Southampton preview: round the merry-go-round

No rest for the wicked as the Gunners (along with the other 19 teams, truth be told) prepare for their Boxing Day game against Southampton.

And despite Southampton’s atrocious recent form (1 point in 6 games, with only 2 goals scored during that run), I feel uneasy about this match. Maybe because I can’t recall the last time we had an easy game vs the Saints. Our 2-0 loss against them on New Year’s day will surely live long in memory.

Head-to-head

Our record vs Southampton is not too shabby overall - just one loss in 11 meetings (6 wins, 4 draws). However our away record is much worse - just one win in the last 6 games (3 draws, 2 losses).

Right now we are arguably the in-form team. We left our wretched November behind us and won 3 games on the trot, while Southampton, as mentioned above, look very fragile and have recorded no wins in December (in three attempts). Their winless streak of 6 saw the Saints keep no clean sheets, score just twice, concede 9 and get spanked 6-1 by Liverpool in the cup on top of that.

All of this makes the Southampton a dangerous team to play right now. They resemble a wounded and cornered animal and should thus be approached with full concentration and very apprehensively. Furthermore, the quality of their squad suggests Koeman’s men can do much better.

It’s like someone lit the fuse with Saints being the powder barrel. I don’t want Arsenal to be near them when the thing explodes.

Team news and squad

No news is good news, eh? Damn, no. Sanchez and Arteta should have been back already, Wilshere too. None of them are, however, so we’ll have to make do with the players we have for at least another 3 games.

Frankly, I don’t see Wenger rotating much, if at all. Following a string of injuries in November, coupled with some bad results (the two may well be linked with one another, I suspect), Arsene seems to have settled on a formula which he fancies and which produces the desired results. He has played the exact same combination for 3 games in a row and I don’t think we’ll see it tweaked today. More likely the Bournemouth game is earmarked for rotation.

Predicted line-up: Cech - Bellerin - Mertesacker - Koscielny - Monreal - Flamini - Ramsey - Ozil - Walcott - Campbell - Giroud

Rotation issues

Now that’s going to be an issue for us in 2 days. I suspect Cech and our back 4 will stay the same, simply because defenders don’t need a breather as much as other outfield players do (Gabriel is the only switch I can see Arsene making vs Bournemouth), things will get trickier further up field.

I’m pretty sure Ozil will get a rest, the question is, who in the current squad can do what he does? Without Cazorla and Rosicky we find ourselves in a hard spot. Oxlade seems to be messing up even easy passes these days, while none of our wingers are capable of doing a decent job at 10.

The only person who can come close to filling this hole is Aaron Ramsey, so I’m keeping everything crossed the Welshman, with his endless supply of energy will find a way to feature in both games. Luckily he should be relatively fresh, having returned to the squad less just a month ago.

We then have a question regarding our midfield pairing. Just like Ramsey, Flamini didn’t play a lot until a month or so ago, so here’s hoping he has enough left in the tank to play two games in two days. We can give Calum Chambers another shot alongside the Frenchman, while we can also try Oxlade-Chamberlain there. I doubt we’ll see Arteta, though, on whom Wenger said:

“It is the same calf injury, but every time I take a gamble and put him back in he has a set back

This time I was to be a little more cautious & get him to play one or 2 games in the reserves before he comes back and plays.”

However utilising Oxlade as an 8 deprives us of an opportunity to rotate our front three. While Walcott may not need it (the Englishman only started 3 games since his return), Giroud (started 12 games in a row) and Campbell (started 11 games in a row) may well need one. A tough dilemma for the manager.

The verdict

“The confidence following a victory like the one against Manchester City of course increases dramatically. What you want to maintain is the urgency and remember how much a defeat hurts.

You have to take the positives out of a game to believe in your strengths. That balance between confidence and urgency has to be right.”

Simply put, today we need another top level performance. We can’t let our concentration levels drop even a little bit, because I’m sure Southampton will be looking to end their winless streak in front of their fans.

So come on you Gunners.

I’ll be back with you tomorrow, with a customary review of the game.

