Middlesbrough preview: keep the concentration

Hello everyone.

We face Middlesbrough in the last sixteen of the FA Cup tomorrow and it's a game that will require complete focus from our players. Firstly, because any team which has beaten City at the Etihad should be reckoned with. Secondly because of our last year's exploits in the cup. Do you remember how everyone thought we've done the hardest bit by knocking out Tottenham, Everton and Liverpool only to then be pushed all the way by Wigan and Hull?

Luckily, this isn't our first game after the North London derby. It would have been psychologically very hard to deliver a performance in the cup straight away, so thank God for Leicester. We've beaten them ugly, but the win was very important for our mentality. We've overcome this hindrance and can now breathe easier.

Team news update

As usual we've a bit of everything. Ramsey is definitely out, with the boss confirming the Welshman has suffered a grade one hamstring strain. This means two weeks on the sidelines and that would have been a big blow had Wilshere not returned. However, it's not the injury itself that worries Arsene:

"We haven’t found the underlying reason (to Ramsey's continuing injuries). There is an underlying reason that is certainly medical or bio-mechanical because he is a guy who is serious, works hard, has a controlled and disciplined life, so there’s no obvious reason why he should have muscular problems."

A third hamstring injury in a season definitely hints at some underlying reason. I only hope we find out what it is quickly enough. Fingers crossed on that one.

In further news, Sanchez may be short to take part, but even if he can make it doesn't mean he should play. I'd keep him wrapped in cotton wool till our clash with Crystal Palace next week. We have enough players up front even without the Chilean and Oxlade.

Wilshere, Szczesny and Gabriel, on the other hand, are all likely to be involved, the Englishman probably from the bench only:

"Jack Wilshere's back in normal training but has been out for [more than two] months and misses competition. He worked very hard and is focused, committed, but it will take him a while to get back to competitive level."

Szczesny and Gabriel are likely to start, on the other hand:

“He (Szczesny) is ready to play. At the moment I feel I left Ospina in because he has done well but Wojciech is completely ready and has impressed in training."

“[Gabriel is] a player who has the ability and likes to defend - it’s more and more difficult to find people like that. He’s a player who has good qualities - he has good pace, he’s good in the air and is good in one against ones."

On the overall, Wenger promised to make some changes to the squad (apart from the aforementioned, I guess), but promised to take this game seriously:

"Some players will play who have not played recently, but we treat this game exactly the same as a Premier League game.”

With all that finally sorted out, let's try guessing the squad.

The back five

Szczesny will start, that bit is certain. I'm really interested to see whether he keeps his place in case he does well tomorrow, but that's a debate for another day. By the way, if you want to gain some useful insight on the goalkeeper situation, you can check out this article from Tim Stillman. Quality stuff as always.

I'm also pretty certain our back four will be heavily changed. Chambers and Gibbs should come in for Bellerin and Monreal respectively (both have played quite a few games lately, Bellerin especially should be carefully managed, he's 19 after all) and it looks likely Gabriel will be handed his first start, though for whom is a question I really like to know the answer to. My completely uninformed hunch tells me Gabriel will come in for Mertesacker after being lauded for his aerial prowess. We'll see.

The midfield

Is Jack ready to start after spending ten weeks out? Personally, I'd start him and then sub with Rosicky around the 60th minute. It'll be a like-for-like, only the Czech is at a better fitness level. No point risking Wilsh if he isn't at 100%, which he obviously isn't.

Coquelin has become so integral I'll be surprised a great deal should Arsene drop the Frenchman for Flamini. However, the question of who plays at ten is more interesting. I wouldn't start Cazorla, the Spaniard looked knackered against Tottenham and only marginally better on Tuesday and with Rosicky likely to be deployed elsewhere, my money is on Ozil to finally getting his hands on the number 10 position. Mouthwatering prospect.

