2-0 up and strolling, the game got turned on it’s head by some lovely Fulham attacking and some forgettable Arsenal defending. Being Arsenal, the twists and turns did not end there. We scored the equaliser and had a chance to win the game from the spot in stoppage time but Arteta had his spot kick saved. After his pressure kick against Norwich I have forgiven him and promised not to harp on

Craven Cottage hasn’t been a happy hunting ground in recent years, in fact Fulham in general have been somewhat of a pain when it comes to getting a result. That 3-3 draw at the Emirates earlier in the season must have been exciting for the neutral but what on earth would the neutral know eh?

2-0 up and strolling, the game got turned on it’s head by some lovely Fulham attacking and some forgettable Arsenal defending. Being Arsenal, the twists and turns did not end there. We scored the equaliser and had a chance to win the game from the spot in stoppage time but Arteta had his spot kick saved. After his pressure kick against Norwich I have forgiven him and promised not to harp on about the importance of that kick, I have promised Mikel that I won’t speak about the extra two points that kick would have given us. In my best Arsene voice, at the top top level, the margins are very small indeed.

Even though Chelsea ended up smacking Fulham into next week, it could have been different and it comes back to those small margins once more. Fulham started the game stronger and created chances before the bouncy afro one lashed in a super strike into the top corner. Had Fulham scored first then the game could have been completely different.

It is likely to be a case of small margins again today, margins that could see us win 3-0 or lose 3-0 as well as anything else in between. Top class analysis ey? Well you know me.

A way that you can help those margins go for you is not only in the quality of your game but the fight you give off the ball and for each other. Ramsey has been showing that in recent weeks, Arteta also to be fair most of the players have but it needs to be 100% if we can do that then our football usually follows. Let us do that.

As for the predicted team? Well I imagine it will be much of the same given that Fulham also played a game in midweek. The players have had to push themselves in the last two games for differing reasons so we might see one or two like for likes. Unfortunately I do not see Rosicky starting the game, I get the feeling that Tomas is never really first choice, he only gets the gig if circumstances force that decision.

If you believe the .Com bib theory from the training pictures then Walcott, Wilshere, Koscielny, Ramsey and Sagna will start as all are wearing green bibs but Arshavin and Rosicky are wearing white bibs. This method has actually worked wonders in the past but equally has been utter tosh. I wonder if the club are aware of the this and throw out some curve balls to the fans or indeed the opposition.

Those who semi frequent this blog will know about my obsession with all things Koscielny and Rosicky. It seems as if half of that is in place but I am not sure if Arsene will select the other half. I hope so.

Mean Lean’s Predicted Line Up

Having read the excellent Arsenal Letters over on 7am Kick off, I agree that playing Gervinho over Walcott to run at large center backs who are not the most mobile would make a great deal of sense. That said, they are not the quickest center back partnership so Theo wouldn’t be a bad option in that respect but maybe Arsene wants his strongest team available ASAP so playing them into sharpness may well be his plan as the season comes to it’s conclusion. The only way to shake off rust is to play games.

I am a little concerned about this fixture, knowing us we are probably more likely to drop points today and then beat Manchester United when the come round. If given a choice I think I’d rather that but obviously I would rather win every game. That is my defensive mechanism going up before the game me thinks.

I think my worry is that we have had two tough fixtures that has expended plenty of energy so while Fulham have also played, I think we play differently when we are trying to manage of efforts in games. A slow start wouldn’t be much fun with the likes of Berbatov and Ruiz in their side but a high tempo from the whistle, Rosicky pressing all over the front, Ramsey shutting people down and us playing quick passes slicing the Fulham defence apart is what will see us pick up the much needed points.

I remember the days when finishing was never an issue because we used to pass through sides, play a cut back and tap into an empty net. Can we do a bit of that today please Gooners.

Three points would shove a huge weight of pressure on top of a balancing chicken on a ball. You know how that is likely to end up but we must do our bit first. We are not the team that played Fulham at the Emirates, we have found ourselves now, so let us go and show that.

Oh and Arsene, please play Rosicky. Thanks in advance.