Cardiff preview: injury scare

Hello.

Tomorrow we have a game against Cardiff and things aren't looking good.

Arsene Wenger held a usual press conference today and, among other things, touched on the squad condition. While Ozil and Ramsey were expected to miss the game, this list was drastically expanded.

Giroud and Gibbs, for instance, are definitely out. Though both have short-term problems (ankle and calf respectively) their absence may prove costly.

While Giroud can be substituted by Bendtner (that's not to say the Dane will be a complete replica of the Frenchman) or even Podolski (who is another type of forward altogether), replacing Gibbs won't be quite as easy, seeing as Monreal is a doubt because of his illness.

The Spaniard is, unfortunately, not the only doubt. Vermaelen, Rosicky, Walcott and Wilshere have question marks floating over their heads too. If none of these can help us out tomorrow (and I dread the idea), we'll be down to bare bones. The squad will basically pick itself for the clash against Cardiff.

Of course Gnabry can slot in on the right, but central midfield can become a true headache for the manager, especially should Monreal prove unavailable, forcing the manager to play Flamini at full-back. This situation looks all the more depressing, considering we had an almost clean bill of health just a week ago.

We may see the effects of the Newcastle game here. I've touched a couple of times on how much of a physical challenge that was, and it was probably silly of me to expect us to come through unscathed. Not that anyone could have predicted such a down fall, but still.

On a lighter note, Cardiff wasn't all that successful for the last ten games, netting only nine points (only two of them away from home) and sitting only two places above the relegation zone. They should not be taken lightly, of course, but they won't be as tough as some of our recent opponents. If we had a better injury situation, I suspect the manager would look at this game as a chance to rest a couple of key players. As it is, he doesn't have much choice.

In his press conference, Arsene was also quizzed on whether we can expect new signings, but, though he was as elusive as ever, I got the general feeling we won't be happy customers in January. Which doesn't make much sense in light of recent events. We'll get a chance to discuss it in more detail after the Spurs game, so I'll leave it here.

Hope we get the three points tomorrow to start a New Year in a positive way.

Oh, and Happy New Year everyone

Newcastle 0-1 Arsenal: resilience

Good day to you.

Yesterday Arsenal have picked up a second straight win on the road, this time triumphing over Newcastle.

It was a game of few chances. Arsenal battled hard, but was mostly denied by a very physical and tactically astute Newcastle side. Our work rate ensured the teams were more or less equal, but it always felt (for me) like they could step up the rhythm, while we struggled to cope even with how things were.

Newcastle pressed high up the pitch, trying to deny us space and force errors, but came up short with chances of their own. We, on the other hand, always looked dangerous, when we broke through their ranks, but failed to make it pay.

In the end of the first half, Newcastle almost scored. Almost, because Szczesny was brilliant in goal. He first punched away a distance shot, then got a hand to the ball from a resulting corner.

The second half was again a scrappy affair. We looked more exhausted, being fouled all over the pitch also didn't help, especially as the ref considered we weren't.

When he finally saw Cazorla cringe in pain from a nasty foul, we scored. Walcott swung in a delicious free kick, Giroud got in-between defenders, rose up high to meet the ball and sent it home from close range. He was as happy as Podolski was in the last game.

We could have been further ahead moments later. Wilshere put Walcott through, the Englishman's shot was blocked, his header was cleared off the line and Giroud failed to get a proper foot to the ball with the goal at his mercy.

We fell back after that and soaked up the pressure for the remainder of the game. Jenkinson and Arteta came to shore things up (Arteta substituting Gibbs, something that hints at an injury) and Bendtner subbed a tiring Giroud.

The best moment for Newcastle came when Szczesny tried something fancy, but mercifully, Remy's header went wide.

Apart from that moment of madness, we coped well against a very physical Newcastle side. There were a couple of tricky loose balls in the box, but never any danger. We held on in the end.

Afterwards, Arsene said:

« It was a very intense game against a good Newcastle team. We got a big physical challenge today. Overall I felt that we were in control of the game until we scored the 1-0. We missed a second chance that would have certainly sealed the game. In the last 15 minutes we have shown another aspect of our team - resilience, fight. We threw our bodies in the box. You have seen today a technical aspect of our team that was quite good but as well a mental aspect that was needed in a game of that stature».

In other words, we have shown (once again), that we are fighters. The ability to get results, when things aren't going your way is what separates champions from everyone else. And we've shown, we can do that. Repeatedly.

The downside is that we've lost Ozil and probably Gibbs. The former will miss games against Cardiff and Spurs, while no word had been said on the latter, but I suspect, we will hear something far from ideal, regarding his health, rather soon.

So, another win under our belts, a very good defensive performance and we remain top of the league as 2013 draws to a close.

I'll be back tomorrow with Cardiff preview. In the meantime, have yourselves a good Monday

Newcastle preview: more of the same

Tomorrow we have another tricky away game to play. But if West Ham was more a test of our mental toughness, Newcastle is going to push our abilities to the limit.

True, they are no Chelsea or Liverpool, but they sit sixth and that, combined with fact that it's going to be our third game inside six days poses a challenge.

Today's results have not gone our way, as both Manchester clubs won their respective games. Because of this we now occupy the second spot and in order to return to the top we need to win. Luckily, Chelsea play Liverpool tomorrow and one of them (hopefully, both) is gonna drop points.

It's still a bit early for the usual squad update from the manager, so we'll have to more or less guess, who'll play.

It definitely won't be Ramsey who, as we know, will be out for a couple of weeks (if not more). On the bright side, we have Podolski and Wilshere back. The former has already shown he can score goals, while the latter is presented with a chance to play on a more regular basis alongside Arteta.

I got to admit, I don't like the idea of those two playing side-by-side. For some reason this relationship just hasn't worked out, making our midfield too leaky for my liking. I think we'll see a more balanced duo of Arteta and Flamini paired up for the foreseeable future. This midfield contributes a tad less to our attack, but is rock-solid when it comes to protecting our back four.

However a Wilshere-Flamini pair looks pretty good, so, should the Spaniard need a rest, I think it's a rather interesting partnership. Not that we'll have many options in that case, but still.

Speaking of which, it looks high time to me to give our lego-haired skipper a breather. He played two full matches inside four days and now is definitely not the time to risk losing the Spaniard. Ramsey is enough, thank you very much.

All of this makes me wonder, whether we need reinforcements in this department. It's something Mertesacker noted in the wake of Ramsey's injury. While the message is a bit of this and a bit of that on the whole, we definitely need to add some players in January. I've already emphasised the need for a striker, but it's hardly the only position we should strengthen.

Sagna, for example, is very likely to leave during this window. Contract talks with him have been ongoing, but with little effect. In the summer, he'll be able to leave on a Bosman, so January transfer window is realistically the last for us to get something for the Frenchman. But we have no one to substitute him with, cause Jenks isn't yet ready.

We may also have a goalkeeper case on our hands. Viviano hasn't played once and will most likely leave after his loan spell expires, Fabianski has featured only twice, so I'll be surprised if he stays beyond January.

Anyway, I got a bit carried away. Our lack of depth is obvious, but we'll have plenty of time to discuss it further, when the window is well and truly open.

Back to our tomorrow match, Arteta is not the only one, who needs a rest. Same is true for Gibbs, Ozil and maybe even Giroud. Gibbs looked lively enough during the game, so he may still have some petrol left in the tank, but Ozil and Giroud are nearing that fabled red zone, in my opinion. We have Podolski back and firing, we have a fresher Bendther, if needs must, so give the Frenchman a rest. While Cazorla is perfectly capable to play under the striker, seeing as how he is rediscovering his form.

These are the changes I do expect, although it's hard to rest your best players against such a strong side as Newcastle, so a balance needs to be found.

One thing I forgot to mention is Koscielny. Laurent will most likely return and if you ask me, should be paired with Mertesacker once more. Vermaelen wasn't bad, but he also wasn't terrific. He's also not the last guy responsible for Carlton Cole's goal, though he's not the only one.

Overall, even with Ramsey injured, we have more than enough players to get a result. He have got a result there last year, despite the circumstances being much more complicated, so no reason not to repeat this feat.

I'll leave it here. Back with a review on Monday.

Until then

West Ham 1-3 Arsenal: Poldi hauls us back to top

Evevning everyone.

We regained the top spot yesterday with a win against the Hammers and it was a very welcome win. Though our performance was far from ideal, our fighting spirit ensured we took all the three points.

The manager introduced only one new player, namely, Cazorla for Rosicky. Gibbs and Arteta played the whole match, while Ozil and Giroud came off fifteen minutes before the final whistle.

The Frenchman had another below par performance. We should have been two or three goals up by the break, only for Giroud's poor timing to prevent that. This time around he had plenty of service, but came up short. He dragged a shot wide and failed to get on the receiving end of crosses from Gibbs and Ozil.

The best chance of the half fell to Walcott, though. He was clean through with a clever pass from Ramsey, but his volleyed attempt fizzed wide.

At the other end, Szczesny dealt with everything thrown his way relatively easy. He saved from a clever freekick, prevented Nolan from scoring by closing him down quickly and was good at coming out for crosses.

After the restart, West Ham scored almost immediately. Walcott gave the ball away, Arteta's clearance found Noble, who smashed his shot straight at Szczesny. The Pole wasn't able to control it and Cole found the empty net from a rebound.

Suddenly, Arsenal looked shaken and the home side could have doubled their lead in the following ten minutes. First O'Brien headed wide from six yards and then Cole missed another good opportunity.

