In today's Arsenal Vision Post Match Podcast: Paul (@PoznanInMyPants), Tim (@Stillberto) & James (@GoonerFanatic49) discuss the entertaining 3-1 cup victory against gum chewing Sam Allardyce's Sunderland. The pod talk Iwobi, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Campbell, sideways passing and much more in this weeks Arsenal Vision Podcast
Arsene Wenger has fielded a much stronger team than I expected him to do today. For a start I certainly did not expect Petr Cech to start the game but it is interesting to see that Ospina does not make the bench, perhaps there is more going on there than meets the eye. Mathieu Debuchy however is on the bench and I was hoping he would have given Bellerin a rest. Iwobi has been preferred to the Jeff and it will be interesting to see who out of the Ox or Iwobi starts centrally.
I was expecting massive amounts of rotation for this game given just how difficult a run of games we have coming up. Not only that but much of the same 14 or so players have been heavily relied upon to get us through the traditional busy festive period. But Arsène Wenger in the pre match conference was not speaking like a man ready to make 11 changes to the first team.
In today's Arsenal Vision Post Match Podcast: Elliot (@YankeeGunner), Paul (@PoznanInMyPants) & Tim (@Stillberto) discuss the hard fought victory over Newcastle United at the Emirates. Giroud, Elneny, all that and much more in this weeks Arsenal Vision Podcast
How we could do with a winter break at this stage. While it would benefit all the teams in the league, I think it would be massively beneficial for us right about now. I get the feeling that we are not physically ready for some of the games coming up while City with this win under their belts have winnable games. So if I was a betting man, I would predict Arsenal to drop a place or two for now but with players coming back or coming in from the transfer market I suspect we will find another late run of form as we have done so often so we will come back again for the home straight
A few interesting changes made today from the boss, or should I say non changes in some positions. Gabriel might be feeling the pinch a little today after a top class performance against AFC Bournemouth. Mathieu Flamini comes back into the team in place of Calum Chambers but that is more understandable.
You have to imagine that Mesut will have to deal with more and more attention both on and off the pitch given his stupendous form. The good news however is that Mesut Özil is no ordinary footballer, is he? He is the master of finding space where there seems to be very little. Imagine how tough it would be to mark a player like that. You can be next to him one moment, watching the ball then you turn around and Özil is on the opposite side of the pitch in a neat little pocket of space that didn't even exist only a moment or two before
In today's Arsenal Vision Post Match Podcast: Elliot (@YankeeGunner), Paul (@PoznanInMyPants) & Tim (@Stillberto) discuss the contrasting performances over the festive period. Özil's magic, transfer window, missed chances, all that and much more in this weeks Arsenal Vision Podcast
Not that they were particularly bad, but Theo and Per didn't have the best of games. Slapstick miss of an open goal from Per, plus a few misplaced passes especially early in the first half, when we looked a bit shaken and lacking of confidence. Theo was offside for his entertaining moment, but still he should've done better on that and another couple of chances he had. With just 40 touches of the ball and 18 attempted passes, he was under-involved today, especially when you compare him to Mesut or even Oxlade-Chamberlain
Arsène said post match that the team started with the trauma of the Southampton game in their system as the visitors started brighter but we wrestled control of the game and that is when Mesut Özil stole the show once more with a ridiculous array of passes that sliced open Bournemouth. The German was once again on another level to those around him on both teams