Chelsea preview: the stage is set

Good morning.

Tomorrow Arsenal visits Stamford Bridge and I won't deny I'm a little nervous about this one.

We haven't exactly been at our best last time we went there, while our overall record against the Blues leaves a lot to be desired. We've last beaten Chelsea in 2012, when a hat-trick from a certain Dutch ensured we came out on top 5-3, but it's been no bed of roses since then.

Arsenal's record against Mourinho's Chelsea is worse still, with no wins in eleven games. However, I'm with Wenger on this one (surprise, surprise):

“I don’t deny that history is against us with Chelsea. The thing about top teams is that they make history and they change history.”

Do I think we have what it takes to bring down Chelsea? Absolutely. Yes, we still have 7 players out, 5 of whom would have made the squad, but it was basically the same story in midweek.

With that settled, let's try putting a comprehensive squad together.

The back five

Although Monreal can be back (which is certainly a boost), I don't expect any changes in defense. Gibbs is blossoming right now, so much so he received a call-up to the national side. Delightfully, he got one at the expense of that ignorant and overrated Man United left-back. But it's just an observation, which, I think, has little to do with Gibbs's participation tomorrow.

However, I strongly believe Arsene should drop Szczesny, or at least consider doing it. I've softened my stance towards the Pole's red and I realise it's unlikely AW will bench Wojciech after just one mistake, but he still should consider it. Ospina had a very good game on Wednesday, answering all the critics who crawled out of their holes after the Saints' match. Moreover, the Colombian will surely need practise before we play Anderlecht. Tomorrow may be the time to provide him with some.

The midfield

Here we have another dilemma. I'm pretty sure Flamini will continue in his holding position after a strong performance on Wednesday, but who starts further up the pitch is another question entirely.

Playing a partnership of Cazorla and Ozil may worked against Gala, but I think we'll have one hell of a hard time breaking up Chelsea's attacks with such a duo. We are going to need someone more sound defensively to not lose the midfield battle.

Shifting Ozil out wide to keep Cazorla in the centre of the park is not an option, as far as I'm concerned. It'll mean inviting Chelsea to attack down that flank and with players like Hazard and Schurrle they may reap the benefits. So Ozil should remain where he was, not the least because his best games came when the German was deployed under the striker.

He'll need someone who'll play closer to defense in this scenario, and with Arteta and Ramsey out, Wilshere remains our only option. Not that it's a bad option, Jack is just no Viera or Gilberto when it comes to defending.

The attack

It's obvious Alexis and Welbeck should start after their brilliant performance, but who'll occupy the other flank? In my opinion, it's a two-horse race between the Ox and Cazorla.

And, once again, I'm not sure Cazorla is an ideal option. The little Spaniard is less of a runner-tracker than Oxlade, while he's also less physical. It's still fiendishly hard to dispossess Santi though, while he's also instrumental at performing the transition from defense to attack, so it's a close call.

The verdict

“Chelsea have always been a good team - no matter which year you go there, they have a good team. It’s not too much about them, it’s about what we will do, how much we are ready to put the work rate, effort and togetherness in to get the result. That’s what will make it.”

That about sums it up. The Blues are strong, they have become stronger still with the addition of Costa, Matic and Cesc, but we've seen before how we can beat anyone if we catch our rhythm.

There is a question, of course, which tactic would be the most beneficial for us? Do we sit back and hit them on the counter or do we seize control of the ball and go all guns-blazing?

The former scenario may have worked a year ago, but I'm not so sure it will now. Without Ramsey and Debuchy we are less sound defensively. Actually, I'm still wrapping my head around this transformation. Surely Chambers and Flamini know how to defend? Why have our clean sheets dried up? Why can't we be as solid now as were a year ago? Is the change of formation to blame? Is is the question of adapting to it? If you feel like it, you can read more on the subject in Tim Stilman's weekly column over on Arseblog.

Anyway, back to how we approach our opposition and I'm inclined to think we'll try to take the game to Chelsea. It's just what we do normally and given the wealth of our attacking talent it may be the most sensible thing to do. It yields the potential danger of exposing ourselves to their counter-attacks, however, so a balance should be found. Just don't use that high pressing line and we may nick the three points.