Until then

Arsenal 2-1 Manchester City: efficient Gunners get the win

The game was approaching a half-hour mark when I started having serious misgivings about Arsenal winning it. An opening 15-minute period of Arsenal’s sterile possession gave way to a 15-minute period of City’s sterile possession and then Arsenal seized control of the ball once more. But nothing was happening still.

31st minute came and were treated to a “shots” box. Arsenal 0, Manchester City 6. “At least they only put one on target and created no moments of real danger” I was thinking, when Aguero sidefooted a through ball into De Breyne’s path and the Belgian fired inches wide of the far post.

But no sooner than my shock from what I’ve just witnessed had worn off, we were in front. Koscielny threaded a fine pass to Mesut Ozil from the halfway, Ozil’s pass ended up at Walcott’s feet and the Englishman fired an unstoppable curled effort past Hart after sidestepping Mangala.

That wasn’t the end of it, though. 15 seconds from the whistle Mangala misplaced a pass, Walcott intercepted it, found Ozil and the German laid the ball on a platter for Olivier Giroud to smash home from close range. 2 shots, 2 on target, 2 goals.

This passage served the simple purpose of illustrating how quickly things can change in a game and how fine the margins are. A minute after we could have gone behind we scored. A simple misplaced pass with just 15 seconds to go can lead to devastating circumstances. That was...enlightening, for me at least.

However, let’s get to the points of interest.

The attitude

This was the standout feature for me. Every single one of our players fought like mad. Tackling, intercepting, scooping up loose balls, closing City’s players down all over the pitch. Going into aerial duels with taller and/or stronger opponents, engaging in physical battles. All the while looking to spring counter-attacks by sparking into life.

All of this we did without Alexis Sanchez and Francis Coquelin. Arsene later summed it up:

“You had times where you had players on the ground at both sides of the pitch because of that total commitment”.

I loved every bit of it. We weren’t bullied by an arguably stronger (physically) City’s midfield. The players fought for one another, they fought for the ball and they looked ready to die on the pitch, but not concede an inch of space. More of that please in the future.

Per Mertesacker

Our captain was absolutely massive. He is not a frequent guest in my articles, maybe because defenders often fly under the radar somewhat due to their less flashy contributions, but the German was the definition of a rock at the heart of our defense. Calm and assured, he mopped up again and again. Here are his numbers:

1. 5 ball recoveries
2. 2/2 tackles
3. 1 interception

Doesn’t look all that impressive, does it? Because that’s not the best part of it.

1. 9/10 clearances
2. 5/5 headed clearances
3. 3/3 aerial duels

How’s that for a defensive masterclass? Even Adrian Clarke picked Per as his main man. The German’s tackling numbers and stuff don’t look all that impressive because City were rarely allowed to attack through the middle. We crowded them out, forced them to lump crosses in from wide areas and that was where Mert came in. Brilliant.

Hector Bellerin

That was much like the Hector we all know and love. The Spaniard was a live wire the entire evening, he was quick to spring attacks and support them, but his defending was also top notch. Neither Delph nor Sterling were able to do anything of note and the credit for this goes to Hector.

The boy made 3 tackles, 3 interceptions, 8 ball recoveries and was successful with 4 out of 6 attempted clearances, but it was his calm manner, no-nonsense approach to his duties I liked the most. Coupled with electric pace, naturally.

Joel Campbell

Here’s a player transformed. Since Joel was handed his first competitive Premier League start vs Swansea, he grew in confidence and stature. He improved with every game and his performance against Pellegrini’s men was, dare I say, his best in an Arsenal shirt.

Yes, he squandered a glorious chance from a Monreal cross and probably should have done better when put through by Koscielny, but this was offset by a good defensive shift (as always) and his overall desire to make things happen. “Make things happen” is hard to measure, however if you watched the game you’ll know what I mean. Sincerely hope Campbell retains his place in the near future, the lad showed massive improvement and deserves it.

Aaron Ramsey

Before I go on, I’d like to say I’m still fuming Rambo didn’t convert his chances. Both were very good chances and both arguably should have ended up in the net, therefore ending the game as a contest.

However, I find myself hard-pressed to be mad at Ramsey. The Welshman put in an all-around energetic display, like Campbell, his desire to make things happen was, and always is, immense.

