Match Preview: Arsenal v Stoke: Premier League Match Day 36
Arsenal head on up to the Rugby pitch known as the Britannia Stadium to take on Toni “the pugilist’ Pulis’ Stoke City. Why should this concern Arsenal fans? In our last 4 visits to the home of the Rory Delap long-throw, Arsenal have come away with 3 defeats.
A win is imperative. There is ample enough motivation to go into this match with all guns blazing, none more so that even a fourth place finish may not guarantee Arsenal much of anything this season. As we discussed yesterday, Chelsea are on an unprobable run in the Champion’s League. Should they finish 6th and win the Champion’s League whomever finishes fourth will be on the outside looking in.
What it all means can best be summed up in the immortal words of former Raiders owner Al Davis – just win baby! Win and there is no need to worry about what Chelsea does or what any other teams do. Win, and you control your own destiny. Win and end the season on a high note. Lose, well I’d rather not talk about that right now, but you can imagine what I’d have to say about it.
Team selection is obviously a little bit of a concern right now with the ever important Mikel Arteta missing his second game in a row due to an ankle injury that will keep him out of the rest of the season. Theo Walcott is out after suffering a hamstring injury last week versus Chelsea. Likely replacements are the oft injured Diaby, the youngster Chamberlain or Yossi Benayoun. I figure Benayoun is going to get a start. I’ve projected Chamberlain but won’t be surprised if Diaby gets in.
Aaron Ramsey will get the start of that I’m pretty confident. Where? That remains to be seen and how will he perform is also a big question mark. Ramsey will desperately want to silence his critics and what a better place to do it than the site of his horrific injury. For those that don’t remember it was on this exact pitch that Ryan ‘I’m that kind of guy’ Shawcross decided to fracture young Master Ramsey’s ankle in two places. Given the vile comments from Stoke fans regarding said injury as well as a lot of Gooner’s own doubts about his ability right now, Ramsey may be perfectly primed to play a big role in this match.
But it goes beyond any one player right now. For Arsenal to succeed they have to continue with the team first ethos that has carried them from the bottom of the back to third. It was a solid commitment to team and an outstanding work rate that got them where they are. When they do this, as they’ve shown to Spurs, Chelsea, City, Liverpool and Newcastle, they can beat the best. Conversely they’ve shown that when they don’t they completely lack any kind of resemblance to a successful team.
It is going to take everyone playing together for the full 90 minutes in the last 3 games to secure the Champion’s League they secure. I am sure there are some mathematical computations that would show how many points Arsenal need to take, Newcastle or Spurs to lose. But why risk it? Why depend on the results of others. The team needs to completely take the chance it has been presented and for the last 3 games be as good as they were on the 7 game winning streak. Do that and there is no need to worry about Chelsea, Newcastle or Spurs.
How the Match Should Play Out:
If you expect Arsenal to approach this game any different, even with the opponent, then you are mistaken. Arsenal will as they always do look to control the ball and thus the tempo and style of game. Arsenal need to get the early goal. It will make sure that Stoke can’t stay behind the ball too long. Additionally, I’ve been really impressed that when all things are ticking how well Arsenal have employed pressing into their game. Even more impressive is how it has worked. When they’ve done it and committed it, they have absolutely overwhelmed their opponents and it has resulted in wins. Stoke have played the second most games of any team in the league save Chelsea. Their inconsistency has been part and parcel with this. If Arsenal press and keep the ball moving quickly, Stoke will tire and the end can put a dagger in their collective hearts. Arsenal have shown that when they win at the end they are simply more conditioned than their opponent. They need to use this to their advantage.
Players to Watch:
Arsenal. Robin Van Persie. Rightly awarded the PFA and Writer’s player of the year award Robin has been a little off but he is still capable of many things. Arsenal need him to find his sweet stroke and bury the opponents.
Stoke. Peter Crouch. Mr. Daddy Long-Legs will be the object of many a long ball and repeated crossing attempts. How Arsenal do depends on how much they can make him a non-issue.
