In today's Arsenal Vision Post Match Podcast: James (@GoonerFanatic49) & Paul (@PoznanInMyPants) discuss our 3-0 away victory against the Swans on Saturday afternoon. Elliot manages to avoid the Campbell vs Alexis question and Bellerin is cast as the new Robin.
The team sheets are out for the Bayern Munich vs Arsenal match. We've been dealt another blow as Laurent Koscielny misses the game with a hip injury. The knock does not seen serious as he takes his place on the Arsenal bench. That means that Gabriel comes back into the side in his place. The rest of the team is unchanged from the side that won 3-0 at Swansea at the weekend, so the rumours of Kieran Gibbs starting on the flank was a load of rubbish.
If anything, if Gibbs is to come into the side then I would go for Giroud as the player to make way. He played 90 minutes against Everton, 90 again against Sheffield Wednesday and then a further 84 minutes at Swansea. Without Theo Walcott around, Arsène will want him ready for Tottenham on the weekend so can he afford to play him from the start tonight? It is far from ideal but either Alexis or Campbell could play in Giroud's place if need be and that will a) throw Bayern a little, especially after Pep's pre match comments on our game plan. I wouldn't be surprised if his centre backs would have been practicing getting a man in front and behind Giroud from our goal kicks during the last few days and b) would give us a fast
In today's Arsenal Vision Post Match Podcast: James (@GoonerFanatic49) & Paul (@PoznanInMyPants) discuss our 3-0 away victory against the Swans on Saturday afternoon. Elliot manages to avoid the Campbell vs Alexis question and Bellerin is cast as the new Robin.
Just after half time Giroud nodded us ahead after yet another Mesut Özil assist from the corner kick. Crazily enough it was Özil's first set piece assist of the season. This is because Santi Cazorla has been taking most of the dead balls. I remember when Cesc Fabregas was getting all kinds of praise for his assist numbers at this stage last season, most of those were from set pieces, you would imagine that Özil would have even more to his name if he was number one taker of set pieces
I’d have gone with Campbell, yes. A player who performed as well as he did at the World Cup doesn’t become useless overnight, despite not playing regularly. He’s a naturally front-footed player, pacey and willing. As with many of the more notable Central and South American players, he has an energy and hunger to his game that others often lack. Reshuffling the entire side, particularly that already thin midfield pack, would’ve unbalanced things horribly
Nine months later and my view of the player hasn't changed one bit. He looks to me like a typical Arsenal player in the way he always wants to come to the ball rather than run away from it, he likes to drift inside and he can spot a pass but whenever I have seen him play, he finds it difficult to knit everything together and makes the wrong decisions. Now a run of games has often been the cure for many but that doesn't mean it is a guarantee for Joel Campbell. As the manager said pre match, this is an opportunity that he will need to grab in the next three weeks. He needed a Coquelin situation to arise just like last season, all the players who are ahead of him in the pecking order are just not available to play
In today's Arsenal Vision Post Match Podcast: Arsenal return to Premier League action with another 3-0 victory, this time against a stubborn Watford team. Paul (@PoznanInMyPants) and James (@GoonerFanatic49) talk Coquelin, Ramsey, Monreal, Bellerin and more
As expected Arsene has made plenty of changes to tonights team while keeping an experienced spine in the team. Oxlade-Chamberlain, Petr Cech and Oliver Giroud are the only three to keep their places after the 2-1 victory against Everton on the weekend
The games have come thick and fast in recent weeks, not only that but we have also played against Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Everton. Three teams who are good at keeping the ball so we have had plenty of chasing around to do, so the Capital One Cup is a good chance to give those desperate for a game, a chance to gain some vital match sharpness but perhaps more importantly rest some weary limbs. And I imagine we have a few of those.