Arsenal 1-1 Manchester City: a point gained or two points dropped?

Before this game, despite my positive attitude, I was nervous as hell. City were on a good run, we were losing points left and right and the level of our recent performances left a great deal to be desired. Besides, you are always gonna have a hard time fighting top teams with half your squad out. What I saw on the pitch surprised me.

Arsene made one change to the side, replacing Oxlade-Chamberlain with Podolski. It were the Citizens, however, who dominated the first half. Sabaleta wasted a chance after going clean through, Garcia shot just wide and then Silva scored. He had a bit of luck with the goal, though. Podolski lost the ball upfield, City broke, Dzeko was left all to himself and his shot cannoned off the post. Silva happened to be in the way of the rebound and the ball rolled in.

It was a blow, but hardly a surprise. City were by far the better side and their goal, however much of an accident it looked, came on the back of a dominant opening period.

We tried to muster a response and, to our credit, I can't say City had clear-cut chances to extend their lead during the first half. We were unable to make it count, as our only opportunities boiled down to a distance effort from Giroud and a penalty shout when Rosicky was tripped in the box. Looked a penalty to me, but Dean had other ideas. Oh, there was also a goal from Flamini, rightly disallowed for offside.

Arsenal stepped the tempo up in the second half and scored almost immediately after the restart. Giroud held the ball up on the left, worked it back into midfield, a short interchange led to a low cross from Podolski and Flamini was on hand to send the ball home. His celebration was even better than the goal itself and it was the least the Frenchman deserved after a hard week.

Spurned on by the equaliser and urged on by the home crowd (I've never heard anything close to such support) Arsenal could have gone ahead just minutes later. Podolski found himself on the end of a great move, but his goalbound effort hit Hart's heel on the way in and deflected for a corner.

Cazorla then went close to putting us ahead, but Hart saved with his legs.

Smelling blood, Arsene threw Oxlade and Sanogo on (for Podolski and Giroud respectively) and these two nearly nicked a winner in the dying moments, only for the Englishman's overhead kick to be blocked by one of the defenders.

For all this effort City only had a good cross and a distance Fernandinho shot to show. In the end, the game ended with teams level, which was probably a fair result. Arsenal looked the better team in the second half, but our inability to conjure up more chances was what made the difference.

This is what Arsene said on the result:

"We were a bit nervy at the start, insecure in our attitude by our last two results. But when even we when we were 1-0 down you could see the team was ready for a fight and we controlled the second half, we controlled the first 20 minutes and overall in the first half maybe they had another chance, in the second half we had a second chance. We could have won it in the second half but overall it was a game of quality between two good teams and the game was played with a great spirit on both sides".

This basically sums it up. Poor in the opening minutes, clawed our way back before the half-time whistle and could have won it in the second half. We didn't, which means our title bid is effectively over, but the main thing about this game was to show our grit and restore our pride and we did just that. Well done everyone, now we get a week to get ready for the clash against Everton and maybe get back some of the walking wounded. We're gonna need them.

Until later

Manchester City preview: more about pride

Hello everyone.

Today we take on Manchester City and it's not going to be easy, both because they are in good form and we are not.

Had we beaten Swansea on Tuesday, I would have been a bit more confident, but as City has torn United to pieces, I'd still be worried as hell.

When your top scorer is injured and second best out of form you think the team would have trouble scoring, but City had none. Djeko came on, scored twice, Toure compounded the misery and, wham, United is on their knees. They've been playing like crap all season, sure, but derby is always special and teams do their best to step it up on these occasions. United, however, were left with no chance.

The other thing, that worries me going into the game is our short bench, coupled with a slew of exhausted players. It's hard to see, where rotation can come in, though. I'd like to see Kallstrom alongside Arteta, but that's more down to Flamini looking knackered, while the Swede is full of energy. He may inject a bit of pace to our midfield and will probably complement Rosicky well. Arsene had recently talked up Swede's qualities, so the later may become that trick up our sleeve.

Other than that, any changes will basically be a gamble. Podolski is effective up front, but he's also inconsistent and shies away from his defensive duties at times, something Wenger cannot overlook, especially after saying our successful defensive performance is the cornerstone on which our whole performance should be built.

More than anything, the game is about professional pride and this is another factor that should motivate the players. While a draw against Swansea was a step-up in terms performance, we really should have done better in the end. Yes, it's hard to fight with six key players out (I'm not counting Diaby in), but Swansea is no Liverpool or Chelsea. The reason we've topped the table for so long is simple: we got the points against lesser teams on a consistent basis. After picking up just two points in games with United, Stoke and Swansea we can no longer claim we demolish teams, that are positioned below us. Had we won these (like we really should have) we would still be top of the mill. Not by much, yes, but top.

As it stands, our title chances are almost gone. I say almost, because in case we beat City today, we will stand a chance. The manager rightly noticed that top teams will play each other and thus drop points, so a win today and we are in the mix again.

So let's try and get a win.

Arsenal 2-2 Swansea: dropped points

I rarely feel bad about a draw. Down the years I've learnt there's only so much separating a draw from a loss, so, almost every time we drew, I waved it aside and concentrated on the following game. Wasn't always easy, but you get the idea.

Moreover, under the circumstances a draw was, probably, the most predictable outcome. An exhausted Arsenal, that only days before was put to the sword, was  unlikely to get three points, especially taken into account how we've played this year in the immediate aftermath of a footballing beating. Yet dropping the points the way we did was frustrating beyond belief.

Arsene made only one change to the side that went down to the Blues, Flamini replacing Podolski. Bellerin appeared  on the bench in place of an injured Koscielny.

Arsenal started the game on the front foot, but, apart from lots of possession and a couple of wayward shots from the Ox, didn't look threatening.

When Swansea scored the opener, it was completely against the run of play, however. A simple cross from the left coupled with a moment of brilliance from Boni and suddenly we were chasing the game.

Lots more of possession ensued, but little came off. Mert's effort hit the side netting, before Cazorla weaved through Swansea's defence only to see his shot well-saved. At half-time we still trailed, unable to break down an organised Swansea defence.

In the second half we looked only marginally better. Around the 60th minute Podolski replaced Oxlade-Chamberlain in an attempt to avoid a sure defeat. Before that, Rosicky's shot in frustration was the only thing we've conjured up.

In the 73rd minute, Arsenal suddenly exploded. Gibbs did brilliantly to get behind the opposition's full-back, cut the ball back and Podolski was there to poke it home.

Less than sixty seconds later the German turned provider. Someone (Rosicky?) won a crunching header in the centre of the park, Podolski raced down the flank and sent in a (perfect) low cross in Giroud's direction. The Frenchman smashed the ball under the bar to put Arsenal ahead.

After that, we dropped back to try and get the points we've been working so hard for. Kallstrom made his debut to shore things up in midfield and Sanogo replaced a knackered Giroud.

