miquel, Emmanuel Frimpong, Tomas Rosicky, Yossi Benayoun, Andrey Arshavin, Marouane Chamakh.

Manager: Arsene Wenger.


Everon(4-4-1-1): Tim Howard, Leighton Baines, Phil Jagielka, John Heitinga, Tony Hibbert, Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, Marouane Fellaini, Phil Neville, Seamus Coleman, Tim Cahill, Louis Saha.

Substitutes: Jan Mucha, Sylvain Distin, Conor McAleny, Denis Stracqualursi, Magaye Gueye, Ross Barkley, Apostolos Vellios.

Manager: David Moyes.

Olympiacos Piraeus vs Arsenal Preview

Quick Wigan Review:

Well that was awesome wasn't it? We totally dominated the game and this time, unlike the previous two occasions at the DW stadium, we didn't flatter to deceive. We put in a thoroughly professional performance and came away with three points and a clean sheet. All our goals were well taken and I have to say the build up play leading to our third goal was mesmerizing. We strung 33 passes before we hit the back of the net.

What was also pleasing was how we controlled the tempo and witheld the little firepower the home side could muster. Wigan started strongly in both halfs and had it been earlier this season, we would most probably had made a mess of it and put ourselves in trouble. Kudos to the team for working hard and standing firm when we might have buckled under pressure.

Match Preview:

Having secured qualification into the knock out rounds as group leaders, we can afford to rest key players ( eat shit Man United, Chelsea and Man City!) for the rough and tumble of the Premier League. Even then, Arsene Wenger has put out a side that will give the home side a good run for their money. The players who are out on the field should look to impress the Boss and push for a first team spot.

And with Thomas Vermaelen in the team as the captain for the match, I would not expect any slackness from anybody...well apart from the little Russian! Still, even Arshavin should be geared up for this and I hope he comes good because 1) his form has been poor this season and he is due a big performance and 2) he is the only experienced replacement we have for Gervinho when he will be off on national duty for the ACN in January.

Team Line Ups:

Olympiakos Piraeus(4-3-2-1): Balazs Megyeri, Ivan Marcano, Olof Mellberg, Avraam Papadopoulos, Vasileios Torosidis, Francois Modesto, David Fuster, Giannis Maniatis, Jose Holebas, Kevin Mirallas, Rafik Djebbour.

Substitutes: Franco Costanzo, Djamel Abdoun, Ioannis Potouridis, Pablo Orbaiz, Ioannis Fetfatzidis, Tasos Papazoglou, Marko Pantelic.

Manager: Erneste Valverde.


Arsenal(4-3-3): Lukasz Fabianski, Andre Santos, Thomas Vermaelen, Sebastian Squillaci, Johan Djourou, Emmanuel Frimpong, Francis Coquelin, Yossi Benayoun, Andrey Arshavin, Marouane Chamakh, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Substitutes: Vito Mannone, Ignasi Miquel, Nico Yennaris, Craig Eastmond, Oguzhan Ozyakup, Tomas Rosicky, Ju Young Park.

Manager: Arsene Wenger.

Wigan Atheletic vs Arsenal 2011-12 Preview

After a narrow defeat by our reserves in the Carling Cup to Man City in the midweek(which, alas, I coudn't watch), we resume Premier League action with a trip to Wigan today.

Wigan have proved to be tricky customers in our last two visits and we Gooners won't remember those games too fondly. We contrived to drop 5 points in those games from winning positions and I hope we have learnt our lesson and not underestimate them. And that is why, it is vital that we take our chances in the game. And so, I won't complain whoever scores for us (even if van Persie alone scores ten goals in this one and no one else even has a shot on goal), as long as we win.

We need to get back our winning momentum and December may prove vital to our Champions League qualification hopes.

The team news is that Rosicky and Diaby are unavailable for the game. And apart from the long term injuries, we are good to go.

Team Line Ups:

Wigan Athletic(4-4-2): Ali Al Habsi,  Maynor Figueroa, Gary Caldwell, Steve Gohouri, Ronnie Stam, James McCarthy, Jordi Gomez, David Jones, Mohamed Diame, Conor Sammon, Victor Moses.

Substitutes: Michael Pollitt, Piscu, James McArthur, Ben Watson, Albert Crusat, Hugo Rodallega, Franco Di Santo.

Manager: Roberto Martinez.


Arsenal(4-3-3): Wojciech Szczesny, Andre Santos, Thomas Vermaelen, Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny, Alex Song, Mikel Arteta, Aaron Ramsey, Gervinho, Robin van Persie, Theo Walcott.

Substitutes: Lukasz Fabianski, Johan Djourou, Francis Coquelin, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Yossi Benayoun, Andrey Arshavin, Marouane Chamakh.

Manager: Arsene Wenger.

Arsenal vs Fulham 2011-12 Preview

With qualification and top spot ensured after the win against Dortmund in the midweek, we face an inconsistent Fulham at home today. o recap a bit, we played brilliantly against the German champions and I have to say, Alex Song's dribble for the assist for the first goal was magnificent. We rarely gave Dortmund a sniff at goal the whole match, though they were hampered by the injuries and subsequent withdrawals of Goetze and Bender it has to be said. We conceded a sloppy goal at the end but it didn't matter much as we already had two goals on board thanks to yet another brace by our captain Van the Man Persie.

My only concern is how much the game affected us physically and whether we'll be able to sustain our performance over 90 minutes in the hectic Premier League. And for this reason, it is imperative that we take an early lead tonight and consolidate the game from the start. We probably need to be two goals to the good just to be sure. I'm hoping the changes coming in tonight, Arshavin especially, are able to provide us the spark needed.

The team news is that Gervinho and Laurent Koscielny have been rested from midweek and Arshavin and Djourou come in their place. Diaby is also among the substitutes tonight.

Team Line Ups:

Arsenal(4-3-3): Wojciech Szczesny, Andre Santos, Thomas Vermaelen, Per Mertesacker, Johan Djourou, Mikel Arteta, Alex Song, Aaron Ramsey, Andrey Arshavin, Robin van Persie, Theo Walcott.

Substitutes: Lukasz Fabianski, Laurent Koscielny, Abou Diaby, Emmanuel Frimpong, Yossi Benayoun, Gervinho, Marouane Chamakh.

Manager: Arsene Wenger.


Fulham(4-5-1): Mark Schwarzer, John Arne Riise, Philippe Senderos, Brede Hangeland, Chris Baird, Moussa Dembele, Bryan Ruiz, Clint Dempsey, Danny Murphy, Dickson Etuhu, Bobby Zamora.

