Indonesia Dream Team v Arsenal pre-view: Miquel, Ryo, Gnabry, Eisfeld to shine?

July 13, 2013July 14, 2013TotalArsenal

I am looking forward to tomorrow’s friendly against ‘Indonesia Dream Team’: nothing is a better antidote against the poisonous Torture Window shenanigans than watching a game of football involving our boys. It will only be temporary relief, and as per the nature of early season friendlies, it probably won’t be much of a game to watch, but at least the ball will be rolling again and we can watch eleven Arsenal shirts in action for the first time in two month.

This is the 24-man squad for the Asia Tour (thanks JM for providing the data):
GK: Lukasz Fabianski, Wojciech Szczesny, Damian Martinez

DF: Kieran Gibbs, Carl Jenkinson, Laurent Koscielny, Per Mertesacker, Ignasi Miquel, Bacary Sagna

MF: Mikel Arteta, Ryo, Aaron Ramsey, Tomas Rosicky, Jack Wilshere, Serge Gnabry, Kris Olsson, Thomas Eisfeld, Chuks Aneke, Gedion Zelalem

FW: Olivier Giroud, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lukas Podolski, Theo Walcott, Chuba Akpom

The following players did not travel to Indonesia:

i) Santi Cazorla and Nacho Monreal (extended rest due to their involvement in the Confederations Cup)
ii) Yaya Sanago (still with France at the Under-20 World Cup)
iii) Thomas Vermaelen, Abou Diaby, Emmanuel Frimpong (injured/recovering)
iv) Gervinho (announced as “sickness” … or something more ?…. Linked with Marseille, Roma)
v) Joel Campbell, Wellington Silva (no work permit to play for Arsenal yet?)
vi) Chamakh, Bendtner, Santos, CY Park (on sales)

I have not got a clue which team Arsene will select for tomorrow’s friendly, which will be shown by ESPN at Sunday 2.45 p.m. If I had my way, I would start with a strong team, but give at least some of the youngsters a chance to show us how much further they have developed last season. I would love to see more of Gnabry, Miquel, Eisfeld, Olsson, Aneke, Zelalem and Akpom during this tour.

I don’t think Arsene will add more than two or three top players to the team this summer, and with a number of players who were regarded as surplus to requirement now departed – with more to follow – there is a good opportunity for some of the above mentioned youngsters to play themself into the squad for next season.

Your guess is as good as mine as in who is going to start in tomorrow’s team. This is a time for experimenting and it will be interesting to see how we line up, in terms of formation, and who will start/ play where. No doubt, Arsene will make many substitutions and it will be hard to pull any big conclusions from Sunday’s encounter.

I expect us to be in with the familiar 4-2-1-3 (4-2-3-1) formation and would like Arsene to start with the following players:

Let's attack with speed and invention with proper wingers, Wilshere and Eisfeld mastering midfield, and Giroud playing the holding striker role. — Let’s attack with speed and invention: with proper wingers, Wilshere and Eisfeld mastering midfield, and Giroud playing the ‘holding striker’ role, whilst benefiting himself from proper wing-service.

How would like Arsenal to line-up for tomorrow’s friendly?

Enjoy the game fine fellow Gooners! 🙂

Written by: TotalArsenal.

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Bayern or Dortmund – why I will be rooting for Die Schwarzgelben

May 25, 2013May 25, 2013TotalArsenal

Tomorrow’s CL Final is promising to be a great battle between two German clubs who thoroughly deserve to be at Wembley this year. Arsenal have beaten both teams in the last two years, but Dortmund have made big progress in Europe since we won against them at the Emirates, and although we beat Bayern at the Allianz stadium, it is fair to say that over the two games they were the stronger team.

It is a really bizarre thing that we beat so many of the European top teams in previous years – Barcelona, Milan, Bayern, Dortmund – but always only in one leg, whilst losing out over both legs. There is no doubt that our unexpected victory over Bayern – albeit not enough to go through – gave our team an incredible shot up our arms. We needed a victory like that and it proved to be the catalyst of our impressive finish to the season.

I am a romantic and love what has been happening at Dortmund over the last few years. I have written in previous posts how it is so much harder to build success on a philosophy of football in which the system is king and the players are an integral part of it, rather than simply buying the best, most expensive, players in the league and overpower the opposition. Klopp, just like Wenger, is a manager who makes his players better within the system of his football and through his coaching; he is also able to replace players who leave or get injured with relative ease – a characteristic that reminds me more of van Gaal than Wenger.

Bayern are wealthy and very powerful, on and off the field, but the wily young fox, Jurgen Klopp, has been able to out-smart his opponents during the previous two seasons, winning the title twice and the German Cup once. This season, Bayern have stepped up a gear and won the league with ease. They are still in the German Cup final, and of course in the CL-final, and can make it three out of three pieces of silverware this season. At times they have looked unbeatable, and the 7-0 aggregate trashing of Barcelona was an incredible achievement!

They are the pundits’ favourite on Saturday night, and Dortmund are the underdogs.

What I love about Bayern is they play with proper wingers and I hope other teams, including Arsenal, will be encouraged to reinstate some proper wing-play. Other than this part of their football, I must admit I do not enjoy watching Bayern anywhere near as much as Dortmund’s intricate, and yet deadly sharp, passing and possession football. This is the main reason I want Die Schwarzgelben to win tomorrow.

