MATCH PREVIEW: SHAKHTAR DONETSK FC VS ARSENAL FC
Arsenal face Shakhtar Donetsk at the Donbass Arena in the Champions League this week. Now a win in this match will see us qualify for the knock-out stages of the competition. However Shakhtar are unbeaten at home for the 2010-2011 league season and should be a formidable force to deal with.
Also keeping in mind as to what happened against West Ham on saturday, I think it best if we don’t say too much about the match !
There are no fresh injury concerns, leaving the usual suspects of RVP, Aaron, Diaby, Almunia, Gibbs and Tommy-V out.
Captain Cesc Fabregas did have a hamstring problem at half-time against West ham on Saturday, but Le boss has stated that he has shrugged it off, and will be available for the clash against Shakhtar.
Here is what AW said :
“Cesc played a bit within himself. He had a bit of tension in his hamstring. Let’s hope he has no setback,” Wenger said.
“At half-time, I had a hesitation to take him off.
“Then I left him on, I thought ‘just for 10 or 15 minutes’, but in the end he got better and better.”
TEAM LINE-UPS:
————————————————————FABIANSKI——————————————————–
–EBOUE—————————KOSHER—————————————SQ18—————–CLICHY————
—————————————————————SONG—————————————————————
—————————————WILSHERE—————————-CESC————————————————
–THEO——————————————————————————————————-NASRI————-
————————————————————CHAMAKH———————————————————–
SUBS : SZCZESNY, SAGNA, DJOUROU, ARSHAVIN, ROSICKY, DENILSON, NIKKO
Arshavin in my opinion will be rested, the guy needs some time-off. He has been playing mostly every match, and some rest here would do him some good.
Cesc, will start against Shakhtar, but he may be rested also. In that case, Nasri shall take his position and will play the CAM role, while Rosicky shall shift to the left.
Jack Wilshere has served his 3 match ban (although it would not count here) and should starT against Shakhtar. Sagna may play in place of Eboue, although I would go for the latter, as I feel the Frenchman should get some rest.
Cheers,
THE ARMOURY
MATCH RATINGS : ARSENAL FC VS WEST HAM UNITED FC
Written by : Ishan Kumar Danda
Before I start I would just like to say PHEWWWWWWWWWW!!!!! DIDN’T WE LEAVE IT LATE…
Alright, lets start with the ratings then -
FABIANSKI – No problem with him today. His demons are going and lets hope it stays so. Commanded his box well and dealt well with Noble’s long balls…..8
SAGNA – Sound defensively and decent going forward. Great pass to set up Fabregas( whose shot was blocked brilliantly by Green)..7
SQUILLACI – Solid at the back . Co-ordinate well with Kosher. Had a brilliant header saved by Green…7
KOSHER – Good return performance for the Frenchmen. Good on the one ‘V” ones and was very comfortable with the ball at his feet….7.5
CLICHY – Fantastic performance. Used his pace effectively on the left. Got away from his marker brilliantly to provide the match winning cross.Very active defensively making crucial interceptions…..9
SONG – Played a more attacking role today as Denilson was there to back him. Fantastic awareness and a brilliant run to get the winner today…..9
DENILSON – Was poor in the first half, losing possession on several occasions. Slowly got into his stride later on but no striking contribution by the Brazilian. To be fair he did play in midweek and probably felt the effects today….6
CESC – The Cesc Fabregas performance without a goal or an assist to show for it. Kept the midfield ticking, closed down well and showed great vision…7.5
ARSHAVIN – You can see he is really trying hard. Got the better of his marker several times but was not given adequate support. However needs to do more in the final third….7
NASRI – Good performance. Carrying on his great form. An outrageous free kick from a about 40 yards saw him hit the woodwork. Linked up play well, hardly lost possession, and closed down well…8
CHAMAKH – A below par performance by the Moroccan today. Poor in the final third and got frustrated which resulted in him getting booked….5.5
SUBSTITUTES :
THEO – Was confident today. Blasted passed his defender to latch onto to a splendid through ball by Cesc, but was unlucky to hit the post….7
NIKKO - Looked good today. He has a good habit of getting into threatening positions. Didn’t play enough to be rated .
EBOUE – N/A
Cheers,
THE ARMOURY
MATCH REPORT : ARSENAL FC 1 – 0 WEST HAM UNITED FC
Arsenal recorded a nervous and breath-taking win over West-Ham infront of 60,086 fans at the Emirates Stadium today.
The game started with really slow tempo and not until the 6th minute did the first ‘half-chance’ come. Arshavin and Chamakh played neat 1-2′sto each other before the Russian fired his shot wide. In the 13th minute Nasri’s cross was headed over the bar by an unmarked Alex Song. And 3 minutes later, Arshavin had his shot blocked by Gabiddon.
West Ham were playing according to a game-plan. Their strategy was to close down play in the middle of the field and to let us play at the back. Surprisingly, it was working !
The 23rd min saw the first real chance of the game. Song pass found Sagna free on the right. Subsequently the french-mans grounded cross found Cesc. The Spaniard ‘first touch’ shot almost found the net, but Robert Green made a world-class save..
The first half saw a few more chances. In the 43rd min, Song had his shot saved by Green and a minute later the Englishman produced another superb save to keep SQ18′s header out.
Half-time score-line : Arsenal 0 – West Ham United 0…something I seriously did not see coming !
The second half started of with us attacking a bit more. 6 minutes into the half, Nasri struck the cross-bar via a thundering 40 yard free-kick. And 7 minutes later, Theo, after being put through to Green by Cesc hit Greens right post. At that point, I seriously thought that nothing was gong to get past West Ham today !
The 65th minute saw a neat 1-2 by Cesc and Nasri, but the french-man weak shot was straight at Green..
When we entered the 85th min, the team started to get frustrated. Chamakh was booked and Cesc looked like he was ready to kill someone !
But 3 minutes later ‘ it ‘ came. Clichy’s brilliant trickery on the left was followed by a cross by the French-man into the box – Alex Song, seizing the opportunity headed the ball into the net. The ‘Mighty Green’ was beaten…’1 nil to the Arsenal.’
FINAL THOUGHTS :
What has this match taught me ?
Well one thing is that Arsenal is unpredictable.What I expected was a thumping of West Ham, and what I got was something totally different. Proud of the guys out there for not giving up. We showed great courage and spirit, now the key is to maintain it…
Next up, Newcastle at home..
Cheers,
THE ARMOURY.
CARLING CUP DRAW RESULTS :
Arsenal FC have been drawn to face Wigan Athletic at ‘home’ in the Carling Cup. Ties will take place at the Emirates Stadium the week commencing November 29.