Rambo spurned his chances and he only created one for his teammates, but in a game where we stayed compact and played on the counter (thus only enjoying 42% of possession), he did what most people begged him to do prior to the game and stayed close to Flamini, providing cover. And still managed to have his best moments in attack.

The aftermath

It was a massive win with a massive performance from the lads. The scoreline flatters City: we could, and should, have went 3-0 up early in the 2nd half, ending the game as a contest. So I don’t understand how Pellegrini can say City were the better side. Watch the game again, Manuel. Or do you think possession equals being better? Then you are as wrong as your counterpart from the other side of Manchester.

The only dark spot is Alexis Sanchez, or, to be more exact, his absence. Wenger shed light on the issue after the game and the news was not comforting:

“He had a slight one (setback) two days ago but he planned to be on the bench tonight but he is so keen. He has got a little bit of a pain and we didn’t take a gamble.

I think he will be back January 10. Christmas period - you can’t count him.”

Here go our opportunities for rotation. I’m glad Campbell and Giroud didn’t play all that much in the first months, while Oxlade and Walcott just got back from injuries, which means all four should be relatively fresh. Will they be fresh enough to play three times from December 26th to January 2nd? We’ll see, but I think some rotation is inevitable, most likely when we take on Bournemouth.

The win takes us within just 2 points of Leicester and gives us room for manoeuvre, as City are now 4 points behind, and Spurs, United and Palace lag us by 7 points.

Now we should chase the Foxes just like Ozil chases the league assist record.

Merry Christmas to you and until later.

Manchester City preview: battle of the heavyweights

Showdown time has arrived. We take on Manchester City on Monday and this game represents a clash between two heavyweights, two potential champions.

Should we write down Leicester as a team which won’t fight for the title? Common sense and basic logic say we should. Even the manner in which Leicester play is very dangerous for a team with title aspirations: open-ended football, the Foxes concede almost as many goals as they score. Only the bottom seven teams conceded more than Ranieri’s men - 24. For comparison’s sake, Arsenal conceded 13, United and Spurs 14 and City 17.

Right now the saving grace of Leicester is that they score more than they concede. But, of the 37 goals they scored (league high by some distance, naturally) 28 were scored by either Mahrez or Vardy. That’s 75%. Should Vardy or, more damagingly to Leicester, Mahrez, sustain an injury or should their form fade away or should the big boys come knocking in January, Leicester will have a hard time keeping up their current form. Because their leaky defense won’t go anywhere overnight, while Mahrez or Vardy can.

But after 17 games… Leicester are top of the league. They sit on 38 points having picked up their last 10 in games against United, Swansea, Chelsea and Everton. And Leicester will be top come Christmas, because Arsenal and City are 5 and 6 points away respectively having played just a game less.

You can not write Leicester off as far as I’m concerned. And you have to admire the work Ranieri has done. This time last year the Foxes were dead last, fighting to stay up. What a difference a year makes. You can’t of course forget about Nigel Pearson. The guy has come in, had a brilliant run from March to May and kept the Foxes up. But I’m not sure Pearson would have been able to do what Ranieri is doing now, which is turning relegation fodder into basically title contenders with a wave of the hand, spending less than 7 million pounds on Kante, Mahrez and Vardy, arguably Leicester three top players.

And how fitting it seems Ranieri was the one who ended Mourinho’s career at Chelsea, putting the final nail in the Portuguese’s coffin. If I was searching for a man who deserved the honour to be the last straw to break Mourinho’s back, Ranieri would be second only to Arsene Wenger. A likeable, intelligent guy, a shrewd manager, who has been the target of Mourinho’s insufferable behavior just goes and beats the Special One at the one thing Mourinho thought he was the best at: football. No mind games, no cheap taunts. Poetic.

But I’ve veered off a bit. Back to the task at hand: City. Let’s start with the usual team news.

Team news

Well, there isn’t much to report about on that front. We have the same squad that faced Sunderland a week ago, plus maybe Alexis Sanchez, who, according to Arsene “has a slight chance” to make the game. Arteta should be the next one to come back, hope he makes it in time for the Southampton game and the busy Christmas schedule following it.

