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Home›General›Match Preview: Arsenal v Manchester City; EPL Match Day 15

Match Preview: Arsenal v Manchester City; EPL Match Day 15

By Michael Price
December 17, 2011
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There are so many witty titles for this clash between Arsenal and Manchester City I feel bad not leading with one of them. So in order to get them out of the way let me dispense with them right now – it is the Have’s vs the Have Nots. The money vs the paupers, Its it is the way Airways Derby, It’s London v Manchester. Did I get them all. Why don’t we rest on this. Simple. One. It is Arsenal versus Manchester City.

Before Chelsea managed to eek out a win against Manchester City this past Monday, I felt that this was a match Arsenal could win. I’ve seen a few of City’s games and while they have been in top form, there is something that doesn’t impress me. It could just be my normal disgust for a team like this (and Chelsea) that out and out tries to buy success rather than build it. But in watching them earlier on and especially against Bayern and Napoli I felt that City could be had by any team that had patience and pace.

City are a talented squad and you should be forgiven if you think Arsenal will lose this match. The names on this team are a who’s who of players that were cast aways to some extent. They’ve been assembled because they a.) are drawn by money in disguise as success and b.) they represent City’s best chance to buy a trophy. Yeah it’s harsh but on both accounts its true. If City didn’t have the money none of these players would be queing up to play in the blue part of Manchester that much is sure.

But for all the talent they have assembled they’ve been shown on a few occasions to be weak. Weak against speed and more recently weak defensively. In their last 8 games (or is it 9) Manchester City have failed to keep teams out of their net. There are defensive lapses aplenty for this team. And part of that is a reason we Gunners faithful are all to aware of – a focus on attack attack attack.

Their attacking prowess has lead to City being open to being had on the counter. They are pushing so far forward that teams that have pace are sitting back and out running them to the goal. Additionally, City are allowing a large amount of chances. Luckily for them it has only resulted in 14 goals (181 chances allowed). Better teams are converting their chances and it is resulting in wins.

Also City seem to have inherited an inability do well against set pieces. You only need see Chelsea’s equalizer on Monday and Napoli’s fist goal at the San Paulo. In both cases they lose players in and around the box. The Chelsea goal was a free header and against Napoli they say they knew about Canvani around the near post but the failed to pick him up and he slotted it home. Thomas Vermaelen must be salivating.

Still, as I said City are a dangerous club and their position in the table is no fluke. Arsenal can not let City get a lead early. The first 15 – 20 minutes are crucial. City like to score early and often. It is why their allowing goals is almost tolerated because they’ve usually jumped out to a 2 goal lead before the 20 minute mark.

Arsenal are going to need to play in a sort of hybrid of their normal attacking self. To some extent with 4 centre backs deputized to play they should sit back a little and look to move on the break. Chelsea playing the high line for the first 15 minutes were almost shredded against City. Playing the highline is going to be costly even though I think we play it better than anyone in the Premier League. Without Sagna or Santos’ speed on the wings it would hurt us playing the high line.

We have to be patient. Knowing they will try and create. Again a parallel to Arsenal of the past is the frustration and lack of answers City seem to have when things don’t go according to plan. They simply run out of ideas and Mancini just doesn’t seem to be able to address that on the fly. The other thing is City tires. Balotelli can’t play a full 90. He gets gassed earlier and if he doesn’t get a score early in the game. The running around basically gets him out of the game. He just doesn’t deliver as the game gets longer in the tooth.

It does seem like a perfect storm for Arsenal to win. But it can happen. Gervinho and Walcott are a threat to Richards and Zaballeta. Especially with Zaballeta playing out of position. Robin Van Persie is in form and given how many chances City do allow, there will be opportunities for Arsenal to score.