Arsenal tried to respond, but not much came off till the 65th minute, which marked an injury for Aaron Ramsey. He was taken off, Podolski came on and Arsenal found their rhythm.

Three minutes later, we equalised. Walcott danced through West Ham's defense and his odd left-footed shot somehow found the net, passing two defenders and Adrian's outstretched arms on its way.

Three minutes later, we were ahead. Podolski crossed the ball from the left, Tomkins failed to clear and the ball fell to Walcott, who smashed it home from close range.

Podolski could have scored himself from a one-on-one, but Adrian turned up with a wonderful save.

Eleven minutes from time, we scored again. Giroud controlled a cross well, held off two defenders and laid the ball off for the onrushing Podolski. His curled effort left Adrian with no chance.

 Overall, it wasn't our best performance ever, but what I liked most was our attitude. This attitude is what separates true champions from everyone else. Things didn't go our way, but we kept on going and got the result.

The only downside is, of course, Ramsey's injury. Arsene said, he didn't know, how serious it is, but he was quite sure the Welshman won't help for the next week or so. With Wilshere having served the last game of his suspension and Oxlade-Chamberlain on the fringes it's not that critical, but Ramsey was one of the few, who played in that deep-lying position. Now we only have Arteta, Flamini and Wilshere to fill the gap, making rotation that bit harder.

Anyway, we're back to top (with Liverpool having gone down to City), Podolski is back and firing on all cylinders, so there's plenty to be happy about.

Newcastle is up next

West Ham preview: kick on

Today we play West Ham away and it's a good opportunity to regain the top spot, while also building positive momentum ahead of a busy schedule.

Recent results haven't gone our away. But we're still in the mix for a simple reason: we've demolished lesser teams earlier this season, something that gave us a cushion, a margin for error. We've used it up now.

I've already said, that it's not that important, how we play big teams, if we roll over everyone else. And so it proved. Two points from nine could have been disastrous under different circumstances. And yet we're still second, trailing only on goal difference.

The manager will most likely rotate his squad again Sam Allardyce's side. I think, we're due to see Monreal, Flamini, Cazorla and Podolski all start.

Monreal was frequently deployed on the left in away games last season. He's also in decent form now and should give Arsene a decent choice headache ahead of every game.

Flamini can come in for Arteta. The Spaniard has confirmed ankle swelling, so, even though I don't think it'll keep him out for any period of time, giving him a chance to rest makes sense. He's played a lot of games recently, including a full match against Chelsea, so recharging his batteries (especially when the opposition allow it) won't hurt.

Cazorla for Ozil is pretty straightforward. The manager has spoken of how the German will need a break at some point and today's game can become that break. It'll also provide Cazorla with an opportunity to improve on his performances.

And Podolski. Well, he needs practice at some point and playing him instead of Giroud will give him that, while Giroud will have a chance to recoup. He hasn't done awfully well recently, maybe the strain on him as our only striker is finally telling. It's more of a mental burden, than a physical one, in my opinion.

Again, whoever plays, will give it his all, so no worries here. We should not, by any means, take West Ham lightly, but we can all draw inspiration from our last-year results, something Arsene acknowledged during his press conference. Two well-deserved, emphatic wins. And we were a rather disjointed side back then.

Should we get a win, we will, most likely top the chart. Liverpool play City away and I'll be surprised, if they manage to snatch all three points. Sure, Suarez is great, but he's just one man. City has a whole team of talented players (we've learnt it the hard way).

So here's for a win and a great performance later and I'll be back with a review as usual.

Until then

Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea: a tedious draw

Our winless run against Mourinho's side continued on Monday as the teams shared the points at the Emirates. I gotta say, I expected more from this game. Had I not supported Arsenal, I would have gone to bed at half-time. As it is, I sat there watching the game till two o'clock in the morning.

Arsene made a couple of changes to the side, that went down to City nine days prior to this encounter. Vermaelen came in for injured Koscielny, Arteta replaced Flamini, while Rosicky started on the left at the expense of Cazorla. Podolski remained an unused sub throughout.

Maybe the relentless rain played it's part, but neither team never built any kind of momentum. Chelsea sat deep and tried to catch us on the break, while Arsenal probed around, trying to find an opening. Both sides didn't succeed in their respective missions.

The best chance of the first half fell to Chelsea. Hazard (I think) played a ball over our defense, but Lampard cracked his shot against the bar. Arsenal defenders saw off the remaining threat.

The Blues had another chance, when they finally caught us on the counter, but Willian's tame effort only found Szczesny. Arsenal, meanwhile, had a shout for a penalty, after Walcott was tripped in the box, but Mike Dean pretended not to notice.

In the second half we were on top and created three good chances as a result.

In the first episode, Ramsey played a lob pass to Giroud and the Frenchman needed to hit the target with only Cech to beat. He failed, slashing his shot wide.

He was then presented with another opportunity, after a great move down the left saw Gibbs fire his low cross towards Giroud. This time, however, it was more a case of brilliant defending from Terry, rather than a poor piece of play from our striker. In the dying minutes, Sagna's shot was cleared off the line following a corner.

Chelsea was absolutely toothless in this second half. When Mourinho took off Torres to replace him with Oscar, we knew the Portuguese was content with a point.

Wenger, surprisingly, made no substitutes, which I think was a mistake. Walcott wasn't all that great, for example, and replacing him with Cazorla seemed an obvious thing to do. It just wasn't a game, in which Walcott could help us. He needs space he can exploit and Chelsea's defending provided him with none. Cazorla would have fared better in my opinion.

Another player I expected to come on (and I don't think I'm alone here) was Podolski. He could have replaced either Rosicky (who faded towards the end) or Giroud (who gave it all, but wasn't provided with enough service). I also suspect, Podolski would have buried that ball from a Ramsey pass.

Now, a word about individual performances. Firstly, Mike Dean. I think he had an atrocious game. I don't know, whether we really have won just 7% of the matches he refereed, but some of his decisions were, to say the least, controversial.

He  didn't point to the spot, when he should have done so. He also gave Chelsea's players way too much freedom, something that could have twice resulted in a serious injury for Arteta and an Ozil with a shredded cheek.

We cannot, however, put all the blame on Dean. As much as I like Giroud, he played his part in this draw. The chance he missed is what separated one point from three and he cost us two points. The manager really should consider an alternative during the transfer period or, at least, give Podolski a chance in that position.

This result leaves us with 36 points and in second place. trailing Liverpool on goal difference. Tomorrow we'll have the chance to regain the top spot, cause the Mugmashers face City, while we play West Ham. Hopefully, we will get a result this time around.

Till tomorrow, when I'll be back for a preview

Chelsea preview: break the spell

During Mourinho's first reign at the club, our record against the Blues was, to put it mildly, not very good. Out of eight games we drew four and lost four, including at least one Cup final defeat.

For the better part of three years, during which Mourinho was at the helm, Arsenal wasn't at its best. Only during 2004-2005 the Gunners fought Chelsea as equals, though went 13 (or so) points behind in the league. There was, of course, that famous 2-2 draw, when Henry scored twice, thus getting a chance to humiliate the Portuegese.

However, there was little to cheer about for the next two years. We've got beaten again and again (comprehensively, at times), which fuelled my ever-growing hatred towards the Blues. The way they dispatched of us reminded me heavily of the way United dominated the Gunners.

In 2007 the playing field levelled, as Mourinho was fired. We breathed again, going on to beat Chelsea immediately (3-1, remember?)

There were both good and not-so-good results in the follow-up, but at least we've got some wins under our belts. Last year, for example, we've come out on top 5-3 at Stamford Bridge.

And now we have to deal with the Portugese again. We've already suffered our fifth defeat in nine games, crashing out of the League cup.

Nevertheless, things seem different now. Even Wenger touched on this in his press-conference. The financial strain is lifted and we're definitely better off without it. We're genuine title contenders and not without reason.

Chelsea, on the other hand, seem in disarray. Sure, they are fighting for the top spot, but the overall feeling from their game is that of a disappointment. They're through in the Champions League, but lost to Basel twice. They're out of the League cup, having gone down to Sunderland. And I don't even want to touch on the mess, surrounding Mata and their strikers.

As of recently, we have hit something of a stumbling block. A draw and two defeats inside one week is hardly a result to be proud of. But now we have a chance to put things right and get back on track. Big time.

A win over Chelsea will serve the purpose of shutting up the critics, while also providing us with a handy boost ahead of a busy schedule. Getting through such a tough run of games successfully partially depends on the momentum we build. In other words, it's easier to forget about the tired legs if we win games consistently.

In terms of the squad, we have Koscielny and Wilshere out, but Podolski is back. I've already discussed, where and when the German can come in, while also giving my thoughts on possible stand-ins for Wilshere and Koscielny.

The midfield is the area, that interests me most. I think, our experimental axis of Flamini and Ramsey isn't up to scratch, so I'd pair up Arteta with the Frenchman. We lacked the Spaniard's cool head and metronomic passing against City, while dropping Flamini can prove costly defensively. He went off at 4-2 and our defense basically fell apart. We cannot allow such a dip against Chelsea. They have quality enough to hurt us.

As for the flanks, I'm again hard-pressed to tell, who'll play. I won't even exclude Rosicky. He can set the right tempo to our play, so he's definitely an option.

I think, Walcott will start, following a great performance against City. Besides, he enjoys to score against Chelsea more than anyone else on the team. As he occupies the right flank, it will probably mean a bench-start for Ramsey.