One last thing: Cesc. How should we treat him? It's hard to say, really. The most sensible suggestion I've seen on Twitter is ignoring our former captain. Cheering a guy who went on strike to leave would be strange, to say the least, but booing someone who has played for eight years is also kind of immature and disrespectful. Unless he scores and celebrates van Persie or Adebayor-style. 

That's it for now. Back Sunday or Monday with a review.

Until then and C'mon. On. You. Gunners.

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)

Arsenal 4-1 Galatasaray: two different sides to one very good Arsenal

Yesterday's game can easily be split in two periods: the first sixty minutes and the last thirty. For the first hour there was only one team on the pitch. We dominated Galatasaray completely and could have been 6 or 7 up (pun absolutely intended) by the 60th minute. The we showed another side to our game: defensive resilience. And it was thrilling to watch. However, let's go step-by-step.

The squad

Did we go back to 4-2-3-1, at least for this game? Frankly, it's not that important. Of much greater interest was the attacking roster of players that started: Flamini, Cazorla, Ozil, Alexis, Oxlade and Welbeck. After all the criticism his way, I must admit I was impressed with Flamini's performance. His positioning may still be a bit suspect at times, but yesterday he has well and truly made up for it with his fighting spirit and his overall contribution.

Our attack looked lethal. Cazorla and Ozil centrally, the Ox and Sanchez out wide and Welbeck up top. All these players functioned like clockwork, interchanging passes and on-pitch positions for a greater effect.

I failed to mention the back four, but you can guess it without too much problem: Chambers, Mert, Kos and Gibbs. All performed brilliantly, nothing more, nothing less.

The first 60 minutes

It took us roughly 20 minutes to really click, but even inside this period we looked much more the part than Gala. Constantly in possession and constantly threatening, but not finishing just yet.

This changed in the 22nd minute. Sanchez (who was bullied every living second) played Welbeck through, the Englishman blocked the defender and poked the ball home between the keeper's legs.

8 minutes later Daniel grabbed a second. A mis-hit pass backwards fell to the Englishman, our centre-forward powered past Melo as if he wasn't there and slotted the ball into the far corner. 2-0.

10 minutes later the game was over as a contest. Sanchez got on the back of a beautiful pass from Ozil, stepped inside the defender and sent the ball into the same corner as Welbeck minutes earlier. We saw the first half out safely, but the show continued in the second.

Oxlade nearly set up Ozil, only for his cut back to be cleared, but it didn't matter, cause seven minutes into the second half Welbeck completed his hat-trick.

The Englishman started on the left, played the ball to Sanchez and the Chilean, in his turn, found Oxlade-Chamberlain. By the time Alex received the pass, Welbeck was ready to pounce. The Ox sliced apart Gala's defense to feed Welbeck and the Englishman's lob made it 4-0. The points were secured, but, suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, we had to work for them.

The last 30 minutes

Some carelessness in midfield saw Burak go one-on-one with Szczesny and the Pole was a fraction of a second late to clear the ball. Instead, he hacked off the Turk and saw red.

In the immediate aftermath of the foul I was furious with Szczesny's behaviour. How could have he been so stupid? Better 4-1 with 11 men, than a penalty (essentially, a goal) with 10 men. However, after watching the replays once more today I realised our keeper didn't hack the Turk down with his outstretched hands. Burak intentionally stumbled into Szczesny to try and get a pen. It was, in essence, a dive.

Ospina came on for Alexis and, though he couldn't save the spot-kick, the Colombian was instrumental in letting in only once. He pulled off at least three marvellous saves in these thirty minutes. Two point-blank (a header and a low shot) and one distance effort from Sneider. Ospina was also very good at claiming crosses.

We could have actually added two more after the sending off, but brilliant Welbeck was robbed at the last possible moment after an outstanding run and Cazorla's dink was too weak, allowing the defender to clear the ball off the line. 4-1 it ended.

