Arsenal Find The Parking Brake On Their Bus At Chelsea

In my preview yesterday I didn't hold out much hope of Arsenal repeating their 0-0 Premier League result at Chelsea in the Carabao Cup last night. With a host of injuries to deal with which included three first choice defenders as well as Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil I just couldn't see how we could contain a team we were unable to contain in the league last week with a much stronger team. Arsene Wenger also chose to leave star man Alexis Sanchez on the bench which left us with very little creativity in the team as he opted for a containment policy.

Thankfully I was completely wrong as we rarely looked under too much pressure and coped with anything they had to throw at us with relative ease compared to last week. There were a few scary moments of course, but there was never a time when they completely opened us up and I thought a goal was inevitable. The team played and defended as a team and the mistakes in defence and in front of the defence were kept to an absolute minimum.

The one time I can remember us losing the ball in front of the defence was from a poor Jack Wilshere pass and Granit Xhaka stepped up to take a yellow card for the team to stop the Chelsea attack. I have my issues with Xhaka and I don't think he has performed as well as he should have, but I'm not sure we play a game which suits his particular skill set either. Wilshere was impressive again, but the injury he picked up will rule him out of Sunday's trip to Bournemouth and our injury problems are really mounting at the moment.

Wilshere has gradually improved with each game since his enforced inclusion in the team due to Ramsey's injury. I was worried with the amount of games he had to play over the festive period because of his injury record, but his injury last night was not fatigue related as he sprained his ankle blocking a pass. It will probably mean he's only out in the short term, but I don't expect him to be rushed back considering his problems in the past.

His injury could well open a door for Ainsley Maitland-Niles to play in his preferred position with Francis Coquelin on his way out of the club unless Ramsey can recover by Sunday. If AMN does switch to the centre of midfield we will have to come up with a left back which would mean either Nacho Monreal or Sead Kolasinac would have to recover from injury. AMN might well be the answer to our central midfield issues in the long term, but he still has a lot to learn and he could probably do with a loan spell in that position for another club.

Alexis did come on with 25 minutes to go for Alexandre Lacazette who it appears was ill before the game and nearly didn't make the team at all. Hopefully he will recover in time for Sunday too because again our attacking options are limited with Olivier Giroud still injured. Lacazette needs a goal from somewhere and his current lack of confidence in front of goal was highlighted when a blazed a first time shot high and wide from a good position last night.

If last night taught us anything it's maybe that Per Mertesacker has possibly played for the last time and both Calum Chambers and Rob Holding need to play ahead of him when they are fit. They are better suited to playing as part of a three man central defence for the moment at least and fitted well with Shkodran Mustafi last night for the most part. I don't think we exactly parked the bus, but we made things hard for Chelsea and their star players were kept almost entirely out of the game. The performances of both Eden Hazard and Alvora Morata certainly helped our cause last night and I can only imagine the criticism that would have been levelled at Ozil if he had played as badly as either of them.

Ozil missed out last night again with what seems like a recurring knee injury and it looks to me like the manager might well be picking and choosing his games. He has missed out on some tough away trips recently and been fit to play at home a few days later and maybe he didn't play last night because the game plan wasn't suited to him. If that's the case it's not a bad thing to pick a team with a specific purpose and the manager can take the plaudits today, but would have come in for severe criticism if it had gone the other way.

The injured players will at least have an opportunity to recover a little now with a week between games after we play at Bournemouth on Sunday. We follow that with a home game against Palace a week later before the return game against Chelsea. If the time scales we have been given for most of the injured players are to be believed we should hopefully see most of them back in the squad in the six days between those two league games.

I'm not sure what sort of team we will be able to put out on Sunday though and considering our away form we need to be very concerned about that game. Nothing short of a win will do as we have already lost too much ground on the top four, but we have the chance to close the gap with Liverpool playing at home to City after our game. From our point of view we want a City win, but somebody has to beat City and the sooner the better as they close in our the record of our "Invincibles" so I'm not really sure what I want from the game.

Finally for today we were treated to our first taste of VAR last night and when it was used it backed up the referees decisions both times. The penalty claim by Chelsea in the second half was definitely not a penalty, but I'm not so sure about the penalty claim by AMN in the first half. He stumbled after vaulting a challenge from Victor Moses and by the letter of the law I think that constitutes a penalty as the challenge caused him to fall regardless of contact. It was certainly as much of a penalty as the one Hazard got against us last week, but I don't think there was any contact with AMN and I'm sure that's why it wasn't given. I may be wrong about the rules, but I don't think so, but if I'm not then those viewing the footage were a little confused by them. The only explanation I can think of is that they thought AMN could keep his feet and that's why they didn't give it or they just don't have a clue which is quite possibly a far better explanation.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Carabao Cup Semi Final First Leg At Chelsea Previewed

Given the choice I would prioritise the FA Cup over the Carabao Cup every single season and I think Arsene Wenger would too, but it looks like it will be the other way around this week. He took a gamble in his FA Cup selection at Forest on Sunday and that was probably influenced by injuries and players needing a rest after a hectic festive schedule. That gamble backfired spectacularly in the 4-2 defeat to Forest and he now more or less has to play the strongest team he has available against Chelsea tonight in the first leg of our Carabao Cup semi final. The prize for the winner over the two legs is a trip to Wembley and a final against either Manchester City or Bristol City with the Manchester team obviously favourites to make it.

When it comes to the team selection tonight the manager has said he won't have any of the injured players back and there are doubts over Mesut Ozil, Shkodran Mustafi and Granit Xhaka with Francis Coquelin seemingly on his way to Valencia too. All of that could leave us a little threadbare against a team who found far too many holes in our defence when we met in the league last week. We managed a 2-2 draw at home in that game, but the finishing of Alvaro Morata in particular on the night was awful and we could have shipped an awful lot more goals.

We did some things right in that game too and we are a real attacking force to be reckoned with at home in particular, but we have struggled away from home this season. We did manage a 0-0 at Chelsea in the Premier League back in September and a similar result tonight would be more than acceptable. The way we have defended recently, regardless of the opposition or who we have in our team, leads me to believe our chances of a clean sheet tonight are very slim though.