Here is the full draw :
Arsenal v Wigan Athletic
Birmingham v Aston Villa
West Ham v Manchester United
Ipswich Town v West Brom
Cheers,
THE ARMOURY
MATCH PREVIEW : ARSENAL FC VS WEST HAM UNITED FC
Arsenal take on West Ham United at the Emirates this Saturday, after coming back from a 4-0 thumping of the Toon Army in the Carling Cup.
Regarding injuries, RVP, Tommy-V, Almunia and Ramsey are not expected to be fit for the clash against the Hammers. Kieran Gibbs also joins the casualty list due to the injury sustained by him yesterday at St. James Park.
Here is AW’s injury update :
“We lost Kieran Gibbs last night, that is the bad news.”
“It is a medial knee ligament strain. It needs to be checked on the scan tomorrow but it will be a few weeks.
“We have nobody else back from Manchester City. Van Persie and Vermaelen are still out. Ramsey and Almunia are not ready. So it should be a similar squad to the one that played at Man City.
However the boss did inform that RVP and Aaron shall resume training soon.
“But Van Persie and Ramsey are very close to coming back to full training now. They should be back in the group at the end of next week.
“Of course we should not set the same [recovery] time to Ramsey as Van Persie. Aaron will need a longer period to be completely match-fit for the first team. But Van Persie is not far away now.
“Manuel Almunia is maybe one to two weeks away. With Vermaelen, it is difficult to set a fixed time because he Achilles improves slowly.”
Needless to say, Fabianski on his current form will still stay in-goal.
TEAM-LINE UPS:
———————————————————–FABIANSKI——————————————————
—-SAGNA———————–KOSHER————————————–SQ18———————CLICHY——-
————————————————————–SONG————————————————————
———————————–CESC—————————————NASRI——————————————
–THEO—————————————————————————————————–ARSHAVIN—-
———————————————————CHAMAKH———————————————————–
SUBS: SZCZESNY, EBOUE, ROSICKY, DENILSON, NIKKO, VELA, LANSBURY.
Here are the last 5 meetings at ‘Home’ between us and the Hammers :
Among 6 clashes with them at ‘Home’ we have beaten them thrice, having lost twice and drawing once. Also, their win over Stoke in the Carling Cup will have given them some much-needed confidence ( as quite frankly their season is not going as planned. ) Currently they sit 20th, playing 9 games and picking up 6 points out of a possible 27.
My Prediction : Arsenal FC 3 – 0 West Ham United FC
So whats your line-up ? Feel free to comment below….
Cheers,
THE ARMOURY
MATCH ANALYSIS : TAMING THE TOON ARMY !!
Here is the analysis of all Goals against Newcastle. Enjoy and…
Feel free to let us know your thoughts on the match.
Cheers,
THE ARMOURY
MATCH REPORT : NEWCASTLE UNITED FC 0 – 4 ARSENAL FC
Written By : Sid
Arsenal thumped Newcastle by 4 goals to nil at St. James Park today. 2 goals from Theo, 1 from Nikko and 1 own-goal by Krul saw the Gunners run riot on the Toon Army.
We started on a positive note. Attack, Attack and Attack some more was Le Boss’s clear instructions, and did not his little minions follow !
Within the first few minutes we had had at least 3 good chances on goal. In fact Nikko at one point seemed to be having shooting practice from 5 yards out. Shooting thrice in a row only to be blocked each time by a barrage of defenders and the Krul.
However with less than 10 minutes on the clock, in typical Arsenal fashion Gibbs started limping after a knock he received while trying to clear the ball. What a comeback ! Anyway, the English-man was replaced by Sagna who moved to the right while Eboue filled-in at Left-Back.
The 14th minutes saw Szczesny beaten by a delightful ball over the top from Danny Guthrie to Nile Ranger, however Kosher did well to block his shot. Frankly that was the only time the pole was beaten today. Other than that he gave a marvellous performance, something we usually don’t see from Arsenal keepers..
By the 30th minute, the game had lost all its openness and was mostly dogged by mini-battles all over the pitch. Eboue produced some good skill on the edge of the box, but poor judgement on his part saw him hit the side-netting instead of crossing into the box.Nikko also did well to beat a couple of defenders on the edge of a box before hit a poor shot straight at Krul.
Arsenal’s first goal came at the end of the half, when Nikko’s header was cleared of the line, only to hit the head of Krul and back in. Although it was an own goal, who cares..1 nil to the Arsenal !!!
The goal Nikko lost in the first half, he regained in the 2nd. And what a goal it was ! Cutting back into the box from his right and driving his foot through the ball. Newcastle United FC 0 Arsenal FC 3…
4 mins later Szczesny pulled off a majestic save from Taylors free kick. And 2 mins later it was 4. A lovely first-touch by JET sent the other JET (Theo) through to Krul. Final result of the ‘scene’ : Newcastle United FC 0 – 4 Arsenal FC.
In extra time Szczesny pulled out another superb save, making himself big to block Carroll’s shot. But by that time, the game was ours, it was won….
Brilliant play by the Gunners out there. Made me proud. The only aspect of the match, which may draw some criticism from me is Djoru’s defending. But as long as we don’t lose, I personally don’t give a damn..
So whats your take on the match, feel free to comment below….
Cheers,
THE ARMOURY
The Hidden Truth….
I am sorry I did not publish this sooner. But it was mostly due to the fact that I could not decide what picture to put..(Finally I put this one…Put your mouse over it !!)
Can you believe this ****. A guy says that his club lacks ambition, and that he wants to leave the club. 48 hours later, he wishes to stay in the club.
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED WITHIN THOSE 2 DAYS: ‘ THE HIDDEN TRUTH ‘
Location: A room : David Gill, Sir Alex Ferguson, Wayne Rooney & Malcolm Glazer with a brief-case
David Gill: Good afternoon Wayne, Is it true that you wish to leave Manchester ?
Wayne: Yes Sir, the club is becoming more useless by the minute. You’ll have signed no new players. And the current crop of players are a bunch of useless turds. Bubba is clearly not good enough, the doped Giraffe, and I feel that my standard of football is deteriorating.
Sir Alex: But how come you did not have a problem with the squad last year ? We had the exact same squad and the only addition this time is Hernandez and Smalling.
Wayne : Well last time I ******g tolerated it. They were doing shit as I , I single-handedly won us the Carling Cup. I alone got us so many points…
Malcolm Glazer: Ok Wayne, what is it that you want?
Wayne: Is it not clear you embassal, I want to leave this club. I prefer to go to Spain. Either Real or Barce-
…Malcolm Glazer openes the brief-case, full of green crisp notes.
