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!