Arsenal v FC Schalke 04; Champion’s League Match Preview

It’s not a very good time to be an Arsenal fan. There is a lot of soul searching going on within the fanbase and within the club itself it seems. Arsenal have been a shell of a team that started off the season in promising form and from the looks of it there is no easy answer to get the team to move beyond it.

Arsenal need a result. Pure and simple. There is no other way to look at this match. A win is the most preferable option but any result that isn’t considered a negative would be preferred. If Arsenal are going to rebuild any confidence in themselves and in the fans that this season isn’t completely lost, then they need to do it here.

There are no more excuses. There can be no more excuses. The team we have is the team we have and if Arsene Wenger is the manager everyone thinks him to be he needs to pull something out of his magic hat to start salvaging the season, both domestically and continentally.

Simply put the team is playing without any incisiveness, directness or attacking flair of any kind. For the supposed improvement in defence, individual mistakes in the back are killing Arsenal. Whether it’s LAurent Koscileny’s flubs vs Chelsea or Thomas Vermaelen’s lacklustre clearance against Manchester United, they are being killed for individual mistakes. And those mistakes are in my opinion and overarching sign that there is no leadership in the squad that is holding the players accountable.

One of the reasons that I believe Arsenal did so well last season to save its ass is not only Wenger’s continual belief and support in the players he had but the leadership from Robin Van Persie. Almost as much as the goals we are missing from him, we are missing his type of presence. For all the talk of Thomas Vermaelen being a leader, it has yet to show itself in any form whatsoever.  That needs to happen and players need to start holding themselves and each other accountable.

Additionally, Wenger needs to be open to the idea that his beloved 4-3-3 formation variants aren’t working. Not with any sense of purpose. Clubs merely sit back let Arsenal have the ball and hit back on the counter. With so many players back Arsenal can’t or seem unable to break them down. There needs to be a plan B. It’s something we’ve been crying about now for so long, I know. It’s why I am in favor of looking at a 4-1-3-2 similar to the 2001-2005 era.

I particularly like this option with the likes of Theo and Giroud as our front two, Giroud slotted in behind Walcott, using his strength and holding ability to bring everyone in to play and Theo to use his speed and new found finishing touch to score. It would and could work.

But we know Wenger is as stubborn as they come and likely won’t change from his desured focus.

As for the match, the last one was hardly close. maybe for the first half but overall, I never really felt we showed up.  Arsenal will need to show up. And show up now. They are without the services of Aaron Ramsey who suffered a groin injury over the weekend. Theo Walcott is also likely to be out because of illness. Gibbs remains a late test to see if he is ready but if not I suspect Santos will finally get the yank and make way to Vermaelen on the left and Koscielny slotting in next to Mertesacker.

This is huge for Arsenal. In order to get back to the top of the group, Arsenal need to beat Schalke by more than 2 in this match. Remember head-to-head results have a greater importance in the group stages and simply coming in and grabbing a draw, while moving the team closer to group stage qualification, still keeps them in second and staring at a date with one of the more dangerous European clubs.

Lacklusre performances can no longer be tolerated. Another, one and the questions that are being asked now (and rightly so) will only increase. Arsenal need a solid performance. Forget the past, if not, as they say you will only repeat it. It’s a cliche but its true – the season begins (or could end) today.

Players to watch:

Arsenal: Jack Wilshere. Since he is suspended this weekend, look for him to feature predominantly in this match. it was on the Champion’s League stage against Barcelona that Wilshere established he was the real deal.

Schalke:  Lewis Holtby. Very impressive in the first tie. Showed his class and put on a good audition for all the English teams watching him

Projected Lineups:
Arsenal: Mannone; Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Arteta, Wilshere, Cazorla;  Podolski, Arshavin; Giroud

Schalke: Unnerstall; Uchida, Fuchs, Matip, Höwedes; Höger, Neustadter; Afellay, Holtby, Farfan; Huntelaar

Arsenal Injuries and Suspensions:
Szczęsny (ankle) Fabiański (back) Walcott (ill) Gibbs (thigh) Diaby (thigh) Rosický (tendon) Gervinho (ankle)

Leading Scorers (UCL):
Arsenal: Gervinho 2, Podolski 2

Schalke: Huntelaar 3

Head to Head Tournament Stats:

Match Official:
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA)
Assistant referees: Renato Faverani (ITA), Andrea Stefani (ITA)
Additional assistant referees: Antonio Damato (ITA), Paolo Valeri (ITA)
Fourth official: Mauro Tonolini (ITA)

Broadcast Information:

US: Fox Soccer Channel 9:00 PM EST (rebroadcast) FoxSoccer.Tv 2:35 PM EST

UK: SkySports 2 1945 BST

YAMA Prediction:
Arsenal: 0

Schalke 0

Manager’s Remarks:

Arsène Wenger

We are a bit concerned about our recent form. Our start to the season was very promising, but lately it has been difficult for us. We are not only concerned about the result against Manchester United but the manner in which we lost. Schalke are a very good team, we could see that in the first match. We did not have many chances, and while we did not allow them many, they made theirs count [in winning 2-0].

We want to respond and the best way to do so is by coming out with a good performance tomorrow. We are still in a good position in the group, but now we need a result after losing at home. We are still confident in defence, we have one of the best defences in the league. So if we look at the number of goals we concede, that’s not really our problem. We don’t have to focus too much on that.

We need to get back to what we are good at. Our game is about creating chances, finding opportunities and finding the offensive attacking drive we have been lacking. I have a team of great players but at the moment they seem to have forgotten how good they are. We have to find our enthusiasm again, the joy of playing and I don’t want them to go out on the pitch and worry too much about not conceding.

Huub Stevens

I don’t know exactly in which formation Arsenal will start. I don’t know who is injured there. We have to focus on ourselves. We will have to think about who will start for us. We have three keepers and one of them will stand between the posts, but I will not answer now who that will be. We changed our formation for the [3-0 German Cup win] against Sandhausen. I don’t know yet if we will change it again. We are not thinking about this weekend’s defeat at Hoffenheim anymore.

We might change the team to bring in some fresher players. We have left the last Bundesliga game behind us and are focusing on this Champions League match. I have no idea why Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is scoring in the Champions League on a regular basis and not in the Bundesliga – you have to ask him that question. We have to learn from our experiences. The match in Hoffenheim is something we have to learn from.

Match Facts:

• Schalke are making their fifth UEFA Champions League appearance and when they were last involved, in 2010/11, they recovered from a opening defeat at Olympique Lyonnais to win seven of their next nine fixtures, including all five at home. The German club have lost only two of their last 12 home fixtures in the competition, qualifying included.
• Arsenal are in the group stage for the 15th campaign in a row. In 2011/12 Wenger’s side departed in the round of 16 for the second season running. It was the 12th successive time they had made it through the group and only the second campaign since 2006/07 that they had failed to reach the quarter-finals or better.
• The matchday one win at Montpellier was only Arsenal’s third in 13 away matches in the competition proper, a run that includes eight defeats.

All match statistics, manager quotes and facts courtesy UEFA Press Kit and UEFA.com