Coventry preview: all the right faces

Hello.

It's been some time since I last wrote, but exams were coming hard and fast, so forgive me this interruption.

Arsenal plays Coventry today in a rather unusual Friday game, but, from a footballing point of view, that should change little.

It seems Bendtner is back and training and is likely to feature in the starting eleven today. Arteta and Ramsey are due to return next Monday, while Vermaelen's and Rosicky's involvement remains under question. Rosicky will probably miss this game, but should be available against Southampton and Vermaelen's participation wasn't brought up.

All of this hints that we should have a full squad next week (with only Diaby and Walcott out) and it's both good and bad news. Good because our tough schedule kicks off on the 8th February against Liverpool, bad because we're unlikely to bring anyone in. Arsene keeps talking about only buying special players (Draxler?), but Schalke are hell-bent not to sell the German in January. Perhaps, we can nick Draxler in the summer, but with both Fabianski and Viviano likely to go their own ways and the whole thing with Vermaelen's future, we may have a lot to worry about in the summer. Though the manager is keen to tie the Belgian down to a new contract, the player himself may not want to do so. He's down the pecking order and with Mertescielny playing the way they do, only an injury to one of them may see him change his mind.

In a nutshell, we can have quite a busy summer, searching for a goalkeeper and a couple of centre-backs. Add the World Cup and Draxler to the mix and our task seems nigh on impossible. Anyway, as the man here says, the manager is aware of any problems (even potential) way before we are, so for now let's just concentrate on the task at hand and worry about everything else in the summer. We do have a pretty balanced squad after all, even with Walcott and Diaby out.

And the task at hand is beating Coventry. Wenger said he's keen to avoid last-year's disaster and so will take our current opposition seriously. That doesn't mean we shouldn't rotate, in my opinion. If we pulled this off against Spurs, we can certainly pull this off tonight. I expect to see Fabianski, Gibbs, Jenkinson, Oxlade-Chaberlain, Podolski and Bendtner all start. It's a bit of a gamble to rotate quite as much, but it's not like these players make the squad a lot weaker.

Gibbs is a regular starter when fit, Podolski proved he can be lethal on the left, while Bendtner is a like for like replacement for Giroud and the Frenchman can use a breather before taking on Liverpool, Bayern and United.

I also expect Gnabry to start in the light of his recent performances. He's still a long way from a finished article and it's another chance for the German to prove his worth.

There was talk from the manager he may play the Ox centrally (something that's going to happen sooner or later anyway), so Cazorla and Ozil will probably be given a rest. I don't know, whether it's wise to leave us without a true playmaker, but it's all guesswork and I may be completely wrong. Arsene can always throw a couple of surprises, he may even play as strong a squad as he can, but I don't think he will. We have a lot of players with something to prove, Coventry isn't that much of a threat, so providing these players with a chance may not seem the worst idea in the world. We shouldn't take Coventry lightly, but it's not like we are talking about playing Chamakh and Squilaci, so I'm sure that, whoever plays, they'll be fully switched on.

And finally, Arsene has also touched on the matter of Rosicky's, Mertesacker's and Sagna's contracts. He says we're close no agreeing a deal with most of them, but not all of them. I suspect Sagna is the problem here, which is a bit strange, as the manager was quite positive about the Frenchman's contract a couple of days ago, but we can only wait and hope that everything goes well. Fingers crossed here.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to watch Coventry game myself, as I'll be airborne for the duration of the match, but I'll try to give you some post-match thoughts after. If the wi-fi connection there allows it. If it doesn't, then I'll be back with a preview of our trip to the Mersyside on the 7th February.

Until later

Arsenal 2-0 Fulham: Santi keeps us at the top

Good evening.

Arsenal's splendid fashion of putting lesser teams to the sword continued yesterday with another fine win, this time over Fulham. The Cottagers has thus become the second side Arsenal took six points from over two games.

Arsene named an identical side to the one that got the job done at Villa Park. Monreal (despite all the doubts over his health) started on the left, while Rosicky was among the substitutes.

