I don't think any Arsenal fan needs to eb told how much our game against Tottenham tomorrow means. The rivalry between the two clubs is intense and shows no sign of waning, despite what could be described as a significant inequality between the two teams; it is almost 10 years since Arsenal lost to Tottenham in the league and if defeat is avoided tomorrow, the entire of the 'noughties' will have passed by without the Lilywhites enjoying league victory over Arsenal.
Those statistics perhaps present a skewed representation of the two teams' respective positions; whilst most would still describe Arsenal as the strongest team, Spurs have begun well this year. This seems to have gone to the heads of some of their players; Robbie Keane going so far as to claim that Tottenham have a stronger bench than Arsenal (just for the record, I make Arsenal's bench, if everyone is fit, Fabianski, Eboue, Gibbs, Djourou, Denilson, Walcott, Eduardo).
My head is telling me that we really should get a win at the Emirates tomorrow, we are in fairly good form, have few injury concerns and our squad looks strong. The only real area of concern is in goal, where I expect Almunia to be recalled. Though his early-season form was shaky, I hope that the time he has spent on the sidelines will have helped him to refocus. Alternatively, his confidence could be irrecoverably shattered, but this seems highly unlikely! Tottenham have a weakened team, without their most prolific striker and two most creative midfielders (Defoe, Lennon and Modric), but this does not mean that they will not present a challenge.
Despite this, I am decidedly nervous about the game. Whether this is because of our recent late lapses against West Ham and AZ Alkmaar, the nature of our goalkeeping situation or just general pre-derby nerves is unclear. Logically, as long as we avoid the basic errors we have made in the past (Clichy falling over in front of Jenas in the corresponding fixture last season, Mannone sending Diamanti's free-kick straight out to Carlton Cole last weekend) we should be able to secure all 3 points. However, something at the pit of my stomach is telling me it won't be quite that simple!
Mr predicted line-up for tomorrow goes as follow:
Almunia, Sagna, Gallas, Vermaelen, Clichy, Song, Fabregas, Diaby, Arshavin, Van Persie, Eboue.
In my opinion there are two keys to victory tomorrow. Firstly, the team need to press Tottenham's midfielders in order to prevent them playing accurate long passes forwards and be very quick to pick up on the second ball from headers won by Peter Crouch, the frankly freakish but very effective forward. Harry Redknapp has already outlined the kind of football Spurs will be playing tomorrow and as Crouch has at least a 6-inch height advantage over either of our centre-backs and can be expected to win most balls that come to him in the air. If we act to prevent these balls coming in and pick up the pieces when they do we should be able to stifle a Tottenham team that looks lacking in midfield creativity without either Lennon or Modric.
The other priority should be to prevent the Spurs defence from settling. They have a reputation for being porous defensively and with the attacking riches available to Wenger tomorrow this should be achievable. If we line up as I expect, both Arshavin and Eboue have the pace and skill on the ball to get the better of the leaden-footed Corluka, who looks like the weakest point of the Spurs backline. If we are able to make him, and thus the rest of the Tottenham defence uncomfortable then not only will we be able to score goals, we will also deny them a platform on which to build attacks and threaten our goal.
So there we are, just over 12 hours before kick off, and Gooners around the globe are nervously and excitedly anticipating kick-off. Come on you Gunners!
Friday 30 October 2009
Monday 4 May 2009
I Dreamed a Dream...
I just wanted to get this prophecy out there. Last night, I dreamt about the second leg of the CL semi-final against United. I'm not entirely sure what went on, but we were 3-0 up at one point; I scored two and set up Eduardo for the third but then I was sent off for kicking the ball at one of their players' heads. I reckon we would have gone on to win the match!
Feelin' confident!
Feelin' confident!
Tuesday 28 April 2009
Gooneriffic Returns? Man Utd Preview.
Back again. Mostly because I can't stop thinking about the match tomorrow night, and I thought writing this might help me concentrate on revision for my finals (which start tomorrow).
Obviously, a good result in this first leg would be fantastic, it goes without saying really. There isn't too much speculation going about the team at the moment; we know who is and isn't going to be fit (Silvestre aside), and we know which players will probably make up the majority of the starting line-up. It seems veyr likely that Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Gibbs, Nasri, Song, Cesc, Walcott and Adebayor will make up 9 of the first 11. Either Silvestre or Diaby will play in central defence alongside Toure. If he is sufficiently fit after his lay-off, I would take Djourou every time. His pace gives him a definite edge over Silvestre, who has not covered himself in glory in recent games.