Squad and approach

City’s game is no ground for experiments, so I don’t expect many changes. No Chambers, no Gabriel, no Oxlade-Chamberlain, if you ask me. The only two changes I can see Wenger making is Alexis Sanchez back on the wing and Walcott up top.

As for the first change, I’m not sure Alexis will, or indeed should, be risked from the first minutes. But I also can’t see the Chilean missing the game of that magnitude entirely. A place on the bench seems the most likely and the most logical decision.

Regarding the Theo/Giroud dilemma, it would most likely depend on whether Sanchez starts on the left. Of course Arsene can play Theo up front and Oxlade on the wing, but again, playing Ox is a risk based on his current form. However if Sanchez starts… Then Theo is probably a better option up front. Simply because he’ll keep City’s defenders on the back foot and will be better suited to exploiting the gaps on counter attacks, whereas Giroud will engage in a physical battle with Otamendi and Demichelis. But it all hinges on Sanchez starting, because I don’t believe Wenger will risk starting Oxlade.

Predicted line-up: Cech - Bellerin - Mertesacker - Koscielny - Monreal - Flamini - Ramsey - Ozil - Campbell - Walcott - Giroud

As for the approach, well, I don’t think Pellegrini will change his game and decide to sit back. Wenger is more likely to do that, we’ve seen how he did it at the Etihad. Question is whether he will want to do that at home, in front of the fans.

Personally, I’d advocate exactly this. Without Coquelin and Cazorla we are more vulnerable on the counter and City have quality in abundance to hurt us there. But a carefully thought-out more guarded approach can bear fruit. Hope Wenger showed his lads the reels from City’s losses to Spurs, Liverpool and, most recently, Stoke.

With the right plan, City can be picked apart. Their main weakness right now is the Demichelis-Otamendi partnership. Demichelis is just not very good at defending, while Otamendi is still adapting to the Prem. Hart is also no Cech (ha!), so creating good chances will basically equal goals. We can be sure Hart is more likely to concede than to save these. He has one of the worst big chance save percentages among the top keepers, maybe one of the worst in the league - under 40%. For comparison’s sake, Cech has a 74-75% one.

Another point to bear in mind is City’s midfield. They have no Fernando right now and, like Kompany’s absence, it’s a big plus for us, because their midfield won’t be as secure with Toure at the base. However, it still looks quite daunting and more physical than ours. So we’ll have to stay compact, otherwise City can rip us apart. Another thing in favour of a more guarded approach.

The verdict

Quite frankly, I see no reason why we can’t beat City, especially if Alexis Sanchez returns. Stoke, Liverpool and Spurs were all able to comprehensively do it and we can’t say it was down to luck or City being off on the day. They just identified City’s weaknesses and were able to correctly exploit them. Why can’t we do the same?

This game is more of a “must-not-lose-it” than “vital-to-win-it”. But it has to be said a draw means we’ll trail Leicester by 4 points. It will also mean a harder 2nd part of the season, since we only play Chelsea and Leicester at home. Liverpool, City, United, Tottenham will be all away games, which means additional difficulties in picking up points, meaning we better do it now.

So come on you Gunners.

Aston Villa 0-2 Arsenal: Giroud and Ramsey fire Arsenal to the top

Quite unexpectedly (for me, first of all) I made the game. That’s due to my missing out on Cumberbetch’s “Hamlet”. For those of you interested, someone here came up with a brilliant idea to broadcast the play on a big screen, in cinemas. And sell tickets, naturally.

So my friend proposed we go and see the play, but then a last-minute hindrance prevented him from joining me. That’s my personal life in a nutshell. Even when I do have the energy and desire to go out on a weekend, something stops me at the last possible minute.

Away from my non-existent personal life, and, more importantly, moaning of a 22-year-old and back to matters Arsenal, though. The Gunners did the job in a calm and professional manner and, despite this not being one of our better performances, I’ll have a dull 2-0 over a rollercoaster 3-2, say, any day. I just love it when the Gunners go about their business as calmly as they did today. 3 points, top of the league, a clean sheet and an intact nervous system. On to points of interest.

