West Brom vs Arsenal Last Minute Preview

Team line ups:

West Bromwich Albion: 4-4-2

Manager:Roy Hodgson

Substitutes:  Fortuné, Jara, Cech, Cox, Tchoyi, Myhill, Tamas

Arsenal: 4-2-3-1

Manager: Arsene Wenger 

Substitutes: Bendtner, Lehmann, Eboué, Miquel, Chamakh, Gibbs, Rosicky

Tactics:

Goalkeeping/Defence: Manuel Almunia starts today after injuries to THREE of our goalkeepers. ALthough he has done okay so far against Barcelona and Man United, West Brom will look to target his weakness against high balls today. With Djourou also out injured, the goalie and the defence really need to be on their toes as West Brom will most likely go the aerial route to trouble our defence. We need to be alert from set pieces and corners, and we should mark their midfield tightly to prevent balls behind the defence.

Midfield: Aaron Ramsey makes a first start after coming back from his injury. Hope he is good enough to start and is able to keep the midfield ticking. Denilson starts today in the absence of Song and Diaby and I really hope he puts in a good performance today. Wilshere will be another key presence in the midfield to provide the vital link between midfield and defence.

Attack: Robin van Persie and Nasri have gone quiet in the past few games and I hope they find their goalscoring form today. Arshavin should look to keep up his performance and I look forward to goals and/or assists from the talented Russian.

Final Prediction:

A tight 1-2 win for Arsenal.

Reasons Why I am REALLY Starting to Dislike Barcelona

Not an attack on Barcelona

Style of football, brilliant and attacking. Prefer Barca's attacking style rather than Mourinho's catenaccio.

Dark and dirty side - people turn a blind eye or refuse to accept, like religion, fundamentalists refuse to accept flaws in their methods. People readily forget and focus only on beautiful football. Barca are number 1, not just because of silky football, but also because of their antics on and off the field. They have been extremely lucky on several occasions. One does not need to go beyond Chelsea semi final, referee Tom Ovrebo turned   down at least(repeat, at least)3 stonewall penalties against the home side.

Dani Alves:

We know he's a very good footballer. But we also know him for his antics. If Messi can win the Ballon d'Or, Alves should win the Oscars for best acting every year. Serial diver and play actor.

http://fliiby.com/file/483944/7k34qygxji.html

Sergio Busquets:

His playacting caused a red card for Thiago Motta in that monumental Champions League semi final against Inter.

Click here to see a wonderful exhibition of fair play

In direct relation to Arsenal

Eric Abidal:

How dare van Persie grab Abidal's hand using his throat?

That is a red card offense in any match. Recently, in the shambolic refereeing against Newcastle, Diaby got sent off for doing the same thing. Do rules apply separately when it comes to Barca?

And finally, the biggest issue of them all:

CESC FABREGAS

1. Shameless tapping up of our captain



example of tapping up: ex Arsenal player Ashley Cole, tapped up Jose Mourinho while at Chelsea.

tapping up definition:
Punishment for tapping up:

In continuation of the players who have joined Barca in the recent years: Henry and Hleb.
No concern for debt, and Barca have a huge amount of debt.

Barca accuse us of getting a young Fabregas, by the same principle where does Messi come from?

Xavi: Cesc has Barca DNA
Pique, even Messi has not shied away from giving his opinion. Only Iniesta has appeared better off than his teammates.

Leading up to the ultimate tease for Cesc and insult to Arsenal and a slap across the face to all Arsenal fans:

Which made me and every one wonder when they went forward and instead signed David Villa for 40 million euros.. And if they really wanted Fabregas why didn't they offer a decent bid? 30 million for Fabregas, a joke and an insult? If Andy Carroll can cost 35 million pounds, surely Cesc is worth double of that.

All this points to another thing: Barca want to unsettle Arsenal. In recent years, they have destabilized us by poaching our best performers in Henry and Hleb. And by emotionally blackmailing Cesc they have tortured the whole summer transfer window by unsettling Arsenal. Add to it, and current rumours are doing rounds that Barca are trying to tempt away Samir Nasri.

Though things on this front have cooled down a bit for the moment, Barca will be back to haunt us once the season ends. And as an Arsenal fan I will dread looking up for any Arsenal news as we'll have to endure those vultures circling over our best players for two months that will feel more like two years.

Anyway, my rambling is coming to an end now. A picture says a thousand words they say, and my article has covered a few hundred. But I need only three to get my message across:

This is the least every Gooner can do

Barcelona vs Arsenal Last Minute Preview

So, here we go again. Barcelona vs Arsenal. There. Thats's all you need for the headline.

After the thrilling comeback win against Barca a fortnight ago, Arsenal have stuttered and stumbled on the road to Camp Nou for the return leg. We have been mightily inconsistent and we have also lost key players for those games. Barcelona meanwhile have come out on top in close duels in the La Liga. But, for such a big match, form will count for little. It'll be the mental aspect that will count the most come full time.

Both sides have key players missing out through injuries and suspensions, which makes the present scenario strangely similar to last year. For the last year's return leg match, both Puyol and Pique were absent and the duo are definitely missing the action tonight. For us last year, where do I start recalling? We had no Cesc, no van Persie, no Gallas, no Arshavin, no Djourou and no Song (who by the way, is also absent from tonight's match due to injury).

