With so much at stake for today's match, Arsenal travel to the Hawthorns for a tricky game against West Brom. Though we won with relative ease when we met earlier in the season, it will be an entirely different game with nerves jangling and the home support favouring our opposition. Form guide, league position and earlier meeting will not matter today.
After our cock up against Norwich last week, we are still fortunate that third place is still in our hands. At the end of today all that matters is that we finish third. The straightforward way will be to win today's match, or else we have to rely on prayers and miracles.
Match Thoughts:
- Its the last game for Pat Rice after 44 years with Arsenal. Hope we can give him a great farewell with three points today.
- Interesting team selection by Arsene Wenger. Three changes from last match with Jenkinson, Santos and Coquelin in for Sagna (injured), Gibbs (shocking defending) and Ramsey (loss of form) respectively.
- With Bacary Sagna out, it will be interesting to see how Jenkinson fills the right back role. At the opposite full back position, Gibbs was shocking defensively (though Vermaelen was also a big culprit if you ask me) in the last game vs Norwich. Didn't surprise me too much that Santos was considered for this one.
- Wojciech Szczesny was also culpable for two of the three goals we conceded against Norwich. He needs to bring his A game for today's match. In fact, all eleven players out on the field as well as the three substitutes need to bring their A game today.
- We have really missed Arteta in the last four games, and it has shown with disappointing results where we have failed to win any of those matches. We have missed his passing, possession play and his rather underrated defensive positioning nous when we lose the ball. He's the vital cog in our midfield and it will be seen how we cope without him for one more match.
- Coquelin is a surprise selection for me. And it may turn out to be a masterstroke. With Ramsey horribly out of form it will be vital for Coquelin to perform the Arteta role for us today.
West Bromwich Albion(4-4-2): Marton Fulop, Liam Ridgewell, Jonas Olsson, Gareth McAuley, Billy Jones, Graham Dorrans, James Morrison, Youssouf Mulumbu, Simon Cox, Shane Long, Marc-Antoine Fortune.
Substitutes: Luke Daniels, Nicky Shorey, Craig Dawson, Keith Andrews, James Hurst, Paul Scharner, Peter Odemwingie.
Manager: Roy Hodgson.
Arsenal(4-2-3-1): Wojciech Szczesny, Andre Santos, Thomas Vermaelen, Laurent Koscielny, Carl Jenkinson, Alex Song, Francis Coquelin, Yossi Benayoun, Tomas Rosicky, Gervinho, Robin van Persie.
Substitutes: Lukasz Fabianski, Kieran Gibbs, Johan Djourou, Aaron Ramsey, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Theo Walcott, Marouane Chamakh.
Manager: Arsene Wenger.
COME ON ARSENAL!!!
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