Projected lineups:
Injuries and Suspensions:
Arsenal: Arteta (ankle) Mertesacker (ankle) Wilshere (ankle) Walcott (hamstring)
Stoke: Diao (hamstring) Sidibé (knee) Wilkinson (groin)
Leading Scorers:
Arsenal: Van Persie 27
Stoke: Crouch 9
Last Meeting (EPL):
Arsenal:3
Stoke: 1
Goals For:
Arsenal (away): 1.8
Stoke (home): 1.3
Goals Against:
Arsenal (away): 1.7
Stoke: (home): 1
Last Five:
Arsenal: DLWWL
Stoke: LDWLD
Goal Difference:
Arsenal: 24
Stoke: -16
Match Official:
Referee: Chris Foy (Matches 19, R4 Y56)
Broadcast Information:
US: ESPN2/ESPN3 1000 AM EST
UK: ????? 1500 GMT
GAMEDAY CHAT: It’s Open!!!!!!
www.youaremyarsenal.com/gamedaychat
YAMA Prediction:
Arsenal: 2
Stoke: 1
The Final Word:
If you haven’t heard, Pep Guardiola is stepping down at the end of the La Liga season from his managerial duties at Barcelona. The weight of the world and the task he has sustained clearly has taken its toll on him.
We’re mentioning this because he was a managerial adversary to admire for what he brought out of Barcelona. While the players were the seeds that were planted long ago in their academy it was Guardiola who became the final ingredient and propelled that club on to their greatness.
Who knows what is in store for Barca under Tito Vilanova. It could be the start of a new era of Real Madrid dominance as Barcelona looks to find a new identity under Tito. But suffice it to say Pep changed the way people play, watch and appreciate the game. Some of his players may have been asses but Pep was always above the fray.
While we only ever once came out on the winning end against his sides, the matches between the two were a purists dream. Pass and move with lots of possession – mostly by the Cules. But I enjoyed every recent tie.
I have a dream and it is one where after a year off, Wenger decides he too needs a change and moves to the upstairs office that is ready for him. He then in his first act as Director of Football names Pep Guardiola as manager of our club. It is not as far-fetched as it sounds as the two do have a good friendship and the styles and principles they try to employ in operating and managing a club aren’t too disimilar.
Och well. Good luck to ya Pep.
Until tomorrow – Stay Goonerish!!
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Like others I was pretty disappointed by yesterday’s result. A win in any of the past three matches would have us sitting awfully pretty for 3rd. Wigan (at home) is still “the one that got away” and, given the atmosphere Pulis et. al. are able to create against the frail-boned, effete types at the top of the table, a point is probably not all that bad.
This is especially true in that we are absolutely staggering towards the finish line. It doesn’t bode well for the idea of competing on multiple fronts at this time next season, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Stag and CK make some good notes on much of the dross in the team and English CL clubs are probably laboring (labouring?) under the 25 man roster limit. These things must be considered whenever we talk about players we might buy to fill the (all too obvious) holes in our squad.
With Arteta and Theo out I thought we did well in terms of effort and spacing….at least on offense (offence?) I’m sorry, but Song and Ramsey simply don’t have the same tools as “real DMs” when it comes to covering for our fullbacks, who, given our system, are often out of position if the ball is turned over. And, make no mistake, it was a mix-up in covering down our right flank that allowed Etherington a ridiculous quantity of time to line up his inch perfect cross for Crouch and the opener. Blaming TV5 (and/or Gibbs), who had the tower surrounded, doesn’t seem quite right….
We responded well and with lots of industry, particularly from our little playmaker, Rosicky, who after one nice cross to RVP didn’t quite come off, a second one did. Matching Etherington’s left-footed accuracy with his own right-footed cross (even if it was also from the left side) we were back level. Why couldn’t we go on from there?
In my opinion, it’s because we’re flogged. Rosicky is running as well as ever, but being 31 (only 29 in football years, he would say…) and being such a one footed player he tired out (as per usual) as did many others watching the waywardness of his passes with the outside of his right foot. Gervinho did well, esp. early on, but the lack of confidence once he gets into the box suggests he’s still thinking Joey Barton is coming after him. (Stoke, more or less, play with a keeper and 10 Joey’s….and 27,000 more in the stands booing people for getting their bones snapped….) Benayoun provides energy, but the control and precision is lacking, to the point that it becomes somewhat easy for a poor ref like Chris Foy to think he’s stumbling (rather than fouled) when he goes down in the box.
And while I would’ve like to have seen the Ox given 20-25 minutes (in place of Gervinho) I also think Diaby for Ramsey came none to soon and that Chamakh didn’t do badly either, holding up play and getting others involved. Diaby looked to (maybe) pick up another muscle pull in the last seconds of the match so we’re looking at more Ramsey and Song trying to help us maintain our fore-aft balance for the remaining matches.