Another reason is the incredible insensitive and unsportsmanlike behaviour surrounding the aggressive capture of Dortmund’s most promising talent, Gotze, by their arch-rivals. Now Gotze appears to be injured, but even if he wasn’t – and who says he is anyway – Dortmund would probably not have gotten the full value out of him. On top of that, there are strong rumours Lewandowski will be joining Bayern as well.

These sorts of developments can easily destabilise the Dortmund team, but I reckon Klopp is a very special manager who seems to thrive under adversity. He possesses that rare combination of qualities: visionary, very strong tactically, a great motivator and truly passionate about his football, and a humble human being.

Spinoza wrote: ‘All things excellent are as difficult as they are rare’, and I reckon it will be Klopp’s excellence of team management skills – in all facets – that will see him and his team defy the odds tomorrow.

Call me a romantic, but I believe justice will be done tomorrow, and renewed hope will go out to all those clubs who try to win something the proper way, and that includes Arsenal.

Written by: TotalArsenal.

JW for Arteta, Giroud to return, Santi in the hole: multi-media pre-view by Oz Gunner

May 18, 2013May 19, 2013TotalArsenal

Deja-Vu all over again!

Here we are again…feels like Deja Vu’ all over again, doesn’t it? Another final day heart stopper! I have to say, watching Arsenal these days is enough to test even the most resolute (not you GLIC, you’re just a blouse who hides behind a couch haha). Add in the angst of the Chelsea and Tottenham games and we are in for a wild ride. We all know the ramifications of this one, but here it is again:

If we are winning I’ll be furiously flicking between our game and the Chelsea vs Everton game. If scores are level or we are losing I’ll be swapping back and forth to the Tottenham vs Sunderland match. I don’t know what will melt down first…me or the remote. I’m confident we will only have to rely on the Toffees in this final fixture (Chelsea without Terry and Hazard will help the cause). Chelsea draw and we win 1-2 it’s a playoff fixture…no thanks we are limping over the line as it is. If Di Canio’s Sunderland are required, I sure as hell hope they can do the deed (Yes we apoligise for loaning you Bendtner, but we did inadvertently hope you’d be beating Wigan in the last fixture!). Just sit 10 men on Bale, he is single-handedly dragging his knuckles across the pitch hauling the rest of the team with him.

I am under no illusion that 3rd or 4th is great result for us. It is the bare minimum of what we should achieve! But when the season is all over and done with we can all breath a little bit easier knowing that Arsene has Steve McQueened this season again.

Anyway that’s that (It’s hard to think of the game when there is a bigger picture at stake), now to the game. Personally I think Newcastle have clocked out for the season; their previous results undermine what they are truly capable of. Second season jitters…I think not. We all know at their best they are good enough to challenge for Europa League football. Unfortunately, the loss of Demba Ba along with a whole host of injuries really has crippled their season. Fifth last season. Relegation scrap this season (until they defeated QPR in their last fixture). However, we could be in for a rude awakening if we take Newcastle to easy in this one… they do have match winners at their disposal.

Missing in Action:

Arsenal: Diaby (malicious bad luck resulting in repetitive injuries), Arteta (calf) faces a fitness test

Newcastle: Sit on top of the premier league injury table with a host of injuries to key players: Krul (shoulder), Ameobi (knee), R.Taylor (ACL), Sissoko (ankle), and Vuckic (knee) will miss this one. Elliot (red card) will also sit this one out. While Tiote, Hairdara, Santon (all hamstrings), and S.Taylor (virus) should be available subject to fitness tests.

Predicted Line-up:

Tough one to predict this time around. It all comes down to the fitness of Mikel Arteta. While he hasn’t been in the best of form as of late he is vital to our setup. He’s a small chance for this one after sustaining a calf injury against Wigan in our last fixture. Do we risk bringing in a player that may only be 70% fit given the implications of this match? I’m not so sure. What I do know is Arteta is a consummate professional and if selected he will give every bit of himself to the cause.

If he doesn’t pass the fitness test who do we select? Ramsey can slot in to Arteta’s position like he did so admirably against Liverpool, but who plays next to him? Wilshere can but his injury concerns are well documented. At the moment Arsene has him encased in glass with the words ‘In case of Emergency’ written on it. Once again though, if selected Jack will leave everything out on the pitch. Or as Highbury Harmony pointed out do we go with Coquelin? After all it is his preferred position! We could move Rosicky back, move Cazorla to the attacking midfield position, Podolski to the left and Giroud up front. Sounds good but it could leave us a little lightweight in midfield especially with the bull Tiote on the pitch. Then again, Tiote is prone to a yellow card, and if he grabs one early he may just retreat into his shell. Lastly, Vermaelen to defensive midfield. Sounds like a great move to me…but just not now and in a game so important. Last thing we want to do is experiment.

Who plays up front? Giroud or Podolski?

I’m going to have to go with Giroud in this one. He’s back in the fold after a shocking decision which left him sidelined for 3 matches. Podolski (like Wilshere) is due for surgery come season’s end but he really has delivered when we’ve needed him most. I don’t profess to know what has gone on behind the scenes with Podolski this season, but clearly injuries have taken their toll on him. Giroud is the fresher of the two and should start. Podolski…one more game mate, give it all you’ve got, get fixed up in the off-season and come back firing on all cylinders next season!

The rest of the team picks itself.