However, Arsenal didn't look a fortress we so successfully imitated in the North London derby. Whether it was Koscielny's absence, the overall level of physical and mental exhaustion or a combination of both, our defence never looked rock-solid.

Thus, when a late equaliser came, I wasn't surprised. Frustrated, angry, disappointed, but not surprised. Sure, the goal (an own goal by Flamini) was an accident, pure and simple, but the fact it happened because of a breach in our defence was no accident. The Frenchman was devastated by the slip-up, but, in the end, it was a collective mistake and Mathieu was just unlucky to have been standing where he was.

After the game Arsene said:

"The result is very disappointing but the spirit we put in and the effort we put in was great and we have to take it on the chin. We made the most difficult [part] by coming back to 2-1 and after that you could see that maybe we were too focused to keep the result and maybe too conservative because of confidence level had been affected certainly by Saturday. We just wanted to win the game without pushing anymore forward and a mistake happened unfortunately and it created a result we didn't want. But overall I have to give credit to the fighting spirit and the desire we put into that game".

He then treaded the familiar territory of a top-four finish:

"Everton won, so we have to focus and prepare well for the next game. It will be open until the end but you can still have surprises as well. Man City had a good result tonight, they look a bit unstoppable. They are favourites as they have two games in hand, them and Chelsea are favourites now for the title".

But the most depressing bit came later, when our manager touched on the injured players:

"None of them are close to coming back. Koscielny is out for a while. After that Ozil, I don’t know but at least two or three weeks. Ramsey is perhaps the closest. He is two weeks maybe".

Considering Ramsey was scheduled to return against City (Southampton, originally) we are in a bad spot. We cannot really rotate due to so many players being out, but the group that gave their all in Tuesday seemed dead on their feet. They are still humans, after all, who have their highs and lows, who just fought another battle. There is no telling how long they'll be able to keep going, but I hope we make it all right through the weekend and then we'll have a week to prepare for our clash with Everton and get some R&R.

I hate to say it, but our short bench is taking its toll. True, we have many players out (again, should not we do something about it already?), but it doesn't excuse the manager's choice not to strengthen his team in the summer. This why we are where we are and facing an uphill task to become at least third.

In the light of City and Liverpool's wins, even the third place seems to be slipping out of our reach. We now have to look back, where Everton lurch six points behind and with a game in hand. Arsenal will have to, somehow, restore their confidence and put the maximum effort to get something out of the next two games. And make no mistake, we need to do so.

Swansea preview: not in vain

Evening everyone.

Tonight we play Swansea in what is, effectively, our game in hand and three points are as vital as it gets. I know I've said that quite a few times this season, but with the Saturday loss we've reached our all-time low, which means a win is the only acceptable result today.

Prior to our Stamford humiliation Arsenal was beaten to a pulp twice and in both cases a 0-0 ensued. It was all right then, given the fact these draws were obtained against Chelsea and United, but now we face Swansea, who are struggling for form. Four losses in five games can hardly be labelled a success and this makes our win still more urgent.

After a defeaning silence in mass media, both Arteta and Wenger took to press, the former to analyse the situation and apologise:

"We have to take [on board] some of the things we have done wrong. You cannot only just move on, you have to analyse what you've done and react. I'm expecting a big reaction on Tuesday because we have to and Saturday was not good enough for this football club.

The pressure we put on ourselves by losing games like that is massive and there's no need for it. We just disrupted the good season we were having. I don't know what else to say apart from sorry to everyone at the club, the fans, and we promise that we will try hard to put that right".

And the latter to describe the situation as a freakish occurrence:

"An accident has happened, that doesn't mean that you're not a good driver.

It just means that we have played about 40 games this season and it's not what happened on Saturday that reflects the quality of this team. We have 62 points that we earned hard with quality games and that's what we want to focus on".

While both statements were obviously preplanned and there is nothing unusual in it, both surprised me, though in a different way.

Arteta was brutally honest in admitting the level of performance was unacceptable and that we really should have done better, while Arsene's words is a completely different story. An accident may happen once, twice maybe, but definitely not three times inside one season. When it happens this often, it's blindingly obvious something is wrong, so I hope it's just pep talk from the manager, while there's a fully-fledged investigation going on behind the scenes.

In terms of team news, both Gibbs and Oxlade will be available, after the FA committee ruled the former was a case of mistaken identity, while the latter's foul wasn't found harsh enough to show him a red card. There is still the small matter of Marriner's incompetence, but it seems we'll have to make do with what we have. The ref was appointed for a Premier League game this weekend, so I don't think he'll be punished in any way.

However, Koscielny has damaged his calf (among other things) on Saturday and will miss at least two weeks. It means a place for Vermaelen in the starting eleven and I'm fine with that. Our skipper has done well the last time he was called upon and deserves his chance to re-establish himself as a first team member.

Koscielny's injury also means we are a defender short, so Hector Bellerin, whose loan was cut short recently, will fill the void on the bench. Let's hope we won't see the young right-back in action, cause that will mean our defensively thin ice have suffered yet another crack.

Apart from these, I think changes need to be made in order to shake things up. Flamini should be reintroduced alongside Arteta, for one. In fact, he should have been playing there for the last two games, taken into account, how poor the Ox looked. Well, it's still the case of better late, than never.

Oxlade, meanwhile has to be pushed out wide, where he's (for now, at least) more effective and offers better end product.

Rosicky is another sub that can make a difference. Playing him under the striker seems the most obvious choice, while Cazorla will cover the left flank, replacing an ineffectual Podolski. The German can be helpful, no doubt about it, but right not he looks more of a hindrance.

I also would not be surprised to see Sanogo and/or Gnabry start. The latter came in handy during the last encounter between the two sides. Serge is also an unknown quantity and can become a dangerous outlet as such. His style of play is similar to that of Oxlade-Chamberlain, so it'll be a like-for-like sub.

Sanogo is yet another possibility and an option for the manager to consider. I don't know, how bad Giroud was against Chelsea (but, as I've seen suggestions of playing a tree in our next game, I guess he was bad enough). The younger of the Frenchman should, at least, provide Giroud with some R&R ahead of the City encounter.

So, we are all set for a nervous night, but there is one more thing I failed to mention, namely: the clean sheet. I've mentioned how we've focused on keeping our goal under lock and key after two horrible defeats and today should be no different. It's psychologically very important not to concede because of what happened three days ago. Our attacking display may suffer, but I'd gladly take a 1-0 over a 3-1 even now.

So, come on you reds, show that our season was no accident, return to winning ways.

And I'll get back to you later with a review.

Until then

Chelsea review: disaster

As I have said countless times, I've been supporting Arsenal for almost ten years. Though it's only for the last couple of seasons that I'm able to see basically every minute of every game, I've seen a lot of defeats, some of which were so painful it hurts to think of them even now.
My reaction to abhorrent losses is simple: as soon as I smell we're to lose the game by at least a three-goal margin, I turn the TV off in order to keep my nervous system intact. Considering the lengths I go to to get home on time for a match, turning off the TV is the same as skipping the game altogether.

