Another Fine Mess For Arsenal

Arsenal hadn't lost a game in the FA Cup for over three years before yesterday's game with Watford and it was inevitable that they would lose at some stage. At home to Watford was hardly the way they would like to have relinquished their hold on the trophy they have won for the last two seasons, but there is no ideal way. On the face of it the loss can be looked at on it's own and judged that way, but it was anything other than a one off in a season that continues to stumble from disaster to disaster.

The team has only won once in their last seven games and four times in their last 14. They have gone from a position at the top of the league table in early January to third and they will more than likely be 11 points behind Leicester after tonight's game. They will have a game in hand, but that counts for little with a team who don't look like winning any game they play at the moment.

We are down to the business end of the season when every result is crucial and Arsenal have their strategy all wrong. I still think Leicester could drop enough points to be caught at the top of the table, but I have no confidence in Arsenal being the team to catch them. Our biggest challenge between here and the end of the season could be out usual one to try to insure a top four finish.

Yesterday's game was just so typical of Arsenal at the moment with Watford scoring from their only two shots on target in the game. The defending from the long throw for the first goal was a joke, but they managed to surpass it for the second goal. How can a team expect to win games when they constantly hand the opposition goals. By contrast Watford defended as if their lives depended upon it and with every one of their 11 players when needed.

The substitutions smelled of desperation with Mohamed El Neny and Joel Campbell being sacrificed despite being far from the worst players out there on the day. Olivier Giroud had to go off and I don't really care if only Romelu Lukaku has more goals than him, he just isn't good enough in front of goal and lacks the pace needed for a team who claim to be challenging the very best. Bringing Theo Walcott on didn't help matters though as he's in a worse place than Giroud at the moment.  

I'm not blaming either player on not being good enough though because they are the players Arsene Wenger decided were good enough when he chose not to invest in any outfield players last summer. There was a genuine belief among fans that the right additions last summer would have taken us to the next level, but it just didn't happen. To make matters worse Chelsea, United and City have all faltered to the point where the league was ours for the taking and we could have walked it with the right additions last summer. 

There was even a chance to make up for last summer's errors in January, but the boss again decided he had sufficient attacking options. What's the point in having the best playmaker in the league when nobody can put away the chances he creates game after game. The real fear has to be that Mesut Ozil will have had enough mediocricy to last a life time and will look for a move in the summer. I can't see how a club which clearly lacks ambition can look to hold on to a player of his ability.

When Arsenal did eventually manage to make chances yesterday it was Ozil who set up Danny Welbeck to get a goal back before Welbeck somehow managed to put an open goal wide. I'm not going to knock Welbeck though because he showed more in those few minutes than Giroud had done in the first 70 and for virtually every game he has played in months. If I see him fall over complaining to the referee one more time I'll put my foot through my lovely new television.

For the manager to suggest afterwards that we deserved something from the game was papering over the cracks. The team he sent out yet again played with no commitment, vision, style and to be honest without a clue what they were doing. I dread to think what Barcelona could do to us if we play like that on Wednesday night and I can't see us playing any other way.

A few weeks ago I said the only reasonable explanation I could come up with was the manager had lost the dressing room and it looks more obvious with each game. He can't imagine the players are giving their all for him out there and if they're following his plans and tactics then he hasn't got the first idea how to motivate them or coach them for that matter. If he has lost the dressing room then there's no way back and it's just a matter of time even if those in power at the club have no desire for change.

After the trip to Barca on Wednesday night we go to Everton early on Saturday and at the moment that looks like it will be the game to put the final nail in our coffin. Who knows and it could change, but I certainly have no belief in that and the players clearly don't either. As always I hope I'm completely wrong and the whole lot of them can reach down and pull themselves out of this massive home they have dug for themselves, but I won't be holding my breath.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal v Watford: FA Cup Quarter Final Preview

The games just keep coming for Arsenal at the moment and the latest one is today's FA Cup quarter final at home to Watford. Arsenal only booked their place in the last eight with a 4-0 win away to Hull on Tuesday night and they face a trip to Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday night next. With that in mind Arsene Wenger might well be tempted to go with many of the players who played on Tuesday night and continue to leave some of the more established players on the bench.

So far in the cup this season the frontline players have been rested and those who have come in have done the business more or less. The replay against Hull was a huge boost for two players struggling to find form with both Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud bagging a brace of goals. That can only be good for the team as we enter a stage of the season where nothing short of a win is needed in every single game.