We’ve talked in the past about players stepping up on big games. The best of them is Laurent Koscielny. It shouldn’t go unnoticed that he has handled  quite well the world’s best player in Lionel Messi (it was Fabregas who gifted him the goal remember). He also did very well against Fernando Torres and has done very well against our nemesis Didier Drogba. His positional play allows makes him so good against even the most agile of players and I like the match up of him against either Balotelli or Aguerro. Obviously the question mark in the middle is Per Mertesacker. He plays well positionally but with his slow turning radius – let’s say it – if he’s not perfect positionally all day long he is going to have issues. The other issue is the fact that neither of fullbacks will are true fullbacks.

Regardless it has all the makings of a classic match. Which means it will likely be the equivalent of the 0-0 dud at the Emirates last season. The remarkable thing is this should Arsenal win, the gap between them and City will be 6 points. Given where we were only two months ago, it is nothing short of miraculous.

How the Match Should Play Out:

City absolutely have to go for it. They are at home and coming off a loss to Chelsea earlier in the week. They will be wanting to dispel any notion that they are going through a down turn. Arsenal will need to play solid and look for their opportunities in the counter. City do not have an answer for Theo Walcott’s pace and their propensity to struggle against pacy teams will be there down fall if they don’t jump to an early lead. The key for Arsenal is to play their game. Be solid in defence and let Koscielny and Song tie up their big guys. If Arsenal can manage to go into the half drawn with City, the chances for Arsenal coming out with a result are greatly increased. Should the match be drawn even after say the 65th minute look for Mancini to revert to form and play for the point. If he does that, advantage to Arsenal.

Players to Watch:

Arsenal. Theo Walcott. With Kolarov and Clichy out Zaballeta has been moved to left fullback. The odds were already in favor for Walcott having a good day they’ve improved greatly against Zaballeta. He just needs to play his game.

Manchester City.  David Silva.  He must be happy Cesc Fabregas is out of England and Jack Wilshere is injured. He is by far right now the most creative and dynamic talent in England. Now if he could only break into that Spain squad.

Projected Line Ups:

Injuries and Suspensions:

Arsenal: Wilshere (ankle)  Sagna (ankle) Gibbs (hernia) Jenkinson (back fracture) Diaby (hamstring) Santos (knee) Fabianksi (knee) Mannone (shoulder)

Manchester City: Kolarov (groin) Clichy (suspended – 1)

Leading Scorers:
Arsenal:  Van Persie 20 (15 league)

Manchester City: Aguerro 13 (11 league)

Last Meeting (Carling Cup):

Arsenal: 0

Manchester City: 1

Goals For:

Arsenal (away): 2.4

Manchester City (home): 3.4

Goals Against:
Arsenal (away): 2.6

Manchester City: (home): 0.6

Last Five:
Arsenal: WWDWW

Manchester City: LWDWW

Goal Difference:
Arsenal: 8

Manchester City: 34

Match Official:
Referee: Phil Dowd (Matches 11, R1 Y48)

Broadcast Information:
US: Fox Soccer Channel 1100AM EST

UK: Sky Sports 1 1600 BST

GAMEDAY CHAT: It’s Open!!!!!!

www.youaremyarsenal.com/gamedaychat

YAMA Prediction:
Arsenal: 2

Manchester City: 2

The Final Word:

When Manchester City management ad it’s players aid they had hoped to emulate Manchester City, I thought they meant on the pitch not in how they handle transfer dealings. Suddenly, the press is rife with reports that Manchester City believe they can get Robin Van Persie from Arsenal for around £30 million next summer.

It was quickly followed up by quotes from Joleon Lescott saying he wouldn’t swap any of City’s forwards for Van Persie but he would want Van Persie to join them. This sounds all too eerily familiar. No, it doesn’t resemble the Nasri saga but I wonder if Lescott and City management picked up the book co-written by Rosell and Puyol on how to effectively tap someone up and get away with it in 6 easy lessons.

