Settle the scores: QPR v Arsenal game preview

In the last game they played against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium this year, the then Queens Park Rangers manager Neil Warnock felt his team deserved at least a point from the game having been so disciplined in defense and also due to the fact that the goal they conceded was off a mistake from their own player Shaun Wright Phillips who played the ball backwards in a sloppy attempt to back pass, which ball was pounced on by the retreating Arshavin who set through Van Persie and he made no mistake.

After the game, warnock shockingly went on a "fuming spree" trying to convince all how he could make a better referees’ trainer and educate them all about players like Van Persie who jump to get the ball with their hands barging into the opponents' defenders. sour grapes? yes, that’s what it seemed like to me too. But this QPR side is different, forget about the questionable run they have had since appointing Mark Hughes as their new boss, this side still has talent! The likes of Abdel Taarabat, Joey Barton and Bobby Zamor will be all out to try and save club from sinking into relegation, even if it means fighting against Arsenal, I’m very sure they will, just like they did against Liverpool when they went two goals down only to battle themselves back and ended up winning the match 3-2

Key factor leading up to this game for Arsenal is discipline for all players, with and without the ball, this is going to be a very unpredictable QPR side, with Mark Hughes fighting to retain the job he just acquired a few months back, we can’t put surprise gambles past him, he will do anything to try and see that he takes Arsenal by shock, trying to out do the gunners quality studded side.

With many players fit now, Arsenal have the luxury of resting some of their players that they can’t risk not to have against Manchester City this week, another must win game as the Gunners try to maintain their impressive run of form. With Koscienly a yellow card away from a two games ban, many are hoping that he starts on bench for Djorou who had a fine game against Aston Villa at the Emirates last week.

In all honesty, for a team that has been used to playing at least 2-3times a week, Arsenal players should be well rested leading up to this game and so are expected to give their best so as to return home with all the 3points hence making it an incredible 8wins on a trot since 2004!

Predicted starting XI:

QPR: Kenny, Young, Onuoha, Ferdinand, Traore, Barton, Derry, Diakite, Taarabt, Zamora, Mackie

                                                            Formation 4 -4– 2

Arsenal:

Sczsesny, Sagna, Vermalean, Djorou, Santos. Song, Arteta, Ramsey. Walcott, Van Persie, Gervinho

                                                           Formation: 4-2-3-1

Keeping Momentum: Arsenal v Aston Villa Preview

Arsenal are once again back on home turf for the weekend after what seems like eons since they last played their North London Rivals on a weekend, a couple of weeks ago. A game that set the momentum pace for the gunners, ever since then, they’ve not lost a single match they’ve played in, winning an impressive 4 out of 4 on the trot post-North London Derby, and will be working hard to maintain that against Aston Villa this afternoon, as the season nears end.

Villa might prove to be such a tricky side, the kind that have always given Arsenal problems over the seasons because of their unpredictability, its these teams that have muddled through the season unpredictably that have always taken Arsenal by surprise, as many at times the players have visibly undermined them and play with complacency which most times has turned out to be costly. This was evidenced when the same Villa side traveled to the Emirates for a FAcup game and managed to put two quick goals past Arsenal in the first half albeit against the run of play. It was their patience that had gotten them there. Despite all Arsenal’s attacking, they’d failed to find the back of the net, and Villa had to show them how to do it, however, the gunners found it in them to dig deep and produce what was required of them, they managed to win the game by 3-2. This time round though, with many players having returned from Injury, a better performance is expected from the lads, chances like the missed opportunities against Everton midweek should not resurface, it’s a home game afterall, do it for the fans that will keep the team inspired. Kill off the game!