I've been able to sit through the demolishing at the Etihad, because the game was never really out of our reach. A month ago (at Anfield) I opted not to watch any further than 17th minute. This time I did the same. Even the minute was the same.

The manager kept his faith in the squad that delivered against Tottenham and this, in my view, was an unwise decision. Though we have beaten Spurs, I had my reservations about starting some of the players again, Podolski and the Ox spring to mind at this point. They were probably not any worse than everyone else, but I have a feeling that, had Flamini started alongside Arteta, we would not have been 3-0 down as early as 17th minute. We may not have been down at all.

As it was, three childish mistakes in the opening minutes ensured the game was beyond repair and the fans, the players and Arsene had nothing to do, but watch a hapless 10-man Arsenal beaten to a pulp. As it was in the game against Liverpool (and earlier, City) we just didn't show up for the game. Psychologically, of course.

We can say Marriner was incompetent, sure he was, but does that change the fact we were crap from the first minute to the last? That a professional ref in the 21st century can mistake one player for another is bollocks, but, frankly, it wasn't because of that that we've lost. Chelsea punished our every mistake, but the fact there were so many to begin with is something that really gets me down.

This defeat was every bit as painful as it was unexpected. I thought the players would try and step it up for the manager,  but we fell well short of even our own notion of failure.

Arsene didn't have the heart to turn up for the usual press conference, but who would blame him? Today, Twitter is alight with rumours of Arsene leaving the club at the end of this season.

Maybe that's why the club went into a fully-fledged lockdown mode after the game, cancelling pre-Swansea press conference and forbidding the players to take their anguish, sorrow, anger and whatever else to mass media. This may also be out of pure respect for Arsene Wenger, who is, ultimately, just a man and cannot endure everything thrown his way. As reporters will do all the same, but at least Arsene will have a bit of time to recuperate and think of what to do (and say) next.

I've always held our manager in high regard and always trusted his word. He said once, that when he himself understands there's nothing he can do for Arsenal, he will leave. If he's come to such a conclusion after a beating we took on Sunday, I will accept his decision. To most, this will look like Arsene's running away, should he leave in the summer, to me it'll look like he's kept his word. If Wenger decides, he can no longer lead this Club to success, then he really cannot. It he stays, I'll ask for a marked improvement in our away games against the big clubs.

All of this is very sad and the timing of the defeat itself could not have been worse. Wenger's 1000th game will always be remembered for a punishment his side was dished out, which is plain unfair if you look at how much the man has done during his tenure.

He didn't desert his team even after their abject performance on Saturday and took full responsibility for the defeat. He has shielded his players once more and it's a true measure of his personal qualities. Arsene named this day "one of the worst in his life", mine will come, should the Frenchman leave the club.

Don't know, what else there is to say.

I'll get back to you tomorrow for a preview, as we'll start picking up the pieces.

Until then

Chelsea preview 2.0: how far have we come?

Morning all.

It's Chelsea today as we look to close our gap on the league leaders and put pressure on City and Liverpool.

This is what Arsene said reflecting on our 0-0 with the Blues back in December:

“On the day Chelsea were set up to stop us from playing. We didn't manage to create enough to pretend to win the game and that's what it will be like on Saturday.

“For us it's about being creative, making chances and, as well, stopping them from playing because they have creative players up front who can open you up when you go forward. It is up to us to find that balance between attacking well and defending well. That will decide the game.”

I'm really interested in the approach Arsene will take for this game. We can, obviously, try and seize control of possession and pour men forward, thus risking being exposed to the counter attacks.

We can also try something similar to what we've pulled off against Tottenham. However, Chelsea is much more dangerous in positional attacks, than Spurs and can thus cause real problems.

If it was up for me to decide, I'd stick to our usual playstyle, take the ball and try to pull their defence apart by peppering the Blues with endless attacks. We are still going to be relatively safe, what with Hazard being their only quick player.

We are in for a bit of luck, as Ramires and Willian will both sit this game out, giving Mourinho (who himself misses the game through suspension) a nice selection headache. Serves him right, that arrogant piece of shit.

From our point of view, no one will make a comeback, but I hope Kallstrom will this time at least make the bench. There are also doubts over Rosicky, though I think the Czech is ready to play, having seen him on the photos from the training ground.

Provided we have the same team as against Tottenham (plus Kallstrom), I think we stand a decent chance of getting the right result against Mourinho's mercs. I'd probably reintroduce Flamini in central midfield, seeing as we'll need Oxlade on the right to stretch the play.

I'd also start Cazorla on the left (Podolski can come in later, should we need him to) and Rosicky under the striker. The Czech is unlikely to play there for the entire game, but his energy, drive and willingness to track back are all handy assets, that can provide us with the edge right from the kick-off.

Apart from (basically Flamini for Podolski) we should see the same squad. It's a team that has proved it's worth and, in my opinion, come a long way in little less than a year.

To back it up with the stats, the best teams under Arsene Wenger averaged 22 wins in a season and, at this point in time, we already have 19 wins with 9 games to go:

"The number of wins and losses is yet another measure of the strength of Wenger’s squad. In the first half of his tenure he never once had fewer than 20 wins in a season and maintained above 22 wins in all but one season. In the last 9 years Arsene has only pushed his team on to more than 22 wins twice, 07/08 (24) and 09/10 (23)".

Despite this Arsenal side being amongst the lowest scoring ones in 18 years under Arsene Wenger, we still have amassed a decent number of wins. This just shows there's real grit in our current squad, that these players can grind out results despite not demonstrating the best attacking football possible.

So, the stage is set up nicely for the upcoming showdown, let's hope the players reward the manager on this special occasion. Come on you Gunners.

That's it for today, back later with a review.

Until then

Chelsea preview: a 1000th game

Tomorrow we play Chelsea in an early kick-off and we have to win the game in order to stay in the race.

However, there's another reason for the players to put extra effort in: Arsene Wenger will lead the team for a 1000th time. I cannot even comprehend such a number.

I've started supporting Arsenal in 2004, long after Wenger became our manager. First I thought, that I was attached to the players. But individuals like Henry, Bergkamp, Lehmann and Fabregas came and went and, though I was broken-hearted each time they did so, I haven't stopped supporting the club.

Then I thought it was the style of our play I held in reverence. It suffered greatly and underwent a number of transformations during our trophy drought, but still I was there to watch every Arsenal game I could lay my hands on.

Though today I understand, that's it's the club itself I adore and will never stop supporting, a lot of this love is of Arsene Wenger's making. He's made Arsenal what it is today and the image of Arsene (whose name, incidentally, correlates with that of the club) treading the byline has become a must in every game. I simply cannot imagine Arsenal without Arsene Wenger in charge.

