Newcastle Preview: A Champions League Berth Beckons

Finally it all boils down to this…

Win this evening and Champions League football will come to North London for the umpteenth season in a row, anything else coupled with results elsewhere, then we will have ourselves to blame.

Forget about the rash performances in the past, Gervinho’s unfathomable miss against Bradford, Wojciech Szczesny’s poor Parry that led to Colin Kazim-Richards goal in the FA Cup, the shameful first leg outing against Bayern Munich coupled with the spirited performance against the Champions League finalists.

Since Arsenal’s woeful performance that culminated in defeat at White Hart Lane in March, the Gunners have been unbeaten in the Premier League. It started with a sturdy performance against Swansea before dispatching Reading with consummate ease.

The month of April saw the Gunners ease past West Brom before a late surge quelled the threat Norwich posed. A disappointing draw against Everton was followed by a nervy win over Fulham. The newly-crowned champions visited the Emirates in a feisty affair but both sides shared the spoils.

The month of May has seen the Gunners defeat QPR and Wigan with today’s match against Newcastle being the ultimate decider for the club’s aspirations for next season. Fourth place isn’t good enough for a team that has won 13 Premier League titles but it’s more than adequate at this point in time.

There has been talk of a potential playoff with Chelsea but we have to remember that both teams will end up playing Champions League football, irrespective of the result in Villa Park.

Paolo di Canio and his Sunderland hordes will go to the Lane without any pressure of any sort and I certainly do not expect any favors from them, even if Arsenal did them a huge favor by dooming Wigan to relegation. Tottenham will want to do their part in defeating the Black Cats while hoping for the worst for their illustrious North London neighbours.

Newcastle endured a very torrid campaign as they failed to build on their successes from last season. A fifth placed finish earned Alan Pardew the Manager of the Season award in the last campaign but injuries coupled with some atrocious results saw Newcastle flirt seriously with relegation. A French revolution in the winter saw an upturn of their fortunes and the win against QPR confirmed their top flight status for another season.

Arsenal arrive in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in a rich vein of form and would hope to seal a victory that would confirm a Champions League berth as well as celebrating St. Totteringham’s day once again.

To team news, I don’t expect much changes in the squad with the  exceptions being how Wenger would respond to Arteta’s injury, as well as the dilemmas of selections in the left back slot and the center forward position with Giroud’s touchline ban over.

Starting with Arteta’s injury, I’d expect Wenger to make a decision out of four possible outcomes…one would be to bring on Jack Wilshere (that’s nursing an injury) before sending him to the specialist hospital for his much talked-about surgery. There’s the option of trying an experiment with the Verm, as he certainly possesses a few qualities needed for a holding midfielder.

Wenger can also summon the services of a rusty and washed up Francis Coquelin or make some tactical changes by using only Aaron Ramsey as the holding midfielder while Tomas Rosicky and Santi Cazorla play in front of him.

With all this in place, bringing on Jack Wilshere will be the most plausible option with Ramsey providing adequate cover in the middle of the park.

On the left back dilemma, Nacho Monreal and Kieran Gibbs have contested admirably for the right to become Arsenal’s No. 1 left back and this competition has brought out the best in both players. For today, I believe that Monreal will get the nod because of his vast experience and the defensive stability he offers with no disrespect to Gibbs of course.

In attack, I’ll say that it’s good to have Giroud back. Despite his brace against Wigan, Podolski hasn’t convinced me that he can lead the line for the Gunners. His quality is undoubted but he hardly offers a focal point in attack.

With 17 goals to his name, Giroud has enjoyed a decent debut campaign with Arsenal and he was a goal shy of a hat trick in this corresponding fixture in December. With him leading the line with Theo Walcott and Santi Cazorla on his flanks, Newcastle should brace themselves up for a storm.

Enjoy the game wherever you are.

Sayonara.

