I still look back to our last clash with much fondness. Arsenal made me so proud in the San Siro back in 2008. We were exceptional that night, a total level above Milan. Hleb, Fabregas and Adebayor were all superb but for me Mathieu Flamini was the best player on the pitch and if it wasn't
When Thierry Henry came back to the Emirates with the New York Red Bulls, it was amazing to see how the whole team looked for Henry first no matter where they were on the pitch, to the point of looking a little silly. In Henry's last season at Arsenal, where he could hardly run, it was the same
Let me paint this picture for you, if Chelsea beat the Mancs at Stamford Bridge and then we go to Oil City and win then the gap between them and us gets reduced to six points. We all know that six points in a title race is diddly squat. I want to know how the blue Mancs would deal with Champions League exit and subsequent defeats to Chelsea and Arsenal. I would love to see a dressing room of
For example, in a game like West Brom at home why not replace Alex Song for Francis Coquelin and keep the rest of the first team together and then for the next game bring back Song and replace Ramsey for Rosicky etc. When it comes to the big games like Chelsea away then select the best players you have in every position. This would keep the team very strong whilst giving players the required rest over the course of the season so when it comes to the home straight, players are not burnt out and we can power our way past Manchester City. Yes you read that correctly. I always expect
The reaction to our defeat in Greece went a little too far in some quarters I feel. It wasn't a good performance and we deserved just what we got but lets not forget that we fielded a mix and match team of players who obviously haven't had the required game time together to work as a cohesive unit. Look at the first team against Swansea at home to the team we saw at Wigan. It takes time
Francis Coquelin is another player who is surely likely to start tomorrow. He came on at Wigan with about 12 minutes to play and some of his give and go's at the end made me wonder about how he would blend in with the rest of the first team given a run of games. He and Emmanuel Frimpong won
Andre Santos was fantastic from start to finish, he is looking stronger and sharper. I suspect that will continue as the games keep coming. He is a joy to watch, a player who could probably play in most midfield positions. His little jinks inside his man from a standing start are becoming his trade mark
Gervinho may had a few fingers pointed at him for some bad finishing or final balls but the amount of times I saw him sprinting back into the left back position to cover or to close down was quite amazing. Something has changed from last season and a few prior to be honest. I don't know if this is purely down to personnel or the fact that we have been in such an awful position at the start of the
Aaron Ramsey was not at his creative best but his defensive work was exceptional. He covered so much ground from start to finish. Ramsey found himself in great positions in the box and could have had a couple of tap in's if the likes of van Persie or Gervinho looked for the pass instead of going for goal. It was interesting to see Ramsey have a go at van Persie at one point for not passing to him
Theo Walcott has been talking up the impact of Gervinho and I would have to concur. He really gives us something different and as I have said a few times in the past. Even when he is off his game he still gives us that threat. He may have misplaced his last three passes but you want the ball back at his feet because he can burst past two defenders and completely open up the opposition. 5 assists in 8 Premier league games is very impressive for a player still adapting.