The final place, in my opinion should go to the much maligned Nicklas Bendtner. I doubt this will be a particularly popular opinion, but it could be a very effective move. Presuming we continue with the 4-2-3-1 formation we have used in recent weeks, positioning Bendtner on the left of the three players behind the striker would help us gain the initiative in this match. Man Utd are likely to be playing Rafael at right-back, and Bendtner's height and power would trouble the young Brazilian, who is certainly more assured going forward than defending. Utd are likely to target Kieron Gibbs at left back and with Rafael overlapping Ronaldo, it would be a huge challenge for the youngster. Playing Bendtner on the left would help keep Rafael pinned back, and thus ease the burden on Gibbs.
If I was the manager, the team would line up thus:
-------------------Almunia----------------
--------Sagna---Toure--Djourou---Gibbs-
-----------------Song----Cesc-------------
---------Walcott----Nasri----Bendtner----
------------------Adebayor----------------
However, I expect Nasri and Cesc's role to be reversed, and on the evidence of our last performance against Middlesborough, this would not necessarily be a bad thing.
We need to gain the momentum early on in this matchin order to prevent Utd taking advantage of our weakened defence. Walcott should be able to prevent Evra from getting forward too often, Adebayor has the capacity to keep Vidic and Ferdinand busy all night long, and the Song-Cesc axis is able to dominate Man Utd central midfielders. If Bendtner is able to restrict Rafael's role on the right, we can cut off the supply to Utd's fearsome forward line and give ourselves the advantage.
Obviously, a good result in this first leg would be fantastic, it goes without saying really. There isn't too much speculation going about the team at the moment; we know who is and isn't going to be fit (Silvestre aside), and we know which players will probably make up the majority of the starting line-up. It seems veyr likely that Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Gibbs, Nasri, Song, Cesc, Walcott and Adebayor will make up 9 of the first 11. Either Silvestre or Diaby will play in central defence alongside Toure. If he is sufficiently fit after his lay-off, I would take Djourou every time. His pace gives him a definite edge over Silvestre, who has not covered himself in glory in recent games.
The final place, in my opinion should go to the much maligned Nicklas Bendtner. I doubt this will be a particularly popular opinion, but it could be a very effective move. Presuming we continue with the 4-2-3-1 formation we have used in recent weeks, positioning Bendtner on the left of the three players behind the striker would help us gain the initiative in this match. Man Utd are likely to be playing Rafael at right-back, and Bendtner's height and power would trouble the young Brazilian, who is certainly more assured going forward than defending. Utd are likely to target Kieron Gibbs at left back and with Rafael overlapping Ronaldo, it would be a huge challenge for the youngster. Playing Bendtner on the left would help keep Rafael pinned back, and thus ease the burden on Gibbs.
If I was the manager, the team would line up thus:
-------------------Almunia----------------
--------Sagna---Toure--Djourou---Gibbs-
-----------------Song----Cesc-------------
---------Walcott----Nasri----Bendtner----
------------------Adebayor----------------
However, I expect Nasri and Cesc's role to be reversed, and on the evidence of our last performance against Middlesborough, this would not necessarily be a bad thing.
We need to gain the momentum early on in this matchin order to prevent Utd taking advantage of our weakened defence. Walcott should be able to prevent Evra from getting forward too often, Adebayor has the capacity to keep Vidic and Ferdinand busy all night long, and the Song-Cesc axis is able to dominate Man Utd central midfielders. If Bendtner is able to restrict Rafael's role on the right, we can cut off the supply to Utd's fearsome forward line and give ourselves the advantage.
Friday 20 June 2008
I've not posted for a while, for a combination of reasons; work and exams, laziness and the lack of any news that really excited me. I got bored going over the same stories again and again.
Today, I saw something that really caught my eye though. The BBC has an article about Adebayor. It's different though; not claiming he's off to Milan or Barcelona (which he isn't), but rather about his life in Togo before he came to Europe, and the work he does there now. For me, it shows how hard he has worked to get where he is today, and I don't know why really, but it makes me even surer that he isn't about to leave the club. I thought it was a nice change to the normal bollocks-mongering you get from the papers during the summer.