I imagine we'll see a fairly similar team today despite three players going off injured in that game. Both Per Mertesacker and Gabriel Paulista have been declared fit to play and I think we'll see them in central defence up against the threat of Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney. There might be a temptation to play Calum Chanbers in the centre of defence, but he's the only real option at right back unless Hector Bellerin plays and I doubt if he will.

The real choices will be in front of the defence where the boss has to be tempted to bring in Francis Coquelin, Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck. I suppose it comes down to how strong a line up he intends playing away to Barca on Wednesday night with the tie virtually a lost cause. It would almost take a miracle for Arsenal to overturn the 2-0 home defeat in the first leg and they have to play Everton away in the early kick off next Saturday.

That game against Everton is an absolute must win game to keep the slim title hopes alive and I think it's the game which has to be prioritised of the three in the next week. The amount of work the players will have to put in away to Barca will be huge and it won't be easy for those same players to put all they have into a game so soon afterwards.

With that in mind the temptation could be to play those frontline players today and try to book a place in a Wenbley FA Cup semi final. I think we might see a mix of Tuesday's team and the players who were rested for that game and hopefully that will be enough to see off a Watford team who have struggled for goals for the last two months. There's a chance for Arsenal and the manager to make history and I don't think you can pass a chance like that up too easily.

With Chelsea going out to Everton yesterday the cup is there got the taking for Arsenal yet again for the third year in a row. No team has done that in 130 years and no manager has ever won the cup seven times, but the boss is only two games away from having a shot at that record too. The cup is still a poor substitute for the Premier League, but it is by far Arsenal's best chance of a trophy this season.

A win today with an impressive attacking performance is just what the team and the fans need. Both Spurs and Leicester play in the league today and tomorrow and we could find ourselves 11 points off the summit going to Everton on Saturday. It would at least be good to be going there knowing a semi final spot has been booked regardless of what might happen on Wednesday night.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Beat Hull 4-0, But At A Cost

Arsenal went to Hull last night in their FA Cup fifth round replay as they looked to continue their quest to win the cup for the third season in a row. They hadn't lost an FA Cup game since 2013 and the drawn game was the first one they didn't win at the first time of asking in those three years. After drawing 0-0 in the first game it wasn't going to be easy going to a team looking for promotion from the Championship.

As in the previous FA Cup games this season Arsene Wenger made as many changes as he could from the team which fought back to draw 2-2 with Spurs on Saturday. There's a fine line between getting the team right and resting players ahead of other challenges and the boss has just about managed to get it right so far. With a few players unavailable last night he made six changes to that team which had to play most of the second half with only 10 men against Spurs.

With Petr Cech injured David Ospina had to continue in goal while Calum Chambers was the only change in defence as he came in for the rested Hector Bellerin. There was no real choice for him in the center of defence with Chambers playing at full back and Laurent Koscielny injured while Kieran Gibbs got another chance in place of the rested Nacho Monreal on the left. There was still plenty of experience in the defence and I felt confident they could cope with anything a fairly toothless Hull team had to offer. 

The midfield and attacking trio were all as expected with Mohamed El Neny the only player retaining his place from the weekend. It meant Alex Iwobi, Joel Campbell, Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud all got a chance to impress in attacking roles while Mathieu Flamini filled in for the suspended Francis Coquelin. 

The first half was a pretty drab affair in the main, but the most worrying aspect for Arsenal was the the knock Per Mertesacker took to his head which saw him substituted on the half hour mark. With Koscielny already sidelined it meant Monreal had to come on and play in the center of defence for the last hour of the game. He spent some time in that role last season when others were injured and he emerged from it a better player in his own position.

The game turned in Arsenal's favour five minutes before the break when a Hull defender played a dreadful ball back into his own box and Giroud pounced to score from close range. Arsenal hadn't looked like creating anything themselves at that point and the gift from Hull was gladly accepted. Hull hadn't conceded a goal at home since mid December and that goal looked like it could easily be the one to settle the game.

Only 10 minutes into the second half Arsenal lost another central defender when Gabriel Paulista went down with what looked like a muscular injury. It has to be hoped both Gabriel and Mertesacker will recover quickly with a game to come at the weekend followed by a daunting trip to Barcelona. With limited defensive options on the bench Aaron Ramsey had to come on in midfield with Flamini going to right back and Chambers going to the center of defence.

