Injuries Mount in Time for Cardiff



Did you forget about our traditional bad luck with injuries?  I had.  Truthfully.  I focused on having players come back while our tired ones were healthy and enjoying the rotation that would provide. Playing Cardiff would provide us an easy three points. What could go wrong?

Hah!  What could go wrong indeed.  Let's look at the damn list:

The newly returned Theo - a doubt with a shoulder issue.
*Rosicky - a doubt because of a calf issue (he played a full game against Newcastle, so he probably wouldn't have even made the bench)
*Wilshere - who needs a run of games to get some sort of form going - doubt due to ankle issue
*Monreal and Vermaelen - doubt due to getting over illness
*Giroud - out until the 4th with ankle issue
*Ramsey - thigh issue
*Ozil - out with shoulder issue
*Gibbs - our with calf issue

And the usual long-term suspects are out as well.  What irks be about Giroud and Jack are that there injuries occurred at the Newcastle game due to tackles - both were not called for fouls.  I wanted Giroud rested anyway, but Jack?  He's just come back.  And that rhymes.  He's due for a late fitness test and I have a feeling Arsene will play him because he's needed.  So we have a good chance of playing an injured player and exasperating the injury. 

So, what is the squad going to look like?  Podolski will most likely start on the left and if Theo doesn't pass his late fitness test, then I suspect he'll play Serge on the right and Bendy in the middle.  Thank goodness Santi isn't injured.  He can ply the CM role to great affect (like he did against West Ham).  Both Flamini and Arteta are both healthy, and Cardiff can have provide creativity on the wings, so for the sake of numbers, Wenger may employ both.

In the back, I was hoping Per would get a rest before the FA absolutely-mandatory-to-beat Spurs game on the 4th.  Normally, we would see (a tad anxiously) the Vermalean/Koz axis.  If Verm doesn't pass, Sagna could be moved to CB with Jenks deputizing.  Still...someone may need to fill in at left back as well if Monreal is still suffering from whatever illness he acquired - which is usually TV5.  Does Wenger still have cuticles or nails left after so many years managing?  I'd have nibbled them off ages ago.

So basically, we'll put out whatever makeshift squad we can manage.  We beat Cardiff in November 3-0 and they just got rid of their manager after weeks of distracting conflict between their colorful owner and departed manager.  They are, however, a reportedly tight squad, so anything could go.

That's it for tonight.  I'll be back as always for a post-match report.  Here's to taking another three points.  Come On You Reds!

And take care you Gooners.

We Have a Team of Fighters: 1-Nil to The Arsenal at Newcastle

 



A hard-fought, nerve-racking, and not very impressive win saw Arsenal go back to the top of the table for the end of 2013.  Last year at this time, we were basically out of the title race being 16 points behind the leaders.  So as lackluster a performance as this was, the most important thing is that we got another three points during the helter skelter of the holiday schedule.  That's seven points out of a possible nine so far.  We made our way last spring to fourth place by grinding out results while playing some not very pretty football.  From that, a cohesive and strong mentality was forged.  That mentality is currently carrying us through fatigue, injuries, and players being a bit out of form.  Arsene gave his thought on the mental strengff of this team compared to those of past years:

"There is something in the team that is special on the mental front where we have many times been questioned. But we have shown that at West Ham when we were 1-0 down, we have shown that again today when we were a bit backs to the wall in the last 15 minutes. There's a great solidarity and a great spirit in the side. "

"For years we were younger [and less able] to resist this kind of pressure but we have always been up there at the top. If you analyse well our results we have always been up there. "

Today, the squad stood up to a good 14 minutes of that pressure.  I actually cannot recall the last time Wenger went to five defenders in the back to absorb an opponent's attacks.  It initially was a move where I was yelling "What are you doing - we need another goal?!" at my television.  But Jenks came on, Theo went off, and we played with our backs to the wall and behind the midfield line. In those last ten minutes, we repelled a free kick, two throw-ins deep in our own half, and two corners, for which both Krul came out of goal to participate.  These were hang-wringing, hiding- my- eyes- behind- my -scarf moments.

But we did it.  We held on. Even with Szczesny clanger, we won.  We ground it our when there was grinding to be done.  And we ground it to dust.  And stomped on it.  And served it as coffee.  Well, that's stretching it a bit.

Anyway.

There are still concerns going into our New Year's Day match.  We've lost Gibbs to (probably) a hamstring while Nacho is reportedly ill.  Flamini played at left-back in his stead ala his 2006 season at Arsenal. He could fill in again, but that means Arteta would again miss out on getting fully rested.  Vermalean, too, is ill.  Cardiff would be a good game to rest our favorite BFG, but if Vermie isn't well, I do not see that happening.