Coming back to the match itself, if we are to have any chance of progressing, we really need to do the following things without fail:

i) Clinical finishing: Barca will once again have more of the possession and we will get very limited number of chances to score. We need to take our chances tonight because we can't really rely on Barca not scoring against us. We also need to capitalize from set pieces properly.

ii) Concentration: Every player has to stay focused for the full ninety minutes. We conceded the goal in he first leg owing to a quick free kick and Clichy losing his concentration to keep Villa onside. We really can't afford such lapse in concentration today. Messi should be given proper attention tonight, while not forgetting others.

iii) Avoid silly mistakes and challenges: We're going to play in front of a full house partisan crowd and the referee will be under huge pressure to give decisions in Barca'a favour. We need to realize this and play smart by not giving away silly free kicks or committing silly fouls. And, if we are somehow leading the aggregate come the 89th minute and a long ball is hoofed towards our box(highly unlikely to be done by Barca, not their style, they'd rather chip it over the defence), the defender nearest to the ball should HACK IT CLEAR INTO THE STANDS!

Team news is that van Persie and Cesc make the starting line up. That's a BOOST as big as they come! Moreover, Rosicky also starts tonight which means Arshavin will be on the bench and be the impact substitute for us. Diaby has started in the midfield holding role (instead of Denilson) in place of the injured Song. Walcott is still recovering from his injury and hence has stayed back at London. For Barca, Busquets has dropped to the centre of the defence and Adriano has slotted in the left back position.


Team line ups:

Barcelona:4-3-3

Manager: Pep Guardiola

Starting line up: Valdes, Alves, Busquets, Abidal, Adriano, Xavi, Mascherano, Iniesta, Pedro, Villa, Messi.

Substitutes: Pinto, Bojan, Keita, Milito, Maxwell, Afellay, Thiago.

Arsenal: 4-2-3-1

Manager: Arsene Wenger 

Starting line up: Szczesny, Sagna, Djourou, Koscielny, Clichy, Wilshere, Diaby, Rosicky, Fabregas, Nasri, van Persie

Substitutes: Almunia, Denilson, Squillaci, Arshavin, Eboue, Chamakh, Bendtner.

Tactics:

Goalkeeping/Defence: Szczesny will be called upon to make some big saves and we need him to be on the top of his game to keep Messi and Co. out. It is another big night for Koscielny and I hope he performs as well as he did in the first leg. The defence needs to be very compact tonight and the defensive line must be religiously maintained at all times.

Midfield: Diaby steps in for Song and hope he merges seamlessly with Wishere and Cesc. I really hope Diaby curbs his habit of holding onto the ball for too long. He should look to pass the ball to a teammate as soon as possible. Hope young Jack reproduces the almost flawless form he displayed in the first leg. Cesc has really been missed in our recent matches and we will need his quality to cut open Barca's defence tonight.

Attack: I dearly hope van Persie has fully recovered and he is fit to be able to run for the full ninety minutes without any discomfort. With him in the side, we have a cutting edge in our attack and I hope he continues his rich vein of goalscoring form tonight. Rosicky has been drafted in to help out Clichy against the marauding Dani Alves and despite mixed performances in recent matches, I hope he comes good today. Samir hasn't scored for a while and it would be absolutely huge if he were to get one tonight. We need to work out the untested centre back pairing of Barca and as I have mentioned earlier, we really need to take our chances.

Subs: I'd bring on Eboue, Arshavin and Bendtner/Denilson/Chamakh.

Final Prediction:

Let's see what pans out shall we?

COME ON ARSENAL!!!

Arsenal vs Sunderland Last Minute Preview

After the disappointment in the Carling Cup final, it's time for the boys to pull themselves up and fight for the remaining trophies. The 5-0 win against Leyton Orient in the FA Cup replay will to some extent healed some wounds but we really need to put in a big performance today.

Chelsea have done us a big favour by beating Man United in the midweek and we must capitalize on that. The scenario now is that if we win our remaining 11 games then we will win the League but it isn't that easy.

Team new is that Cesc and Song haven't made it for the match but I hope they will be available for Barca in midweek. Robin van Persie, Walcott and Vermaelen remain short term absentees. But one heartening news is that Aaron Ramsey is back in the sqyad after almost a year out with his horrible leg injury. Hope he gets the chance to come on later on in the game.

Team line ups:

Arsenal: 4-2-3-1

Manager: Arsene Wenger 

Substitutes: Almunia, Rosicky, Ramsey, Squillaci, Eboue, Gibbs, Chamakh

Sunderland: 4-5-1

Manager:Steve Bruce

Substitutes: Gordon, Riveros, Elmohamady, Colback, Knott, Welbeck, Noble

Tactics:

Goalkeeping/Defence: The defence needs to pull themselves together for this game because Sunderland have the potential to cause us problems if we are not on top defensively. It is important for Koscielny to have a good showing because his confidence as well as his morale would have taken a beating after the horrible mix up with Szczesny in the dying minutes of the final. He is a good defender and he needs to be in good form when we meet Barca on Tuesday.

Midfield: In the absence of Rosicky from the starting line up, Abou Diaby is the one slotted to play higher up in midfield and it will be a test for him. Really really really hope Denilson stops making silly mistakes today. The big burden of ticking the midfield will be on the young shoulders of Jack and he'll need support from Diaby for us to play fluently.

Attack: With Nicklas Bendner notching up a hattrick against Leyton Orient he'll be full of confidence coming into this match, not that he lacks any confidence to start with! Arshavin is looking sharper in recent matches and he should continue his rise in form. The main player for me though will be Nasri and I hope he is fires today. He has been the go to man for us this season and a big performance is needed for us to catch up with the league leaders

Subs: I'd bring on Rosicky, Ramsey and Chamakh.

Final Prediction:

A close 2-1 win for Arsenal.