I expect David Ospina will keep his place as it's a cup game, but otherwise I hope we bring back Hector Bellerin, Mustafi (if he's fit), Xhaka (if he's fit), Jack Wilshere, Ozil (if he's fit), Alexandre Lacazette and most crucially of all Alexis Sanchez. The rumours of Alexis's impending departure are rife and I wouldn't be surprised if we cashed in while we can still get some sort of fee for him, but I would prefer to see him stay as we are just so short of quality and that's something he has in abundance. He's our most likely match winner week in and week out and we would be crazy to let him go without a top class replacement coming the other way.

It's a huge task to expect this team to get anything from this game when you consider we have only won twice in our last nine games. We have drawn a lot of those games though and a draw tonight would be a more than acceptable result with the second leg at the Emirates in two weeks. I hope the manager doesn't rest any players ahead of Sunday's league game at Bournemouth as we have a week off after that game (well six days to the Palace game at least) and we need something for the fans tonight after Sunday's debacle.

If we're going to get anything from the game we have to improve at the back and it's something we just don't seem capable of at the moment. We give the ball away far too easily and players lose concentration so easily that it's hard to believe there's anyone out there telling them what to do. As well as that we struggle with the press and give up the ball far too easily under pressure in the most dangerous situations. Overall this season we have defended set pieces fairly well, but Forest's first goal on Sunday was an absolute shambles and a basic lesson in lack of concentration and no leadership.

We need the big players to lead by example tonight and for that reason I really hope Ozil plays too because we have so much more to offer in attack with him in the team. He has his detractors, but I firmly believe we are a far better attacking force with him in the team and I hope we can sort his contract situation out before he departs for free in the summer too. I'll be watching tonight's game in hope more than expectation, but sometimes this team can surprise us and that's exactly what we need tonight.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal’s Trip To Nottingham Forest Previewed

It’s FA Cup third round action for Arsenal this afternoon when they travel to Nottingham to face managerless Forest. Arsenal are the cup holders and have won it three times in the last four seasons as well as winning it more times than any other team. Add to that Arsene Wenger’s record as the manager with the most FA Cups to his name and it’s obviously a competition which means an awful lot to us.

We face into the game in the middle of a very busy two month schedule which sees us playing almost twice a week from the start of December to the end of January. Our squad is fairly stretched as it is and we have the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi final at Chelsea coming up on Wednesday night too. Chelsea’s schedule is just as busy as our’s and I’m should they could have done without drawing their third round game at Norwich yesterday and adding a replay to that schedule.

With the league already beyond us the cup yet again takes on added significance although we still have the Europa League and the chase for a top four spot to contend with. Of them all I see the Carabao Cup as being the least important, but we cannot take a two legged semi final against Chelsea too lightly with a Cup Final so near and also because of what defeat could do to our already brittle confidence.

I think we could see a fair deal of squad rotation today and I wouldn’t be surprised to see up to eight changes from the team which drew 2-2 at home to Chelsea in the league on Wednesday night. David Ospina will surely start while I would expect Per Mertesacker and Mathieu Debuchy come into the defence too. In midfield there could be starts for Francis Coquelin and Mohamed Elneny with Theo Walcott, Danny Welbeck and Alex Iwobi all likely to play too. That would probably mean Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Rob Holding and Calum Chambers staying in the team unless the manager switches to a back four instead of the usual three central defenders.

Playing that team would certainly risk our continuation in the competition, but it’s a risk we probably need to take. Forest are sitting in mid-table in the Championship after a fairly unimpressive season so far, but I have no doubt they will relish a home game against on the “big teams” and FA Cup holders. It’s a chance for some of their players to shine and maybe make an impression on whoever their new manager might be.

Despite the Carabao Cup being of secondary importance up to now I think it will take more prominence at this stage of the competition and that’s another reason why so many players will possibly be rested today. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a strong bench though just in case we need to add some firepower late on to get back in the game or go on to win it. It’s certainly a chance for those who start to make an impression, but Maitland-Niles is the only one who has really grabbed that chance when it has presented itself so far this season.

I would love to see AMN in his natural position in the centre of the midfield today and it could happen if we play a back four. The problem would be finding a left back, but I would suggest Debuchy is capable of playing there while Chambers can certainly play at right back if required. With so many changes in the team already I don’t think we will see a back four with those full backs though and there central defenders is the most likely formation.

No matter what personnel have been in our defence this season we haven’t defended well against the bigger and better teams in particular. Forest may not fit into those categories, but one of the reasons we are doing even worse than last season is our comparative lack of goals. We scored so many goals last season that it quite often got our defence out of trouble, but we’re just not scoring as many this season. I just hope we can find our shooting boots from here on in because I cannot see our defending improving judging by what we have seen this season and for far too many seasons to want to remember. I think the chances are we will progress in a tight game today, but we might have to empty some quality from the bench to do so.

That’s it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal See Off Bournemouth As Bigger Tests Await Them

After a traumatic two week wait for a game since their 4-0 drubbing by Liverpool it was back to Premier League action for Arsenal on Saturday when Bournemouth came calling. We didn't find them easy to beat last season with a 3-3 draw at their place while we struggled to eventually beat them 3-1 at the Emirates. It was a different matter on Saturday though as Arsenal won easily and could have scored a few more than the three goals they managed.

The team was more or less as expected with the exception of Alexis Sanchez I suppose who was on the bench with Danny Welbeck retaining his place. We did see the return of both Sead Kolasinac and Alexander Lacazette though which meant the team looked balanced with players playing in more or less their best positions. The one exception was Nacho Monreal who looks like he's now a certainty as one of the three central defenders despite it not being his position. He has done well there though and it makes sense to play him on the left of that back three.

As good as Arsenal were it has to be said Bournemouth offered very little and it was all too easy. Welbeck took his second goal well even if he was a little fortunate with his first goal and Lacazette took his goal very well too. We were rarely under pressure at the back with the exception of Jermain Defoe hitting the post early in the second half and a late flurry which saw Petr Cech make one good save right at death when we were down to 10 men.

The reason we were a man shy was Francis Coquelin picked up an injury when we had already used all of our subs and his absence means are midfield options are even more limited. He would have been a shoe-in to play against Cologne in the Europa League on Thursday night, but Arsene Wenger might have to get a little creative with his team selection now. I suppose Mohamed Elneny will play, but who partners him in the centre of midfield is the big question and will it mean a recall for Jack Wilshere.