Strenghts:
With a crop of young players that provide both engine and Grit to this fighting Villa side, they are expected to be defensively disciplined waiting for their chance to pounce on a counter attack just like many visiting teams to the Emirates have been, key men to watch out for will be Banan, Albrighton and Charles N’zogbia. Banan is the never tiring type, fights for every ball in the midfield and has a good pass on him, plus his free kicks are not far from spectacular. Albrighton too, a player to me that is the best crosser of the ball in The Premiership does such an impressive job on the wings, the goal he scored in that FA night earlier on in the season still rates as one of the best Arsenal have conceded at the emirates in a while. Charles N’zogbia, a threat on either wings and even in the middle, he’s the one guy they’re going to mostly rely on to unsettle the Arsenal defense and on a good day, he can really be quite a handful. Things like near edge free kicks and a penalty or two as a result of N’zogbia’s pressuring should not come as a surprise if any of our defenders is having an off day, I mean its Phil Dowd at the helm, you know?

That said though, Arsenal have everything they require to win this game, a great forward in Van Persie, wonderful wingers in Theo and either of Gervinho or Chamberlain plus a midfield inspired by Rosicky’s ever improving form supported by Alex Song and Arteta. Honestly this squad should be good enough to match up to anybody in the league and almost in all competitions, not forgetting the continually delivering solid back four of Sagna, Vermalean, Koscienly, Gibbs and the awesome Sczsesny in goal. Only worry is Koscienly who is just 1yellow card away from a two games ban which will effectively see him out of the game against Manchester City and so many are thinking that the player might not be featured in this fixture, which might see an alteration in that Back Four setup.
Predicted Starting XI
Arsenal:
Sczsesny, Sagna, Koscienly, Vermalean, Santos. Song, Arteta, Rosicky. Theo, Van Persie, Chamberlain
Formation: 4-2-3-1.
Aston Villa:
Given, Hutton, Cuellar, Collins, Warnock. Ireland, Petrov, Banan, N’zogbia, Albrighton, Agbonlahor
Formation: 4-5-1
Cheers y’all
Rodger

No putting the foot off the gas: Everton v Arsenal Preview.

In the last 11 games, Everton has only lost one, a derby for that matter and where they were keeping an eye on their FA Cup progression as well, hence rested key players like Tim Cahill, Drenthe & Jack Rodwell and Phill Jagielka. Steven Piennar who has also been such an integral part to their squad since rejoining the club in January will be hoping to recapture his memorable performances against the gooners like he did the last time he played for the blues at the Emirates when his deft chip over a hapless Manuel Almunia all but surely killed off any hopes of Arsenal winning the Championship that season.

Arsenal on the other hand have got something on Everton, one of their battle hardened men that used to terrorize opponents like Arsenal so much now changed camps, and as fate would have it, he’s now going to be gunning against the blues in this particular match! Memories aside, Mikel Arteta is expected to give his whole for Arsenal as the Gunners embark on doing their best to continue on with their impressive form in the season run-in.
Though the Wenger’s men have lost 3 of their last 11 games, they have really impressed in most of their wins setting a record as the English Premiership’s come back KINGS having come from losing positions four times consecutively to win all the games, something no other club in the History of the EPL has ever done.
The game today calls for more of the recent past from both side, both teams want to continue on with their inspiring runs, but Everton though have one “handicap” three of their key men in Jack Rodwell, Seamus Coleman and Darren Gibson are expected to miss the game, this will give arsenal a slight advantage over a team commonly known for its resilience and high work rate. Arsenal have been welcoming back most of their players that have been plagued by injuries throughout the season, and so will feeling more confident going into this one. Abou Diaby and Andre Santos are both expected to make the trip to the Mersey side having featured in the most recent Arsenal Reserves’ games.
Predicted Starting XIs
Everton:
Time Howard, Neville, Jagielka, Distin, Baines, Osman, Drenthe, Heitinga, Pienaar, Fallaini, Cahill
Formation: 4-5-1
Arsenal:
Wojceich, Sagna, Vermalean, Koscienly, Santos. Song, Arteta, Rosick. Theo, Van Persie, Chamberlain
Formation: 4-2-3-1

Sharing in the fans pain: How sensitive should {our} players be?