Hopefully I'll be updating the blog more regularly in future, although I am about to go on holiday on Monday, so I'll get back to it when I'm back home.
Today, I saw something that really caught my eye though. The BBC has an article about Adebayor. It's different though; not claiming he's off to Milan or Barcelona (which he isn't), but rather about his life in Togo before he came to Europe, and the work he does there now. For me, it shows how hard he has worked to get where he is today, and I don't know why really, but it makes me even surer that he isn't about to leave the club. I thought it was a nice change to the normal bollocks-mongering you get from the papers during the summer.
Hopefully I'll be updating the blog more regularly in future, although I am about to go on holiday on Monday, so I'll get back to it when I'm back home.
Sunday 8 June 2008
Apologies...
Sorry for the lack of recent posts, it's exam time, so I have been pretty busy. I'll be finished on Friday, so I'll be posting again after that.
Wednesday 4 June 2008
Sagna signs new deal and more.
Some very good news today; the best right-back in the league, Bacary Sagna, has signed a new deal with the club. It may seem strange, given that he only joined us last summer, but, considering his performances over the season, he deserves a pay-rise, and thanks to the Webster Clause, clubs will be offering their players new deals with increasing regularity in the future.
Little else has happened today though; Tony Adams has signed a new deal to continue as the assistant manager at Portsmouth, which means he will not be joining us as a defensive coach. For me, Adams would have been a great addition to the coaching staff, and he could really have helped youngsters like Song, Nordveit, Senderos and Djourou to progress, as well as helping the organisation of the first choice back four. This does make the rumoured signing of Lilian Thuram as a player/coach seem more plausible, but we still have no evidence to suggest that this will happen.
One piece of news that I am very pleased to see is a report on how Swiss people view Philippe Senderos. Senderos is a player who attracts a huge amount of criticism whenever he makes a mistake, yet rarely gets credit for his good performances. This season he made a couple of mistakes against Liverpool and people immediately forget his excellent performances when Kolo Toure was away at the African Nations Cup. Admittedly, the Liverpool game was very important, but there is no reason to write him off yet. More experience will only see him coming closer to fulfilling the undoubted potential he has.
Ex-Gunner Freddie Ljungberg has hit out at Arsene Wenger in an interview with the Telegraph today. He complains about having to play when not fully fit and Wenger's strict attitude. This just smacks of bitterness. Freddie has to be careful, he is still held in great affection by most Arsenal fans who remember his brilliant performances before his decline, but if he comes out with more statements like this, he will only alienate himself from the fans. Not that he probably cares that much, but if I was him I'd shut up. He never recovered from his injuries, and Wenger got rid of him. Get over it.
Finally, to end on a positive note, we have a statement by Wenger. He believes that we can win everything next season, and while this might be a little ambitious, I have high hopes that, as long as a few players are brought into the squad this summer, we will end up with some silverware by the end of the season (and the League Cup doesn't count, no-one cares about it). We were so close this time around, and as long as we learn our lessons, the desire that will have given the squad should be enough to see us succeed this time around!
UPDATE: The Freddie quotes may well have been made up. I hope so, as it did seem out of character.
Little else has happened today though; Tony Adams has signed a new deal to continue as the assistant manager at Portsmouth, which means he will not be joining us as a defensive coach. For me, Adams would have been a great addition to the coaching staff, and he could really have helped youngsters like Song, Nordveit, Senderos and Djourou to progress, as well as helping the organisation of the first choice back four. This does make the rumoured signing of Lilian Thuram as a player/coach seem more plausible, but we still have no evidence to suggest that this will happen.
One piece of news that I am very pleased to see is a report on how Swiss people view Philippe Senderos. Senderos is a player who attracts a huge amount of criticism whenever he makes a mistake, yet rarely gets credit for his good performances. This season he made a couple of mistakes against Liverpool and people immediately forget his excellent performances when Kolo Toure was away at the African Nations Cup. Admittedly, the Liverpool game was very important, but there is no reason to write him off yet. More experience will only see him coming closer to fulfilling the undoubted potential he has.
Ex-Gunner Freddie Ljungberg has hit out at Arsene Wenger in an interview with the Telegraph today. He complains about having to play when not fully fit and Wenger's strict attitude. This just smacks of bitterness. Freddie has to be careful, he is still held in great affection by most Arsenal fans who remember his brilliant performances before his decline, but if he comes out with more statements like this, he will only alienate himself from the fans. Not that he probably cares that much, but if I was him I'd shut up. He never recovered from his injuries, and Wenger got rid of him. Get over it.