The attack

With Alexis and Oxlade out and Ozil (hopefully) utilised under the striker our best trio is Welbeck-Giroud-Walcott. Looks a nice one, plenty of power, speed and hardworking guys in it. Akpom should make the bench in this case. Can he get a start? It will certainly be against the odds, but then Sanogo was thrown in at the deep against Liverpool last season and Akpom, at this point in time, looks better than the Frenchman.

The verdict

In the end, a lot will ride on how we take the game. If we start well, score an early goal and continue pressing then we have more than enough to come out on top and get into the last eight. If we fail to make our pressure count and give Middlesbrough the opportunity to hurt us on the counter, there's no telling how this game might end. I no longer feel confident with Szczesny between the sticks, so those in front of him should really put in a shift to ensure the ball won't get to our keeper.

Come on you Gunners.

Back with a review on Monday.

Until then

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)

Arsenal 2-1 Leicester: back on track, if only just

Before the game most Gunners hoped we would be in for an easy ride. But some, and not without reason, adopted a more cautious approach: they feared the knock-on effects our Saturday's loss could produce. So the fact we played a side that sits bottom of the league helped a great deal: if we had to play West Ham or Liverpool, for instance, I fear we could have dropped points. As it is, we bagged all three and moved back above Tottenham who, coincidentally, went down to Liverpool. And those who said even Leicester can prove a tough opponent were completely right. Not because they are mighty and scary (they would not be bottom in this case), but because we fought a battle with ourselves, as much as with them. Even Arsene later acknowledged it:

"Yes it (the North London derby) was a bit in their head, especially in the second half in the legs. Tottenham lost in the last minute as well. It was a very intense game on Saturday and three days later, it’s not easy."

Glad we have overcome this psychological hurdle and won the game. And now, onto the game itself.

The squad and approach

Arsene made three changes to our Saturday's squad: Rosicky, Alexis and Walcott replaced Ramsey, Giroud and Welbeck respectively. The back five remained unchanged, presumably to give the guys a chance at redemption.

The changes added up to a mouthwatering trio of Ozil, Alexis and Walcott up front, but it soon became clear this trident was largely ineffective. The idea was clear: the manager wanted to cut Leicester's defense open by combining Ozil's laser-guided passes with Walcott's and Alexis's blistering pace. Whether we are just not used to the system or it's simply the wrong system for us to adopt is open to debate: the resulting bleak performance was there for everyone to see and it lasted right up to the point when Giroud was introduced. When the Frenchman came on he did what he always does: provided our attacks with a focal point and won most aerial duels, something that allowed Ospina to breathe easier and just boot it long in case of emergency.

I'm pretty sure this isn't the last time we've tried playing without a target man, I cannot even guarantee we won't do this in our next game, but I'd rather we didn't. Use our usual system until the end of the season and in the summer there'll be plenty of time to practice whatever Arsene deems worthy of practising.

The first half

Rather unexpectedly, we could have found ourselves down twice inside the first fifteen minutes: first Mahrez's deflected shot bobbled inches wide with Ospina stranded, then the same Mahrez found himself one-on-one with the Colombian, only for his effort to be wide off the mark once more.

Our first chances came seconds after. Ozil's beautiful through ball made his way to Walcott, only for the Englishman to hit it straight at Schwarzer. Alexis headed over from a resulting corner.

Several minutes later we went ahead nonetheless. Ozil has found space on the edge of the box and poked the ball towards the far corner and Schwarzer could only palm it away for a corner kick. Ozil stepped up, flung the ball in and an unmarked Koscielny slided the ball home from point-blank range. 1-0.

Despite Mahrez's best efforts we soon doubled the lead. Bellerin won the ball on the right, passed it to Ozil and the German produced a fierce drive some 25 yards away from goal. Schwarzer only managed to parry the ball into the path of an onrushing Walcott and this mistake proved costly. 2-0 and the teams went into the tunnel.