There are a lot of qualities, that make Arsene a great manager, but it's his undying love for the Club coupled with his charisma, the way he behaves on the pitch and off it, that makes me shudder of the mere thought of him one day leaving the club. Despite yours truly questioning our manager's abilities at the start of this season, I have never questioned his desire to lead Arsenal to success or his passion as a whole. When a man measures the height of toilet seats in a new stadium, that tells it's own story of how deeply ingrained that man has become to the club.

Tim Stillman over on Arseblog called Arsene a dying breed and I couldn't agree more, though he's a rare specimen in more ways than one. His managerial skills, the way he inspires players and encourages their future development, how Wenger cannot stand physical separation from his side during suspensions, but what I like most about Le Professeur is the way he holds himself.

He's always polite, rarely loses control over his emotions, has an ability to get one back on mass media and/or other managers when they step out of line. This vision of how to behave Arsene was able to pass on to his side. When, for example, was the last time one of the Gunners performed a dive in order to earn a free-kick? It's just not the way Arsene does things.

I could go on and on, but Arsenal fans won't need me to. Words are just not enough to describe all the good our manager has done (and brought) to this club. From a fluent passing game to a new stadium, whose construction Arsene supervised in person.

All of this sounds like I'm saying goodbye to Arsene, but I didn't mean for it to look this way. I just tried to emphasize the point, that it's most unlikely someone will ever do so much for Arsenal, especially in an era, when stability it's overlooked in favour of immediate success. I really hope the players will be able to make Arsene happy tomorrow and beat Mourinho and his cronies.

I know this was supposed to have been a preview, but what the hell. I'll get back to you tomorrow for a proper one.

Until then

Tottenham review: 1-0 to the Arsenal

Yesterday we returned in the title race with a much-needed win against the Spurs, while also breaking the unfortunate spell of not being able to escape White Hart Lane with the three points, a spell that stretched back to 2007. We have also beaten Spurs for the third time this season, something that happened for the first time in my memory.

Despite talking up Kallstrom's fitness and Flamini's importance, the manager opted for the Ox in midfield and Rosicky on the flank and his decision paid off in the second minute of the game.

A wayward pass from some Spurs bloke was intercepted by Giroud, who chested the ball down for the Ox. The Englishman laid it off for Rosicky, the Czech ran half the field, played a hilarious one-two with Oxlade and then smashed the ball home.

It was a strike of true beauty, with the manager labelling it "one of the top goals this season":

"It will go in my collection of great goals. I told Tomas that because first of all he's not a typical goalscorer and he surprised everybody. He had not even time to realise what he was doing and it was in the back of the net. It was an unbelievable goal".

Tottenham tried to put us under pressure after that, Adebayor doing his damnedest to upset us, but to no avail. In fact, Arsenal should have been 2-0 up at half-time, only for some poor decision-making from Oxlade and a couple of dodgy decisions from the linesman to prevent us from killing the game.

As it was, we were very nearly punished for our wastefulness early in the second half.

Szczesny came off the line to clear the ball, misjudged the situation and the ball fell to Chadli. He was unable to make this mistake count, however, as Mertesacker and Koscielny seemed to shield the entire goal, with the latter one getting in the way of Chadli's effort.

Tottenham attacked some more, Paulinho and Soldado were thrown on, but the chickens only went close from a decent shot by Adebayor from outside the box. Szczesny saved that, making it look easier than it really was.

We even could have scored another late on, but Lloris got down to Mert's shot well. The final whistle came soon after that.

The manager talked up the importance of the result after the game:

"It is a huge result. We were under pressure to win before the game because of course it was a very important game. After that it was a mixture, our early goal a little bit influenced too much the way we played because we missed the second goal and after that we wanted to protect the lead. Sometimes we were under pressure, Tottenham played well you must say. For me they were absolutely up for it and we needed some special resilience to get away with it. As long as we didn't score the second goal of course it was a very tight game. But in the end for us it's three massive points".

And on how well our central defenders fared:

"They were exceptional for the whole game. They were already at Bayern I think and even after when Vermaelen came on we finished with the three [centre-backs] and they didn't create the chances anymore".

Truth be told, I'm in two minds about this game. There were things I liked and the ones I didn't.

To start on a positive note, I admired our defensive performance, or, to put it in manager's terms, our resilience. Everyone did their bit, Mertescielny was outstanding, Sagna denied Rose space, Arteta fit in well in a game that doesn't really suit his style. A defensive masterclass, with the only thing Tottenham could have used to equalise is our own mistake.

At the other end of the pitch, though, we weren't as good as I'd like us to be. Oxlade-Chamberlain wasted a couple of opportunities, Giroud was basically invisible (bar his exceptional time-winning style in the very end), very little came off for Cazorla, who was deployed under the striker. I'd really like us to step it up against Chelsea a week from now.

That being said, it just seems a bit churlish and mean to complain about the way we got the result when we've got it. Yes, it was a backs-to-the-wall performance, but it doesn't take any points or our defensive brilliance away.

All in all, a hugely important win and though our chances to clinch the title still look slim, we are in this race and should we beat Chelsea, we'll be serious contenders.

As for now, enjoy the win.

Until later

Tottenham preview: focus on the league

Hello.

It's Spurs tomorrow, as we try to keep our title hopes alive and nothing less than a win will do.

Our recent results weren't very good. Two wins, a draw and two defeats can hardly be called the champions style, especially as we've dropped points against a hapless Stoke and the weakest United side in years. In case City and Chelsea win their respective games today, we'll wake up tomorrow sitting fourth in the league table, ten points adrift the Blues. Therefore, a win tomorrow becomes absolutely vital.

It's going to be hard to get it against Spurs, though. Whatever their recent form is, regardless of what happened before, derby is a special game and Tottenham will do the utmost to disappoint us.

As to who will be able to play at Lane, Arsene's press conference took place yesterday and there's mixed news.

To confirm what we already knew, Ozil pulled his hamstring on the 2nd minute of our encounter with Bayern and will spend several weeks on the sidelines. Wenger said it's a grade two hamstring, so the German will spend three to six weeks out. He went on to say, that we have the chance to win the title even without our star playmaker:

"It is of course a blow but I am confident we have the quality without him during that period. We have many creative players in our squad who can take over and produce quality performances. I am convinced that the team is ready, even without Ozil, to go for the challenge".

As if the situation wasn't bad enough already, Ramsey seems to have suffered yet another setback and will spend two more weeks out of the game. I hope it's more caution on the manager's part than anything serious, though it's another crucial player we'll be sorely missing for the next two games. And given how badly we need to get six points in these, Ramsey's absence can become a genuine problem.

As such, Arsene will have to find suitable replacements and introducing Flamini in the centre of the park and either Cazorla or Rosicky under the striker look like the most obvious choices.  However, I think it's Cazorla who'll get the nod. I really like Rosicky, but he can no longer play for ninety minutes and it'll be risky to ask him to. The Czech will run into the ground for the team, but, in as fragile state as we are in now, another injury may become the breaking point.