Finally, to end on a positive note, we have a statement by Wenger. He believes that we can win everything next season, and while this might be a little ambitious, I have high hopes that, as long as a few players are brought into the squad this summer, we will end up with some silverware by the end of the season (and the League Cup doesn't count, no-one cares about it). We were so close this time around, and as long as we learn our lessons, the desire that will have given the squad should be enough to see us succeed this time around!
UPDATE: The Freddie quotes may well have been made up. I hope so, as it did seem out of character.
Tuesday 3 June 2008
I'm Back!
Hello again readers! Sorry for the long absence, I was away over the weekend and then we had a minor electricity crisis last night, but I'm back and blogging now!
I won't try and cover all the news from the weekend, just a bireif outline of what's been going on today...
The big news is that apparently, we've had a bid accepted for Cardiff's Aaron Ramsey. There's a lot of hype around the kid, who is only 17, but if you ask me, he should stay at Cardiff and play another season in the Championship. If he comes here, or goes to Man Utd, he would be a fringe player at best, and I think he would improve a lot more by playing regularly than by sitting on the bench or in the reserves. It's not like this will be his only chance; if he's half the player people make him out to be, he'll end up in the Premiership soon anyway.
Despite the appointment of Mourinho, it looks like Hleb may still be on his way to Inter. I don't know what to believe, as it seems to change between Barca, Real and Inter on a daily basis. He'll end up at one of the three I imagine, though I can see it becoming a bit like last year's Reyes saga. Let's hope not. The same article also gives information about bids for Nicklas Bendtner from two German clubs, and I must say his loyalty and attitude is very refreshing. I have high hopes for the big Dane next season.
Mad Jens has joined Stuttgart; I'm sad to see him go, but I think it's mostly nostalgia. I wish him all the best and hope the rest of the fans will too.
The Managing Director of Fulham has resigned, and, inevitably, there has been some talk about him joining our board. I know nothing at all about this man, so there's not much I cay say.
We've also been linked today with David Villa, which is not going to happen, and Andrei Arshavin, who could be interesting, but there's no evidence behind this at all. Shame, as from what I have seen he is a very good player who could fit in well here. Still, I'd be very surprised if I saw him at Arsenal at the start of the next season. I really wonder why people continue to go on about the Villa transfer after Wenger said this. It's not going to happen, we don't need any more strikers, get over it.
Finally, just for a bit of light amusement; "Spurs behind in the race to sign Robinho". No shit...
I won't try and cover all the news from the weekend, just a bireif outline of what's been going on today...
The big news is that apparently, we've had a bid accepted for Cardiff's Aaron Ramsey. There's a lot of hype around the kid, who is only 17, but if you ask me, he should stay at Cardiff and play another season in the Championship. If he comes here, or goes to Man Utd, he would be a fringe player at best, and I think he would improve a lot more by playing regularly than by sitting on the bench or in the reserves. It's not like this will be his only chance; if he's half the player people make him out to be, he'll end up in the Premiership soon anyway.
Despite the appointment of Mourinho, it looks like Hleb may still be on his way to Inter. I don't know what to believe, as it seems to change between Barca, Real and Inter on a daily basis. He'll end up at one of the three I imagine, though I can see it becoming a bit like last year's Reyes saga. Let's hope not. The same article also gives information about bids for Nicklas Bendtner from two German clubs, and I must say his loyalty and attitude is very refreshing. I have high hopes for the big Dane next season.
Mad Jens has joined Stuttgart; I'm sad to see him go, but I think it's mostly nostalgia. I wish him all the best and hope the rest of the fans will too.
The Managing Director of Fulham has resigned, and, inevitably, there has been some talk about him joining our board. I know nothing at all about this man, so there's not much I cay say.
We've also been linked today with David Villa, which is not going to happen, and Andrei Arshavin, who could be interesting, but there's no evidence behind this at all. Shame, as from what I have seen he is a very good player who could fit in well here. Still, I'd be very surprised if I saw him at Arsenal at the start of the next season. I really wonder why people continue to go on about the Villa transfer after Wenger said this. It's not going to happen, we don't need any more strikers, get over it.
Finally, just for a bit of light amusement; "Spurs behind in the race to sign Robinho". No shit...
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