Stoke preview: keep it up

Evening everyone.

We face Stoke at Britannia Stadium tomorrow and, as always, it's a tough place to go to.

Injury update

And we seem once again short of defensive players. Debuchy will only be available against Gala, Monreal is out, Gibbs is also a doubt and Koscielny's involvement (God help us) is under question:

"We have to assess a few players today because we had some bad surprises with Nacho Monreal being out for tomorrow’s game. Hopefully Kieran Gibbs will be available and back in the team. We have to assess some other players like Laurent Koscielny and a few bumps and bruises that we got after the game".

That means we only have two 100% fit defenders - Mertesacker and Chambers. Throw in Bellerin (though I doubt Arsene will throw him in) and we have three. Keeping all fingers crossed that at least Gibbs makes it.

We also have some problems further up pitch, as Rosicky and Sanogo were both mentioned in a rather gloomy way:

"We might also lose Tomas Rosicky for a thigh problem and Yaya Sanogo for a calf problem."

Campbell for Sanogo is obvious, but Rosicky was our only fit midfielder on the bench. His absence not only means a fourth consecutive start for Cazorla and Ramsey, it might also create rotation problems for Tuesday. And we do need to rotate for our final group game, no doubt about it.

And to make matters worse (funny word, considering we already have 6 players out and 5 on the verge), Walcott is out, both for today and for Gala. Brilliant.

"Walcott is still struggling with his groin inflammation. I think he has an injection today to take care of that. Hopefully he can be available again after that. Galatasaray will be too early for him."

With all that, the usual guessing game becomes absurdly (and worryingly) easy.

The back five

Did I mention Szczesny might not be avaialable? My bad. While I have no problem with Martinez between the sticks, it'd good to have a proper keeper on the bench. Just in case, you know.

The back four. More like the back two-and-a-half. Chambers and Mertesacker will definitely start and, while Mert cannot be deployed in any other role, than a CB, Chambers will be plugging any hole that will be required of him. If Koscielny's unavailable, than Chambers becomes a centre-back. If it's Gibbs who's out, Chambers will play at left-back. If both Koscielny and Gibbs are okay, Chambers will remain at right-back.

I'm more than a little worried about the lad. He's got 21 games under his belt already and that's not taking his caps for England into account. And even though Debuchy is on the brink of returning and might be up for selection starting next Tuesday, there's no guarantee Chambers will get a nice long rest he deserves. Why? Because Koscielny is not completely fit and both our left-backs will soon start walking on crutches. I guess that's the price you pay for not buying another defender. Or letting Jenks go, when Bellerin isn't ready yet.

The midfield

We have three. Fit. Midfielders. Three. Flamini, Ramsey and Cazorla. For Cazorla, like for Chambers, it'll be game №22. For Ramsey №20. And for Flamini? №19.

I don't think Arsene will introduce changes to this set-up, however. Tuesday is our rotation day, tomorrow a win is crucial. Luckily, we have more room for manoeuvre in midfield, as both Oxlade and Sanchez can play there. It's easier to find a winger right now, than a central midfielder, so Ox in midfield won't hurt our chances elsewhere.

By the way, no word was said on Arteta and this genuinely worries me. He wasn't training with the main group at the very least, which means he may not be available for Tuesday. Which hampers our rotation ability to the point of "abort rotation, abort rotation!" Just imagine the worst-case scenario: 7 guys (4 defenders + 3 midfielders) who have played 4 games in 11 days (4th tomorrow, an away trip) will have to return to London and then immediately leave for Turkey and there play their 5th game inside two weeks. Scary prospect.

The attack

Arsene on Alexis:

"He is in the red zone. You can see that when he plays but he can dig deep. He played his 27th game on Wednesday."

27 - that means 22 for us and five for the national side. But, again, I don't think the Chilean will be rested tomorrow. Tuesday, yes, definitely, it'd be mad to start him, but tomorrow? Unlikely.

As for the other two in our front three, I'd very much like to see Welbeck and Giroud start together. They played some good football at West Brom and then some devastating one for a short period of time against Southampton (between Giroud coming on and Welbeck coming off), so I want to see them together.

However, what I want and what the manager thinks is right is two different things, though in this case I think there's a good possibility of my wish coming true, Either way, I figure Giroud should start definitely. He's physically stronger than Welbeck and we'll need that against Stoke. Whoever starts on the right (Oxlade or Welbeck) will depend on our midfield crisis.