If they go after Van Persie you also have to wonder about claims they want to try and adhere to FFP. They’ve been telling anyone who will listen that they intend to comply with FFP and have no intention of paying big money for players again. Going after Van Persie would seem contrary to that.  But hey if UEFA aren’t going to do anything City are free to continue playing Fantasy Football.

In the end, I don’t know if Van Perie will leave but I have a feeling if he does it will be for the likes of Madrid or Barcelona or maybe even Bayern. Robin Van Persie may want to get paid and deservedly so. But I think he has too much respect for the club who made him to go to a Premier League rival.

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28 comments

  1. Walk in Dusche 20 February, 2012 at 22:35 Log in to Reply

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  3. stag133 21 December, 2011 at 00:02 Log in to Reply

    What a SHOCK… Gibbs suffers a set-back in his rehab, and will not be back in the near future…
    so, Wenger is rumored to be looking to take Wayne Bridge on loan…

    We lead the WORLD in injuries being prolonged… we never have players come back early from injury, let alone near the time it is originally stated.

    I can see it now, we get Wayne Bridge on loan… Thierry Henry on loan… sell Arshavin & Rosicky… loan out Coquelin…. and make even MORE money in profits… on top of the GAZILLION from the Summer, and announce that Sagna and Wilshire will be like new signings…

    yawn.

  4. stag133 20 December, 2011 at 02:00 Log in to Reply

    Who knows… maybe we’ll sign players before the window even opens… (as it is sometimes reported)…. or sign them the first few days of January…
    Cahill and Podalski… and we then sell off the dead wood during the remainder of the window.

    Wouldn’t that be a refreshing development? No matter WHO you WANT to be bought…. if we act early… and decisively… it would be a breath of fresh air…

    For once…. act fast, and let everyone else chase us …

  5. David Eshenbaugh 19 December, 2011 at 13:31 Log in to Reply

    I think something everyone is forgetting,is that no one can plan to lose all 4 fullbacks. I doubt many teams carry more than that on the full roster and youth players being called up will probably end up worse than shifting players around.

    Also, look at the positive- arsenal went from losing 8-2 to a man team that lost to this team 5-1. That’s a huge improvement. Also, almost all the tough away games except for Pool are done. Let’s see how the return legs bed up.

    Not to say I’m a Wenger believer – I’m not so don’t start bashing me for it – but there were positives to take out of this game. Should City have scored more? Yes, but they didn’t. Arsenal had plenty of chances too. It was a wide open game with plenty of chances. How many times do we say that Arsenal didn’t convert their opportunities? Well you know what? That isn’t our exclusive.

    • stag133 20 December, 2011 at 01:53 Log in to Reply

      @David Eshenbaugh, definitely some positives from the game. We were in the match with a chance to win. No doubt about it….
      it just illustrates for me… the need to get better with a few key signings in January…
      we’ll have to wait and see what Wenger and the board do in … 11 days!
      (and it was 6-1 City over United, right?)

      • David Eshenbaugh 20 December, 2011 at 12:15 Log in to Reply

        @stag133, Ah yes 6-1- couldn’t remember, but I guess that makes Arsenal look better doesn’t it?

        They definitely need to buy. It will be interesting to see who. Definitely a forward, RvP cannot do it all. I don’t think Arsene will buy D, there are too many already without selling someone. Unless they can be shot of Arshavin I doubt they buy in midfield. Wenger won’t buy to replace gervinho or song since they will only be gone a month. Again, a numbers thing.

        Like you said, the team is very close to being top tier. They just need to fill a few holes.