Wayne: Wait, what is that ?
Sir Alex: This is the money you will get if you sign a new contract. 250,000 pounds a week.
Wayne with his mouth open
Wayne: 250,000 pounds a week, I love all of you…
Malcolm Glazer blushes
Malcolm Glazer : So it is all settled then, you shall sign a new contract with the club. David
David Gill: What is your bidding , my master?
Malcolm Glazer: Call for a press conference. And don’t call me master, it sounds gay.
David Gill: Yes sire.
Sir Alex: Come here Wayne, give me a hug.
Wayne Rooney hugs Sir Alex, and all of them leave the room. Singing Glory Glory Man United…
Wayne Rooney thus signed a 5 year contract with the club, with per week wages of 250,000 pounds. In my opinion, and yes, I don’t give a **** about United Fans, it was because he felt that the club will not get anywhere. And that he is getting too less wages – unlike his former team-mate Ronaldo. So what he does is simple, he creates a huge scene that he wants to leave the club. This obviously causes Sir Alex and the United faithfuls to go into dis-array. In turn forcing them to give him a new contract worth 12 million pounds a year, even though the club has a debt of 1.1 billion pounds. Wonderful ! Next time you score a goal Wayne, don’t kiss your club crest, carry some cash with you, and take it out and kiss it instead. People should play ” Here comes the money …..” the next time you enter Old Trafford, cash-hungry Shrek. Screw You, you are a disgrace to the game..
Man Utd fans will probably forgive you, because now you are going to play for them. Probably they wont give a rats*** because how does it matter to them – They have their star player.
This entire saga shows your loyalty to the club. The same club who brought you to where ever it is you are today, you planned to ditch. Wanting more money. And don’t give me that ambition crap, are you telling me a club with the stature of Manchester United lacks ambition. Screw you (again..)
Have a Good-Day…
THE ARMOURY.
MATCH PREVIEW : NEWCASTLE UNITED FC VS ARSENAL FC
Arsenal take on Newcastle United in the Carling Cup at St. James Park this Wednesday. Now over the years, we have never prioritized this trophy, but ‘apparently’ this time is different.
Here is what the boss said :
“We will go for every single competition this season with every resource we have and we will give absolutely everything.”
Now the 4-1 hammering of Spurs saw the boss field a comparatively strong side ( you know in comparison with the past )….Hence, in view of Wenger’s statement, and that we have an early kick-off against West ham at the Emirates on saturday, I expect a ‘balanced’ side against Newcastle.
TEAM LINE-UPS :
———————————————————SZCZESNY———————————————————-
–EBOUE————————–KOSHER——————————–DJOUROU————————GIBBS—–
——————————————————–DENILSON———————————————————
———————————–LANSBURY—————————-ROSICKY————————————–
–THEO—————————————————————————————————-VELA———-
———————————————————NIKKO————————————————————
SUBS: FABIANSKI, CLICHY, SAGNA, EASTMOND, NASRI, JET, CHAMAKH
Any suggestions from you on the squad will be much appreciated..
Cheers,
DKD
ARSENAL PLAYER RATINGS – MANCHESTER CITY FC VS ARSENAL FC
Written by : Ishan K. Danda
Fabianski- Brilliant. He just keeps shutting me up and proving me wrong. Brilliant saves to keep out Silva twice, made himself big to prevent Adebayor from scoring a header from inside the six yard box, and came out collecting long balls efficiently. He was in full control of his area even with the likes of Djourou as his Centre back.—– 9.0
Sagna - Efficient down the right hand side defensively and offensively. Always provided the midfielders a channel to feed to. Crossing though has to improve. Defensively was excellent as none of man city ‘s attacks came from his side . —–7.5
Squillaci - Certainly the more reliable and better of the two centre backs. No goof ups and played his role properly. An experienced and solid performance by the Frenchmen .—–7.0
Djourou – The weak link I felt in our defence. He has ability, pace and technique. What he lacks is proper decision-making. He let Richards in on goal by getting too tight which was a poor decision. Went in too early for the challenge on Tevez which almost let to Silva scoring. However he did show promise on certain occasions. Much rather have Tommy V though .—–6.0
Clichy – Energetic throughout the game. Defended brilliantly in crucial moments. Offensively made promising runs but the final ball in was poor. Was out of place on occasions which let to city attacking from his side. To be fair though Arshavin didn’t support him defensively the way Nasri did for Sagna .—–7.5
Song – A solid performance apart from a few cynical or “professional challenges”. Brilliant goal scored by him to calm the nerves of all gooners .—–8.0
Denilson- Apart from a few poor tackles, the Brazilian did well to break up the oppositions play. Regained possession very well. Didnt give away the ball and was tidy with his passing. Needs to be more creative though .—–7.5
Fabregas -Fantastic through ball to Chamakh which led to the sending off. Missed a penalty though in all fairness Hart did brilliantly to keep it out. Otherwise a great performance. Kept the midfield ticking and made some great runs through the middle. Defensively was excellent as he tracked back when necessary. Cynical challenge on De Jong(we all know De Jong deserves worse ) for which he was deservedly booked .——7.5
Nasri – MOTM for me. A brilliant finish to a wonderful worked move which gave Arsenal the lead. Hardly got a pass wrong, hardly lost possession and a brilliant through ball to Bendtner for the third. Defensively supported Sagna with full commitment. Worked his socks off today .—–10
Arshavin- Played a crucial role today. Started off lazily but got into the game. Brilliant play with Nasri for the 1st and played a valuable role in Arsenal’s attack on the Left . Played out his defensive duties with more vigor than before although still needs to improve on this front. The unsung hero for me .—–8.5
Chamakh- Brilliant hold up play. A proper strikers role. Linked the play together. Only lacked a goal in an otherwise solid performance .—–9.0
SUBSTITUTES :
Walcott- Didnt get too much time to do anything productive .Best to leave him alone .He’ll be back I’m sure .
Rosicky – Kept the flow in Arsenal’s game .—–7.0
Nikko – Fantastic finish to mark his return to football. Although I hope his ego does not get too inflated .—–8.0
MATCH REPORT: MANCHESTER CITY FC 0 – 3 ARSENAL FC
Arsenal thumped Manchester City by 3 goals to nil at the City of Manchester Stadium today, courtesy of goals from Nasri, Song and Nikko.
4 minutes into the match, Cesc played a lovely through-ball to Chamakh to set him’ clear on goal against Hart. However, the Moroccan was fouled by rookie Dedryk Boyata, thus denying him to go 1 on 1 with Hart. The referee made no hesitation and rightly sent him off. 5 minutes on the clock, and City were down to 10 men.