The verdict

We are on a good run and we should do our best to prolong it. A third successive league win would be very welcome indeed, while if we can keep another clean sheet I'd be over the moon. And I won't be alone in that.

Can we win? Yes, I think we can. Even with all the injures we should still see a capable side out there. Just stick to our organized style of play as of late and we should be fine.

So come on you Gunners

And I'll be back with a review on Sunday or Monday.

Until then

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)

Arsenal 1-0 Southampton: resolute

Hello everyone.

Yesterday we got a third win in a row and it was much like the one against West Brom. A game with very few chances on both sides (Southampton has a grand total of one), but we got the result we needed, despite leaving it very late. And who scored that only goal? Alexis Sanchez, of course. At this rate he'll become our best player for the fourth consecutive month. Let's start at the beginning, though.

The first half

Arsene made two changes to the squad that bested West Brom three days prior to this game: Oxlade for Giroud and Sanogo for Campbell. Poor Costa-Rican. Not many eyebrows will be raised if he leaves us in January, but there will definitely be a lot of calls for Wenger's head. Monreal and Gibbs, meanwhile, both passed their fitness tests (just like the Ox) and were included.

We could have gone in front in the 7th minute already, when Cazorla's beautiful pass released Welbeck down the left. Unfortunately for us, the Englishman decided to try poking the ball with his weak foot and thus squandered a good chance. Now, I have to say this: Welbeck's decision-making is really strange at times. My guess is that Danny loses his head a bit in front of goal and that's why his finishing is off. He needs serious work in that area.

We had two more chances inside the first 45 minutes to take the lead. First presented itself after a scuffle in Saints' box, only for Oxlade's shot to be saved by Forster. Second came from a set-piece, when Cazorla's cross was met with a header from Welbeck. Forster saved again.

Southampton only had one opportunity to open the scoring, when Pelle and Davis combined brilliantly on the edge of our box, but, mercifully, Pelle's shot went well over. 0-0 at half-time.

The second half

The second half continued in much the same pattern. We (rather lethargically) attacked, Southampton defended and this dragged till Giroud's introduction to the proceedings. The Frenchman subbed Oxlade-Chamberlain on the 65th minute and we sparked into life.

Within minutes, Olivier created two moments of danger. First was a finish on the volley, which Forster palmed away, second was a pass to Welbeck, but the Englishman's effort was again saved.

After that the game calmed down and it looked like we were in for a 0-0. With ten minutes to go Arsene threw Podolski on for tiring Welbeck and the German made an impact several minutes later. His cross found Giroud in the box, the Frenchman nodded the ball towards the far corner, only for Forster to intervene and make another save.

But we got there in the end. Giroud battled his way in the box and found the onrushing Ramsey, the Welshman cut the ball back inside and an unmarked Sanchez slotted it home. 1-0 to the Arsenal.

The aftermath

After the game Arsene said:

"It was difficult for us to keep going from the start of the game because we’ve given a lot against Dortmund and on Saturday - today was the third game in seven days. You could see that we had to dig deep. We played against a good team who are very well organised and play very quick on the counter-attack. For us it was important not to be exposed on the counter-attack and to keep a clean sheet. We had to be patient and wait for our chances and you could see in the last 20 minutes that they started to suffer a little bit physically and that we created openings."

As it turned out, 10 out of twelve our league goals at home games were scored in the last half an hour, five of them in the last 15 minutes. Resilience.

I have to say I'm still a bit worried. We weren't exactly sharp and commanding and, as it can only be put down to physical exhaustion, that's even more worrying. We have three more games in ten days and the manager is already considering resting a few players against Gala:

"It is a very important period but one thing is for sure - we are not under huge pressure for game No 6 in the Champions League. With the week we had behind us and the week we have now, to go to Galatasaray for a decisive game would be very difficult."

I don't like the sound of it. Albeit it's a fat chance, there still is this teeny tiny possibility to top our group, which we should snatch at with both hands. By then, however, we can have Arteta, Debuchy, Walcott and both keepers back, so maybe we can still beat a managerialless Gala with a bit of rotation.

Oh, and a couple of words on keepers. Martinez had another fine game and this presents a dilemma, at least to me: should Szczesny be reinstated the minute he returns? Of course Martinez has benefited from a Mertescielny central pairing, but he still hasn't put a foot wrong in these last three games. Very calm, commanding, with great distribution (better than Szczesny's) and, most importantly, he doesn't try anything clever. Whenever there's danger, he just hoofs the ball into the stands. So definitely a decison for Arsene to ponder.