  6. HighburyTerraceSteve 19 December, 2011 at 11:54 Log in to Reply

    Not much to add. In truth I think the score flatters us. (How profigate was El Kun in front of goal? And Nasri had two targets in his one telling moment but could find neither.) Obviously we’re suffering w/o proper fullbacks (as outlets for our MF players) and we were under extreme pressure getting the ball out of our half for long periods. As such, we’re fortunate that they were unable to create more clear cut chances. Frankly, I’m not that Impressed by City and I think they’ve got a ways to go before they are truly dominant. There’s a changing of the guard in English football at the moment (IMO) and a fairly wide open top 6 with nobody really taking charge. That said, Kolo and Kompany and Joe Hart didn’t put a foot (or hand) wrong. They along with Richards/Barry/Yaya kept RVP in check and Zabaleta (who seems a real prick…..) put Theo in his pocket and was an inch from settling the match early. Not bad for a 3rd choice LB. City will solidify (and buy and buy and buy) and only get tougher. What’s our plan?

    Now comes the real test. We’re down to complete bare bones and the matches are coming quickly. Given that our young (OxCham) and old (Benayoun) runner-type subs were held out yesterday, we only had an hour to score enough (any) goals to secure a result. And given that Ramsey, Gervinho and Walcott are far from complete players and seemed to lack the confidence to cope with the quicker pace of the match, I have worries going forward. IF the group is able to stay focused, (and is chastened rather than emboldened by the “closeness” of yesterday’s scoreline) maybe it will go better against lesser teams. A team like City (and others in the top 6) can bring on player after player (or rotate for easier matches) while we, I think, are right on the brink and need our starters to produce. Any further injuries or a let down in concentration and chances for our trophy (4th place) will start dimming (again).

    Obviously there’s a marathon yet to run and we’ll see if this more mature team is able to focus and stay disciplined for the longer haul. We need reinforcements on ALL fronts, whether with signings or “likenewsignings” (players coming back from injury and producing immediately). Where several weeks ago we maybe seemed to have some wiggle room, it feels gone about now.

    And given that situation I have ask questions of the manager. We had a full week off before this one and yet Arsh and Makh, jittery and hiding, were all we had in reserve? Maybe the manager felt he had to go with his obvious “first 14,” hoping for the best but knowing the points would be hard to come by, and he’s got deeper plans for the remainder of the festive period. I’d like us to at least be able to countenance an FA cup run and our draw in the CL (w/tough league matches surrounding it) obviously requires a fully firing team. This next run of matches seems crucial. By the time Gerv leaves for the ACN we will need improved confidence (on the back of 3 points/match) and a group of real contributors closer to 12-15 deep rather than the 8 or 10 we have now.

    Or maybe RVP can just finish out the year with 40 (league) goals, stay bionic and take it up a notch in 2012. Fingers crossed/touch wood/etc. (on both counts) but it seems a bit much for Santa to try and squeeze down the chimney…..

  7. OziKenyan 19 December, 2011 at 02:00 Log in to Reply

    Like many here, striking is clearly something that needs beefing up in Jan. Arsh has lost it, Gervinho is off, Walcott is unreliable, and VP has no cover.

    Someone long term (expensive and un-Arsenal like) or short term looks likeliest. Too bad Bellamy isn’t available.. Big game player, lots of pace, experience, premiership tested, and too old to be a threat to the oxlades and Miyachis behind him.

    • George 19 December, 2011 at 05:21 Log in to Reply

      @OziKenyan,
      True that, Im afraid Bellamy will 99% probably be heading to Merseyside once this season has finished, shame really. Theres news that Bayern may be looking to buy Marco Reus as a replacement for Arjen Robben, if they list him then Id love Wenger to get him, he’s world class. He’s been injured a lot though, so its probably not the best idea.

      I’d take Podolski for 15/20million and stick out on the wing like where he plays for the German National team while Gervinho is away for the ACN. Then if RVP needs resting, stick Podolski in the centre and play either the Ox or Benayoun out wide, I feel sorry for Yossi because considering how useless AA23 has been, Im surprised Wenger hasnt started him more

      Only problem is, we have to convince Wenger to buy him

  8. stag133 18 December, 2011 at 21:28 Log in to Reply

    First of all, the line about the possible headlines…
    It would be a LIE to say the MONEY v Paupers, or Haves v Have Nots.
    Billionaires v Multi-Millionaires?
    Spenders v Hoarders?
    Haves v Refuse to spenders?