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Wigan Preview: Facing a Date with Destiny

Wigan’s last visit doesn’t bring fond memories

12 months ago, Wigan visited the Emirates Stadium staring relegation in the face but they came out victorious after two early goals that were enough to hand them maximum points, despite Thomas Vermaelen’s glancing header that offered Arsenal a glimmer of hope that fateful night.

With 21 points from their last eight games, Wigan secured their top flight status in a mazy run that saw them defeat Arsenal as well as Liverpool, Manchester United and Newcastle. 12 months on, the Latics are in familiar territory but their situation became very precarious when they failed to get any points at home to a Swansea side already sure of their Premier League status next season.

The FA Cup final provided a welcome distraction and even if their victory was unexpected, it was thoroughly deserved from a side that gave those wealthy mercenaries a run for their money (wrong choice of words yah?). While AVB, Adebayor and everyone associated are hoping for the Gunners to slip up, Wigan’s manager, Roberto Martinez, has declared that he’s not taking anything for granted.

With just 35 points from 36 games, it wouldn’t hurt to say that Wigan deserves to be where they are at the moment, fighting for their Premier League lives and they will give the historians something new to record if they manage to plummet into the depths of npower Championship football after tonight’s game with either a loss or a draw. No team has ever won the FA Cup and suffered relegation in the same campaign – none I can think of though.

Unlike Arsenal that had the luxury of getting some well-deserved rest for 10 days, Wigan arrive in the Emirates on the back of an exhilarating and enthralling encounter against last season’s defending Premier League champions, leaving them in a heavily depleted state. They have their injury woes as well with their key wingbacks suffering injuries that will certainly be beneficial to Arsenal’s cause, as make-shift wingbacks took to the pitch against Manchester City in Wembley.

Yaaaay for winning. It’s time to be relegated -____-

Arsenal on the other hand has been in a rich vein of form since that disappointing defeat to Tottenham in White Hart Lane and they are currently the second best team in the League in terms of form, with four wins and two draws from their last six games. Arsene Wenger commended Wigan for their performance in the final but he knows that his team’s destiny is in their own hands and if they fail to secure a victory tonight, they only have themselves to blame.

Arsenal’s recent performances haven’t been too encouraging but they have been getting vital results that has kept them at arm’s length from their fierce North London rivals, Tottenham. The Gunners know that two victories on the bounce will all but secure their Champions League berth, irrespective of the outcome of Tottenham’s final encounter with Sunderland.

If Chelsea get a favorable result against Everton, they will be assured of their third place finish, condemning either Arsenal or Tottenham to fourth place. Funnily enough, that has been the trend for Arsenal since 2007 – the Gunners have been alternating between third and fourth annually and after ending the last campaign in third, it’s probably going to be a fourth place finish this time, provided we celebrate St. Totteringham’s Day.

The same manager that regarded a fourth placed finish as a trophy a few seasons ago has come to say that fourth place isn’t good enough for this team anymore,

“Last year we made 70 points and finished third. “This year, we can make 73 points and finish fourth so what you want to do is have a consistency and fight for the Premier League.

“What I said is [finishing fourth is] the minimum required. You could see that when Chelsea’s Champions League position was under threat, they came out quickly and said ‘no, what is most important for us is to be in the Champions League next year.’

“It is difficult to achieve but we have done it over the years. Is it enough? No. We want more. But this year, Manchester United was above everybody else.”

It’s really surprising to see how things have panned out for Arsenal in recent times. There was a time when an unknown French manager arrived in the shores of England and took the league by storm, winning the Premier League title in his first full season. After his arch-rival won it for three years in a row, this manager tweaked and optimized his squad to reclaim the crown from the Scot along with a FA Cup as well. The Scot got his revenge the next campaign but the Class of 04′ were in a world of their own.

Since then, it has been a couple of near misses (like the 2007/08 campaign) and crashing out in grand style (2010/11 campaign) despite being in a good position to fully concentrate on the league with Man Utd having commitments elsewhere. At this point in time, a fourth place finish will be good enough but serious work has to be done in the summer. One step at a time.