Anyway, all this is a nice problem for Arsene to wrap his head around. Whoever he plays is going to give his all, so no worries here.

Whoever he drops, though, it definitely won't be Ozil. The manager touched on how he will have to rest the German at some point, knowing he's used to a winter break. But he stressed this won't happen against Chelsea.

Anyway, we have enough quality in our side and everything to play for today. The weekend results see us sitting third in the table, a win will see us top the league one more.

So let's get a win

Wilshere out for two games, Podolski is back + Wenger on AVB

Hello everyone.

Preparation for our top-of-league clash with Chelsea is in full swing and some pieces of the puzzle start to fall in place.

Wilshere, for example, will miss both the game against the Blues and the trip to Upton Park. Frankly, I'm not fond of this particular decision by the FA panel (whatever its name is). While Wilshere`s behavior was unprofessional and deserved to be punished it's not like it's worth two-match ban. Maybe the panel is setting a new standard and we're just unlucky to become the first victims, but the worry is, naturally, that it's just a one-off decision.

Luis Suarez did a similar stunt two years ago in a match against Fulham. He was suspended for one game. MacManaman`s foul on Haidara (which forced the FA to create this panel in the first place) was worth a three-match ban. Do you want to say that snapping a man's leg in two is only slightly worse, than showing the away fans the finger?

Anyway, we'll have to live without Jack for now. It's unlikely, he would start on Monday, following his uninspired performance against City, but, you know, the more players we have ahead of a busy schedule, the merrier.

On the bright side, Podolski  will definitely make the squad two days from now. I even think, he may start, cause Cazorla wasn't at his best as of late. Wenger says, the German is more than capable to contribute by bringing goals into this side, so I'm looking forward to watching Giroud flanked by Walcott on the right and Podolski on the left. Two finishers plus the Frenchman is a mouthwatering prospect.

Of course, I won't be too much surprised should Poldi start the game on the bench. He may be that alternative to Giroud, we've been seeking, so the manager might only use him as direct back-up to the Frenchman. Before the German tore his hamstring to pieces, he twice played the lone striker role. Even last year most of the goals he scored came from a central zone, when he drifted inside to find space. But Poldi`s delivery from the left was, at times, invaluable.

Nevertheless, I, for one, am surprised, that we didn't see the German deployed up front more often during this last season. True, he plays on the left in the national team, but his escapades in Bundesliga proved him a goalscoring machine. It's a mystery to me, why the manager didn't use the German international in his more natural position. Maybe now is the time to reconsider this decision. Chelsea game will shed more light on the matter.

In other team news, we are unlikely to see either Oxlade or Koscielny. The former is probably still finding his form (no word on him from Arsene, anyway), while the latter has received ten stiches as a result of his collision with Negredo. Both the deep gash in the Frenchman`s knee and the number of stiches hinted at a long time on the sidelines but, mercifully, Koscielny will most likely return for our next away against. Which is good to hear. In the meantime, Vermaelen finally has a chance to prove himself. His last two outings were marked with two defeats, let's hope he'll turn it around on Monday night. Not that a result is riding on his performance alone, just an observation.

Meanwhile, the manager had spoken about Andre Villas-Boas sacking. Truth be told, he sounded as surprised as I felt.

The Spurs suffered two heavy defeats, but in-between they've won two away games and drew with United at home. Is it really that bad a result?

I don't even want to think, what's going on in their camp. A lot of words were said about their transfer policy and how not all of the players were hand-picked by the manager and rather by Levi and Baldini. There may something in this, I don't know.

The clear bit, is that the team is going from one extreme to the other in terms of results. Some say all the good results last year came from Bale's presence and this season we see what Tottenham is really worth.

At moments like these, I feel genuinely happy that Wenger is the only guy responsible for choosing, who to buy and who to sell. He has a vision of what he wants to achieve, he has the means to implement this vision without being hampered by the board or the chairman. Two sides to each coin, eh?

I'll leave it at that. Back on Monday with a review

Manchester City 6-3 Arsenal: not this time

As I was watching the game unfold, I felt strange numbness. Detachment. I cannot recall, when was the last time I felt this way.

Two years ago, we took a beating from United. Our half-baked squad full of youngsters suffered a heavy defeat, which prompted Wenger to buy Mertesacker and Arteta on the last day of the transfer window.

I turned that game off when Arsenal went 3-0 down after approximately 20 minutes. My mind could not take much more. I felt enraged and upset beyond comprehension.

This time around, I ploughed on, though I knew there was no getting back from 3-1. Walcott`s second after a period of heavy pressure sparked some hope in me, but Silva turned the clock back almost immediately. His goal proved to be that turning point, after which the Gunners basically gave up.

Well, not completely. One of the positives we can take from this game is our fighting spirit. We kept going even after conceding the fifth, something that resulted in a good goal.

Our defensive work, coupled with individual errors, however, left us well beaten by a good City side. It's just unbelievable how every our mistake was punished time and again. We knew before the game, City is a threat going forward, but their ruthless efficiency surprised even me. From seven shots on goal, six went in.

We lacked this kind of efficiency. While our defensive display was, frankly, horrendous, our attack made this game very open indeed.

After we've conceded the third, we've thrown a lot of men forward, which resulted in a quite fascinating period of complete control over the situation. The reason it took us ten minutes to score is simple: Giroud.

Now, before I say anything else, I gotta confess I love the Frenchman. He's become integral to how we play and his desire and overall work-rate is fantastic. But he has a couple of, erm, downsides, that weren't that noticeable (or were, at least, forgivable), while he was bagging goals. Those qualities (or, rather, lack of thereof) were thrown into the light at the Etihad.

Firstly, he cannot create opportunities out of nothing. He needs good service, needs someone to create these moments for him, so he could just finish them off.

However, it's his second trait, that everyone became acutely aware of on Saturday. Giroud is not clinical. He needs several chances to score at least once.

Our period of maddening pressure saw the Frenchman spurn at least three moments. Moments a more clinical striker would have put away with his eyes closed. That's why we need an alternative to Giroud, someone who can offer us an outlet of another sort. A technical kind of guy.

A target we should also pursue during the January transfer window is a central defender. One of the numerous things, that went wrong during the match, was Koscielny`s knee. The Frenchman suffered a deep cut, so we now have only two fit centre-backs. Sagna`s possible departure can make things complicated further still, forcing us to look for a right-back, among other things. I've already said I think Jenks isn't ready for regular first-team action. And he probably won't be for the next couple of seasons.

A few more words about individual performances. First, well done Walcott. Easily our best performer on the day, the Englishman scored two great goals after his first start in two months and was on course for a hat-trick, only to be denied by Pantilimon. Hope Theo carries on in that vein from now on.

And the linesman. Well, three offsides, which were actually onside tell you pretty much everything you want to know about this ref. He was either bought or struck with a sudden and acute mental illness. Either way, he should start looking for a new job.

So, what now? We recuperate. The game didn't go our way for several reasons, but it looks much more of a coincidence, than a rule. Another thing I failed to mention, was how exhausted the players looked. At some point, Whilshere lost the ball in midfield, fell in the process and was physically unable to get up.

We now have nine days before the hell breaks loose and we should use this time to maximum benefit. Analyse the mistakes we made, ensure we will never make them again and move on. The result wasn't all good and shiny, but, as I've said, it's more of an occurrence.

And finally for today, we drew Bayern Munich in the last sixteen in the Champions League. Well, well. Payback time. We'll have a chance to discuss it in greater detail as the week progresses. In the meantime, don't feel too down.

We're still top of the league, after all

Manchester City preview: bounce back

This year we've shown incredible character. Our midweek loss was the fifth loss in all competitions. Four times now Arsenal have showcased their ability to overcome  a defeat and move on.

Lose to Villa, go on to set a new away record. Lose to Borussia, beat them at their turf. Lose to Chelsea, defeat Liverpool straight away. Lose to United, go on to win the next four games, which saw us widen the gap on the Skunk Dutch and Co to thirteen points.

Pretty neat, isn't it? And now we face another test, the sternest of all. City away. Over the course of the season, they have demonstrated just how hard it is to escape Etihad unscathed. Only Bayern have won there, all of the others were demolished. Mercilessly.

Statistics confirm City's superiority at home. 29 goals scored, 2 conceded. The best team in the league, if we judge them based on these stats. Oh, and City also have the highest conversion rate, not just at home. 20.6% of their shots ended up in the back of the net.

Should we fear them? I don't think so. If we look at this stats-wise (again), Arsenal has the best away record in the league (not for nothing, also), having scored 14 and conceded just 5. Their conversion rate, at 18.9% is second only to City.

Before the game, Arsene said when he looks at his side, he doesn't envy City. And he's right. When everyone's available, our squad looks intimidating fro just any team. We've got rid of all the slack and now reap the benefits. Everyone's focused, everyone does his utmost, because he knows there's someone on the bench, who'll gladly take the opportunity, if provided with one.

Speaking of squad, Podolski and Sagna seem back in contention. The manager was elusive on both guys, saying Podolski is still a bit short and Sagna needs a late test, but both will definitely be available for the next game. So why am I telling you this?

Because both can actually be available today. There were reports of Sagna making the trip and "a bit short" for Podolski might mean "a bit short to start". So I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Should Sagna start, I fancy Walcott will, too. Knowing the Englishman's love to drift inside and leave the flank exposed, I think the manager didn't risk it, as he had Jenkinson on the right. The young man needed that extra level of protection. He wasn't rock solid even then, but he could have been much worse without any help.