It doesn’t bode particularly well but (hopefully) we can stay solid vs Norwich and maybe get some others in at the attacking end. Our quality, at the moment, is distinctly mid-table-ish (compared with say, Chelsea, already up 4-nil on QPR after half an hour, or even Wigan, playing freely with their 3-at-CB defense)…. At least the teams we play are “happy” to be securely at that level. Still, a nice scalp (Arsenal) on the final day would be a trophy of its own for Roy Hodgson and his boys up in the Black Country….Let’s hope it doesn’t come down to that….
Longer term, it would be interesting if the M’Vila rumblings have some truth to them. It would be our record signing AND it would be for a player who doesn’t score. (This combo almost certainly rules it out of the question….) Might such a signing placate those crying out for more defense? Doubtful, but for those with a more open mind-set (or for those who are tired of the likes of Ramsey or Song as DMs, or those who want less Song and more Songaldinho, like maybe the player himself….) it COULD be an interesting development…..
@HighburyTerraceSteve,
To be honest, a win would be a relief as we don’t seem to be able to step it up in the second half of games anymore, vs Wigan, Chelsea and now Stoke we have always not been as good in the second half. On the subject of a DM, I keep seeing reports about us getting M’Vila and being in talks, but Ill believe it when I see it. That goes for Vertonghen and whoever else were linked with. I think a proper DM would be a great addition, puts less pressure on Songaldinho but theres the issue of price, would Arsene spend 20 million on someone who is defensive minded? Because if were gonna challenge next season we need 2 things we don’t have now: Strength in Depth, and Defensive organisation. Maybe signing Steve Bould could help with that, things like who covers for full backs when they go forward, because doing these simple things well would make us a hell of a lot more secure at the back
@George, Exactly….
It will not satisfy the likes of our boy Stag (38-0-0 and the
quadruple, I fear, would still be just a run of good luck….)
but replacing Rice with a defensive-minded #2 (or at least a
former defender) AND spending big for a non-goal scorer, for
me, would be nice signs.
In my opinion, the personalities and upbringing of the actual
players is just as important as the coaching or the system.
Some players look to cover in different ways and some “come”
or “stay home” and revert to what they know, esp. when
pressure is applied. Just having players who know each other
AND are good enough so that they can believe in each other is
a huge thing. This year’s goals against stat is poor
(actually, terrible), but I hope for better. Arteta was
awesome as an anchor in midfield but it was probably (mostly)
experience and discipline rather than innate ability (at
the position….) We’re suffering currently w/o him and we’re
STILL looking for our first win with him missing….
@HighburyTerraceSteve,
That is the worrying thing, although Ramsey had a very good game yesterday, but Arteta is still a massive miss, still at least we know he won’t be at the Euros and he’ll be back for the start of next season. Your point about the defending I agree with, and I think if the team has a whole pre-season together it help the defense A LOT. If you look at this season Mertesacker, Arteta and Santos all came in on deadline day and the team had no chance to “Gel” and this could be amended with a better pre-season
@HighburyTerraceSteve, nah, 26-0-12 was the greatest season long feat in sports I’ve every witnessed…
but apparently it wasn’t enough for Wenger, because they didn’t have enough smurfs, and they could play defense first if it was warranted… so he had to change the system…
;)
A few thoughts which this game brings to mind.
1) Limping to the finish line for our 3rd place trophy and depending on other teams bottling it. Last 6 games 2W 2L 2D = 8 pts out of 18.
2) Lack of scorers. As good as Rosicky is performing we need more goal production from the AM position. Walcott, when he shows up for games he is good but way too inconsistent and forces us to play with 10 men for most of the season. Gervinho, has everything in his package except scoring goals even when they are gift wrapped.
3) Too many defensive lapses which result in goals gifted to our opponents. As many goals that TV has scored, he has gifted that and more to our adversaries. Maybe he needs to play DM?
4) Not satisfied with 3rd place when we are 17 points behind Manu and they have a game in hand. Means we are really not competitive. Is the EPL becoming a poor boy’s La Liga with only 2 teams showing any class?
5) Funny thing is that we could raid a few players from the EPL which would make us immediately competitive. Dembele, Fellaini and Defoe.
@Caribkid, who’s consistent on our team, besides RVP?
