Hi everyone.
Tomorrow Premier League action returns and we face Sunderland in a very important (psychologically) game.
Sunderland had an atrocious start of the season, but had gone a long way since Poyet became their manager. The Black Cats now sit 18th in the table and their battle to avoid relegation is no longer seems a lost one. Moreover, Sunderland is still fighting in both the FA Cup and the League Cup and have progressed to the finals in the latter. It's obvious they are a dangerous side and Arsenal will have to work hard to best them again.
The news is, Gibbs and Vermaelen are definitely out for this game, but we welcome Arteta back, while the Ox had, most likely, avoided an injury that may prevent him from playing. If luck is on our side (which it almost always isn't), we may even see Kallstrom involved.
Whatever squad plays, the manager had hinted rotation will take place and Sanogo, Ozil and Sagna top my list to make the bench.
This trio has played almost every minute against Liverpool and Bayern and looked dead on their feet in the last stages of our midweek clash.
On top of physical exhaustion, Ozil also needs a mental break, if I may. He's been criticised by all and sundry for his penalty miss and a couple of crappy performances, so taking him out of the firing line is a good idea.
I expect Giroud and Podolski to replace Sanogo and Ozil respectively, while Arteta can come back at Oxlade-Chamberlain's expense. Injury or no injury, he's played a lot and risking the Ox is stupid. Better let Wilshere play on the flank.
Apart from that, the manager has touched on how Arsenal can produce a stunning response against the Bavarian giants and I think he's not just being arrogant or disrespectful.
As you probably remember, Arsenal had a flying start on Wednesday night and Bayern found themselves on the ropes, as we cut open their defence time and again. Had Ozil scored the spot-kick, I bet we would have won the game, perhaps by a good margin.
Producing such a start in Munich may lead to a goal we need to get back into the tie and the game would be an open one after that. Bayern won't dare go into an all-out-attack mode out of fear of getting caught on the counter, while Arsenal goes to Germany with nothing to lose and everything to win and will no doubt play without any pressure. Of course, should Bayern score first, we are are out of the tie, but, thankfully, we have a blueprint of how to play, courtesy of last year.
What is even more important is that today's Arsenal is completely different to the team we've seen last year at this stage. I view our loss in the first game as a freak occurrence, or, to be more precise, a game ruined by poor refereeing. I've watched the episode with the penalty once again and my opinion remains the same. It was a dive from Robben after he realised he's lost control of the ball, pure and simple, and the ref bought it. It's sad really. It was a beautiful game, a game of two sides and after the suspension only one team was in it.
I really think the rules ought to change. Let alone that the punishment for such a foul is absurdly harsh, the fact, that the ref was basically tricked into making an unfair decision is outrageous. It's nothing new, footballers do this all the time, but that's exactly what I'm talking about. Video replays need to be put in place to prevent refs from making game-defining decisions. The reality is, the quality of refereeing is probably better than it was, say, forty years ago, but now the whole world sees when the ref makes a mistake. Match officials are not to blame for making mistakes, the system is. Actually, I more often than not sit in quiet awe when, for example, the linesman spots an offside we struggle to see with all the replays. No, referees are all right, they just don't receive enough help to become impeccable.
Tomorrow Premier League action returns and we face Sunderland in a very important (psychologically) game.
Sunderland had an atrocious start of the season, but had gone a long way since Poyet became their manager. The Black Cats now sit 18th in the table and their battle to avoid relegation is no longer seems a lost one. Moreover, Sunderland is still fighting in both the FA Cup and the League Cup and have progressed to the finals in the latter. It's obvious they are a dangerous side and Arsenal will have to work hard to best them again.
The news is, Gibbs and Vermaelen are definitely out for this game, but we welcome Arteta back, while the Ox had, most likely, avoided an injury that may prevent him from playing. If luck is on our side (which it almost always isn't), we may even see Kallstrom involved.
Whatever squad plays, the manager had hinted rotation will take place and Sanogo, Ozil and Sagna top my list to make the bench.
This trio has played almost every minute against Liverpool and Bayern and looked dead on their feet in the last stages of our midweek clash.
On top of physical exhaustion, Ozil also needs a mental break, if I may. He's been criticised by all and sundry for his penalty miss and a couple of crappy performances, so taking him out of the firing line is a good idea.
I expect Giroud and Podolski to replace Sanogo and Ozil respectively, while Arteta can come back at Oxlade-Chamberlain's expense. Injury or no injury, he's played a lot and risking the Ox is stupid. Better let Wilshere play on the flank.
Apart from that, the manager has touched on how Arsenal can produce a stunning response against the Bavarian giants and I think he's not just being arrogant or disrespectful.
As you probably remember, Arsenal had a flying start on Wednesday night and Bayern found themselves on the ropes, as we cut open their defence time and again. Had Ozil scored the spot-kick, I bet we would have won the game, perhaps by a good margin.
Producing such a start in Munich may lead to a goal we need to get back into the tie and the game would be an open one after that. Bayern won't dare go into an all-out-attack mode out of fear of getting caught on the counter, while Arsenal goes to Germany with nothing to lose and everything to win and will no doubt play without any pressure. Of course, should Bayern score first, we are are out of the tie, but, thankfully, we have a blueprint of how to play, courtesy of last year.
What is even more important is that today's Arsenal is completely different to the team we've seen last year at this stage. I view our loss in the first game as a freak occurrence, or, to be more precise, a game ruined by poor refereeing. I've watched the episode with the penalty once again and my opinion remains the same. It was a dive from Robben after he realised he's lost control of the ball, pure and simple, and the ref bought it. It's sad really. It was a beautiful game, a game of two sides and after the suspension only one team was in it.
I really think the rules ought to change. Let alone that the punishment for such a foul is absurdly harsh, the fact, that the ref was basically tricked into making an unfair decision is outrageous. It's nothing new, footballers do this all the time, but that's exactly what I'm talking about. Video replays need to be put in place to prevent refs from making game-defining decisions. The reality is, the quality of refereeing is probably better than it was, say, forty years ago, but now the whole world sees when the ref makes a mistake. Match officials are not to blame for making mistakes, the system is. Actually, I more often than not sit in quiet awe when, for example, the linesman spots an offside we struggle to see with all the replays. No, referees are all right, they just don't receive enough help to become impeccable.
Right, I'll leave it at this, back Monday for a review. Have a good weekend