admin

Aaron Ramsey made yet another considerable contribution to a wonderful first half performance. As did Alexis Sanchez who has found a second wind of form after a mid-season dip. It was the Chilean's freekick which deflected in for our opener before Santi Cazorla spotted a Ramsey dart into a centre forward position and pinged a magnificent long pass with his 'weak' foot into Ramsey's body. Ramsey acting like an experienced centre forward turned his man and got his shot off and his effort flew in via yet another deflection. But I bet the third goal was the one that pleased Arsene the most

Yes I do believe we have under performed somewhat, the fact that we are still fighting for safety to stay in the premier league tells the story. That said, injuries have been a big factor and really have not helped our cause at all.

Needless to say though, if we find our best form then we will have too much for Hull. The slight concern is that in our last two games we've dropped off a little. In our last three games we've only scored 3 goals and two of those were against a Championship side. That being said, I thought we looked pretty sharp against Chelsea in the first half even if we were not able to find a way through. At this stage it doesn't seem as if we will see a great deal of changes, the run in is all about momentum and stability but I wonder if Arsène will continue to use Aaron Ramsey wide on the right. I thought he performed pretty well against Chelsea, he just did not provide us with the outlet that a more natural wide player would. But once more you'd have to drop a player who is in good form and important to the team. I just don't see that happening right about now.

It was certainly not just down to Giroud and I'm sure Welbeck would have had an improved second half of the season as centre forward with the return of Özil, Koscielny and the reintroduction of Francis Coquelin. That said having Giroud 2.0 back in the team gave us all a reminder of what Welbeck has missing from his game at present. The ball does not stick with Welbeck quite the same way it does with Giroud and while Welbeck does not misplace many passes he doesn't link the players around him quite as well. But perhaps the biggest area for improvement is his finishing when chances arrive. He tends to snatch at opportunities when a calmer head may pick a spot and ease the ball into the net.

I would like to state categorically that Alexis Sanchez along with Mesut Özil and Santi Cazorla is one of our stars. His contribution on and off the ball has been a joy to behold and we will need him if we are to take the next step in the league BUT and you know the but was coming, at times he feels like a Gervinho upgrade in almost every way. He has the ability to make something happen from nothing yet also has a terrible habit of poor execution with his final pass. I've noticed Özil fling his arms up several times with frustration when a move has broken down at the feet of our electric Chilean. The hope is that he improves that side of his game but given his age, I think it's a case of taking the rough with the smooth and there is a bucketful of smooth to immerse ourselves in. I also wish he wouldn't attempt the impossible pass through a crowded box every time he gets the ball outside of the area because we end up giving the opposition a goal kick when others

Elliot (@YankeeGunner), Paul (@PoznanInMyPants) and James (@GoonerFanatic49) give their views on the 0-0 draw against Chelsea at the Emirates. Mourinho's tactics, Giroud's ability to be a league winning centre forward and plenty more discussed.

Per Mertesacker has overcome his ankle injury to keep his place in the starting 11. The German was hurt in last weekend's clash against Reading but has won his fitness battle. Gabriel is not in the squad so perhaps it is the Brazilian who is nursing an injury. Hector Bellerin has been given a huge vote of confidence as the young Spaniard has been brought back into the team ahead of the experienced Mathieu Debuchy. The Frenchman takes a seat on the bench and will be both right back and centre back cover. Aaron Ramsey keeps his place on the right of attack while Oliver Giroud replaces Danny Welbeck in attack.

And of course there is Jose Mourinho, the most arrogant; self important; crass and hypocritical man in the game today. All the talk is of Wenger's record against Mourinho and yes I would say that Arsene will need to look inwards to a point. We have more often than not fallen straight into his trap of being sucked in and then counter attacked after leaving ourselves exposed. A more pragmatic approach may have been more desirable on many occasions but let's not pretend that his team were playing against the invincibles twice a season. Mourinho came to Chelsea in 2005, a year that coincided with Arsenal chopping off our aging high earners and replacing them with cheap young players as the Emirates era began. Meanwhile Mourinho was regularly breaking transfer records, often overpaying to get the exact players he wanted. Even buying players just to prevent them from joining a rival

Paul (@PoznanInMyPants) and James (@GoonerFanatic49) talk about our stressful but ultimately successful semi final victory against Championship reading. Arsene's line up, Özil's passing, Szczesny's keeping and plenty more.

Nathaniel Chalobah has been at the heart of everything good for us since joining from Chelsea on loan. He'll be the heartbeat, looking to break up play and pick a pass when necessary. Jamie Mackie is our in form striker, although I think we'll see him out on the wing in favour of the five in midfield. Mackie will run all day, and should hopefully cause problems for your full backs. As for defensively, Adam Federici has been our player of the season thus far, and if we're to get anything from the game, Federici has to be at the top of his game.