The second half

We started the half in a bleak manner, unsure of whether we should continue to attack or just defend our lead. As a result, we didn't particularly succeed at both.

We had a strong claim for a penalty early on, then Rosicky's shot was saved from a corner that ensued, before Leicester seized the initiative.

Kramaric fired an effort wide, Matty James miscontrolled a pass which would have seen him one-on-one with Ospina and you could sense something coming.

Leicester attack which led to the goal started with Kramaric almost chipping Ospina. It took a combined effort from the Colombian and Mertesacker to avert the danger for a corner.

From it a scuffle in the box ensued, Cambiasso kept the ball alive (despite claims for a handball) and it ended up with Kramaric. The Croatian's fierce low shot went in at the near post and I do wonder could Ospina have done better on that one. Sure, the ball dilli-dallied through a lot of legs, besides, I'm not sure Ospina saw the moment the shot was taken, but a near post is a near post. It should be better protected by the keeper.

Arsene immediately introduced changes. Giroud came on for a knackered and (probably) injured Alexis, while Ramsey subbed the inefficient Walcott. I do hope Alexis is OK, he was on the receiving end of a dirty tackle from Upson. Ramsey, unfortunately, is less likely to escape another injury spell. He pulled his hamstring ten minutes after making his entrance and was taken off for Flamini. Arsene later rued the decision to let Ramsey play:

"I basically left him out today because I wanted to be cautious with him. I had to bring him on - I had a hesitation between Flamini and him - because we lacked a a bit of offensive power. It was not the best of decisions."

He also expressed his concerns, as it the third muscle injury Rambo sustained this season:

"I don’t know how bad it is yet. Just visually, it didn’t look good. When a guy stops straight away and sits down, that’s not good news. There’s a recurrence now of a few muscular injuries and it’s difficult - we haven’t found out why."

Whichever way you look at it, we'll probably have to make do without Aaron for a couple of weeks. At least we have Wilshere back, otherwise the situation would be looking dangerous again.

Meanwhile, Leicester continued the search for an equaliser. They went ridiculously close twice, first when Mahrez curled an effort just wide, then Kramaric fluffed his chance when clean through. We only had Cazorla's effort to show for it, though our hold up play got much better with Giroud on. In the end, we clung to our three points and that's the most important thing.

The verdict

A few short notices on individual performances. First up, Walcott. Maybe he hasn't reached his peak conditions just yet, but it was another game that slipped him by. Apart from the goal and a missed chance early on, the Englishman was invisible. He's only completed 6 passes and made less touches than Giroud and Olivier played fifty minutes less. Theo is looking increasingly like Podolski at the moment and unless his overall involvement drastically improves he may well find himself used as a power sub only. Especially with Gnabry and Oxlade on the way back.

I also wanted to single out Ozil. The German has been massive since his return, with 3 goals and 4 assists in four games and the fact that he plays on the left doesn't seem to affect his overall contribution at all. He's made himself undroppable lately and you could see why.

Anyway, despite a shaky performance at home we have moved back above Tottenham and in the light of yesterday's results sit only a point behind Soton and two behind United. We face Middlesbrough at the weekend and our next league game is an away fixture against Crystal Palace. We have plenty of time between now and that game, let's hope we use it wisely and give some key players a rest in the Cup. They could use it.

And I'll be back with a preview, most likely.

Until then

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)

Leicester preview: it's not who you are underneath, but what you do that defines you

If you've been reading my posts more or less consistently then you know I love the Dark Knight series enough to quote it every now and again. This time I feel the situation calls for it: pre-game there's been all the usual talk about bouncing back and putting things right. It's all well, it's part and parcel of the game, it needs to be said and no one should be surprised to see such quotes, but, in the end, the only thing that matters is the next game. If we go out there, play good football and deliver a result, then words will be backed by actions, if we drop points, words will remain just that: words.

Team news update

As always, Arsene gave the usual update:

"Alexis will be back in the group and we don’t have any injuries from Saturday. Everybody else looked fine yesterday."