Theo puts the ball in the net, every season… Rosicky has had about 8 decent games in 4 years!
Agree completely on the defensive lapses… BOTH Vermaelen and Koscielny are guilty of this….
so, with that being FACT, why do you mention 3 players in the EPL we could go get, and NONE of them are defenders?
44 goals allowed, worst since 1994-95, and there are 2 games to go!
I think Clint Dempsey would be really good at Arsenal.
But I want another SOLID CB… sell off Mertsacker, for whatever you can get … (and that’s not here-say, it has been mentioned on a few soccer sites)…
but we have MASSIVE business to finish before anything happens.
2 games to go, and ZERO confidence that we will win both matches.
If we are out of the CL, it changes everything… especially in regard to RVP.
@stag133,
Agreed. Ideally we could supplement the EPL acquisitions with Vertonghen and Podolski. TV will do very well against the European competition and the smaller EPL sides and could easily be used as a DM alongside or instead of Song at times.
I do like Dempsey but think he is too much like Podolski. Would love to have him instead of the Poldi but that looks like a done deal already. Would also keep Benayoun.Six permanent acquisitions seems like a lot, but not if we move the likes of Bendtner, Vela, Squilacci, Arshavin, Almunia, Park, Chamakh, Denilson and Park.
@Caribkid, I don’t think Benny will stay around for a bit part role… he can start for mid-table teams, no problem…
Bendtner doesn’t want to come back, so I think he’ll go. Vela wants to stay in Spain, so he’ll go.
Squillaci can’t be sold, he’s not going to get the salary he gets at Arsenal, and he will not be wanted by ANY team.
He will be difficult to jettison.
Arshavin, makes a LOT of money… and he won’t be bringing in anything close to what we paid for him, unless he has a good Euro 2012… I can easily see Arshavin back at Arsenal. Wenger said “he loves Arshavin as a player and person”.
Almunia? who would take him. We are stuck with him.
Park? who knows, he can’t get into a match.
Chamakh? SUCKS…. if we can sell him back to France for 3 million, I’d do it…
Denilson isn’t being bought by ANYONE… I’d be shocked if we can get him to leave, his salary is more than double what he can get anywhere else in the world.
So, the problem is, we have accumulated mediocre players and poor ones, paid them handsomely, and now can not get rid of them… I don’t know of any other team with this sort of problem… and that’s on Arsene Wenger, 100%.
@stag133,
Almunia, Hoyte and Squilacci are out of contract this summer so they are no problem. Chamakh was free so we can low ball out to a French team and Bendtner will have some sale value. Vela has increased his worth and some Spanish team will pick him up for a decent amount. Arshavin and denilson are going to be problematic but we could peddle AA to Anzi and enroll Denilson in coaching school.
just a little stat for y’all…
with 2 matches still remaining, we’ve conceded 44 goals…
that’s the 2nd most we’ve ever conceded since the Premier League started…
worst defensive record since 1994-1995 when we finished 12th in the league and conceded 49 goals.
you simply can’t win SHITE giving up that many goals…
@stag133, but you CAN still finish in a European position… ;)
@jroybower, which means what? it means nothing except to Arsene Wenger and the board, who rake in the fans ca$h with the extra matches.
fleecing the masses.
time to put some of that money into the team… which it “appears” they are finally ready to do, in order to try to keep RVP at Arsenal.
but as always, we’ll have to wait until the player is holding up the shirt, before we are sure.
Chelsea have signed Marko Marin.
Not a bad result thanks to Newcastles walloping at the hands of Wigan, Although this puts more pressure on us to move our last 2, but a point at Stoke isn’t too bad. Although, I don’t know what Wenger says in his half-time team talks, because we were all over them after they scored and yet we were flat second half. Dont understand the throwing on of Chamakh, and Diaby for Ramsey was strange seeing as Ramsey had a good game, dont remember him getting robbed off the ball and ran around lots. And the Benayoun and Rosicky combination works very well
Its still in our hands, but we need to win our last 2, and go for it in the last 2 like we went at Stoke in the first half
**** EPIC FAIL****
Last week, against a Chelsea team playing few regulars, and totally focused on the CL, we FAIL to show up, and blow a chance to take 3rd place by force.
This week… playing the 14th place team in the league…
EVERYTHING to play for…
and we play a POOR 2nd half, FAILING to even produce a good opportunity.