Then there is the conundrum of Giroud who happily ended his goal drought with this winner in the 65th minute (nice free kick, Theo).  In his post-match interview, Arsene was asked about resting Olivier.  His response is worrying:

"I don't know. Every time I think I give him a rest but we have a team that is a bit short, lightweight and more focused on mobility and technical movement so he is the one guy who has that strength and structure for us. That fighting up front is very important for us."

I knew there was an issue when he started Ollie against West Ham.  He is scared to drop points in the short term and doesn't trust the squad to make for his "strength and structure".  He's going to have to think long-term, however, to avoid a long-term injury.  I say start Bendy and support him with Podolski and Theo.  But more of those thoughts in my pre-match report on the 31st.

That's it for now folks.  Enjoy what is left of your weekend.  It's back to work for me tomorrow after having a nice six days off.  Take care you Gooners.

Back To The Top Arsenal 3- 1 West Ham

Big Sam will have to get his holiday treat somewhere other than Arsenal



Playing against Big Sam's clubs has been never something I look forward to.  Back when he coached Bolton and Blackburn, those games usually were nasty, physical encounters.  Long balls, elbows, and high tackles were the norm.  The league has changed of late, and encouraging your team to get "stuck in" or sweep a leg are frowned upon.  Allardyce had told the press he saw the way Chelsea had shackled Arsenal and was looking to employ the same.  This statement scared me as West Ham do not have the talent to employ that strategy without causing injury with a late tackle.  Luckily, pressing wasn't exactly what West Ham did.  What they did well was getting behind the ball, especially when we were breaking on the counter.  They were difficult to break down.  Luckily, we had 66% possession, and it took all of our 29 shots to beat them.  However, they scored first.

Carlton Cole scored in the 46th minute after a Nolan strike popped out of Szczesny's hands right into Cole's path.  We laboured in the first half, missing opportunities and allowing the opposition to beat us back during a counter.  I hoped this goal would light a fire under us and our concentration in front of goal.  Instead, West Ham got their tails up and challenged us for the next 10 minutes.  We ran like chickens with our heads cut off.

And then, Aaron Ramsey signaled to the bench that he had an injury and was substituted by Lukas Podolski.  Things changed immediately.  Fresher legs and enthusiasm could not have been higher.  And it was contagious.  Santi converted to the Creative Midfielder role and pulled the strings wonderfully the rest of the match.  Theo, who had missed a sitter in the first half, cut inside after receiving a pass from Santi in the 67th minute and slotted it past the frozen West Ham goalie. It was his best goal by a long shot, but it was just what the doctor ordered.  And three minutes later, Theo struck again, getting his head on the end of an excellent Podolski cross.  And that was one of his finer goals. West Ham looked tired and discouraged.  They put on fresh legs themselves but were unable to stop the cannon that is Lukas Podolski's left leg.  Giroud received a cross from Theo in the box with his back against goal.  He held off defenders long enough to lay the ball off into the path of an incoming Lukas who fired it home. 

Football.  Going from angst to triumph in 30 minutes time is what makes this game addictive to me.

So we are once again top of the league.  Liverpool just lost 2-1 to City.  The top four are only one point behind one another.  City are nipping at our heels while carrying a 32 goal differential.  32.  All we have to do is keep winning.  And at the risk of repeating myself, rotation is key.  Which brings me to Aaron's injury.  Was his thigh strain a result of being overplayed?  His passing has been off, he was looking strained before Christmas, and we played him against West Ham.  If there were a team to rest he and Olivier during the holiday schedule, why wouldn't it be against a team who was one spot away from the basement floor?  Now he'll probably be out for the standard Arsenal three weeks. 

My only rotation prediction that I got right was Santi was back in the lineup looking brighter than he has in a month.  I hope we play him centrally again when we play Newcastle and allow Ozil (who made 8 out of 8 key passes today) a rest on the bench.  European imports tire easily as they struggle without a break during the holidays.  Santi looks the part in that role, and would combine well with Podolski if given a start.

Anyway, that's it for now.  Winning is so much more fun than drawing, isn't it?  Enjoy your British Boxing Day.  And for the rest of us non-Brits, well just enjoy the day!  Arsenal are top of the league!  Top. Of. The. League.

Have a good one Gooners.

West Ham preview - Big Sam Could Give Us a Lift

Merry Christmas!