The performance itself

It felt like we were playing in second gear the entire game, but this I can’t blame the boys for. The performance in midweek was as draining as it was exciting. Both on physical and mental fronts. The same 11 guys who started in Greece also started in Birmingham. That’s as much down to the quality of their game as to our inability to rotate them. Sanchez’s return can’t come soon enough, but I fear this won’t ease the burden on our midfield. Hope Arteta’s working on his calves.

The quality that set us apart on the day, the same which helped us overpower Olympiacos, was efficiency in front of goal. Up until 80th minute we took only 5 shots with 2 on target, both were goals. In the final 14 minutes we took another 3 shots, 2 of which were on target, but our overall 8 shots looked meagre compared to Villa’s 18. The Villains’ downfall was what? You are right, efficiency.

Villa took 18 shots, but only two were on target and both were from outside the box. Cech can catch these potshots all day long (congratulations to him for equalling James’ record, by the way). But a more revealing stat shows us both Arsene’s troops and Garde’s men took 7 shots from inside the box, the difference being efficiency. 4 of our 7 shots were on target, 2 of them goals, while the Villains saw one shot blocked and the other 6 put wide.

In other words, while being far from exciting, the Gunners were clinical and that was enough.

Hector Bellerin

Our Spaniard seems to be suffering from a dip in form. Ever since he came back from his injury. Hector didn’t quite looked himself. This run stretches to 8 games, including today’s.

Bayern performance exempting (I simply don’t want to recall that atrocity), we have conceded 5 goals in 7 games. It’s not much per se, but most of these goals came from the right side of the pitch or can be in some way traced back to Bellerin.

Spurs? Kane outrun Mert who tried to cover for Hector, who was out of position badly. West Brom? Bellerin failed to man-mark Morrison for the first and allowed a low cross to come in for the 2nd. Norwich? The pass for the goal came from the right side. Sunderland? Who the hell was Koscielny covering for on the right when he conceded that free-kick? And against Villa Bellerin was suspect defensively again.

Maybe I’m being picky. After all, Bellerin is only 20, it’s his first season as a regular. It’s not like he is Monreal, a full-back with years of experience (kudos to Monreal, by the way, another solid performance). Form fluctuates at such a young age, this is nothing new.

Moreover, we have to understand Bellerin’s, erm, surroundings, changed quite a lot in these past weeks. By that I mean we longer have Coquelin and Cazorla, who were better suited to cover for the Spaniard. Both patrolled the space in front of our back 4 more efficiently than Ramsey and Flamini currently do. Also, instead of having Ramsey on the flank, Hector now has Campbell. Our right-back is as affected by the current changes as the rest of the team, maybe more.

Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of room for manoeuvre, at least till Cazorla and Coquelin return. Or until Arsene buys a new holding midfielder in January. So Hector has to adapt to the new situation somehow.

Aaron Ramsey

Rambo had another good performance in the middle. He scored that second goal (and started the move which led to it himself), he completed 71 out of his 78 attempted passes (made the most passes of any on-field player), while also chipping in in defense, winning 5 tackles, 3 of these centrally, 2 near our box. Finally, the Welshman ran a whopping 12 km, setting a new Premier League record. The man’s an engine.

Arsene was also full of praise for Aaron:

“He had an outstanding performance today. I think of course he is naturally more of a central midfielder and I pushed him out wide for a while because I believe we have seen many times that when players are pushed against the line they need to shorten their technique. When they come back into the middle again, they are better players.”

Make it 2 goals and 2 assists for Ramsey in his last 3 games. Also notice how Arsene talks about purposefully playing Aaron wide. It clearly never was his intention to keep the Welshman there till the end of days.

However, I still think a Flamini-Ramsey partnership is too gung-ho. Neither can set a tempo to our game (other than chaotic) and I sincerely hope Arsene addresses this problem by either making Arteta/Wilshere a part of the equation or delving into the depths of the transfer market in January.

The aftermath

That was a very important win with some nice little bonuses on top: Giroud scored his 50th league goal by coolly converting another penalty, Cech kept his first clean sheet since October, thus equalling James’ record, Ozil got his 13th assist in just 15 games...