If Steven Taylor passes his fitness test he should take Williamson’s position alongside Coloccini. Harper will play his last ever game for Newcastle thanks to Krul’s shoulder injury and Elliot’s red card last week. I feel sorry for Harper. Not only did he have to contend with Given for much of his career and more recently Krul, but he will be forever immortalised in highlight dvds thanks to this from Xavi Alonso:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ru7RWSLyuBQ

Gouffran will sit behind Cisse and the dangerous Ben Arfa out on the wing.

Previous Encounters:

Arsenal 7 – Newcastle 3

The score really doesn’t paint the full story. 3-3 at the 69′ until a late flurry saw Theo net 2 more goals to secure a hat-trick and Giroud score 2 in the space of a couple of minutes. Phew!

For those who missed it here are the highlights (love our friend with the commentary again):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU72JdYsigw

Arsenal 2 – Newcastle 1

Vermaelen scored in the final seconds to ensure victory after a tough battle that saw tempers flare and Dutch compatriots square off. HIT HIM KRUL, HIT HIM!!!!

The damning stat is we have only beaten them once at St. James since 2004!

Form Guide: Arsenal: WWDWD Newcastle: WDLDL

Our form has been up and down for most of the season but our form really has come good when we needed it most! We are unbeaten in our last 9 league games (best run in 2 years) and sees us sitting on top of the premierleague.com form ladder.

Stats can paint Newcastle’s form in two ways. They have won 4 of their last 6 home games; however, The last 2 have been a 0-3 loss to Sunderland, and a devastating 0-6 loss at the hands of Liverpool. It’s safe to say their confidence is at an all time low.

This week I’ve dipped into the archive by continuing with the déjà vu theme. That’s right our final game at Highbury which just happened to (along with some dodgy cooking) stop Tottenham from finishing in the top 4.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoIiz9XBh4o

One to Watch:

Arsenal:

Santi Cazorla – Rightfully or wrongfully excluded from the PFA team of the year I couldn’t care less. He’s a gem of a player and I’m happy as Larry he’s in our team. He was in sterling form again providing 4 assists against Wigan. Give him time and space and he can hurt you in a number of ways.

Newcastle:

Hatem Ben Arfa – Proven match winner when he can stay on the pitch. Hamstring injuries have plagued his season and probably should have sat out for the remainder of the season weeks ago. However, his importance to Newcastle was shown by Pardew, who called upon him to sheer Newcastle throw their relegation battle. Give him a sniff at goal and he will take it!

Key-Match up:

Ben Arfa vs Kieran Gibbs

Although Nacho tends to be the preferred left back for away fixtures I’d go with Gibbs in this one to quell the influence of Ben Arfa. Last season Gibbs saved us with a brilliant season defining tackle. He put his body on the line and threw himself in front of an on-rushing West Brom player who was about to pull the trigger.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCHDUA3TpZQ

He has the speed to go with Ben Arfa and has a good understanding with Podolski. Gibbs will have to be cautious though, neglect his defensive duties and Szczesney may well be picking the ball out the back of the net. Gibbs should win this battle though.

Pre-Match Finger:

This season’s final finger goes to the stress Arsene Wenger and us supporters have had to deal with all season. It hasn’t been an easy ride that’s for sure. If seasons like this one continue we’ll all have hair like Brave Sir Robin in no time at all (even Terry’s syrup’s will start turning grey!). For the first time in a while I’m excited to see what the transfer window holds for us. Knuckle down in pre-season, add 2/3 players, sign Sagna and there is no reason why we cannot challenge for full honours next season!

Pre-Match pat on the back:

The final pat on the back goes out to all the Arsenal supporters who have stayed tough this season in spite of everything. The away supporters who continue to do us proud and outsing the home crowd. TA for starting a blog that allows Gooners from across the globe to converse and talk all things Arsenal. Every single person who writes a post or comments on Bergkampesque; with each new contributor this site raises another level. To VCC for developing (and corrupting) the UMF league, it’s been great. Finally, the Arsenal…without you we’d have to spend more time with our loved ones and less time drinking in celebration or drowning our sorrows!

Ooh to! Ooh to be! Ooh to be a Gooner!

‘Ask the opposition’ returns again this week. It is designed to get some friendly banter from our opposition fans and get their insight for the match ahead. This week we see returning Newcastle fans Paul from www.nufcblog.org , and Kev from http://www.newcastleunited-mad.co.uk. Thanks for your help again gents!

1) What’s your thoughts on the PFA Team of the Year?

Paul: It seems fair enough to me. I’d already tipped Verthonghen for a place on there when I was banging on about how Newcastle United should have signed him. Your lot should made more of an effort to sign him as well, you already have his best mate, the Verminator. Perhaps your Cazorla could have been in with a shout but all the ones in there have been very good.

Kev: No thoughts at all to be honest with you. Doesn’t concern Newcastle United I’m afraid.

2) Is Fergie’s retirement going to reel Man United back with the rest of the competition?

Paul: David Moyes is no Alex Ferguson. Then again, Kenny Dalglish was no Bob Paisley at Liverpool (the first time he managed there), but he kept on winning with a little help from Paisley himself. Perhaps we’ll see the same sort of thing at Manchester United?

Kev: Moyes? You have got to be joking. 11 years and no trophies. Yep, that’s the sort of CV Man Utd fans have craved for, isn’t it? I wouldn’t want Moyes at Newcastle – never mind Man Utd. Yep…they will be in turmoil by Xmas.

3) Newcastle…what happened this year?