Substitutes: Neil Etheridge, Matthew Briggs, Kerim Frei, Aaron Hughes, Marcel Gecov, Pajtim Kasami, Andy Johnson.

Manager: Martin Jol.

Arsenal vs Borussia Dortmund Preview

It's a big game for us tonight as we face the current German champions again in the Champions League. We were a bit lucky to come away with a point from Dortmund (though, you may well argue that we were also extremely unlucky to concede via a wonder goal in the 89th minute).

Dortmund have had a similar start to the season as us, and they have notched up six consecutive wins in the German Bundesliga (we are on a 5 win streak), which also includes a win over German giants Bayern Munich last weekend. I happened to watch the game out of interest as well as anticipation and they really stood out as a hard working, pressing team much in the mould of Barcelona. They press from the front and they like to squeeze players looking for a pass. It will be a big test for our defenders and our deeper lying midfielders tonight and I hope Arsene has a plan to counter Borussia's gameplay.

In terms of results, we need a win to guarantee progress from the group. While that is surely desirable, it is not going to be an easy task. We need to stay disciplined from the first minute to the last. Also, we must be defensively solid to cut out clear cut chances. Controlling Goetze and marking the runs of Kagawa would be crucial in this aspect.

The team news is that Tomas Rosicky is out with a thigh strain and (surprise surprise!) Abou Diaby has recovered well enough to make the bench. For Dortmund, they are missing Neven Subotic and I hope we can make the most of his absence.

Team Line Ups:

Arsenal(4-3-3): Wojciech Szczesny, Andre Santos, Thomas Vermaelen, Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny, Mikel Arteta, Aaron Ramsey, Alex Song, Gervinho, Robin van Persie, Theo Walcott.

Substitutes: Lukasz Fabianski, Johan Djourou, Abou Diaby, Emmanuel Frimpong, Yossi Benayoun, Andrey Arshavin, Marouane Chamakh.

Manager: Arsene Wenger.


Borussia Dortmund(4-2-3-1): Roman Weidenfeller, Marcel Schmelzer, Mats Hummels, Felipe Santana, Lukasz Piszczek, Sebastian Kehl, Sven Bender, Kevin Grosskreutz, Shinji Kagawa, Mario Goetze, Robert Lewandowski.

Substitutes: Mitchell Langerak, Patrick Owomoyela, Moritz Leitner, Ilkay Gundogan, Jakub Blaszczykowski, Ivan Perisic, Lucas Barrios.

Manager: Jurgen Klopp.

Norwich City vs Arsenal Preview

Match Preview


Whew! That's the last of the international breaks for this year and finally we can have proper football occupying us again for some time. And this time, it was a better experience going into the break as compared to the two previous occasions this season on account of our thoroughly professional win against West Brom in our last league outing.

Today, we travel away to play Norwich City who have started the season well. he Canaries are just two places below us and we would do well not to under estimate them. We need to be focused and disciplined, especially as Phil F***ING Dowd is the referee today, and we Gooners still remember how he robbed us of a victory against Newcastle last season. We should be careful not to make silly fouls as he'll brandish a yellow card for the most innocuous of challenges. Man I really hate that referee.

Also, Norwich have predominantly scored from set plays and we really need to be up for it. We need to be alert not just from the initial long balls but also from the second balls and knock downs. We'll need a disciplined performance if we are to keep a clean sheet.

Attackwise, we should look to continue from where we left off and I hope the others can also give a helping hand to Robin in scoring goals, not that I am complaining! I just think it would be good to see other names on the scoresheet, with the usual one of our captain's name appearing three times!

The team news is that Carl Jenkinson and Kieran Gibbs are both ruled out for 3-4 weeks and 5-6 weeks respectively because of their injuries. Laurent Koscielny will deputise at right back for the game in Sagna and Jenkinson's absence.

Team Line Ups:

Norwich City(4-4-2): John Ruddy, Marc Tierney, Leon Barnett, Russell Martin, Kyle Naughton, Anthony Pilkington, David Fox, Bradley Johnson, Andrew Crofts, Steve Morison, Wesley Hoolahan.

Substitutes: Declan Rudd, Elliott Bennett, Aaron Wilbraham, Adam Drury, Andrew Surman, Simeon Jackson, Grant Holt.

Manager: Paul Lambert


Arsenal(4-3-3): Wojciech Szczesny, Andre Santos, Thomas Vermaelen, Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny, Mikel Arteta, Alex Song, Aaron Ramsey, Gervinho, Robin van Persie, Theo Walcott.

Substitutes: Lukasz Fabianski, Johan Djourou, Francis Coquelin, Tomas Rosicky, Yossi Benayoun, Andrei Arshavin, Marouane Chamakh.

Manager: Arsene Wenger.

Arsenal vs West Bromwich Albion Preview

Arsenal welcome West Brom today in the final game before the final international break for this year. We all remember last season how this fixture panned out and we would do well to avoid a repeat of that. And given how we have performed in games before international breaks this season, we really need to get a good result today.

We've been brought down from flying high after beating Chelsea last weekend after the scoreless Marseille game. Though we can say the midweek Champions League performance owed to fatigue, we need to be on our toes and firing on all cylinders for this one. Roy Hodgson's teams(apart from Liverpool!), are always well organised and we need to be at our clinical best today, not to mention solid in defending set pieces. Let's hope the players have recovered well enough and regained their full fitness for this game.

The team news is that the Boss has opted to pair Vermaelen and Koscielny for the game and rested Mertesacker. Carl Jenkinson also starts at right back and apart from that the team is as usual with Robin van Persie returning to the starting line up having made the bench for the Marseille game in midweek.

Team Line Ups:

Arsenal(4-3-3): Wojciech Szczesny, Andre Santos, Thomas Vermaelen, Laurent Koscielny, Carl Jenkinson, Mikel Arteta, Alex Song, Aaron Ramsey, Gervinho, Robin van Persie, Theo Walcott.

Substitutes: Lukasz Fabianski, Per Mertesacker, Johan Djourou, Yossi Benayoun, Tomas Rosicky, Andrey Arshavin, Ju Young Park.

Manager: Arsene Wenger.


West Bromwich Albion(4-5-1): Ben Foster, Billy Jones, Jonas Olsson, Gareth McAuley, Steven Reid, Jerome homas, Chris Brunt, Graham Dorrans, James Morrison, Simon Cox, Zoltan Gera.

Substitutes: Marton Fulop, Nicky Shorey, Somen Tchoyi, Youssouf Mulumbu, Craig Dawson, George Thorne, Marc-Antoine Fortune.

Manager: Roy Hodgson.