Good evening (or early morning) Arsenal fans.  Here's hoping you all had a good Christmas if you observe that holiday.  And if you don't, I'm sure you got the day off of work anyway, which is always a plus.  Tomorrow is our match against the Hammies, marking the second match of five that we play within thirteen days (if that makes any sense.  What I'm trying to point out is that there is a lot of games in a short period of time).   So Boxing Day greets us with a London Derby.  (I want you all to know that when I first became an Arsenal fan, I thought Boxing Day meant that you Brits watched a lot of Boxing matches the day after Christmas.  True story).

Anyway, West Ham are one spot away from the absolute bottom of the table, but as Wenger warns us, they are capable of unexpected performances:

"We know that West Ham have made surprising results. They have won twice at Tottenham this season now and can be a tough opponent"

Of course, we can't believe that Big Sam will just chew his gum and roll over for us.  He's looking to take a leaf out of Chelsea's book:

"Arsenal had a very tactical game (against Chelsea). We could do with locking them out like Chelsea did.
"We got tumbled over twice by them last year, particularly at the Emirates, so we'll protect ourselves on Arsenal's abilities and then try to exploit their weaknesses."

What that means to me is that we can expect more of the same from Monday.  Except West Ham does not have the talent that Chelsea have, so look for them to play with more, erm, passion.  I'm expecting hard tackles, elbows, shirt-pulling and "strategic" fouling.  Lots of kicks in the midfield.  Let's hope we have a decent ref for the match.

I'm looking for Arsene to do some rotation tomorrow.  With Mikel possibly nursing his swollen ankle, Flamini could make an appearance along with Bendtner.  Olivier battled hard and did not convert the few chances given him on Monday, so a rest on the bench against another physical team could be warranted.  Will Theo make another start?  As I stated last post, his impact is minimal when playing against teams who do not allow space behind them.  On the other hand, he does offer fresher than fresh legs.  But so do Poldolski and Santi who hasn't played since Napoli on the 11th.  Wilshere is still suspended, so Ramsey may have to play other 90 minutes.

As for the center backs, a partnership of Koz and Vermie does make me shudder, but Per has not had a break in an eon.  He is the constant of constants, but he at some point he needs a rest.

We know that Le Prof doesn't like to make more than three changes or so at a time, so I will say that Bendy, Flamini, and Santi will start.  Check in for the post-match report to see how right I am.

In other news, John Cross of the Mirror has been busy this Christmas Day writing a bunch of articles and posting them on Twitter.  The two most interesting I found were:

Unsettled Sagna ready to listen to offers in January. Sign him up Arsenal #afc http://t.co/Llpx561GOT
— John Cross (@johncrossmirror) December 25, 2013

 

This news about Sagna grieves me so.  I can't say I'm surprised that he's feeling unsettled.  If things were all good, he'd have signed an extension long ago.  He's been such a great asset for Arsenal and taken a beating for us.  I know he's 31 and Arsenal don't like to offer long-term contracts to older players, but he is so physically robust and can fill a center back role as well - I think it's good business for the club to invest in him.  Seriously, this dude bleeds the red and white.

The other article posted dealt in transfer news.  I don't usually give transfer news any substance until  the window actually opens, but since Cross is the Arsenal reporter for the paper, I assume he's got some insider knowledge.  I can't admit getting that excited over a 20 year-old striker from the Belgium league, but considering it's January, bigger fish may not be available to fry.  He does have 13 goals in 20 matches, so maybe there is something there than can be useful.  I have included a compilation I found on YouTube for your perusal.

I guess that's it for now.  I'm fully expecting three points with minimal physical damage to our boys.   Have a good one Gooners!

Same Old Jose Outwits Same Old Arsene Arsenal 0 - 0 Chelsea



Don't get me wrong.  I do not think Mourinho is a more intelligent man than our Arsene.  In fact, he is quite predictable.  He is the King of negative football.  He is the manager than knows how to defend and not drop three points.  He did it against Barcelona in 2010 making it to the Champions league Final beating them 3-2 on aggregate by losing 1-0 in the final game.  Barcelona accused him of playing negative football then too.  We always accuse him of that.  And that's what upsets me the most about the result yesterday.

We should have been more prepared. 

I like Theo's impact on a game.  We missed it for over two months.  But to start him against a team that you know will employ a defensive approach to the game is a mystery to me.  Theo has never had much of an influence in those types of matches.  Why not employ more creativity instead?  Santi's form has been off lately, but with that nine day rest, he could have made the difference. Post-match, I'm left wondering what a combination of he and Ozil and Tommy would have looked like.

The one weapon we did have against the proverbially parked bus was a big man up front.  Olivier hustled all game and made the runs that put him on the end of two out of the two shots we had on target.  He did not convert though.  That's the rub, isn't it?  Even if I disagree with the some of the player selection, we did have a couple of chances.  Ollie works hard, he's a team player, but he is just not efficient enough.  At least one of those should have been put away.