After that the half just became better. Arsenal ‘s entire midfield was booked in a span of 25 minutes. Denilson (7) was 1st up, with a foul on Tevez. Next came Cesc (26), with his challenge on De Jong, and Song (32) came 3rd, with his tackle on Silva.
We should have gone 1-0 up in the 17th min, but unfortunately Djourou couldn’t put any direction into Sagna cross, heading the ball over Hart’s cross-bar .
The 20th minute saw the first goal of the match. Nasri who has been in fine form this season played a neat 1-2 with Arshavin before slotting the ball into the roof of Joe Hart’s net.
The game should have been over by the 39th min. Cesc was brought down in the penalty box by Vincent Kompany. We were awarded a penalty – A chance to seal the game. Cesc stepped up, but sadly Hart got the better of the Spaniard via a brilliant save.
Tension, and nervousness grew upon the team in the 2nd half. 2 minutes into the 2nd half, and Hart saved a weak shot from Cesc.
But the goal which Gooners craved for came in the 65th minute. It was a bit of a mistake, but credit to Song for a thumping finish. Cesc’s pass to Chamakh was peculiarly intercepted by Bridge. Instead of clearing the ball, the Englishman toe poked (first touch) it into the path of Song, who truly obliged with a cracker…..Manchester City 0 – 2 Arsenal.
After that, it was typical Arsenal. Short, skillful passing in packs. Pressing when the ball was not in our possession, and playing the ‘beautiful game’ when it was.
The icing on the cake came in the 87th min. Nasri put Nikko ’1 on 1′ with Hart. Now a guy with an ego like Nikko had to score, and yes, he did.
..MANCHESTER CITY FC 0 – 3 ARSENAL FC…..try and buy that you scum-bags !!!
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Brilliant performance from the Gunners. We silenced those critics who said that we could not beat a top team. All be it, even though City were playing with 10 men (which if I may add they deserved to ), yet they were out-classed in every aspect of the match. Now I do not want to jinx the guy, but Luke was outstanding in this match. From the first save of Silva’s shot to the last save of Boateng , the guy was immaculate. (touch-wood). (He even kept that whore’s header out.) Well done Luke, keep up the good-work.
What did you think of the game at Manchester? Feel free to let us know below...
Next up, West Ham at the Emirates..
Cheers,
DKD
MATCH PREVIEW : MANCHESTER CITY FC VS ARSENAL FC
Arsenal take on Manchester City at the City of Manchester Stadium this sunday. Now past visits to that stadium has seen us get thumped 3-0 and 4-2. Yeah, it’s not a nice way to say it, but its true. Also, our last visit saw Usain Bolts 2nd cousin sprint on the pitch !
This fixture is going to be a tough-one, Why ? Well firstly because of City’s upgrade in quality due to inflow of green paper. Secondly, they are the only team to have beaten Title Holders Chelsea, and we all know that is no joke. And lastly because the “current situation” at Manchester provides a great platform for them to sent a message to their cross-town pals.
Now I must confess, that our injury list is starting to clear-up (touch-wood). Presently it includes the reputed names of Tommy-V, RVP, Kosher, Almunia and of course long-term absentee Aaron Ramsey. However defender Bacary Sagna is back for the clash at the Eastlands.
Here is the boss’s update on injuries:
“For the weekend, we could have Sagna available,” he said. “That is basically it. Sagna will come back, all the others will be out.
“Manuel Almunia is very, very close but he is not yet completely confident on the stretch of his arm. He must be able to go with force into contact and he still has some pain there.
“Koscielny has a 20 per cent chance to be available.
“Vermaelen is ruled out for the weekend. He will still need two or three weeks. His injury is not a long-term concern but at the start we thought it was a question of days and now it is six weeks.
“You can’t say it is not a concern at all. We are a bit concerned but he has had a final treatment that we think could kill it.”
TEAM LINE-UPS :
——————————————————FABIANSKI———————————————————
—–SAGNA—————–DJOUROU———————————-SQ18——————–CLICHY———–
———————————————————SONG————————————————————–
———————————–CESC———————————NASRI———————————————
——THEO——————————————————————————————-ARSHAVIN——-
—————————————————–CHAMAKH———————————————————–
SUBS : SZCZESNY, GIBBS, EBOUE, DENILSON, DIABY, ROSICKY, NIKKO, VELA
Cheers,
DKD
MATCH REPORT : ARSENAL FC 5 – 1 SHAKHTAR DONETSK FC
MATCH PREVIEW: ARSENAL FC VS SHAKHTAR DONETSK FC
Arsenal’s clash against Shakhtar at the Emirates will see us welcome back former Gunner – Eduardo or as we know him better “Dudu.” On being asked about the club here is what he said :
“The supporters were always behind me and they are in my heart and I am still in touch with Denilson, Cesc Fabregas
and Robin [van Persie].”
TEAM LINE-UPS :
———————————————————–FABIANSKI———————————————————-
—EBOUE——————————DJOUROU————————–SQ18—————————–GIBBS———
———————————————————–DENILSON————————————————————
—————————————-NASRI——————————ROSICKY———————————————
——-THEO—————————————————————————————————ARSHAVIN—-
———————————————————-CHAMAKH————————————————————
SUBS: SZCZESNY, CLICHY, SONG, ROSICKY,VELA, LANSBURY, NIKKO.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
I don’t expect a very strong side to be put out, mainly due to Manchester City this sunday. Denilson has not had alot of playing time this season, so I guess he should come in for Song. Gibbs should start instead of Clichy, that way the Frenchman can be all geared up for the trip to Manchester. Diaby is carrying an injury and this is a good time for him to be rested. Rosicky looked sharp when he came on against Birmingham so he should start along side Nasri. Theo did make it to the bench last saturday, but he did not feature. Some game time here would not do him much harm. Chamakh recently scored his first goal in an Arsenal shirt this season with his leg so I guess he should start against Shakhtar. Also I’m sure the boss will take him off for Nikko by the hour-mark, so he won’t be all tired when we face City. The guy will be crucial against City this week, and these games shall help him build some confidence that he can score with his legs also ! Arshavin looked out of shape vs Birmingham and I personally, would start him so that he regains some confidence. But, if the boss does decide to rest him, I guess Carlos Vela should suffice.
This game is going to be an interesting one, with ‘Dudu’s” return and his reception at the Emirates. Shakhtar Donetsk is no pushover. Being five points clear domestically, and recently beating great rivals Dynamo Kiev and Metalurg Donetsk, both 2-0, in October. They are going to be a tough-nut to crack.