I know many Gooners had different views and opinions about Jack Wilshere’s tweets in support of Chelsea last night. When Chelsea scored their third goal, one that brought the goal aggregate of the tie level, Jack took to twitter and posted this

“Just jumped up when Lamps scored! I want Chelsea through....English and proud! Come on you blues!”

this enraged many more than it pleased some, for the many that were against it, they couldn’t believe that an Arsenal player would go on to cheer for a local London rival in a competition that Arsenal painfully bowed out of at the same stage, and while for those few that were in support of Jack’s cheering, “patriotism” was what most of them gave as the reason. I’m not the kind that would stupidly send abusive tweets to any player! But I honestly understand where some fans that felt hurt by that tweet were coming from, and on my own TimeLine I made known my opinion of Jack’s tweet.

 See its one thing for a player to congratulate another team upon their success after a game, I mean that’s what we call fair play, right? But for a player to go on and cheer for a local rival it honestly borders around insensitive, we fans are of course irrational, sometimes we don’t want to put logic into our reasons for supporting, that’s why we spend loads of money to travel to the furthest of places, sleep in not so comfortable conditions and cheer on even when things are not going so well for the club on the pitch,  all in show of support and love of the club we ascribe to.

Honestly thinking, for the 5000 that travelled to Milan this season and saw us giving one of our worst displays for the season and yet still applauded on the players, to see one of our own in Jack Wilshere tweeting in support of a team that snatched our then best right back to progress beyond the stage we’ve failed to advance from in the past two seasons, it must be really painful, and it was to many. See if you’re going to use the excuse of “English and proud” then many would wonder, so if it had been Tottenham against another non-English side, you would still support in show of patriotism? I personally feel if Jack had supported Chelsea in the privacy of his home, wait till the final whistle and then tweet a congratulatory message with a “good luck to Chelsea on the next stage”, many if not all wouldn’t have minded that, all players do that anyway

I think it’d be good of the players to always bear in mind that the clubs they support are global brands with fan bases extending to almost all corners of the world and therefore should be a little more careful with what they share with millions in all corners of the world. Of course its just an opinion and so I expect many to ridicule but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to predict that not long from now, if these behaviors are not curbed, we might find ourselves dealing with something more serious concerning what players share with the public, than just a “Come On You Blues”.

Cheers

Rodger

Opportunity to Seize (Arsenal V Newcastle Preview)

Monday night 20:00 GMT and Arsenal are back in the fray! once again against another contender for the top four finish on the table. The gunners go into this one in a more confident mood than they were in at the beginning of the season when all they had available for the same fixture were rookies. Having managed to fight and turn around their season in dramatic fashion against all odds especially after being written off by almost every pundit before and after Christmas. For the first time since the season began, they managed to string together four back to back wins in their last premier league encounters and are aiming to make this their fifth. Despite the failings at the start of the season, the gunners are now setting their eyes on finishing third above their north London rivals tottenham who have never finished above them in the Barclay premier league, something that the current crop of players are keen to maintain.

Battle Field:
contention is mostly expected to be about midfield duels as Newcastle are predicted to play a very physical game in the middle of the park in order to disrupt any creativity by the explicitly passing Arsenal side on home turf. With this approach, Newcastle hope to gain advantage by lofting the ball into the box to a target man who will most likely be their on form striker Demba Ba and with Arsenal's season long defensive struggles, the away side hope to inflict pain on the hosts like they managed to do against the reigning champions Manchester United when they visited the Sports Direct Arena earlier on in the season. However, the gunners too seem to have an inspired plan with their resurgent form and returning of players like Arteta, Benyoun Santos and Ramsey from injuries and also the fact that this will be the only game they have to play till 10days later when they play Everton. This means that they can give the game their whole and fight hard to gain the three much needed points.

Predicted Starting XIs
Arsenal: Sczesny, Sagna, Vermalean, Koscienly, Gibbs. Song, Arteta. Rosicky. Chamberlain, VanPersie, Walcott.
                           Formation: 4-2-3-1
NewCastle: Krul, Simpson, williamson, coloccini, santon. Tylor, Tiote, Guthrie, Cabaye, Guttierez. Ba
                          Formation: 4-5-1

Spend some F***in Mon€¥! (The true meaning of the phrase)