Arsenal vs Olympique Marseille Preview Plus a Brief Chelsea Review

Chelsea Review:


What a game that was! I was on the edge for the whole game as I tried to follow the game with a really slow internet connection and I have to confess I could breathe a little easy only when Robin van Persie netted in our fifth to give us a two goal cushion in the second minute of extra time! The celebrations that followed were cathartic and to see the reaction of the Gooner fan "Bully" after he received RvP's shirt was really endearing. Salute to a fellow Gooner!

Ooh to be a Gooner!

It is moments like this that make you believe in Arsenal, as this gem of an article points out. And oh did I mention that John Terry slipped and fell on his face as RvP scored the goal that gave us the lead? Man, that was pure awesome karma! Walcott, Ramsey and Koscielny had a great game, and who needs Batman when we have Robin? It doesn't happen often that we beat Chelsea away, let alone 5-3, and I've been soaking up the win for the past three days. We still have a long way to go in the season but a win like that will do wonders for the team spirit and confidence, and I hope we are able to take away all the positives from this match in our future endeavours.

Marseille Preview:

And hence we arrive at the present where we welcome Marseille for a crucial Champions League group stage match. If we win this match, then we are sure to qualify no matter what happens later. And with the Boss resting key players in van Persie and Koscielny, I hope we can put out a good performance and get the required win. Marseille will most likely look to hit us on the counter attack and we need to do well in the transition from attack to defence. We will as usual also need to be smart from set pieces and not concede soft goals.

Team Line ups:

Arsenal(4-3-3): Wojciech Szczesny, Andre Santos, Per Mertesacker, Thomas Vermaelen, Carl Jenkinson, Mikel Arteta, Alex Song, Aaron Ramsey, Gervinho, Ju Young Park, Theo Walcott.

Substitutes: Lukasz Fabianski, Laurent Koscielny, Johan Djourou, Tomas Rosicky, Yossi Benayoun, Andrey Arshavin, Robin van Persie.

Manager: Arsene Wenger.


Olympique Marseille(4-5-1): Steve Mandanda, Jeremy Morel, Julio N'Koulou, Souleymane Diawara, Rod Fanni, Dede Ayew, Benoit Cheyrou, Alou Diarra, Mathieu Valbuena, Jordan Ayew, Loic Remy.

Substitutes: Gennaro Bracigliano, Cesar Azpilicueta, Djimi Traore, Morgan Amalfitano, Charles Kabore, Lucho Gonzalez, Andre Pierre Gignac.

Manager: Didier Deschamps.

Chelsea vs Arsenal 2011-12 Preview

And so we visit the blues today in the early kick off at Stamford Bridge. Last season, we fell a bit short in the corresponding fixture but a lot has changed since then. It will be interesting to see if Chelsea retain their strategy of playing a high defensive line as they have done this season(as pointed out by ZonalMarking). If it so happens, then we maybe in for a very open, attackin g game from both sides with chances galore and possibly end-to-end football.

The team news is that Vermaelen makes it to the bench and Djourou is in the starting line up. The Swiss will most probably take up the right back spov and I hope he does well against the trickery of Juan Mata and surging runs from Ashley Cole. Alex Song or Mikel Arteta should help out Djourou as the right back area appears to be the weak link in our side and Andre Villas Boas will try to target it. the good news for us is our nemesis Drogba is suspended from the game!

Team Line ups:

Chelsea(4-3-3): Petr Cech, Ashley Cole, John Terry, Branislav Ivanovic, Jose Bosingwa, John Obi Mikel, Frank Lampard, Ramires, Juan Mata, Fernando Torres, Daniel Sturridge.

Substitutes: David Luiz, Oriol Romeu, Florent Malouda, Ryan Bertrand, Raul Meireles, Romelu Lukaku.


Manager: Andre Villas Boas


Arsenal(4-3-3): Wojciech Szczesny, Andre Santos, Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscienly, Johan Djourou, Alex Song, Mikel Arteta, Aaron Ramsey, Gervinho, Robin van Persie, Theo Walcott.

Substitutes: Lukasz Fabianski, Carl Jenkinson, Thomas Vermaele, Emmanuel Frimpong, Tomas Rosicky, Andrey Arshavin, Ju Young Park.

Manager: Arsene Wenger.

COME ON ARSENAL!

Arsenal vs Stoke City 2011-12 Preview

I HATE STOKE CITY!!

Team Line Ups:

Arsenal(4-3-3): Wojciech Szczesny, Andre Santos, Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny, Johan Djourou, Mikel Arteta, Alex Song, Aaron Ramsey, Gervinho, Marouane Chamakh, Theo Walcott.

Substitutes: Lukasz Fabianski, Emmanuel Frimpong, Yossi Benayoun, Tomas Rosicky, Andrey Arshavin, Ju Young Park, Robin van Persie.

Manager: Arsene Wenger.


Stoke City(4-4-1-1): Asmir Begovic, Marc Wilson, Matthew Upson, Ryan Shawcross, Andy Wilkinson, Matthew Etherington, Glen Whelan, Rory Delap, Dean Whitehead, Jonathan Walters, Peter Crouch.

Substitutes: Thomas Sorensen, Ryan Shotton, Robert Huth, Wilson Palacios, Salif Diao, Kenwyne Jones, Cameron Jerome.

Manager: Tony Pulis.

Olympique Marseille vs Arsenal Preview

Match Preview:

The Champions League enters a vital stage as we square off against French giants Marseille away tonight. Though a win would do wonders for our confidence and our group standing, a draw can also prove handy. Arsene has made just two changes from the side that saw off Sunderland in the weekend and it'll be interesting to see hoe he uses the subs and when.

Marseille seem to be a lethal counter attacking side as they beat the German champions Dortmund in their last Champions League match 3-0 despite conceding 20 shots and having only 8 shots themselves. Their attack seems stronger on paper than their defence and I reckon it will be a close game. They also seem to score more goals from set pieces and we have to be really alert from all dead ball situations.

Team News:

Olympique Marseille(4-3-3): Steve Mandanda, Jeremy Morel, Julio N'Koulou, Souleymane Diawara, Cesar Azpilicueta, Benoit Cheyrou, Alou Diarra, Lucho Gonzalez, Dede Ayew, Loic Remy, Mathieu Valbuena.

Substitutes: Gennaro Bracigliano, Djimi Traore, Jean-Philippe Sabo, Gerard Roland, Charles Kabore, Morgan Amalfitano, Andre Pierre Gignac.

Manager: Didier Deschamps.



