Theo is out injured, but will Cazorla find the net again (last time round he scored a fine hat-trick)? 🙂
These were the questions going through my mind whilst thinking about our imminent encounter with The Royals:
Can we make it 12/12 wins against Reading?
Will it be another goal-fest (19 goals between the teams already this season)?!
Can we maintain momentum in chasing down the Spuds and Chavs?
Can Ramsey fill the hole left by Jack’s and Diaby’s absences?
Will Ox or Gervinho start tomorrow?
How tired will our defenders be and will we play with the same ‘back-five’?
Will our strikers be hungry or rusty?
Proper football is back and boy have we missed it. Reading’s brand new manager, Nigel Adkins, will have wished for an easier fixture than playing us away as his first game in charge, but on the other hand, expectations will be low and that can only suit him right now. Any game after an interlull cannot be underestimated though, and despite the fact that we won all eleven previous matches against the Royals, and have already scored twelve goals against them this season, it will not be a walk in the park tomorrow.
Our attackers – Ox, Pod, Giroud, Gervinho – have been rested mid-week, with only Giroud playing literally a couple of minutes against Spain. I reckon this is a major bonus for us, as they will be fresh. However, there is a risk they will be a bit rusty tomorrow; especially Podolski has not played much recently.
I expect Giroud to start up-front with Podolski on the left, in his familiar position. As Theo is out, the big question is whether Gervinho or Ox will play on the right wing tomorrow. Gervinho’s last game was against Ivory Coast against Gambia on 23rd of March, so he should be well rested by now. Ox’s last game was also more than a week ago, so Wenger will have to make a choice tomorrow, and I reckon it will be Ox who will get the nod. Gervinho could be used as super-sub again, as he can play in all three positions up-front (although he is at his best on the wing).
With injuries to Wilshere and Diaby, our midfield will have to be chosen from Coquelin, Arteta, Ramsey, Rosicky and Cazorla. Rosicky played a full game against Armenia (away) on Tuesday and is unlikely to start again tomorrow. Just like Gervinho, he is a good substitute to have on the bench. It is almost a given that the well-rested Arteta and Cazorla (did not play midweek) will start, and as Ramsey is ahead of Coquelin, and also did not play mid-week due to suspension, I reckon our three in midfield will be: Arteta and Ramsey in the double-pivot and Cazorla ‘in the hole’. Again, Coquelin is a fine player to have on the bench tomorrow.
The back-five – including goalie – is likely to remain unchanged, although Sagna is fit again and could start instead of Jenkinson. But I reckon the same back-five that played against Swansea and Bayern will start again against Reading; even though, Monreal, Koscielny and Mertesacker all played a full game on Tuesday. For a good defensive performance, consistency is king, and so it would be unwise to break up a ‘winning’ back-five right now.
Predicted line-up against Reading:
Let’s hope the boys are fully focussed and take their chances when they arise, and that our defenders are not put under too much pressure tomorrow. We need the full three points, so we can put maximum pressure on the Spuds and the Chavs in the race for a top-four finish. They both have tricky, post-interlull away fixtures against Swansea and Southampton respectively, and this is a great opportunity to let them have a mighty old sniff of our burning gunpowder!
Look behind you Chavs and Spuds, the Gunners are aiming for you! hahaha 🙂
It is great to blog about everything Arsenal and watch games on telly; to discuss tactics, formations, who’s the deadwood and who we should sign during the next transfer window.
But nothing compares to live football. Nothing beats, seeing the boys in the – red and white covered – flesh, being able to smell the pitch, sensing the tension and the hope, singing along with fellow Gooners, being able to see the entire pitch and watching the tactics of both teams unfold, as well as celebrating our victories together.
I am lucky enough to watch a few games every season, but I know there are thousands, if not ten thousands of fellow Gooners out there, who support their team passionately but in relative, or sometimes total, isolation – whether based in the UK or anywhere else in the world – and have never seen our team play live.
BK was approached by Switzerland based Pope the Gooner with a request to publish his personal experiences of his first-ever live Arsenal game, and of course I snapped his hand off! 🙂
Enjoy the read, and please tell us your first/special Arsenal game experience!
TotalArsenal.
First Arsenal Live Game: a few lines on pre-match expectations, the game itself, and final thoughts.
Thanking the Guardian for being able to copy their pictures of the Bayern – Arsenal CL match.
After the outcome of the CL draw ‘Arsenal vs Bayern Munich’ had been communicated, I was really excited. There was a real chance that I would be able to take one or two days off and go to Munich to see the Gunners live for the first time.
