Another season has come to pass and Arsenal have, as usual fallen out of the title-race towards the the end of the season.This has been a trend we have been following fot the past few seasons .From fighting for the title, we have fallen to scraping for automatic qualification into Europe.
This will turn out to be another season of what-ifs.What if RVP and Fabregas played more than 30 games each?What if Nasri continued the form he was in,the first half of the season?What if Arshavin was more consistent?What if Vermaelen wasn't injured?.But the biggest what if will be 'What if we had won the Carling Cup? ' Well the thing is,that is how life is.Things happen,and there is no productivity in simply sitting and thinking what it would have been had we had won something or had some player done better.All we can do now is focus on the future.
Our immediate attention should be on the final fixture of the league against Fulham at Craven Cottage,where we will have to win,in order to stand a chance for third place.We have to win,as well as hope for a City blunder to directly go into Europe next season.Otherwise,we will have to go through the qualifiers to get to the group stage.
Arsenal head to Craven Cottage with just 2 wins from the oast 10 matches.The manager puts this bad run of form mainly due to the loss in the Carling Cup final.He said more than the result,it was the manner of the loss that affected the players.He said "If you get that first trophy,then you hope more will follow." Well,we didn't get that trophy and more hasn't followed.So,we need to learn how to come back from such dissapointments on a much higher note
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Arsenal could be playing without Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas,both of whom will be carrying their injuries in to the summer.Gibbs and Squillaci could be given starts along with Arshavin
Possible Starting Line-up: Szczesny,Sagna,Squillaci,Vermaelen,Gibbs,Song,Wilshere,Arshavin,Ramsey,Walcott,RVP
Only a win would do,and Wenger's men would do everything they can to secure that 3rd place and restore some lost confidence.So I would go on to predict a 2-1 win to the Gunners.
The Stoke match on Sunday could see the unexpected return of Thomas Vermaelen after an Achilles injury that kept him out of competitive football for nearly the entire season and his return is because of the Hamstring injury suffered by fellow defender Johan Djourou.Arsene said that he is match-fit and that he doesn't lack any sharpness as his,was not the type of injury that would cause him to be in the bed all the time.His return would be a welcome addition to a side that just lost Samir Nasri,Diaby and Cesc Fabregas to small injuries.
The Arsenal defense has come under a lot of criticism this season,but statistics speak differently.Arsenal have let in the least number of goals from open-play (51% of the goals we have let in have come from set-pieces),but set-pieces still pose a big problem.And that big problem could come to bite Arsenal in their ass on Sunday if they are not alert the whole 90 mins.Stoke are a team who like to play football with their heads rather than their feet.Long throws(and I mean looooooooooooong) and free kicks are their main source of goals and up front they have a very tall and physical player in Jones. So Koscielny and Vermaelen will have to be on their toes and play very intelligent.A Squillaci-Kozzer pairing wouldn't worry me too much either as he was pretty stable in the ManUre match and I'd rather not risk starting Vermaelen against the physical Stoke.
With Clichy having a big chance of missing the match with a niggling injury,Gibbs might get a rare start.But I rather have Clichy recover in time and make the start.One of Arsene's mistakes this season was thinking Gibbs was ready to make the jump.If it were upto me I would have sent him on loan to one of the BPL clubs to get some premiership experience before coming back to fight for a place in the first team
Ruggers Beware!
Leaving all that,another big media story about this weekend's game is AarOne Ramsey's return to the scene of the crime,the place where it all nearly ended for him.15 months after that horrific "accident" that nearly ended his career,AarOne Ramsey is returning to the Britannia Stadium where he will start against Stoke.This would be the final step of his rehabilitation (unless Shawcross decides otherwise) for the 20 year-old."Yes [it is good for him to go back and] the earlier the better because there will always be a question mark about that.At the end of the day you focus on football and you play. It is like if you have a car accident - you do you never drive again? Of course you drive again and the earlier the better." said Wenger.
The midfield trio of Ramsey,Wilshere and Song bossed the United midfield last week and in particular,the partnership forged between AarOne and Jack was really effective as the two outpassed the United midfield.This is exactly what Stoke will try to disrupt and it will be the ones who come out of this battle unscathed who will control the match.