As tempted as the manager might be to play a much weakened side he will also want to make sure we're not playing catch up in our group as it's a competition we can most definitely have real hopes of winning. United showed the advantages of winning it last season as it qualified them for the Champions League despite only finishing sixth in the league and we might need that safety net come the end of the season. The problem with playing a strong team is we face Chelsea away from home three days later and it's a game where we have to turn up in a big way.

After the debacle of Liverpool and our dreadful away record against any sort of good side for far too many years it has reached a stage where the fans are unwilling to accept any more of the dross we have seen far too often. Anything other than a defeat at Chelsea would be a great result, but if we lose while playing well and giving our all it would be a marked improvement from what we have seen too often in the past and against Liverpool only a couple of weeks ago. Chelsea have recovered from losing their opening game and look like they will be right up there in the title race again this season.

When you look at our players as individuals they are capable of being a very good team, but far too often the sum of the parts does not match up to those individual parts. We need to play as a team with players who are willing to give their all for the team and for their team mates too with no players hiding. It's certainly not beyond the bounds of possibility, but after Liverpool it's a hard stretch to believe it will happen.

If we can come through the Chelsea game with our pride intact the fixture schedule is pretty kind to us relatively speaking until at least November. We could give ourselves something to build on in that Chelsea game and a good run after it could leave us in a fairly good position. I know there's a lot of ifs and buts in there and the chances are the team will let us down, but as a fan you have to believe your team can do it despite what your eyes tell you sometimes.

I'm not saying we're going to win the league, but we have been completely written off for a top four place by far too many "experts" already. A top four finish is most certainly not beyond the team and squad as it is even if the chances of winning the league are slim to none. While a top four finish isn't the bee all and end all it's certainly far superior to the alternative which sees us playing on Thursday nights this season.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal v Bournemouth Preview

It's been almost two weeks since Arsenal played thanks to the international break and those two weeks have seemed like an eternity. That last game was an unmitigated disaster when Liverpool destroyed a disinterested Arsenal 4-0 and we were probably lucky it was only 4-0. Since then we've had the shambles of an end to thr transfer window and the pressure on the manager has already reached higher heights than at any time last season.

Last season was our worst league finish since Arsene Wenger took charge in 1996 and like so many I thought it was the ideal time for him to go with his contract up and yet another FA Cup in the bag. He convinced himself to sign on again though with the belief that he could return the team to the glory days of his first 10 years at the club. That hasn't started so well though with two defeats in our first three games and team selections and performances that beggar belief.

Of course those performances don't really beggar belief as we've seen them too often before, but the team selections were more than puzzling. I have no doubt Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was accommodated to try to convince him to stay at the club, but that didn't work out as he is now a Liverpool player and I don't think he will be missed too much.

After seven years at the club he had never made himself a first team regular and never made a position his own. My only issue with his sale is how late it was done and the fact that we didn't come up with a replacement. The emergence of Reiss Nelson could negate Chamberlain's departure, but it remains to be seen whether he will get the call up to the first team and if he can make that step up.

The three central defender's that the manager switched to late last season isn't looking so good now and the consensus is it might be ditched today. If we do switch to a back four again we might see a player sitting in front of them to shield them from nasty teams who try to attack us and exploit our weaknesses and tactical nativity. The most obvious choice would be Francis Coquelin who played in that role when he broke into the team a few years ago and he's certainly more suited to it than Mohamed Elneny.

Whatever formation we go with we quite simply have to play both Alexander Lacazette and Sead Kolasinac from the start and the decision to leave them out against Liverpool was ridiculous. Kolasinac was voted the best left back in the Bundesliga last season and Lacazette is supposedly the striker we have needed for far too many years now. If we going to have any chance of making headway in the Premier League this season we need to play our strongest team in every game.

We don't have to worry about upcoming Champions League games with only the Europa League to play in and the teams we are chasing are all playing in the Champions League. I would be very surprised if we didn't play a weakened team against Cologne on Thursday night with a trip to Chelsea in the league next Sunday. After our bad start we need to consolidate and anything other than a defeat at Chelsea next week would be a great result. 

All that depends on today of course and it goes without saying that we have to win today and win well too. If we don't put on a performance that shows we can play and play well today then it's a very bad sign. As bad as the results and performances against Liverpool and Stoke were they were both away from home. We're at home today and we just have to put a performance to warm the fans and show we are still a force to be reckoned with.

Our away form went to pieces after Christmas last season and while it did improve towards the end of the season we ended up missing out on the Champions League thanks to that away form. Our home form still held up with only one defeat after the opening day last season and it has to hold up again this season. As bad as our start has been, Bournemouth's has been worse with three defeats out of three and only one goal scored.

We need to go at them at full pelt from the first minute and punish their mistakes. There is no place for taking it slowly and letting the game develop. If we attack them from the start I think the goals will come and I think we should be looking to win with a few goals to spare.

I heard both Charlie Nicholas and Phil Neville on the TV last night saying they think Everton will finish ahead of Arsenal and they think the best we can do is seventh. It's very early to write off a team with our talent and with the amount of goals we can score and I hope the players can use those opinions to galvanise them and make them play better. I hope that will start today, but I suppose it's only hope when you consider what we have seen so far this season. I do think we will win today though and I think will score three goals at least, but the real tests will come next week and as the season progresses.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal v Leicester City Preview

After a great FA Cup semi final victory over Manchester City on Sunday it's back to Premier League action when reigning champions Leicester City come calling to the Emirates Stadium. Leicester haven't exactly defended their title in style and it's only in recent weeks where they have managed to pull away from the relegation zone. As it stands they are six points above third from bottom Swansea and Swansea only have four games left to play. They did of course reach the last eight of the Champions League and only went out to last year's runners up Atletico Madrid by a single goal. 

They did better in the Champions League than Arsenal have done in seven years, but they struggled badly to live up to the heights they reached last season. Their home form hasn't been too bad, but they have only won once in 16 away games with only Hull and Bournemouth conceding more goals away from home. If Arsenal are going to keep their top four hopes alive Leicester are a team they quite simply have to beat.

