A Little Piece of Pompey Goes A Long Way: Arsenal v Portsmouth, Match Preview

Let the 2nd half festivities begin

When these last two teams met it was in August and Arsenal were starting out the season scoring at will. Portsmouth at the time was in the path of the early season juggernaut and lost 4-1. This time Arsenal comes in winning 4 of 5 of its last matches and in the hunt for the Premier League title sitting just 7 points off of leading Chelsea. Portsmouth meanwhile are fighting for the proverbial lives as they sit clearly on the bottom of the table.

When Pompey visited Arsenal at the Emirates on 22 August Paul Hart was the manager and David James was in goal. No one had an idea then that Portsmouth would be on such a run as to see them trying to stave off relegation. As it is only one team that was in the relegation zone at Christmas ever survived to stay in the first division. Portsmouth are hoping to do just that.

During their last match at home, Avram Grant’s side won against a very wounded Liverpool club.  Winning that match 2-0 Pompey still have the lowest goal total at home this season (9) out of all Premier League Clubs. They face a monumental task in beating Arsenal – their last win was a 5-4 scorcher in 1954.

The arrival of Avram Grant has resulted in a mini-turnaround of sorts. He has seen them double their point total and is pushing his side to play the physical game with Arsenal. Grant may not have watched recent Arsenal matches against Hull, Blackburn and Villa – all sides who vowed to get Physical and all sides who went down with emphatic wins by Arsene Wenger’s side.

But really does the Israeli tactician have much choice. On pure talent alone, even a depleted Arsenal squad are likely to shred Portsmouth. He has to find a way to slow the Gunners down are find himself on the end of a result similar to that of his predecessor.

Arsenal for their own part are unbeaten in their last 5 league matches and are once again in the middle of the title hunt. They posted a 3-0 emphatic win over potential top-four side Aston Villa this past weekend and will be looking to carry that Christmas momentum into this match to keep pace with Chelsea and United.

The Gunners have shown something this season that hasn’t been there in recent years – resiliency. After losing to Chelsea in a gut wrenching 3-0 battle at the Emirates. Almost everyone had written this squad off. The doom mongers (fans and pundits alike) were once again claiming that there really was only a big two and that everyone else including Arsenal was playing for sloppy seconds. But much like the beginning of the season when everyone thought they would be fighting for their big-four lives, the squad came out and quickly and quietly proved everyone wrong.

Arsenal are solidly in the big four with Liverpool being the squad trying to find its big four credentials. And yes, there is still a half a season to go and anything can happen, but the squad has shown that it can perform through adversity. Be it injuries, tough losses, doubters, height deficiencies, tight schedules and rough teams, whatever it has been, Arsenal have found a way to overcome that.

The squad goes into the hostile environment of Fratton Park without its chief playmaker, Cesc Fabregas. He of the brief but lethal visit to the pitch on Sunday where he literally destroyed Aston Villa on his own. It will need a full team effort to beat Pompey. The first half of the Villa game, while controlled by the Gunners saw good opportunities squandered. If Arsenal are going to win without Fabregas, they will need to call on every one to pitch in and do what is necessary to win.

My philosophy is to shoot and shoot often. Forget the pretty, sweet passes in the box. Get Begovic tested and put pressure on him and his defenders to make plays. The likes of Arshavin and Diaby need to be the focal point. Arshavin for his creativity and skill and Diaby for his straightforward attack. His size and speed will surely be an asset in attacking the Pompey back four.

If Arsenal want to stay in contention and continue to show they are the real deal it is these matches that matter most. The wins against the lesser clubs are what is going to add up in the end. Ask Manchester United how it won the title. They could care less about the big four. They won 1 time against a big four squad last season. Yet, their record against the lesser clubs was amazing. Against the big six this season Arsenal are 3-3 with no draws. While they need to claim wins or draws against two of them, they really need to keep the foot on the throats of teams like Pompey. That is what winners do. That is what they must do.

How It Will Play Out:

As mentioned earlier, Avram Grant feels his side aren’t playing with enough grit. He also figures that the weak spot for Arsenal is that they don’t like physical games. As I also mentioned he must not have seen much of Alexander Song, Thomas Vermaelen and William Gallas this season. Each of them has played with a physical zeal to make even Sam Allardyce proud. Arsenal must, must must, score early and open up the game. Pompey need points. They need 3 points as much as we do and if the Gunners can open up the score early then the game is Arsenal’s for the taking.

Players to Watch:

Arsenal: Abou Diaby. Never thought I would be singling out this guy as a stand out player. But his play in the last two weeks has been huge. He has scored goals and he has been a presence on the field. He has also shown some skill moves to set up his fellow team players. In the first meeting against Pompey this season he scored 2 goals in the opening 25 minutes.

Portsmouth: Kanu. With Jamie O’Hara suspended now would be a good time for the former Arsenal man to step up. If Portsmouth are to fight off relegation then they will need him to be Johnny On The Spot this week.

Probable Starting XI:

This could change if any of Pompey's players have left for ACoN

Injuries:

Arsenal: Gibbs (foot), Clichy (back), Van Persie (ankle), Bendtner (abdomen), Djourou (knee), Fabregas (hamstring)

Portsmouth: James (leg)

Match Officials:

Referee: Alan Wiley

Assistant Referees: TBA

Fourth Official: TBA

Latest League Form:

Arsenal: WWDWW

Portsmouth: LWLDW

TV Viewing:

US: FSC @ 2:30 PM EST

UK: Sky Sports 1 1745 BST

Online Streaming Feeds:

www.atdhe.net

www.iraqgoals.net

www.justin.tv

As a reminder, YouAreMyArsenal.com is not responsible for any content on these sites. Use them at your own risk.

YAMA PREDICTION:

Arsenal – 2
Portsmouth – 0