A lot of banter has being going on around Stoke fans about Ramsey and about how he did not accept the apology from Shawcross.Well to all those asses,I have just one question "If it was your leg broken by an opposition player causing you to stay on the sidelines for over a year,would you hug him the first time you see him again? I am guessing NO.Stop and think for a minute you WANKERS.Be grateful that not apologizing was all that he didn't do." Quoting tomorrow's headline from a friend "Ramsey scores a hat-trick,drives to Shawcross's home and does his mum." Something that he could be doing.......Now I am not saying that Ramsey shouldn't accept Shawcross's apology,but he is still a kid,a 20 year-old whose career nearly hit the trash before it even started.So let him grow up a little and one day he will forgive the guy.Maybe not today.
Aerial Prowess
On team news,we can expect a similar line-up from the second half of the ManUre game with either Squillaci or Vermaelen starting .Arshavin will start instead of Nasri and he could continue his good form into the Stoke game.Against ManUre he played a very good defensive game and i hope he continues that tomorrow.
Possible starting XI : Szczesny,Sagna,Koscielny,Vermaelen/Squillaci,Gibbs/Clichy,Wilshere,Song,Ramsey,Arshavin,RVP, Walcott
Pre-Match Press Conference & ATv Online Interview
It could be a very tough game,but I predict a 2-0 win for the Gunners with Van Persie and Walcott getting on the scoreboard.
You can follow Goonerburgh on Twitter and Facebook.Thats all for today folks.Have a good Sunday.
Grit,Discipline and Fighting Spirit.These are the things that Wenger thought we showed in the match against ManUre.This is what we should have been showing for all the games.Fighting spirit,this was clearly something we were lacking in the past few weeks and it showed how much we were missing it.
This match was one that held great importance over the last few weeks and it was good to see the lads come into the game with a high focus level and determination.There was a feeling going around that we were gonna succeed.
Our captain Cesc Fabregas took a last minute injury during practice and was forced to sit out the game.Instead of bringing Nasri to the middle and playing Arhavin wide,Wenger put his trust into AarOne Ramsey.This was his first start for the club since he got 'Shawcrossed' and he showed to everyone why he was so highly rated.This just goes to show that if he gets some games and a proper pre-season,he could be much greater for the club.
AarOne Ramsey
Many have touted him to be the perfect replacement for Cesc if he chooses to leave this summer.Well,all these people are stupid.Not to take anything away from Ramsey,he is great and he could be a solution if Cesc leaves,in the long run,but not now.He is not ready,yet.He needs to churn out some more consistent performances and get himself established before we consider him for the job.
Coming to the match,we practically owned their asses dominating possession and creating some chances.Theo had a good chance of opening the score when he got on to the end of one of Clichy's crosses,but he put it over the crossbar. We also had a clear cut penalty denied to us when Vidic jumped high and 'played' the ball out of bounds.maybe the ref hadn't seen it,maybe he did,but there is no use talking about it now.
'Played' the ball
Half time came and Samir Nasri was subbed out by Arshavin because of of a hamstring problem.Instead of his usual attacking play,the little Russian was all over the place winning ball,successfully sliding into tackles and defensively more active than normal.His commitment into the game inspired the others to play better.
The loss of Djourou did not seem to affect the team much and Squillaci gelled into the defense prettty well and it was a good solid performance from the back four.Sagna was brilliant as was Clichy.Both kept the wingers quiet all match and also went forward whenever they could.Chezzers was brilliant at the back.He didn't have much to do most of the game,but when needed,he made brilliant saves to deny Nani from set-pieces.
The only goal of the game came from some real good football b/w RVP and Ramsey.AarOne played Persie down the right adn continued his run.Van Persie moved to the near end of the box and when he saw Ramsey literally screaming for the ball,he played him in and AarOne shot it first time and it went under Carrick's legs and into the goal.After missing more than a year and to come back into a game of such high calibre and score a beauty of a goal,it was well and truly deserved.