This leaves our left flank exposed and Podolski will most likely be called up upon to plug the hole. His recent performance tells you he can be very effective both defensively and in front of goal, so let's hope he keeps it up and delivers when we really need him to.

In other news, Kallstrom and Monreal should be back for the clash, while Gibbs faces a late fitness test. Rumor has it the Englishman is alright, so he'll probably come back into the team at Vermaelen's expense. Our skipper has done very well, though, so it won't be a simple decision to omit the Belgian, even taking into account that left-back isn't his strongest position. A nice selection headache for Arsene.

The overall situation still looks gloomy, though. No, I'm convinced we can get a win tomorrow with the players we have, but the fact that we head into the final (and also, crucial) part of the season without Ramsey, Whilshere, Ozil and Walcott it's disturbing, especially since we'll play the big teams, like City and Chelsea, who also happen to be our direct title rivals. While Ramsey may yet feature against Pellegrini's men, others will remain out long after that.

The manager has promised to investigate the reason behind our injures, if there's any:

“I am concerned that it  happens, because if you look at our overall injury list going into such a final and decisive part of the season, we have no Wilshere, no Walcott, no Ozil, no Ramsey.

“We went to Bayern without Gibbs and Monreal. We are analysing very deeply why it happens and to see if there’s a link between all the injuries.

“For some it’s bad luck. For example, Walcott is completely bad luck. Wilshere, I don’t think it is linked with his history. The rest, maybe we have to find out why it happened".

While punks like Neville and Verhejen may just talk about our injury record, because they have nothing better to do and simply because they hate Arsenal, it's hard not to see that our every season is injury-infested. This season we just happen to have a very even squad, so the effects may not be so telling, but it's still no good losing your best players. If there's any specific reason(s) for this, we have to find and take care of these.

Finally for today, Bendtner was spotted (to put it mildly) in Copenhagen and, as you might expect, it wasn't because he made a generous donation to some children's hospital or declared his desire to fight against racism.

He was involved in a drunken brawl with a cab driver, from what I gather and this seems to have finally depleted the manager's patience limit:

"I don't know exactly what happened because I haven't spoken to him yet, the only thing that is for sure is that he had nothing to do in Copenhagen," said an angry Wenger. "Nobody gave him any permission to go there so he will be fined for that. Has he created some problem there? I don't know."

The Dane had recently complained that mass media has portrayed him as a psychopath, but, even if they overdid it a bit, it's not like they didn't have reason to. Bendtner's antics off the pitch earned him a kind of fame he couldn't get on it, so I'm glad he'll be leaving in the summer. The Dane will definitely have problems finding a new club, but these won't be OUR problems.

So, that's all there is to say and I'll get back to you with a review on Monday.

Meanwhile, let's get a win at Lane

Bayern 1-1 Arsenal: out, but not down

Hello.

So, we got knocked out of the Champions League on Tuesday in a rather tedious affair. It was obvious the players were instructed to play exactly the way they did, but, unfortunately, it was not enough to see us through.

Arsene managed to surprise us with his starting eleven, I have to say. Arteta was our only DM, while the Ox, Podolski, Cazorla, Ozil and Giroud were all named among the first XI. On the bench, the absences of Sanogo, Bendtner and Miyachi were noticeable. While the latter couldn't play because of some rule or the other and Sanogo seems to have sustained an injury, Bendtner's holiday in Sunderland raises questions. Why wasn't our only reliable back-up forward on the bench, especially since Sanogo was out?

Anyway, any hopes of an early goal were squashed by the Germans as they seized control of the ball and just wouldn't let go. The passed, passed, passed for the entire first half, but didn't really create anything of danger.

Meanwhile, our attacking display was non-existent. While we were obviously executing some plan, I still think we could have done better up front. The only player who tried to come up with something and create dangerous moments was Oxlade-Chamberlain. He was continually impressive and Bayern had to resort to fouling the Englishman in order to get him out of play.

There was a lot of talk about how Ozil should step up, but he never managed to do so. He was basically not there, surrendering possession and making other mistakes. It was later revealed the German had to play with a pulled hamstring (which he may have injured as early as the 2nd minute). I don't think even that excuses the way he played, but hey, he was hardly any worse during the first half than, for example, Arteta.

The second half started with a change, Rosicky replacing Ozil. This added some verve to our attack, that with the the Czech pressing everyone in his sight and making sure everyone else did the same. Then, suddenly, we conceded.

Arteta and Co failed to track back Schweinsteiger, he found space in the box, received a pass from Ribery and tucked the call away from about 10 yards. This was a blow, but not the knockout one, as it later turned out.

Three minutes later, the scores were level. Podolski found space on the left, got the ball, pushed Lahm out of the way and smashed his effort past a stunned Neuer. The Germans were looking for the ref to call a foul, but, to their immense surprise and dissatisfaction, none was given.

Was it a foul from Podolski? Looked that way. The ref made a couple of strange decisions on the night, this is probably one of them, but the first thing you learn as a footballer is to play to the whistle. Podolski did just that and I'm fine with his choice.

This was a turn of events the Bavarian giants weren't ready for, so we got them under pressure immediately. This resulted in a couple of dangerous moments, with their last-ditch defending being the only thing stopping us from getting in front. I still think that, had we scored the second goal in the five-seven minutes, that followed our first one, Bayern's house of cards would have crumbled and Arsenal would have been looking forward to playing in the last eight.

We failed to grab that vital goal, though. Flamini substituted an exhausted Oxlade-Chamberlain and Gnabry came on for Arteta as the manager threw caution to the winds, but nothing, bar a couple of tame shots, came off.

We could even have lost it in the final stages, through Robben's diving and ref's ignorance, but, amazingly, Fabianski saved Muller's effort from the penalty spot. 1-1 and we go out.

However, I do not think a draw it's a result we should be ashamed of. Quite the opposite, we can take a lot of positives from our clash at the Allianz Arena. This is how Arsene described our performance on the day:

"I have to congratulate the players for the heart and the effort they put in tonight. They have been absolutely outstanding on that front. We wanted to come out of that tie tonight qualified and with pride. We did the second part, not the first part".

And on Robben's antics:

"He's a fantastic player, I would not deny that, he's one of the best players in the world. But he gets in front of a player and then he slows down and goes down. He gets the free-kicks. That's where we spoke about yesterday that the referee, if he gives him a yellow card on the first one when he goes down, he will not do it again".

During the game Robben performed a couple of dives so blatant, you are unlikely to see them again. He went down even without contact and that tells a lot about his personality. It was surprising the ref bought his last dive, especially after he's waved play on earlier in the game, but justice was served and Fabianski parried Muller's shot to safety.