Arsenal(4-3-3): Wojciech Szczesny, Andre Santos, Laurent Koscielny, Per Mertesacker, Carl Jenkinson, Mikel Arteta, Alex Song, Tomas Rosicky, Andrey Arshavin, Robin van Persie, Theo Walcott.

Substitutes: Lukasz Fabianski, Johan Djourou, Francis Coquelin, Aaron Ramsey, Yossi Benayoun, Gervinho, Marouane Chamakh.

Manager: Arsene Wenger.

Hope to get a win, though a draw wouldn't be bad if we win the reverse fixture.

Arsenal vs Sunderland 2011-12 Preview

Team news:

Arsenal(4-3-3): Wojciech Szczesny, Kieran Gibbs, Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny, Carl Jenkinson, Tomas Rosicky, Mikel Arteta, Alex Song, Gervinho, Robin van Persie, Theo Walcott.

Substitutes: Lukasz Fabianski, Andre Santos, Johan Djourou, Emmanuel Frimpong, Yossi Benayoun, Andrey Arshavin, Ju Young Park.

Manager: Arsene Wenger.


Sunderland(4-5-1): Simon Mignolet, Kieran Richardson, Wes Brown, Michael Turner, John O'Shea, Sebastian Larsson, Lee Cattermole, Jack Colnack, David Vaughan, Ahmed Elmohamady, Stephane Sessegnon.

Substitutes: Kieran Westwood, James McClean, Louis Laing, David Meyler, Craig Gardner, Connor Wickham, Ji Dong Won.

Manager: Steve Bruce.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal 2011-12 Preview

So, we have the first North London Derby of the season today. And maybe for the first time I know, our rivals look almost as strong, if not stronger, than us. They'll be pumped up for this as we will be, and their home crowd will not make things any easier for us. Passions are gonna run high this day!

And to add more spice to the match, Mike Dean happens to be the referee for today's match. I just hope that he does not get pressured by the home crowd and give away big calls against us, though recent history has shown we really do poorly in matches officiated by him. I really hope the outcome of the match is not decided by a refereeing howler.

Tottenham come into this match with good form and a strong line up. You could argue that they have probably more game changers than we have right now, with van der Vaart, Bale, Modric and Adebayor at their disposal. And with them having the better of us last season and with our two stars gone, they'll feel confident going into this game. Our newly assembled side will have its task cut out tonight.

For us, we haven't hit anywhere near top gear this season yet but we are building well towards it. We have won three games in succession after quite a long long time and the group seems to be gelling better. Injuries as always haven't helped matters but we've fought to victory in all these matches. Our top gun Robin van Persie was rested for the midweek game against Olympiacos and I hope he fires today. Still, it'll need a huge team effort and I'll be satisfied with a point for today's match, even though I yearn for a win as always.

Team Line ups:

Tottenham(4-4-2): Brad Friedel, Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Ledley King, Younes Kaboul, Kyle Walker, Gareth Bale, Luka Modric, Scott Parker, Rafael van der Vaart, Jermain Defoe, Emmanuel Adebayor.

Substitutes: Carlo Cudicini, Sebastien Bassong, Vedran Corluka, Sandro, Jake Livermore, Giovani Dos Santos, Roman Pavlyuchenko.

Manager: Harry Redknapp.


Arsenal(4-2-3-1): Wojciech Szczesny, Kieran Gibbs, Alex Song, Per Mertesacker, Bacary Sagna, Francis Coquelin, Mikel Arteta, Aaron Ramsey, Gervinho, Theo Walcott, Robin van Persie.

Substitutes: Lukasz Fabianski, Andre Santos, Carl Jenkinson, Emmanuel Frimpong, Yossi Benayoun, Andrey Arshavin, Ju Young Park.

Manager: Arsene Wenger.

COME ON ARSENAL!!!

Arsenal vs Olympiacos Preview

A very quick review of our last game vs Bolton:

We looked nervy at the start, and the first half was as dull as it could be but we put on a superb second half and came out with three points, three goals and a clean sheet, and of course more injuries! In the second half, we really looked like the free flowing Arsenal of old and it was heartening to see such a performance after all the tough times we've endured. 

Robin van Persie continued his goalscoring streak and Alex Songinho put the icing on the delicious cake with his sumptuous finish. Walcott, and as we learnt later on, Koscielny and Gervinho picked up knocks during the game and thus miss out on tonight's match. Hopefully they'll all be back for the first North London derby at the weekend.

Match Preview:

Tonight we face the Greek giants in Olympiacos. They are largely an unknown quantity but we just cannot afford any complacency tonight. We've had a torrid start to the season and we should look forward to extending our recent good results against Shrewsbury and Bolton. there is also the added pressure of picking up all possible points from our home games and we really need to get the job done tonight, hopefully without any further injuries, if we want to qualify as leaders of the group and avoid big teams(read Barcelona).

The team news is that Robin van Persie is rested from the starting line up and has made the bench. I just hope Chamakh is able to fire tonight and put on a decent performance. Arshavin makes his return and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain gets his first taste of Champions League football tonight. It is a big night for him and I hope he does well. Also Rosicky is back and with the dearth of centre backs - Vermaelen, Koscielny, Djourou, Miquel and Squillaci are all out - in the side currently, Alex Song steps in at the back to partner Per Mertesacker.

Here's to a good three points and no injuries!

Team Line ups:

Arsenal(4-2-3-1): Wojciech Szczesny, Andre Santos, Alex Song, Per Mertesacker, Bacary Sagna, Emmanuel Frimpong, Mikel Arteta, Tomas Rosicky, Andrey Arshavin, Alex Oxlade Chamberlain, Marouane Chamakh.

Substitutes: Lukasz Fabianski, Kieran Gibbs, Carl Jenkinson, Francis Coquelin, Aaron Ramsey, Park Ju Young, Robin van Persie.

Manager: Arsene Wenger

Olympiacos(4-2-3-1): Franco Costanzo, Jose Holebas, Ivan Marcano, Olof Mellberg, Vasileios torosidis, Pablo Orbaiz, Ljubomir Fejsa, Ariel Ibagaza, Kevin Mirallas, David Fuster, Rafik Djebbour.

Substitutes: Balazs Megyeri, Avraam Papadopoulos, Francois Modesto, Jean Makoun, Giannis Potouridis, Djamel Abdoun, Marko Pantelic.

Manager: Ernesto Valverde

Arsenal vs Bolton Wanderers 2011-12 Preview

Lately I haven't been able to do justice to my blog since my health and wotk( saving the world and all that) kept me away. But thankfully I'm free now and I've just enough time to do a quick preview for this one.