The teams drew 0-0 when they met in Leicester earlier in the season and there are plenty of points of interest in the game. Jamie Vardy came very close to joining Arsenal from Leicester last summer and I have no doubt the Arsenal fans will give him the reception they feel he deserves. Leicester only lost three league games last season and two of them were against Arsenal, but a mid season collapse meant Arsenal had to settle for second place in the end.

This season hasn't gone as well for Arsenal and they will have to finish very strongly if they are going to retain their regular top four place. They have seven league games to go before they play Chelsea in the Cup Final and seven wins would guarantee them a top four finish. Some of those games are decidedly difficult though and to win all of them would be a tough task if Arsenal were playing at their very best.

They have been far from their best for a long time now though and it would be a brave person who truly believed they will win all seven games. Their record against the rest of the top seven this season has been abysmal with only one win in nine games and three of their last seven games are against teams in the top seven. After Leicester they make the short trip to Spurs on Sunday and they still have to play at home to both United and Everton.

The experiment with three at the back seems to be progressing nicely and we certainly looked like a stronger unit against City than we have done in quite a while. The players also showed some belief and mental strength to come from behind to win even if they did ride their luck a little at times. Those qualities will have to be shown in abundance for the rest of the season if the team are going to reach the goals they have left.

The extra time the players had to play on Sunday could have an effect on some of them and could lead to a few changes in the team. While we were working our socks off to repel City the Leicester players were taking it easy and preparing for this game. I'm sure they would be more than happy to get one over on us and more or less put the final nail in our top four chances.

Arsene Wenger has a few options available to him with players like Mohamed Elneny, Danny Welbeck, Francis Coquelin, Alex Iwobi and Theo Walcott all looking to get a chance. I don't think he will make too many changes from the City game though and hopefully the players can show more of the spirit they showed on Sunday. It's going to be very tough to finish in the top four and I honestly don't think we will make it, but I don't think our chances will be killed off in this game.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal v West Ham United Preview

Arsenal aren't exactly playing well at the moment and they have only won once in their last six league games. During that time they were humiliated in the Champions against Bayern Munich, but they have made it to the semi finals of the FA Cup. They still have a chance of winning a trophy at least, but their biggest priority has to be trying to finish in the top four.

The draw with City on Sunday didn't really help their cause, but it was infinitely better than losing to one of the teams they're attempting to overhaul. They have seven points to make up on City, but they do have a game in hand while they have two games in hand on Liverpool with eight points to make up. Neither of those gaps are too much with 10 games still to play, but Arsenal will have to play an awful lot better if they are to have any chance of qualifying for the Champions League yet again.

Their upturn has to start now and they won't get too many better chances than against a West Ham team who have lost their last four games. They're letting in a lot of goals at the moment too with 10 conceded in those four defeats and they haven't kept a clean sheet in nine games. They lost 5-1 at home to Arsenal in December and only Swansea and Hull have conceded more goals than them.

Of course Arsenal haven't exactly covered themselves in defensive glory recently either and the manner of the goals they have been conceding leaves a lot to be desired. They showed character to come from behind twice against City on Sunday, but they were so fragile at the back that it was almost scary. It's hard to believe that there is any defensive coaching at all, but there has to be even if what they're being taught just isn't sinking in.

I captained just about every team I ever played for and my job was always to constantly remind every player of their job and to make sure they did it. It's hard to believe there was anyone telling Hector Bellerin exactly where he should be for City's first goal and almost every single Arsenal player stood and watched as City scored their second goal. Rather than acting to prevent City players getting the space to make and score the goal the Arsenal players only reacted after the events.

Arsene Wenger has often said he has a team of captains, but for me he needs one player out there screaming at the rest of the players from first minute to last. When Laurent Koscielny went off injured at half time against City nobody took over the captain's armband or the role either. Underestimating the role of a captain is a serious mistake by the manager in my opinion and I think it's one of the reasons we keep making the same mistakes game after game. It's hard to see who the captain will be against West Ham as we don't exactly have candidates queueing up for the job. Even at that the worst defensive lapses against City came when we had a captain on the pitch so it's clear that the captain's role certainly isn't organising the players.

As bad as West Ham have been recently I still think Andy Carroll can cause us problems as he has done all too often in the past. West Brom showed our defensive frailty in the air and Carroll will relish the chance to get among the Arsenal defenders. The chances of Arsenal keeping a clean sheet are slim and I only hope they can score enough goals to win the game.

As bad as our defence has been we haven't exactly excelled in attack recently either, but we only need to score two goals to reach the 100 mark in all competitions this season. It's not a bad return for a team who have struggled to find any consistency and didn't sign the striker they so badly needed last summer. Alexis Sanchez made the central striking his role with some great performances, but his reward seems to be a shift to the left side where he cannot influence the game as much.

He's got to be the first name on the team sheet for every game no matter how his contract negotiations might be going for next season. He's certainly not the only player who will enter the last year of his contract this summer with 11 others in the same situation. It's unbelievable to think a club that is being run properly would allow 12 players' contracts to run down to the point where all the bargaining chips are in those players hands.

That's what we're faced with at Arsenal though and the chances are the best of those players will be sold below their market value if they go into the final year of their contract while those we cannot sell will either see out their contracts or get a substantial increase in wages. Again you have to ask the questions about the running of the club and who is ultimately responsible for the shambles we are descending into.

With some supporters marching at every game to protest against the manager and banners for and against him unfurled in the stadium it has become a hostile environment for the players and the fans too. Despite all of the protests I am still firmly of the belief that there are very few fans who would like to see the manager sacked, but I also think the majority at this stage think he should decide to call it quits at the end of this season and make the announcement now. I think the best way the club can move forward is with a new man at the helm, but it could of course all go wrong.

I think we have to take that chance now as fear of the future cannot be cited as a reason not to change. If the manager is going to be fondly remembered by fans in years to come I think a decision by him to leave rather than facing the bullet is the way to go. I have little faith in the powers that be at the club to do so though and I fear we will face into next season with no Champions League football, an incomplete squad (yet again) and an even more fractured fan base. It's not a pleasant prospect, but it seems the most likely scenario at this stage.