Hull took some encouragement from Arsenal's injury woes and began to exert a little pressure. Arsenal held firm though and took the game by the scruff of the neck in the last 20 minutes. They added another three goals, but in true Arsenal style they also lost another man to injury.

The first of those goals came from Giroud again when he connected with a deflected Walcott cross to make it 2-0. The game looked comfortable for Arsenal at that stage, but shortly afterwards they lost their third player of the night to injury. Ramsey had only been on the pitch 16 minutes when he pulled up with a muscle injury and he was replaced by Jeff Reine-Adelaide.

Arsenal were looking comfortable at 2-0 and it soon became three when Walcott got on the end of an excellent Campbell pass to finish calmly into the far corner. The game was over at that stage, but there was still time for Walcott to add to his tally when his shot from an Adelaide pass was deflected past the keeper at his near post. The final result was a pretty comfortable victory for Arsenal and their biggest win of the season as well as being only the second time this season they had scored more than three goals.

In the grand scheme of things it puts us a step closer to an incredible achievement and it will hopefully help to reinstall some confidence too. Both Giroud and Walcott managed a brace of goals and maybe that's what they need to get them out of the rut they were in. Hull may not have put out their strongest side, but they played a similar team in the first game and came away with a scoreless draw.

The performances of El Neny, Campbell, Iwobi and Ospina were all impressive and they showed there may be more strength in depth than we imagine, but maybe not in the places where we imagine it to be. The goals for Giroud and Walcott have to be positive and strikers form can change very quickly once the goals are going in. Monreal showed he can still play in the center of defence too and that could be very important given the injuries currently piling up in that position.

On the negative side the injuries are a real concern and there are now 10 players on the injured list. The boss is most concerned about the injury to Ramsey and it looks like the other two will only be short term. Given Ramsey's history it's hard to say how long he will be out yet, but at least a few others showed they might be ready to step up during that time.

The win means the league game at home to West Brom on Saturday has been postponed and it's Watford at home in the last eight of the cup on Sunday instead. The team are only one game away from a Wembley semi final and the boss needs to think about the team he plays in that game. There's a trip to Barcelona only a few days later, but surely that's a lost cause and the FA Cup is a very real route to a trophy.

There were still plenty of dissenters after last night's win and I fear there is nothing the boss can do to win them back short of taking the Premier League title. At this stage that's a very long shot, but at least the team got a win last night to put an end to a run of five games without one. It will take an awful lot more wins from here on in to bring the success which is what the team has to be aiming for this season. Last night suggested they could at least give it a shot, but it's still a very long shot.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Move a Step Closer to FA Cup History

The weekend went quite well for Arsenal with a 2-1 victory over Burnley and a home tie against Hull lined up for the fifth round. The team are one game closer to becoming the first team in 130 years to win the FA Cup three seasons in a row. There are still some very good teams left in the competition, but Arsenal have to be favourites to make the last eight after that draw.

In one of those strange coincidences they will play Hull for the third season in a row in the competition and I think that has to be seen as a good omen. They beat Hull in the 2014 final after trailing 2-0 early on and then they beat them 2-0 in the third round last season. Hull beat Bury 3-1 in the fourth round with Chuba Akpom scoring a hat trick for them, but he won't be playing in the next round as he's on loan from Arsenal.

From an Arsenal perspective we were treated to the return of Francis Coquelin after injury as well as Alexis Sanchez making his first start in 10 games after recovering from his injury too. Alexis had come on against Chelsea, but it was good to see him from the start and hopefully the two of them will be available to play from the start against Southampton. Alexis was by far the best player on the pitch despite being a little rusty be he showed what the team has being missing for the last couple of months. 

We were also treated to Mohamed Elneny making his debut after singing from Basel and Tomas Rosicky making his first appearance of the season after his latest injury. Unfortunately Rosicky picked up another knock and will miss another month which could spell the end of his career at Arsenal. Elneny did well on his debut although he has more attacking instincts than some would have hoped for and he certainly doesn't look like he was bought to cover Coquelin.

The performance was far from spectacular, but getting the win was important after taking only two points in the last three league games. There's a game against Southampton to come tonight and it's a game that has to be won to keep pace with Leicester and City. I can't see City dropping any points at Sunderland, but Leicester won't have it all their own way against Liverpool.