To team news, Lukasz Fabianski has finally returned from his rib injury and he’s available for contention. This could potentially be his last home game at the Emirates, if he manages to displace Wojciech Szczesny, which I doubt judging from his lack of match fitness and Szczesny’s improved form since his return to first team action.

Kieran Gibbs is also available for selection but in a such a game where Arsenal has to equally balance its attacking and defending effectively, I’ll give Nacho Monreal the nod. I don’t see Thomas Vermaelen breaking into the team so the Mertesielny combo will be in action. Bacary Sagna will complete the rearguard.

In midfield, I expect Aaron Ramsey and Mikel Arteta to playing in the holding roles, but I believe that Jack Wilshere would be called in Tomas Rosicky’s stead. With Giroud still out suspended, Lukas Podolski would get another run-out and Arsene Wenger has finally revealed why he always substitutes the German. Theo Walcott and Santi Cazorla will provide width down the flanks.

Wigan are to relegation what Arsenal are to Champions League qualification. Written off at the start of the season, they always find a way to achieve their goal. These two sides meeting each other means that something is likely to finally give. Expect a tight first half with both side attacking with care given the high stakes and for the game to burst to life in the second period with both stepping it up in search of a winner. Arsenal’s superior quality, combined with Wigan’s depleted defence, may therefore be the decisive factor.

Arsenal 2-1 Wigan. - David Gold of Inside Futbol

I’m with Mr. Gold on this one, an Arsenal win all the way.

It’s time to face a date with destiny.

Sayonara.

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Everton Preview and Post-Norwich Ramblings

When it seemed as if it was going to be one of those days when Arsenal had the lion’s share of possession without any real cutting edge, a late rally in the dying minutes of the game saw the home side turn on the style with three quick-fire goals from a Mikel Arteta penalty, an Olivier Giroud goal / Sebastien Bassong own goal and a neat Lukas Podolski finish.

Norwich’s manager, Chris Hughton, has blasted the officials for their role in Arsenal’s victory over his side but there was no part in the interview when the boss spoke about scoring a goal from a set piece that was never meant to be given in the first place. When Kei Kamara tripped over his own heels with Kieran Gibbs in close proximity, the man with the whistle inexplicably chose to award Norwich the softest of free kicks.

A lot has been said about Arsenal’s zonal marking but for a team fighting hard to get maximum points in each game till the end of the season, watching Michael Turner get that much space in the box was an aberration. As expected, the defense was punished for their lapse in concentration but the response in the dying moments was what dreams are made of.

Despite winning what Chris Hughton and other football pundits may regard as a fictitious penalty, it was a very nervy moment and converting such a spot kick required composure from an old head. Mikel Arteta was faced with such a scenario late on against Fulham but Mark Schwarzer guessed the right way and three points were converted to a single point in the blink of an eye.

On Saturday, Norwich’s goalie, Mark Bunn, guessed the right way like Schwarzer and even managed to get a hand to it, but conceding a goal was no less than the keeper deserved, especially after his time-wasting antics. Arteta has stated that the pulsating win over Norwich will have a galvanizing effect in the run-in for the club’s bid to play Champions League football next season.

With three points gotten from the game against Norwich now in the bag, Arsenal will host an Everton side in good form at the moment, having won four and drawn one from their last five Premier League games, which includes a win over Manchester City. Since that shocking FA Cup quarterfinal home defeat to Wigan, Everton has been on a high, and a victory over Arsenal will put them level on points with Chelsea and Tottenham with 58 points.

However, Everton has a very appalling record away to Arsenal -  in 20 Premier League visits to North London, Everton have won just once – in January 1996. Of the other 19 games, they have lost 16 and drawn three.

As expected, Arsenal will have to find a solution to Everton’s powerhouse, Marouane Fellaini, as the Belgian was on the score-sheet when both teams met in Goodison Park this season. David Moyes’ side is very effective on the break with Kevin Mirallas and Steven Pienaar providing wit on the flanks and as we all know, Darron Gibson is a threat from distance.