As for West Ham tonight it's a game we should win despite our current mess and three points would be a welcome boost ahead of a tricky trip to a rejuvenated Palace on Monday night. We have to start winning games again and we have some tough games to go against United, Everton and Spurs among others which could decide our fate this season. If the players are to rebuild their confidence then three points tonight are an absolute must.

So many players are playing with little or no confidence and so unsure of their roles that it's hard to see how it will change though. Gabriel Paulista will come in for the injured Laurent Koscielny and there is a possibility David Ospina might miss out with injury which could see Emiliano Martinez come in as Petr Cech is still doubtful too. I would like to see Mohamed Elneny replace Francis Coquelin as I just don't think Coquelin is good enough on the ball and it's like we're carrying a player when we are in possession. He makes plenty of tackles, but is too prone to an early booking which means he has to curb his game and he becomes even more ineffectual.

For me Alexis has to be redeployed in the central striking role where he was so effective earlier in the season. You don't move your best player out of their best position and one where they can influence the game the most to accommodate others to the detriment of the team, but apparently that's just what we're doing now. If we play Alexis centrally I think he can do what he did to West Ham in the reverse fixture when he got three goals and an assist.

I'd love to say I'm confident of a win tonight, but nothing about the current situation fills me with confidence. Of course I have seen the team in a much worse state in my 47 years supporting them, but we weren't one of the richest clubs in the world then and it was a much more level playing field for other teams. Things have to improve and they have to improve quickly starting with three points tonight and maybe even a good performance too if we're lucky.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Something's Got To Change At Arsenal

The horrible deja vu feeling has reared it's ugly head again for Arsenal after last night's disastrous defeat at home to Watford. It was another case of "same old, same old" when it came to a chance to put themselves back into the title race. Chelsea went to Liverpool and dropped two points and Arsenal had the chance to close the gap to six points before traveling to play them on Saturday.

We have been accused on countless occasions of lacking "bottle" when it comes to the crunch and it's hard to see any other reason for last night's debacle. For Arsene Wenger to say after the game that the players weren't mentally prepared is stunning and it brings into question the role of the new club psychologist. For me it also has to bring into question the role of the manager.

Being an Arsenal fan is just like watching Groundhog Day and the one factor that never seems to change is the manager. Players come and go and yet the same failings are passed from one team to another. I can only assume it's something in the culture of the club and that culture as it is has been set by the manager.

It's not easy for me to say, but I think the only way we can move forward is with a change in management. There are obvious hazards in going down that path and things might get worse before they get better or they might not get better at all. I don't think it's even optional at this stage though because he just does not seem to be able to cure our ills.

I can't see us mounting a title challenge now and I dread to think what will happen at Chelsea on Saturday. If we play like we did in the first half last night we will get the sort of thumping which was all too frequent away to the best sides in the league a couple of seasons ago. The centre of our midfield has been decimated with only Francis Coquelin fit from the five players who would call it their position and I still don't think he's good enough at this level. We'll probably see Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain play alongside him on Saturday and I only hope they aren't overrun by Chelsea.

It's incredible how this Arsenal team can get your hopes up and then absolutely shatter them with a performance like we saw in the first 45 minutes last night. The second half may have been better, but they did so much damage in that first half that they couldn't get anything from the game. It was so alike the 3-3 draw at Bournemouth only a few weeks when we managed to get a point from the game. You don't win the league when you lose at home to teams like Watford and Arsenal aren't going to win the league this season.

I know I was foolish to get my hopes up and I thought it would be Chelsea who might dash them on Saturday. It's so like Arsenal to fall to pieces only four days before the biggest game of their season so far and maybe that played a part in what happened. Perhaps the players had their minds on that game and didn't show Watford the respect you have to show every team in the Premier League and maybe that's what cost them the game. If that's the case it's again impossible to look beyond the manager because it's his job to send them out there prepared for the game from the first minute and they quite clearly were far from that.

All roads point back to Arsene Wenger being at the root of the problem for me. I love what he has done for the club, but it must be time to move on before he completely destroys his legacy. Some would say that has happened already but I don't think so quite yet and no matter what I will still back him as long as he is in charge. I know it sounds a little strange calling for his head and saying I will back him, but what I suppose I mean is I'm not going to hurl abuse in his direction or throw my toys out of the pram if he doesn't go. I do think his time has to be up though.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal v Watford Preview

It's Watford tonight for Arsenal in the Premier League and just maybe a chance to close the gap on Chelsea at the top of the table. Arsenal have taken 13 points from their last five games to move into second place, but those 13 points have only seen them cut Chelsea's lead over them by two points to eight points. It's very hard to keep pace with a team who have won 15 of their last 16 league games and any team hoping to catch Chelsea need some help from other teams.

With Chelsea going to Liverpool tonight that might just be the case even if Liverpool have had a month to forget so far. If they want to get back into the title race they really need a win tonight and if they were to do so Arsenal would have some renewed hope ahead of their trip to Chelsea on Saturday. Two defeats in five days would be just what the rest of the top six would ask for and both Arsenal and Liverpool need to do their part.

First of all they have to overcome a Watford team who are on a very bad run and haven't won in seven league games. They were knocked out of the FA Cup at League One side Millwall on Sunday and their manager must be feeling the pressure giving how many managers they have gone through in recent times. They will feel they need to get something from this game too, but surely they are a team devoid of any confidence at the moment.

Speaking of confidence there's nothing like making nine changes to the team and seeing the players that come in go to Southampton and win 5-0 in the cup. I know Southampton made plenty of changes too, but the result and performance were fantastic with some individuals surely making Arsene Wenger sit up and take notice. He has a few decisions to make for tonight and as the season progresses and the only player still out through injury is Santi Cazorla.

He will revert to what he sees as his strongest side at the moment tonight I'm sure which should mean Hector Bellerin and Shkodran Mustafi might be the only players to keep their places from Sunday. Plenty of others will hope to get more game time tonight too and maybe come off the bench or possibly come in from the start at Chelsea on Saturday.

The performances of Kieran Gibbs, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Theo Walcott, Lucas Perez and Danny Welbeck show the strength we have in depth and they all have plenty to offer for the rest of the season. Chamberlain and Ainsley Maitland-Niles performed really well in the centre of midfield on Saturday and gave us some options considering Cazorla's injury, Granit Xhaka's suspension and Mohamed Elneny's international commitments at the moment. I would be very surprised if we didn't see Francis Coquelin and Aaron Ramsey line up in those roles tonight though and probably on Saturday too.

Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil will surely return too with Olivier Giroud leading the line and Laurent Koscielny, Petr Cech and Nacho Monreal certain starters too. That just leaves Alex Iwobi to make up the 11 and while there is definitely a case for Walcott or Welbeck getting the nod after Saturday's performances, but they probably needed to be eased back in after their respective injuries and their past injury records too.

Watford are there for the beating and nothing but three points will do tonight. I could say we should look to Alexis after he only came off the bench on Saturday, but I doubt if he ever needs a rest. I think we will win and I hope we win well too ahead of a huge game on Saturday.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Trip To Bournemouth Previewed

It's been just over 48 hours since Arsenal last played, but the festive TV schedule dictates that they must play again tonight. They travel to the south coast to play a Bournemouth team who have had an extra 24 hours to recover after they played at Swansea on Saturday and they will hope to get some advantage from that. It's not easy to know what advantage they might gain, but Arsene Wenger has to be wary of fatigue in his players and will probably make a few changes. 

He also has to be conscious of the need to close the gap on Chelsea and that Arsenal would close that gap to six points with a win tonight. Chelsea don't play until tomorrow night and they will equal Arsenal's record of 14 consecutive Premier League wins if they beat Spurs. I'm sure Spurs will have no will to keep an Arsenal record intact, but equally they will want to win their way back into the top four after City pushed them back to fifth place yesterday.

Things are tightening up behind Chelsea with Liverpool only drawing at Sunderland and United winning again and Arsenal need to do their part tonight. The defeats at Everton and City before Christmas were huge blows to their title ambitions, but the chance to possibly gain some ground on Chelsea tonight just cannot be passed up. They play away to Chelsea early next month and they need to keep them within touching distance before that game comes around.

Bournemouth are no pushovers though as they showed when they came from 3-1 down at home to Liverpool to win 4-3. Arsenal cannot let them get a foothold in the game tonight and they need to be ruthless with the chances which Bournemouth will give up. They can be good going forward, but they have real issues in defence and Arsenal need to take advantage of them.

The absence of Arsenal loanee Jack Wilshere will be  a blow for Bournemouth and that absence should hopefully help Arsenal to gain a grip of the game in midfield. When they came to the Emirates not so long ago Bournemouth played well and the 3-1 score line was a little flattering for Arsenal. A similar result tonight would be more than acceptable and any win will do for me.

I can't see Alexis Sanchez sitting this one out or any other game for that matter if he has anything to do with it. I would be surprised to see Olivier Giroud miss out too as fatigue cannot be a factor for a player who has hardly started a game so far this season. There are a few others too who should be good too good with defenders usually having a little less to recover from than their attacking counterparts.

We could see Shkodran Mustafi make a return, but I think Gabriel Paulista might just keep his place. Mustafi still hasn't lost a game in an Arsenal shirt and I think he is our best option alongside Laurent Koscielny in central defence, but he might have to wait a little while before ousting Gabriel from the team. Otherwise there's the possibility of switching Kieran Gibbs for Nacho Monreal in defence too, but again I don't think it will happen after Gibbs picked up a knock a couple of games ago. 

Elsewhere in the team I wouldn't at all be surprised to see Francis Coquelin, Aaron Ramsey and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain get a chance to play from the start. With rotation needed the three of them should be more than capable of playing, but I imagine Mesut Ozil and Theo Walcott will still be short and Danny Welbeck and Per Mertesacker will need a little longer before they make their comebacks. It's still a pretty strong team though and certainly strong enough to take the three points.

The defensive situation has at least improved in the last two games with consecutive clean sheets, but I'm still a little worried about the lack of chances being created and goals scored at the moment. It looked to have improved against Bournemouth and West Ham, but things haven't been too good in that department for too long now. If we're going to really challenge for the league (which I doubt) we will need to find a ruthless streak. At the moment that ruthless streak is missing, but a comprehensive win tonight could be just what the doctor ordered to get things further back on track.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Trip To Manchester City Previewed

This week hasn't gone too well so far for Arsenal with a 2-1 defeat at Everton on Tuesday night. That defeat saw them fall six points behind Chelsea at the top of the league and Chelsea increased the lead to nine points when they won their 11th game in a row at Palace yesterday. To make matters worse for Arsenal they led at Everton, but Everton upped the ante after the break and Arsenal struggled. It was Arsenal's first defeat since the opening game and the 14 games unbeaten in between still have Arsenal in a strong position. 

They face another really tough game today though when they travel north again to play Manchester City. A win against Everton might have given Arsenal some lee way in this game, but the need for three points today is pressing to say the least. It's not going to be an easy task against a City team who find themselves in a very similar position in the league table at least.

From a selection perspective I wouldn't be surprised to see Arsene Wenger play the same team which he played on Tuesday night. He has a habit of keeping faith in players after they haven't done too well and giving them another chance to impress. There were a few performances in that game which were not up to scratch and the whole team has to play better both individually and as a unit.

Of course City have had their own troubles and have gradually slipped down the table after initially winning their first five games. They have struggled at home in particular and their win against Watford on Wednesday night was their first home win in five league games. They have troubles with injuries and suspensions and any team in the world would miss the suspended Sergio Aguero.

It's hard to keep pace with Chelsea at the moment and until they make a slip that's all we can hope to do. They're closing in quickly on Arsenal's record of 14 consecutive Premier League wins which was set in 2002 when Arsenal blew everyone away and won their third double. Arsenal's points tally at the moment is better than it has been at this stage in the season for all but one of the last seven seasons.

I expect a pretty open game with both teams needing the three points and I think that might favour Arsenal. City showed how vulnerable they are to pace in their 3-1 defeat at home to Chelsea and that has to be the route for Arsenal. Chelsea took them apart on the break even when City were winning and Arsenal have to take those opportunities when they get them.

All too often against Everton the wrong ball was played as Arsenal attempted to break and they allowed Everton to pile the pressure on. The right use of the ball today and correct choice of pass could and should see players like Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain use their pace to get behind the City defence and through on a keeper who has struggled at this level.