Paul: Alan Pardew, he isn’t very good and he never was. Lots of managers like Peter Reid, Danny Wilson, George Burley, Steve Coppell and so on… have had very good seasons as a “surprise package,” won the LMA “Manager of the Year” award then sunk like a stone. Pardew is another one on a fairly long list.

Kev: How long have you got? Injuries have had a lot to do with it, but Pardew’s tactics haven’t helped. All in all, a bad show from players and manager.

4) Are you expecting much transfer activity in the next transfer window?

Paul: If you mean with all the teams, yes, quite a bit because if the increased Premiership TV money. If you mean Newcastle United in particular, maybe a few but not a huge amount.

Kev: Let’s hope a new boss comes in and Ashley backs him. If Pardew stays, I think Ashley will not be as thrifty.

5) Who do you think Arsenal need to buy (one or more) to start winning things again?

Paul: Since Arsenal last won a major trophy, besides the usual top teams, Portsmouth, Birmingham City, Swansea City and Tottenham (ouch) have all won major trophies with lesser squads, so perhaps you need to take a risk with another manager rather than another raft of big players? Of course, Newcastle United are even worse though!

Kev: It’s crunch time for Wenger. Chelsea, Man U and Man C will have new managers, and I think Arsenal will gain from that. Who he buys is up to him. He knows better than me, I’m sure.

6) Who would you rather finish in the top 4 Arsenal or Tottenham?

Paul: I don’t mind. I don’t have anything against either team and as I live in North London, most of my friends are either Arsenal or Tottenham fans.

Kev: That’s a personal thing as I don’t talk on behalf of all Newcastle fans. I have been to Arsenal (both stadiums) many times and never had any trouble. I’ve been to Spurs just as often, but they aren’t as friendly. Arsenal for me.

7) Prediction for our upcoming match?

Paul: Arsenal to win, not sure about the score.

Kev: Last two home games we lost to Sunderland 0-3 and Liverpool 0-6. If Arsenal score early we could suffer. Depends who scores first. 1-1

Prediction:

We have too much to play for, Newcastle have nothing left to give so we should walk out winners in this one quite easily I feel. Szczesney to be rarely tested. 0-2 to the good guys. This rollercoaster ride is about to come to an end…with us sitting in 3rd spot!

To our Tottenham friends:

Written By: Oz Gunner

Nacho/Cazorla or Gibbs/Pod – Rosicky or Wilshere – Pod or Theo: Wigan preview.

May 13, 2013May 14, 2013TotalArsenal

Ten days without an injection of Gunners footie, whilst having to watch the rest in action, is not easy.

We know the results this weekend did not go our way, but we should not forget that the most important result was achieved a week ago, when the Spuds failed to beat the Chavs, and as a result, our destiny was left in our own hands, or should that be, twenty-two feet and eleven heads.

Wigan have sometimes been brilliant over the last few months: one of the very few shining lights in what has been relatively a dull PL season, especially in 2013. And it all reached an almost unthinkable crescendo last Saturday, when they claimed their first ever serious title in their history, and against all odds. An unbelievable achievement, and one of which the Wigan fans will live for a long time.

Despite Wigan’s considerable gap with those above them, and just two games left to play for them now, the Latics have also still their faith in their own hands. A win against us and then against Villa at home, and they will play PL footie again next season. Benteke moments of madness could yet cost the Villans dearly and see Wigan survive.

Of all the teams who are not entirely safe at the moment, there is no doubt I would prefer Wigan to survive. But faith has it that we need to beat them in order to have the best possible chance of securing CL footie next season, and we cannot afford to indulge ourselves in sentimentality.

We need to win, and ideally with a large margin – five goals would be nice! – in order to have a better chance to finish third (a win against NU and a Chelsea draw against Everton would then see us finish above the Chavs). Before the visiting Latics fans start biting my neck off, let me state that I do not expect us to win with such a margin, and that I am more hoping for, then simply expecting, a win tomorrow.

Both teams like to play football but the Latics like to absorb pressure and pounce on the counter: something they are very good at.

Wigan’s strengths are predominantly in midfield. In the away fixture they made life very hard for us in the middle of the pitch. They kept it narrow and stopped us from passing the ball around; as a result, we often lost the ball and found it hard to get it back again. During that game it became painfully obvious we were missing a beast of a DM to help us contain and regain the ball better in midfield. We won the game after being rewarded a softish penalty – which Arteta put away with great composure – and Wigan wasting a number of good chances which were mainly created through sharp counter-attacking football.

So the script for this game is straightforward: both teams need to win and it will simply be another cup-final tomorrow. Great for the neutral spectator, nerve-racking for Gooners and Latics!

How will we line-up:

I reckon it will be Szczesny, Sagna, BFG and Koz in defence. The only big question is: who will Arsene play at LB: Nacho or Gibbs?

This will depend on how much he wants to attack from the left wing. If he wants to attack a lot from there, I reckon he’ll combine Gibbs and Podolski: our best partnership if both are fully fit. However, if Arsene wants to remain less adventurous, and there is a very good reason for this against Wigan, he is likely to go with Nacho (and Cazorla on the left wing); and I believe that’s what he will do.

In midfield, I believe Arsene will stick with our Welsh-Spanish double DM-pivot and the big question is once again: who will play in the hole? Will it be Rosicky, Cazorla or Wilshere. I am going to choose Rosicky, as his experience, and Jack potentially still not being fully fit/ in form, would make him the safest bet.