The first half was a rather uneventful one. Arsenal had one clear-cut chance in the 4th minute, when an interplay between Wilshere and Ozil allowed the latter to fire a low shot which was cleared off the line.

Fulham created a couple of decent chances, but, fortunately, our keeper was up for it. Szczesny first saved from a good Sidwell shot and then had to race Dejagah and Kacaniklic to the ball, after they have found some space.

We had the last word when Sagna's fierce shot was parried by Stekelenburg, but the game was still an even-shared one, though we dominated territory and possession.

After the restart, however, Arsenal upped the tempo just like they did against Cardiff, and it worked again. Gnabry saw his effort saved, then there was a scrap in the box as Arsenal almost got the ball into the net, but were denied by some last-ditch defending.

Fulham cracked under pressure soon enough. Cazorla cut inside from the left, Giroud and Wilshere combined and the Englishman returned the ball to Santi who smashed it home from the penalty spot. A great goal fro an in-form Spaniard.

Five minutes later, Cazorla doubled our lead. Monreal's cross fell to Santi just outside the box, he took a touch and sent a low shot flying towards the far corner past Stekelenburg.

After that, the game died down. Fulham was finished, we knew it, they knew it, so no one really tried to pull anything off.

Except Podolski. He came on for a tiring, but brilliant Gnabry and had two very presentable chances. His first effort was blocked by one of the defenders, his second was pushed onto the post by Stekelenburg.

Fulham could have nicked a consolation goal, something that could probably have sent Mertesacker into overdrive and force him to kill everyone responsible for ruining his second clean sheet in a row, but, luckily for his teammates, Bent wasted his chance, followed by Kasumi. In the end, we got the win and the clean sheet.

Our brilliant defence apart, I would like to give the props to Wilshere, Cazorla and Podolski. A run of games in his favoured position has clearly benefited Jack as he was, again, at the heart of every good Arsenal move with his trademark bursts of speed and close control of the ball. He will now give the manager a real choice headache, seeing as Arteta and Ramsey are set to return against Southampton. A situation that will, no doubt, only benefit everyone.

Cazorla seems to finally find his form, something the manager was quick to acknowledge:

"He was out for a long time at the start of the season and had some injury problems. After that he had an ankle problem and only recently, since mid-December, has he come back to his level".

His brace means he now has three goals in three games. Let's see how things progress over the course of the next couple of games, but the signs that the Spaniard is returning to his best, are encouraging.

And Podolski. When he came on, he always looked dangerous on the ball. He also put in a shift defensively, retracing his steps to help Monreal out. It's a pity the German didn't score, but at least we know he's all ready to play if the manager needs him.

And Arsene said, that's exactly, what he'll do:

"Every player who is on the bench is frustrated. But Lukas has a fantastic spirit and attitude and he showed that when he came on. He will play. He has been out for four-and-a-half months and it takes time, but he looks sharp. When he comes in he gives us something. First of all his occupies the flank well, his left foot is intelligent and dangerous. He is now physically ready".

That's another competitive player back to his best and the returns of Arteta, Ramsey, Bendtner and Vermaelen a week from now will make our bench packed with quality players.

This win ensures we stay top, though both City and Chelsea have won their respective games and we still have no margin for error. And we shouldn't, for the time being, need it. We play Coventry, Southampton and Crystal Palace in the upcoming weeks and should be looking to win all of these. Before all the hell breaks loose in mid-February. In the meantime, we can just enjoy being top.

Oh, and one last thing. I'm leaving for Maldives next Friday, so I won't be able to cover Coventry game. As for our next two Premier League fixtures, I'll do my best to find steams and watch them there. So check back often in case anything pops up.

Until later

Fulham preview: better than expected

Evening everyone.

Tomorrow Arsenal plays Fulham in yet another London derby and we should be looking (as always) to pick up the three points.

Team news, while still some way from ideal, looked way worse even yesterday. Today we can be quite certain, that both Moreal and Rosicky will be involved, the only question is, to what extent.