There was also some good news on Wilshere:

"He’s back in full training this week. I don’t know exactly [how long until he returns], we have to monitor him on a daily basis and see how he develops."

A bit strange to hear a player has returned from injury with no return date pinpointed. Maybe Arsene is just playing his cards close to his chest and we might even see Wilshere today, as a sub of course? Sounds a bit far-fetched, I know, so I'd probably settle for a cameo against Boro and something along the same lines against Crystal Palace.

With that bit out of the way, the usual guessing game is in order.

The back five

I wonder if there's room for rotation in today's squad. Arsene usually prefers to rotate in cup games, but this time cup and league games are swapped and, besides, I'm not sure some players will manage yet another full game, being only three days out of the last one. I've seen suggestions, though, that sticking to our last starting last XI as closely as possible will provide players with a chance to make amends and restore some confidence after a defeat. They sound pretty sensible, but I don't think the manager can ignore the exhaustion issue entirely. And thus I expect a couple of issues.

While Ospina, Bellerin and Monreal haven't played an awful lot and can take another game before being provided with a rest in the cup, the same isn't true for Mertesacker and Koscielny. Especially since Kos still hasn't overcome his Achilles problems. We are going to need the Frenchman in more important games even this month, and so the Leicester game provides us with an opportunity to drop him.

The natural solution if Arsene really decides to rest Koscielny? Our new boy Gabriel of course. The Brazilian has been around for a couple of weeks now and is due a debut, introducing him against the side that currently sits bottom seems a good idea. However, if Gabriel is really set to play, I think we can safely assume Mertesacker will also play. It'll be way too risky to field a central pairing of Chambers and Gabriel.

The midfield

Cazorla looked knackered against the Spuds, that bit I'm sure of. With 28 starts and five appearances from the bench this season, the Spaniard is second only to Alexis in terms of minutes played, so giving him a breather today won't harm Santi. Shifting Ozil inside is the obvious option in this case.

Who do we play at the base? No question about Coquelin, but shall we perhaps drop Ramsey for Rosicky? Yes? No? Thing is, the Welshman also had his fair share of football this season, making 28 appearances in total. And this is considering he's spent minimum six weeks on the sidelines. For me, we can try and have Rosicky do all the stuff Ramsey usually does.

The attack

Oxlade isn't back and he won't be in the next two weeks, but having Giroud, Welbeck, Walcott and Alexis hardly calls for desperate measures, does it? I wonder whether Giroud should be restricted to a bench role, though. Not because of his performances (he's been brilliant upon his return from injury), but because he limped heavily after Rose drove his studs in the Frenchman's ankle. Welbeck up front should be good to go, with Alexis and Walcott flanking him. Sanchez, Welbeck and Rosicky can all compensate nicely for Walcott's and Ozil's defensive shortages (should this be required) and, overall, complement a pretty balanced squad nicely.

The verdict

Anything less than three points simply won't do. If United has beaten Leicester at home, we simply have no excuses. Besides, we really need a win to prove Saturday was a freak accident (which I think it was). A thorough bashing can restore some much-needed confidence and also help us move back into fifth and above Tottenham. For all Liverpool's poor play this season, I simply don't seem them losing to Spuds at Anfield.

So come on you Gunners.

And I'll be back with a review tomorrow or Thursday.

Until then

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)

Tottenham 2-1 Arsenal: tried to do a City, but did a Liverpool

So, we lost. We produced a bleak performance. We could have won, but we really didn't deserve it. This game had echoes of the Liverpool game about it, not the trumpeting horn of the Etihad win.

As is often the case after a loss, I'm in no mood to follow my usual structure. Instead, I think quoting myself and analysing what has happened yesterday through the prism of these quotes is the best possible way to present you with my review. So here goes.

