Afternoon all, it’s time for Match Day Live and it’s a big one today. It’s Liverpool away, a game which is normally one of our hardest games of the season. This season, we go up to Anfield with a genuine belief that we can get one over on our rivals. From an Arsenal point of view, this season hasn’t been amazing, but it has been brilliant in flashes – but for Liverpool, their season has been diabolical – they’re out of the Carling Cup and the Champions League, they’re 7th in the table and have looked very average this season.
If we win today, we’ll go onto 31 points with a game in hand on Chelsea and Man United, who are on 34 and 37 respectively after both teams dropped points this weekend.
But it will be harder than we could have hoped, as Gerrard, Aquilani and Torres are all fit and all three are likely to start the game. All three have time on the sidelines, so it would have been much better to have them miss this game too – but it wasn’t meant to be. Of course, let’s not worry about the opposition… we have Thomas Vermaelen, and I’m sure he’ll keep Torres in his pocket all afternoon. Our free scoring centre half spoke ahead of the game:
“But the main reason I like playing for Arsenal is the vision of the boss, the way he wants us to play. I believe we can win trophies playing this way. What is the vision? The vision is basically for a young team who all share the same philosophy to play good football, to grow and eventually win a big trophy. I know there are many critics who say that playing a certain way then good things can’t happen. But maybe they should just think for a while and look at how a team like Barcelona has grown and how they play. Look around at their side. They don’t have many strong players but they have been winning big trophies.”
Talk like that fires me up big time.. come on you Gooners… he is very much right with his assessment, and let’s start this season with all that trophy winning melarkey!
Team news sees Diaby and Eduardo back in the squad. With both lacking match fitness and Eduardo looking rusty, I don’t think Arsene will put either player straight into the first XI, so I’d expect the following team to line up today:
Almunia
Sagna – Gallas – Vermaelen – Traore
Denilson – Song
Walcott – Cesc – Nasri
Arshavin
It’s a penetrative and pacey side, so that’s exciting, but it’s not a very tall side, so no crossing!!
Okay, time to watch the second half of the Middlesborough vs Cardiff game and then wait for the real team news…
And time to figure out how Arsene plans to get compensation from Holland for RvP’s injury!!
I’ll be back shortly for Match Day Live!
