Can He Do It Again?

The big game is here, its colossal, its hyped and it will probably end up 0-0.

Liverpool have not looked much better than us this season, they have had some dreadful results as well as us but they have squeezed out results that have put them 8 points ahead of us.

We need another of those big performances, but i think we are odds on for a draw, playing into Chelsea’s hands somewhat. Both sides have beaten United at home and Chelsea away and on those facts i predict a draw because you just don’t have this many wins when the top 4 play each other!

I think we have 4 key players that must perform, Gallas, Fabregas, your man in the photo and Adebayor.

Liverpool normally come to the Emirates to defend and park the team bus in front of the goal, maybe this season they will go with a different approach and counter attack hard, like Aston Villa did to such great affect. In that case our midfield has to win it for us, Fabregas and Nasri have to be in the game and create chances for Van Persie and Adebayor who have to be clinical, we cant afford to grass up chances and we are not in the position to ponce around playing pretty passes and weaving pretty patterns, we have to get that ball in the net, and defend like we have never defended at all.

Of course, we won’t do that.

I think we may see a midfield of Eboue, Song, Fabregas and Nasri. On a good day it will function perfectly well, Eboue can cause problems with his running, Song can actually find someone in the same coloured jersey and Fabregas and Nasri cause utter mayhem.

But, those days are very rare.

To put it frankly, we have to win. Any more points dropped and we will be trailing by 11 points before January, with 4 points ahead of us and we then go to Villa park to play them, which is arguably a bigger game than this!

Getting through the festive period with a 100% win rate would be fantastic, we would be sitting in a dangerous place and we will probably be strengthened in the transfer window, giving us the added edge we so dearly need.

But its premature to talk like that, we have one of the greatest and luckiest clubs in European history to beat, in the words of William Gallas, ‘we have to be warriors.’

Van Persie won the game at Stamford Bridge for us, we have to have another hero this afternoon, be it Fabregas, Almunia, Adebayor, Van Persie or even Jamie Carragher with his own goal record. We need someone to deliver.

A draw would make sense, a win would be fantastic but a defeat? Well, it would be another bullet into the heart of Arsene Wenger’s  experiment. Maybe the final heartbeat.

The Sunday papers have as usual, got an ‘Exclusive’ about a new signing at the club. This week its Andrei Arshavin.

Its not even speculation! Its utter rubbish! Not a single qoute, piece of fact or reasoning behind it.

Gutter journalism, pure and simple.

EXCLUSIVE: WE MAKE EVERYTHING UP JUST TO SELL A COUPLE MORE PAPERS!

A line you will never, ever see.

We have also been linked with a cheap 30 million pound move for Carlos Tevez, the reasoning for this piece of garbage is that his owner ‘advisor’, Kia Joorabchian has an executive box at the Emirates.

Mind, he is probably one of the only people that can afford one.

To wrap up, we have to beat them really, if we drop points it will probably be the point of no return, we are on the brink of reaching that point, we have to graft, fight and prove that this team is good and can fight for the title.

If your going, wear yellow in homage of Thomas 89′.

‘Its up for grabs now’

Choke on that bindippers

It sure is and lets hope we all rise to the occasion.

In the words of Arsene Wenger,

“Let them talk and [we will] play and show them that they are wrong,”

Lets do it for them

And them

Some people are not as fortunate as us

If your there, enjoy the game, if your watching on a stream i hope you find a good, crystal clear untakendown stream.

Just remember who’s day it is. Donate on the right hand side if you can spare a bit of change for those less fortunate.

Less of the preaching.

Lets show them Gooners!

Til next time, hope you enjoyed the read.

Eduardo Looked Sharp On His Return

Every Gooner must have felt a tinge of relief as Eduardo had a 45 minute run out at Underhill last night, and what more, he looked in fine nick as his intelligence and movement caused confusion amongst the Pompey defence last night.

Eduardo’s game was not built around pace but he showed a good spurt of pace on more than one occasion as he created attacking opportunities and nearly scored a fine effort himself.

I think his build up play was very good all night and he really does have an eye for a pass, something i was not too aware of before his injury, his close skill has not changed one iota as he twisted and turned defenders and had one very good effort splendidly saved by the Pompey keeper, i have a feeling that our number 9, our fox in the box is well and truly on his way back.

He was substituted for a slight hamstring niggle and that is not suprising considering he will not have been in that scenario for 10 months and his muscles will have to re-adapt but its all part of the process and a massage will do the trick for him.

Eddy was pleased after the game saying,

“At the moment, I am better and I feel very happy, I came off at half-time because I felt something in my hamstring, but I think I will be all right in two weeks. The situation with my injury was very hard for me, but I have to forget everything bad in my life.”

Looks like when the games get tough our boy will be there and he is a tremendous addition to any squad in the world, his intelligence is fantastic and he is always asking questions of the defenders with clever movement and impeccably timed runs. He can also play out on the left so we might see him there sooner rather than later, most of all he came through with no big adverse reactions and he looked as good as ever.

Welcome back Eduardo; you have been sorely missed!

I have not really got much time to go through anything else but there is not really much else to go through today!

It appears that Samir Nasri has a history of health problems and if that is true i will not be happy, we have enough crocks without another one, a 13 million one at that!