Nevertheless, I still fully expect us to pick up all 3 points. If we quickly finish reaching the 10 point bench mark in the group, not only will some of our younger players get the opportunity to play in Europe but also, and more importantly, we can concentrate on the premier league…
Cheerio,
DKD
MATCH REPORT : ARSENAL FC 2 – 1 BIRMINGHAM CITY FC
Arsenal picked up all 3 points against Birmingham City at the Emirates today. The match started positively for us. The 4th min saw Wilshere and Chamakh play neat 1-2′s to each other but the latters final shot was blocked by Foster. We could have gone 1-0 up by the 17th min, but unfortunately the linesman had flagged Squillaci’s header off-side. In the 25th min Eboue almost scored an own goal. Lucky for us and ‘him’, Luke was quick to react.
The 32nd minute saw Zigic’s put Birmingham in the lead. Frankly, that header was beautiful and Luke had no chance to save it. Who to blame, well, Djourou did get bossed over so I guess he should face the music. Arsenal however were shook up. But 7 minutes later, we got a penalty. Now honestly, that was a dive from Chamakh and it was harsh on Birmingham, but in the past, I have seen many decisions go against us so I guess its Karma or whatever. Nasri stepped up and made it 1-1. (Nice penalty by the way).
When the 2nd half started there was an urgency to score in the team. I guess it all paid off, as when Wilshere played the ball to Chamakh, the Moroccan ‘dribbled’ past an outstreching Foster to make it 2-1…1st goal with his leg, yeah!
By the 65th min we were really playing well. 1 more goal would have put the match to bed. It was not that we did not try. Rosicky’s cracker was saved brilliantly by Foster. And Nikko who came on for Chamakh in the 78th min, almost made it 3-1. (His touch from a Tomas Rosicky cross was just collected by Foster).
The only downside was Jack’s red card in the 90th min. Don’t get me wrong he should have got sent-off ( as that was a silly tackle ), but the sad part was that he deserved a goal for his performance and he did not get it.
FINAL THOUGHTS :
All in all, it was a good game, something different from the usual entertaining football at the Emirates. Old gunner Hleb also did not have a bad game. The guy can still pick out a pass, just like before. On Fabianski I must say that not only did the guy ‘not’ keep badly but he also made some good decisions when the box got crowded…
Our performance was not superb but we got 3 points. Hope the same result happens next week vs ‘Richie Rich and his gang .’
Till then..
Cheers,
DKD
MATCH PREVIEW : ARSENAL FC VS BIRMINGHAM FC
This saturday we take on Birmingham City at the Emirates. Now although this fixture does cause us some problems when we are away, yet at home it ‘should’ not be too much hassle (touch-wood).
As of today I must inform you of new recruitments to our injury-list. Please welcome ‘Bacary Sagna’. This is what he told French TV programme Stade 2:
“It’s okay. I’m currently in rehabilitation. It will take three weeks. I’ll take my time to get back.”
Gooners will be delighted to hear that Aaron Ramsey is back in training, but frankly is still some time away from being set loose on the field.
“I’ve been doing strengthening exercises and those sort of things for a long time now “
“I’m starting to feel the benefits and I’m outside training with the fitness coach, and I feel good.
“It’s great to be back outside and kicking the ball again. I missed it for a long time, but it’s such a good feeling to be back outside.
“I’m a very motivated guy,” he added. “I’ve missed a lot [of football] and it’s made me realise how much it means to me. Now I just want to get back and start doing what I used to do.
Now this saturday we welcome old-boy Hleb to the Emirates. After leaving for Barcelona years ago, the guy regrets every moment of it.
‘I regret my move from London, but unfortunately nothing can be done about it now.’
‘For me, Wenger was like a father. I consider him one of the best managers in the world.
‘For such a boss one wants to die on the pitch. Arsene managed to create a smashing team with a wonderful atmosphere inside of it.
‘I have no doubts that if Arsenal had the same budget as Barcelona, the Gunners would be among the three best clubs on the planet.’
Personally I thought Hleb was a fantastic player for Arsenal. So, I have no grudges against him and will not boo him. He accepted his mistake of going to Barcelona, and has never bitched about Arsenal. So welcome back Hlebo !…
In the pre-match interview for Saturdays game, this is what AW said:
* players on bold writing will miss the clash with Birmingham..( incase you do not want to read the entire statement )
We have some good news because for a while we’ve had only bad news. Nicklas Bendtner is back in the squad and Kieran Gibbs is back too.
Let’s not forget that since last November Nicklas has produced here and there but never had a consistent presence because of his injuries.
Apart from the fact he went to the World Cup we have not seen the real Nicklas Bendtner for a long, long time. He is the closest he has been to his best for a while. He was really, really handicapped by groin problems but they have gone now.
Theo might be involved on Saturday as well. He has normal training tomorrow. I might put him in the squad. I will see how he is but he looks very, very sharp. The only uncertainty is his ankle but he might be involved.
Cesc is very, very short and unlikely to be involved [on Saturday]. He has a little chance for Tuesday.
Sagna is ten days, Vermaelen is ten days, Almunia is a question of days but Van Persie looks to be a bit longer.
Also, new-boy Kosher will sit out the clash vs Birmingham due to a back problem.
TEAM LINE-UPS :
————————————————————FABIANSKI———————————————————
—–EBOUE————————–DJOUROU———————————-SQ18————————-CLICHY——–
—————————————————————SONG—————————————————————
—————————————WILSHERE————————————–NASRI——————————————
–ROSICKY————————————————————————————————–ARSHAVIN———
———————————————————–CHAMAKH————————————————————-
SUBS: SZCZESNY, GIBBS, DENILSON, NIKKO, DIABY, THEO, LANSBURY, VELA
or, the boss may go with the same squad for Chelsea i.e Diaby comes in for Rosicky and Nasri and Diaby swap positions ( also Eboue comes in for Sagna)
Cheers,
DKD
IS IT TRUE…
From certain “highly reputable” sources, it seems that Arsenal have beaten out Chelsea, AC Milan, Real Madrid and others in securing the services of Belgian behemoth Romelu Lakuka. The 17-year-old, who has often been hailed as the new Drogba stands at 6’3” which is 1 inch taller than Drogba and is arguably physically better built than the Chelsea striker.
Now its believed that the boss is interested in not only Romelu, but also his younger brother Jordan, who plays in defence of the Anderlecht B team. It is probably this fact that swung the balance in Arsenals favour – with their parents preferring that they stay together if they were to move out of Belgium.