I also think it may be time to drop Cazorla, if Sagna starts. The Spaniard is off the pace, so a sharp shock to his system may benefit him, the way it benefited Szczesny. I'm not particularly happy to say that, because I love the Spaniard, but the team should come first.

Unfortunately, all of this is riding on the assumption, that Sagna will play. If he doesn't, chances are we'll see exactly the same side that drew with Everton. But even then there is one change, that may benefit us.

I'm talking about Mikel Arteta. He's another player, that seems out of his depth right now. Our captain was overrun by Barkley a week ago and wasn't exactly our best performer on Wednesday. Maybe it's just the effect of playing too many games, but I think a Ramsey-Flamini duo will look fresher. More capable of setting the right rhythm to the game. And stopping Toure.

The stage is set. Now we need to perform. So here's for the three points later today.

Come on you Gunners

Napoli 2-0 Arsenal: could have been worse

Let's get the positive stuff out of the way first: we have qualified. This nightmarish group is well and truly behind us and we can focus on the league for the next couple of months.

I feel genuine pity for Napoli. They have won this game as comprehensively as we have won the first. The Italians will go out, perhaps setting a record by not qualifying with twelve points. No one will say, they take the fall without a fight, though.

And now the bad stuff. First and foremost, we blew our chance to make things relatively easy by topping the group. In the cold light of day (though the sun hasn't risen here yet), I think we can consider ourselves lucky for not being in the Europa League this morning. We were a whisker away from a complete failure.

And yet I cannot force myself to celebrate. We had everything under control before the game. A draw would have sufficed. It was pretty obvious a managerless Marseille would lose, though the manner, in which they went down, gives you the thought that Borussia had to work hard to get the much needed result. Had they drawn, they would have been out.

This group was always going to be tough, we all knew it. Fine margins (like not scoring that second goal in Dortmund) saw us finish second. And I've already said about Napoli and how unlucky they were.

Arsenal should have been in for a win yesterday. Must have been in for a win. After all the talk from the manager and the players, who would have had it any other way? Napoli`s cause seemed a lost one before the match even started.

Yet it proved much more alive from the first minute to the last. The only decent chance we had came during the first forty-five minutes, when Giroud`s effort was saved, and one of us failed to punch in the rebound.

But apart from that, nothing. Zip. There were two changes to the side, that drew with Everton, with Flamini coming in for Ramsey to help our defenders out and Rosicky subbing Wilshere, presumably to set a frenetic rhythm to both our attack and our defense.

Can we say the changes didn't work? I don't think so. Our game never really clicked from an attacking point of view, though it was a defensive masterclass in the first half. I would like to single out Mertescielny as the most solid defensive pair we've had in, like, ten years. They won duels, intercepted passes, tackled well and were above and beyond.

Napoli had two half-chances, one of them created by Szczesny. Thankfully, we were still level at the break.

In the second half, the Italians stepped it up. Not much came off, until the 73rd minute, that is. We, however, created even less. Nothing at all, to be precise.

Then Napoli scored. Higuain received the ball with his back to the goal, turned on the spot and sent a low shot into the bottom corner.

Monreal and Ramsey made their grand entrance to help a crumbling Arsenal side hold on. They didn't, however, affect our attacking game, which continued to be non-existent.

We looked better organised from that point on, but Arteta was sent off shortly after the double substitution, breathing a new life into the home side. I got to say, the decision to show Arteta a red card (as a result of two yellows) was harsh. The foul that earned him that second yellow wasn't as bad as the Napoli player made it look.

Arsenal looked to be walking on thin ice and in the dying seconds we were caught out again. A cross came in from the left and Callejon chipped Szczesny with his first-time shot. Mercifully, the whistle blew as soon as Arsenal kicked off.

I gotta say, I'm worried. It's not about the result, it's more about the performance. I don't think I've seen a worse performance this season. Villa and Chelsea were not great, but they were not THAT bad. Both teams have caught us on the break, when we were pushing for an equaliser. We dominated possession and territory in these matches and though our attacking threat was nullified, we still had some chances.

I don't want to name names, but Jenkinson doesn't look ready for regular first team action. Is it a coincidence, that all three goals, we've conceded in the last two games came from his flank? Would Sagna have fared better? I think the answer to the first one is «no», while fir the second it is a definite «yes».

Before the game, I said we need to learn to cope without the Frenchman. I even said, the manager must have his reasons for not offering Sagna a new contract. Now I've seen the alternative. Right now, we need Bac. We look fragile without him. If needs must, buy another experienced right-back. Johnson, Richards, Arbeloa, whoever. Personally, I think we should accept whatever conditions the Frenchman wants. He's integral to this team. Hold on to him for a couple of years. Let Jenks develop. Or, at least, buy a ready product.

Also, a couple of words about Giroud. He battled hard, but was provided with little service. Unfortunately, he's not the kind of forward, who can create chances out of thin air, so he wasn't much help. This is, I think, another matter that needs to be addressed during the transfer window. We need a different kind of striker, an alternative in playstyle.

So, what now? Borussia`s win means we finish second and will have to play one of the big boys in February. And all of them look frightening. PSG, Bayern Munich, Atletico, Barca and Real Madrid. We made our own luck, so here you go. Another super-tough encounter. How many times do we need to be punished to finally learn the lesson?

Napoli preview: under control

Hello.

Today I'd like to start with one thing, that seemed to go unnoticed, amidst all the analysis, following our clash with Everton: the FA Cup draw. Arsenal will host Spurs and it will happen on January 4th. A cursory glance at history books tells us the Gunners last faced Tottenham in 2001. I have not even supported Arsenal back then, so I can tell you next to nothing about that game.

What I can tell, however, is that this draw is a hard one, as it rounds off the busy New Year schedule. We play on January 1st in the league and three days later comes this cup game. Not pretty. But we can forget all about it for now and focus on something much more important.

Which is our return fixture in Naples one day from now. I suspect the team is already there, but no news have come in yet. Arsene said post-Everton there were no injures, so let's hope it stayed that way.

Something I also hope for, is a possible return of Sagna or Podolski (or both). They weren't ready to play three days ago, but they may be now. Which leaves only the Ox and Diaby sidelined, with the former having a chance to face City.

We've been building towards the clean bill of health for almost four months, so it's nice to know, we can have everyone up and running ahead of the tough schedule. The returns of Podolski and Oxlade are particularly welcome, cause the former provides us with an alternative to Giroud, while the latter offers some more direct play on the flanks. Tippy-tappy is great, but no alternative to it is not. Our passing game doesn't always come off, you know.

I suspect the manager will introduce some changes tomorrow, cause he must also keep one eye on our weekend game. City play today, having already qualified, so they will be in a better physical shape. They will also play in front of their fans. All in all, it may well prove a sterner test, than the one the Toffees provided us with.

The decision to rotate is now nowhere near as complicated, as it was even a year ago. All the stand-ins will give no less than a hundred percent, knowing the guys waiting in the wings will grab their chance with both hands, should someone perform even slightly below par. Competition can be exciting, isn't it?

I think that, whoever plays, we need to try and replicate our first performance against Napoli, one of the most (if not the most) accomplished our game this far. We overwhelmed them with chances, scored two goals, and then kept the Italians at arm's length for the remainder of the match. Should we pull it off, the first spot is ours.

But if we don't reach this kind of level, we know we can grind out results. Bottom line, I don't envisage us losing the game by a three-goal margin. It just doesn't fit the description of this group of players.

There will surely be more news later today and tomorrow, so I may write again. However, in case I don't, I'll be back with a review come Thursday.

Come on you Gunners and until later the rest of you

Arsenal 1-1 Everton: a fair point

Yesterday we (partially) failed to capitalize on City`s and Chelsea`s results by dropping points against Everton. However, it's turned out to be a most entertaining game, so I almost don't mind the two teams sharing points.

Arsene made five changes to the side, that has beaten Hull, with Gibbs, Arteta, Whilshere, Cazorla and Giroud all being named in the starting eleven. Bendtner dropped to the bench at Gnabry`s expense.

The first forty minutes were unlike anything I've seen this season. The Toffes dominated possession by approximately 70:30 and broke down all our moves early. They failed to create anything of real danger, though, with Lukaku completely invisible due to hard work from Mertescielny.

Five minutes from the whistle Arsenal sparked into life. Giroud saw one of his attempts flagged offside and another blocked by Howard. Ramsey suffered a similar fate from a clever return pass by the Frenchman.

The break seemed the least welcome thing at that point, as we were, for the first time in this game, completely on top, with the home fans roaring the team on.

After the break, however, we picked up from where we left off and had opportunities to score. First Howard saved from a tame header by Cazorla, then Ramsey`s brilliant volley was palmed away.

Everton responded by a great Mirallas shot, which Szczesny got a big hand to and then Barkley blasted the ball under the bar, only for the Pole to intervene again. The game was now at full swing, with chances being created at both ends in rapid succession.

Sensing lack of freshness in the side, Wenger (for the first time in my memory) made a triple change. Flamini, Rosicky and Walcott came on for Ramsey, Wilshere and Cazorla.

This breathed a new life into us and Flamini nearly broke the deadlock, only for his shot to drift just wide of the far post. And then we scored.

