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