The fears that Monreal has broken his metatarsal were, fortunately, unfounded, while Rosicky underwent a surgery and will be able to play in a mask. This is certainly good news, seeing as Arteta, Ramsey and Vermaelen will only be available after Coventry encounter. If Monreal and Rosicky were added to that list, we would have run out of options in midfield, while Jenkinson would become out only back-up defender.

A situation we have avoided, which gives us a chance to play our most combative squad against Fulham. I think it's only reasonable for the manager to field a strong a side as possible. He'll have an opportunity to rotate in the Cup (if he feels like it) and some pictures from the training ground (involving Zelalem) show, he's considering it. Personally, I won't be surprised if guys like Jenkinson, Zelalem and Miyaichi, coupled with some seniors, who need practice (Podolski, Ox) start against Coventry.

For the time being, though, we should focus our attention on Fulham. Our home record started going up recently, with wins over Cardiff and Tottenham, so let's keep improving it. As title contenders (no one will deny it now), we have to get good results against lesser opponents, something we've been good at since the start of the season.

The only points we dropped against teams, which are now positioned considerably lower were in games against West Brom and Aston Villa. Just five points dropped. Astonishing, come to think of it.

The manager has also reiterated this result, by saying it gives us a platform to build on. If we are consistent against the bottom teams, we can then look to pull off good results against sides like Chelsea and City. It's not easy,but, as experience has taught us, it may not be necessary, should we roll over everyone else.

In other news, Arsene has talked quite a bit about contracts (his own included) and, when quizzed about the future of Sagna and Mertesacker, said that, hopefully, we'll soon have an announcement to make, regarding both players. While there was some talk back in October (I think) about renewing Mertesacker's contract, the matter of his contract wasn't as pressing as Sagna's. Now, it looks very much that we have finally found compromise with the Frenchman, which is really nice.

A right-back of his quality and consistency is hard to find, especially during the January transfer window, so it's good to hear, we're close to tying his future to the club. It's understandable, the Frenchman was weighing up his options, as it's probably his last big contract, but, at the same time, I got the feeling he wanted to stay and only waited for us to up our offer. If that's what we've done, then thumbs-up to Arsene. Sometimes you do have to pay that extra to keep a really good player and this is definitely one of these times. As for Mertesacker, well, he's no less integral to our defensive solidity, so it's another bonus. His contract still have a year and a half to run, but the sooner he signs, the better.

Apart from that, not much else going on, so I'll leave it here. Here's for a win tomorrow, so we'll head into a busy February top of the world.

Until later

Aston Villa 1-2 Arsenal: Jack in the box

It was a strange game I witnessed yesterday. Up until 75th minute, only one team was in it. Then Benteke scored and the dynamic of the match changed completely. We held on stoically, giving away only one chance in the last twenty minutes while Villa piled up the pressure and got our reward in the end.

Arsene made three changes to the side that has beaten Tottenham nine days ago: Flamini for Arteta, Ozil for Rosicky and Giroud for Walcott. The last two were pretty straightforward, but I was surprised not to see Arteta anywhere near the squad. He is our de-facto captain after all, so it's strange to leave him out just because it's an away game against a weaker opposition. He wasn't mentioned during the press-conference, so I assume the Spaniard is all right, but I still fear the worst. After this game, Arteta's injury is the last thing we need.

Arsenal started brightly enough and could have gone ahead very quickly had Giroud hit the target with his header. He missed (not from the best of positions, I must add) and we continued our quest for goals.

Though Arsenal seemed completely in control of the proceedings, Villa managed to conjure up two decent chances, first when Delph sent his shot wide, following a bad pass from Wilshere, then when Al Ahmadi fired over. The game returned to it's normal course after that.

This course saw us take the lead and then double it inside 60 seconds. On 34th minute a beautiful pass from Ozil split Villa's defence open down the left, Nacho cut the pass back for Wilshere and the Englishman's effort found the bottom corner.