Wenger has been fustrated by his injuries,

“Samir is a mix of [Robert] Pires and [Alexander] Hleb. I told myself that signing him could prove a positive gamble.

“But he picked up many injuries, too many!

“You tell yourself that if the guy was always with us, he would bring us a lot, but for the moment he has only been there half of the games, and fits and starts are bad for high level football.

“The partnership with Clichy has developed, but we are still far from what can be produced because he is too often absent.”

Hopefully they were just part of his growth and will disappear gradually, i remember Hleb was injured a lot in his first two seasons and the change of leagues does probably have quite a big influence on their physical wellbeing.

Arsene also thinks we are still in the title race.

What are your thoughts on that and Eduardo’s return?

Sorry for the short post, il be back with a better one tomorrow!

Til next time Gooners

Adebayor will be key

Well, to the Riverside we go searching for another three points to keep us to within a sniff of the leaders. It is by far the most important game of the season so far and anything less than three points could inflict terminal damage that will well and truly end our title campaign before Christmas; and that really should not be happening to Arsenal Football Club.

The man to your left will be a matchwinner if there is one to be had, he showed he has composure against Wigan and we really, really need him to be on form against Boro’ who have been a thorn in our side for the past few seasons, ever since we tonked them 7-0 really. Are they still angry at us?!

Creativity will be a big part of the game; Boateng has moved on and he played a blinder against us last season and with him out the way there may be a bit more room for Cesc to operate in the middle of the park alongside Alex Song who has a point to prove.

A big performance here will fill the team with confindence that could fire us through the festive period and potentially close the gap on the frontrunners, we have the skill to do so; Van Persie will be very important, we need some of his set pieces to start nestling in the net because goals like that are key. They can decide titles or Champions League places.

At the time of writing it is still unclear whether Sagna will play or not, Eboue will step in if neccessary with the other defenders being Gallas, Bodybutter and Clichy. Hopefully they can keep the trap shut because another clean sheet could win us this game, an early goal conceded and we will drop points in my opinion, this side does not have the steel and flair it did last season when going in front against Arsenal was pretty much a death sentence!

A lack of height in the Boro’ defence could be expolited by Adebayor but you have to ask yourself; who will be able to deliver those crosses too him?

Denilson – Gets too central when out wide

Cesc – CM

Eboue – Well.. its Eboue.

Diaby could be starting on the left and Denilson on the right; that means one thing, we will be ploughing up the middle of the pitch where Boro’ will load the field and we will be left clueless and confussled with all those young brains out there getting a little overheated. This is what worries me.

Thats why we have to look at Van Persie or Adebayor, maybe even Cesc for a moment of magic, a blistering free kick, a stunning volley or a lovely pass to put Adebayor through on goal to *holds hands together* score.

Arsene Wenger seemed to think we need to gamble to win games like this;

“When you lose more games you can less afford the draw and you are always in the position where you have to gamble with half an hour or 20 minutes to go.

I wish he would suprise everyone and give Wilshere a start on the left, he would scare the living shite out the defender because of his naivety, he will run at them time and time again, whilst also being a strong boy for his age.

He has also said the squad should believe in themselves and not listen to the negative press around,

“If there is a doubt, there is a doubt. Everybody can doubt your ability but what is important is that you believe in your ability and show it on the football pitch.

“I believe that with such a young team, the minimum you can do is to be behind them, be proud of them and help them. To always ask them if they are good enough, personally I don’t think that helps the team. It is the first question that I have been asked since the first of July to the first of May.

“I don’t know why we are always in that negative culture. In every single press conference it is exactly the same. We have not to be affected by the scepticism around the team, we want to show that kind of strength.

“We believe in ourselves.”

Wenger; three years without a trophy usually means questions are asked, a team with five losses after 16 games challenging for the title means questions are asked. Just come out and say we need to do better!

The ‘zee teem is yooung’ excuse does not wash anymore!

On the transfer front, Wenger is being his usual coy self. I think he will but and he is playing a game, he commented,

“I won’t answer that question [about the transfer window],” said Wenger.

“If I say yes and I don’t do it people will ask why I haven’t done it. If I say no and we lose one game people will say I am crazy because I didn’t want to buy. In England every problem is sorted out by buying a player when you lose a football game.

“We have a team where most of the players are 20 or 21. Instead of saying that they have a fantastic future, OK maybe we haven’t had the consistency until now, but we are not disastrous. We have 29 points and are in the position to come back.

“Instead of saying let’s believe in these players, everybody says you have to buy five or six players.

“It is difficult to get any rationality into the analysis that we face at the moment. We are qualified in the Champions League but I am speaking as if we are absolutely nobody.

“If you look in the last 10 years Arsenal have qualified every time but I still have to answer the same question every year.”

Sorry for the long quote. Anyway, if he says he is going to buy prices will go up, clubs will see we are desperate and will knock up their prices from 7 mil to 11 mil. If he stays quiet the other clubs will not have a clue if Wenger wants one of their players.

He had better buy now or i will look a right chump!

Right; thats your lot. A good morning read for your early birds, for you not so early birds, unlucky you may have missed it!

Gooner14 will be blogging next so over and out til Monday i believe, have a great weekend, hope you find lots of un-cunty streams and drink plenty of the amber nectar.

Til next time! – leave me all your thoughts on how you think we will fare!

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