Back To Scene of the Crime. Arsenal v Birmingham City, Match Preview
2yrs Ago in A Galaxy Far Away
Two years ago on the field at St. Andrew’s Martin Taylor recklessly flew into a tackle on Arsenal forward Eduardo. The subsequent result was a horrific ankle break that upon first sight had snuffed out a very promising career before it had started. This Saturday Arsenal will take to the Birmingham City pitch for the first time since that event.
The tackle on Eduardo was the start of the decline of Arsenal and their loss of what was looking like a promising season. Arsenal had come out of the gates on that season and were lighting up the league. After Eduardo went down, mentally the Gunners were shot and so was their season.
This season while not exactly the same has the Gunners, much of them the same squad – saw thm deal with similar adversity when Aaron Ramsey went down. This time however the result has been different. Showing they have matured, this Arsenal squad continue to defy the odds and win. They currently are running on a 6 game winning streak. Since their loss to Chelsea they have done what they had to do and took care of the business at hand – beating the lesser teams.
The team they face Saturday, Birmingham are in a comfrtable position in the table, currently sitting 9th. They had a great run of 12 games unbeaten but haven’t maintained that form recently. Though they’ve lost their last two, this team is no push over. Especially at home. They are unbeaten at home in their last 11 matches. Additionally, Alex McLeish’s boys have only conceded 10 goals at home this season. That feat is only bettered by league leading Manchester United. Finally, they have managed to keep 11 clean sheets this season. Unfortunately they have only had one in their last 11.
McLeish, trying to dispel the notion that his side will be overly physical again, said his side while they will not play an open style will not purposely be physical with the Arsenal side.
“I’ll certainly say to my team ‘don’t stand back and admire them’, but there won’t be any rough stuff. We know if we are open, Arsenal will rip us apart, but we believe we have got players who can cause Arsenal problems as well.”
For Arsenal the task is simple – win and stay in close with Chelsea and United in the title hunt. While slipping and losing points in a draw won’t completely unsettle the run, it won’t help it. But that has been the task since last losing in January to Chelsea. All Arsenal could do was play their matches and hope the others slip up and because they have, the Gunners are back in the title race.
Unfortunately for Arsenal they will be without the services of Thomas Vermaelen. The star signing of the season will miss his first game as a Gunner serving a one game suspension for a rather dubious red card he received in last week’s match against West Ham. His likely replacement will be veteran Mikhail Silvestre. He’ll be paired up with Sol Campbell who’s been nothing short of astounding. Of course, Arsene could start Alex Song back there and have Diaby and Denilson in the midfield with Fabregas. Though it is still more likely the former United defender will get the nod.
A lot has been made of the coming Champion’s League tie Arsenal have with Barcelona. However, Wenger maintains his charges are “too intelligent” to look past the Birmingham match and lose sight of the EPL title race. While much has been said about some of Wenger’s choices this season he has to be given credit for keeping his squad focused on each single game. He has taken a squad decimated by injury to key players and kept them in the hunt for tophies on two of the biggest fronts – the EPL and Champion’s League. He knows that it will take laser focus unlike two years ago to keep moving forward.
“What we know is we have three teams in the race, and it will be down to the team which is the most consistent,” he was quoted by the BBC. Given their run of form this season – they must be buying into it.
All in all as the Gunner’s return to St Andrew’s their is no talk of revenge just talk of winning for the sake of continuing the success they’ve had this season. And while the Arsenal gaffer has yet to forgive Taylor for the horrific tackle he and players like Cesc Fabregas have moved on. The catalan play maker was recently quoted as saying,
“We are not the kind of people who dwell on two years ago and all that happened there. Eduardo is well again, he’s back playing again. So for us it’s all about right now and the future – not going back into the past. It is a big game for other reasons now – not for revenge but for something more important than that. It’s because we want to win the league, not settle old scores.’
How the Match Should Play Out:
This meeting will be the 130th time the two squads have met onthe pitch. Arsenal lead the series 57-38 with 34 draws. We mentioned earlier that Birmingham have only conceded 10 goals at home this season. That is tempered by the fact that Arsenal have scored in every match at St Andrew’s since 1979. All in all this should be a game that the Gunner can exert their style of play by being patient. What McLeish says may be true and Birmingham won’t be a physical side to play but they won’t shy away from pressing the player and tackles. They will look to deny Arsenal passing lanes. The Gunners must maintain the patience they’ve displayed to close out opponents. That being said the Gunners have improved on one very important stat – the early goal. They have score within the first 15 minutes in their last two matches, effectively taking the opposition out of the match early. If they do that at St. Andrew’s they take out the side and the home fans.
Players to Watch:
Arsenal: Sol Campbell. He has been called on more than even he probably thought he would be. And he has not disappointed. There are points in each match wherre he looks a little off of it. But when looked at in the entirety of the match, Campbell continues to provide a solid contribution to the squad. Some have even gone so far as to say that he is a better partner for Vermaelen then the Gallas is. Either way, he is being called on not only to fill in for injuries, he is being called on to provide leadership something missing for the last few years.
Birmingham City: Jerome. He is Alex McLeish’s leading scorer with 9 this season.
Probable Starting XI:
Injuries/Suspensions:
Arsenal: Gallas (calf) Van Persie (ankle) Gibbs (foot) Djourou (knee) Ramsey (leg) Vermaelen (suspended 1)
Birmingham City: Carsley (ankle) Murphy (hamstring) O’Connor (hip)
Recent League Form:
Arsenal: WWWWW
Birmingham City: LLDWW
Leading Scorers:
Arsenal: Fabregas 18 (15 league) Arshavin 11 (9 league)
Birmingham: Jerome 9 (9 league) Bowyer 6 (5 league)
Last Meeting: (EPL)
Arsenal: 3
Birmingham City: 1
Match Officials:
Referee: Howard Webb
Assistant Referrees: Darren Cann & Mike Mularkey
4th Official: Anthony Taylor
Broadcast Outlets:
US: FoxSoccer.TV 1055 EST
UK: Arsenal TV Online 1500 GMT
Online Feeds:
www.atdhe.net
Gameday Chat Will Be Open: www.youaremyarsenal.com/gamedaychat
YAMA Prediction:
Arsenal: 2
Birmingham City: 1