Jack turned provider almost immediately. He robbed some bloke of possesion in the final third and sent a lofted through ball towards Giroud. The Frenchman controlled the pass well before smashing his shot past Guzan. It was a really neat passage of play from Olivier, but the pass leading up to it should also not be forgotten.

The second half turned out to be a most tedious affair in the beginning. Arsenal attacked half-heartedly, Villa tried to catch us on the break, only for their final pass to prevent them from doing so. Then, in the 75th minute, something that you don't get to see too often, happened, namely, Cazorla was dispossessed in the defensive half. Lowton then sent in a perfect cross, which missed everyone but Benteke at the far post. The Belgian scored his first goal in, like, a bazillion years.

Now, I may be wrong here, but it's not the first time I notice how weaker opposition, which plays like crap for the whole season, steps it up against Arsenal. Maybe playing big teams mobilises such teams, but I sure don't like it. Maybe we are seeing once again, how Arsenal never do things the easy way, but listening to how Villa, which only has one home win in the entire campaign, nearly takes two points away from possible champions is a bit disheartening.

Luckily, Arsenal held on for the remainder of the match. Benteke still has another half-chance, but his shot was straight at Szczesny. The game was, however, blighted by several nasty injures.

Apart from the first-time injury to Baker, which  saw him stretched off the pitch in an unconscious state, Arsenal have very likely lost Monreal and Rosicky and I pray that we haven't lost them for long. Monreal got kicked during his great run after Villa's goal and had to be replaced by Gibbs (who himself has only just recovered) and then that disgusting Agbonlahor bloke elbowed Rosicky. The Czech looked like he had his nose broken and was also substituted, only minutes after coming on. The manager said, he doesn't know, how severe these injures are, so let's hope for the better.

Apart from the usual talk from Arsene about two different sides to this Arsenal, erm, side and the aforementioned injures, the boss has also touched upon Jack Wilshere's match-winning performance:

"He has found his change of pace back, his game about that and his penetration because he's not only a passer but he's guy who is incisive with the ball. It's his strengths so from that you need to be at the top of your game physically".

So, Jack is back. Which is really good to hear. Now let's hope he'll be joined by Ramsey, Vermaelen, Monreal and Rosicky, though in a much more straightforward sense of the word.

Fulham is up next. Until then, enjoy the good win and a deserved place at the top

Aston Villa preview: got to be up for it

Morning everyone.

Today we play Villa away from home and should be looking to pick up the three points.

The thing Arsenal excels at this season is getting the right results against lesser opposition. We have dropped only a couple of points against such teams and this achievement catapulted us to the top.
We didn't take anyone lightly and anything for granted and showed up fully motivated for every game. Because of this attitude we have been able to succeed thus far. And we should continue in this vein, because we know all too well how every team in the league can punish mistakes and lack of concentration.

We go into this game with a relatively clean bill of health. Sure, Walcott is out for long and Bendtner is, like, three weeks away, but everyone else has a chance of at least making the bench. There are doubts over Vermaelen, Gibbs and Ramsey, but they definitely are on the fringes and, in worst-case scenario, are only a couple of days away.

Even without them, we can put out a strong squad. I think we should try and play as competitive a side as possible, given we'll have five days after the game to recuperate.

Should Ramsey and Gibbs make it, I assume they will only be used from the bench. Oxlade-Chamberlaine  is another player unlikely to start, so we'll probably see Gnabry or Rosicky on the right and Cazorla on the left. Wilshere will be, most likely, deployed alongside Arteta, seeing as Villa isn't much of a threat in the middle of the park.

Who will play on the right is the most interesting thing for me. The experienced Czech, who had a brilliant game or an exciting new talent, who had an even better game? We'll see.

It's good to know that, regardless of who starts, we'll have a strong bench. Should the aforementioned trio be given a green light, someone won't make the squad. Gnabry seems the weakest link, but he's also one of the few natural wingers we have and is clearly on top of his game right now. Another puzzle for the manager to solve and it's a puzzle of a pleasant kind.

In other words, we have more than enough to win the game and should do exactly that. With Chelsea and City winning their respective games we now sit third and have to get three points to return to the summit.