Both sides have struggled to get going this season and it is a must-win, or at least a must-not-lose match. But I'm here for Arsenal only and I'm only worried about us right now, as ever. We've had a stop start season upto now and I hope we come out all guns blazing today and more importantly, secure three points. It's really time we kick started our campaign now and picked ourselves out of this dreadful slump. Right then here we go.

Team line ups:

Arsenal(4-2-3-1): Wojciech Szczesny, Kieran Gibbs, Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny, Bacary Sagna, Alex Song, Mikel Arteta, Aaron Ramsey, Gervinho, Theo Walcott, Robin van Persie.

Substitutes: Lukasz, Fabianski, Andre Santos, Emmanuel Frimpong, Tomas Rosicky, Alex Oxlade Chamberlain, Andrey Arshavin, Marouane Chamakh.

Manager: Arsene Wenger

Bolton Wanderers(4-5-1): Jussi Jaaskelainen, Paul Robinson, David Wheater, Zat Knight, Gretar Steinsson, Chris Eagles, Nigel Reo Coker, Fabrice Muamba, Darren Pratley, Martin Petrov, David N'gog.

Substitutes: Adam Bogdan, Dedryk Boyata, Mark Davies, Ricardo Gardner, Gael Kakuta, Tuncay Sanli, Kevin Davies.

Manager: Owen Coyle.

Borussia Dortmund vs Arsenal Preview

I couldn't cover the previous Premier League match against Swansea as my faithful laptop crashed and I had to go to get it repaired. Thankfully it's up and running now and I can resume my usual daily activities. We eked out a gritty win on Saturday and it was nice to feel getting three points again. Hopefully our season will be back on track after that game.

But tonight it's Champions League time and we're possibly facing the toughest match of the group right away. Tonight we face the German Bundesliga champions in Borussia Dortmund. Dortmund are a solid team who have a fluid attack and a stern defence. They may have lost Nuri Sahin from last season, but they still possess a great team nonetheless. In defence, they have a rock solid pair of centre backs in Neven Subotic and Mats Hummels. And they have one of the most exciting young prospects in world football at the moment in Mario Goetze. Not to mention that Dortmund have the biggest stadium in Germany and an 80,000 strong fan base who will be rooting for the home side.

That being said, form wise Dortmund have not had the most promising of starts in the Bundesliga. They have secured only 7 points from a possible 15 and they lost their last match in the weekend though it can be argued that they had one eye on the Champions League tie and hence rested Goetze. Still, they will prove to be quite, if not more than, a match for this new look Arsenal side.

For us, we welcome back Gervinho and Alex Song after their absence in the Premier League games and they'll go straight into the starting line up. Aaron Ramsey and former Dortmund boy Rosicky have not made the trip to Germany owing to injuries and we're a little short of bodies in midfield at the moment. The duo join Jack Wilshere and Abou Diaby on the sidelines, along with Thomas Vermaelen.

Team Line ups:

Borussia Dortmund(4-2-3-1): Roman Weidenfeller, Lukasz Piszczek, Neven Subotic, Mats Hummels, Marcel Schmelzer, Sebastian Kehl, Sven Bender, Mario Gotze, Shinji Kagawa, Kevin Grosskreutz, Robert Lewandowski

Substitutes: Mitchell Langerak, Felipe Santana, Antonio Da Silva, Jakub Blaszczykowski, Ilkay Gundogan, Ivan Perisic, Mohamed Zidan

Manager: Jurgen Klopp

Arsenal(4-3-3/4-2-3-1): Wojciech Szczesny, Kieran Gibbs, Laurent Koscielny, Per Mertesacker, Bacary Sagna, Alex Song, Mikel Arteta, Yossi Benayoun, Gervinho, Robin van Persie, Theo Walcott

Substitutes: Lukasz Fabianski, Johan Djourou, Andre Santos, Emmanuel Frimpong, Andrey Arshavin, Park Ju Young, Marouane Chamakh

Manager: Arsene Wenger

Interesting to see that Arsene has gone for the more attacking option in midfield by fielding Benayoun instead of Frimpong. This means that both Song and Arteta will stay deep to cover for the defence. Dortmund have a nearly full strength line up with only Lucas Barrios the notable one missing due to injury(Hey, other teams can have injuries too!). This promises to be an open game, exciting to watch, and not for the faint hearted as there'll be plenty of worrying moments at the back. Hope we can at least nick a draw from this.

COME ON ARSENAL!!!

Arsenal 2011-12 Season Preview

So, after the dust has settled down following a tumultuous August and a mad finish to the transfer window, we now know who are eligible to play for Arsenal. We've had an extremely rough start to the season, we've had long drawn out transfer sagas which have destabilized the team, we've had an unconvincing preseason, had demoralizing results, and of course we've had the usual injuries to key players. The only silver lining we have right now is that we somehow managed to sign five players in two days(!!!) and hopefully the players that we have at our disposal now actually want to play for us.

The squad:

Players out: Fabregas, Nasri, Clichy, Eboue, JET, Sunu, Traore

Players out on loan: Bendtner, Denilson, Lansbury, Bartley, Vela

Players in: Gervinho, Jenkinson, Park, Meresacker, Santos, Arteta, Benayoun(loan), Chamberlain, Miyaichi

Players promoted to from reserves: Frimpong, Miquel

Goalkeepers:

Szczesny,  Fabianski,  Mannone,  Almunia

I think we are strong enough in the goalkeeping department. Fabianski and Mannone can provide ample cover for Szczesny. Last season, our goalkeeping was a mess as we didn't have a clear number 1, and we paid for it. We have a better situation now, with Wojciech Szczesny coming of age, Fabianski cutting out his blunders and Mannone eagerly waiting in the wings.

So, are we better off in this department than last season: Yes!

Defenders:

Gibbs, Santos, Vermaelen, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Djourou, Squillaci, Miquel, Jenkinson, Sagna

Mertesacker, at 6 ft 6 in, will help us in answering aerial challenges posed by free kicks and corners. He also brings with him quality international experience having played over 75 times for Germany. Hopefully Vermaelen can return soon from his injury and form a formidable combination at the back. In the meantime, Koscielny and Djourou will be able to deputize for the Gunner's vice captain. We have also signed an experienced defender in Brazilian left back Andre Santos. I hope he stays fit and most importantly, avoids all those blunders that Clichy used to make. I hope Gibbs stays injury free enough to provide him some competition for a starting place. Jenkinson will deputize for the ever reliable Sagna and I hope he learns as much from the veteran as possible.