Romelu’s father Roger was also a professional footballer playing for various clubs in Belgium as well as representing the Zaire national team in the 1994 world cup qualifying rounds. Romelu himself is already a fully capped international player, having already represented Belgium 4 times.
Ever since he scored 121 goals in 88 matches for the Anderlecht youth team, Lakuka had been earmarked to leave Belgium sooner rather than later. Also by scoring 18 goals in 42 matches in Belgian Pro League, which would rate somewhere between the Championship and the Premier league, the guy has shown great ability at a very young age. Now along with these phenomenal statistics Lakuka has scored 3 times in Anderlechts Champion’s league qualification campaign, with 2 goals against Ajax,thus showing that he will not be overawed when playing against the bigger teams in Europe.
Finally, we should all hope that this deal does go through as it then puts the finishing touch on Arsene’s “Masterplan.”
Imagine a team like this in 4-5 years time :
——————————————————–SZCZESNY——————————————————–
—-????————————–KOSHER———————————TOMMY-V——————-GIBBS——-
———————————————————-SONG———————————————————–
——————————–WILSHERE——————————RAMSEY—————————————-
—–THEO—————————————————————————————————–????———
——————————————————-LAKUKA————————————————————
Although this team does ignore the likes of Nasri, Jay Emanuel Thomas, Diaby and many more, who may turn out to be gems themselves, yet all in all, the future looks bright. Now I doubt the same can be said about our competitors who just ‘throw’ money at any problem they encounter, but lets face it. Sooner rather than later that money will run out, and then we shall see how things look on a level playing field………..
Cheers,
Sid
FROM A GOONER TO GOD….
Dear God,
Recently, some Man Utd fan took a dig at me after the game at the Bridge ” My heart goes out to all Arsenal Fans ( It’s not your fault if your first team makes a guest appearance every season !!!). Thus in light of the this I figured I must write to you.
Well frankly, I have a favour to ask you. I am writing this letter to you to tell you something about the club I love – Arsenal. You see, in recent years, we have never performed very badly in matches. Our title chase starts of at the beginning of the season with a bang. After a few games (which we win) we enter the 1st international break, and it is then that things start to take a dramatic turn. 1 of our top players get injured or rather 1 of our players who is playing at the top of their game gets injured, and we must make do with a back-up who is either not very good or simply not accustomed to that role.
Then in away games against physical teams like Blackburn, Sunderland, Stoke e.t.c when the opposing players give our players some hard and crunching tackles ( which if I may add are not ‘fouls’), our players get injured for a minimum of 6 weeks. As a matter of fact this practically screws up our title race ‘really badly’. Thus when we face top-teams like Chelsea, Barcelona e.t.c. we do not have our main players and subsequently when we get smashed, Gooners around the world feel really sad and get pissed off with our manager AW.
So, if you could spares some time out of your busy schedule, please do ensure that our players do not get injured, and even if they do they should come back by 2 weeks maximum. To be a top-player, 1 must also be injury-free. That is why players like Ronaldo and Messi are considered world-class. I heard once that Ronaldo was out for 3 weeks with some ankle injury but shockingly (though I was not) he came back within 1.
Now to make my point even more clear, just look at this situation :
Our current injury-list includes RVP, Tommy-V, Aaron Ramsey, Sagna, Almunia, Frimpong & Diaby. Out of these guys at least 4 are in the starting 11 squad, so you see the problem ? Our players spend more time in the treatment room than in the dressing room, for crying out loud..
Now for us Gooners outside, this has become a routine thing every month. Last month it was Fabregas, and in August it was RVP, Tommy-V and Theo( 3 in 1 !) This month we have a new recruit Sagna. Now these players are extremely crucial to our title race, so if you could, please try and avoid them getting injured as I am tired of giving other team fans (when they beat us) the same excuse that our main players are injured, although it is the truth.
Now you may propose a simpler solution to buy some extra players, but there are reasons to refute that argument as well. Firstly, our manager is a miser and he will not spent unless we are in dire need of a player. This is because he follows the rule of “Players back from injury are like new -signings.”Secondly, we cannot go on buying players as the new premier league rules specify we must have a 25 man squad. If we try to buy players whenever one is injured we may end up crossing 30 ! And lastly, it would not look nice that we are signing a player for a sole “back-up” purpose….
So please do look into the matter when you have the time & I would be greatly obliged if you helped me out, as quite frankly there is no one else who I can turn too.
Thank You & Cheers,
DKD
PS: If you could, add-on some wins against top-teams like Chelsea and Manchester United also..
DEFEAT IS TEMPORARY, BUT GIVING UP MAKES IT PERMANENT..
4 points from the league from a possible 12. But if you thought that Arsenal title hopes are over, think again. Our hopes for silver-ware this season are not over. And it will not be over any time soon.
Presently we sit 7 points adrift of League-leaders Chelsea. Indeed, the league season this time has started with its usual bag of surprises. “Fat Boys” Manchester City presently sit 2nd to the league leaders and ahead of their own kind in red. Just behind them are us, ever loyal and faithful to financial stability. Sadly tied with us are Spuds. They have also tried hard this season, and somehow have managed to crawl up to our level, even though they have not really faced a tough-team barring City. So we are 7 points adrift, but if you think that we are *****d and what that Spanish git Xavi said is going to come true.
“We’ve given up on the idea of him arriving now, but maybe he’ll come in January when Arsenal are out of the Premier League title race. Their team are just not competitive.”
You’re wrong. I believe that the title race will really go down to the wire this season. Partly because of the ‘Fat-kids’ in Manchester. If you think about it a bit, City last season by any means did not play badly. They came 5th and if they would have defeated Spurs, they would have been playing Champions League football this season.
Now coming back to Arsenal. We face Birmingham next-to-next week, and I expect all 3 points from that fixture. Then we travel to Richie-Rich’s mansion in Manchester. That personally is going to be a difficult fixture, but if we have Theo and Fabregas back (and they should be, by then [touch-wood !]), there is no reason why we cannot pick up all 3 points from there as well. After that we entertain West-Ham at the Emirates, and seeing their form, hopefully 3 points from there should not be too much of a hassle.
Now being a bit of a pessimist, lets say we lose at City, then by November we should at least have 17 points on the league table. The only thing which is bothering me is whether the boss will send out a strong-side for Newcastle away in the Carling Cup, which is after we visit ‘Mancini and his Men’. The Cup’s first round saw Chelsea, Shitty, and Spuds all crash out, leaving th only ‘real’ tough-opponent as Manchester United left. Personally, I feel if we draw with Man-Utd we can beat them, but first we have to win at St. James Park. Now I know AW’s policy is to give the younger-gunners try-outs, but vs Newcastle (who I’m sure will put out a strong side ) I hope he changes his mind.