Alright, I'll leave it at that. Back in a couple of days with fresh news and a preview.

Enjoy the win

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)

Southampton preview: onwards and upwards

Hello everyone.

It's Southampton today in what will be a late kick-off and, as always, a win is crucial for us. United, West Ham, Swansea and Liverpool all won yesterday, so that heaps even more pressure on us to deliver.

Injury update

We'll have to do so without a host of players, though. Ozil and Wilshere remain our long-termers, but a lot of others, while close to full fitness, aren't quite there yet. We have positive news on Debuchy and Ospina, however:

"Debuchy is one week away. He is training. Could he be involved next week? Certainly. Ospina is as well one week."

Debuchy's return may finally give us a chance to rest Calum Chambers. The lad has been outstanding for us, but 20 appearances (only three from the bench) out of possible 22 is too much for the 19-year-old. Only Cazorla and Sanchez have featured more (tied at 21 appearances).

There is a worrying bit of news regarding Gibbs, Monreal and Oxlade:

"We have some question marks about Monreal, about Gibbs and about Oxlade-Chamberlain. They have tests this morning."

Losing both our left-backs isn't pretty, though it seems Monreal has trained yesterday and is ready to play. Fingers crossed.

Finally, Koscielny remains a bit of a doubt:

"Koscielny could be a problem because his inflammation of the achilles is not completely gone. He had two tendons which were bad. The left has gone completely and the right is still a little bit there so, if he has no reaction, he can cope with it. If he has a reaction, you have to be cautious."

I sensed there was something not quite right with Koscielny's early return and here it is. January can't come soon enough. Anyway, let's try and guess who the manager might pick for today's game.

The back five

As Szczesny is still injured (as is Walcott, by the way. Both should return against Stoke on the weekend), Martinez will continue in goal. The young Argentine was very solid when called upon this season, so I'm not worried about him.

If Monreal is available, he'll play. Along with Mertesacker, Koscielny and Chambers. If the Spaniard is out, we have two options: Bellerin at RB and Chambers at LB or Flamini at LB. I lean towards the former, cause Flamini is needed elsewhere in the absences of Arteta and Wilshere. Hope Monreal makes it, however and we won't have a headache with who to slot at LB.

The midfield

Again, I don't think we can expect any changes here. Though Rosicky hasn't played in a long, long time, it's unlikely Cazorla will be dropped after his stellar performance(s). Nor should he be. If the little Spaniard has enough petrol left in the tank, few will disagree with the decision to field him. If however, our playmaker needs a rest, then Rosicky is the most natural sub. Moving on.

The attack

Alexis and Welbeck have played a lot and I do wonder how long they'll be able to carry on without some R&R, but, barring an injury, I just don't envisage them not starting the game. Both have had a good game against West Brom, playing off of Giroud to great effect, so both are likely to continue. As is Giroud. Should Walcott return for our next game, then one of Alexis/Welbeck will probably be rested, but not earlier.

The verdict

If we approach tonight's game the way we approached our last two, we can get the three points. Southampton has had a very good start to their season, unexpectedly good given how many players they've lost, but by no means are they unstoppable. The Saints lost three games this season, each defeat came from a more-or-less decent side: Liverpool, Tottenham and now City. And while the first two games were away ones and both were lost by a one-goal margin only, City smashed past Southampton at St. Mary's, with only ten men. This game highlighted the importance of Morgan Schnederlin and the Frechman is out for tonight. Anything less than a win for us will be an underachievement.

So come on you Gunners

An afterword

I also wanted to say a couple of words on Thierry Henry and Arsene Wenger.

Regarding Thierry, our ex-captain issued a statement on Facebook, where he thanked everyone related to New York Red Bulls and announced he won't be returning to MLS next season. He also said he needs time to reflect on what he'll do next, but, while his return to Arsenal as a player is rather unlikely, I'd still want him to return in some capacity. Henry's a living legend and his presence at the Emirates will be beneficial to all parties concerned. So come home, Thierry. (By the way, the man has given a very interesting interview, here's a part of it. Give it a go, fascinating stuff).

Finally, Arsene Wenger. Whether he should stay or go sparked some rather ferocious debates on Twitter, but the man himself hinted he's going nowhere till his contract expires and said why it is so:

"Of course," Wenger said, when asked whether Arsenal could win the title during his latest three-year cycle. "We have not started very well but we never had the squad together since the start of the season. It was a post-World Cup start. I think we have what is requested to do it."