In our attack, I am going to go for the usual suspects. I would love to see us play a bit of wing-football again, but I reckon that our most capable players for the wing, Ox and Gervinho, will start on the bench, and that Arsene will go for a ‘fluid-three’ of Cazorla, Podolski and Theo. All three have scored a lot of goals this season, and so it makes sense to have them start against Wigan tomorrow.

Let’s hope Podolski is fully fit, or at least fit enough for this crucial game, and that the team will have been practicing a lot over the last ten days to get the best value out of him in the central position. A lot will depend on it. Let’s also hope Theo will continue to get back to his best and Cazorla’s ambidextrous shooting boots will find the net tomorrow.

Predicted Line-Up:

Arsenal are likely to start with the same eleven as ten days ago against QPR

We all know what this game means and what needs to be done. Nobody can say they are not warned about Wigan’s ability to cause a major upset. Let’s hope the boys are focussed, fully fit, start strong and never look back.

We need a passionate and yet professional performance by our boys: time to play for the shirt and for the future once more. And let’s hope the crowd will reflect that passion with their levels of support tomorrow.

Let’s get the three points and move above the Spuds again: Let’s give them a sniff of the mighty red and white Arse!

CoYRRG!!!!!!

Written by: TotalArsenal.

Ox/Cazorla on wings, Mozart in ‘the hole’, Theo’s big chance? QPR preview.

May 3, 2013TotalArsenal

Another cup-final awaits us at Loftus Road.

The (not so) Super Hoops were officially relegated last week and for them the game is more or less meaningless. However, a number of individuals, knowing that the game is televised as well, will want to use the last opportunity this season to showcase themselves, with a desperate hope that somebody will come and save them from Championship football.

And with HR saying today that nobody should expect QPR to go back up straightaway and that they might even do a ‘Wolves’ next season, I reckon he will have managed to scare them all into finding another club as soon as possible – and help the club to reduce the wage bill considerably in the process.

It looks like QPR find themselves in a horrible mess and who knows how it all will end…

Let’s hope that the likes of Julio Cesar (or Green), Taarabt or Remy, etc do not produce a ‘world-class’ performance against us on Saturday, as we could really do with QPR taking it easy.

I cannot help but feel that Arsenal are running on their last legs at the moment, especially up-front. As expected, Giroud’s suspension means we need to adjust our attacking formation and game plan. Arsenal are often slow to adjust to a key player missing out for a while (Mertesacker and Arteta’s injuries last year come to mind), and it remains to be seen whether our attack will be well-drilled, focussed AND potent once more against the Hoops.

Key question is therefore, who will start up-front: Theo, Pod or maybe even Gervinho?

Many have questioned whether Podolski is fit enough to play in the central striker position at the moment, and I have a feeling he will not start tomorrow but is likely to be used as a substitute. Theo on the wing has not done much for us recently, and I have a feeling he will start centrally tomorrow.

This leaves us with ‘the wingers’. I reckon QPR will sit back a lot and make it hard to penetrate them through the middle. Therefore, good wingplay is key, which in my view means that either Gervinho (my preference) or Ox will start – maybe even both?! But playing Gervinho – Theo – Ox together is untried and therefore risky; it would also mean Arsene would have to leave two of Jack, Santi and Rosicky out of the starting line-up – assuming that Wenger won’t tinker with the Arteta-Aaron axis in midfield.

So, who will start up-front and in the hole tomorrow. With a meagre two goals in our last three PL-games, Wenger will have to choose as many players as possible who can score a goal (or two) tomorrow, and yet he will need to have a threat from the wing(s) as well. I am going with Cazorla – Theo – Ox up-front.

This leaves me with the question who will play behind them: Jack or Tomas…. Not an easy choice right now. If Tomas is fully fit, I reckon he’ll start with Jack replacing him after 60-70 minutes. Jack does not look fully fit to me at the moment, but if he has been training well this week, he could start against QPR…. I go for Tomas.

As said above, I expect Ramsey and Arteta to play behind the attackers and in-front of our back four. Our back four will probably have Koz and BFG as our CB’s, and I reckon it will be Nacho on the left this time and Jenkinson on the right.

The full backs will be very important tomorrow as we need drive, confidence and quality contributions by them – both in defence as well as in supporting our wing-play. I am going for Nacho because Wenger seems to alternate between him and Gibbs from one game to the next, and for Jenkinson, because I reckon Sagna needs a little break and we could really do with the Finglishman’s drive and tenacity tomorrow.

My predicted line-up in summary:

I am desperately hoping for a focussed, energetic and powerful display by the entire team, and taking all three points home tomorrow. Arsenal did not manage to win any of the last six away games in the league against QPR (L2 D4), so fingers crossed we’ll break that mini-trend tomorrow.

Come On You Rip-Roaring Gunners – Do us proud!

Written by: TotalArsenal.

Time to stand up and be counted: Match Preview & Line-Up

April 28, 2013April 28, 2013TotalArsenal

Would it not be sweet if Aaron were to score once again the winner against the Mancs?

Let’s show the grey-haired broody woman with the boy inside what class means! + Line- Up

We have spoken enough about our match against the Mancs over – the last few days, so this pre-match will be short and sweet.