I immediately asked a friend of mine studying with me in Zurich, but originally from Munich, if he was interested in seeing the game with me. After a positive answer, I called our local ticket agent to get the tickets. However, they told me that nothing was known yet, not even if they would be able to get some of those little pieces of paper. ‘I should check the homepage for updates’, they told me: and so I did; every thirty seconds or so. And then one day, it was around Christmas, suddenly the tickets appeared in the web shop; we would be seated in a Bayern section of the Allianz Arena, but finally I’d be seeing my Arsenal!
Expectations v1.0
Well, as can be deduced from the title, my expectations did in fact change a little after watching the home game. However before that day, I was full of expectation. Get a result, maybe even only a scoreless draw, at home and a one clinical counter attack at their place might prove decisive. Given the current form around that time – that time being the 2012/2013 season – I admit that was kind of overly optimistic, but as long as we’re not out, we’re still in!
Then the transfer window came and went. The addition of Nacho seemed very decent, especially after his performance against Stoke after just one training session with the club. But there was this tag Nacho was carrying: ‘cup-tied’, and he would sadly not be able to help us out against Bayern. Gibb’s injury concerned me a little, and the information the club was leaking just gave me enough HOPE that he would be back in time for the Bayern games.
Then, finally it was time and the first leg was played. I was meeting with my friend from Munich and we watched it together with some other lads. Most of them were for Munich, one or two undecided, and then there I was with my Arsenal shirt. We started quite well with some quick and decisive forward play and the Bayern guys were starting to talk about how bad this could end when they scored against us. Kroos’ goal certainly was a fine finish, but it had a too well known smell to it. Possession ceded in the build-up, no one backing Vermaelen at left back against his two opponents, Koscielny almost intercepting the ball, but not preventing it from ending up in the net. Then I felt the game changed, and the team were unable to return to the way we played during the first few minutes.
Expectations v1.1
After the quite poor performance and result in the home-leg, I did not expect the team to be able to advance; still hoping for the (im)possible though! More realistically, I was hoping for an entertaining game with a couple of goals. After arriving in Munich in the wake of disheartening games against Blackburn and the Spurs, I’d have taken a result like a 2-2 draw all day long. Finding out that Podolski as well as Wilshere would not be in the squad didn’t really make me raising my expectation either.
The Match day
At 1pm we took a bus from Zurich to Munich and arrived there around 6pm, which left enough time to deposit our bags at lockers in the Ostbahnhof and going to a traditional restaurant near Marienplatz. We already had encountered quite some singing Arsenal fans in the streets and train stations. Only trusting one’s ear, it would have appeared to be a home game for our guys. However opening one’s eyes again one could see that many of the red-and-white scarfs actually bore the emblem of Bayern.
Then upon entering the restaurant, it had something with Augustiner in the name, the setting was quite the same, many dispassionate people wearing Bayern scarfs and shirts, and on a small table almost in the center of the room a group of Arsenal fans drinking beer, shots and singing about the Arsenal. It felt really great how they radiated optimism and believe in this situation, and I instantly felt a little more confident about the match. The beers that accompanied half a duck and some kraut with a dumpling did the rest.
The Match
We arrived just in time in the Allianz Arena glaring in (Arsenal-) red and found our seats at the same time as the referee started the match. I didn’t even make myself comfortable when I already had the first chance to jump out of my seat and shout with joy. GIROUD! In only the third minute! If we would score at that rate we’d comfortably win by 30 – 0, only a tenth of that was needed, though, allowing us plenty of time to seal the end of Bayern’s CL campaign.
For a moment no rational thinking was happening in my brain; I was just happy and wanted the guys to have a go at it. Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to score again until the 86th minute or so. Which did not leave us enough time to complete the task, still I was impressed by the display and there were some scenes that I will not forget that fast.
Besides the two goals, there was Rosickys tackle on Robben to deny them a counterattack. It was not exactly the tackle, but Rosicky’s reaction, that impressed me so much. Knowing he’d get the card, he just got up and walked straight back to help out at the back, with Robben lying on the floor where he left him. There was such a determination on display in this short scene.
Another good example, for the determination in the team, was when one of our defenders chased down Robben on their right wing, performed a perfect sliding tackle, got up with the ball on his feet and directly tried to start a counterattack with a fast forward pass. I think it was Jenkinson, and if I remember correctly his pass was intercepted. However, what remains is the strong will and determination shown to help out the team, run his socks of and give absolutely everything.