This morning I woke up to shocking news of losses in the Europa league of the two top table clubs in the English premier league. Manchester United lost 2-3 at home to Athletic Bilbao and Manchester city lost 1-0 away to Sporting Lisbon. Questions instantly started running through my head, and chief among these was this: “are the Mancs that shit or is the Premiership fast becoming a joke now?” and I would like to argue for the side of the latter, yes I’m agreeing with the fact that the premiership has become a joke, and this is what happens when even in our day to day lives we assume that throwing money at everything is the solution to all our struggles. when you see a club like Chelsea that had gone for over 50years without ever winning the league have the chutzpah of sacking 7coaches in a period of 7years just because they (the coaches) have only won a double and not gone for all the three cups the owners covet, what a joke! See the problem with throwing money into football, is that you will have coaches like Roberto Mancini with no tactical knowledge at all buying prolific players and only have a duty to assemble them, put them onto the pitch and sit back and wait for results. It is killing the beautiful game! So much that it pains seeing how teams like Bilbao who sit 5^th currently in the Spanish La liga beating the champions of England on HOME TURF!! And you still want to be pitted as the best league in the world? Give me a BREAK!! That is not reminiscent of a powerful league, not at all! I mean just a few seasons back games like those could have been more or less walk overs for so many English clubs, even Fullham could manage to majestically go all the way to the finals of the Europa league despite it being a mid-table team in England.

Short Term Success: The Epitome of Over spending in the English Premier league

All it took (a few years back) was for the English team to show up and play their game! Not anymore now, today all English clubs want to do is lineup their “star studded” sides of mercenaries and wait for results! How low can a league sink? How immoral can the level of playing in a league get! This is the league where one person comes up and stakes themselves as guarantors/”banks” for the whole club (read Chelsea). In the end, the entire future of the whole club is hinged around the existence and mercies of one individual, short term success has been gullibly pursued over legacy and prestige, clubs have become whores, anyone with a billion in the bank can become their god! And you still have media pundits and bloggers arguing for more money injection by Arab billionaires into clubs, my question is what then will happen when every club gets a billionaire? Are we not going to get into another world of Mafioso’s? Where games are going to start being fixed? I mean it’s not like controversial referee calls are anything new in the premier league, that if a ref is paid off to swing results toward one side will be such a shocking thing to all the audiences around the world. We have seen clubs and coaches with insightful spending patterns being pounded left right and center with every word printable bordering around offensive! Hundreds of media houses in and around Europe have called for Wenger’s head because he’s been running Arsenal frugally, they would rather someone comes in that is willing to splash money at every overrated & overhyped player.

 With headlines like “Arsenal the club in crisis” little attention has been paid to the wonderful running of the club, or even the hopeless spending/overpaying for mediocre players by teams like Liverpool, Arsenal has been seen as the devil for clinging onto prudence, but honestly if I’m going to spend 200M in one season just so I can struggle to win one league cup, I would rather spend little or none to fight and contend on all fronts! This silliness that has taken the English premiership by storm needs to be curbed or very soon we are all going to witness before our own eyes a league in decline as other more competitive leagues like the Bundesliga take to the summit of European and world football.

Anfield Beckons: Liverpool vs Arsenal Game Preview.

As the race for a top four spot finish hots up, Arsenal once again have a huge test on their hands in the premier league. The gunners travel to Liverpool’s Anfield stadium hoping to replicate the form and passion that they displayed in the North London derby when they proved to their local pretenders that they’ve permanent class than just form. In the past couple of league games Arsenal have come around to prove to everyone especially their fans that they are serious about finishing top four in the league so as to earn champions league qualification in order to continue playing top flight football, they have won three out of their last three league games, and are hoping to continue on with that run to make it four wins. If Arsenal manage to avoid defeat this Saturday, it will be the first time in the club’s history that they have gone five consecutive games without losing at Anfield, a huge milestone indeed.

Injury worries.