The boss definitely has a few decisions to make for that game after Saturday's game and he will have to think long and hard about his team. There are no pushovers in the Premier League and he needs to pick a team that will take the three points. The games are coming thick and fast now and it's reaching the stage in the season where any slip ups can be fatal. I'll look into that game against Southampton in my preview a little later, but for now it's just good to be in the next round of the cup and to see some different players in an Arsenal shirt.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal v Burnley: FA Cup Fourth Round Preview

Arsenal haven't done too well in their last three Premier League games with only two points to show for their efforts and they get a break from league action this weekend when they play Burnley in the FA Cup. Arsenal are the current holders of the cup and they have won it more times than any other team. In fact they have won the cup for the last two seasons and are looking to become the first team to win it three seasons in a row for 130 years.

With Arsenal doing so well in the league this season they rarely play at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon, but the cup has been a different case so far. I was lucky enough to be at the third round game against Sunderland when Arsenal came from behind to win 3-1. They were slow to get going that day, but fully deserved their win and I had a great time on my trip to see them.

One of the highlights besides the Arsenal game and a great day in The Tollington was a trip down Oxford Street the next day. It was a bit of a trip down memory lane for me as I strolled down Carnaby Street and checked out all the shops. I ate in a place called Five Guys and I can't recommend it highly enough. Their burgers are probably the best I've ever tasted and I was delighted to read they're coming to Dublin this year.

Anyway I digress and it's back to the important business of my preview of the Arsenal game. As usual we can expect a bit of rotation for the cup and the boss has a few options open to him thanks to some players returning from injury. It appears the team's injury woes are finally dissipating and it couldn't be coming at a better time with so much still to play for.

Both Francis Coquelin and Tomas Rosicky will be available for selection in midfield while Mohamed Elbeny could be in line for his debut. Mikel Arteta has been back for a couple of weeks too and he might expect to be in the team as well. Alexis Sanchez made his comeback as a sub in the defeat against Chelsea last week and I would imagine he should start against Burnley. There's also the option of Alex Iwobi playing after he impressed in the last round and the boss will certainly have to get his thinking hat on.

With so many options it's not so easy to predict what the team will be, but I imagine we will see him start with David Ospina in goal. Kieran Gibbs should get a run out in defence and Gabriel Paulista is a certainty to start too, but the continued rumours of Mathieu Debuchey's departure will probably mean he won't play. I don't see Calum Chambers as a central defender which will probably mean Laurent Koscielny will play in defence and Hector Bellerin should start too. 

In midfield it's not easy to call at all, but I imagine Mathieu Flamini will get the day off and we could see a debut for Elneny with Arteta possibly beside him. I don't think Coquelin will start as he has been out for over two months and he will probably be introduced from the bench at some stage. If Arsenal are going to fight it out for the league title he's a very important player to have available and the games will be coming hot and heavy very soon.

I can't see Mesut Ozil playing as there's a league game at home to Southampton on Tuesday night and we need our strongest team possible in a game where nothing less than three points will do. Iwobi might just get the nod again although we could see Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in Ozil's role too. Aaron Ramsey would probably love to play there and be freed of the defensive responsibilities of his current role, but I think he will be saved for Tuesday night too. Ramsey made the difference when he came off the bench in the last round and he might just be held in reserve if more of the same is needed.

Olivier Giroud was the player to make way early on in the game against Chelsea  when a defender had to be brought in for the red carded Per Mertesacker. Apparently he was carrying a knock in that game which could have swayed the mind of the boss and he might sit this one out too if he's not fully recovered. If that's the case Theo Walcott could get to play in his favoured role as the central striker and maybe that might help him to find some form. He's been well below his best for most of the past two months now and we could do with him firing on all cylinders.

If Chamberlain isn't playing behind the striker I expect him to play in a wide role with Alexis playing on the other side. If he does play more centrally them Joel Campbell could start wide right, but I think he has done enough to make himself so much a part of the team that he could be rested for Tuesday night. I might have the team completely wrong, but I don't think I'll be too far off the players who start the game.

Burnley were relegated from the Premier League last season, but they're looking like they might well make a quick return at the moment. They're up to third in the Championship table and have found same very good form recently. They have won their last three league games and scored 12 goals in the process after struggling for goals for much of the season previous to those games.