I have no doubt that our team will be really up for this and we’ll see a tremendous progress from when we played MU last. Arsenal have gone through a long, and often painful, transition but there are strong signs that our current crop of players are getting it together now. We are nowhere near the sort of football that Wenger wants us to play but the foundations of a good team have become clearly visible. And these are mostly reflected in my predicted line-up for today’s game:

A settled back-four with good back-up as well;
A goalkeeper who appears to have re-established himself;
A solid and safe anchor in our double DM positions which includes our new captain;
A choice of three in the pivotal role of advanced AM – Jack, Tomas, Santi;
An attacking formation based around Giroud in the centre with freedom for the ‘wingers’ to move around the pitch;
A more conservative style of play with seven players mainly focussing on defending and possession of the ball, and four predominantly concentrating on bringing home the bacon.

There should be no doubt that Bould and Wenger will build further on the above during the summer, in order to get us back to Wengerball again, for which further quality will have to be added as well. The basis is looking a lot better than when we played the Mancs last time, and I reckon this will show today.

There are so many things to look forward to today.

How will Nacho and Cazorla – I reckon they will start on the left today – cope against the strongest opposition in the PL? How will the ‘fluid-three’ up-front work? Or will Pod play in the Giroud role and stay centrally? Will Theo finally have a good game again and show us all what he is capable of – might he even start in the middle today? How will Aaron and Mikel cope in the double DM-anchor against the Mancs, and will the Mancs target Arteta as our ‘weakest’ link again? How will the back-four cope with the Mancs’ versatile attackers? Will Szczesny have a top game today? How will the Pod deal with the added pressure of being the ‘main man’ today? Will we be able to dominate the game and play our passing game? Etc, etc.

Well, whatever the outcome of the game, let’s hope the boys really, really fight for this one and give everything they got. Once the whistle blows there will be no respect for the Mancs and we’ll fight them on every inch of the pitch. We need three points, we need a top performance of all eleven players, we need to restore some pride, and we need us, the supporters, to give their all in standing behind the team today.

Let’s show the grey-haired broody woman with the boy inside what he deserted last summer!

Predicted Line-Up:

COME ON YOU RIP ROARING GUNNERS!

Written by: TotalArsenal.

Third time lucky for Jack – Pod or Giroud up-front – Nacho/Santi & Sagna/Theo on wings?

April 19, 2013April 19, 2013TotalArsenal

Our third game in seven days is another cup-final. Win this one and we have our momentum back; lose it and the proverbial will properly hit the fan in Gooner-world.

We have not won at Craven Cottage since December 2010 and without much doubt it will be a difficult game again tomorrow. In one way the game is pretty similar to our recent away games against Swansea and WBA; Fulham are safe and nothing really to fight for other than a best possible position in mid-table. But they were properly beaten by their bitterest local rivals in midweek and will not want to face another humiliation in front of their home crowd. I expect them to come out fully pumped up and we will need to be ready for this tomorrow.

The Cottagers welcome back former Gunner Sidwell and I reckon he will fight some tough battles with Wilshere, Ramsey and Arteta. But other than that, there are some good, sophisticated footballers in this Fulham side, who will want to play football, which should suit us. Emanuelson and Berbatov are quality and Ruiz is finally starting to find his feet in the PL.

I also hope we see Senderos play for Fulham tomorrow. It is really nice that our former man has found his home at Craven Cottage, but let’s hope he does not have a super-day against us.

So, how are we going to line-up on Saturday?

Defence

Same as Tuesday but I reckon Nacho will start so he can form a trusted partnership with Santi on the left. Three games in seven days would probably be too much for Gibbs and unless Wenger is keen to play Podolski on the left, which would then probably mean he would be linked with his English football twin, I cannot see Gibbs start again tomorrow.

Midfield

Little doubt we will be once again anchored in our double-DM pivot by Arteta and Ramsey. These two are forming a solid, but not necessarily very exciting, partnership which is getting better steadily from game to game.

It will be key to keep a clean sheet, or not concede more than one goal tomorrow, if we want to win the game. So, we should expect Ramsey and Arteta to play conservatively and relatively close together with the main aim of forming a solid, movable mini-wall in front of the back-four and providing the four attackers with straightforward supplies of passes.

This leaves us with the attacking four players, one of which will be our most advanced midfielder. It sounds like Rosicky will not play as a result of a ‘touch and go’ hamstring problem. It also looks to me that Arsene does not want to play Cazorla ‘in the hole’, which makes sense to me as he is both too slow for the drive and thrust this position requires in a 4-2-1-3 formation, and he seems to prefer playing very close to the box, where he is also most effective for us. With Arteta and Ramsey needing to hold back a lot, somebody needs to drive the ball forwards to the three attackers and both Rosicky and Wilshere are ideal for this; Ox is also a possibility, but probably one for the future.

So to cut a long story short: I reckon Jack will play in the hole again and prove one or two doubters wrong tomorrow.

Attack

I would like to see Gervinho and Podolski start in this game, but I don’t think they will. I reckon, Arsene will go with Cazorla on the left – well, on paper, as he will move centrally constantly, leaving the wing-play to his fellow countryman; and start Theo again on the right – who will also move towards the middle a lot and leave the wing duties to Sagna for large parts of the game. The risk of this will be a lack of effective wing-play/width and trying too much through the middle; although, as this is not a home game, we should get enough space in the middle to play our intricate passing game.

Giroud only scored one of his eleven PL goals away from home and Podolski is chomping – or is it champing 😛 – at the bits to start a game. But Giroud does so much in terms of giving our attacking game shape, drive and physicality that I cannot see Arsene changing it at this crucial stage of the season. We all might want to try out playing the Pod up-front, but not at the risk of losing valuable points.