Talking about individual performances, I really liked the way Fabianski played. A couple of dodgy goalkicks aside, he was brilliant, claiming crosses and making a string of saves. It is obvious, why Arsene puts so much trust into the Pole and I would be happy if Fab stays beyond this season. It's hard to see this happening, but we'll be letting a quality goalkeeper go, so we have to be sure we do everything in our power to retain his services. If not, it's going to be tough finding a goalie of the Pole's level, who'll agree to be Szcsesny's back-up.

All in all, I don't think we should be discouraged by this result. A lot of things were done right, we've got a respectable draw against the current holders at their place and, now that we are out, we'll have more time to focus on the League. Who knows, it may just lead to something exciting.

Till tomorrow

Bayer Munich preview: mind games

Hi.

Tonight we face Bayern in the return fixture and the odds are against us. Heavily.

But does that mean we don't have a chance to go through? Absolutely not. True, the current holders are strong, they ship in goals like no one's business, but they will have the weight of expectation in their shoulders. We won't. As soon as the draw pinched us against the German champions everyone was quick to voice their opinion that we are done for. And yes, we have lost our home game, giving these opinions further basis. And yet the first fifteen minutes of the clash at the Emirates were the best from Arsenal I've seen this year. Had Ozil converted the penalty, who knows how that game would have ended?

Back to Bayern's, dare I say, obligation to win and I'm pretty sure we can exploit this. With nothing to lose, Arsenal is a fearsome opponent to anyone. If we open the scoring, the Germans will most likely experience panic. Such as they have experienced a year ago when Koscielny's header made it 2-0 in the latter stages.

Both managers view ball retention as a key factor to success. Pep Guardiola says:

"If we have the ball, we will be in the next round. If Arsenal have the ball, they will be in the quarter-final."

He elaborates this thought by saying that we have top-notch players, for whom it's easy to create moments of danger and cause Bayern's defence problems as a result.

Arsene, meanwhile, identified Ozil as the man who can help us beat the Bavarian giants:

"I think he is over it [the penalty miss]. He has a good opportunity to show on Tuesday night how good he is".

On essence, both mangers want their players to keep the ball, because both know how hard it can be to park the bus and try to hit the opponent on the counter, especially against such quality opposition. Both sides have enough players to break down one others defenses, and both fear they do not have enough resources to fend off each other for long.

That's why I think Rosicky will start ahead of the Ox. As much as we need the Englishman's drive and energy, Tomas it's just a better playmaker. And the more playmakers we have on field, the merrier.

Flamteta axis worked well enough against Everton and that's due to Arteta playing closer to Giroud, than to his own goal. He did return to help Flamini out, but the Spaniard's role was different nonetheless. Basically, Flamini was tasked with most of the dirty work, while Arteta's part was to try and intercept passes higher up the pitch and to distribute the ball to his teammates. It worked rather brilliantly, so the duo will continue in midfield today.

It's the other area of the pitch I am most concerned about, namely: who will play at left-back. Both Monreal and Gibbs are out (the latter with a kick on his ankle), so Vermaelen sends the only viable choice.

Our skipper had a good game against the Toffees (bar that slip-up Barkley nearly took advantage of) and should be good to go. His physique also means it's unlikely Thomas will be bullied by that Dutch diver and Co, cause the captain just won't tolerate it.

The natural concern is, of course, that he's not a full-back in the true sense if the word. His weakest performances came, when Vermaelen was forced to play on the flank. Let's hope he cuts out the mistakes and delivers when we truly need him to. He may not be add good at crossing the ball as Gibbs or Nacho, but he's a great header and a tough guy. Which, in it's turn, means advantage in the box at corners. It'll be beautiful, should the Belgian net a goal.

All in all, the scene is set up nicely for a showdown. It'll be interesting to see, what strategy Bayern will adopt and how much their mental hurdle will affect the way they play, but if Arsenal demonstrates the same ruthlessness and desire going forward as we did on Saturday, we might just be able to sucker-punch Bayern on their turf. Come on you Gunners.

That's it for today. I'll return with a review on either Wednesday or Thursday.

Until then

Wenger's contract + FA Cup draw

Hello everyone.

Starting with the big news today, namely, our semi-final clash in the FA Cup. Before City played Wigan at the Etihad, the seeding took place and Arsenal was paired up with the winner of that pair. To which my first reaction was: "That's it, we'll have to play City". Have I considered the possibility of Wigan beating the moneybags at their own place? No. The only thing that stopped me from saying we'll definitely face City was faint hope we won't, based solely on the fact I didn't want us to. I understood how strong Pellegrini's team was and that they would, in all probability, sweep aside last year's winners. One look at the starting line-up told you all you needed to know about the outcome of this match.

Except it didn't. The first shot on target came from the Latics in the 27th minute, when Jordi Gomez converted the penalty after Demichelis made a mistake in his own area. City, meanwhile, didn't register a shot on target in the entire first half.

Right after the restart, Wigan scored again and City found themselves 2-0 down.

Pellegrini made a triple sub in the 53rd minute, but his side's first shot on target came only in the 60+ minute. It may even have been the goal from our old friend Nasri.

However, City failed to get another (though they went close a couple of times) and, as a result, Arsenal will play Wigan approximately a month from now. What a touch of good fortune, eh?

And I think it's about time we got some. We did our damnedest from the very start, had to play Spurs, Liverpool and Everton and just about deserved an easier draw. Somewhat surprisingly, it comes in the very late stages of the competition, but no one will say we didn't deserve it.

Yes, we still have to win two games. Yes, we'll have to turn up with our usual quality performance and be at our best to win the cup, but there's a whole world of difference between being at our best and this will definitely suffice and being at our best and still having a good chance to lose.

Overall, we are now in a strong position to finally end this trophy drought. While some may point out how we lost to Bradford and Blackburn (and Birmingham, let's not forget) I'd say we're a much better side now than we were even a year ago.

The fact, that Arsene Wenger will be the man at the helm to lift the Cup (in case we win it) is hugely satisfying. He's done a very good job on the team in less, than a year and this should not go unnoticed. We may fall just short of winning the title or the Champions League, but even snatching the FA Cup will be a step forward. More like a leap forward. I'm sure that with a couple of summer additions we'll be even better placed to challenge for the title next season.

But before that, we have to sort out a few problems, not least of which is our manager's contract. I thought it was a done deal, the Mirror reported we were only waiting for Wenger to guide his side in his 1000th game (against Chelsea), but it turned out nothing is signed yet. The same Mirror reported there's a sticking point in negotiations, namely, players transfers. Arsene wants for things to stay the way they were, that with him having the last word in any deal, but the board seems to take a different stance. They want to exert some control over that particular area, so that they would decide on the comings and goings.

Another theory I've heard, is that Wenger wants to show his worth and guide Arsenal to their first trophy and is reluctant to sign a new deal, unless he achieves exactly that.

Winning the FA Cup will provide Arsene with an ace up his sleeve. This, in it's turn, may lead to the Board of Directors to softening their position, something that will benefit all parties concerned. So let's just win the goddamn cup.

Back tomorrow with a preview of our game against Bayern.