Rosicky produced an absolutely gorgeous diagonal pass on Walcott and the Englishman nodded the ball across the goal. Onrushing Giroud was held back, but Ozil was on hand to smash it home from close range.

As the goal came in the 80th minute and I was getting increasingly desperate, I think even my neighbors a couple of floors up heard me expressing my delight. It wasn't to last, sadly.

Four minutes later, Everton broke and their cross from the left was only barely missed by Lukaku`s overhead kick. This kick, however, got in the way of Koscielny`s clearance, so a substitute, Deulofeu, seized control of the ball, rounded off Gibbs and smashed his shot high into the net.

Everton smelled blood and could have gone ahead twice in the next five minutes, courtesy of Lukaku. The Belgian first robbed Arteta of possession, only to fire wide and then was kept out by a brilliant sliding tackle from Szczesny.

Arsenal conjured up a response of their own. Flamini swung his leg wide, when he could have done better (though the circumstances were far from ideal) and then a clever interplay saw us win a corner. A clearance followed, but Giroud picked the ball up outside the box and let fly from approximately 25 yards. With the keeper stranded, he only needed to hit the target, but his effort hit the angle of the post and the bar and rebounded off into play. The final whistle came seconds after that.

Overall, a point apiece seemed about right. Both teams could have won it, so I'll take the point and move on.

I didn't much like individual performances, though. The fighting spirit is there all right, so we managed to get a draw and could even have won it, but some players need to step it up.

Ramsey is tired, but we need to find other outlets, when he's not in bang form. Arteta was a bit under the weather, Wilshere was fleeting in and out, but it's Cazorla, who gets me worried. His passing was once again off, his clever flicks and tricks didn't come off and I think he needs to shoot more often. Luckily, he now have Ozil to share this creative burden.

So overall, an entertaining match, not the worst result and hey, we've even increased our lead to five points. Not bad at all.

Napoli up next

Everton preview: make it seven

Evening everyone.

In a few hours time, Everton comes to town to try and take points from a big club fro the second time inside four days. Which, I hope, they'll be unable to accomplish.

Both City and Chelsea dropped points yesterday (ha!) so a win will elevate us seven points above the second place. Which means even if we lose to BOTH Chelsea and City in upcoming games, we'll stay top. Not that I think we have any intention of dropping points in these matches. It's merely to demonstrate, how good the start of our season is.

In terms of team news, we are without Sagna and will be without him for at least one more game. Far from ideal, but either way we cannot expect him to play every single minute in every single game. The fact, that his contract situation is not getting any better, is not helping too. It looks like the Frenchman's last season with us (which is both sad and wrong), but the reality is, we need to learn to cope without him. I still think, Jenks isn't ready for such a weight of responsibility, but I've heard some talk of us being interested in Johnson. Don't know, how much truth there is to this rumour. The way Sagna has been playing this season needs to be rewarded with a new deal, in my opinion, but the manager may have a different opinion, based on his own observations. Still, I'll hope for the better. For the Frenchman staying, that is.

Apart from Sagna, everyone else is available. Giroud should come back into the side after his midweek rest and Arsene has a pretty good dilemma, choosing between Monreal and Gibbs at left-back. Apart from that, I fancy an Arteta-Flamini partnership in central midfield to counter the threat of Lukaku and Co. This way, the Spaniard will provide cover for Mertesacker and Koscielny, while Mathieu will patrol the flanks to help our full-backs.

The manager has once again warned the players of the dangers, this Everton side poses, but I don't think the players need that. There seems to be a maturity to this group of footballers I have already talked about, so we won't take anyone lightly. Everton may have a good recent record (five clean sheets in six games), but we've already showed, what we can do to teams with low good defences. Let's pull this trick off once again.

Elsewhere, Arsene seems to be on the brink of signing a tree-year contract extension, which can see him become second-highest manager in the Premier League. The sum is rumoured to be around £8 million a year. What is interesting, is that the man himself doesn't want to sign until next year. I remember him saying, he will first see Arsenal through to the knockout stages of the Champions League, so, should everything go well, Arsene will put his signature on the dotted line in four days time. Fingers crossed.

Not much else happening, but you can have a read on how Ozil has adapted to his life in London and also, what the manager thinks about Bendtner. It's well worth your time.

Here's for the (seventh straight home) win later and I'll be back tomorrow with a review

Until then

Arsenal 2-0 Hull: this is getting too easy

Good morning.

Yesterday we've demonstrated once again, why we are genuine title contenders. We played a weaker (on paper) side, but our concentration level didn't drop. The manager made five changes, but they didn't affect the fluidity of our performance. I thought Bendtner up front was a ridiculous decision, but it wasn't. All in all, another accomplished performance. Oh, and a clean sheet.

I thought of giving you a full rundown, as usual, but our domination was so utter and complete, that I decided, I should only focus on the most important events.

As I've already said, Arsene introduced five new faces. Jenkinson, Monreal, Flamini, Rosicky and Bendtner came in for Sagna, Gibbs, Arteta, Wilshere and Giroud. And within two minutes we were ahead.

Ramsey played a pass to Jenkinson, whose cross was met with a thumping header from Bendtner. It was the Dane`s first goal for Arsenal since 2011.

The fact, that we have scored inside 120 seconds didn't cool us down and Bendtner could have doubled the lead, following a corner, but his touch was to heavy. Ramsey, meanwhile, tried a distance shot and nearly pulled it off, only for McGregor to parry his effort. Ozil had a chance of his own, but nodded wide from a Bendtner cross.

Before Hull registered an attempt, we had already registered eleven. Their chance, however, was nearly put away by Sagbo, but, mercifully, failed to get his head to the ball. Huddleston then sent in a low cross, which was met by no one.

Inside two minutes of the second half, we scored again. A brilliant move down the left saw Monreal keep the ball in play, round off the defender and pass to Ozil. The German found Ramsey, whose slick return pass split Hull`s defense open and Ozil calmly put his chance away. Bendtner then had another chance from a corner, but his effort was cleared off the line.

After that, we fell back and allowed Hull to seize possession of the ball. They didn't come up with much, though. Livermore fired right at Szczesny, when he could have done better, and Bothroyd`s header sailed wide.

In the latter stages, Whilshere and Arteta came on to shore things up, but weren't overly troubled in their mission. Walcott also made a cameo as a central striker, but didn't impress.

Overall, a convincing performance and a deserved win. This is what the manager had to say after the match:

"We had a good night because we had a good control of the game. We had some great technical quality and keep a clean sheet. We rotated quite a bit as well. We couldn't take all the chances we created but overall it was a very convincing performance".

And on playing Bendtner:

"Look, [it is a gamble] if a guy has not played for a long time, and his last performance was not convincing against Chelsea, but he has worked hard in training and deserved a chance".

He also went on to say, that Walcott didn't train much during the week and I suspect it's the real reason for starting the Dane. However, I, personally, am glad for him. I always thought there is a good striker in him somewhere and were it not for his behavior, things could have played out differently for him at Arsenal. Maybe he still has a chance, I don't know. He's young, his relationship with Wenger may not be beyond repair and he definitely has talent. I guess we'll see, what happens to him, when the transfer window is finally upon us.

This win looks very important in retrospect. City, Chelsea and Liverpool had all won, so we are still four points clear. In an unexpected twist, Everton has beaten United at Old Trafford, so the Merseyside team is also in the mix.

Now we play Everton at home and then Napoli and City away. The chance to rotate was used well, let's hope we have enough petrol left in the tank to grind out positive results.

Until later

Hull preview: last chance

Morning everyone.

Tonight we have another one of those midweek games, but it's the last one (at least for the next couple of weeks), when the manager can loosen his grip on the squad.

That's not to say we are to take the opposition lightly. Before the game, Arsene spoke of warning signs:

"We are lucky at the moment, we get good warnings. We had a good warning before we went to Cardiff, and we have another good warning from Hull's performance against Liverpool".

Hull is clearly a capable side, but given we are title contenders, we should be able to cope with those challenges. I always thought it's not hugely important to win every game against a big team like Chelsea or United (though the latter is getting smaller by the minute), as long as you beat lesser opposition on a regular basis. Sure, you cannot drop points against your direct rivals in every game, but a slip up or two won't hurt that much, if we won five games in a row before finally dropping points.

This year, there's no messing around. Whether we play home or away, the attitude is the same. The fact we are playing against Liverpool, Borussia or Cardiff doesn't influence our approach. We seem to take every opponent seriously, which saw us smash lesser teams to pieces, deliver convincing performances against equals and even scrape out results against sides that (at the moment of playing them, at least) looked slightly better. And that, in my opinion, is how things should be done, if we want to go the distance this season.

Back to Hull, however, and we have a freshly injured player in Sagna. The manager said, the knock is only a light one, so fingers crossed, he's not just playing it down, so as to escape the ensuing panic.

And panic is the right word, cause, however hard-working and honest Jenkinson is, he is not ready to play on a consistent basis just yet. And we have a lot of crucial fixtures up next, so keeping Sagna fit should top our priority list, at least for tonight.

The same should apply to Giroud, Ramsey and probably Ozil. They've played a lot of minutes recently, so a little breather can't hurt. All three are integral to our set-up, to lose them now would be a massive blow. This game is a last chance to rest them, something Arsene said he'll do. Flamini for Ramsey, Rosicky for Ozil and Walcott for Giroud seem obvious choices. We'll have to adjust our style of play to fit Walcott's qualities, which are quite different to those of Giroud, but we have to tackle this problem sooner or later anyway, because the Frenchman is only a human being, of blood, flesh and all that, so we can't possibly expect him to play every game. We should consider spending some money on someone like Djeko, whose play style is similar to Giroud's, so as not to find ourselves in a difficult spot, when the Frenchman is rested.

