I'm not sure we can get through a preview of the game without talking about the threat of Dimitri Payet. He has been pretty damn fantastic since signing for West Ham. His free kick goal last weekend against Crystal Palace was pretty special wasn't it? I hope Arsène has been having plenty of words to Gabriel, Koscielny and Coquelin about being careful not to give away cheap free kicks in and around our penalty box. Especially in our penalty box, that wouldn't be good
Without the creative passing of Mesut Özil and the individuality of Alexis Sanchez we lacked that bit of quality in the final third when it really mattered. I thought we had enough about us to have beaten Stoke, we looked the stronger of the two sides but in games where the legs do not move as freely as you would wish, you sometimes need that additional bit of quality to unlock the door
So I expect Cazorla and Özil to remain as number 8 and 10 respectively. So I suspect that the only decision will be who plays on the opposite flank to Alexis Sanchez. Danny Welbeck was the preferred option last weekend and if Arsène wants a player who will work harder to put pressure on the ball when we haven't got it then he'll get the nod. But I'm going with the runs and finishing of Walcott today. Welbeck may be saved for Monaco at the Emirates.
Laurent Koscielny will return to the team which will thankfully push Alex Song further forward into the position he needs to be in. Koscielny will resume his partnership with Per Mertesacker and it will be down to Arsene to decide to start Andre Santos or Kieran Gibbs. Arsene would have been able to keep a close eye on their progress during the last week as both would have
When I say inflexible I don’t mean that we need Patrick Rice to sign him up for Spursday night Yoga sessions (Europa what?). No. What I mean is that he is inflexible tactically; seemingly reluctant to make significant changes when the system appears ineffective and openly adverse to adapting to suit varying
Arteta would be a perfect fit in a 4-3-3 provided Wenger can get the combination right. As it stands the best midfield 3 combo is Song, Arteta and Jack. The question here is if we look sound in the creativity department. Don't get me wrong Arteta and Jack can pull their weight creatively what I feel they lack is the ability to do it on a regular basis like Cesc did reason I said we need a super quality
It is clear that over the last year or so Wenger has been looking to add more fleet-footed players to the squad in the hope of producing a team more proficient at the counter-attack. This can be seen in the signings of Ryo Miyaichi, Wellington Silva, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Gervinho who are more suited to being played out wide on the flanks. It is commonly stated that there is no replacement for raw pace. Yes, defenders can compensate by anticipating play well or using expert positioning. Managers
Liverpool came and went, then the Udinese return. Yet still I was in the midst of this out-of-body experience. Even the Man Utd game, which should have left me feeling like I'd spent a night dressed as a sow in the woods of Deliverance, couldn't raise me. It was a waking slumber from which I could not awake, no matter how many street parties they had on the streets of Guildford
Mikel Arteta has had much more time as he was not called up for Spain and has trained on a few occasions since his £10m move on transfer deadline day. Arteta will be an almost guaranteed starter today but his role in the team is yet to be known to Gooners. I am interested to know if we will go
As usual Wenger has to take a slow walk down the halls of the treatment room corridor to check on the availability of players to choose from. The curtains of Alex Song's bed are drawn shut