Until then

Arsenal 4-1 Everton: back to our öld selves

Good evening.

Just a couple of hours ago Arsenal booked a trip to Wembley, qualifying for the semi-finals in a glorious fashion.

Before the game, it was obvious we have to deliver. To put Stoke behind us and to set the tone for the upcoming tough games. The players also needed to restore their confidence. I would have taken any win, but such an emphatic demolishing of a good Everton side, coupled with our (probably) best performance all season is a dream come true.

Arsene made a slew of changes, with Ozil, Giroud and the Ox returning to the side, while Fabianski and Sanogo were given somewhat surprising starts. Vermaelen and Flamini replaced the injured Koscielny and Wilshere respectively. A dazzling seven changes, if you think of it.

Everton started brightly, but it were the hosts who took the lead in the 7th minute. Cazorla escaped his marker in midfield, fed Ozil and the German slotted a perfect shot into the bottom corner. A very welcome goal for Ozil and a much needed one.

Arsenal started to dominate. Sanogo and Oxlade-Chamberlain took it in turns to test Robles, but the keeper did well. Gibbs goalbound effort took a deflection and then Sagna's vicious cross was tipped onto the bar.

Everton replied with a number of counter-attacks and one of these paid off. Arteta's shot was blocked and Everton stormed up the pitch at lightning speed, Barkley's low cross found Mirallas, whose cutback found Lukaku. The Belgian prodded the ball into the empty net.

The equaliser came completely against the run of play, but not much changed after it. Arsenal pressed, Everton tried to break. Fourteen minutes after the goal, Clattenburg whistled for half-time with the teams level.

Everton returned from the dressing room a very different beast and could have gone ahead in the opening minutes, but, thankfully, Barkley's shot went over the bar, after Vermaelen's mistake provided the Toffees with a brilliant opportunity.

Cazorla nearly put the Gunners in front shortly after the incident, but Robles got down well to parry. The game was pretty even, though, and it was obvious something needed to change if we were gonna get that win.

Or, rather, someone. On the hour, Wenger gave Giroud the green light and the Frenchman replaced his compatriot, Sanogo. This brought about the desirable effect immediately, when Olivier got on the end of a dangerous cross and could have converted with his first touch, only for some bloke to, erm, block his shot. Shortly after, we went ahead nonetheless.

The Ox tore down the right flank, got into the box, rounded off Barry and the latter had no other option but to foul. Clattenburg pointed to the spot, Arteta stepped up and sent the ball into the bottom corner. Just as he was celebrating, the ref cancelled the goal, cause Giroud rushed into the box before the shot was taken. Arteta stepped up again and placed his effort into the top corner this time.

I gotta admit I admire the Spaniard's nerve. Scoring a penalty is hard, doing it twice (all the while with such aplomb) is nothing short of heroic. Man of the match to me.

Everton now needed  to score, but came up short, although McGeady was brought on for the ineffectual Mirallas. Our change (Rosicky for the Ox) yielded better results.

Thomas fed Sagna on the right, the Frenchman found Giroud in the box and our striker dispatched the ball with ease to make it 3-1.

Olivier doubled his manning in the 85th minute. Cazorla robbed Deulofeu of possession in the defensive half, produced an inch-perfect pass to Rosicky, the Czech squared the ball for Ozil and the latter laid it off on a silver platter for Giroud. The Frenchman made no mistake. 4-1 and game over.

This is what Arsene said afterwards:

"We had a quality performance from the first to the last minute against a good side. The first half was all us and we were unlucky to be 1-1 at half time. The second half, Everton started well and had a good moment in the game where they had the chance with Barkley. We scored the second goal and then controlled the game well. We always looked like we could score more."

On Ozil:

"Of course it's important for him he took his chance because sometimes you want him to take the chance because he always looks for the good pass. I hope that will encourage him. What I liked with him is that physically he looked regenerated, having more power in his runs. As well I liked that he did a lot of dirty work for a player like him, that means he tracked back in the first half - especially on the counter attack he came back with long runs. When he behaves like that of course you have a better chance to win the game. "

I cannot express, how happy I am for Ozil. He was under a lot of pressure recently and to produce a performance of such a quality, well...it's amazing. Hope this game kick-starts his form and we'll see some more of the same against Bayern.

Overall, a brilliant game for the Gunners. We controlled it from start to finish, were ruthless in the final third, put in a quality performance and all of this against a very good Everton side. Just what was needed.

You have to give credit to Everton, though. They played some very good football and conceded two goals after they had to go all-in. The Toffess made an obvious step-up from last season and I sincerely hope they make at least the Europa League. Not at our expense, though.

So, a good day to be a Gunner. Enjoy the win and I'll get back to you with more thoughts on Monday.

Until then

Everton preview: FA Cup the priority

Hello everyone.

Tomorrow FA Cup's first quarter-final takes place and Arsenal stands a decent chance to inch closer to that Wembley showdown.

Our slip-up against Stoke seems costly enough even now, while overturning the deficit in Munich is as unlikely as it was last year. I don't rule anything out, of course, because our fate is still pretty much in our hands, but right now the FA Cup seems our best shot at a trophy this season.

And should be treated as such. Which means putting the Bayern game at the back of our minds and fielding the best starting eleven possible come tomorrow.

This, in its turn, brings us to who can play and who'll miss out. The most glaring omission is, without doubt, Jack Wilshere. The Englishman did sustain a serious injury, despite his earlier thinking it was just a bruise, and will miss at least six weeks. The medical staff examining Jack during the game threw caution to the winds and played him for another 50 minutes. Perhaps, they genuinely believed there was nothing wrong with Jack, but wasn't it better to make sure? Why risk a player in a meaningless friendly?

As it is, we'll have to make do without Wilshere. While I've seen suggestions that this injury couldn't have come at a better time (considering Englishman's poor form), I cannot agree with these. Yes, Jack was off the pace, out of form and not up to scratch, but the simple truth is, we need as many fit players as humanly possible to end this season on a high and losing a regular like Wilshere will not, in any way, make our task easier. Form is temporary, class is permanent (sorry, couldn't resist) and having out one of our key players, however bad his form is, doesn't play into our hands.

However, Wilshere's loss will be somewhat cushioned by the respective returns of Aaron Ramsey and Kim Kallstrom, though both are unlikely to take any part in our next two games. I sincerely hope they could at least be available in our return leg against Bayern Munich, but rushing them to full fitness is not an option, considering what games we'll have to play after that. We have plenty of fit bodies and should hold out until next week.

Do we have enough to beat Everton this weekend? I think so. I expect some rotation, but it should mostly concern those, who've played a lot of minutes in their midweek games. Luckily, there are just so many players, who has done that and it shouldn't be much of a problem. Everton will be in the same position, so it all evens out.

I expect the Toffees will be hard to beat. I still remember that December game. We were at our best, but can still consider ourselves lucky to have got a point. That fixture could have gone either way and a draw was, in all probability, a fair reflection. So I think we are in for a beautiful game of football tomorrow.

