I want Bacary Sagna back in the team by Bolton at the very latest but I really would like the youngster Nico Yennaris to be given a chance, especially after his very good 45 minutes in the second half against Manchester United. The former striker has yet to put a foot wrong since making the step up to the first team. I would love to see the youngster start today, his pace could be vital
Whispers have been circling around Twitter that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will start today, It had flashed in my head this morning that it would be typical of Arsene to give a young talent his first start in the Premier League against Manchester United. Either Chamberlain has been turning our defenders in knots in training or Arsene wasn't too impressed with Arshavi
There were rumours of Mikel Arteta being ruled out due to injury or illness but those rumours have come from the world of Twitter so I will cast those aside until I hear anything official. With Francis Coquelin the latest Arsenal player to be struck down with injury, we have to hope that we do not pick up anymore midfield injuries as we are very short
Arsene has already confirmed that Henry will have some part to play in the game and for those who know Arsene's substitutions well over the years, I would guess that a 10-15 minute cameo at the end of the game would be a good bet. Those who are being handsomely paid for writing about the match
Marouane Chamakh could start the game and if he has Gervinho and Walcott either side of him then I have a hunch that he will score at least once and play well. I was rather bullish about this on twitter and I am sure that I will get laughed at if proven otherwise but Chamakh has yet to have his chance alongside our two wide forwards who have contributed so much
Surprisingly Arsene said that van Persie would start the game. That is surprising for a couple of reasons. Firstly because van Persie has not been at his sharpest for five games. I would say Wigan away on the 3rd December was his last top display since then his touch has deserted him and his influence has diminished. He has probably never played this frequently since his professional career started and it looks like he needs a rest but is he not resting because of Alan Shearer's record? That would seem highly unlikely but surely QPR at
As I was saying in a recent blog I would love to see Rosicky and Benayoun linking up together with Robin van Persie, three players who could potentially be on the same wavelength and could play some nice football together. Whichever team take the field this afternoon only a victory will be satisfactory, anything less will be a big disappointment and waste of a very good situation.
The home team have the pacy Gabriel Agbonlahor returning from suspension so we have to make sure we do not leave too much grass for him to run into when Villa win the ball back. I also expect Agbonlahor to pull to the right and attempt to isolate Miquel. It is a big night for the youngster but he
I would be very surprised if Arsene Wenger and the players did not think along those lines, playing for the draw will not be on the agenda come kick off. I will be very interested to see how Mancini approaches the game given the recent defeat at Chelsea, he will be more than aware of the threat posed by Theo Walcott and Gervinho on either flank. I suspect that Vincent Kompany will be responsible for looking after Robin van Persie
For the last few seasons, Everton have pressed us hard from the front and have not allowed our defenders and deeper midfielders time and space on the ball, the back up players have just had a tough time playing against that tactic, so it will be interesting to see how Arsene counteracts that if