That should settle it: Arsene stays. Whether you like it or not, he stays. So get over it. Accept it. Support him while he's here. Arsene said he can win the League, so consider it a promise on his part. He may not win it the way we want it, he may not buy the players we want or make the decisions we consider necessary, but he will win us the title. No "if" here, because Arsene is a man of his word. So stop the negativity and support him. You'll have time aplenty to castigate the Frenchman in two-and-a-half years if he doesn't deliver, but you'll look extremely stupid and ungrateful if he does, even with all the pressure.

I'll be back with you tomorrow with a review.

Until then

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)

West Brom 0-1 Arsenal: solid, if unspectacular

Hello everyone.

We made it two wins in a row on Saturday and thank goodness for that. The game, especially the last ten minutes of it, wasn't easy, but three points is three points. No complaints about the here.

The squad

The starting line-up brought a couple of surprises alright. Koscielny started (that bit was predictable), but Gibbs's omission caught me off guard. I suppose Arsene just wanted to rest the Englishman before our game on Wednesday, but, unfortunately, it didn't work out. Monreal sustained a knock at around the 20th minute and had to give way to Kieran.

The midfield was unchanged from our midweek clash, but the front three was barely recognisable. Only Alexis kept his place and, while Giroud for Sanogo was kind of obvious (especially in the wake of Yaya's injury), Welbeck for Oxlade was not. Again, I think Arsene just wanted to give the Ox a rest and in this particular case it worked out better, than with Gibbs.

The first half

We had a lot of moments, most of them boiled down to Cazorla's shots. Unfortunately, Santi once again didn't have his scoring boots on. All three of his shots were on target, but he really should have done better at least with his third attempt, when Welbeck laid the ball off for the Spaniard.

However, others also had their moments. Welbeck's shot was brilliantly saved by Foster, Ramsey's effort skidded just wide of the post and then Giroud's work rate almost got him a goal. Had the angle not been so tight, the Frenchman's name would have lit up on the board.

West Brom, meanwhile, created almost nothing and I put that down to two factors: Koscielny back alongside Per and the tremendous work rate of the front three. All of them tracked back and helped us defend. There was just one heart-in-the-mouth moment, when Berahino put the ball into the net, but the goal was disallowed. as Brunt was flagged offside in the build-up. 0-0 at half-time.

The second half

It wasn't as eventful as the first, but both sides had their share of moments.

We could have been in front early into the half, but first Ramsey fired his effort over and then Alexis, who was going for the kill, was beaten to the ball.

West Brom responded dangerously, Berahino looking to make the difference. He was (wrongly) flagged offside and then saw his shot blocked by an in-form Martinez. Just as things were starting to look threateningly, we scored.

Cazorla received the ball on the left, bested Wisdom in a one-on-one and put in a cross from the byline. It was met by a thumping header from Welbeck. 1-0.

We faded in the last half an hour and fell back to defend our slender lead. However, West Brom never really looked like equalising, and Berahino hitting the bar was mostly against the run of play. We could have scored a late, late goal when Foster came in for West Brom's corner, but Ramsey, instead of passing the ball to Oxlade, hoofed it clear. Ah, well. 1-0 it finished.

The aftermath

"In the end our solidarity got us through when the legs went in the last 10 minutes. Maybe we were a fraction lucky on the crossbar, but overall it’s a well-deserved win."

The natural worry we have from this game is injures. Monreal had to be subbed because of one, however, both Gibbs and Oxlade also sustained some knocks and are doubts for our game on Wednesday. Fingers crossed at least one of our left-backs make it in time.

This win elevates us to the 6th spot. Hardly something to be proud of, but, combined with Southampton losing to City, we are now six points behind third-placed Saints. A win on Wednesday, and we are three points behind them.

Finally, some words need to be said on the banner that appeared on the stands after the game. The banner calling for Wenger's resignation. I was wondering whether I should mention it at all, as bad publicity is also publicity, but in the end I decided I cannot just sit there and pretend nothing has happened.

To put it shortly, this banner was uncalled for. I can understand the frustration of the fans, we are hardly smashing past everyone this season, but the timing wasn't right. Had it been unveiled after the United game, I would have understood. Not sympathised, but understood. Or after the game against Swansea. Or before Borussia.