The Toffees will be reliant on some inspired crosses as well as dead balls from a resurgent Leighton Baines and Nikica Jelavic is a striker the Gunners would ignore at their own peril. With the Toffees aiming high for a potential European berth next season, I won’t expect them to come to the Emirates to roll over and play dead.

When they visited the Emirates last season, the game was settled an unbelievable strike from Robin van Persie, that’s currently plies his trade with You-Know-Who.

To team news, Wojciech Szczesny may be in line to make a return to first team action as stand-in goalie, Lukasz Fabianski is a major doubt, after receiving a kick to his ribs in the game against Norwich. The Polish goalkeeper will be out of contract this summer but he has done very well since replacing Szczesny last month.

He was quite blameless for Norwich’s goal as he was rooted to the spot when Turner headed home but Fabianski made a very superb save from Howson’s shot late on. On another day, that could have been Norwich’s equalizer.

Arsene Wenger will have a conundrum in selecting his central defensive pairing with Per Mertesacker serving his one-match ban after he received his marching orders against West Brom. In the days of old, Thomas Vermaelen was an automatic starter from his stellar performances and when he became the captain after RVP’s departure, his assurances of a first team berth was as likely as Lionel Messi scoring a goal.

In the wake of some atrocious performances from the skipper, he was axed from the team, allowing Laurent Koscielny to stake his claim for a place in the squad. Unlike Koscielny that can calm things down like Mertesacker when the need arises, Vermaelen tends to adopt a gung-ho approach and he has been made to pay for his defensive gaffes times without number.

Against Norwich, he put up a more disciplined performance as you would expect from a player trying to win his place back in the team but the ball remains in Wenger’s court and Arsenal fans will be anxious to see what the manager would have in store for us. As the saying goes, Wenger knows best.

In midfield, Tomas Rosicky will make his awaited return and this will make things very interesting for Arsene Wenger, the team and most importantly, the fans.

With Mikel Arteta’s unrivaled importance to the team and Aaron Ramsey hitting top gear, I can’t see Wenger replacing them from the double pivote positions they currently occupy. Both players have found an amazing balance between their defensive and offensively play and it would be extremely foolish of the manager to disrupt that.

If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.

This leaves me and probably Arsene Wenger with the following puzzling questions;

• Will Rosicky replace a Jack Wilshere that had a stinker against Norwich?
• Will Jack Wilshere be given another chance to prove his worth to the team, as it was glaring that he was quite rusty as you would expect from a player returning from injury?
• Will Santi Cazorla be redeployed to the attacking midfield position to accommodate a fit-again Lukas Podolski?

In my honest opinion, Arsenal could do with Wilshere’s drive, grit and determination in the middle of the park so handing Wilshere another chance in the heart of Arsenal’s midfield will be welcome.

In attack, many Arsenal fans won’t shed a tear if Gervinho is axed from the starting lineup for Theo Walcott, judging from his erratic performance last weekend. Just when we thought that the Ivorian winger had found some form, he gave us reasons to believe that he’s not ready to command a first team place in a club like Arsenal.

With the wing positions to be occupied by Santi Cazorla and probably Theo Walcott, the attack will be spearheaded by Giroud, which ultimately means that there won’t be any place for Podolski yet again. Arseblog published an interesting read on Podolski and Giroud, and I must say that I’ve been impressed by the German’s professionalism since losing his place in the team.

His last start for Arsenal in the league was as far back as late January, but his niggling injuries as well as better performances from others in his place has seen him struggle to get back to the team. Arsene Wenger still harbors hopes that he can spearhead Arsenal’s attack.

Irrespective of who Wenger selects tonight, the Gunners on the pitch will have to give their all to grab maximum points against this resurgent Everton side. A win could douse the flames of their Champions League aspirations and it will also give the Gunners some breathing space over their London rivals.

Here’s to a great game of football tonight.

Sayonara.