Which, I sincerely hope, we can accomplish without too much trouble.

Till tomorrow

Injury update + Arsene talks transfers and Rosicky

Evening everyone.

Our next Premier League game is still a couple of days away, but there are bits and pieces to keep us going for now.

First of all, Arsene updated us on the squad condition and it looks like we are going to be better off, than expected. Giroud and Ozil are completely fit and I expect both of them to start. Oxlade-Chamberlain is also back in contention, but, even though he played forty-five minutes with the reserve team, it's still early days for him. It's going to take some time to get back into the swing of things and he's definitely not ready to fill Theo's shoes right now.

His style of play is a bit different, he's not a finisher like Theo (at least, not yet), so it's interesting to see, what role Arsene holds for the Ox.

Whatever it is, we need to somehow step it up in terms of goals, seeing as Theo was one of our goalscoring threats (in fact, I think only Bendtner (!) has currently scored more than Walcott at Arsenal). I've seen a rather interesting suggestion of how we can solve this problem without the need to revert to external solutions.

With Walcott, our set-up was simple: on one flank we had a skilled midfielder, who drifted infield to create an overload (usually, Cazorla), on the other we had a finisher, who found space behind the defenders (Theo). Now we can keep this scheme by introducing Podolski on the left and shifting Cazorla to the right flank. The Spaniard will then be able to switch places with Ozil, while Podolski will become a genuine goal threat by making runs behind defenders' backs.

Of course, there's one flaw to this set-up right now: Podolski is our only remaining alternative to Giroud (at least, for the duration of Bendtner's injury, which should be around three weeks), thus starting both the Frenchman and the German is a bit of a gamble.

I somehow don't think we'll revert to a scheme we used earlier this season when Walcott was out, namely, playing two creative midfielders on the flanks. With Oxlade and Gnabry it will be a bit strange if we do. Both are more natural wingers, than anyone else on the team (except, maybe, Podolski), so keeping both of them on the bench will look odd. At the same time, both may not be ready to deliver on a consistent basis, due to their relative inexperience. All in all, an interesting problem for the manager to wrap his head around.

And he may do so by finding an external solution. In his interview to Goal.com, Arsene stated, that losing Walcott accelerated his desire to sign cover, as Arsenal have lost a goalscorer, first and foremost, so he'll try and find a replacement in that department. I would not rule out a winger, but, then again, I won't be surprised, if we sign nobody this January.

In other news, Wenger has revealed, that Rosicky is likely to re-sign his contract and I think it's a right decision. The Czech has been really good this season, showing he still has a lot to contribute on numerous occasions, so fair play to Thomas. I would be as happy as him, should he finish his career at Arsenal. Even more, if he does so by becoming a part of a team that finally ends this trophy drought.

Apart from that, not much else going on. As I have another exam coming up, I'll only be back on Monday with the usual preview of the game.

Until then

Walcott knackered + FA Cup draw

Hello everyone. It's been some time, but, unfortunately, exams are coming up and I have had little free time.

Results of Walcott's scan have emerged yesterday morning and, frankly, I was shocked. Theo has torn his anterior cruciate knee ligament and will spend six months out of the game. This means he won't be able to help neither Arsenal for the rest of the season, nor England during the World Cup.

It's a real shame, because Theo has been in great form lately, scoring five league inside a month. He has also shown he can be a capable central striker against teams with certain style of play.

It must also have been a shock for the Englishman himself, because he didn't look all that bad, when leaving the pitch on a stretcher. Quite the opposite, his behavior suggested he was in a very good mood and his gesture to the away fans have already become iconic.

Now we'll have to make do without Theo. There's talk already, that Wenger has instructed his scouts to search far and wide for an attacking player. I don't know, how much we can trust these reports, but with Walcott and Bendtner out they look logical. We are definitely short up front, with Podolski being the only person, apart from Giroud, who can play the lone striker role. And mind you, he may not be the best solution. His display against Cardiff was bleak, though I still hope it's down to him spending four months on the sidelines, rather than being a poor striker.

