Evening everyone.
Tomorrow night we take on Manchester United and it's our best chance in years to finally grab all the points.
I don't know how well we've done against them before 2005-2006 season, but our head-to-head against the Devils since then is appalling. While we've done well enough at the Emirates (only two losses from eight games), our away record is unacceptable (four points out of 24). Luckily, we play these guys at home, where we've been terrific as of late.
Moyes side has, undoubtedly, struggled this season. I don't think they are capable of a top-four finish anymore, but even 5th and 6th positions seem to slipping away from them. The Red Devils had time and again dropped points against lesser teams (e.g. Fulham and Stoke) and look in a bad spot. Their squad might just fall apart in the summer, should they fail to qualify for either the Champions League or Europa League. Not that I care.
My point is that if there ever was a perfect time to face United, it's tomorrow. I've seen someone liken Moyes side to a wounded animal, but it's just laughable, in my opinion. United has been spineless for the duration of the season (they reached their all-time low after crashing out of the League cup) and I can think of no incentive that may sparkle them into life come tomorrow. Other than pure hatred towards the Gunners.
Will all of the above make our job easier? To some extent, yes. However, the pressure will certainly be on us to deliver the first home win in three years, especially after we were demolished by Liverpool. I still think, there are some benefits to be gained from this loss (like we shouldn't rest on our laurels and let our guard down), but even if they sound weak, it's still only one game we've lost. I'll take a one-off beating over a couple of narrow defeats anytime.
In terms of team news, we have no fresh injures and no comebacks, so we'll have to make do with the players we have. Vermaelen remains out, Flamini serves the final game of his suspension, while Ramsey and Kallstrom are still some way from full recovery.
It's hard to see the manager making any changes to the starting line-up. Gibbs may be back, but that should be it. There was talk Ozil should be dropped (in the light of his recent form), but it's nonsense from my point of view. He is our all-time record signing for a reason, besides, we all know Wenger puts a lot of trust in his players and lets them play through bad patches. Ozil may just produce a piece of magic, that will benefit both him and the team as a whole.
As for others, may Wenger be tempted to play Podolski up front or will he stick to Giroud? Again, I'd put my money on the latter option. Podolski is a more technical player, probably a better finisher, than the Frenchman, but his umconvincing cameos as a lone striker coupled with the manager's reluctance to play the German as the spearhead of our attack tells its own story.
Should everything go well, I see no reason not to win it. United's midfield look stale and out of ideas (with time, Mata may change that, but not yet), Rooney and the Dutch Skunk are clearly uncomfortable to have to play so close to each other, while United's defence is also no longer a bastion it once was. Vidic especially seem to already have completed his move to Inter.
That's not to say they can't punish us for our mistakes or produce something out of nothing, but it seems highly unlikely. United no longer resemble themselves, we have to make sure it stays that way tomorrow. Run them into the ground.
That's it for today, back later with a review.
Until then
Tomorrow night we take on Manchester United and it's our best chance in years to finally grab all the points.
I don't know how well we've done against them before 2005-2006 season, but our head-to-head against the Devils since then is appalling. While we've done well enough at the Emirates (only two losses from eight games), our away record is unacceptable (four points out of 24). Luckily, we play these guys at home, where we've been terrific as of late.
Moyes side has, undoubtedly, struggled this season. I don't think they are capable of a top-four finish anymore, but even 5th and 6th positions seem to slipping away from them. The Red Devils had time and again dropped points against lesser teams (e.g. Fulham and Stoke) and look in a bad spot. Their squad might just fall apart in the summer, should they fail to qualify for either the Champions League or Europa League. Not that I care.
My point is that if there ever was a perfect time to face United, it's tomorrow. I've seen someone liken Moyes side to a wounded animal, but it's just laughable, in my opinion. United has been spineless for the duration of the season (they reached their all-time low after crashing out of the League cup) and I can think of no incentive that may sparkle them into life come tomorrow. Other than pure hatred towards the Gunners.
Will all of the above make our job easier? To some extent, yes. However, the pressure will certainly be on us to deliver the first home win in three years, especially after we were demolished by Liverpool. I still think, there are some benefits to be gained from this loss (like we shouldn't rest on our laurels and let our guard down), but even if they sound weak, it's still only one game we've lost. I'll take a one-off beating over a couple of narrow defeats anytime.
In terms of team news, we have no fresh injures and no comebacks, so we'll have to make do with the players we have. Vermaelen remains out, Flamini serves the final game of his suspension, while Ramsey and Kallstrom are still some way from full recovery.
It's hard to see the manager making any changes to the starting line-up. Gibbs may be back, but that should be it. There was talk Ozil should be dropped (in the light of his recent form), but it's nonsense from my point of view. He is our all-time record signing for a reason, besides, we all know Wenger puts a lot of trust in his players and lets them play through bad patches. Ozil may just produce a piece of magic, that will benefit both him and the team as a whole.
As for others, may Wenger be tempted to play Podolski up front or will he stick to Giroud? Again, I'd put my money on the latter option. Podolski is a more technical player, probably a better finisher, than the Frenchman, but his umconvincing cameos as a lone striker coupled with the manager's reluctance to play the German as the spearhead of our attack tells its own story.
Should everything go well, I see no reason not to win it. United's midfield look stale and out of ideas (with time, Mata may change that, but not yet), Rooney and the Dutch Skunk are clearly uncomfortable to have to play so close to each other, while United's defence is also no longer a bastion it once was. Vidic especially seem to already have completed his move to Inter.
That's not to say they can't punish us for our mistakes or produce something out of nothing, but it seems highly unlikely. United no longer resemble themselves, we have to make sure it stays that way tomorrow. Run them into the ground.
That's it for today, back later with a review.
Until then