It is by November that the table starts to take its proper shape. It is at this time that clubs start setting their goals for the campaign. You know, a club like Spuds will target surviving relegation where as a club like Shitty will target top-4.
But not deviating from the point, by the beginning of this month hopefully, we should have RVP back. And then the real title-charge can start….
Now I know November is going to be a real tough month as we face Everton, Wolves and Villa (all away), but to be ”Champions” one has to over-come such difficulties. Upto today I have never doubted that my team have the calibre to win, but its up to them to prove me right..
Will they or will they not, that is the question……but till then, a request to all you Gooners out there – Never lose faith.
Cheers from the Armoury,
DKD
FOOTBALL MAKES YOU LEARN…
Jose Mourinho is indeed an unique manager. Although his team plays some of the most boring football on the planet, (well” boring ” is a mild term which we can use to describe them), yet the guy manages to win trophies. So what is it about Mourinho that I admire. Well actually, the only thing one can admire about him is that “The guy gets the job done.” Probably if you are a Real Madrid fan you would have noticed something different about the team this season…
Look at this stat. Real Madrid, last season i.e the 2009-2010 season had conceded 48 goals in all competitions. In other words they played 48 games and conceded 48 goals. So simply putting it, they concede 1 goal every game. This season under Mourinho they have played currently 7 games and have concede only 1 goal. So logically it they were to play 48 games , keeping to this trend they would concede about 7 goals all season. Now considering tough matches in the champions League and la Liga lets add another 9 goals to that. The total comes to 16…3 times less than that of the total goals conceded. ’1/3 rd less.’ So what has this guy done. In a nut-shell, he has made Madrid’s defense rock solid. Simply putting it, it would be an achievement for teams to score against them.
“The team was solid at the back and we have conceded just one goal in six games. (Iker) Casillas only had one save to make, however, if you don’t score you don’t win.”
Secondly, consider Mourinho’s home record. It stands, according to wikipedia as on 21st Sept, 2010 at about 138 games. 138 games unbeaten at home. So in other words, in the HOME category under the loss column in the league table there has always been, upto today, a ’0′. But,surprisingly, the guy does not give a crap about this majestic record…
“I do not do anything to keep this record. In many games, my teams have been tied and I have had to take risks to win. In a championship, it is better to win five and lose one rather than draw five. I do not want records, I want points.
“If tomorrow we are drawing 0-0 with a few minutes to go, I will ask my team to take risks to win.”
Now assuming that we believe him and that he is honest, his ability to maintain such a record is absolutely majestic and is seriously worth applauding.
Now lets come to the main theme of my article:
Why did we lose at Stamford Bridge ? It’s not that Chelsea played better than us. It’s not because that we suck. And it’s not because their team is miles ahead of us. It’s because of the defense. Where is our defense against top-teams, I have no ******g clue. Now please understand my point here. When I say “Where is our defense”, I do not mean that they overall played badly, but rather amount of opportunities they gave Chelsea to test them. I mean, 1 long-ball from Terry had put Malouda through with Fabianski. We saw the match between Inter and Barca at the Nou Camp. Barcelona did whatever they could do, but their threat to Cesar was completely neutralised by Inter’s defense. That is how a defense should be set-up. Even at Stamford Bridge, when Inter took on Chelsea, I lost count of the amount of times Chelsea bombarded Inter in the last 5 mins of the 1st half, but did that defense ever look like it was going to break down?
But credit to us for taking Chelsea head-on at the Bridge. Not many teams do that you know…
At yesterday’s match however, there was 1 prick who really pissed me off. Alex Song is the main reason why Chelsea could attack us so much yesterday. The basic “Makalele” role does not even come to the git. So, what was he supposed to do?
Just sit in front of the back four & Protect them. And if either of the full-backs make over-lapping/ advancing runs, protect their ‘zones.’ He may have been fouled or whatever, but throughout the game the guy just never consolidated the defense. Ashley Cole did sneak-in a few brilliant runs behind him, and if it was not for Squillaci’s fast thinking which played the ‘ex-gunner’ offside, we would have another goal inside Fabianski’s net. The guy continuously played the ball to Sagna on the right, and “jogged up.” Whats the point in assigning you a position if you don’t even stick to it for crying out loud.
Chelsea had only 1 game plan – to counter attack. Now if Sagna goes up and Diaby and Wilshere are left up-field along with Nasri, Chamakh and Arshavin, that leaves 3 defenders and Song (supposedly) behind. Now when they counter-attack, because our blonde African is busy chatting with Ramires, we are left with 2 defenders to deal with a fast-powerful counter-attacking Chelsea side which includes Drogba, Anelka & Malouda… ‘Not too much of a problem, is it ?’
Now, speaking about defenders, Kosher, in my opinion has to bulk up. It’s not that he s a bad defender, but the league in which he plays demands a bit of bulk and strength. Vermaelen is an exception to this category. The guy does not look that bulky, but is ******g strong. Kosher did have a nice match overall, but he did get over-powered by “The Drog” quite easily in the 34th minute. (the time when LF pulled out his first save of the day..) Sadly, this is also not the first case in which he was nudged away this season, remember Diouf at Ewood Park..
Ever noticed Valencia when he first signed for Manchester Utd. He was lean, but 3 months later, he became ‘bigger.’ This strength attribute helps, as the players can out-muscle others on the pitch. Some players, who have this attribute are Drogba, Valencia, Rooney, Essien,Vidic. Defenders can use it to win aerial balls, and out-field players can use it to nudge others out of their way. Now, it ain’t beautiful, but that’s football for you.
We never played badly yesterday. I mean, yes, we did not take our chances but our performance was not that bad. I mean upto the 60th min from half-time, I did not see much off Fabianski, except for the Anelka incident. That too was Squillaci’s fault. On Squillaci I must comment that the guy is a good CB. Yes , he made a howler with Anelka, but his performance overall was not bad.
Lastly I would want to conclude by saying that Arsenal are a top team, and in no way should we look down on ourselves just because we lost to Chelsea. In Football one learns many things. The only thing we should learn is “How to win Ugly.” Chelsea and Manchester Utd are good teachers in that category, and so is any team managed by Mourinho. Once we know that, our Football education will be complete. Remember Fulham at Craven cottage last season,(yeah the one in which Mannone when crazy) that was an example of “Arsenal winning ugly.” You will never hear Gooners moan about ‘we should have played beautiful football’. 3 points in the bag, “Done and Dusted.”