The dilemma for Arsenal is that Podolski is better at converting chances, but Giroud is better at co-creating them and being there in the first place. So, it is Giroud up-front again, I reckon.

Predicted – not necessarily preferred! – Line-up:

Come on Arsenal, let’s make it 25 points out of our last 10 PL games and put some real pressure on the Spuds and Chavs who both have some very tough fixtures on Sunday!

CoYG – Give your all for the pride of the shirt!!!

Written by: TotalArsenal.

If you have a few spare minutes, you should also have a look at a very good pre-match report by Wigan Gooner; a good friend of mine, who writes fantastic posts on his own site ‘WiganGooner’:

http://www.wigangooner.co.uk/rosicky-must-start-in-crucial-match-against-fulham/

Rosicky to conduct, Nacho-Santi bulls on left, Sagna-Theo train on right: Everton preview

April 16, 2013April 16, 2013TotalArsenal

Little Mozart to conduct the symphony tonight?!

A rare treat for us nowadays: a meaningful mid-week game!

Having worked in Liverpool for a few years, I have nothing but respect for both Everton and Liverpool. The Liverpudlians know how to enjoy live and seize the day, and they know their football as well. And there is nothing but respect for Arsenal and Arsene Wenger over there, something the Mancs could learn a lesson from.

David Moyes is a fine, loyal manager, who, every few years, is able to put a talented team together with the potential to move into the top-four. It looks like he has done it again this year, and the Toffees come to the Emirates in great form – let’s not mention the embarrassing FA-cup exit though, but then, who are we to talk…?

This will be a tough game for us, as a confident and fully fit Everton will fancy their chances. A home win against the Northern Oilers and away draw against the Spuddies in recent games, Everton have proven they can handle the pressure and get results. The Toffees’ strength seems to come from the wings, and especially, from the centre of midfield, where the hard working Osman, Gibson and Fellaini form an impressive defensive wall as well as a fountain of creativity.

Eveton’s away record is not brilliant, with only four wins out of 15 games, although a glass half full Evertonian will tell you they only lost four away games all season.

So how are we going to combat the tough Toffees?

I reckon, Arsene will fall back to what he knows best and will stick with 4-2-1-3; and he will play his most experienced team.

Defence:

I am pretty sure Szczesny will return to the first team. The coded language from Wenger re Fabianski’s ‘injury’ tells me the Pole will be between the poles again tonight.

The back four is interesting once more: will Arsene drop TV again? I reckon, he will. This is no game for sentimentality and the best CB pair should play: Koz and BFG. On the right, I expect Mr Reliable to play, and on the left, I go for Nacho this time.

Midfield:

Zorro and Rambo to combat with Osman, Gibson and Fellaini in our double-DM pivot, with Rosicky in the hole. Given Arsene’s recent comments, Jack will get a rest and Rosicky is likely to replace him. Alternatively, Cazorla could be played ‘in the hole’, but I reckon the Professor will go with the Czech conductor this time.

Attack:

The above mentioned inclusion of Rosicky, would mean that Arsene has to choose to fill his three attacking positions from: Walcott, Gervinho, the Pod, Giroud, Ox and Cazorla. Will Wenger surprise us all and, after his recent comments re the Pod spearheading our attack any time soon, put the Pod centrally? I don’t think so: not for this game, as it would be too disruptive to our shape and system of football.

I feel Wenger will stick to what he knows and play Ollie centrally, with the Pod on the left and Cazorla on the right; although, I am also tempted to go for Cazorla on the left – forming a fine partnership with Nacho there – and Theo on the right to keep Baines busy….. But that would leave the Pod out, so maybe he will play centrally tonight…. pfffffff. Not easy, my friends, not easy. And then many of us want Arsene to buy at least one more attacker hahaha 🙂

I am going to go with Cazorla – Giroud – Theo up-front, as Arsene’s choices, but I probably get it wrong and won’t achieve an 11/11 once again tonight.

Predicted Line-up:

Anyway, here is hoping for a fantastic game and Arsenal playing at their very best, and collecting three more super-valuable points. Let’s give the Spuds a better, more in perspective, view of the mighty, red and white Arse!

Come on You Rip Roaring Gunners!!!!!!!!!!! Do Us Proud.

Written by: TotalArsenal.

Return of the Pod – In-form Gerv to start – Santi in ‘the hole’?

April 12, 2013April 12, 2013TotalArsenal

Jack the Giant killer is almost fully fit again!

Recently, it has felt a bit like our season has lost its intensity, after an interlull and games being played only once a week. Luckily, this will change in the coming week with three games in seven days: Norwich and Everton at home and Fulham away. We all know Arsenal cannot afford to drop points if we want to get in front of both the Spuds and Chavs, and we have a golden opportunity to put significant pressure on both of them by winning our next two fixtures. But it won’t be easy.

First up is Norwich and it is time for revenge. I remember our away fixture really well, as I was at the game. Arsenal were disjointed and lacked focus, and after a good run of games, it was a big disappointment that we let them beat us so easily (1-0). Luckily, we have learned and moved on from those sorts of performances as evidenced by our recent cool and professional away wins at Bayern, Swansea and WBA.