And then in the end, the away support. However much I would have liked to be seated (or better standing and jumping) in the Arsenal section, it was impressive and good to see how the away supporters were still cheering to the Arsenal some 5 to 10 minutes after the game.
In the subway on the way home, it felt weird. We had won and still lost. In the end, the feeling that managed to keep hold of myself would best be described as a mixture of proud and content. The miracle did not happen, but the lads worked really hard for it and almost did the trick. The Bayern supporters, on the other hand, went home beaten, in a downcast mood – even though they progressed. Weird things can happen in a supporter’s mind…
Final thoughts
Well, nine games to go, 27 points to play for; one small and one rich team to overtake. Let’s see what happens. I myself feel quite confident that the guys are capable of finishing in 3rd or 4th place…
On another note, I really want to see the Arsenal playing at the Emirates: even more so, than before this last week’s fantastic experience.
Hopefully that dream will soon become reality!
Written by: Pope the Gooner, who is based in Switzerland.Â
Tomorrow’s game against The Jacks – the first of ten consecutive Cup Finals – at the beautifully named Liberty stadium, is a massive one for Arsenal. Whilst Swansea can play this game with an incredible lightness of being – they have reached the magical 40 points mark, won the League Cup, are already guaranteed European football for next season, and their manager has just extended his contract – Arsenal have the considerable weight on their shoulders of having to pick up all three points; so we can put pressure on both the Chavs and the Spuds in our joint race/chase for a top-3/top4 PL spot.
The 2-0 win against Bayern midweek has given our confidence a massive boost. This season, other than perhaps our result against Liverpool away, we have not achieved a better result against a top team, home or away. And still there was plenty of room for improvement, in terms of our passing game and creating chances, which will continue to be work in progress.
The Jacks play football as it should be played, and this promises to be an open game with quality football on display. The big question is whether we will play conservative again – just as we did against Bayern – as in sitting a bit deeper, and our two DMs predominantly focussed on shielding our defence by staying close in front of them.
The risk of this conservative approach is not producing enough opportunities for our four attack-minded players, and as in most of our games this season, the key lays with whoever will be playing in the lynch-pin role. Jack is not available to face his namesakes tomorrow, and Ramsey and Arteta come with limitations for this pivotal role. Diaby has probably been our best lynch-pin player of them all, but that was at the start of the season, and his recent form has been quite poor.
Yet, I feel Diaby will start tomorrow, and so will Ramsey: I reckon they will be our ‘2’ in our 4-2-1-3 system. Maybe Arteta will start, but I cannot see him finish the whole ninety minutes. We need a lot of energy and running in midfield against the mobile and good passers of the ball; Britton, De Guzman etc, and that’s why I reckon both Ramsey and Diaby will start tomorrow.
The most intriguing question with regards to our line-up is what is Arsene going to do with our back-five: will Fabianski start in goal again, will Vermaelen once again be left out, and will BFG-Koz be our CB-pairing again? My answer to this is yes, yes, and yes. Sagna is injured so Jenkinson will get another game, whilst Gibbs will get a rest and Nacho will replace him.
I expect Arsene to take courage from the defensive performance against Bayern and only make the necessary change of resting Gibbs; who only just returned from a long injury. Why break up a ‘winning’ defence? At this time of the season, Arsene has to stick with what seems to be working, and build on top of that.
Up-front we will probably see a similar formation as we had towards the end of our game on Wednesday: Cazorla in the hole, Theo on the right, work-horse Giroud in the centre, and Gervinho to start on the left. I don’t expect Rosicky to get another start so quickly after his start against Bayern, but if that is the case, I reckon Gervinho will start on the bench and Cazorla will move the left wing again.
Predicted line-up
This should be a very good game to watch, and it will be a big test for our boys. If we win tomorrow, it will give us great momentum, and the Chavs and Spuds will start to get very nervous of the ominous sound of the roaring canon behind their sweaty backs.
Less than 24 hours to go and I am getting really excited about the up and coming CL fixture against Die Lederhosen. Normally I would be approaching this game with a sense of both anticipation and apprehension, but I feel simply relaxed going into this one. Would we have had a better result in our home game, I would feel a lot more apprehensive and nervous right now; but today, us Gooners can afford to just look forward to the match without the heavy weight of expectation on our weary shoulders.
This is a game in which we have nothing to lose, other than our pride; but then again, there is nothing more important than always doing the shirt proud.
We should not expect to win tomorrow, but nevertheless try to do so by giving it our all. Funnily enough, Bayern will be wary that our team can play with the potentially lethal combination of low expectations and yet full commitment and desire. It will allow Arsenal to express itself once again, and to play to its strength; playing fast, aggressive, attacking football without worrying too much about letting one, or even two goals in.