Are we better off in this department than last season:

Yes, but we need to have our two first choice centre backs playing most of the games. Also, Sagna needs to be available for the crucial games. Even if Jenkinson has ability, he is still young and inexperienced to play big games at this level, as the Man United game showed.

Midfielders:

Song, Frimpong, Diaby, Ramsey, Wilshere, Rosicky, Arteta, Benayoun

Though a player of the calibre of Fabregas cannot be replaced, I'm glad we at least made the move for Arteta. Apart from his vision and passing, he will provide quality from free kicks and I hope he fits in well with our squad, and quickly. Benayoun will also be useful in helping opening up tight defences. Ramsey has been anonymous in his performances so far and he needs to step up his game. Jack Wilshere has been sorely missed in these opening games and hope he returns quickly. Frimpong needs to be more disciplined and controlled in his tackles. Song should continue doing what he does best: breaking up attacks and keeping the ball moving in the midfield and occasionally score the odd Songinho goal.

Diaby, well, this should be a make or break season for him. His recurring injuries have really plagued him and he can hardly play three games on the trot without picking up yet another injury and being sidelined for a month. I hope he fulfills his potential and shake off those injury demons once and for all. Rosicky has been on the wane ever since his big injury and I think this will be the last season for him. He owes the club a big farewell performance whenever he is counted upon.

Are we better off in this department than last season:

No. Apart, from losing players with the quality of Cesc and Nasri, our midfield is precariously thin and at the moment, with injuries to Wilshere and Diaby, we cannot afford any more suspensions or injuries. We really lack depth in midfield compared to last season. Also, with the African Cup of Nations due to take place this January, it becomes imperative that we bring in more bodies in midfield. Thankfully Cameroon have not qualified and that means Alex Song will be available, but Frimpong will probably be joining the Ghana team. I hope Arsene reinforces our midfield with at least one(preferably two) signing(s), even if short term, come January.

Forwards:

van Persie, Walcott, Gervinho, Park, Arshavin, Chamakh, Chamberlain, Miyaichi

Robin van Persie was the lone shining light when we woefully capitulated at the end of last season. He is in the goal scoring form of his life and if he stays fit for the season, there will be no reason why he cannot be the Premier League's top goal scorer. Walcott continues to make his progress and it is good to see him score goals. He just needs to stop being anonymous in some games and get more involved.

Gervinho, well, he excites me every time he has the ball near the opponent's box. He's a real live wire and quite a handful, and he's not afraid to take on defenders or take a pop at the goal. Pity he missed out on the Liverpool game. Park Chu(or Ju, as he likes to be called) Young could turn out to be a gem of a signing, but it remains to be seen how well he adapts to the Premier League. I have to say, the signs are good though, with him scoring four technically very good goals from two matches in the international week.

For Arshavin, like Rosicky, this could be his last season with us. He needs to rediscover his magic that set the Premier League alight two seasons ago. As for Chamakh, I'm really puzzled what has happened to him. When he joined last year, he was scoring goals and making  assists and getting people sent off and what not but ever since Robin returned to fitness, he has been a shadow of the player we saw at the beginning. He really needs to pull his socks up or else he faces the same fate the deadwood in the squad got in the recent transfer window.

Are we better off in this department than last season:

Tricky situation, because we're relying on the fitness and form of van Persie at the moment. On the wings we are fairly strong enough. But the matter concerning the most is at centre forward position. Will Chamakh rediscover his goalscoring form? Will Park be able to adapt? As long as van Persie is there banging in those goals for us, it looks rosy. But even if he remains fit for the whole season, he still isn't expected to play in every game and will either Chamakh or Park step up remains the big question.

My Ideal Starting Line Up(and subs):

Goalkeeper: Szczesny

Defenders: Santos, Vermaelen, Mertesacker, Sagna

Midfielders: Song, Wilshere, Arteta

Forwards: Gervinho, van Persie, Walcott

Subs: Fabianski, Gibbs, Koscielny, Ramsey, Frimpong, Arshavin, Benayoun, Park.

Have a great day!

Manchester Unied vs Arsenal 2011-12 Preview

After qualifying for the Champions League in midweek, we now travel to the Premier League Champions today. We are currently yet to add more signings and with the injuries and suspensions we are facing, we play yet another game with players far too inexperienced and far too removed from our preferred eleven. Depleted doesn't even come close to describing the state of our squad.

Mancheser United on the other hand have strengthened their squad and they currently boast a good mixture of youth and experience. While we have become weaker this season, they have added more depth to their squad. More reasons to hate those scums!

Team news is that both Vermaelen and Sagna have missed out for today's match. And with both Song and Frimpong suspended and Wilshere still sometime away from recovery, we have got a gaping hole in our midfield and young Francis Coquelin has been entrusted to fill the defensive midfield role. Gibbs is also out which means Armand Traore will start at left back, while Carl Jenkinson will again start at right back.

I'll be happy with a draw for today and over the moon if we win. But it is going to be a long 90 minutes for our boys out there. Without quality and experience, will guts and determination be enough to get any kind of result today? I really do hope so.

Line ups:

Manchester United(4-4-2): David De Gea, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Johnny Evans, Parice Evra, Nani, Tom Cleverley, Anderson, Ashley Young, Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck

Substitutes: Anders Lindegaard, Rio Ferdinand, Ryan Giggs, Ji Sung Park, Dimitar Berbatov, Chicharito, Fabio

Manager: Alex Ferguson


Arsenal(4-3-3): Wojciech Szczesny, Armand Traore, Laurent Koscielny, Johan Djourou, Carl Jenkinson, Francis Coquelin, Aaron Ramsey, Tomas Rosicky, Andrey Arshavin. Theo Walcott, Robin van Persie

Substitutes: Lukasz Fabianski, Ignasi Miquel, Henri Lansbury, Oguzhan Ozyakup, Gilles Sunu, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Marouane Chamakh

Manager: Arsene Wenger

COME ON ARSENAL!

Udinese vs Arsenal Champions Legue Play Off 2nd Leg Review

AND WE CAME OUT WITH FLYING COLOURS!

What a performance! What a great result! And what a great save by Szczesny! I shouted myself hoarse yesterday, and slept at 4 am, even though the match finished one and a half hours earlier. It was simply fantastic! To come back from a goal down at half time and seize the match like we did and win 2-1, was simply superb.

I wonder why do we always have to do things the hard way...is it because when we actually do the things the hard way and achieve the result, we feel a sense of ultimate euphoria like last night? Yesterday night's adventure will go a long way in slaying those demons that have pursued and tortured us for months and months.