Luckily, we'll have players to fill the gap on the right-hand side. That's not to say Theo won't be missed, far from it, but I think we'll manage to cope. Gnabry revealed himself to be a genuine option with a wonderful display, while the Ox is also close to full fitness. He's started training with the main group, I gather, so he should be available for a clash against Villa.

In other news, a draw of the 4th round of the FA Cup has taken place and Arsenal will face Coventry. We've put six past them last season, so I don't think we'll have any difficulties progressing. It will also provide the manager with a chance to rotate the squad during a busy schedule. A good trade-off for playing Spurs this early in the Cup, in my opinion.

The interesting part, though, came a bit later. Our match will be held on Friday's evening, on the 24th January. It's the first time in my memory such a thing happens. This illustrates once more, that fans are just an afterthought, when arranging such events.

The broadcasting companies made it so, because it's more profitable for them this way. How about stretching a round for four days? And the fact, that many fans in England won't be able to get to the stadium in time after a full day's work worries no one.

It's not in England we live in, but I'm a bit disheartened, when I see a half-empty stadium. The atmosphere changes, the fans aren't able to support their side in a more effective way. And the fact, we'll have to wait for a kick-off after a day's work cannot also be dismissed.

It's something we'll have to put up with, though.

Until later

Arsenal 2-0 Tottenham: great job

When I saw the line-ups for this game, I was baffled. The manager promised the strongest side possible and instead we saw Mertesacker, Ozil and Podolski benched, while Gnabry and Fabianski got their first start in 4 and 9 months respectively. Vermaelen also returned to the side (at the expense of Mertesacker) which, I feared, could come back to haunt us, since Spurs got an advantage in the air. What happened over the ninety minutes that followed showed me once again, that the manager often possesses the information we don't.

The first chance of the game fell to the visitors. Eriksen stormed into the box after a lucky rebound, but was denied by Fabianski at the near post.

Arsenal responded with a flurry of chances, Walcott being our star performer as a lone striker. He first fired a shot from outside the penalty box which Lloris got down to well and then curled another effort just wide. Gnabry also had a great moment, but his shot flew inches over the bar.

Eriksen had another pop at goal, this time from a freekick, but by then Arsenal seemed in control of the situation. Cazorla swirled his effort just wide, before Walcott failed to convert his chance from a one-on-one.

We have finally broken that deadlock in the 32nd minute. Gnabry received the ball on the flank, drove forward, gathered two defenders around him and then laid the ball off for Cazorla. Cazorla, completely alone, smashed home his first-time effort with his left.

We had another moment in the dying seconds of the first half, following a freekick, but Sagna could get a proper foot to the ball.

During the break, Mertesacker replaced Vermaelen. At the time I thought the manager didn't want to take any chances with the Belgian, as he was on one yellow already. It turned out, the substitute was a forced one, as our skipper sustained a knee injury.

Tottenham piled men forward, but failed to make it pay. Or, rather, Arsenal didn't let Spurs do anything dangerous. The only moment they had was when Adebayor (who was whistled at by the home fans constantly) miskicked the ball in the box with Mertesacker stranded.

By the 60th minute Arsenal was done playing cat-and-mouse with Spurs. The warning signs were there for Tottenham, when Gnabry fed Walcott, who rounded off Lloris, but missed from a very tight angle.

Two minutes later the goal came. Rosicky robbed Rose of possession on the halfway line, ran half the pitch with the ball under his complete control, and just when it seemed that either Lloris or Walker would take the ball away, Rosicky dinked his effort over the goalkeeper. It was one of these moments when a high line of pressure paid off and I'm glad Rosicky was the one ripping the benefits.

Again, Tottenham needed to conjure up a response, but were as ineffective as earlier. Arsene took off Wilshere and Arteta to give them some rest and put Ozil and Flamini on. We nearly scored a third shortly afterwards, but Walcott's curled effort went just wide. He probably could have passed the ball on (to Cazorla, I think), but the Englishman was desperate to get a goal he thoroughly deserved.