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Mission Impossible 5: Send Bayern Munich to Bedlam

Wilshere out of crucial Champions League tie

*Mission Impossible soundtrack in the background*

Agent Arsenal,

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to infiltrate behind enemy lines into the hostile Allianz Arena in Bavaria. Your sole aim would be to bang a boatload of goals past them because they stand in your way in your bid to reach the Promised Land not too far from your backyard – a place called Wembley. 

A fortnight ago, ze Germans invaded you in your turf and you were on the wrong end of some bashing so we had to extract you quickly from enemy territory.

Even the best agents have a bad day at the office, but you were surprisingly shocking in checking your rearguard as well as being toothless in attack.

Secret Nazi Agent Kroos, Toni Kroos, lighted you up with one hell of a finish. Shortly afterwards, it was Young Mueller Baby that scored the all-important second goal. Even if you managed to fictitiously get one back from Prinz Poldi, Luigi’s long lost brother, Super Mario Mandzukic killed off the contest. 

This time in Bavaria, you’ll be aided by a list of the finest 11 secret agents available redeployed from our world-class agencies.

Szszsz the big Pole will guard your sticks while ze Big Friendly Giant and Bosscielny will be at the heart of your defense. Don’t be bothered about the enemy striking from your flanks; we have stationed the Belgian Verminator and Lil’ Jenko’ there.

Your rearguard will be protected with holding midfielders like the Lego-haired Spaniard and Wales’ own version of Rambo, without the big guns and excess bullets though. With our combative general, Jackie Boy, out of the equation, we have decided to opt for some music in midfield, orchestrated by Little Mozart.

Your attack will be very potent with the raw pace of Usain Theo Bolt and the trickery of Saint Santi. The attack will be spearheaded by our purple-patch goalscoring Weapon of Mass Destruction from Francais, Legionnaire Giroud.

****

Agent Arsenal, the CIA record books tell us that no one, I repeat, no one has ever turned around a two-goal deficit at home but I’m pretty sure their historians were K.I.A when you were hammered with three unreplied goals at home to Inter. We deployed you for one hell of a mission impossible in San Siro, tagged the Italian Job, but you came back victorious courtesy of an inspired performance from Mr. Va Va Voom himself, King Thierry Henry.

Oh wait, they are right…you decimated Inter in the 2003/04 Group Stages. -____-

Should you fail to get past Bayern, it will be the third time in a row you’ll be ousted from the first knockout round. For a team that reached the final in 2006 and a semifinal berth in 2009, this is unacceptable.

I know that you’re not up to the Madrids, Barcas and Juventus’ of football, but on your day, you’re a force to be reckoned with. Need I remind you that you beat Madrid in the Bernabeu, Barca at the Emirates and you made a star-studded Juventus side look so mediocre in 2006.

I hate to say this but Bayern has conceded only three goals in the Champions League this season and that’s what you need to score to qualify. Anything less and you will be swimming with the fishes.

If this would give you any solace, they would be without Ribery the Elf, Nazi Colonel Schweiny and that Ghanaian bloke that preferred to serve the Fuhrer instead of staying with the Gold Coast.

Agent Arsenal, bring Bavaria to Bedlam.

This message will self-destruct in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…

Sayonara

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Sunderland Preview: A Chance to Show Arsenal’s Depth

Arsenal’s last win in the Stadium of Light

I like many other Arsenal fans out there, was skeptical about the international break that was sandwiched in between club fixtures and my misery has been compounded with the fact that Arsenal had its fair share of casualties in the interlull.

Arsenal’s defense had been badly hit with injuries and Laurent Koscielny is set to join Kieran Gibbs in the sidelines following a calf injury he picked up playing for his nation against Germany. According to the official website, Koscielny will face a late fitness test for today’s game and the chances of him featuring are slim to none.

Arsenal’s captain, Thomas Vermaelen has added to his team’s ever-increasing injury list as he has had a recurrence of that ankle injury he suffered against West Ham. This now leaves Arsenal deceptively short at the back and one can wonder who will partner Per Mertesacker in the heart of the defense, with Johan Djourou yoddling in Germany at the moment.

