Getting Back On Track: Arsenal v Stoke, Match Preview

Cesc says we’re too small…
oh.
is that a revelation?
why do the players spout what the supporters know and say previously, like we need size, depth, experience… but the manager refuses to see
it until we have a massive injury crisis every year?

Arsene knows. What he knows, I’m not sure!
But I know that January is huge, and that we have a number of matches
in a short space in late December.

I don’t want to even recognize a player in the squad for the CL match
on Wednesday. Maybe see if some of the stewards want their chance to play for the club.

Just busy this weekend Andez, that’s the only reason I
didn’t comment. Had to tape the match and watch it later!
But it was a good win, especially with the line-up we trotted out there.
Arshavin was the key, and he is going to have to be the main
man for the forseeable future.
Cesc taking penalties, says it all… he is not a good shot!

City beating Chelsea, is great news… but it just means to me, that they are far more equipped to BEAT CHELSEA, than we are. They have a few game changer type players in their line-up and EXPERIENCE. They are not easy to beat at ManCity, as we know.

It will always be about WHAT WE DO anyway. We have been taken by the better teams so far, until that stops, we aren’t winning shit… AGAIN.

The injuries just continue to pile up… and that crazy Christmas period is coming with multiple matches in a short period of time. Going to be VERY DIFFICULT for us, especially.
We should trot out or Carling Cup squad for the last match in the CL.

January striker… I just dreamt it… its Thierry Henry!
;)

I ahve only watche the first half of the Stoke game so far, but on another day we could have gone into the break three of four up. Yes we looked a little tentative but we were far better than them.

Looks like Arsession called it right in relation to Arshavin and the CF role. Although he isn’t on his best form his movement guile and generally clinical finishing will indeed make him the best fit for the RvP role. He can do anything RvP can, just differently.

Our kids and reserves against Citeh’s millions was always likely to be a mismatch although we stood toe to toe with them all the way and were only beaten by two wonder goals.I have only seen the first 70 mins of that match though.

The Chelsea defeat however was really discouraging, they looked far superior to us really. Cashley had a field day he must have felt great after having received so much abuse from his “ex-fans” over the years, particularly the long and quite elaborate song that suggests he is a promiscuous homosexual ;-)

Anyway i think we can beat Liverpool at Anfield this time around especially if we can keep Benayoun and Gerrard quiet. We will need to win that one if we are going to be title contenders, it will really raise our confidence and we need that after the Chelsea performance, a win against Stoke will not be enough to raise our self belief.

Really happy about he Spurs result as well. They will be the most likely to get in the top four above Liverpool this season. Lennon looks scary, looks a league above Theo at he moment.

Took care of business yesterday despite wasting a large number of chances and leaving the final result until quite late. A few of us had fun on the game day chat (including the follow-up, “Battle of the Billionaires” match). After bantering all morning (for me) in the “virtual pub,” I guess I didn’t feel the need to say much here on the main page.

And today, it feels mostly like a “wait and see” situation. Yesterday’s match felt like one that would reinforce one’s view of the team: a critic would say we’re an injury riddled squad that can’t put away a dire opponent, while the optimist might point to Arshavin’s obvious re-motivation and the relentlessness of the chances we created, and how we really allowed Stoke very little. Overall then, perhaps not a lot was actually “proven”.

So where do we stand? The points situation is improved, but the injuries continue to pile up and it’s getting to a critical level. Hopefully a little R & R in Greece allows the niggles to clear up and we can field a solid squad for the match at Anfield. Arshavin up front, pointing where he wants the ball should put the fear of God into the Scousers. And it should be noted that we managed well without Alex Song yesterday with the back four playing a well coordinated high line putting Tuncay offsides like he was Adebayor. And the decisiveness of Vermaelen and Gallas offset the opposite tendency in Almunia. After the first few Delap throw-ins they no longer posed a threat. In the end a clean sheet and no saves to make was the happiest part of the match for me. Despite the missed chances, the were spells of gorgeous football up front and we always looked threatening. Ramsey’s opportunistic 2nd goal, however, did spell R-E-L-I-E-F.

