Arsene has gone for a midfield heavy looking side as Danny Welbeck takes his place on the bench while Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey look set to play ahead of Francis Coquelin with Mesut Özil likely to start from a wide position. Arsenal were well and truly dominated at Anfield earlier in the season so Arsene could well be trying to fight back for some of the ball.
We failed to deal with both Liverpool's intensity and also how they outnumbered us in the middle of the pitch with their 3-5-2 system. I wonder how Arsene will look to counteract that this lunch time. Perhaps Danny Welbeck will start on the bench so we can fit Ramsey, Cazorla, Coquelin and Özil into the same team. Or maybe we will just concede possession
The Manchester United defeat was tough to take, not just because their our arch rivals but because we had hyped the game up so much in terms of we all felt we would walk it at Anfield. I think that may have filtered through to the players as well as for the first 45 minutes we were dreadful. We allowed them too much space to play in and we didn't get anywhere near close to the levels of intensity we have shown in recent weeks. As well as this when we did have the ball we didn't use it well enough at all, and obviously the sending off at the start of the second half killed us a bit, as it was always going to be an uphill battle from there. United deserved the three points on the day. But we have had a long international break and
Sterling has been in the papers for the last few days having told Rodgers that anything short of £180k a week is a slap in the face; which has sparked a number of transfer rumours, with Arsenal apparently at the head of the queue. He is an interesting prospect but one that Arsenal need not pursue. There is little doubt that Sterling has the potential to be an exceptional player; his role in Liverpool’s title bid was significant and, from a neutral’s point of view, interesting to watch. He’s a valuable commodity, his talent and nationality confirm it. He is quick thinking, agile, possesses incredible close control and can change a game. He has proven himself in arguably the toughest league in the world and will continue to improve. Yet I somehow don’t feel as enthusiastic about a potential signing as I would have done in the past. It could be that I’m aware that his current stance could simply be a bargaining tool or it could be that I sympathise with Liverpool having gone through the same with
Mourinho is the master of ruthless efficiency, Alex Ferguson often cut marquee players loose long before seemingly merited. Both managers bonded by the grandest of successes on a consistent level. If there was ever a recipe for achievement in a sport notoriously fickle, the age old tagline of ‘what’s best of business’ should be the modus operandi. Jose famously disposed of two time player of the year, awards established amidst multi European trophy winning campaigns, Juan Mata and the greatest heist that Paris has laid witness to - £50 million in exchange for David Luiz, although in fairness the sideshow (bob) that follows him is surely tantamount to PR platinum. Alex Ferguson famously ejected star after star just when each approached, (note: approached) their waning. Jaap Stam, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Paul Ince, Mark Hughes and, of course, David Beckham
It’s hard not to like someone who knows their limits, or put another way, it’s difficult to like someone who is unaware of their limitations. That mate who has one too many and offends every person in the bar or that guy who tries to talk to every 8/10 that he sees. Alex Song springs to mind, a player who was tasked with patrolling the Arsenal midfield, protecting our often maligned back four and acting as our safety net when our attacks broke down. He did none of these things. In fact looking at his statistics this season, he wins a measly 0.8 aerial duels a game compared to Coquelin’s 3.1. In fact, despite his affection for joining in on the attack, his pass completion rate stands at a shocking 76% behind Coquelin’s 83%; whilst a fair amount of that is down to long ball tactics, it is also Song attempting through passes that not even Ozil would dare try. No, it is Coquelin’s limitations that make him so valuable to this Arsenal squad. He rarely joins the attacks, preferring to either sit back between
Aaron Ramsey has praised the defensive work of Francis Coquelin in the middle of midfield. The Frenchman who came back from Charlton on loan a different player has given Aaron Ramsey the keys to roam forward and bomb into the opposition box and Ramsey appreciates the cover his team mates
Whereas leadership is regularly bandied around as the core vacant ingredient, perhaps the generalisation of such a theory is unfair. A positional assessment, however, tells another story. At the back, Per and Laurent Le Rock continue to lead an increasingly miserly defence. Nacho has added to this stewardship and it’s fair to suggest, Debuchy shall do likewise. It’s between the sticks where questions bubble most. Whereas David Ospina is enjoying a current purple patch, there’s little concrete evidence to suggest this could elevate him to the pantheon currently housed with multiple Chelsea recruits, the red half of Manchester’s player of the season and the recently
We were quickly the better team and created chances, trouble was our final pass or finish did not always match up with our approach play. It was great to see Alexis Sanchez looking sharper than he had been in recent weeks. Sometimes he has reminded me of Arshavin, attempting difficult final passes almost every time that do not come off but at St James' Park he found his range. He created chances for Ramsey, Cazorla and two for Welbeck. His flick over the defenders head with not much room to maneuver was fantastic. Welbeck really should have done better with his finish and that remains an area where he needs work. Danny Welbeck is a player I like a lot and I'm always happy to see him in the starting 11 but bite is