Of course, we could have had another goal if we had been given a penalty for Theo's foul in the box.  Or Chelsea could have gone down to 10 men when Mikel tried to break the other Mikel's leg or when Ramires tried the same tact.  The latter got a yellow the former got...nothing.  I'm sure Arleta is gimping around today.  Then we have the high kick to Ozil's face...which started a near brawl (I like our players rushing to Mesut's defense).  Mike Dean really had no control over that game.  Arsenal ended up with more yellow cards (2) than Chelsea (1).  I went rampant on Twitter accusing Dean of being crooked.  I'm not sure that's true.  I was tweeting in the heat of the moment.   After sleeping on it, I've decided he's probably not crooked...he's just really bad at his job.  All these refs have a difficult function, but I can't imagine the bunch of them missing all of the calls that Dean did.  Relegate him immediately.

Where do we go from here?  Drawing with Chelsea does not have to be the game that marks our season.  We are sitting in second place behind Liverpool on goal differential.  The good news is that we have West Ham, Newcastle, and Cardiff and then Spurs to play next.  Although we have only taken five points from five games so far this December, we can definitely up our ration by winning all four games here.  They all are there for the taking.  Meanwhile, our top-of-the-table competitors are playing each other.  Terrific for us.

The key for us, of course, will be rotation.  West Ham takes place the day after Christmas (Thursday), and Newcastle then on Sunday followed by Cardiff on Wednesday, New Year's Day.  That is three games in seven days.  Yowza.  Welcome to the Premier League Christmas schedule. 

Well, that's it for now.  I'll give a match preview on the Hammers which probably won't be written until late Christmas evening.  Until then, let's be thankful we don't have to endure more of Jose's smugness until March.  I really try to be the bigger person and not let the guy bother me, but that doesn't always work.  Have a great Christmas Gooners!

Ouch. Arsenal 3 - 6 Manchester City

Tell 'im, Per!



Because I don't want to ruminate too much on this loss, this post will be shorter than normal.

I'll be honest.  At the start of this game, I was really crossing my fingers for a draw.  I knew the tight schedule of fixtures was running us ragged, and Manchester City were dominant at their home matches.  But I was not expecting so much damage to be self-inflicted.  

Manchester City has a plethora of weapons, the refereeing was rife with errors, but it was our defense that made the most mark on the game.  It unraveled, or rather didn't even deploy itself, which was a trait of Arsenal's past defensive woes.  I think that was the most painful part to watch today.  Collectively we did not defend.  The pundits noted that the singular moment when two Arsenal players worked as a team and shut down City's attack pointing out the solitary manner in which we were defending.

There were a couple of positives to take out of the match.  Theo returned to the starting lineup and scored a brace.  The second was one of the best I've seen him take.  The rust looks off on his part anyway.  Also, Per showed some real steel and leadership after the game, scolding Ozil for not applauding the away fans.  Arsenal of old did not have a leader who would run across field and take on a teammate in public like that.  Well done, Mertesacker.

Like I said, this report is a bit undersized.  The team and fans have nine days to lick their proverbial wounds before taking on Chelsea at home.  Plenty of time to get our heads and hearts back to their right place - and hopefully enough time for Laurent's laceration to heal.

That's all for now.  Take care Gooners, try and enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Battle at the Emirates - Arsenal 1-1 Everton - Napoli Next

Napoli - won't be so pretty on Wednesday

 



I really must do better at blogging the same day as the match.  Now, I'm stuck writing a post-match for Everton and a pre for Napoli.  Ugh!

Onwards then.

I am of two minds about the result.  On one hand, I am happy we are five points clear at the top of the table and was pleased to see us improve our performance toward the last minutes of the first half.  I think we came out into the second half much the same way we ended the first.  And, we did draw against the best team we have played against yet.  And we did it while not being efficient or urgent a large portion of the match.  Martinez has taken the tenacity of past Moyes' teams and injected the technique and attacking football his Wigan teams were known for.  That is quite the combination.  The rest of the league now know to keep a wary eye on the Toffees.

Having said that, we lacked the technique that Martinez employed so well.  Our passing was off and it look as though, at times, some players (Jack for example), were walking about the pitch rather than jogging/running.  Our movement was sluggish.  While Everton employed  pressing, especially in the midfield, we held off and absorbed pressure.  If a counter-attack presented itself, the exigency of the situation seemed lost on all and the goal scoring opportunity disappeared.