So let’s see how the injuries play out (AW isn’t using them in some sort of spurious “rotation” plan, is he?) and what sort of squad we can field next Sunday, in another match Benitez needs to keep his job. Certainly Rosicky is out until the new year when he will be “like a new….,” (I can’t even bring myself to say it). The others, hopefully, come back sooner, with maybe the ones who need some match time getting a bit in Greece. United are similarly struggling (Evra finished their match at Center Half) and Chelsea showed some chinks in their armour after City (mostly Shay Given, plus the referee) finally found sufficient motivation (and luck) in a “big” game. Both of those teams had players hobbling off as well, and things at the top of the table seem a bit murkier as we move into the darkest part of the year.

Its going to be a very very important couple of months for the league. Looking at manure and chel$ki schedule they both could go on a long sustained run. I could see them both breaking out into 8-10 game unbeaten streaks without breaking a sweat.If we are to sustain a challenge we will need to keep in touch. Points we should have had in manchester and at west ham seem crucial now as a couple of losses (liverpool or either villa game) could put an end to our challenge (in terms of belief of the team).

Personally I still do not feel manure has a better team then us. If we are within touching distance by the time we go into the big three games at the end of Jan then we really have an opportunity.

Surprisingly few post-match comments..

Happy with the win. Seems straightforward in hindsight but with the prematch form, our injuries and the matchup of our playing style with that of Stoke everyone should be extremely delighted with the win.

Was anyone else reminded by Arshavin of the way VP was playing prior to his injury? I’m happy to hear Wenger is willing to continue with the system.

Rosicky injured… Again.. I’m not even overly disappointed as I think every time he plays, I subconsciously prepare myself for a month or 2 lay off before the game’s end.

Phew.
When we missed the penalty, I thought, Here we go again.

But we kept at it. A strong, driving performance from a team of midgets. Not one player over 6ft.
We got a little fussy, and a little frantic. But Ramsay impresses me more and more – a very cool finish.

That said, we were only playing Stoke. We still couldn’t beat Chelsea or ManUre with our current line-up.

Liverpool is going to be very interesting to say the least.

All this World Cup talk has got me thinking: How does everyone here think Wenger would do as a national team (NT) coach?

I think it is a virtually unanimous view that he does not focus on defense as much as attack, but would this matter as much in the international game? Right now he focuses much more on developing and buying attackers than defenders/holders, but in an NT, players don’t “cost” anything, so even if he were to continue focusing mostly on attack, he’d still be able to chose better defenders for an NT than a club. That would work in his advantage, as would his keen eye for spotting talent. Nor do I believe he would have such a heavy emphasis on youth, b/c I think this derives mainly from economic constraints (whether perceived or real), which don’t factor into the NT equation.

But on the other hand, you may still have a team with too many luxury finesse players, no direct strikers, not enough depth at the back, a lack of size/physicality, and difficulty with defensive tactics, particularly set pieces/headers.

Another big difference b/w club and NT is the number and type of matches. No marathon, slug-fest season- it’s a sprint, you do or die, so there’s little room for experimentation. You also don’t get to know your players as well, and getting chemistry is harder though still possible. Not sure how these last few things would affect/change Wenger’s style or effectiveness. It’s interesting to think about though.

WC draw – No “group of death” this time around, at least on paper. The closest being the Brazil group.

I can’t exactly recall whether US had played against England before in World Cup Finals, except for that 1-0 to US win long long time ago.

Gotta say I would much perfer US to beat England. England is the only team which turned me from a diehard supporter to an anti fan. I used to hate Maradona for years after his “Hand of God”. But all those stupid media hype, and ugly players ego, I will support any side who play against them in the World Cup. The only 2 players I like in the England side are David Beckham and Theo Walcott, but both may miss out anyway.