As Arsenal need to score many goals to go through – we need at least three – Arsene has no other option than to go all out on attack with his team. If we can set up our team to score three; we would also be able to score a fourth in case Bayern would score a goal against us tomorrow – something which is highly likely to happen.
I believe our chances to get through are less than 10% as scoring at least three goals against an in-form Bayern is a very difficult, if not impossible, task. But this The Arsenal and Wenger has managed to surprise everyone before in Europe. He does not have to worry about our defence too much tomorrow evening, and can pick a very attacking formation.
We also know that Arsenal cannot play another way.  It goes against Arsene’s nature to set the team up defensively, as in trying to contain the Germans, and we also do not have the players for this. So it will be all out attack and play with pride for the shirt.
It is a blow that Jack and Podolski will not play tomorrow but a big boost that Gibbs is available again. Diaby is 50/50 which does not come as a surprise to anybody. Bayern will be missing Ribery and especially the excellent, and uber-experienced Schweinsteiger in the centre of midfield; and Robben might also not be fully fit.
But let’s not concentrate on them. Let’s focus on how Arsenal can beat the Germans tomorrow. I think we have  a decent chance of winning, but it will probably not be enough to go through. These are the key formation and line-up choices that could win us the game tomorrow:
Play an attacking formation which suits us: 4-1-2-3, with one DM and two AM’s. Despite Jack’s absence we still can pick our AM’s from Rosicky, Cazorla, Ox, Diaby(?) and one to two others like Arshavin, Ramsey or even Coquelin;
Attack constantly through the middle and from the left wing: Gibbs and Gervinho come into the team and let’s hope they hit the ground running;
Give Theo a free role on the right: there should be plenty of space on the right wing, especially if and when we can switch the attack from left to right, or middle to right when we are attacking from there initially;
Play with both Vermaelen and Koz as our CBs, as they are our fastest options for our all-out attack approach tomorrow;
Play with a high tempo and constant pressure; closing down the Germans relentlessly, and hopefully take one of our early chances to further boast belief that we can do it;
As the midfielders will run themselves into the ground, we will need to have strong and ready replacement on the bench if needed, which is probably around 65 minutes into the game.
Predicted line-up for tomorrow’s game:
The defence is more or less a given, as I cannot see us play Mertesacker in a game like this and Szczesny has been rested: Mannone – Jenkinson – Koscielny – Vermaelen – Gibbs.
The midfield probably will see the most substitutions during the game; I expect at least two for that area. I reckon we will start with: Arteta as sole DM, and Cazorla and Rosicky as our double AMs. Arteta could be replaced by Ramsey if he gets tired, or Coquelin will get a chance. I expect Cazorla to play the full 90 minutes and Rosicky to be replaced by the Ox or Diaby after 2/3 of the game.
Up-front it will most probably be Gervinho – Giroud – Theo. They will have to help out defensively of course, but their main focus has to be on creating danger in attack and scoring goals. There will not be much on the bench to replace one or two of our attackers, so they will have to give their all for 90 minutes. The Ox could come on late as an extra attacker or to replace one of the wingers. It should just be enough to be a real threat against the Germans.
Predicted line-up/preferred line-up:
Giroud will be our link-up striker, helping out midfield if and when he can. Theo and Gervinho will combine wing-play with moving into the centre to support the Frenchman, if and when possible.
I really hope we will approach this game with a very attacking mind-set and game plan/formation.
If we approach the game with anything less, Bayern will smell blood and give us a bloody nose of huge proportions: it could become a real nightmare leading to a demoralising loss.
We have no option but to play to our strength, which is attack, attack, attack and make the best of it, and who knows we might just do it. I don’t expect it, yet I would not be totally surprise if we did it. Remember we are THE Arsenal.
Now bring on Die Lederhosen and let the Canon roar!
Arsene has some big selection decisions to make for tomorrow’s crunch game against the Spuds. I say crunch game as this is a game in which we must perform really well, in order to set the tone for the remainder of the season. It does not necessarily mean we need to win, but it is of vital importance that Arsenal fight for the shirt and play our best football tomorrow.
I reckon we will see the best side of Arsenal, despite recent concerns about the solidity of our defence. In the end, Arsenal still hold the best away record in terms of goals against in the PL, and we have too many good defenders in our team for us not to be able to become more organised and disciplined again.