Speaking of money-spending, there already are various reports, linking us with every player on planet Earth. I try my best to not spoon-feed you this crap (honestly, the transfer window is closed, what transfers can we accomplish right now?), but even the manager has to withstand the press attacks. Arsene was quizzed on a possible move for Morata or Pato, but his response was as negative, as it was short. We are not in on them.

However, he also mentioned, we may not buy a striker at all. A bit surprising, given our current situation, but the manager's confidence was probably boosted by Walcott's return, Podolski's comeback (he may feature next week already) and Sanogo's, erm, existence. We may have forgotten about the Frenchman, but Arsene clearly hasn't. I still think, he's (Yaya, that is) not ready to play at this level, but our manager may know something we don't.

That's basically it for today. Here's for the three points later on and I'll be back tomorrow with a review.

Until then

Cardiff 0-3 Arsenal: surgical precision

Before the game, some doubts about our abilities were afloat. Even yours truly had his misgivings. A resilient Cardiff side, which is capable of demonstrating quality football, especially at home. A team, that has robbed both Manchester clubs from points (and deservedly so). Fresh from the fight against United.

In another corner, Arsenal. Much better playing this season, a side that had successfully passed several tests, yet a more exhausted group of players. Players who dug deep to get a crucial result against Marseille in midweek. This fixture looked a tough one for both sides.

But it wasn't. During the whole game, Arsenal were never really in trouble. A half-chance in the first half and a brilliant save from Szczesny in the second were the only times Cardiff came close to scoring.

Wenger made several changes to the team, that delivered a convincing performance on Tuesday. Gibbs substituted Monreal, Cazorla came for Rosicky. Flamini dropped to the bench, presumably because of all the riff-raff about the sleeves.

Wilshere could have scored right away, but his shot hit the bar, with the keeper stranded.

Arsenal dominated possession and territory and, though we didn't create much, it was obvious the players were following instructions. Which told them to be on top of the game no matter what.

There was a moment of scare when Mertesacket limped off, emphasised by the fact that Cardiff went close to opening the scoring. First Campbell headed wide, then Mutch failed to get a proper foot to the ball, following a well-delivered free-kick.

Upon Mertesacker's return, Arsenal drove forward once again. Giroud nearly broke the deadlock, but was (rightly) flagged offside. The linesman noticed what the referee didn't, and namely Ozil's touch from a Wilshere pass. We were cranking up the pressure, and it told in a couple of minutes.

There was some close-quarters exchange far away from Cardiff's goal, but Ozil put a stop to that. His lofted through ball found Ramsey, who nodded the ball home in a  beautiful move. It looked oh so easy, when in fact it was anything but. The quality of Ramsey's finish can only be matched by the quality of Ozil's pass. Top-notch, in other words. Ramsey didn't celebrate the goal out of respect for his former club.

In the second half Arsenal changed their approach, clearly because they were told to do so during the break. We allowed Cardiff to snatch possession of the ball and sat back to observe and try to hit them on the break.

The Welsh side took the ball gladly, but were only able to come up with one good chance and a couple of distance shots. We, meanwhile, bid our time.

Not long before the final whistle Flamini came on and made his mark almost immediately.

Arsenal caught Cardiff on the counter-attack, Ozil put Flamini in the clear and the Frenchman smashed the ball under the bar to make it 2-0 in the 86th minute.

Six minutes later we scored again. Another lightning-quick attack saw Walcott (another sub) set up Ramsey, the Welshman disposed of the defender and grabbed his second goal of the game. Again, he didn't celebrate. Which was duly acknowledged by Cardiff fans, who applauded Ramsey's brace.

We nearly made it 4-0 in the dying seconds, but Walcott didn't act quickly enough, when presented with a chance.

After the game, Arsene commented on the result and the performance:

" I'm very pleased because we had a good performance. Of course we scored three goals but, not only offensively, I think defensively we were quite sound as well. Our defenders had a very good game. Overall the concentration level in the team was very, very good. That was needed because we knew Cardiff can punish you in set-pieces with their strengths in the challenges and their drive with the crowd behind them. We had a mature performance and a focused one".

Personally, I liked the two very different, yet very effective Arsenal set-ups, which we saw either side of half-time. It was clear the players had their instructions, but how we put these into practice is a completely different story.

And on the title race:

" Let's go a few more games. It's still a bit early for me but what is good for us is that we can show consistency and that's always a very good sign for a team. Every win makes you a bit stronger. If we can take care of the concentration level and the desire to improve then we will have a good".

Which is completely understandable. We have four important games inside two weeks. Hull will test our ability to get results twice a week on a consistent basis, especially ahead of a busy schedule in late December, while Napoli, Everton, City and Chelsea will push us all the way. Should we get positive results in those games, no one will convince me, we are not genuine title and Champions League contenders.

In fact, no one is able to do so even now.

Until later

Cardiff preview: go for it

Hello.

In a few hours time Arsenal will face Cardiff at their turf in what seems to be a tough fixture.

The Welsh side currently occupy fifteenth position in the table, but I don't think they can be underestimated. After all, they've beaten City to grab their first win of the campaign and went on to, quite fairly, draw United. If they turn up with a right attitude, it'll be a dangerous team to be up against.

Then again, we are also no pushovers. We've garnered 25 points from the last 10 league games, with the only defeat against a shabby United side. Not bad at all.

What is more, our defense is no longer leaky and error-prone. The thing has been mentioned numerous times already, but the league points were dropped because we were unable to conjure anything up front, rather than our because of our inclination to shoot ourselves in the foot.

Having a keeper in bang form also helps. Though our defensive abilities have been polished to almost a perfect state, it's just plain impossible to deprive the opposition (however bad they play) from all chances to score. And that's where Szscesny comes in. Just look at the importance and timing of the saves he pulled off even this week (against Southampton and Marseille) and we cannot hope for more. In an interesting twist, the Pole's outing against Marseiile happened to be his 125th game for the club and his 50th clean sheet. It's not quite every second of his games is a clean sheet, but it's impressive nonetheless. You can delve into the history of Arsenal's best goalkeepers to get some context.

Back to Cardiff, however. We have no new injures (thank God) and even Gibbs back. He's missed out due to some illness, but the important thing is, that he's back in contention. That probably means Kieran will start and Monreal will replace Gnabry on the bench. It's a bit of a shame we didn't see see more of the German, but I guess it's still early days for him. The signs of him becoming a good footballer are there, he was tied down to a new contract, so I expect to see more of him in a year or two. But not just yet, it seems.

However, I won't be too surprised, should Monreal start the game. He's played well against Marseille, his cameos as basically a left winger throughout the season were solid and his first goal for Arsenal was scored against a Welsh side, though it wasn't Cardiff.

All in all, Wenger will have his hands full, trying to figure out, whom to start and whom to bench, but it's better than having guys like Chamakh or Arshavin as the only real alternatives. It's even better, than having a bunch of kids (however promising) in reserve.

The midfield is the most crowded area right now, so I can't even bother to guess, who'll play where. It's Giroud up front and probably a Flamini-Arteta duo at the base, but that's about it. I may even be mistaken about Flamini. Or Arteta.

So, plenty of quality in this side to do the job. If we get a win, our lead at the top will extend to 7 points, seeing as how almost every one of our rivals plays tomorrow (some of them play against each other, which is very satisfying). But we are in a position, where we can afford to only care about how we play. Beautiful, isn't it?

Here's for the win today and I wish you all a very happy weekend. Until later

Arsenal 2-0 Marseille: almost through

Hi everyone.

Our fine form continued on Tuesday with yet another emphatic win. Though it never felt like Marseille were in the game, I do wonder, idly, how much of this was our work. It was another complete defensive performance from Arsenal, this time coupled with a scintillating attacking display.

Three changes were introduced to the side that have scraped out a result against Southampton: Monreal for Gibbs, Flamini for Arteta and Rosicky for Cazorla. Gibbs was, according to the reports "unwell", so Nacho was named in the starting line-up. It remains to be seen to what extent, if any, the Englishman will be used against Cardiff, but we have a capable and willing replacement in Monreal.

As for the other two, I think Cazorla is still finding his feet, but in a game like this it was important to set the tempo right from the start, so Rosicky seemed an obvious choice. As for Arteta, I think the Spaniard just needed a rest. He's played a lot of minutes recently and, as we have a slew of important games coming up in the next couple of weeks, our skipper was consigned to only a late cameo.

These changes, however, didn't affect the fluidity of our game, and within 30 seconds Arsenal were ahead. Sagna spotted Whilshere making a run down the right flank and played a through ball. Whilshere got himself into the box, sidestepped the defender and curled a beautiful shot into the far corner. Such a fine piece of play from Jack reminded me of Messi. Hard to pull off, yet beautiful and seemingly easy.

After that, Arsenal took full control of the situation. We could have doubled our lead easily by the end of the first half, first when Mandanda saved Ramsey's low shot, and then through a penalty.

Ramsey fooled the defender on the edge of the box, was bundled over and the ref pointed to the spot. Ozil took the kick, but his unimpressive effort was parried away by Mandanda. I didn't like the look of Ozil getting ready to take the penalty right from the start and when he stopped in front of the ball it was crystal clear to me that he wouldn't score. Unfortunately, I was right.