He wasn't meant to, however. With seven minutes to go, Theo was stretched off the pitch, having caught his studs in the turf and sustaining a knee injury as a result. He left the pitch with fans chanting his name and throwing scarves to him. It was quite funny to watch him piss off Spurs fans in the process. Hope he gets well soon.

As Arsene had used up all of his substitutes by then, we were down to ten men. Spurs, hilariously, conjured up nothing with Arsenal fans singing "We only have ten men" all over the stadium and Ozil nearly stole a third in stoppage time, but his low effort was well saved.

Afterwards, Arsene said:

"The game was played at a good pace and I think we controlled quite well both sides of it: the defensive and the offensive. We always looked to have a good discipline and to be tight at the back. Every time, when our game is based on movement and quick, sharp passing, we looked dangerous".

And on Gnabry:

"I'm a strong believer in Serge, because I integrated him at the start of last season, but let's not make superstars with one game. The top level is about consistency but I believe the ingredients are there. He has to show he can turn up with these performances in every game".

All in all, it was a very good game. A lot of changes were introduced, but they didn't disrupt the fluency, while some of them were just brilliant and people will be wondering, why Gnabry wasn't involved more during the season. Something, I hope, the manager will rectify.

Now we play Aston Villa away, but it won't be until 13th January. We can now have a bit of R&R we deserve.

Until later

Tottenham preview: go for it

Evening everyone.

Tomorrow we have a game against Spurs in the FA cup and it's the last game before a bit of a break.

This means we'll be able to throw everyone forward, something that Wenger acknowledged:

“I just consider that it is our next game - we are Arsenal Football Club and we want to win the next game, that is vital for us.
"In this case I consider it a top level Premier League game, that means I have to play a team who has a chance to win a top level Premier League game."

Which is really good to hear. We've treated cup games as a chance to rest some key players in seasons past and sometimes it just didn't come off. Our exits to Blackburn and Bradford last year still hurt.

On the downside, we don't quite have a lot of players to choose from. Gibbs and Ramsey remain sidelined, while Giroud and Ozil may also fall short. Not to mention Bendtner, who is out for several weeks, though the manager cannot yet pinpoint the exact amount of time the Dane will miss.

We can still put out a pretty combative starting eleven (with Walcott up front, I hope), but the bench is going to look pretty empty, apart from a couple of defenders and Rosicky.

It's not catastrophic because it's for one game only. Giroud, Ozil, Gibbs, the Ox and maybe even Ramsey should be available for our next game. This does mean, however, that we'll have to win it with basically the starting eleven.

Another problem is that we are definitely short up front with Bendtner out and the manager may have to think about buying a striker. There were reports all over the press that Berbatov is our target (he's not, thankfully) and rumors persist about Diego Costa, but Arsene seems to view Bendtner's injury as key to his activity in the transfer market. After the Dane's outing against Cardiff, I think he deserves to be considered a genuine back-up to Giroud.

The manager has also touched on how he'd like to win the FA cup to end this trophy drought. At the start of the season, I would have said it is our most realistic chance to have a go at a trophy. Now I think it's the best, but not the only chance. We shouldn't treat the game lightly, because we may win something else, though. In a way, we are lucky to play a relatively strong team right from the start to keep our concentration levels up.

Tottenham will arrive on the back of a win at Old Trafford, so they'll be up to the challenge and can punish us for any mistakes we make. We don't have to fear them, hell no, but we should be wary.

Hope we'll win tomorrow and go into this mini-break with a draw and four straight wins to show for our effort during Boxing Day period. That's what we deserve.

Back later with a review

Arsenal 2-0 Cardiff: big Nick saves the day

Yesterday's game saw Arsenal start the new year in splendid fashion as Cardiff became the first team we've beaten twice this season. They won't be the last, I suspect.

Something like half an hour before the kick-off at the Emirates, City has won their game, so the pressure was on Arsenal to deliver and regain the top spot. The Gunners set out to do just that from the very start.