Of course Arsenal have their defensive issues too and it's been far too long since they kept a clean sheet. The left side of our defence seems to be targeted game after game by the opposition and Nacho Monreal will need help from Chamberlain if he is the one who plays wide right. The team have to defend better as a team though which means every player has to know his job and make sure he does it from first minute to last.

I still think our biggest problem is Santi Cazorla's continued absence and our inability to set the pace and control a game without him. He's not going to be back for quite a while though and the rest of the team have to step up in his absence. With Mohamed Elneny off on international duty in January the emphasis is on the partnership between Granit Xhaka and Francis Coquelin and those two need to assert more authority on the game.

I think City are there for the taking and with the right attitude and game plan we can go out there and do just that. A defeat would leave us in fourth and nine points behind City with Spurs and United closing closely behind us. A win would put us second for today at least and third at worst depending on how Liverpool do at Everton tomorrow night. The difference between those two results is vast in terms of where we will be going into a very busy Christmas programme. 

I hope we can play our own game and put enough pressure on their defence to make the chances we need. I would be surprised if either team keeps a clean sheet, but I think we have the players who can punish a dodgy City defence. I think it will be a very close affair and it might just take a moment of magic to decide it and surely in Alexis we have the player most likely to do just that.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal v Spurs Preview

Things are going very well for Arsenal at the moment as they sit level with the leaders in the Premier League and have already qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League with two group games to spare. They are unbeaten since losing at home to Liverpool on the opening day with an understrength team and their usual injury curse hasn't kicked in yet even if there are a few players out. The pressure is about to ratchet up considerably though and that starts with tomorrow's game at home to Spurs.

On the face of it 23 points from 10 league games is a very good return, but we have to remember that Arsenal have had a very good run of away games so far. They drew at last season's champions Leicester, but the other four teams they have beaten are hardly world beaters. Hull, Burnley and Sunderland will all be very happy just to avoid the drop while Watford would probably be quite happy to finish comfortably in mid-table. When it came to the crunch last season we had a much tougher set of away fixtures in the second half of the season. 

On the other hand we have already dropped three points at home to Liverpool and struggling Middlesbrough managed to get a point at the Emirates too. We only just scraped past both Swansea and Southampton and our only convincing home display was when we beat Chelsea 3-0. As good as we might think we are there's an awful lot more work to do to stay in the title race.

We still have to visit every single one of the teams who will be challenging for the title while after tomorrow we will have played three of them at home. If we're going to keep pace at the top and build the confidence needed to mount a serious challenge I think nothing less than three points against Spurs is a necessity. We have looked very vulnerable in defence far too often this season and we're up against a Spurs team who have the best defensive record in the league.

We cannot defend like we did at home to Swansea and Liverpool or away to Ludogorets and PSG and expect not to pay a price for it. Spurs might be struggling to score goals, but they are the only unbeaten team in the league and we will have to be at our best from first minute to last to get the upper hand. We certainly have the flair players to cause any team real trouble and Arsene Wenger has to pick the right team to get about Spurs and beat them.

I'm hoping Santi Cazorla and Hector Bellerin will return from injury in time to play as they are both very important to our tempo in a game. Up front I think Alexis Sanchez must start as the central striker with Theo Walcott (if he's fit) and Alex Iwobi either side of him with Olivier Giroud as an option from the bench if needed. Who plays alongside Cazorla (if he's fit) is the big question and I think I might just prefer to see Mohamed Elneny get the nod.

I know it's probably a straight call between Francis Coquelin and Granit Xhaka, but I would be worried about the ability of either of them to last the 90 minutes without getting a red card. Maybe Coquelin will start and be replaced by Xhaka for the final 30 minutes and that might just rid us of the fear of a red card. It's going to be a very competitive game in midfield with tackles flying in and we need to insure we have the full compliment for the full game.

Since beating City a while back Spurs haven't won a game or scored a goal from open play. They will possibly have Harry Kane back from injury, but he will hardly be match fit and their confidence will not be high. Leverkusen showed on Wednesday night that they will make defensive mistakes if they are closed down and that's something we need to do.

I don't think for one second that Spurs have the ability or the mental strength to go through a whole season unbeaten as Arsenal did in 2003/04. It would be very nice if we could be the ones to end their unbeaten start to the season and maintain our sole Invincible status yet again. Of course we have so many reasons to want to beat them and yet another one is for us to go top of the league after City failed to beat Middlesbrough.

Spurs are going through a slump and will be vulnerable and there is no better time to put them in their place. In Mesut Ozil and Sanchez we have two players who should be the envy of every Premier League club and I think they will be the difference come full time. I'm hoping for a perfect day for Arsenal which will see us put Spurs in their rightful place (our shadow) and see us go top of the league before the international break too.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal v Reading: EFL Cup Preview

After the disappointment of only managing a 0-0 draw at home to Middlesbrough on Saturday it's EFL Cup action for Arsenal tomorrow night when they play at home to Reading. As competitions go the EFL Cup is at the bottom of the list of priorities, but that can change as the team progresses through the rounds. They had a comprehensive victory away to Championship side Forest in the last round and they play at home to another Championship side in this round.

The prize for the winner is a place in the quarter finals and it's at that stage that Arsene Wenger might just decide to show a little more interest in the competition. For the moment though it's a chance for the fringe players and reserves to get a run and show what they can do. It means we should see more or less all of the bench from Saturday get a run and a few of them will hopefully take the opportunity to impress.

At the moment I think there could quite easily be a case for Kieran Gibbs winning back his first team place as Nacho Monreal has struggled. If Gibbs can put in a good performance against Reading then he must surely have a chance of keeping his place against Sunderland next Saturday. It looks like the other full back will be Carl Jenkinson who will be making his return after a long term injury. It's good to see him back and it means he will be the back up for Hector Bellerin should the case arise as Mathieu Debuchy seems to be "persona nor grata".

We should also see both Rob Holding and Gabriel Paulista play in central defence and they are two more players who will be eager to make an impression. Holding did well when we had no option other than to play him at the start of the season, but the arrival of Shkodran Mustafi meant he became surplus to requirements in the first choice 11. He's most definitely one for the future though and the early signs are we might have got a real bargain when we signed him from Bolton.