This didn't affect our confidence, as we continued pouring men forward right up to the second goal, which came in the 65th minute. In all that time, Marseille created only one half-chance, but Gignac's poor close-quarters control ensured the chance was wasted.

In the 65th minute we scored. Giroud held the play up on the flank, Ramsey found Ozil in the box and the German fired a low cross across the goal. Whilshere was on the receiving end of it and sent the ball home cooly to mark his first brace for Arsenal.

After that, we fell back, satisfied with an honest day's work, which could have backfired, had Szczesny not been our goalkeeper. Thauvin, who came on as a second-half substitute, found some space in the box, but his shot was partially saved by the Pole, to then be cleared off the line by Monreal. Minutes later, Thauvin nearly avenged this, but Szczesny got a big hand to his goalbound effort to stop it from going in.

We had the final say in this game however, as first Cazorla and then Walcott fired wide when they really should have done better. Their wastefulness didn't affect the points we got, they got some match sharpness (something they came on to do),so end of story.

Incredibly, this win didn't ensure our  qualification, as Borussia has beaten Napoli 3:1. The goal difference is such, however, that only a loss by a three-goal margin or greater can see us kiss the knockout stages goodbye, so basically, we are almost through.

What makes the situation even more incredible, is that all other English teams have qualified with a game to spare. Chelsea will play in the last sixteen despite having only nine points and losing to Basel twice, United (with eleven points) will go through from the first place and City, with twelve points, can fight for the first place, while being miles ahead of the third.

Anyway, I don't think we'll go Naples to just avoid a defeat, we'll want to keep our momentum going in-between important league fixtures but, you know, anything can happen. Let's just ensure it won't happen to us.

Until later

Marseille preview: in control

Hello.

Tonight we take on Merseille in the Champions League and a win, coupled with Borussia dropping points will see us qualify. It's hard to tell, what the odds of Borussia losing points are, but they definitely have a more complex task at their hands, than we do.

Marseille is sitting at the bottom of this group having acquired a grand total of zero points, but that doesn't mean we should underestimate them. They have lost only one game by more than a goal margin at the final whistle, so they are no pushovers. Marseille can consider themselves quite unlucky, in fact (and rightly so), because under different circumstances they would have been fighting for qualifying from the group. A harsh draw ensured they'll go out, but no one can say, that they did so without a fight.

At this level, basically any team can punish you for becoming complacent. Wenger and Cazorla are both right, when they warn their teammates against taking the opposition lightly. In order to achieve a necessary result we should give our all. Marseille have nothing to lose and this makes them dangerous. They are a quality side, after all, so it's not like they can't hurt us. We shouldn't fool ourselves by thinking that just turning up for the game will do the trick.

But I don't think we will. Wenger and Co are right, when they point out our defensive maturity. We know we can beat literally anyone, when we are on our game, but it's the other component, which has been missing for years, that now seems to be there. Namely, what we do, when our game doesn't click. Over the last couple of seasons, too many points have been lost, when we found ourselves unable to find our usual rhythm. Now, however, we retrace our steps, defend in an organised and disciplined way and just wait for our chance to come along. When we cannot win a game, we set out not to lose it. And it works. Time and again.  Sometimes we do not win, but the number of times we have lost a game, while adopting this style of play, since Bayern encounter is minimal.

I see no reason though, why we shouldn't click tonight. We have a strong starting XI, a packed bench and no one out from our Saturday game. With Flamini back, Bendtner will be our weakest link in this squad. And he's not that bad.

I expect the Frenchman to start the game alongside Arteta (who is, mercifully, all right), with probably Ramsey out wide. It's not that obvious, though, cause Whilshere had a very good game. And let's not forget about Walcott, who's much more of a flank player than Ramsey, Whilshere or even Cazorla.  A selection headache for Arsene, but of a pleasant sort, for a change.

So here's for the three points later today and, should results go our way, qualification from this nightmarish group.

Back tomorrow (Thursday, at most) with a review. Until then

Arsenal 2-0 Southampton: some more good stuff

Hi.

On Saturday we have increased our lead to four points in total, after having beaten Southampton in a convincing fashion. It turned out to be a game of few chances, but the difference between the sides was the number of individual errors. Southampton made several, while we made none, hence the final result.

For the first time in several months, our lack of squad depth was barely noticeable. Mertesacker and Rosicky overcame the effects of the flu, Whilshere was all right, despite some reports to the contrary and Walcott made his long-awaited comeback, though only as a sub. Which is understandable, given how long he was out. The only absentee (apart from long-termers) was Flamini, who missed out due to amassing five yellow cards.

The first half saw us start brightly, taking matters into our hands right from the start. We dominated possession and territory and should have been 2-0 up by the 20th minute.

First Whilshere hit the post with a chip from a narrow angle and several minutes later Ramsey`s beautiful backheel shot rebounded of the same post.

The goal would come from a surprising mistake by Boruc. The Pole failed to clear his lines in time, instead trying to dribble his way around Giroud. The Frenchman took it in his stride, deprived Boruc of the ball and poked it into the empty net. While the goalkeeper`s mistake was silly and completely avoidable, thumbs up to Giroud, who forced that error. He's always willing to press the goalkeeper and sometimes it pays.

Southampton now needed to come forward in order to savour something from this game, and they did so enthusiastically. Twice the Saints went close to scoring and both times they were denied by brilliant Szczesny. Lallana and Rodriguez tested our keeper in turns, but Wojciech was equal to it. Great stuff from our newly-signed goalie.

In the second half, the game basically died down. Southampton poked and probed, but were held at arm's length by a disciplined Arsenal side. The Gunners, meanwhile, sat back, content to let then come at us. Whether we didn't quite find our rhythm, defended our slender lead or saved the energy for the midweek fixture is unclear, but we never looked even remotely troubled by the Saints attempts to equalise. Szczesny dealt brilliantly with the little work thrown his way, dominating his area and easily parrying a couple of distance shots.

In the 82nd minute we sealed the game. Rosicky swung in a corner, Mertesacker was held back and the ref pointed to the spot. Both Arteta and Ozil were substituted by then, so Giroud stepped up and grabbed his second. By then, though, it was truly game over.

After the game, Arsene said:

"I am convinced that after a break like that, the character is tested. Can you win when you have to in a season like that, straightaway again after a big defeat [to Manchester United]? That was really at stake for us".

Once again, we showed our character. Our game didn't click the way it's supposed to, yet we've got all the three points in a convincing way. Szczesny had a big contribution to make, but the team as a whole dug deep and helped the Pole on his way to another clean sheet. We tried not to concede and take the few chances we had and pulled it off. Again. Gotta love it.

Though City and Chelsea had won (the former beating Tottenham to a pulp), a draw in the Merseyside derby ensured we increase our gap from the second-placed Liverpool.

The only worry is Arteta. We was substituted in the latter stages after suffering a knock of some kind, so fingers crossed it's nothing serious.

Enjoy the win and I'll be back tomorrow with Marseille preview.

Southampton preview: back on track

Morning everyone.

Real football returns tomorrow, as the main surprise of the season visits the Emirates. Southampton sit in third place and trail us by only three points after eleven games. It's the kind of opposition that is dangerous to underestimate, especially as their relative success is not coincidental. They have beaten Liverpool and drawn United away from home so anything less than full concentration can see us drop a couple of points.

Thankfully, we have Walcott back in contention, for the first time in two months. He can offer something different to our usual set up, because of his willingness to make runs behind defenders and to generally play a more straightforward game. He's not another flippy-flappy, tippy-tappy midfielder, seeking an opportunity for a perfect pass. He's more goal-driven and for me he's basically a second striker, more valuable for his finishing skills, than for his passing game.

Theo may even provide a genuine alternative for Giroud. Again, his style of play is different to that of the Frenchman, but didn't we bemoan exactly that in several games? So it's definitely good, that he's back. Theo is still more likely to be deployed on the right, but his qualities won't just disappear because of it. Bottom line is, we'll just be able to rotate our midfielders because of Walcott's return.

As for the others injured, things aren't looking that good. The closest to full fitness is Podolski, but he's still the weeks away. The Ox, a month. Diaby, well, never.

Even with these out, we are still much better off than, say, a month ago. Arsene will finally be able to adequately fill both the starting eleven and the bench and this time there will be some genuine options on it. Someone that really can impact how the game unfolds. God we need this transfer window now, before anyone else is injured.

This is a game we can and must take three points from, though. We have the players, we play at home and we need a response to the United defeat. It's a pity we couldn't get one straight away, but where would the fun be in that?

In other news, Gibbs and Szczesny spoke up during this tedious Interlull. The Englishman talked about our (quite obvious) defensive improvement, saying that the whole team takes their respective defensive duties seriously. He also mentioned a high defensive line we adopt in order to retake possession of the ball immediately after losing it. Great, great, but nothing groundbreaking.

The Pole meanwhile, said we will able to challenge for the title even without new additions. While we do need to boost at least our striker options, Szczesny has a point.

He's talking about the spirit inside the team, rather than our transfers. Our mentality of winners, if I may. For the last year or so, our team really looks like a team, fighting for each other, grinding out results in unfavourable circumstances. There one thing, though. Comebacks. We rarely come from behind to win games. Though I hate United, but even last year the best indicator of their strength was the number of comebacks they have pulled off. We need to try and match it, if we want to be successful.

Not sure there'll be a post tomorrow, but check back, in case something pops up.

