Good evening.
We play Borussia today and this fixture will go a long way towards deciding just who will qualify for the play-off round.
Both teams are at their peak right now, with Borussia winning eight home games in a row and Arsenal being unbeaten in 14 away games (with only one draw), so the match will be a tight one. I do hope we'll see a more open game, than the first one, but ultimately we may not. The managers know, what's at stake and both won't be looking to press for that winner, should the scores be level late in the game. Both also have a quality midfield at their disposal, so the teams just might cancel each other out.
There was a lot of talk before the game, that we've learnt from our mistakes and I do hope, we did. Overconfidence played a huge part in our late downfall last time, in my opinion. Don't dribble near your own box, track runners and we'll be a tough team to beat. When we get the basics right, we have plenty of quality in our side to deal with anybody.
I don't expect a lot of changes to our Saturday squad. Gibbs, mercifully, is all right and Gnabry has also recovered from his ankle knock and has travelled to Germany (along with Eisfeld, it seems). Whilshere, however, remains sidelined and his participation in the upcoming fixture against United is unlikely. Flamini and Walcott should both make the trip to Old Trafford and with them back, we'll finally have a strong bench.
The one we have now, though, is also not that bad. Jenkinson and Monreal (especially) have proved themselves as capable wingers, we've all seen Gnabry's potential and even Bendther is not bad. He's a bit hit-or-miss, but when he's on his game (see Norwich), he still has enough petrol left in the tank.
So, by no means will this be a walk in the park, but that's what you get, when pinned against the Europe's finest. That's what we love football for. I see no reason, however, why we can't have all the three points for ourselves. Bayern game has been mentioned on numerous occasions already, but that's really a blueprint, a defensive masterpiece. We've added some verve to our attack since that day in March, the players we have gelled together wonderfully, some of the others reached new heights (Ramsey and Giroud, for instance), so it's not unrealistic to hope for a win. Come on, you Gunners.
In other news, we seem to have agreed new terms with Wojciech Szczesny, whose contract was on course to expire at the end of this season. If press is to be believed (ha), he has become the highest paid young goalkeeper (under thirty) in the league and now earns around 100k a week. Now, I don't care, how much he earns, as long as he puts in performances like the one against Crystal Palace on a consistent basis, which he's doing just fine. Aston Villa aside, he's been consistently brilliant, pulling off crucial saves, when we needed them most. There's been a lot of talk about players not living up to their salaries, so it's nice, when someone gets the plaudits, he deserves. Now all that's left' is to offer Rosicky and Sagna brand new contracts they have been working their socks off for this year. Come on, Arsene, just do it.
That's it, back tomorrow for a review
P.S. Seen this picture this morning, it made my day. Have a look
We play Borussia today and this fixture will go a long way towards deciding just who will qualify for the play-off round.
Both teams are at their peak right now, with Borussia winning eight home games in a row and Arsenal being unbeaten in 14 away games (with only one draw), so the match will be a tight one. I do hope we'll see a more open game, than the first one, but ultimately we may not. The managers know, what's at stake and both won't be looking to press for that winner, should the scores be level late in the game. Both also have a quality midfield at their disposal, so the teams just might cancel each other out.
There was a lot of talk before the game, that we've learnt from our mistakes and I do hope, we did. Overconfidence played a huge part in our late downfall last time, in my opinion. Don't dribble near your own box, track runners and we'll be a tough team to beat. When we get the basics right, we have plenty of quality in our side to deal with anybody.
I don't expect a lot of changes to our Saturday squad. Gibbs, mercifully, is all right and Gnabry has also recovered from his ankle knock and has travelled to Germany (along with Eisfeld, it seems). Whilshere, however, remains sidelined and his participation in the upcoming fixture against United is unlikely. Flamini and Walcott should both make the trip to Old Trafford and with them back, we'll finally have a strong bench.
The one we have now, though, is also not that bad. Jenkinson and Monreal (especially) have proved themselves as capable wingers, we've all seen Gnabry's potential and even Bendther is not bad. He's a bit hit-or-miss, but when he's on his game (see Norwich), he still has enough petrol left in the tank.
So, by no means will this be a walk in the park, but that's what you get, when pinned against the Europe's finest. That's what we love football for. I see no reason, however, why we can't have all the three points for ourselves. Bayern game has been mentioned on numerous occasions already, but that's really a blueprint, a defensive masterpiece. We've added some verve to our attack since that day in March, the players we have gelled together wonderfully, some of the others reached new heights (Ramsey and Giroud, for instance), so it's not unrealistic to hope for a win. Come on, you Gunners.
In other news, we seem to have agreed new terms with Wojciech Szczesny, whose contract was on course to expire at the end of this season. If press is to be believed (ha), he has become the highest paid young goalkeeper (under thirty) in the league and now earns around 100k a week. Now, I don't care, how much he earns, as long as he puts in performances like the one against Crystal Palace on a consistent basis, which he's doing just fine. Aston Villa aside, he's been consistently brilliant, pulling off crucial saves, when we needed them most. There's been a lot of talk about players not living up to their salaries, so it's nice, when someone gets the plaudits, he deserves. Now all that's left' is to offer Rosicky and Sagna brand new contracts they have been working their socks off for this year. Come on, Arsene, just do it.
That's it, back tomorrow for a review
P.S. Seen this picture this morning, it made my day. Have a look