But it was also important from a strategic point of view. Arsenal has moved into the 1st place as a result, a point above City (who got a lucky bounce vs Swansea) and Leicester. Granted, Leicester can still leapfrog us, but they’ll have to beat Chelsea to do that. Doesn’t seem particularly likely, but with Chelsea you just never know…

However we also put some distance between us and the rest. United are now 4 points behind, Spurs (hahaha) and Palace 7 and everyone else even more. Nice weekend for the Gunners. Now we get 8 days till the City game to recover and prepare both physically and mentally.

Let’s hope we do just that.

Until later

Villa preview: a chance to go top

We travel to Villa Park to take on Remi Garde’s Aston Villa and, needless to say, three points is the acceptable result. After a downright disastrous November we’ve only recently notched our first league win (in 4 games) and considering how hard of a January we are about to have, picking up as many points as humanly possible in December is a must.

Head-to-head

Aston Villa are dead-last in the table, having picked up just 6 points from 15 games. Garde’s men are 6 points off 19th-placed Sunderland, 8 points off safety and 9 points off Chelsea (mwahaha).

Their numbers are pretty abysmal: 14 league games without a win, 23 lost league games in 2015 calendar year and an 8-game winless streak at home to top it all off. They have conceded 28 goals this season (only Sunderland, Newcastle and Bournemouth conceded more - 30) and scored only 13 - less than a goal per game. Things looked a bit better for them during Garde’s first game in charge (a draw vs City), but since then they’ve lost twice and drawn another game with a combined difference of -5.

Furthermore, Villa have an atrocious record vs Arsenal. The Villains haven’t beaten Arsenal at home in 16 league games (a run that stretches, naturally, back to 1998) and have lost all 3 games to the Gunners last year, conceding 12 times in the process and failing to score even 1 goal.

Our overall away record should also be a source of worries for Villa fans - only 2 lost games in the last 14, with 10 wins. This record, frankly, should have been even better, but alas, we screwed up our November big time.

Team news update

We don’t have fresh injury concerns, while no one is coming back too (which isn’t very surprising). However, Alexis looks to be on course to return for our pivotal clash vs City on the 21st:

"He is back on Sunday, he trains on Monday morning at 9.30 a.m.

He is running already... I sent him back to Chile, where he has been running with the physio of the national team, and we will see what kind of state he is in next week. He may be a bit short for City, certainly, but with Alexis you never know."

Alexis? Short after a week of training? You wish. Guy played in our first league game after barely having two training sessions. I rather think it’s Wenger playing mind games a bit, making Pellegrini nervous as to whether Sanchez will be involved.

The next guy to come back should be Arteta, but all the others will only “be available after Christmas”. Whatever the hell that means. Wenger only specified the date of Rosicky’s return (end of January), the mooted date for Jack is early January (the cup game, maybe?), while Welbeck resembles a forgotten man more and more. No update on him was given.

Injury musings

This situation is sad and a bit alarming. I don’t mean just Welbeck, I mean our regular injury crisis. We started the season with 24 players, on paper. In reality, it was 21, because Wilshere, Rosicky, Welbeck. This list of 21 players includes Flamini (a 3rd-choice DM who is now 1st-choice) and a half-dead Arteta. Don’t get me wrong, I love Mikel, I’ve defended him for quite some time (and continue to do so, he is a much better footballer than given credit for) and I am, of course, deeply grateful for everything he’s done for us, coming in at a torrid time in 2011 and steadying the ship. But it has become apparent we can no longer rely on him.

Mikel limped off on the 21st of November with a “slight calf strain”. One which has already kept him on the sidelines for 3 weeks and one which will keep him out for at least further 2. Arteta’s ongoing problems basically mean we had, at best, 20 players we can rely on in August. That includes Flamini (supposed to be 3rd-choice, remember?)  The real question is, did Arsene know Arteta wouldn’t be able to keep up? Because if he did, not buying another midfielder was sheer madness. You can’t for months on end relying on just 20 players.

Right now we have 17 fit players. Alexis’ return will make it 18, which means only just scraping a starting XI and a bench. A bench with 4 defenders on it. When it comes right down to it, 2 injuries in midfield (Cazorla and Coquelin) was all it took to place Arsenal in a tricky situation. Not only because both are, per se, very important players, who have been regular starters in 2015, but also because, starting the season with a 21-man (de-facto) means any further injuries strain the squad to its limits. Which is what happened to us. We are not mad because Cazorla and Coquelin are out. Any half-decent side can cope with 2 injuries, regardless of how important the injured were. It’s coping with 5-6 that makes the situation dangerous.