Wenger, in his infinite wisdom, brings on Diaby, who hasn’t played much in 2 years, Chamakh?? REALLY? who hasn’t done ANYTHING in forever, and a DEFENDER, to play wing…
leaves Ox-Cham on the bench.
I’m sorry, but this team doesn’t deserve to make the CL based on this rubbish.
Stoke had the better chances in the 2nd half… and they “came to play” today… Wenger can have no complaints, other than he FAILED, and his team FAILED.
Who knows what to expect any more.
Team needs an overhaul… too many mediocre players…. and some poor managing as well.
@stag133,
Andre Santos is hardly a defender, yes he is a LB but he could easily play LW
@George, If he is “hardly a defender”… then why is he listed as one?
@stag133,
What I mean is he is a REALLY attacking LB, probably because he’s Brazilian, and can therefore easily play LW
25 minutes to go.
1-1.
very afraid we’ll lose, let alone draw.
need a hero.
who will that be.
on the positive… I don’t even recognize “this Rosicky”… he looks like the one from Germany, that I’ve never seen play at Arsenal. Speed, tracks back, clever.
Our major problem will be defending set pieces and long throws as usual but we have been handling that better of late. The other major concern is our MF tracking back to mark the Stoke MF players who will be bursting into the box from Crouchy knock downs.
Song and Ramsey will have to be very mindful of that.
It will be a tossup as to which Arsenal team shows up so I am very tense about this one.
3 wins to the trophy, er… I mean Wenger’s imaginary trophy…
I don’t like our line-up without Theo, and I think we have to start OX to make up for Theo being out…
need that speed…
I hope we have Gervinho on the left, Ox on the right…
The players BETTER be up for this, and running hard ALL MATCH LONG, tracking back, helping out defensively for the forwards, etc.
If we play with the same lack of effort we did against Chelsea, we will NOT win the match.
RVP, needs to find his mojo again, because he’s been average for about a month… and we don’t have anyone close to filling those boots.
I’d love to see us thump this team early and often, and run up a 5-1 score (late goal by Stoke, when Kos scores another own goal!).
That is what we need, and emphatic win, to propel us towards the finish line.
@stag133, lol on the Kos own goal…..
(Also, how can they “be up for it” when they’re all overpaid fat cats,
plucked from obscurity by our over-intellectual manager, who is probably…
AT THIS VERY MOMENT….muttering something about mental strengff or
removfing the handbrake or something?…..)
@HighburyTerraceSteve, good point, because if they aren’t up for Chelsea at home, why at Stoke?
however, they are playing OK for a half.
Like last week, I’m very concerned about this match. It’s easy enough to say that the players “should” be motivated (or should be good enough) but I wonder….The player I’ll be watching early on will be Alex Song. Has his head (and ridiculous hair….) been turned by transfer talk? Can he adjust to the (equally hairy) pitch with the needed extra zip on his (simple) passes? If Ramsey is sitting back we’ll need Song to work hard to direct him and give him easy outlet passes. No lumbering fouls and early yellows (and good FKs) please (and only the occasional mazy Songaldinho runs and Cescy through-balls)…..
Up front, I’d expect Gervinho to start with Ox-Cham to come in later. Say what you will about Gervinho but I think he can offer us something of a “pressure relief” with his acceleration on the ball. The closer he gets to goal the more nervous (or out of control?) he appears, but he retains the ball at least as well as any of our would be wingers. Benayoun is probably 2nd best in this regard, although Santos might give both of them a run for their money. If we can get a lead (supremely important as the DAG suggests….) Mr. Two Saints would be a useful sub….
I will agree with Stag that defense wins trophies and we are fighting for ours. I will, however, disagree and say that our back 5 can do the job. It’s not right that they purposely shorten and narrow their pitch (hopefully the lines from their stint with the wider Europa Cup rules have faded….) but it is what it is. It will be TWaTs (towel wipe and throws….) and LBLs (long balls to Lurch, er, Crouch) all day, but the real issue is following the knockdowns to hardworking (and not bad at all) players like Etherington and Walters. Our group, I think, has the pace, talent and teamwork to carry the day, but mistakes can be costly. Hopefully Laurent (Stag-goat) Koscielny has learned when to listen to uber-confident Whoa-Check and when to ignore him and boot the crap out of the ball. If he had, we’d be (almost) as good as Liverpool, with a Carling Cup to shine…..
Enough said, big match…..