    But whatever. Its our CHOICE not to spend on what we need.

    Now, the game.
    Well. We aren’t quite there yet. We aren’t as good as City.
    It was not a bad effort by the team, but we created very little, and we just didn’t have enough to get over the finish line in this one. They played hard, and with heart. And as noted above, thats acceptable in some respect.

    HOPEFULLY, this shows Arsene and the board that we need ONE or TWO players in the January Transfer window in order to compete with the ManCity and Man United in the League.

    Will we act?
    Or will we do feck all again?
    or will we sell off players?

    I would have to say… what might have been… if we had actually brought in 2 higher level players in the Summer, who knows where we might be now?

    We need some options. I think Gervinho will be away for the AC of N? correct? that would leave a big void in our attack.
    And CB’s playing left and right back won’t cut it long term. Throwing Chamakh and Arshavin or Rosicky out there late and hoping for something positive, not going to do it either.
    Those 3 need to be SOLD, and we need legit players coming in… we could make a run at the FA Cup… and try and get 3rd in the League (or 2nd?)…

    That’s what I hope for in January.
    That’s what I want for Christmas from the Arsenal.

    • ChicagoGooner 19 December, 2011 at 00:19 Log in to Reply

      @stag133,
      I agree with all of this post as well. Arsenal aren’t poor, just cheap. It didn’t even dawn on me that Gervinho would be away. If we don’t bring someone in January to cover, I’d like to see Chamberlain get some time. What do we have to lose? Who else will play there? Arsh? Rosicky?

      As for the possibility of players coming in, I think striker is most important, followed by FB and winger. I’d be ok if we addressed one of those areas, and very happy if we addressed 2 of 3. And we cold finance it by selling off the players you suggest. We wouldn’t really miss them. But it remains to be seen whether Arsenal will do anything at all during the window.

    • OziKenyan 19 December, 2011 at 01:57 Log in to Reply

      @stag133,

      “And CB’s playing left and right back won’t cut it long term”

      I don’t think any manager in the world would have that strategy as a long-term thing (maybe Pulis…). Hoping that our fullbacks are back soon.

      • stag133 19 December, 2011 at 11:11 Log in to Reply

        @OziKenyan, Ummmm. Wenger has neglected areas that have needed to be addressed in the face of common sense REGULARLY. He could easily go with CB’s covering for FB’s… because he doesn’t want to spend the money, or he doesn’t want to upset the players who are injured!

        • OziKenyan 19 December, 2011 at 11:43

          @stag133,

          True he has done that.

          But in our current full back situation, if, as I expect, we do not end up getting in any fullbacks during the window and go with a 4 CB strategy, it will be a short term thing with an eye on shortly returning injured players, not a long term strategy for sure. Not even Wenger is that blinded. In the past when he’s ‘neglected’ to strengthen, it has been because of a combination of:

          -Too much faith in the player occupying said position
          -Not accounting for possible injuries to the starting position (e.g. Song)

          He has never neglected to sign for a position which has NO players.

        • OziKenyan 19 December, 2011 at 11:58

          @OziKenyan,

          Looking at injury news:

          -Jenkinson apparently not recovering well from his stress fracture
          -Sagna was meant to be out for a ‘minimum’ of 3 months (from the 2nd of Oct)- haven’t heard any updates, but I think duration of injury and all being taken into account, we’ll be lucky seeing him by the end of the transfer window.
          -Santos- expected out till about march
          -Gibbs- Almost back to fitness, but made of glass

          All in all, an experienced jack-of-all trades type defender would be ideal i think (ship out Squillaci to make room- he’s doing f-all anyway). Nobody comes to mind but I do hope we sign someone versatile.

          Cahill is no doubt going to be linked heavily with his contract situation and the fact he’s about to be relegated. I think we’re alright at CB when all fit, never seen him play full-back but if he’s capable, might be worth a shout.