Tomorrow would be a great game for our ‘back-five’ to show unity and collective discipline again. I say ‘five’, as Szczesny has to be seen as an integral part our defence, and his triangular partnership with our CB’s is of great importance. A lot has been said about Mertesacker making our defence more vulnerable because of his lack of speed. The tall German has compensated for this time and again with his positioning and general reading of the game. He will need to display these qualities once again tomorrow, otherwise I feel he will struggle.
We will be missing our trusted warrior at RB, Sagna, and Arsene will have to make a big decision on who to play in defence for Sunday’s game. I reckon Jenkinson plays at his best when Mertesacker is his nearest CB, and the young Englishman seems to offer good cover for Mertesacker’s lack of speed. So for that reason I go with Wenger opting for a defence of: Jenkinson – Mertesacker – Vermaelen – Nacho. There is a definitely a chance we could see a CB pairing of Koscielny and Vermaelen, but my gut-feeling tells me Arsene will leave Koz on the bench.
The Spuds don’t score that many goals at home – 15 less than Arsenal this season – and let’s hope we’ll it keep that way. On our travels, we don’t concede many goals, but we don’t score many either – a meagre 17 until now – and let’s hope Giroud or Theo, or both if they start together tomorrow, will rediscover their form just at the right time. This is the time for the boys to get the cannon roaring again!
But as in most games, our encounter with Team GB, will be determined by who wins the battle in midfield. There will be no Huddlestone or Sandro to bully us in midfield, but instead we are likely to face the undervalued Dembele, and Parker; with Holtby ahead of them.
So how are we going to win the battle in midfield? I reckon Arteta is a given tomorrow, and that leaves us with two more positions to predict. Who will play next to Arteta and who will play in the more advanced role?
I reckon we need Jack to play as our ‘man in the hole’; he is the one to drive us on and conduct our attacks, and this game is crying out for him to play just there. If this is the case, it would leave us with either Diaby or Ramsey, or possibly Coquelin, to play next to Arteta. If you ask me, this is the most difficult decision Wenger will have to make regarding his staring eleven, and it is likely to decide whether we can dominate the game in midfield, and possibly even whether we’ll win or lose tomorrow.
Arteta plays naturally with ‘the handbrake on’, and the player next to Mikel needs to be able to find the right balance between supporting defence and attack. Diaby was the best player in this position at the start of the season, but in recent games he has also been playing with the handbrake on.
Ramsey has tons of energy and willingness to make things happen, but is lacking the quality recently to really add value to the team. Especially in the second half against Bayern, Ramsey came short time and again with giving away regularly free-kicks in dangerous positions, inaccurate forward passing, and losing out in one-to-ones too many times. But Bayern are far better than, the once again over-hyped, Spuds, and this could be a good game for him….
Coquelin, or even Rosicky, could also play there, but I reckon Arsene will choose between Aaron and Abou. My gut-feeling tells me he will give Diaby the nod, and I hope he will play with all he has and not worry about his body for one second (and that Dembele does not time his tackle wrong either…).
The final area of consideration is our three in attack. If, as I predict, Jack will play as our advanced central midfielder, Arsene will have to choose three from Cazorla, Podolski, Giroud and Theo. Hmmmmm, not an easy choice to make. Cazorla is in super-form and should really play tomorrow: I reckon he will start on the left wing again, where he forms a fine partnership with Nacho. However, this would leave Podolski out, unless we start him centrally tomorrow….
For me, Theo on the right, with a licence to join our central attacker, is almost a given, which leaves us with a choice between Pod or Giroud centrally. The only other variant I can see is Theo in the middle with Pod and Cazorla on the wings, but this has some way to go yet, and I cannot imagine Arsene playing it again in such a vital match.
So the choice to make is Giroud or Pod to play central tomorrow, and I reckon it is time to give Podolski a start there. It is just a hunch, but I reckon he’ll be the man to lead our attack against the Spuds.
Predicted Line-Up in summary:
I have a good feeling about this game, and I reckon we see a very strong and focused Arsenal tomorrow. Whether we will have enough to clinch a win remains to be seen, but the most important thing is for the team to play really well, press them all over the pitch and pass them to bits, and do us proud tomorrow.
Come On You Rip Roaring Gunners, let’s mash the Spuds, and make them all look like a Bale of Tortoises!! 🙂
Will Arsene and Steve have prepared the troops well mentally?
Only the uber-optimists will not feel a bit down at the moment. It has been a tough week for us Gooners with our FA-cup exit and an almost certain CL-exit in the space of just four days. Best not to talk about these games anymore and move on to tomorrow’s game against Villa.