Apart from that, the manager has touched on how good we usually are in March and his desire to lift the FA Cup again. Also, I've stumbled upon a quite fascinating article, where the author talks how our season WON'T be a failure even if end up outside the top two. Give it a read, it's well worth your time.

So, hope we smash some heads tomorrow and I'll get back to you on Monday.

Until then

Some Stoke thoughts + the run-in

The dust after our loss to Stoke is starting to settle a bit, but I think there are a few things of note I failed to mention yesterday.

Firstly, I haven't touched on some rather poor performances from Wilshere and Giroud. While singling out individuals in a team game seems a tad unfair, the qualities I don't like at all in these two have been there for some time and were just thrown into stark contrast during our game against the Orcs.

Giroud, for example, was taken out of the game too easily for my liking. He's, after all, a tall and strong guy and I think he should throw his weight around more. He went down at every contact, instead of standing his ground, and tried to draw the ref's attention. Sure, Adam and Co acted like jerks (Adam was later charged by the FA for deliberately stamping on Giroud), but that doesn't change the fact the Frenchman needs to toughen up and not play into our opponents hands by tumbling to the ground. His link-up play suffered because of that, and so did the fluency of our passing, as a result.

Wilshere, meanwhile, was poor sitting alongside Arteta again. Careless in possession, sloppy in passing and, perhaps most importantly, lousy defensive-wise. Jack seemed unwilling to get stuck in challenges. It it was up to me, I'd play Flamini there, until Ramsey returns.

The Welshman will, most likely, participate in our next league game (against Spurs, mind you) and, if he's fully fit, he should start. We got through January without him alright, stumbled in February and started March with a completely avoidable loss. We miss Ramsey and it shows in both the way we play and the results we get.

In the meantime, we should deploy a Flamteta axis. With the Frenchman doing the "dirty" work and sitting back, Arteta can be moved higher up the field and serve as a link between Flamini and Ozil. We used this strategy quite recently (unfortunately, I cannot remember the exact game), buy I do remember we won that one. And played rather some good football.

Of course, putting the Ox alongside Arteta is another option, especially taking into consideration his best games came when the Englishman started in the centre of the park. This will, however, cripple our flanks. Podolski demonstrated why he can't start on the left on a regular basis, so it'll have to be Cazorla + someone else. Rosicky cannot play out wide week in, week out. He's 33 and, what's far more important, he's not your typical winger. The Czech doesn't have the same speed and aggression going forward, so he tends to drift inside. When it works, it's great, when it doesn't (like against Stoke) it can be disastrous. For this reason, the Ox must play on the right to try and replicate Walcott's qualities.

Should everything go well, Flamini will be paired with Arteta for two games only (and in both we'll have to be at our best), before Ramsey returns. I don't think, there's anything wrong with this setup. If we approach these games like we did during the final stages last season, we should be all right. Not conceding is a virtue, that will enable us to win the lion's share of the remaining games.

And while we're on the subject of the run-in, the boss backs Arsenal to finish strongly, while Rosicky says we still can become champions.

Arsene pointed out that, for the last couple of seasons, we showed brilliant resilience and ended up victorious twice. Well, third and fourth places respectively aren't exactly my idea of being victorious, but, under those circumstances, it was quite an  achievement. I don't think we'll be able to replicate last year in terms of points gathered (26 from 10 games, remember?), but we may not need to. Besides, with everyone (bar Diaby and Walcott, of course) available, we may just pull off something in similar fashion to last year. Not likely, but not impossible.

And, to end it on a high note, Rosicky and Mertesacker have signed new deals with the Club. That makes it three (Cazorla has also signed his contract) and there's talk Ramsey will soon follow suit. These are all integral cogs in our well-oiled machine and I sincerely hope they'll spend many more (successful) years with us.

That's it for today. More as it happens here.

Until later

Stoke 1-0 Arsenal: a classless loss

"I felt we had a good defensive performance and overall we are unlucky to lose this game. Offensively we didn't create enough and our offensive game was poor considering our standards. At the end of the day we didn't score because of that. We conceded a goal that was a nice gift from the referee but it can happen".

This is how Arsene Wenger described our performance and it's an accurate description.

Rarely had I felt this downhearted after a loss. The closest was when we went down to Napoli, failing to produce an attacking display of any kind. I get the circumstances: we needed only a draw. We didn't get it, though, which went on to demonstrate that it's dangerous for us to play for anything else than a win.

Maybe our recent loss to Liverpool was of the same kind (from what we've accomplished up front, I have to stress). As I've said, I turned that game off after they've scored a third, so I can't comment on our offensive display.

But Stoke? Really? They've remained a bunch of Orcs they were under Pulis. True, other top teams had their difficulties against Stoke this season, but for a team with title aspirations to not record a single shot on target in the entire second half is nothing short of failure.

Yes we've dominated possession, but were nonetheless as toothless as it gets. Wilshere was poor, Rosicky was poor, Podolski was poor, Cazorla was only marginally better. When your best player on the day happens to be a sub who got just twenty minutes under his belt, well that's telling.

Our only clear-cut chance came deep into stoppage time, but Sanogo could not even keep his effort on target. The Ox did most of the work, pulled the ball back for the Frenchman, but the latter sent his shot over. And, mind you, however raw and inexperienced Sanogo is, he's got to hit the target from this close.

Not that I blame solely him. He has only put a finishing touch on a miserable day, one that raises serious questions about our title aspirations and which most definitely leaves us in a hard spot. Everyone else had won (bar City, they played in the cup), so we're now four points behind Chelsea, level with Liverpool and two points clear off City, who have two games in hand.

Our performance was great, when it came to fending off Stoke attacks, but Szczesny still had to work harder than Begovic for his clean sheet, and was still robbed of it courtesy off a  controversial penalty in the end.

Was it a penalty? No. I have watched the game with the sound off and my first reaction was that Koscielny was brought down and the ref called the foul on Stoke. When he pointed to the spot I was like "What the hell?!" Replays showed the ball struck Koscielny's hand. And I mean "struck". It was as far from a deliberate handball as I've seen.

As it was, Walters converted the penalty and we found ourselves chasing the game. Ozil and the Ox came on and conjured up more than everyone else on the team before that. However, we didn't get anything out of the game.

What worries me most, is our limp attacking performance. We visited Britannia Stadium on the back of a resounding win, only one change was made (Gibbs for Monreal), the players were rested properly. If we can't deliver after that, can we deliver at all?

In the light of the fact, that this campaign draws to a close, we have little time for recuperation. One look at our fixture list says mistakes will prove costly. Our internationals going away on duty makes our task of winning all and sundry nigh on impossible.

Yes, Wenger is right in saying we tend to finish campaigns strongly. But this time around, we're fighting on three fronts. And I hope we still will do so come April.

Until later