As good as they have been recently they're still a whole league below Arsenal and Arsenal will be expected to win convincingly. There's enough quality in any team the boss picks to dominate the game and progress to the next round. I expect Burnley to put up a real fight though and Arsenal certainly won't have it all their own way.

We'll be treated to the thrill of seeing serial bad boy Joey Barton playing against us and I wouldn't put it past him to put the boot in on one of our players or try to get one sent off. He's got away with doing both in the past and it's in his character to try it again. I have no doubt the home fans will give him the abuse he deserves at every opportunity and it couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

It's not all about the performance as the result is key, but it would be nice if the team could put in a good performance as well as winning the game. They need to put a run of a few league wins in a row together to stay in the title fight and a good win would certainly help with the confidence levels. Hopefully the team can put on that performance and win their 14th FA Cup game in a row to set them up for the next few weeks. Finally for today I really hope the injury problems are behind us and all of those who play will cone through unscathed.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal v Sunderland: FA Cup Preview

Let me just start this preview by saying I will be at the game and I can't wait to see my beloved Arsenal play. My wife is well aware of their status in my life and has resigned herself to playing second fiddle to them. To be fair I have known Arsenal 16 years longer than her and they were my first love.

It's going to be a very early start for me as I have to get up at 3am to make my flight, but I'll be lucky if I sleep at all such is the excitement at seeing Arsenal play. I've already made plans to meet friends near the ground and get some breakfast as we wait for The Tollington to open at 11 for some pre game refreshments. There's no better watering home in the vicinity of the ground and it's great to be among 700 Arsenal fans on match day before and after the game.

I suppose I should mention the game itself at this stage and the competition we're playing in too. Arsenal ended their longest run without a trophy since I started supporting them in 1970 by winning the FA Cup in 2014 and then they went on to retain the trophy last season. They have won the FA Cup more times than any other team and it's a competition that they are more than capable of winning again.

The last team to win the Cup three years in a row was Blackburn Rovers in 1886, but plenty of teams have won twice in a row in the 130 years since then. It would be fantastic if Arsenal could go on to win the cup and emulate that feat. Having said that they are currently on top of the Premier League just past the halfway stage of the season and they face a tough trip to Liverpool on Wednesday night followed by a trip to Stoke the Sunday after that.

The question is whether Arsene Wenger will risk playing his strongest team with those two games coming up or if he will give a chance to some fringe players and some of the younger players. Sam Allardyce has already said he won't be playing his strongest side with a huge game for Sunderland away to Swansea on Wednesday night in their struggle to avoid relegation. When it comes to attempting to avoid relegation their FA Cup chances fade into insignificance.

The boss has said that the third round can be tricky and he wants to progress so I suspect he will play a relatively strong team. Alexis Sanchez won't play a part in proceedings as he still hasn't recovered from injury, but hopefully he can make his return against Liveepool or Stoke. The only player to add to the squad from last week is the fit again Mikel Arteta who managed 45 minutes for the under 21s during the week, but I would be surprised to see him in from the start as he has suffered from being thrown back into the action too soon in the past.

I imagine David Ospina will be the cup keeper for this season and we will see Kieran Gibbs, Gabriel Paulista, Calum Chambers and Joel Campbell in from the start as they were on the bench last week. Mathieu Debuchey is a different story as it looks like he is on his way out of the club on loan and I don't know if he will be in the right frame of mind to play. If any of the younger players are to get a run you would imagine it would be a choice between Alex Iwobe and Jeff Reine-Adelaide and maybe even both of them.

I think one of them could possibly play and I think Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain needs more game time too so he might well be included. Mesut Ozil, Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott could all probably do with a rest, but they will surely be on the bench if they don't start. It's all about striking a balance between finding a team that can win the game and making sure the players are ready for the challenges ahead.

Sunderland have little to lose in this game and the players who do get the nod for them could well play with the freedom that brings. They have a very poor away record in the Premier League this season, but they played quite well when Arsenal beat them 3-1 a few weeks ago. If Arsenal can find their attacking rhythm I think they should have more than enough to overcome a team who will do very well not to drop to the Championship for next season.

I'll be somewhere in the upper tier of the East Stand, freezing cold, watching the action and I wouldn't have it any other way. It's been too long since I last saw Arsenal play and hopefully it will be nowhere near as long before I get to see them again. A win is what's required on the day as we can do without any replays and I think the team will deliver just that.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.