We are desperate for a shot in the arms and a home game against Villa should provide us with a good platform for it. However, Lambert managed to get a result against us at home last year with Norwich City, and after Aston Villa’s win against West Ham in their last PL game, they will feel they at least have a chance against us; and if Blackburn can beat us, then they could do it too.
Five demands of our players tomorrow:
Focus: I want to see our team fully concentrated and focussed from the start tomorrow. No more silly defensive mistakes. Somebody needs to be the clear leader at the back and the rest need to follow suit. We have good defenders and now it is time to raise the level of organisation and professionalism between them.
Pressing from the start: when I watched us against Blackburn, I had that horrible feeling from the start that the team were not in the game somehow. We need a high tempo with lots of pressing of our opponents: not half-heartedly going through the motions, or having difficulties in ‘finding each other’.
Taking our chances: we have not been scoring anywhere near enough goals recently; scoring only five goals in total in our last five games (all competitions) is not good enough. Yet, we produce plenty of opportunities and I would like to see the likes of Theo, Giroud, Podolksi and Cazorla being a lot more prolific tomorrow. If we do manage to score an early goal, which is well overdue, we need to push on by keeping up the tempo and gunning for more goals.
A step improvement in our passing game: I often hear fellow Gooners complaining about us passing the ball too much. I, for one, would like Arsenal to improve their passing game, but definitely not reduce it. Too often the ball is played to a fellow player who is surrounded by one or more opposition players and nobody goes and helps. I would like us to’ gel’ a lot better and be a close unit, and play the familiar triangles again on Saturday; with a high tempo and with full intent to penetrate the opposition’s box constantly. We have missed the confidence, intent and invention to do this recently, and it needs to return again tomorrow.
Passion. Enough said.
Predicted line-up against Aston Villa:
A win tomorrow will not take away all the disappointment of the recent cup exit(s), but it will restore a bit of faith and hope that we can still finish the season on a high.
Today’s game against Bayern will show us what Wenger is all about. I expect us to play fantastically well and win with a margin of two goals against the Germans.
Wenger gets ridiculed a lot lately, and of course he deserves at least some of the criticism in the press and by a particular section of the fans. But he will prove to us all once again why he has been our manager for such a long period.
The players let him down badly on Saturday. Eight internationals, an experienced PL player, and two promising talents: all did not turn up. I have no doubt that Wenger is very disappointed in the players he sent out there against Blackburn, but he is normally not the sort of man to come out in public with strong criticism of his own players. However, quotes after the game indicate he feels let down by them:
‘The top level is about consistency in every single game and that’s what we could not show. Coming after the Sunderland game we came out with a flat performance and that shows that, mentally, we are not capable at the moment of preparing in exactly the same way for every game. I think we have a great team but this shows we still have to show more maturity on the mental front. We have to understand what it means to win big games. [Blackburn] was a big game for me.”
Wenger has also been irritated by the press and he decided to snap back today. All good in my opinion.
Lots of people have been talking up Bayern and with good reason, but our team is due a fantastic performance and with Sagna, Mertesacker, Wilshere, Cazorla, Theo and Podolski likely to return to the starting-11 tomorrow, we will see what our team is all about. Wenger will have made his feelings clear in the strongest terms to all our players, and he will demand a passionate, powerful and totally professional performance against Bayern. And he will get it from every player he will send out onto the pitch.
This is the team I reckon will start tomorrow:
There is so much quality in this team, and with the right focus and energy we will show the Germans, and the rest of Europe, what The Arsenal is all about. And I expect them to do us proud tomorrow, and to unite the fans once again.
And if I am wrong, you are welcome to come back to Bergkampesque and tell me what a deluded fool I am. 🙂
For those of you who don’t know this yet: Bayern Munich have spent every single day of the season at the top of the Bundesliga table. They currently have a record of 17 wins, 3 draws and 1 defeat; with 55 goals for and 7 against. They kept 19 clean sheets in 30 games in all competitions, and only once did they have less possession than their opponent (1-0 victory at Lille).
This season is certainly Bayern’s best in a very long time and it could become the best Bundesliga campaign ever.
So why are Bayern that good?
Key to their game is the last statistic I mentioned – possession. The man who runs the show in the middle of the park is Bastian Schweisteiger. In my opinion he  has established himself as Bayern’s most important player over the last couple of years. Despite earning a lot of criticism after missing the penalty against Chelsea, and playing a very bad Euro 2012, he got back to full fitness and form in this season. He is an exceptional passer of the ball and directs the play  to the wide areas most of the time. He also has a very good shot, and is never shy of joining the attack and appearing in the opponent’s box himself. He is simply perfect at running the show.