Norwich have been in free-fall recently and find themselves only four points from the dreaded bottom three; and they will be keen to start gathering much needed points again. With home games against Aston Villa, Reading and West Brom, they will have better opportunities to both gather points and give their direct opposition a bloody nose – I am sure the Norwich fans would not mind at all to beat a certain manager at Villa – and so they are likely to approach our game without too much expectations, and therefore tension.

We shall see whether this is good for Arsenal or not, but key is of course to concentrate on the way we play tomorrow: we need focus, a high tempo from the start and throughout the game, and take our chances as soon as possible. Nothing new there!

So, how will Arsenal line-up tomorrow?

Defence

No Mertesacker, so we are likely to see Koz and TV in the middle. On the right, we probably see Sagna, and I am going for Gibbs on the left for this game, as I expect the Pod to start on the left tomorrow, and one of our strongest weapons this season has been the Gibbs-Pod combo on the left wing. More about this in a bit. I also reckon Wenger will stick with Fabianski between the sticks.

It will be interesting to see how Arsenal will cope without Mertesacker organising the defence, but hopefully we will dominate the game mostly in the Norwich half of the pitch.

Midfield

I expect us to play with Arteta and Ramsey in the double-pivot, and as Rosicky is not 100% fit, I am going for Cazorla in the hole tomorrow; as this would also allow Wenger to reintroduce the Pod on the left. Jack is apparently close to being fully fit again and will probably start on the bench; maybe coming on for Cazorla or Ramsey for the last 20 minutes of the game or so.

Attack

I reckon Giroud up-front is a certainty – there is little chance Wenger will surprise us all with either the Pod or even Theo or the Gerv in that position – and on the wings he will have to start the in-form Gervinho; our only specialised, or classical, winger. Theo will probably start on the bench and, like Jack, might play 20 minutes towards the end.

Predicted Line-up:

Will we finally see the return of the Pod tomorrow?

We all know our biggest risks are complacency and thinking too much ahead to our crunch game against Everton on Tuesday. Let’s hope the boys continue their impressive recent run of games, focus hard and finish the Canaries off professionally.

Come On You Rip Roaring Gunners!

Written by: TotalArsenal.

Same back-five, Gervinho or Podolski on LW, Cazorla or Rosicky in ‘hole’? WBA pre-view.

April 5, 2013April 6, 2013TotalArsenal

PANews+BT_N0143191360416256190A_I1 — Santi has scored four in his last five games for Arsenal – Let’s hope he will continue his fine form tomorrow! 🙂

A week without Arsenal playing football can feel very long around this time of the year. It is a real shame we are out of all cup competitions and only have the league to supply us with the much needed footie-drugs. However, the waiting is over as we will be playing the Baggies at the beautifully named The Hawthorns tomorrow afternoon.

There can be only respect for Steve Clarke. With Villa fighting for survival at the bottom of the league and Birmingham playing a division lower, WBA are punching well above their weight at the moment. The Baggies BoD obviously know how to select and attract high calibre managers, and although Clarke is not a big name as such, he clearly is doing a fantastic job at the moment. Of course, this is only Clark’s first season, and as his counterpart at Villa will know, a manager can go from rising star to having to endure a season-long dogfight from one season to the next.

West Brom are in a not too dissimilar position as Swansea at the moment. They are save and know they have done relatively very well this season. It is now all about finishing as high as possible in the table, but that is not necessarily the best driver for starting a game really motivated. Arsenal on the other hand, are fighting for every point till the end of the season, and a win tomorrow will put us, at least for 24 hours, above Chelsea in a Champions League spot.

That is the sort of incentive that should get the boys really up for tomorrow’s encounter, and I expect us to be hungry and focussed from the start. Despite Theo and Jack’s continued absence, and Diaby being out for the rest of the season, Arsene still has a strong squad to choose from. He will even have to disappoint a number of players who have had plenty of first team football already this season.

Defence

I reckon Arsene will start the same back-five as he did against Reading last week. I am pretty sure the central triangle of GK and CB’s will remain unchanged: Fabianski – BFG – Koz. Arsene has the luxury of having four quality and fit FB’s to pick from; I reckon he’ll go with experience and pick Sagna and Monreal, but he could surprise us once again, with going for either Jenkinson or Gibbs, or both, in tomorrow’s line-up.

Midfield

I am going for Arteta and Ramsey in the double pivot, and I reckon they will be given instructions to play once again conservatively: stay close together and in line, and focus hard on keeping it tidy in front of the defence. For Arteta this comes naturally, but Ramsey will once more have to play really disciplined. In front of the Spanish-Welsh pivot, I am expecting Rosicky to direct our play tomorrow. Rosicky’s experience and ability to give our team focus and shape will be much needed against the Baggies.

Attack

I would love Podolski to start up-front, but I reckon Arsene will stick to what he has preferred most of the season, and play Giroud in the CF position instead. I would also like to see Gervinho start with either Cazorla or Podolski on the other wing, but I feel that Arsene will want to start with both Pod and Cazorla on the wings, which means Gervinho, and also the Ox, will miss out tomorrow.

Arsenal won five out of their last six PL games and let’s hope we’ll make it six out of seven tomorrow. However, WBA have lost only four out of their fifteen home games until now, so it won’t be easy. There is no time for complacency: only a fully committed and focussed performance against The Baggies will give us a good chance to come back with all three points. Anything less and it could all turn sour again.

Come on You Rip Roaring Gunners – Do us proud!

Written by: TotalArsenal.