Things could not have been more, I'm coining a new term here, Hollywoodized. Have a look at the storyline:

• A high stakes game, we were in danger of failing to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 14 years.
• Failing to qualify would have meant losing out on £25m financially, and also we would struggle to get good players to come and play for us.
• Our two best players have left, I need not mention their names.
• Our most consistent midfielder, Jack Wilshere, from last season was missing due to injury.
• Both our available left backs were either unable to play or start the game.
• 5 of the starting eleven were 21 years of age or younger.
• We have been lacklustre, and goal shy throughout preseason and the start of the season.

But the thing that irked me the most was the bombardment from all quarters. The press, media, pundits, experts, critics, current players, former players, fans, bloggers(myself included!)...everyone has had their say in lambasting Arsenal, criticising this, criticising that, castigating this and castigating that. All that negativity, all that pessimism, all that criticism had reached stratospheric levels and an air of doom and gloom hung around, that had affected even the most positive of supporters. It was almost as if Dementors had encircled the whole of Arsenal and all happy thoughts were fading away.

But the performance of last night was wonderful, inspiring and hope-filling to say the least. It was as if we unleashed a powerful patronus that drove those circling Dementors far far away, even if only for sometime. It was the sort of performance that made you proud to be an Arsenal fan. It was the kind of night you live for as an Arsenal fan. It was the kind of result that made you believe in Arsenal, and Arsene yet again, and maybe even compel you to stick out your tongue or your middle finger to all those doubters. Seriously, if anyone considers himself/herself an Arsenal fan and he/she couldn't be cheerful about yesterday's result, there is something wrong with that person.

The patronus that drove those Dementors encircling Arsenal away!

The Match

The game started at fast pace and just like in the first leg, it was end to end stuff. Di Natale looked dangerous and threatened to score a couple of times. I have to admit he was one of the standout performers from both teams over the two legs. But Theo really should have given us the lead after some great work by Gervinho. The Ivorian's trickery created enough space for Theo to find the back of the net, but his shot was too close to the keeper and it was saved. Udinese made us pay for that when they finally took the lead from a Di Natale header that looped over Szczesny and crept inside the goal after hitting the crossbar.

We made a change at the start of the second half and Rosicky came on for Frimpong. We tried hard to get the vital away goal but we were lacking creativity from the midfield. It eventually came when Gervinho once again got the better of his man and squared up for Robin van Persie to apply the cool finish. After that, came the turning point in the game when the referee awarded the home side a rather soft penalty for handball. What happened after that, will forever remain etched in my memory. Wojciech Szczesny made the best and most important save of his career so far to deny Di Natale. It was one of the best penalty saves I've ever seen. Some have even dubbed it the £25m save!

The £25m save!

After that, Sagna showed great presence of mind and some sublime touches to set Theo free to turn on his turbo boosters and score our second goal. That goal seemed to knock the stuffing out of Udinese and they barely threatened after that. Mission Accomplished!

Player Performance

Szczesny - My Man of the Match, 10/10 performance, FANTASTIC PENALTY SAVE, another two brilliant saves from free kicks, and he's still just 21 years old.

Jenkinson - another impressive display, hardworking and efficient

Vermaelen - only blotch was the penalty conceded, okay performance, since Di Natale really troubled our centre backs tonight

Djourou - shaky at times but enough for the day

Sagna - not his natural position, and it showed as Udinese had plenty of joy down their right at the start. Good counter attacking move to set up Theo for the winner

Song - did all the dirty work, excelled in his role, didn't venture forward too much

Ramsey - better from him, more composed than earlier matches, will get better as the season progresses

Frimpong - good performance, but was edgy at times

Rosicky - not the cleanest of tacklers but was at it today, battled hard in midfield more than usual

Walcott - should really have taken that chance to give us the lead, used his awesome speed to grab the winner

Gervinho - a gem, love it when he has the ball, provided the assist for the first goal, threatening throughout

van Persie - looked to link up play by dropping deep, and sometimes to the wings. right place, right time and a good finish to equalise and more importantly give us the away goal advantage.

Traore, Arshavin - not much time to contribute


Credit must also be given to Arsene and his staff for the way we turned things around in the second half. We played more positively than I can remember for some time. This was reflected on the total number of shots we had, which was 19(with 13 on target). The last time we managed so many shots on target was 229 days ago when we played against Leeds in the 1-1 draw in January.

Where We Stand

We can now concentrate on making the most of the last week of the transfer window to sign players with experience. This performance showed we still have the heart, what we need is some experience to back it up. But for now, I just want to say this:

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HERE WE COME!!!

Next Up

Manchester United away!

Udinese vs Arsenal Champions Legue Play Off 2nd Leg Preview

Events of the last match were so depressing that I tried to take my time off from everything Arsenal, but this damn Arsenal disease won't leave me. And I hope no one ever finds the cure!

And if that long headline for the article does not signify the importance of this match, nothing will. Okay, seriously though, this is the biggest match of the embryonic season so far, and so much of the future hinges on it. So many questions come to mind immediately:

• Will we be able to withstand the assault from Udinese, after we barely hung on to a narrow 1-0 win at home the previous week?
• What will happen if we don't qualify and lose out on the lucrative £25m the Champions League will bring?
• Will top players be interested in signing for us if we don't qualify?
• Will we suffer any more injuries?
• Will Djourou's hamstring problem resurface?
• Will we score the away goal, considering we have been extremely goal shy this season?
• Will we get good refereeing for the game, considering the tussle we are having with UEFA officials at the moment?
• Will the match go to penalties?
• Will the departure of Nasri affect the mental strength of the team?
• Will Arsene Wenger ever buy someone of proven quality rather than untested potential?
• What colour will Alex Song's hair be?

These and many more questions still remain to be answered. But a few of them will be addressed one way or the other in the next two hours. And I hope we come through it with flying-, err, satisfactory colours. A draw will do for me today. A win even better. And I really hope we score the away goal just for some insurance.

The team news is that Djourou is fit to start but Rosicky has made it to the bench. Young gun Emmanuel Frimpong has made it to the starting line up and I hope his "eagerness and enthusiasm" doesn't get the better of him and dives into rash tackles thus amounting to silly bookings. He has to keep it tight but at the same time careful about his tackles.

For me, he let the team down against Liverpool in the weekend. No matter how impressive he was but it can't be denied that his red card paved the way for Liverpool to take away their first victory over us in our home ground in over a decade. I don't doubt his commitment and heart, but his inexperience did us in on that fateful day. I hope he has learnt his lesson and he keeps his cool to do the job today.