He also enjoys a good partnership with Toni Kroos, who plays directly in front of him. The young German has a very free role. He is a very good striker of the ball and will look for cut-backs or little one-twos and through balls, to set up chances for himself and the players around him. Both Schweinsteiger and Kroos move around a lot and they seem to be everywhere.
The most important aspect of Bayern’s style going forward is their wing-play. With Robben, Ribery, Müller and Shaqiri they have 4 wingers who have everything a winger needs: pace, trickery (Müller a little less), good crossing, good shooting from distance, and they all like to get into the box to score themselves.
Another key to their wing-play are their full-backs: David Alaba and Philipp Lahm. These two go on the attack whenever Bayern go forward and try to link-up with the winger ahead of them. They either create the space the winger needs or get a good cross, pass or shot away.
The man lurking for all those crosses and through-balls is their centre-forward. Mario Gomez played this role in the last two season scoring 80 goals in 97 games. This season Gomez’ faced a long injury break, and Bayern reacted before the season by bringing in Mario Mandzukic, who scored 16 in 24 games this season. Both of them score most of their goals from inside the box which is the final part of Bayern’s wing-play. These are two of the most prolific goal scorers from inside the box, and seem to be able to score out of every position with every part of their body.
All this going forward is only possible with a decent protection at the back. At this time last season Bayern had already conceded 14 goals and lost 5 games in the Bundesliga. The biggest change regarding this aspect has been the arrival of Javi Martinez. The Spaniard sits in front of the two CB’s and provides all the cover that Schweinsteiger and the full-backs need in order to go forward. On top of that he is very good on the ball himself and also has the ability to create chances with good build-up play from the middle of the park.
How to beat them
I think there are two teams we can learn a lesson from: Borussia Dortmund, who have beaten Bayern five times in a row before their draw in this Bundesliga season; and Chelsea, who of course won the Champions League Final against the German giants. Key to the successes over Bayern for both of them was their disciplined defending.
Their wingers had to work back more than they worked forward. They always doubled-up with their fullbacks to keep Bayern’s normally so effective wing-play to a minimum.This also left the opportunity to run counter attacks and this is exactly how we can hurt Bayern as well.
Our ideal line-up for the Bayern match:
I think that Arsenal should start against Bayern with a 4-2-3-1 formation because I cannot see us winning with only one holding midfielder. So I would slot Wilshere in next to Arteta, to stop Kroos and Schweinsteiger from operating through the middle, but also to double-up on the wings. In addition, Wilshere will be able to apply a lot of pressure on Schweinsteiger as soon as he gets the ball. Especially at the Euros, he made a lot of mistakes when he wasn’t given any time on the ball and that might be a factor we could capitalize on. Wilshere will be able to win a lot of balls in this position and play or run the ball forward.
The most likely way for us to win this match is on the break, which is why Theo should play up front. His pace and goal scoring form will be exactly what we need. I want to see Ox on the right because of his commitment towards defense. He will track back against David Alaba a lot more than Theo would and with his pace he will be a great support to Theo on the break. Podolski has shown time and time again for Germany how reliable he is on the left wing, when it comes to defending duties. He should also play, because he knows really well how most of his opponents play.
Podolski and Santi are not the quickest players, but should be great support on the break. Santi should also play attacking midfielder to direct the play, when we manage to get stuck in Bayern’s half. He seems to always find the right pass to put Theo, or Ox, or Pod into scoring position, and is very deadly himself, of course.
I would love to keep Mertesacker out of the starting line-up because of the pace of Ribery, Müller, Robben and Shaqiri (last two could feature as subs), but now that the Verminator has to play left-back there is no other option than to play him. With Mandzukic, Martinez, Dante and Boateng Bayern have 4 real targets for set pieces, but I think with Mertesacker, Vermaelen and Koscielny we have good cover.
Yes I haven’t mentioned our in-form striker Olivier Giroud yet. I think he is at his best in games where we control the game and can put a lot of balls into the box, but I just can’t see that happen.
I believe that Bayern will control the game and our main priority – even at home – should be counter attacking. Just like we did against Barcelona two season ago.
With the above formation and tactics we could beat Bayern, but I am really interested in hearing your views on whether, and how, we can beat them on Tuesday as well.
Come on You Gunners!
Finally, I want to thank the host of this blog for giving me the chance to express my opinion on our Champions League tie with Bayern Munich.
Will we finally see our little Mozart direct play again?
A lot has been said about needing to focus just on the game in hand, rather than getting distracted by our Champions League first leg game against Bayern on Tuesday; without any doubt the biggest game of our season so far. But this is easier said than done.