I can see only one way out: buying another central midfielder in January and weathering the storm. And then, in May, assessing our injury-prone players and their future with the Club. Arteta, Flamini and Rosicky will definitely leave, thus solving some of our problems. Of other players, only the English contingent seems injury-prone, Calum Chambers exempting. I doubt we’ll see Ramsey or Walcott axed, the former Wenger loves too much and Aaron is the least injury-prone, the latter signed a new lucrative contract just this summer.

Which leaves us with Oxlade, Wilshere, Gibbs and possibly Welbeck. Danny suffered a nasty injury, but that doesn’t mean he is prone yet, the other three, though… Arsene should really pay close attention to how they fare in 2016. Especially since Gibbs and Oxlade haven’t established themselves as regulars still and their performances, for now at least, leave a lot to be desired.

If I sound cynical, I don’t mean to. I love Jack, Danny and Ox, Gibbs to a lesser extent maybe. But I’m dead tired of relying on players who don’t contribute all that much and take up places in the squad. Not just one or two players too. Six. Six injury-prone players. Their absence costs us every season and I want that to change. If such desperate times require such desperate measures, then so be it.

Squad

I can’t see Arsene making many changes, simply because we don’t have the luxury of choosing. The only debatable positions are striker, left/right wing and, possibly, central midfield.

As for changing strikers, well, I still think Giroud may need a rest, simply because he started 10 games in a row, but look what happened the last time I suggested resting the Frenchman: a quite wonderful performance topped off with a hat-trick. We know how Arsene is reluctant to rotate in-form players and, more importantly, Ollie’s heroics should have breathed new life into the Frenchman, so I don’t think we’ll see Ollie rested just yet.

As for our wings, Campbell seems to have cemented his place, hilarious as it may seem. A run in the side definitely benefited the Costa-Rican, he notched at least 2 goals and 2 assists in the last 8 games (ever since he started vs Swansea) and he should be in better physical shape than either Walcott or Oxlade, both of whom have only just returned from injury.

The other side of the pitch is more of a dilemma. Walcott or Oxlade. I’d say Walcott will get the nod, simply because he offers more than the Ox. He is tidier on the ball and much more threatening in the final third.

Finally, I’m very interested at which stage the operation “Chambers in central midfield” currently is. Personally, I’m surprised we haven’t seen Calum play there for more than 10 minutes lately. The opportunity have been ample ever since Coquelin limped off against West Brom: Norwich and Sunderland in the league and Zagreb and Olympiacos in the CL. Sure, these were all very important games, games we had to win, but it’s still better to give Calum a try there than against City or during the busy Christmas schedule.

Aston Villa is the last game to blood Chambers in a new position. After that we have City and Southampton and both look much less forgiving opponents. After Southampton it’s five days till January, a month by which Wenger must already make up his mind whether he needs a new holding midfielder or whether Chambers and Flamini are adequate stand-ins until Coquelin returns. Unless, of course, Wenger has already decided Chambers is a no-go in midfield and we need to buy. That would explain why he’s persisting with Flamini at a time when the opposition allows us to try out Chambers in a new role.

Predicted line-up: Cech - Bellerin - Mertesacker - Koscielny - Monreal - Flamini - Ramsey - Ozil - Walcott - Campbell - Giroud

The verdict

As it stands, we should have enough in our lockers to beat Villa. On a high after beating Sunderland and, more importantly, Olympiacos, the players should be up for the task at hand.

A win will also take us to the top of the table, at least till Leicester play Chelsea. City have only just beaten a manager-less Swansea (but they still did), meaning we can leapfrog them by a solitary point in case we win.

So come on you Gunners.

Unfortunately I won’t be able to watch the game live, so there will be no review from me. However, keep your eyes peeled anyway, in case Sohum makes the game.

Over and out from me for now.

P.S. Oh, just in case you’ve been thinking about additional reading on Aston Villa, here’s this week’s “A view from the opponents” column. Can thoroughly recommend it, fascinating stuff.