The aftermath

After the game Arsene was, expectantly, full of praise for our hat-trick hero:

"He’s a good finisher. I believe that, technically, he’s very sound. That was a surprise that he’s technically clean and that he’s a good passer of the ball. I didn’t know he was so quick. Honestly, I knew he was quick but he can be electric when he starts - he has great pace."

However, the team as a whole deserves the highest of marks. Everyone was great, even the subs which were designed to hold off the Turks. So fair play to everyone involved.

A couple of final notes. First, while Szczesny is not the sole culprit in this episode with the red, the boss may still want to explore the possibility of dropping the Pole. After all, it's not the first time Wojciech did that. Arsene needs to teach our number 1 right from wrong and omitting him against Chelsea may produce the desired effect. It worked in 2013, I see no reason why it shouldn't work now. And even if it doesn't, I'm more than happy with Ospina.

And finally, Turksih fans were disgusting. They've set the pitch on fire and lit something up in the stands. Outrageous behaviour. All of them were isolated after the game, 6 were arrested. It's high time UEFA punished Gala for such a thing. Fine them or, better still, ban their fans to watch the game from the stands in the remaining CL matches, Something definitely needs to be done.

That's it for now. Back soon with a preview of the Chelsea game.

Until then

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)

P.S. Melo's foul on Alexis was no less disgusting than the behaviour of his side's fans. How he got away with only a yellow for such a foul is beyond me.

Galatasaray preview: need to start winning

Hello.

We play Galatasaray today and things aren't looking good on the injury front. Again. Arteta and Ramsey will both spend around four weeks out of the game with a calf and a hamstring strain respectively. Arsene commented on these two:

"There’s no logic [behind our latest injuries to Arteta and Ramsey]. We have to analyse what happened. I don’t understand".

When a player has a week's long rest and then pulls a muscle, questions arise. How has a player in question prepared for this game?

Good news is, the Interlull is close, which means Arteta (hypothetically, as his injury is not as serious) can be available right after it, while Ramsey can join us in early November. Hope this is what happens.

Also, Wilshere seems to be alright. He's a doubt for Gala, but should be good to go against Chelsea. Jack may also be available today, as he has made the squad. With all this figured out (more or less), we can try naming the side which will face the Turks.

The back five

Szczesny should start in goal. No reason to drop him. The Pole's distribution is a bit dodgy, yes, but apart from that, he's definitely more convincing than Ospina.

The defense should also remain the same. No one returned, no one seems to have sustained an injury, so I expect the usual guys to start. Arsene hinted he may explore the option of utilising Chambers' talents further up field, but I somehow don't think it's such a good idea right now. Our back four is stable, we don't want to fix what isn't broken. Especially with no Debuchy and Monreal.

The midfield

The holding position worries me greatly. Arteta and Ramsey, our most natural choices, are out, while Flamini just isn't that convincing. The sight of the Frenchman in the box for our countless corners against Spurs made me want to scream obscenities. What was our DM (and a very small one at that) doing inside the eighteen-yard box with the scores level? He should be shielding the defense in case we lose possession and a counter-attack ensues.

That's why I think it's time for Arsene to get creative. The most obvious option to me is Wilshere, if the Englishman is fit. He's quick, combative and rather good in the tackle. He'll have to be disciplined enough to sit back rather than bomb forward, though, so it may not be an ideal solution.

Another one is Diaby. The Frenchman has only just recovered, but with all the talk of how Arsene can make a good DM out of his compatriot it's perhaps time to start using Abou in that role. He'll have to play there at some point to learn the trade and the time seems to have come. However, it's more of a long-term option, as the Frenchman is unavailable for selection today.

AW can also think of less conventional choices, like Oxlade-Chamberlain, Rosicky or even Cazorla. The Ox demonstrated his desire to track back against Borussia, Cazorla had a really good spell in central midfield in August. Rosicky is, of course, viewed more as a playmaker than a DM, but the Czech's harrying and pressing can prove useful in this new role.