Wenger will need to find a fine balance again: on the one hand he needs fresh legs on Tuesday and his strongest squad available, and on the other hand, he needs to put a team out with not only the right set of skills/qualities, but also with the right attitude and winning mentality (Bradford anyone?!).
Getting through to the next round of the FA-cup is of course very important. It would be a significant step forward for this ‘new’ Arsenal team if it could win a major price this year, and the FA-cup remains a good opportunity for us to do just that. But eliminating Bayern Munich in the Champions League would also be a major step forwards….
There is a real risk, however subconscious, of underestimating our encounter with Blackburn Rovers tomorrow. Yes we play at home and Blackburn are not a PL team, but they are on a good run, losing just one game of their last eight league games, and getting themselves back in promotion contention. And they have not got a bad team either.
The Blue and Whites will come with a nothing to lose attitude and try to enjoy themselves; they will also know that we are unlikely to play our strongest side, and even if we did, that our minds will, at least partly, be on Tuesday’s game (nobody wants to get injured for a start…).
I reckon, Wenger will rest once again about six players for Saturday’s FA-cup game; just as he did for our last FA-cup game against Brighton. There are four players he should not risk tomorrow: Wilshere, Vermaelen, Sagna and Theo.
Wilshere, because he is carrying a knock, and we have good replacements for him in Diaby and Rosicky; Vermaelen and Sagna, because we need our best possible options on the full back positions against Bayern, so we can counter the German threat on the wings; and Theo because he will be our special weapon against the Germans (I won’t say more as we will publish a brilliant maiden post by Nik on Monday, which covers, among other topics, the importance of starting Theo against Bayern on Tuesday).
In an ideal world, Arsenal would also not start with Arteta and Cazorla, but I reckon at least one of the two will need to play tomorrow.
My predicted line-up:
Cazorla and Ox are likely not to play more than 60 minutes, so they will be fully fit again on Tuesday.
I reckon the team above will give us a good balance in terms of experience and hunger, but to be fair, it is really hard to predict the line-up for tomorrow’s game: who really knows what Arsene will do?
Does this line-up work for you? And if not, what would you change?
I have been once to the Stadium of Light, back in Nov 2009. It was a miserably cold day and we got beaten by a single goal scored by Darren Bent. We did not play well, but did not deserve to lose either; often the faith of away playing teams who do not take their chances. A game best forgotten.
Today’s trip to the fine Stadium of Light (although in Newcastle the ‘L’ is pronounced as ‘Sh’) will be another big test for our team. Sunderland are positioned around mid-table and have nothing to play for anymore, other than getting above 40 points as soon as possible. So, with the visit of The Arsenal, we can expect the Black Cats to approach the game with a ‘nothing to lose’ attitude, and play well above their normal level of home performances. I also expect them to get stuck in and make it a physical battle.
If we are not up for this game, we will end up dropping points; despite our fantastic record against the Black Cats. Playing an away game after an (mini) International break is also far from ideal, and I am more hoping for three points than banking on it. 😕
The BFG will have bad memories from his last trip to Sunderland, caused by the season-ending injury he obtained there about this time last year. He also played for Germany on Wednesday and fatigue might make him extra vulnerable. I will keep a close eye on Per and see how he will perform: we will need him to play at his best today.
With Vermaelen out and Koz a doubt, Arsenal have no other option than to play the BFG, and we could also see Miguel start today. Clearly, with Arsene allowing Djourou to go out on loan for the rest of the season, he must feel it is time to give Miguel more playing time, and unless Koz has recovered enough from his mid-week knock – he also started for his national team – I reckon we will start with two Spanish defenders for the first time in our history (?).
The big question is whether Jack should start again, after playing a whole match against Brazil. We cannot afford to drop points, but there is also our big match against Bayern in 10 days time. Jack fully commits himself physically and with midfielders like Gardner, Vaughan and (possibly) Cattermole, he will find strong, physical resistance, and there is not an insignificant risk of Jack picking up an injury today. Wenger will have to make a big call.
Luckily, Arteta is back and did not play mid-week, and Diaby and Rosicky are also available. So, I reckon both Santi and Jack will start on the bench today, and together with the Ox they are likely to play the last 20-25 minutes of the game, if needed.
Predicted Line-up
Some games deserve a big preview, but today is all about attitude, desire, work-rate and winning the physical battle. If Arsenal put in a proper, fully committed shift our qualities should get us through. Let’s hope, our players will do us proud today.
Bergkampesque 