Into the last minutes of the match,ManUre had an appeal for penalty turned down.Replays showed that Clichy rammed his studs down the back of Owen's thighs (Kudos),but because of his theatrical dive,Arsenal were saved from another self-destruction.
After the game Arsene said "We had a good performance that had everything in it; discipline, fighting spirit and our usual passing game. Until we scored the goal, I feel we completely controlled the game. Then, because we have not won a lot recently, we tried to protect our advantage and were more under pressure. Overall, I believe we deserved to win the game"
This was a good way to respond to one horrid month and maybe we can continue this on to the end of the month and finish on a high note.
On a much lighter note,today is the birthday of our one and only El Capitan Cesc Fàbregas Soler. Fans from around the globe have wished him and all the readers can go to his twitter profile to wish him a Happy Birthday or Feliz Cumpleaños (Spanish).One of my dear friends Gurleen Kaur who is a mad Fabregas fan went all the way and made an entire animated e-book as his birthday present. It is ruddy brilliant and you all should have a look at it.
You can follow Goonerburgh on Twitter and Facebook.Thats all for the day people,have a good day.
This season has been one of a lot of ups and downs and we need to end it on a high.We don't have much left to fight for other than our pride.Its all about pride now and beating ManUre is just about proving that Arsenal are still a force to be reckoned with.
A month back,everyone looked at this match as the title decider. Four weeks down the lane, a lot has changed.Arsenal are virtually out of the race and ManUre all but need a draw at the Emirates to ensure the title return to Old Trafford.Well,the Gooners all round the world will be hoping that their team will make ManUre wait another week for that.
Winning this match is not about getting those three points.Its about proving a point.Its about showing that we are still a great team.People say that we should never fight for revenge.Well this match should be played for revenge.Revenge for the FA Cup loss.Revenge for the league loss.Moreover we have to beat them just for the fact that they exist.
In recent times,ManUre always seem to get the better of us.They sit tight and give a disciplined defensive performance and attack on the counter and score.This has worked for them in our previous encounters,so we should be ready for them and defend well when they counter-attack. Our full-backs will have their hands full if both Park and Nani start.Park has scored in his last three encounters against Arsenal,so Sagna should be on his toes.Clichy has gotten a lot better since our last meeting with ManUre but i still expect Nani to trouble him.So he should contain his runs and concentrate more on his defensive duties for the match.I expect Nasri and Arshavin to trouble their full-backs in a more devastating manner.So it should turn out to be a very exciting encounter.
Arsenal will be going into this fixture with virtually a full strength team.We have Thomas Rosicky returning from illness.We lost Diaby to a calf strain and also will be without long term absentee Lukas Fabianski.Other than that,we have the whole squad available.I expect Arshavin to start alongside Nasri.These two are danger-men who can shoot from almost anywhere and go through any defense.So Walcott might be benched to come on as the super-sub.
Predicted starting XI : Szczesny,Sagna,Djourou,Koscielny,Clichy,Wilshere,Song,Arshavin,Fabregas,Nasri,Van Persie
Now for some good news.Thomas Vermaelen returned to competitive football after a long-term Achilles injury when he completed 90 minutes for the Arsenal Reserves in the goalless draw against ManUre reserves.This comes as a mental boost for the whole squad and he could still feature in the first team before the league ends this month.I would rather have him get some deserved rest and have a good pre-season rather than rush him back to the first-team.He is a vital part that we have been missing this season and we can't risk losing him to an injury again.
Lets hope he has had enough bed-rest
Our defensive capabilities will once again be tested this match and we have to get out of this unscathed if we are to even finish in third place.We have conceded penalties thrice in the as many games (Liverpool,Sp*rs,Bolton) and we should play well enough and contain them rightly so as not to give away any cheap penalties.Chris Foy will be the match referee and he has always been a fair one.Lets hope he stays one for this match as well.
I predict a 2-1 win with RVP and Arshavin scoring and Rooney getting on the scoresheet for them.A win here could be exactly what Arsenal needs to end the season with some sort of confidence.
That is all for the day folks.You can follow Goonerburgh on Twitter and Facebook. Have a great day and pray for a bigass asswhooping against ManUre.
