
The only players to play in both games for the full 90 minutes were Per Mertesacker and Aaron Ramsey but Arsène has somewhat of a problem. Both Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini will miss tonight's game with injury and I think in an ideal world, Arsène would want to give Francis Coquelin a few extra days off and not risk his knee so even though Ramsey played in both games, I wouldn't be surprised if we continued with Ramsey in the middle alongside Santi. That would open a door for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to start down our right against the same opposition in which he scored his first Champions League goal.

Arsenal, Arsene will go for his strongest possible line up and if rotation is needed then you'd imagine that at home against Stoke City would be a better time to do it. Per Mertesacker will return to the heart of the defence, shoving Bacary stumbling over to right back. That aside I don't think there are anymore returning players even if Mikel Arteta and hopefully Santi Cazorla

Not allowing Newcastle United time to settle on the ball and pick passes will be key to our defensive and indeed attacking performance. It will be interesting to know who Arsene selects in the wide attacking positions. Yossi Benayoun performed the inverted left attacking role very well against Tottenham which gave Theo Walcott more licence to join van Persie in
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Arsenal dressing room but I think my excuses were a little obvious and they stopped me from leaving. Not sure how that ended, we probably stuffed them 5-2 or something. That type of score line today is improbable, I can see a very tight and defensive game from the home side and if they stop us playing then I am not sure how much football will be played, that of course will all change if we can score an early goal and the early goal will depend on how we start the match. I have watched a few Liverpool v Manchester United games at
I have spent far too long talking about something that hasn't happened so I just want to cross my fingers and hope that all the Arsenal boys return to the club in good health and without wanting to ask for too much, I wouldn't mind if our rivals were to suffer from a few set back. Only because I believe desperately in equal rights. We have had more than our fair share of

Gervinho is a player who I like a lot, he doesn't hide and he always puts us on the front foot. Quick, nibble and athletic but his lack of belief and conviction in the final third is hurting us. There never seems to be certainty in his final ball and especially his finishing. He finds himself in great positions in almost every game but his conversion rate is poor if he alone
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Theo has racked up 5 assists this season in the league and goals have been hard for him but still I feel he has done quite well. His performance has dipped largely because he is running out of gas. IMO he needs rest and he also needs to be

Partnering the surprisingly superb Johan Djourou at the heart of the defense through January and February, the duo formed the best defense in the league, at least temporarily. Koscielny’s performed remarkably well alongside Djourou and went a long way in vindicating Wenger’s faith in him. The reason several doubted his ability and his talent stems largely from his form early in the 2009-10 season. The injury to Thomas Vermaelen and with Johan Djourou still recuperating from the injury that left him
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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
I don't need to tell you how important Tommy V is to our side, so I won't but I am really crossing my fingers over the fitness of Abou Diaby. There is an obvious split in the Arsenal supporting world about the influence of the Frenchman in an Arsenal shirt but I tell you what, I am massively in the for camp