For tonight’s game, I’m going to be trying a new match day live, via my blackberry! I’m been busy trying to get this work, but not 100% sure if it will work!
After Saturday’s defeat, we really need to shake it off and put in a performance today. You get the sense that Arsene is very pissed off with the result on the weekend. He’s lamented the mental attitude of the players and more recently told the players that they had to focus on Arsenal and the games in hand rather than the World Cup. It’s a clear message to the team that they need to focus, concentrate and deliver on every game. It’s a clear indication that it was down to the attitude team for the loss and I doubt Arsene wants a repeat of that.
“We did not have the right fluency in our game on Saturday nor enough penetrative runs to force the issue in the final part of the pitch. That is why we were not dangerous, rather than it being down to any individual. I do not deny at all the super-class of Van Persie, I just feel we still have enough in the locker to score goals even when Robin is not there. Sunderland had one shot on target and we lost 1-0. That happens every 200 games. So I do not want to question every individual player. We have to support everybody. It is normal that the players are worried when they do not score. We have shown until now we do not rely on one player scoring. If Eduardo gives three assists and we score three goals, then that is just as important as scoring. Our game is based on a collective attitude and not individual stardom. That is why we educate our players, because we want them to know the importance of the collective game. We simply lost a game we did not want to lose at Sunderland, so let’s put it right and win the next one.”
A statement which I half believe and half don’t – yes Sunderland may had only one shot on target, but how many did West Ham have? How many did United have? And City? The point is… it doesn’t matter – it matters how many goals we score.
The lack of penetration as outlined in the match report was due to the fact that Rosicky, Nasri, Cesc and Ramsey pretty much occupied the same space on the pitch on the weekend and a clear sign that we do need the likes of Arshavin, Walcott and Vela to play in the forward roles. The more we watch the team play, the more we realise that Nasri and Rosicky are central midfielders in a 4-3-3.
So tonight, I expect us to play the more attacking players in the 4-3-3 and I hope to see the following team:
Almunia
Eboue – Gallas – Vermaelen – Gibbs
Denilson – Ramsey
Walcott - Cesc – Arshavin
Eduardo
With a bench of Fabianksi, Sagna, Song, Traore, Nasri, Rosicky and Vela…
With us only needing a point, although I think we’ll go for the win, Arsene can afford to rest Nasri and Song, both whom I hope come in for the returning Denilson and the ever improving Ramsey. There are question marks to whether Ramsey and Cesc are too alike, but I don’t think we can judge that one on or two games alone. It is also interesting to see the lack of height we have at the moment with Diaby, Bendtner and Van Persie all out at the moment….
Okay, so it’s match day – I have a new update app on my blackberry which connects to the blog, so let’s see if it works!
Party Time!