The tactics and the squad

"I won't be surprised should we stick to a cautious approach tomorrow. In other words, I expect us to deliver something along the lines of City's game, only to a lesser extent, because Eriksen and Kane aren't nearly as scary as Silva and Aguero."

This is what I said two days ago when writing a preview for the game. And this approach was exactly the one we adopted yesterday. Only, however baffling it sounds, I'd rather we faced Aquero and Silva than Kane and Eriksen. We gave both time and space and paid the price for that. We dropped too deep after scoring the goal, thus inviting even more pressure. That was a mistake, both because we couldn't cope with that pressure and because we were woefully inefficient on the counter.

"Do they have an edge over the current Hispanic trio? The only edge I can think of is experience (in case with Chambers) and a better understanding of a derby atmosphere (Szczesny and Gibbs). But I don't think these are convincing enough reasons to omit Ospina, Bellerin and Monreal. If our Spaniards can do it at the Etihad, they can do it anywhere."

Seems I was wrong with at least one player: Bellerin. Maybe I wasn't watching too closely, but I don't think he had a good game. His starting minutes were particularly atrocious, as Spurs successfully pulled off a couple of attacks down our right flank. And I think it won't be totally off the mark if we blame him (at least partially) for both conceded goals. He failed to close Kane for the first, he allowed an easy delivery for the second. I'm not saying others couldn't have done better (Ramsey at marking Kane, Walcott for the cross), however, part of the blame goes to Bellerin.

I'm not so sure about what kind of game Monreal had (pretty solid, I guess), but in this case Gibbs could have fared better due to sheer enthusiasm and better understanding of how important a derby is. But I definitely was wrong about Ospina. This is what I said on Twitter a couple of weeks back:

"I think we'll never find out, how good Ospina is. Our defense is keeping it in great secret for a third consecutive game."

Well, yesterday our defense was shaky and Ospina finally got to show just how good he really is. He pulled off save after save after save and they were all gorgeous. When he finally succumbed to pressure, there was nothing he could do. He parried a hard shot in the attack when the equaliser was scored and Kane had a tap-in, and was left stranded with Kane's late header in the episode with the second. I rarely watch the highlights after a loss, but this time I did to enjoy the brilliance of our Colombian goalkeeper. I suggest you do the same.

"As such, I'd prefer to introduce Rosicky for Ozil, as Walcott can be devastating on the counter, something that'll play to our strengths. Rosicky, meanwhile, can compensate for Theo's defensive shortages in his usual manner: by harassing and tackling and pressing and intercepting and forcing mistakes and whatnot."

Wenger found a way I haven't thought of: he combined Walcotts' and Rosickys' strengths and put on Welbeck. And the Englishman rewarded the manager with a brilliant run for the first and the sheer drive and energy he put in. He also had the best moment of the second half with a venomous shot, but Lloris did well to parry. Had it not been Danny's first game upon returning from injury, keeping him on the pitch would have been a better idea than letting Walcott come on.

The conceded goals

"The concept of zonal marking always made me feel uneasy, but when it worked, it worked. The problem is that, when is doesn't work (like on Sunday) we suffer the consequences.

I also don't like the fact we no longer put men on posts during corners. Skrtel's header, as good as it was, could have been blocked or cleared off the line if somebody was just physically standing on the post. No one was there, so no one stopped the effort from going in."

This is what I said after we drew with Liverpool back in December. And once again our lapse on a corner proved costly. Not only did no one close down (or, indeed, marked) Kane, no one was standing on the post. I'm sure we wouldn't have conceded this goal if someone had the sense to cover the post.

Meanwhile, on the second goal:

"Seriously, how can you leave any midfielder in any team with so much time and space to make a pass? But the way the situation was handled after that still makes me want to cry."

It's the bit from the Southampton game, if you are interested. Then we let Warden-Prowse make a cross, this time it was Bentaleb. Walcott and Bellerin has given him way too much time and space and Bentaleb used it to great effect. But even when the cross was put in all was not lost: Kane had to beat Koscielny first. That he did is as much of a compliment to him, as it is a reproach to Kos.