However, I have a strange feeling Arsene will persist with Flamini, especially after the boss has publicly shielded Mathieu from criticism, and I don't like it. Sure, the Frenchman is a more natural def than anyone else I've mentioned, but he's still error-prone.

Ozil should be reinstated in a central role, both because he's more effective there and because our options are becoming limited. Who should be his partner? I'd say Wilshere, if the Englishman is fit and isn't deployed elsewhere. Otherwise I really want to see the Ox in the middle of the park. Oxlade played his best games there and has also been talked up by Arsene, so the time may have come to give the Englishman a chance in his future position.

The attack

Welbeck should start once again:

"If we play well collectively then he will score. He's integrated very well into our team".

However, the fact that Danny's finishing is off at the moment worries me. He's missed a few changes against Borussia, failed  to score in his debut game against City and kicked out at thin air against Tottenham.

It's his hold-up play and dragging defenders into channels which are the Englishman's most important assets right now, but he needs to become more clinical and assured in front of goal. Simply because he's tasked with leading the line.

On the flanks I hope to see Cazorla and Sanchez. Both looked pretty dangerous in our last game and both have goals in them. I don't know where the info about Arsene being unhappy with Sanchez's team ethics came from, but our £30 million summer buy should start games when fit. Simple as that. He can make the difference, score a winner, set up Welbeck or whoever else and the Chilean's work rate is second to none.

The verdict

"The group stage is a minimum of 10 points so the home games are vital. We had a disappointing result in Dortmund and at the moment I feel that the potential is there for us.

"We don’t lose a lot but we want to find the winning edge together and we have that opportunity on Wednesday.

"It’s early but we are maybe more under pressure to win the game than if we had won the first."

Arsene's take on our tonight's clash. As far as I'm concerned a win is vital not only in terms of boosting the chances to qualify, but also because we need to go into the Chelsea game brimming with confidence. A draw against the Blues away from home is never a bad result, but it'll take our draws tally to five in seven games. Win it, and suddenly we're in the mix.

As for tonight's game, I think we have more than enough to win in terms of quality, even with all the injures. We play at home, which is also a bonus, so go for the three points. And get them.

That's it, back with a review tomorrow or Friday.

Until then and c'mon you Gunners

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)

P.S. Giroud has signed a contract extension yesterday and it will see the Frenchman stay at the Club till 2018. Congrats to Olivier, it's no less what he deserves. Before the extent of his injury was confirmed, I wrote a piece on why Olivier is so important to us. Stand by what I've said

Arsenal 1-1 Totenham: two points dropped

Evening everyone.

Even a full day after the game I still cannot comprehend the result. Arsenal was clearly the better team yesterday and the fact that Tottenham fans celebrated a point like a win tells you a lot in itself. However, we went down the all-too-familiar road of not getting the most of our chances and hence the draw, which feels more like a loss. Let's start at the beginning, though.

The squad

All our senior defenders returned, while Chambers (understandably) kept his place for his first-ever North London derby. The Englishman did brilliantly, in my opinion, and could have scored an absolute screamer of a goal, but his shot went wide with Lloris stranded. Calum has, unfortunately, picked up a fourth yellow, but I quite liked it: Chambers committed a cynical foul in order to stop a dangerous attack, being fully aware just what exactly he was doing. Love this guy.

In midfield only Wilshere kept his place, with Ramsey alongside Jack, Arteta just behind.

This meant shunting Ozil to the left flank, but it was barely noticeable during the game. The German was constantly interchanging positions with Wilshere and so it was nigh on impossible to tell who played where.

The other flank was occupied by Oxlade and I've seen calls for Wenger's head for not starting Sanchez there. Not because the Ox was bad, far from it, but just because you shouldn't keep your second-best buy on the bench in a game of such importance. Personally, I don't find fault with this decision: Alexis completed 90 minutes in midweek and it was visible when the Chilean made his entrance on the hour. He wasn't as sharp or as quick, to my mind. Welbeck spearheaded the attack.

The first half

We dominated it, yet failed to turn this dominance into actual goals. There were a couple of shots from outside the box by Wilshere, Ramsey and Oxlade, but all were saved by Lloris. And only Chamberlain's effort (and his deflected cross) presented genuine threat.