  9. Mazza 18 December, 2011 at 19:23 Log in to Reply

    Always found it ironic that we get roundly praised for out attacking prowess, and criticised for defensive play, yet time and time in big games it gets shown up as the weakest part of the team. Flattering to deceive, full of ‘half’ players and has-beens, and chronic lack of incisiveness and purpose. Walcott is just a complete embarrassment of a footballer ; cannot stand him. Absolutely effin clueless in every respect. And that pillock wants to play up front? He can’t even protect the ball under pressure when playing as a wideman, what hope has he got if played up front? Tosser.

    Decent-ish performance. Have to remember no one was expecting anything of us in this game. It was basically a free-hit, with the pressure all being on City. That has to be taken into consideration when being tempted to euologise over the functional and bare minimum. If we were top of the league and trying to stay there, you can take 20% off the performance right away, and add 15% to their level.

    Overall, the game sums up Arsene Wenger over the last six years. Cannot for the life of him build a complete squad. The Chamakh signing – and the continuing inclusion of him in squads – is a sackable offence in itself.

  10. Kiwi 18 December, 2011 at 19:10 Log in to Reply

    A big game, and the question was twofold. What result could we get and what type of performance would we see from this new team.

    The short answers were – a loss – and a sound performance with a lot of heart. I can live with that combination. I also appreciate Wenger answering sensibly when asked about our title aspirations – that at this stage they’re gone.

    Man City look strong in all departments. They’ve spent money – but seemingly well. They have so many attacking options, their midfield is balanced and competitive, and their defence is strong and resilient, add a top class keeper and real depth and you get the picture.

    But…..up against such a line-up this new Arsenal did well. We clearly have a short-term issue at fullback and I feel for Wenger on this one. If Santos and Sagna had stayed fit we’d probably look the best we’ve looked in defence since The Invincibles.

    Santos, Vermaelen, Mertesacker, Sagna and Szczesny at GK with Koscielny pressing hard for inclusion look like a serious defensive unit. The midfield with the savvy alrounder Arteta, Song and the returning Wilshere looks like a serious combination for me as well, which will allow Ramsey to press for a role.

    It’s up front where I remain unconvinced. And, to be candid, a Wenger team will win nothing without the front element clicking. So we need it sorted. Currently it’s Van Persie or nothing and that’s unsustainable. Walcott is being given an attacking licence and yet we see, again, his ineffectiveness and inconsistency. I don’t know enough about Gervinho, but he needs to grow into a goalscoring attacker. I like his verve and attacking instinct he ‘just’ needs to be more clinical and confident on goal.

    I’ve come to agree with Steve on Arshavin – the guy looks shot. Shame. If Henry was available for 6 weeks I’d probably go for it. If we sold either of Arshavin and Chamakh we may need Henry and one other. But…..knowing Wenger I won’t be hoping too hard.

    The great fear is Van Persie – he’s one tackle or stumble away from another run of injury. 70m – you’re having a laugh.

    In summary, it’s nice to look at the new squad and see mature faces and professional footballers – nice to see the young players (Ramsey, Szczesny and Wilshere) in the team on their merits and included in a balanced line-up. Nice to see the back of an era of primadonna underachievers Nasri, Bendtner, Denilson and Diaby. I can relate a bit more to a team with RvP, Gervinho, Wilshere, Arteta, Song, Sagna, Vermaelen, Mertesacker, Santos and Szczesny.

    • ChicagoGooner 18 December, 2011 at 21:39 Log in to Reply

      @Kiwi,
      Agree with absolutely everything except that I think Koscielny would be the one in an optimum line-up and Mertesacker would be first off the bench. Kos was a beast today and I expect it to continue.

