One thing that really seems to rankle with other bosses is that Arsene Wenger always dodges the opportunity to have a glass of wine with the opposing manager in his office after the game. It is one of the reasons that many of the traditional English managers really don’t take to him.

Quite frankly it is pathetic, it may be classed as traditional but a quick handshake and a few words will suffice and quite frankly I can see every reason why Wenger doesn’t want to be anywhere near the fat, dribbling oik that is Fat Sam. Could you imagine the conversation? “So Arsene, how is that young boys leg that nearly got booted off earlier?” – “Not good, he will be out for a while” – “He’s not that type of player Arsene I promise you”.

I really don’t understand why some managers can’t accept the decision of fellow managers like Wenger, Ancelotti and formerly Rafa Benitez to respectfully decline the offer of a post-match drink. You get idiots like Mark Lawrenson writing that Capello is a ‘dinosaur’ – what about these English managers who can’t get over the fact that we are not in the 1950′s anymore and its not customary to share a drink with your opposite number. Its a classic case of blame the dirty Johnny Foreigner.

“British coaches see it as an unwritten rule that no matter what they pop in and see the manager after the game.
“It has never been the case with Arsene but that does not particularly worry me. What worries me is making sure that we must not let them beat us.”

We know what we will receive today. The players will be kicked, the six yard box crowded and Manuel Almunia’s toes trodden on at corners and set-pieces – it has been said that the team have been preparing for this type of event in training so will hopefully find a way of dealing with it. I just hope Almunia takes Sczezsny’s lead and smacks any player that gets in his way in the back of his head. It worked.

The game will be very tough, but its a real test of where this team currently sits. Last season there was an improved mentality in these types of games but we still dropped points – the time where that mentality was most prominent was just after Aaron Ramsey had his leg broken, a siege mentality. Those players were not going to lose that game.

A phrase is doing the rounds at the moment – in his press conference Wenger branded the Stoke and Blackburn styles of football as ‘rubgy’. What makes me laugh is that the press know just who he is talking about, they know that he is speaking the truth yet they are making a meal out of it. This same style was bemoaned just a few months back after a failed World Cup campaign but as soon as the Premier League has kicked in its back to square one.

If we manage to get the win today I will be overjoyed, it will have been a fantastic start to the season and a benchmark will have been set. If the worst happens and we do not get the three points its worth baring in mind that there are plenty worse points of the season to be dropping points. Yes, it will be concerning but its something the team have to learn to deal with if we are to win anything.

There are going to be some really tough selection decisions for the boss this afternoon, up front Chamakh, van Persie, Vela, Walcott and Arshavin are all available and in midfield he has to choose between Alex Song, Abou Diaby, Denilson, Wilshere, Fabregas and Rosicky. There are some real tough calls there and all the players have their own case to state for starting so I’m not even going to guess who will take the starting places later on.

Again, work commitments mean I will miss watching the game live but I will watch the full 90 minutes when I get the chance. My belated thoughts will be available on here soon after I get that chance to watch the game.