Now it may not sound very good to hear, but I think a mark of ‘Champions’ is also to ‘win ugly’ & the faster we know this, the better for us.
So Cheers & never lose faith,
DKD
PS: I have not calculated Madrid’s 6-1 drubbing of Deportivo last Sunday, and thus this is not included in the Madrid stat I stated above.
MATCH REPORT : CHELSEA FC 2 – 0 ARSENAL FC
And we end in the same old manner.
You know, I have inferred a rule from this game or rather a law:
“Performance is inversely proportional to the result”…
Arsenal record their second loss of the season against an in-form Chelsea side. We started in a ‘more than’ positive manner and Kosher should have put us up within 3 mins, right after Chamakh headed wide after 44 seconds on the clock.
Arsenal were using the Barcelona pressing tactic. And this was working quite well, the host were pinned back for quite sometime. But the only hole in this tactic is the long-ball. As my point was proved, as when John Terry played a long-ball from the back Malouda was found himself 1-on-1 with Fabianski. Luckily for us , the french-man put too much power in his chip.
In the 8th minute, Arshavin shot was blocked by Cech. The games tempo was sky-high in the first 10 minutes. But by the 11th minute everything subsided. The blues began to take control of the game. In the 13th minute, Drogba out-muscled Kosher on the right and crossed, but luckily Malouda scuffed his shot for a goal-kick.
Chelsea were using the same tactic against Arsenal, (just as they do always) -” The Counter-attack.”
The 14th minute witnessed a brilliant counter-attack from the league -leaders. JT to Essien, Essien to Drogba, and Drogba laid it off to Anelka. Fortunately for us Sagna cleared the ball before it reached his french-counter part.
Cech was called to his GK duties in the 27th min when he superbly saved an Arshavin cracker. 4 minutes later, Nasri shot wide.
Fabianski’s first real test brought by the “Drog” in the 34th min, and the polish keeper responded well at his near post. But 5 minutes later, when Ramires fed Cole on the left and the “ex-gunner” gave a low cross into the box, Fabianski was beaten by an awkward flick of the ball by Drogba in to the net…..Chelsea 1- 0 Arsenal.
When the 2nd half began, I was not shocked to see Arsenal at top at all. Well, why should one we surprised at what is expected. We dominated them as usual, but they won. We just followed the script, and I applaud the players for carrying it out marvellously.
In the 58th minute, Squillaci fumble at the back put Anelka through to Fabianski. And although he rounded the keeper, yet he placed his shot wide…Lucky escape for us ! We survived, we survived !!
Within the last 15 minutes, Chamakh headed wide. Nasri’s lay-off for Song was blasted out of the stadium, and Rosicky curled effort was headed away by Alex. Oh yes, Alex..how can I forget to mention the man with the “Golden Boot.”
His free-kick in the 84th minute, was a ******g Thunder-bolt.Personally, forget jump and try, I would never have even put my hand out, at least Fabianski tried..Kudos to him.
About the free-kick, in my opinion, “Magnificent” is not the right word to describe it, rather a “big-bang kamehameha” is a much better term.
By the 90th minute, we had given up on defending. Essien found himself 1 on 1 with Fabianski, and the pole made a brilliant save. A ‘save’ to ‘save’ us from more humiliation indeed…(one of the few guys who made a ******g effort not to follow the script.)
FINAL THOUGHTS:
10 out of 10 to Arsenal. We followed the script inch-perfectly. We lost 2-0 at the Bridge, and this was expected.
The only Arsenal b****** who pissed me of was Song. The guy last season was Arsenal’s most improved player. This season, I have no idea, (and I am sure even he doesn’t) where is he playing? When Sagna made over-lapping runs, beyond Nasri he should have stayed back in the RB zone. He never did that, and was solely responsible for the first goal when Ashley Cole found himself free on the left-wing.
On Fabianski I must say, that he really played well. Neither goal can be blamed on him, and ‘if’ he keeps up the same standard of performance, then in my opinion, there is no need to open the “clubs wallet” in the winter transfer window for a new GK.
Next up, Birmingham at home
Take care & Cheers,
DKD
MATCH PREVIEW: CHELSEA FC VS ARSENAL FC
The Match at the Bridge on sunday is a key one for the title race. 3 things one can gain from this fixture are : Pride, Confidence and Points. Although the last 1 is the most important, a combo-pack would not be too bad, would it ?
Both teams had lost the week before. Ours was against new promoted West Brom & theirs was from newly modified ‘Manchester City.’ Not much difference is it ?
Among the injury list include the usual names of -RVP, Theo, Nikko & Aaron. AW gave an update on Cesc, Almunia, Tommy-V and Gibbs :
“Fabregas is not fit to play in this one and nor is Almunia,” he said.
“We lost Gibbs as well on Tuesday night with a calf problem and he is out of the England squad as well. He is out for two to three weeks.”
“Vermaelen – no,” Wenger went on.
So, in all probability “The Pole” shall be in the goal & lets all hope he doesn’t keep like an ***hole.
Th only good news is that Abou Diaby, has been confirmed by the Arsenal’s official website, to be back in the squad for the clash against Chelsea . Yeah !!
Team-Line up :
———————————————————–FABIANSKI————————————————————
—-SAGNA————————–KOSHER———————————–SQ18——————————CLICHY-
————————————————————–SONG——————————————————————
—————————————NASRI—————————————DIABY—————————————–
———-ROSICKY——————————————————————————————-ARSHAVIN———–
———————————————————-CHAMAKH————————————————————–
SUBS: SZCZESNY, EBOUE, DJOUROU, DENILSON, ROSICKY. WILSHERE, VELA, LANSBURY.
Final thoughts:
Although 10 years ago this fixture would have in the category of a ‘tricky one’, yet all the bookies would probably tip us for the win. However at present, it seems to be a different scenario. Last season we got slaughtered twice in the league. At the Emirates the score-line read 3-0 , while at the Bridge they offered us a discount of 1 goal.
Drogba is certainly the man to watch, scoring twice against us last year and once in the FA Cup semi-final the year before. So, SQ18 will certainly have his hands-full keeping “The Drog” at bay. Moreover, Chelsea will have the Stamford Bridge faithful, so the conditions to play shall be more than just ‘difficult.’
Since Cesc is missing the clash with Chelsea, Nasri should fill-in his role and Rosicky should come in for Nasri’s.
Now, I know the odds are against us, but trust me, I am in no doubt that we can beat Chelsea at their own back-yard. Yes, it going to be one of the toughest teams to beat, but we are Arsenal, and we can certainly do it.
Best of luck guys,
&
Cheers
DKD