Both teams are facing late fitness tests on some of their key players with Liverpool almost sure that Daniel Agger will not be featuring in this Saturday early kick-off crunch, and Steven Gerard also faces late fitness tests following a reported hamstring pull that he picked up when playing for his national side midweek. On the other hand Arsenal too are sweating over the fitness of their star man and captain Robin Van Persie who it is being reported might have aggravated his groin problem when he featured for his national side on Wednesday against England, and its not only Van Persie that is a doubt, Aaron Ramsey, Francis Coquelin, Per metersacker and Andre santos were also not able to travel with the team, well as Thomas Vermalean’s ankle injury is feared to have gotten worse when he played a full 90+ minutes in Belgium’s one all draw friendly with the Greek national side. however Abu Diaby is reported to be fit for selection for this game.

Probable Starting XI

Liverpool: Pepe Reina. Glenn Johnson, Jamie Carragher, Martin Skrtel, Jose Enrique. Adam, Henderson, Craig Bellamy, Suarez, Andy Carroll, Stuart Downing

Formation (4 – 4 – 2)

Arsenal: Wojchech Sczsesny.  Bacary Sagna, Johan Djorou, Lauren Koscienly, Keiran Gibbs. AlexSong, Mikel Arteta. Thomas Rosicky, Yossi Benayoun, Maroune Chamakh, Theo Walcott.

 Formation ( 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 )

Theo Walcott, Give Credit Where Credit Is Due

In the aftermath of the North London Derby When the Gunners all but demolished the small team of the neighbors across the road, a lot has been written and said about one of the Heroes of the day: Theo Walcott, in the games leading up to this one, Theo’s critics’ list had been fast building up, with many actually calling for the axe upon him, and others that were a little considerate resorted to throwing him down the pecking order, in the first half of that very game, the player did little if anything to prove his doubters and critics wrong in any way. He misplaced FOUR consecutive passes, blew up a chance when he received a ball with a lot of space ahead of him and instead decided to prematurely pass it over to the captain who was then being closed out by the only defender sticking back for Totten ham. Everyone hoped that afternoon that Theo would at least be brought off at Halftime for maybe Chamberlain or Gervinho. This had become too much, too much to the point that in some games (Sunderland [FA Cup]) the player actually went incognito. But the two goals against Tottenham showed us another aspect of Theo, one that we had long hungered to see: - Sublime Finishing!

Many games had he played and many chances had he got before this one, and in almost 90% of all those, was he fluffing the chances, to the frustration of the many spectating the game live and those watching by their television sets. Like it would happen to many of us, Theo Walcott started losing his confidence, it was always evident when he was on the pitch, his fine runs were never his strengths, hardly did he know what to do with the ball, many had actually now started counting his days at Arsenal… Then came Sunday!

The Rebirth

In the last minutes he had (before being subbed) right from when the players returned from the Tunnel, Theo had three shots on goal and two of these were fine finishes that ended up in the back of the net, with the third being really so close! You would call it the rebirth of Theo, many were left wondering how fast he could’ve transformed into such a great finisher in such a short period of time, what he lacked in interplay that day, he compensated with such wonderful finishing touches. For the first time Theo’s name started being mentioned with positivity attached to it all over the blogosphere. But still, some critics proved so hard to please, until now some are still not impressed, they still claim that he’s not that good despite the goals, and I beg to argue differently.

I’m never a worshipper of players, I never want to think of any player as infallible, no, not me, and not ever! I always move fast in embellishing a performing player with praises and neither do I ever hold back my criticism when I find the same player underperforming, I have been a big critic of Theo in the past couple of months, always frustrated with his lack of confidence which has ended up making him as a player with “no-footballing brain” his runs have mostly been a “wild goose chase” with hardly any meaning to them, predictable had he become to almost every Full back, they could always close him out easily, but I would be such a hypocrite to not appreciate when I see him doing something I’ve daily prayed he could achieve! Theo added class to his finishing as we saw on Sunday, both his goals were something close to a marvel, especially to the many of us that have always seen him miss even sitters and 1v1s. Sunday showed him having gained composure in front of goal, never the rushed hoofer he had always been, we saw attributes of van Persie reflected in him, and I would like to credit him for having gained that, if he continues with that, promise you he will be one of the most reformed players in the EPL in the last part of the season, and even in the next seasons to come! And yes, then all of us will be confident when the club decide to offer him a new contract meeting his wage demands.

MORE of that Theo Walcott

Cheers.

Rodger