The aftermath

This is what I said in the preview prior to the game:

"Tomorrow's game is a derby and derbies screw with the odds. They have very special atmosphere and rules of logic rarely apply to the results. You can go the whole season undefeated and then lose in a derby and no one will bat an eyelid, however good you've performed up to this point.The chips are down when a derby kicks off."

And this is yours truly on Twitter after the game:

"I don't think any definitive conclusions can be drawn based on today's game. Except that Ospina is a brilliant keeper. It's derby and, though having not been brought up in England, I will never fully grasp it's meaning, I do realise derby is a special occasion. Anything can happen during a derby. It doesn't mean that one team is sh*t and the other is a newly-crowned champion. And so I'm not going to chastise the Gunners for that loss. I will if they drop points on Tuesday, but not today"

With this taken into consideration, I still want to say that Tottenham were much, much better than us and fully deserved their win. They showed up with the right attitude, we didn't show up at all and so there can be few complaints about the result.

This loss sees us slide to 6th, one point behind Tottenham, but the situation doesn't look in any way dangerous. We are just seven points of second-placed City (who miraculously rescued a point against Hull yesterday), three behind Southampton (who miraculously nicked all three against QPR) and trail United and Tottenham by a solitary point, with United yet to face West Ham at Boleyn Ground today. Fingers crossed for a draw there and, in the light of Liverpool's draw in the Merseyside derby, we are not really threatened by them.

Now we need to bounce back quickly and that's why I'm happy we play on Tuesday. And, by the way, we face Leicester at home, while City play Stoke away, West Ham visits St. Mary's and Spuds go to Anfield. Thus we are presented with a chance to restore the equilibrium. Hope we take it.

And I'll be back with the usual preview tomorrow or on Tuesday.

Until then, don't hang your heads in despair

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)

Tottenham preview: a big team away?

Honestly, this is the question that needs answering before we can try and guess our squad and approach for tomorrow's game. Does Tottenham fall into the category of a big team?

I think after the famous big four ceased to exist some ten years ago, the definition of a big team became blurred. Today only two teams in the PL look a cut above the rest: City and Chelsea. United was number 3 not long ago, but, seeing as they wobble through their second consecutive campaign it's really hard to call them a big team. In my view, a big team should be consistently challenging for the title. United are fighting for Champions League places at the moment, those who say otherwise are either short-sighted, United fans, or both.

Liverpool look to be a one-off. They had an uncharacteristically good last season (due to Suarez's brilliance, I suspect) and now they sit 6th or 7th in the table, about where they should be based on the last decade or so. Much like United, few would call this current Liverpool side "big".

Which leaves only two teams unturned: us and Tottenham. As much as it pains me to admit it, we also can hardly be called a big team. At the moment (and this has actually been the case for the last ten years), we are behind Chelsea and City. We have inferior squad to both these outfits and, while there were a couple of occasions during that last decade when we've challenged for the title, it will mostly go down in history as a consistent scrap for Champions League places. We have definitely showed signs of improvement last season by topping the table for 2/3 of the campaign and our current form suggests that with one or two summer additions we should be challenging again next season, for now, though, we are not particularly likely to win the title. I don't exclude it, stranger things have happened, but still.

And Tottenham. No, I don't think they can be called a big team based on the above criteria. Having a few good players doesn't make them Chelsea-esque and so calling them a big team will be a mistake. They don't, and haven't for a long time, challenge for the title. Full stop.

However, there is another matter to take into consideration: even if Tottenham can't be called a big team, tomorrow's game is a derby and derbies screw with the odds. They have very special atmosphere and rules of logic rarely apply to the results. You can go the whole season undefeated and then lose in a derby and no one will bat an eyelid, however good you've performed up to this point.The chips are down when a derby kicks off.