Luckily, apart from Giroud and Gibbs, we had everyone who played at Newcastle available. Monreal slotted in on the left, Arteta returned at Rosicky's expense and Podolski led Arsenal from the front.

Interestingly enough, the German was our lone striker on paper only. He constantly fell back to try and get the ball, so Walcott became our de-facto goal threat and as such he had the better share of the chances in the first 45 minutes.

To name a few, he was wrongly flagged offside, then failed to hit the target after weaving through Cardiff's defence, before driving the ball into the side netting from a Wilshere cross. Theo also missed a good opportunity, when Cazorla set him up, but Walcott's weak foot didn't do him any favours. The only other moment of danger was created by Wilshere, but his shot was blocked.

I say "only", because Arsenal dominated the Welsh side completely and could have created a lot more, had they stepped up their passing game. Cardiff had only a shot from Mutch to show at the break. I did, however, enjoy the sight of Solskaer being fed up with Tan just minutes before the break, which saw the ex-striker leave early.

After the restart, we looked a lot better. Passes became crisp and quick and Cardiff's house of cards began to crumble.

Wilshere was at the heart of everything good that came off for the Gunners and his fierce shot was the closest we came to breaking the deadlock. The Englishman fooled three defenders, stormed into the box and fired a shot, which rebounded off the post. Replays showed Marshall got a hand to the ball, otherwise it would have been in.

Moments later Wenger introduced Bendtner and Rosicky for Podolski and Flamini. The German didn't impress at all, something that is even more worrisome due a turn of events I'll mention later, while Rosicky for Flamini was clearly a statement of intent. Wenger went all in to try and win the game.

The momentum changed drastically. Walcott stopped drifting inside, instead trying to find Bendtner with crosses, while Rosicky proved a valuable asset in terms of passing and creating opportunities through the centre.

Our best moments in the following minutes were a direct result of Walcott's crosses. Both saw Mertesacker fire wide from a must-score positions. Frustration was mounting, but the story had a happy ending.

An interplay on the left resulted in a beautiful cross from Monreal, which found Sagna. The Frenchman's header was saved by Marshall, but Bendtner was on hand to smash the rebound home. The Dane didn't get a chance to celebrate, as he has sprained his ankle in the process and was immediately substituted. He limped off like a hero he was, with the stadium chanting his name.

Vermaelen came on and Walcott became our striker in the earnest. This paid off almost immediately. Szczesny's long clearance found Sagna, whose header, in its turn, found Rosicky. The Szech didn't hesitate in passing the ball to Wilshere and the Englishman's side-footed through ball found Walcott, who chipped it over the goalkeeper to seal the game. A deserved goal for Walcott and no less deserved assist for Wilshere.

Poor Cardiff were denied a consolation goal by brilliant Szczesny in the dying seconds and the Gunners returned to the summit with the final whistle.

The win was a bit blighted by Bendtner's injury, who the manager confirmed will be out for several weeks due to an ankle injury.

This loss leaves us in a pretty bad spot. While Giroud will definitely be ready for our Villa game, he may be short for the Tottenham clash, which will take place two days from now. Podolski didn't impress and it's unclear, whether it's because he was out for four months or because he just isn't suited to playing the front man.

It may also be the case, that we are not suited to having the German up front. We like to use Giroud as a springing board, as just one of the links (admittedly, one of the more important ones) in our passing game, and Podolski is just not that type of player.

It was noticeable, how much did the momentum change, when the Dane came on. And now he's out. And let's not forget he's not as good as Giroud in his all-round play.

The obvious solution is to play Walcott up front, if Giroud doesn't make it in time. The Englishman looked great, netted his fifth goal and should be of more use to us than Podolski.

We also now have to think about buying a striker, cause to have only Giroud going into such a busy period is suicidal. But it's something that clearly cannot be done right now, so we should wait until at least the Spurs game is behind us to do some business.

In the meantime, enjoy the win and the top spot in the table and I'll be back tomorrow with a preview.

Until then