Now, however, it looks stupid. The team is on the up, produced two good performances and got two wins. Moreover, this banner is stupid even in the wider perspective. Will Arsene's sacking (hypothetically) right now do us any good? No. There are no good managers available in November and even a good one will need time to settle. And we'll be losing points in the process.

All these "fans" did was undermine the confidence and the morale of the team. And put the manager (who is, I'm convinced, doing his best to get us out of this situation) under more pressure. Watching Arsene having to defend himself during the press-conference was much worse than watching us let in 6 against Chelsea.

Arsene was always underappreciated and, at a time, when a lot of managers are doing far worse than him, it's astonishing really to see some fans turn against the Frenchman. Look at LvG, Rodgers, Martinez, Klopp (the local favourite among Arsenal fans). Do we want to find ourselves in such a situation?

So back Arsene while he's here. Don't put him under even more pressure. Judge him at the end of the season, when it's clear what we have achieved and where we have failed. But not earlier.

Back tomorrow (or on Wednesday) with a preview.

Until then

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)

West Brom preview: rinse, repeat

Good morning to you.

I suspect it'll be a short one today as I'm not feeling well. By which I mean that I'm ready to collapse any second. So no small talk, just the preview.

Injury update

The most depressing piece of news is Wilshere's injury. The Englishman has undergone a surgery on his left ankle after Pat McNair tore the ligaments of that ankle. As you can see here, the tackle was horrendous and I don't know why it went unpunished. As you might recall, Mike Dean didn't even whistle for a foul.

The surgery means Wilshere won't play for us till late February/early March and this really is a blow both for us and for him. Jack was starting to really deliver and now he's out. And the problem is not Wilshere's "brittle" ankles, as some might have you believe, but rather an atrocious tackle, which wasn't duly punished. 7amkickoff has written a good article on the subject, so check it out.

In other news, Szczesny and Walcott remain out, while Welbeck faces a late fitness test. However, I've seen both Danny and Theo practice, so we'll see, what part they play today.

Arteta and Sanogo have also joined the injured department, the former with a calf problem, the latter with a cramp. The Frenchman is not that big of a blow, Arteta definitely is, but the Spaniard is out for 2-3 weeks. Hope it's the normal 2-3 weeks, not our usual abyss where players may disappear for up to 3 months. With all that sorted out, let's try guessing the squad once more.

The back five

Emi Martinez should start and I have no problem with that. The Argentine was very solid against Anderlecht and Borussia, so him continuing in goal isn't a worry anymore.

The defense will be tampered with, I suspect. I assume that mostly because of Arsene saying the following:

"Laureant Koscielny is well. If I want him to start, he will start."

Good news. Though Arsene was also full of praise for Monreal...:

"I believe that the players who have played in different positions are doing remarkably well in that position - Monreal has had outstanding games at centre back"

...the sooner Kos is reinstated alongside Mertesacker, the better. Everyone else in the backline should remain the same.

The midfield

If players continue to drop like flies there, soon we'll be having problems. No Ozil, no Arteta and now no Wilshere is damaging enough, especially considering all three are probably starters when fit.

So we'll have to adapt. The manager has shown he trusts Flamini enough to even field the Frenchman ahead of Arteta on a couple of occasions, so I'm pretty certain we'll see Mathieu start today. I'm not over the moon with it, but it's the best option we have.

Ramsey, meanwhile, should also continue, with Cazorla completing the trio of our midfielders. I actually wouldn't object to seeing a Ramsey-Cazorla base with Rosicky under the striker, but Arsene will probably disagree.

The attack

Oxlade and Sanchez are sure to play from the first minutes, though the Chilean will definitely need a rest at some point. We play every three days for the next three weeks and AW will have to rotate and rest Alexis at some point, so as not to risk an injury to our star performer.

Up front it'll be Giroud, I think. Welbeck, just like Sanchez, needs a rest and Sanogo is out. Giroud, meanwhile, is fresh, not having featured in midweek and the Frenchman also has a very good record against mid- and low- table teams. For me, it's a no-brainer to start Olivier.

The verdict

We have (as always) quite a few injures, but we still possess a lot of quality players who can get the right result today. While Flamini for Arteta is a step backwards, Koscielny for Monreal and Giroud for Sanogo is two steps forward.

If we replicate our midweek performance, we should be fine. Let's hope we'll do exactly that, which will automatically enable all the fans to have a good weekend.

Come on you Gunners.

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

Until then

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)