Based on that, and also the last year's derby experience, I won't be surprised should we stick to a cautious approach tomorrow. In other words, I expect us to deliver something along the lines of City's game, only to a lesser extent, because Eriksen and Kane aren't nearly as scary as Silva and Aguero. So this is how I think we should shape for the game.

The back five

If you told me six weeks ago that Ospina, Bellerin and Monreal would become regular starters, I would have, at the very least, snorted at such an assumption. Now, however, I sincerely hope all three will start and I see no reason why they shouldn't. All three have, with their respective performances, shown the place belongs to them and so Chambers, Gibbs and Szczesny found themselves benched.

Do they have an edge over the current Hispanic trio? The only edge I can think of is experience (in case with Chambers) and a better understanding of a derby atmosphere (Szczesny and Gibbs). But I don't think these are convincing enough reasons to omit Ospina, Bellerin and Monreal. If our Spaniards can do it at the Etihad, they can do it anywhere. All three are in brilliant form, so all three should keep their places. As should Mert and Kos. Moving on.

The midfield

The good old "Don't fix what isn't broken" adage should apply here exactly like it applies to our defense. Coquelin, Ramsey and Cazorla are firing on all cylinders and, what's important here, they form a really sound defensive unit. Bearing in mind we are likely to sit back most of the game, such a trio in midfield provides the team with a good shielding ability, while having the capacity to quickly explode and become deadly on the counter. The continued absence of Arteta and Wilshere (the Englishman will resume full training next week and I expect him to be involved against Boro) also robs us of options, leaving Flamini and Rosicky as the only other alternatives to Coq and Ramsey respectively. Flamini is, frankly, unconvincing, while Rosicky may be needed elsewhere, so sticking to the same trio should do the trick. And no, I don't consider swapping Cazorla for someone else, the Spaniard is ridiculously good at operating behind the striker and that's where he must play. At least while his form lasts.

The attack

The main question is whether Alexis will be involved and if he will, then to what extent. Arsene, during his presser today, said the following:

"The latest is that Alexis is not ready. He is not far away, the Leicester game is a possibility. He is of course very difficult to keep quiet! He is training but it's light training. He wants to have a go [on Friday], but I think he is too short [of fitness]."

It's good to know Sanchez is willing to play and, if he's ready, I think he should make the bench, but if he's not (and it very much looks to be the case), he should be given extra time to recover. We have a lot of offensive players available (no pun intended), even without Alexis and Oxlade, so no point risking the former for a short-term gain, especially since there are important games coming up. Besides, Welbeck is back in the group to give us another option.

Assuming Alexis won't make it, we still have an interesting dilemma of who to field either side of Giroud. I'm sure the Frenchman will start, but playing both Ozil and Walcott can be detrimental to our defensive set-up, if we choose to utilise one. As such, I'd prefer to introduce Rosicky for Ozil, as Walcott can be devastating on the counter, something that'll play to our strengths. Rosicky, meanwhile, can compensate for Theo's defensive shortages in his usual manner: by harassing and tackling and pressing and intercepting and forcing mistakes and whatnot. That being said, I badly want to see Mesut on the pitch and so I secretly hope we go all guns-blazing and take the game to Spurs, which will allow Ozil to shine.

The verdict

We definitely have enough to beat Spurs. Our goalkeeper is yet to concede a PL goal, our defense is so solid Wenger openly admitted he is reluctant to introduce any changes, our midfield is rocked by Coquelin and Cazorla and our attack looks scary even without the Ox and Alexis (which was unthinkable up until December). If we show up with the right attitude, we have more than enough quality to beat Tottenham.

So come on you Gunners.

And I'll be back here with a review on Sunday. Until then

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin). And subscribe to all updates via email using the form on the right-hand side

P.S. Coquelin and Akpom have signed new long-term deals, confirmed by Arsene during the press conference. Now Bellerin is the only youngster left