      • OziKenyan 19 December, 2011 at 01:55 Log in to Reply

        @ChicagoGooner,

        Got caught out of postn for their goal though. Hard to put too much blame on him having just shifted to RB. A team of City’s quality will punish that. Also felt that once Mario got the ball, it shud have been the faster Kos haring towards him to put on pressure rather than Song (think Kos would have been harder to sidestep the way Song was done by Balotelli).

  11. George 18 December, 2011 at 15:20 Log in to Reply

    It was a test to see how far this “new” arsenal had come and well, we failed it. Walcott was poor, Gervinho’s decision making wasnt great but at least it was not a demolition like the “title-challenging” Spurs suffered at the hands of City. We did get off some shots, RVP didnt equal Henry’s record of goals in a calendar year, but to be fair he didnt have great service. Ramsey was trying to be too fancy and gave the ball away, still our next big fixture is the game vs United in January and until then we have all winnable games.

    Chamakh, and in particular Arshavin both need to go. Sign Podolski/Sow in January and give the Ox more playing time. But to lose 1-0 away vs a team whose current first 11 plus subs cost about the same if not more than all of the squads during Wenger’s time at the club put together, is not that bad I suppose. Id have liked a draw or a win, but hey what can you do? Plus Thomas Vermaelen deserves plaudits for his never-say-die attitude, he was great today. But to be honest we didnt play as well as we could’ve done and the back 4 was all over the place in the second half

    • jroybower 18 December, 2011 at 17:29 Log in to Reply

      @George, rvp has 3 more games to get it done. i like his chances.

      • George 18 December, 2011 at 18:21 Log in to Reply

        @jroybower,
        I think (hope if Wenger’s got any sense) that he’ll rest him vs Villa, but yeah I reckon with the defences Wolves and QPR have got we can create chances and put them away, because he deserves it. Itll be fantastic for him

        • OziKenyan 19 December, 2011 at 01:55

          @George,
          I’d rest him at QPR myself, get him fresh for Fulham…

  12. ChicagoGooner 18 December, 2011 at 13:00 Log in to Reply

    Everyone to the GDC for the big match! (Unless you’re lucky enough to be at the pub- then: drink up.)

  13. joshuad 18 December, 2011 at 04:29 Log in to Reply

    we’re going to miss sagna big time tomorrow. in big games, he routinely rotates over from rb to make plays in central areas. no only will we not have that rotation, but djourou is an easy target.

    olympiacos knew arsenal liked to play out of the back. their solution; play narrow amongst our defenders/defensive midfield players. despite this obvious tactic, djourou, whenever he received the ball out wide, continually played the ball to a cb or a dm instead of down the line to chamberlain or benayoun. that’s simply not smart play from an experienced player. even ten year olds know better than to play the ball in front of your goal; especially when your opponents are flooding that area. gallas or toure would have gotten in his ass about that, but we only had squillaci and a bunch of kids. i hope he doesn’t do that tomorrow.

    ramsey could be a key player tomorrow if he has smart movement off the ball. city’s defense doesn’t match up well with our attack. if ramsey exploits the space behind yaya toure and barry like mata did the other night, and takes his chances well, we can have city on the ropes big time and win this game. he can make the difference but he’s got to move smart and shoot the ball well. we’ll see.

    • ChicagoGooner 18 December, 2011 at 12:16 Log in to Reply

      @joshuad,
      Well luckily the other 3 defenders won’t be Squid & Kids this time. Hopefully if this same problem arises the more veteran players will realize what’s going on and what to say.

      It’s fun to talk about who’s going to be a ‘key’ player in a match, but this is one of those games where when I try to think about that it turns into a useless exercise because frankly everyone is going to have to be top notch for us (or any team) to win a game like this. But I think we can do it.

  14. ChicagoGooner 17 December, 2011 at 17:12 Log in to Reply

    More good news for the Arsenal: Chelsea held 1-1 by Wigan.

    Can’t wait for the match tomorrow. United stomped us earlier this year and City stomped them not long after. But this Arsenal side has come a long, long way during the first half of this season.

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