Until later

Szczesny signs on; the Ox remains sidelined; Bendtner wants to join Real

Hello everyone. It's been quite some time, but not much was happening, to be honest. In a few days time this last Interlull will be behind us and we'll be able to get down to real business.

For now, however, we'll have to contend with whatever bits and pieces the press feeds us. Not exactly the most reliable source, but still, it's something. Better than nothing, I guess. Probably.

The most interesting bit, is that we've signed Szczesny. There were some worrisome reports of the two parties not being to reach a consensus due to the Poles`s salary claims. As I understand, Arsenal have given in and offered Wojciech what he wanted. Which is good, no doubt about it.

Our policy of penny-pinching has become notorious down the years, with Walcott becoming the first player to earn a hundred grand a week. Now Szczesny joins him. I'm not sure, how much we pay Ozil, but it's good to see we can tie down our key players by meeting their demands.

And make no mistake, Szczesny is one of our key players right now. There was a lot of scepticism surrounding Walcott`s new contract, especially as his form dipped right after he put his signature on the dotted line, but Szczesny seems worthy of this kind of money.

Sure, he's young (23, can you believe it?), he still has a lot to learn, but the signs are encouraging. Last season Wojciech became complacent mid-way through the campaign and found himself benched in favour of Fabianski. Fabianski, fresh from injury, who got his first bit of competitive football in a year against Bayern, at Allianz Arena. It sent out a message.

Szczesny grasped the meaning of that message and, as soon as his older counterpart sustained yet another injury, stepped up, gunned and ready. He became an indispensable part of our machine during the run-in, made a string of important saves that bagged us the points and, generally, was near impeccable.

Wojciech carried this fine form into the new season, restricting Fabianski`s playing time to a couple of CoC appearances and making Viviano a third-choice keeper. One of my acquaintances lamented this fact, rightly pointing out at how good Viviano was last season, when playing for Fiorentina. It gives you a clear picture just how good our Number 1 is right now.

Wojciech became focused, goal-driven, yet kept that attitude of his that makes him likeable a person. So we definitely did the right thing by acknowledging his form and paying him top dollar to maintain his services.

In other news, Oxlade-Chamberlain suffered a setback and, though he was due back in mid-November, he will now make a return in 2014.

This leaves us in a bad spot. Walcott is back, but Podolski is not, so we only have the Englishman and Gnabry as natural wide players. This inability to stretch the opposition's defence was clearly visible against United, so I think we need to address this matter in January. Another flank player won't hurt, especially taking Podolski's injury record and Gnabry's inexperience into account.

And to end it all on a lighter note, Bendtner tipped himself for a move to either Real Madrid or Barcelona. His humility is really quite fascinating. What a guy.

I'll leave at that. Until later

Manchester United 1-0 Arsenal: not great, but not critical

So, yesterday our fine away run came to an end after we've suffered a defeat at Old Trafford. Ferguson or no Ferguson, this place is cursed.

It was especially painful to lose the way we did, conceding the only goal from a set-piece, the Dutch Skunk converting his lone chance. But first things first.

Right before the whistle it became obvious, that Rosicky and Mertesacker will have no part to play in this game. Both fell prey to sickness of some kind. Arteta and Gnabry were also affected, but both were in the squad.

On the bright side, Whilshere and Flamini recovered from an ankle knock and a groin injury respectively, with the latter starting the game alongside Arteta. Vermaelen, meanwhile, filled in at centre-back.

The opening minutes saw the hosts in control, only to be denied time and again by our organized defense with Vermaelen putting in a lot of effort and not in vain. We would see just one shot on target from United before the 27th minute.

On this minute, Vermaelen would clear the ball for a corner after a dangerous run from van Persie. Rooney crossed the ball, the Dutch Skunk out-jumped Ramsey and headed the ball into the top corner. 1-0.

This changed the dynamic of the match. United stopped coming forward, content to give us the ball and let us come at them. However, we would only have one half-chance before the whistle, which saw Giroud head over from a cross.

A change was needed, and badly, but once again out bench lacked real options. This matter really needs to be addressed during the transfer window. It has already cost us points.

In the second half, Arsenal became more fluid. Ramsey`s shot was blocked, Gibbs had an effort saved and Ozil drove the ball into the side-netting. In an effort to save the game, Whilshere, Bendtner and Gnabry were introduced and our best chance came from the German.

He received a great pass down the right, cut the ball back for Giroud, but Jones was there to mop up. In the dying seconds, Bendtner failed to connect with cross, which would have snatched us a point.

United weren't completely listless during the second forty-five minutes. They had two chances of their own, first when a lucky deflection almost helped Rooney to make it 2-0 and the second when Smalling failed to get a proper head to van Persie's cross from a free-kick. But the overall feeling was that we dropped at least a point.

Arsene was understandably disappointed after the game, saying:

"It's disappointing to lose the game the way we lost it. I felt that we were a bit nervous at the start of the game and didn't play our game against a team of Manchester who was nervous, a bit insecure and we gave them a little bit of comfort by making the mistake at the first set-piece - or the second. After that we lost too many balls and we rushed our game in the first half. In the second half when we played our game we played in one half and they counter-attacked a few times but we didn't find the opportunity to equalise. We had the opportunities but we missed always a few inches to push the ball in the net and they were well focused to defend and defend and then try to catch us on the break - that happened once or twice in the game. Overall it's disappointing to lose the game like that because I think we had the opportunity at least to get a draw out of this game".

Well, he summed it up pretty nicely, but a couple of things are worth mentioning.

First of all, I think the team wasn't able to deliver because of simple exhaustion,  both physical and mental. We played a lot of games, had to grind out results and that comes at a cost. We were just unable to find our game, but thumbs up for the performance all the same. We kept going till the very end, never gave up despite the hard going and basically, dug deep.

Secondly, Ozil. His performance was poor, but the level of criticism heading his way is insulting. He's still a young man and, whatever you think, just can't be awesome in every game. Like everyone else, he can feel unwell, tired or just not in the right mood. He has already done a lot for the team, will undoubtedly do so much more, so getting harsh on him after a bad performance is just stupid.

And one last thing. I know I've already said quite a lot on the subject, but the problem was crystal clear yesterday: lack of squad depth. We know we have a great squad, when everyone's fit, but it's never the case, especially at Arsenal. Not much we can do about this situation right now, but when the time comes, we should not just sit on our bottoms and wait for a perfect footballer. We're suffering from player shortage already and I shudder to think, what it can lead to in, say, March, if we're still fighting on three fronts by then.

As the last (mercifully) Interlull is kicking into high gear, there will be less news, so I don't know, when I'll write next. Check back every new and again, though, in case anything pops up. And don't feel too down about this defeat. After all, we are still top of the league.

Until later

United preview: make it grand

Hello everyone.

Tomorrow we visit Old Trafford and for the first time in years we may be the favorites.

Ferguson's teams are usually hell-bent on beating us at their place just because it's, well, us. They were a cut above Arsenal last year, smashed us to pieces two years ago and, basically, I cannot recall when was the last time we won there. Probably in 2002.

Now, however, the landscape has changed. United is going through all sorts of problems following Ferguson's departure and I think it's the best time to capitalize on it. We're are on a strong run, have beaten two tough teams inside four days and our level of confidence is soaring to new heights all the time. So I say, go for it.

Sure, United has recovered a bit from their atrocious start in the league winning two games a row, but in no way do they seem invincible, and a blunder against Sociedad proves that. They still are finding their game, they are prone to defensive errors and we can make life very difficult for them.

Our run, on the other hand, is no luck or coincidence. Arsenal have become formidable opponents, especially away from home. 14 wins and a draw is as good as it gets. Our team finally functions as a whole, Arsene can now implement his freeflowing brand of football, eh, freely, knowing our defense will provide a decent base to build his team on.  And the number of technical players in our is enough for that aggressive attacking style to work.

Before the Liverpool game if someone had offered me six points from three games, I would have taken them. Today, there is a very real possibility to bag nine. Who would have thought it likely?

It terms of team selection, we have Flamini and maybe Whilshere back. The former is fully available, while the latter will face a late test. There is also a flip side, with Podolski facing another month out of action. Pity, but we seem to cope without him.

No word on Walcott and this may be both good and bad. The bad side is obvious: he won't make in time face United. The good side is, he WILL make it, but the manager is just keeping his comeback under wraps.

If it's the latter scenario, it'll be grand. We'll have another finisher on our hands, who have become much more clinical in the last 18 months. He will be a direct goal threat, much like Giroud.

Theo will also provide an outlet on the right, allowing players like Ozil and Cazorla to exploit his pace. In other words, we'll get ourselves a formidable weapon with his return.

Should Flamini, Whilshere and Walcott all return (and I know it's a long shot), our bench will finally start to resemble that of the league leaders. It's been somewhat discomforting to look at our options in the last couple games, realising we have no one to boost attack with in case something wrong. It was especially the case against Borussia, when things seemed to go not in our favor, to see Akpom and Hayden as our only midfield options.

Our midfield area is stretched to the limit, but not because we have few players there. It's because all our wingers are out injured and this problem looks more acute to me than our need for a striker. First thing we should do, when the transfer window re-opens in January, is buy ourselves a wide player. And then a striker. And offer a goddamn contract to Sagna. I don't care, if he wants to become the highest-paid right-back ever. Just do it.

That's it for today, back later (on Monday, most likely) with a review. In the meantime, have yourselves an enjoyable weekend.