Right then, here are the starting line ups:

Udinese(4-4-1-1): Samir Handanovic, Neuton, Danilo, Medhi Benatia, Joel Ekstrand, Emmanuel Agyemang Badu, Kwadwo Asamoah, Pablo Armero, Mauricio Isla, Giampiero Pinzi, Antonio Di Natale

Substitutes: Emanuele Belardi, Dusan Basta, Denis, Almen Abdi, Giovanni Pasquale, Thierry Doubai, Diego Fabbrini

Manager: Francesco Guidolin


Arsenal(4-3-3): Wojciech Szczesny, Bacary Sagna, Thomas Vermaelen, Johan Djourou, Carl Jenkinson, Alex Song, Emmanuel Frimpong, Aaron Ramsey, Gervinho, Theo Walcott, Robin van Persie

Substitutes: Lukasz Fabianski, Ignasi Miquel, Armand Traore, Tomas Rosicky, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Andrey Arshavin, Marouane Chamakh

Manager: Arsene Wenger

COME ON ARSENAL!!!

So, the big news today is Samir Nasri is in the starting line up. I would have been delighted if this were to happen a few months ago, but times change quickly and Nasri has shown his true colours. Regardless, he is still an Arsenal player and he is required to be on duty today. I hope he is at least professional enough to put in a decent performance.

Let's go to the team news straightaway.



Team news:

Arsenal(4-3-3): Wojciech Szczesny, Bacary Sagna, Laurent Koscielny, Thomas Vermaelen, Carl Jenkinson, Emmanuel Frimpong, Aaron Ramsey, Samir Nasri, Theo Walcott, Robin van Persie, Andrey Arshavin

Substitutes: Lukasz Fabianski, Miquel, Henri Lansbury, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ryo Miyaichi, Nicklas Bendtner, Marouane Chamakh

Manager: Arsene Wenger


Liverpool(4-4-2): Pepe Reina, Martin Kelly, Jamie Carragher, Daniel Agger, Jose Enrique, Lucas, Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam, Stewart Downing, Dirk Kuyt, Andy Carroll

Substitutes: Doni, Raul Meireles, Luis Suarez, Maxi Rodriguez, Jay Spearing, Martin Skrtel, Johnathan Flanagan

Manager: Kenny Daglish




Hope we escape with at least a draw today.

Arsenal vs Udinese Champions League Play Off Review

Match notes:

It was a good hard earned win over a dangerous Udinese side who would feel disappointed going back without an away goal. It was a very open and end to end game and much of the game was played at high tempo. Though Arsenal had more possession, Udinese created twice as many chances we did, and luckily our defence held stern despite some nervy moments.

We had a great start, scoring in the fourth minute but couldn't capitalize on it. Aaron Ramsey found space on the right and he crossed in the danger area for Walcott to finish in delightful style. It was also good to see Gervinho also making the run and he was just behind Walcott ready to take the opportunity in case Theo missed.

But apart from that, we created few chances and lacked creativity yet again. The first half was played at fast pace with both sides attacking each other. In the second half, Udinese gave us torrid time as we struggled to impose ourselves in midfield. For a period of time, we couldn't string three passes together and all our moves broke down at the halfway line as Udinese pressed aggressively. We regained a little composure but it was still far away from good.

We were also not helped on the injuries front as both Gibbs and his substitute Djourou came off with hamstring injuries. I just hope the injuries are not too serious, we're already on extremely thin ice regarding the squad size, and we simply cannot afford any more injuries.

The tie remains in balance, and I feel we will need that away goal in the return leg.

Tactics:

- Gervinho and Walcott switched wings often

- Udinese really pressed hard in 2nd half, meaning they had a high defensive line. But we couldn't capitalize on it and we should have made better use of Theo's pace using through balls or balls over the top.

- We needed someone to hold up the ball at the front, and Chamakh was really disappointing in this regard. We had to face wave after wave of Udinese attack and credit to the defence and the goalkeeper for getting the clean sheet.

- We still need to get the best out of the midfield, especially the Rosicky-Ramsey combo. Ramsey looked best when free of his defensive duties while Rosicky drifted in and out. But the duo were often not threatening enough, and when Song runs ahead and we lose possession, there is hardly any cover for the defence and Udinese had a field day exploiting that space. We lacked composure when we had the ball and kept giving away the ball too cheaply.

- We should either prevent Song from running forward or use Frimpong as a double pivot(with only one of Ramsey or Rosicky playing ahead of the defensive midfielders). But Frimpong needs his passing to improve if we are to use the second option. We are really missing Wilshere in the midfield as he can provide the balance the side needs.

- There was less sweeping done by Szczesny compared to the Newcastle game, possibly because we were on the backfoot most of the game

Player Performance:

-Szczesny: excellent game, Udinese had 12(5 on target) shots to arsenal's 6, and hid good shot stopping skills came handy.

-Gibbs: earned a foolish yellow card, just like in the weekend game against Newcastle. He needs to stop picking up needless bookings. Hope he recovers fast from the injury.

-Vermaelen: superb effort to divert the ball away from Di Natale, overall good defensive performance, not much luck going forward.

-Koscielny: clumsy at times, solid at other times, needs to be more consistent.

-Sagna: his crossing still leaves much to be desired, but good defensive work overall, but really should have stopped Armero when he made that run. Luckily, it didn't prove fatal for the team.

-Song: hard working shift, good defensive performance.

-Rosicky: not enough creativity

-Ramsey: anonymous again for most of the game, except for two goalscoring chances he created.

-Gervinho: a live wire on the field. He excites me whenever he has the ball at his feet.

-Walcott: good game(even though we didn't make full use of the space behind the Udinese defence), good goal, took his chance well.  Silly yellow card to get. Looked threatening and only a fantastic save by Handanovic denied him a double.

-Chamakh: a little better than his recent performances but overall disappointing, losing the ball too easily and failing to hold up the ball. Never really threatened to score.

Subs:

-Djourou: excellent last ditch effort to block Di Natale, unlucky to get injured, hope he recovers really soon(Squillaci is on standby you know!).

-Jenkinson: good, solid performance, great interception to deny a Udinese forward in the D box. Impressed by his calmness.

-Frimpong: gave away silly free kicks initially, got better as the game progressed.

Where we stand:

A good result, and an even more important clean sheet. Udinese showed what they can do, and we must be ready for a tough night in Udine. I think we really need to get the away goal to settle this tie.

With two more injuries in this game, we really need to make some signings quickly. Games are coming up thick and fast and we are in a worse shape than last year. I for one can't seem to remember the last time when we had such a thin squad. We still haven't adequately replaced those who have departed. We need reinforcements ASAP.

Next Up:

Liverpool at home.