Fulham preview: no margin for error

Good day to you.
Tomorrow we take on Fulham in our first away game in the Premier League this season and three points are everything at this stage. Despite us winning a match against Fenerbahce in a convincing manner, few will tolerate a second straight defeat in the league. The first one may have been called an unlucky turn of events, but two defeats in a row will hint at a nasty pattern.
In terms of availability, the ones that played against Fenerbahce should be ready for what would be a third outing for the vast majority inside seven days, with the only exception being the suspended/injured Koscielny. The shallowness of the squad doesn't leave much room for rotation, though we may see Monreal on the left instead of Gibbs (who, in my opinion, could use some rest) and I'm still firmly of the opinion, that Podoloski should start the game. Cazorla is still some way from regaining his usual sharpness and a full game against the Turks did little to help him. The manager, however, seems somewhat reluctant to hand Poldi a role in the starting eleven right now. Wenger may see the German as a direct sub for Giroud, should he need to influence, how the game unfolds. Maybe, Podolski is still not ready to play the full 90 minutes. I don't know the manager's thoughts, but playing Cazorla at the moment doesn't do the team and the player himself much good. Seeing, how threadbare our squad is, Wenger's priority should be on getting the most out of every player and a team as a whole, even if that means sacrificing some of his more subtle plans. Harsh reality is, until we get some new players onboard, which will give a better alternative to choose from, we still have games to play and points to fight for. Fingers crossed, we can get the three points tomorrow, though it will by no means be an easy stroll.

Fenerbahce review: a pleasant surprise

Hello everyone.
So, yesterday we faced Fenerbahce in the first leg of the qalifiying round and the result exceeded the expectations of even the most hardcore and optimistic fans: a 3-0 win. An away win. This basically allows us to rest a few tired legs in the return fixture and give the youngsters a chance to play. Though we mustn't overdo it.
The manager stuck with the squad, that lost a game to Villa on Saturday, with the only change being Cazorla for Oxlade-Chamberlain. This surprised me, I have to say. While our goalkeeping situation wasn't that obvious (and in the end, Wenger was right to start Szczesny), Podolski seemed a natural choice to me, when it came to filling in for the Ox. Cazorla is a great player, no doubt about it, and when fully fit, should start every game, but that's not the case right now. The Spaniard looked off the pace for the second game running, while fully fit Podolski with a thorough pre-season under his belt sat on the bench right up to coming on as a late sub for Giroud. I've started wondering, whether there's some kind of rift going on between Poldi and the manager. Let's see, how things pan out on Saturday in terms of who starts the game, but the situation is weird, to say the least.

Fenerbahce preview: too much at stake

Hello everyone.
So, tomorrow we face Fenerbahce in the first leg of the qualifier. The first game will take place in Turkey and that gives us a tiny edge. It's not for obvious reasons only, it also gives us some breathing space, should something go wrong, and we'll have to grind out an acceptable result.  Then, we'll bring in a few players like mad, play them against Fulham, allowing others to rest and recuperate and try turning up with a better game plan for the second leg. Unlikely scenario, but we have to bring in players in the next twelve days, and the earlier we do this, the more chances we have to actually sign someone.
Regarding team news, there seems to be only one serious blow we've suffered three days ago. Oxlade-Chamberlain has badly injured his knee in a collision against Luna, tearing his ligaments. He is out for a minimum of four months. Now, that's a real blow. He seemed to have a very important role to play in this squad. Wenger even chose the Ox over a fully fit and able Podolski in the first game, so it's obvious, the boss was counting on him. He's been easing Oxlade into action for two seasons now, allowing him playing time, whenever possible. The Ox was even ahead of Gervinho in the pecking order. I know, Gervinho was never very good, but he did seem to find some consistency last season and, everything aside, he was at least a hardened pro (don't laugh). And now Oxlade is knackered for four months, maybe more. Really sad. The quickest of recoveries to him.

Gloom and dismay

Hello everyone.
Not much going on today in terms of actual news, but the heat, caused by our latest defeat and, more importantly, our failings priot to it, seems to be reaching its picus.
Arsenal Supporters Trust spoke out yesterday and the message is clear: they are not happy with the way things progress. To cut long story short, the main points are as follow: Arsene Wenger, Stan Kroenke, our transfer policy, Arsene Wenger, his contract, a cash pile in the bank. Did I mention Arsene Wenger?
Let's get our majotiry shareholder out of the way first. The report only confirmed what we already knew: Silent Stan isn't remotely interested in how things are run. He is content to hand over the power to the manager, while also giving him his backing. Kroenke just can't be bothered to understand, how football clubs should be handled, he just couldn't care less, it seems. While the club remains profitable, I doubt Kroenke will lift a finger to change something for the better. A sad picture, especially when you look at the likes of Abramovich. He may be a complete arse, but he cares for Chelsea and keeps pumping money, bringing in the best players and managers.

Free fall

Hello everyone.
The dust has settled a bit after yesterday's horrific loss and not only did it not serve to calm the nerves, the cold light of day showed, our problems go much deeper, than a simple defeat.
There was, as usual, a post-match press conference and the manager was again heavily questioned about his non-existent transfer policy. His reaction was rather unexpected. He said, the reporters should be happy, their "prophecy" has been fulfilled, seeing as the team without additions lost. As if they (the journalists) are to blame for his downright incomopetence, when it comes to securing deals. Arsene Wenger, and he alone, is guilty for failing to secure signings, which resulted in a defeat. Sure, it's not so simple, the additions would not necessarily bring us the three points, but they would have made the team stronger, more capable of coping with injures. As it is, we've lost a game fair and square.