Aaron Ramsey had one of his worst games this season, and I think it's due to being overtired.  He added to the poor passing, got dispossessed, and seemed to regress to the Rambo of season's past when it came to fancy-fying (new word) his passing.  With his legendary stamina possibly diminished, he probably just tried too hard.

Arsene addressed the issue by inserting Speed (Theo), Urgency (TR7), and Steel (Flamini) into the game all at the same time.  Most unusual for him, but effective.  They all made instant impacts.  Theo made his fashioning the assist for Ozil's 80th minute goal - but Tommy set the play in motion by giving Theo a cross- the- pitch- perfect-pass so he could head it beautifully to Ollie Mesut. 

Flamini - while offering his usual "let's kick ass and take names" attitude also got himself into position for two goals.  And missed both.  His first attempt dragged just wide, and he kicked nothin' but air on the second which was right in front of goal.  Flamini's greatest attribute is his energy/intensity.  But, the flip side to that is perhaps he is not the calmest in front of goal - especially when a win is on the line.  I do love the guy nonetheless.

Everton did not give up after Ozil's scoring, and Deulofeu equalized in less than two minutes.  Talk about the emotional roller coaster of football!  It was a great shot, in my estimation, and although Gibbsy maybe gave him a few inches too much room (he was less than a yard off him), one has to credit the Toffees for continuing to push for a result.  I guess after having written all this down, I think overall the result was fair.  Each of us got the point we deserved.

Onto Napoli - Arsene is going to have to continue resting weary legs.  I shouldn't be surprised to see Vermie, Theo, Flamini, and Rosicky, and even Monreal get a start.  What to do about the striker?  Does he rest Giroud for Manchester City and play Theo central?  Or does he ask Ollie to push through counting on the rest he will get between the City and Chelsea matches.  I personally can't decide.  Poldolski is back training with the team but is not in the squad traveling to Italy.  If he has no more setbacks, he could be in the squad next Saturday - and I'm sure he would  be looking rusty.

Quite the conundrum which is why I don't manage anything beyond Little League softball.  When it comes to big decisions like this, all I try and do is decide whether to wear my jersey under my work clothes - Super Girl style (don't act like you all haven't done that before).

That's all for now.  See you online for the 1:45 PM CST kickoff.  Have a good one Gooners. 

Tough Fixtures Ahead After Beating Hull - Everton Preview

Bendy scored for the first time in over 2 years for Arsenal in the BPL



Our midweek win against Hull showed that Arsenal do not have anything to fear by rotating players.  Even last year's squad was not deep enough or cohesive enough yet to withstand the rigours of the fixture list.  But this season is boding a different feeling as our hard-working fatigued strike Giroud was able to get a breather and watch from the bench as his substitute, and Arsenal's wayward son, Nicklas Bendtner score an excellent header from a near perfect Jenkinson cross.  And Monreal could give Wenger pause to consider his starting left back as he put in a more than adequate perforamce.  Nacho actually seems to be more of a threat in the final third than Gibbsy. 

All of this will come in handy during the next couple of weeks.  Everton is on Sunday.  We then will have to fly to Italy on Tuesday for the Napoli game and then get back Thursday morning before traveling on Friday to Manchester for an early game against City.  After that, we do have nine days before we play Chelsea.  Wenger may keep Olivier in the starting line-up for the next three games after giving him a rest on Wednesday.  The striker's position has the least depth, but if Ollie can make it through the Man City game unscathed, he'll be set and ready to go on the 23rd.   

As far as the Everton games goes, one of their best players, Baines, is out injured, but the beast that is Lukaku is on fire and will be a challenge for our defense to close down his run through the channels.  We know that Martinez likes to play positive, attacking football, and I think it could very well end up being an end-to-end kind of game.  He also has a reputation for not building a defense to back up his attacking parts of the game.  But Everton have allowed only 13 goals in so far this season - second only to our 10 allowed.  With more money at his disposal, Martinez has built a more balanced team.  I think it will come down to who is more efficient with the ball.  We have to make every shot, dribble, and pass count.

Here is my starting XI. 

Sir Szczensy

 

Jenks Mert  Koz  Gibbs

 

Flamini Ramsey

 

Ozil Wilshere, Santi

 

Ollie

 

I'm thinking Wenger will rest Arteta, and as well as Monreal played, I don't doubt that Gibbs will be back.

 

So, here we go again, full throttle for another three points.  With the performances of our competitors who have already played, we have real shot here of pulling ahead of the pack.  We still won't be taken seriously by the pundits, but the players will have another shot in the arm to boost their confidence.  And that goes a long way in this game.

 

That's it for now.  Take care you Gooners.