Spurs, meanwhile, were happy to sit back and try their luck on the counter and had, in my view, succeeded. Adebayor (with this laughable haircut of his) failed to shoot when clean through, Chadli's weak effort rolled wide when he should have done better and Mertesacker nearly put the ball into his own net from a corner. Mercifully, Szcsesny was on full alert.

The real downside of the half, however, were our injured players (yes, in plural!) First, Arteta pulled his calf. Then Ramsey did likewise with his hamstring. In-between Wilshere received a knock on the ankle after a brilliant run. Mercifully, the Englishman stayed on. The other two were not so lucky, as a consequence Flamini and Cazorla were introduced to the proceedings.

The second half

We started it brightly with Ozil playing more centrally and Cazorla on the left. This allowed for more chances to be fashioned and the German himself nearly opened the scoring, but his shot was saved by Lloris.

Just as we were starting to really look on top, we conceded. Flamini classlessly gave the ball away near our box, Eriksen passed to Lamela and the cheaty Italian sent Chadli through. The Belgian slotted the ball away and celebrated by making this "I can't hear you" gesture aimed at the Arsenal fan sector. For which he was booked by Oliver. The first time I've seen a player being booked for such a thing, but, as it happened to Sp*rs player, I find it hilarious.

The scores should have been level seconds after, but Mertesacker's headed effort was cleared by Lloris. Goal-line technology showed there was no goal, but, as it didn't (and I suspect, for a reason) show the moment which caused the backlash, I'm not inclined to believe it. For me it looked a clear goal, for referees, unfortunately, it did not.

We carried on attacking, spurred on by Sanchez's introduction and almost scored the equalise through a wonderful effort from Chambers. Two minutes after that we finally scored.r

Cazorla's blocked shot fell to Welbeck, the Englishman swung his leg at thin air, but the Ox was on hand to smash the ball into the roof of the net. We huffed and puffed to try and score that winner, but it never came.

The aftermath

There are lessons to be learnt from that draw. Firstly, Flamini should never again be handed such an important role in the game of that magnitude. He's just not up to scratch. Simple as that. Play him, when the result doesn't matter, or if we are already miles ahead. In other instances play Arteta, Ramsey, Chambers, Diaby or whoever else at this position. Just not Flamini.

Secondly, we need to do something abouth these constant injures. Having Debuchy and Giroud out for the long term is bad enough. Monreal's and Walcott's absences are bearable to an extent, though it's not very good. Add Arteta, Ramsey and Wilshere to that list and we look screwed.

I do realise both injures to our Frenchmen are bad luck. Nothing you could to prevent a twist in the ankle or an unfortunate landing. Everyone else (bar, Wilshere, probably) is down with muscle problems. Monreal? Back. Ramsey? Hamstring. Arteta? Calf. Sanogo? Another hamstring problem.

How Arteta and Ramsey could have got injured is beyond me. Both had a week rest, both are not the smallest players on the team. Only incorrect preparation comes to mind. They are not being trained right, hence the injures.

Out of these two + Wilshere, only Jack stands a chance to play against Chelsea. All three are out of our midweek clash and that leaves us walking a tight line. These knocks sadden me infinitely more than the draw against Tottenham.

Don't know, what else to say. Guess I'll just call it a day and go to sleep. Things to do, people to see.

Back in a couple of days with the usual preview. Maybe earlier, if something of note happens.

Until then

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)

Tottenham preview: outgun them

It's the day of the North London Derby and things have almost got to the boiling point between Arsenal and Tottenham fans. It's usually the case, this time around, however, the atmosphere is infectious even for me. I've already stated several times that I feel no particular hatred towards Spurs, as I wasn't brought up in London, nonetheless I'm too excited about this game and feel there really is something more, than the three points, at stake.

That's what Arsene said during his yesterday's press-conference. However, all the hype surrounding the game aside, the Frenchman also gave the update on the state of our squad. With this matter settled a guess-who'll-play game is in order.