In addition to Vermaelen’s injury troubles, he has been on the news lately, talking about how he never doubted his team’s potential and how the Sunderland fixture is going to be tough.

This brings Arsenal to the curious cases of Ignasi Miquel and Sebastien Squillaci. Miquel has featured sparingly as you would expect, in early Capital One fixtures while the Squid has been in his lair all season long, waiting for June to come before he packs his bags to play in his native France, that’s if a team is brave enough to acquire his calamitous services.

While we ponder on Mertesacker’s potential partner today, the Gunners are blessed with full backs that are ready to strut their stuffs once again.

New boy, Nacho Monreal received a rousing reception in his debut for his team and got some minutes under his belt in mid-week when Spain played Uruguay. Today’s match would be another test for the Spaniard as he continues to acclimatize into Premier League football. Sunderland has a very woeful pitch (gave Mertesacker a season-ending injury last campaign) but their wingers have become used to it, so Monreal will have to be on his toes.

On the other flank, Bacary Sagna’s form has plummeted downhill recently but the full back wants to get back to his best (via Arsenal.com),

“I’m going to be honest with myself – I’ve not been at my best.

“I’m not very happy with myself, but it’s football. It’s a part where I need to get better. I’ve been working since last summer but I need to work more because I’ve been out a long time.

“I didn’t really have a pre-season but at a high level you don’t have time to breathe. You have a game every three days and have to keep coming. I’m looking forward to coming back to my best.

I remember when I used to label Sagna as the football S.I. unit for consistency but since his return from his long-term injury, he hasn’t been the same person and there has been the issue of his contract dispute as well.

Sagna has to be mindful that he has an eager Carl Jenkinson waiting on the ranks so Arsenal can ill-afford any more lapses from the big Frenchman. He had a good game by his standards against Germany and he fought hard to well the threat Lukas Podolski posed in the game. Germany still ended up victorious in the contest though.

In midfield, Francis Coquelin has hamstring problems but the boss has confirmed that Ramsey is alright despite claims that he pulled out from the Welsh squad with a calf injury (via Sky Sports). In attack, Gervinho has returned to North London after his nation was ousted by yours truly, Nigeria, and he has been rested.

Many Gooners were happy to see the Ivorian leave for the AFCON especially after his legendary miss against Bradford City in the Capital One cup quarterfinal. To his encouragement, Gervinho had a good tournament, played really well and scored some well-taken goals as well.

Even if he has been rested today, I’d expect Gervinho to get cameo roles from the bench as the season progresses. Like Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, it will be very hard to displace Arsenal’s incumbent wingers, Lukas Podolski and Theo Walcott, judging from the output on the final third in recent times.

Podolski has scored a dozen goals for Arsenal and he currently leads the Premier League assists chart as well. Walcott on the other hand, has been a phenom this season and has banged in a personal best of 18 goals and counting. He has also supplied his lion’s share of assists as well.

The Gunners have conceded a boatload of goals in the first half of most Premier League games and we can only hope that the trend will stop as soon as possible. The last time out, the Gunners came up against a Stoke Rugby side that had no plans of attacking so a clean sheet was more than welcome.

Despite Sunderland’s aberration of a pitch, Arsenal has been fruitful in the club’s visits to the North East in the league with three wins and five draws in their last nine outings. Arsenal’s last visit to the Stadium of Light was a good one with King Thierry Henry scoring the winner right at the death.

Even though Arsenal has won 10 of their last 18 games against Sunderland, the Stadium of Light currently boasts of the lowest amount of goals conceded on a Premier League ground with 26 unlike the Emirates that has seen 51 goals go in from Arsenal and its opposition.

With half an eye on Arsenal’s long-awaited clash with Bayern Munich, Arsene Wenger will be hoping for his side to go into that game brimming with confidence, and a win against Sunderland would go a long way in building that confidence.

Here’s to a great game of football.

Sayonara.

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