The back five

I expect Szczesny to be reinstated between the sticks. Firstly, because Ospina didn't have the best of games on Tuesday. Secondly, because Szczesny was brilliant against Villa. And thirdly, the Pole understands the concept of a derby much better, than the Colombian.

The defense picks itself. Mertesacker,  Koscielny and Gibbs should all be available after their midweek breather, while Chambers will deputise at right-back once more.

The situation with the young Englishman is a bit worrisome, truth be told. I think he played in every game since joining, but I can't see him being cut a break before Debuchy's return. I hope Bellerin will be able to slot in here and there, but it'll definitely be Chambers for all the important matches.

Moreover, Calum is on three yellows already. Two more mean an automatic one-game suspension. Arsene is also concerned with this state of affairs:

“The yellow cards worry me a little bit because he has three yellows and after five you miss a game. But that's down to the fact that he's committed and lacks sometimes experience in the challenge.”

Apart from that, we don't have any fresh ins or outs,  so I expect Bellerin to make the bench with possibly Flamini alongside the Spaniard, just in case we need an emergency left-back. Hope it won't come to that.

The midfield

A real selection headache for Arsene. EVERYONE is available. I mean it. Flamini returns after sitting the last three games out and even Diaby is back.

I've seen suggestions on Twitter about how a fully fit Diaby should be picked ahead of Arteta and Flamini and they do merit a point. Especially after AW himself conceded he's tempted to make a DM out of his compatriot:

"I try to transform Diaby into a defensive midfielder. Facing the game will be easier, then playing back to goal with the injures he had. "

However, Diaby is very obviously far from being fully fit right now, so even an appearance from the bench today for him is unlikely. We'll see whether it's such a res judicata in the future.

So it's either Arteta or Flamini shielding the back four and I'm not so sure the Spaniard will get the nod:

"Mathieu Flamini might be available again. He had a dead leg. I feel he should be back.”

Well,  I'd still like to see Ramsey at DM,  but it is what it is. And by that I mean either Flamini or Arteta.

Further up the pitch,  it's clear we have to continue with Ozil under the striker. He's had his best game in quite some time there last week, so it'd only sensible to keep the German there.

Main question is this: who is the starter now: Wilshere or Ramsey? Right now it looks like Arsene trusts the Welshman more,  though his words about Jack becoming a permanent feature of this side in case the Englishman stays fit should not be forgotten in a hurry. It'll probably be Ramsey, as he's fresher, but Jack is bound to make an appearance at some point.

The attack

Welbeck should start up top. He's another player with a top-notch performance against Villa and also had a nice long rest because he's cup-tied,  so another start for the Englishman won't be a surprise.

The flanks present an interesting dilemma. We have, of course, Alexis Sanchez, who should, in my opinion, start:

“Alexis and Jack played 90 minutes the other day and they're usually on second-day recovery. But today Alexis really wanted to train and people had to tell him to take it easy."

Love this guy. Fresh from completing 90 minutes and he's chomping at the bit. Start him, Arsene, Sp*rs defenders will have nightmares long after this game.

The other flank is either Cazorla or Oxlade. Both haven't featured midweek and both give a lot to this side. They, of course, bring different qualities and, as the Ox is a bit too similar to Alexis, I don't think are likely to start together. However, both are also keen to track back and help fullbacks, so that's another thing to consider.

The verdict

Frankly, I'd be surprised if North London isn't red till at least the next derby. Tottenham doesn't look that cohesive or dangerous, and we have quite a lot of players to exploit their weaknesses. Our defense worries me in that simple sense that we only have four senior players, but these are in no way vulnerable or inferior. I'd probably be a bit more assured with Debuchy in the squad, but Chambers may prove even more useful in some regards.

That's it. I think we all can expect a win today, given the quality of our players, the fact that Tottenham is sh*t, the importance of that game, the fact that Tottenham is sh*t and the boosting effect a win can have on the squad. Did I mention the fact that Tottenham is sh*t?

Here's for a pummeling later today and I'll get back to you with a review on Sunday or Monday.

Until then and c'mon you Gunners

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)