Gabriel missed out on his chance to impress at the start of the season when he picked up an injury and the arrival of Mustafi has seen his chances severely limited too. He would be regarded as the next best option at the moment if either Laurent Koscielny or Mustafi were injured or suspended and the game must surely do him some good. I had very high hopes for him when he arrived at the club, but he hasn't progressed as much as we would have hoped and the form of Mustafi since his arrival won't have done his chances much good.

With Petr Cech taking preference in goal in league games and David Ospina playing in the Champions League we should see Emiliano Martinez get a game. He played in the last round and kept a clean sheet even if he didn't have an awful lot to do. He's another one for the future and it's good to see him get a chance like so many others.

In midfield I think we might see the same combination which we saw against Boro on Saturday with Santi Cazorla slightly injured and Granit Xhaka still suspended. It's another chance for Francis Coquelin to stake a claim for a more permanent place in the team while Mohamed Elneny must surely be glad of another chance to play. He's a player who seems to have dropped back in the pecking order despite impressing so much after he joined last January.

From what the boss has said we will also see Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Alex Iwobi, Jeff Reine-Adelaide and Lucas Perez in the team and that might just make up the starting 11. There's a chance of Chamberlain dropping back to play alongside Elneny or Coquelin which would possibly see Chuba Akpom play as the central striker, but I think Lucas will be the man to play there. Ainsley Maitland-Niles played in defence in the last round, but he might have to sit on the bench tonight even though he took up that position on Saturday too.

It seems Olivier Giroud might be fit to return too, but I imagine he will be on the bench to start at least. We could have done with his attributes on Saturday when we couldn't find a way through the Boro defence and it will be good to see him back in the fold. I've criticised him often enough in the past, but he still has plenty to offer the team.

All in all it's a fairly strong team with a fair deal of youth and some experience too and they have every chance of progressing. I think Reading will give us a much closer run than Forest did in the last round, but a place in the last eight is certainly attainable. It's a competition the boss has never won, but I don't think he should be overly bothered about it.

Given a choice between progressing to the next round and winning at Sunderland on Saturday I know what I would opt for and I have no doubt he would choose the same. Of course there's no reason why we can't win both games and line up a quarter final game as well as keeping pace with the teams at the top of the table. If things don't go our way tomorrow night I won't be overly concerned and it won't be a huge cause for celebration if we make the last eight either.

Of course I want the team to win and continue their unbeaten run in all competitions which stretches back to the second game of the season. A few impressive performances from players looking to get more first team game time wouldn't go astray either and that's certainly something we should be expecting. The most important thing though is for all the players to come through unscathed. I predicted a win on Saturday so I'll keep my predictions to myself this time.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal v Middlesbrough Preview And Confirmed Arsenal Lineup

Arsenal just can't stop winning at the moment and that's a pretty handy habit to have. They have won their last six league games to move level on points with City at the top of the table with a couple of favourable games to come before the pressure of some bigger games. They play Middlesbrough at home today and then next Saturday they travel to Sunderland and six points can and should be attained from those two games.

If they can go into the games against Spurs and United on the back of eight consecutive wins it will give them plenty of confidence as well as a little bit of a cushion in case things don't go their way. I'm not saying I think they will lose those games, but they tend to be very close affairs and sometimes the outcome can be decided by matters which cannot be controlled. If they win the games against Boro and Sunderland I would in fact be very confident of them taking at least four points from the games against Spurs and United which would be more than acceptable.

Of course other factors will come into play too such as an EFL Cup game, a Champions League game and a dreaded international break. The squad still hasn't been affected too badly by injuries, but we have Aaron Ramsey, Olivier Giroud, Per Mertesacker and Danny Welbeck among others who are currently unavailable. While we can do without further injuries we are coping very well without those four players and the available squad still has plenty of depth.

The league season is very long and always has it's twists and turns, but I haven't seen anything yet to suggest there is any team who Arsenal cannot match in a head to head situation or over the entire season either. The problems could come if or when results go against them and they ability to overcome a couple of bad results in the past leaves them open to questions on how they might cope this season. We are constantly told of the team's mental strength and we will see if there is any truth in it at some stage I have no doubt.

As for Boro there is very little expected of them today after an awful run of results has seen them take only one point from their last five games. They will take some encouragement from Swansea running Arsenal close last week though and of course Arsenal had to play a midweek game too. Watching Arsenal destroy Ludogorets 6-0 on Wednesday night won't have done Boro's confidence too much good, but they won't be easy to break down. 

They have done better on their travels than they have at home and they will follow the tried and trusted method away to Arsenal of shutting up shop and looking for something on the break or from a set piece. It's the sort of game Arsenal struggle in sometimes, but I think the attacking flair currently on show from Arsenal will be too much for Boro.

The team is almost the same as it was last Saturday with the exception of a change in the midfield duo. Granit Xhaka missed out after his red card against Swansea of course and it looks like Santi Cazorla hasn't recovered in time from the knock he picked up in midweek. They are replaced by Francis Coquelin and Mohamed Elneny who will both be eager to take the chance to show what they can do.

Coquelin in particular will hope to move ahead of Xhaka in the pecking order again after losing his place due to injury. Elneny will do well to oust a fully fit Cazorla from the team, but he is certainly a more than capable replacement today. It will be interesting to see how they work together with Coquelin doing most of the tackling and Elneny trying to set the tempo for the team.

It's still a team who are on paper far too good for Boro and should be looking to win by a couple of goals at least. If players like Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Theo Walcott can continue to terrorize defenders Boro will be in for s very busy afternoon. I think they will do just that and get their seventh league win on the bounce.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal v Ludogorets Preview And Confirmed Arsenal Lineup

It's Champions League action for Arsenal again tonight when Ludogorets come calling. As the group stands it's nicely set up for Arsenal and PSG to qualify for the knockout stages as long as they can win home and away against Ludogorets and Basel respectively. If both of them do the double they will be through and it will be just a matter of who finishes on top of the group.

I'm certainly not dismissing the challenge posed by either Ludogorets or Basel, but teams with the quality of Arsenal and PSG should be overcoming them without too much difficulty. Arsenal had too much for Basel a few weeks ago and should have beaten them by more than two goals and it should be the same case tonight. Arsenal's biggest enemy could well be themselves as they showed against Swansea last Saturday.

In that game they were 2-0 up and looking quite comfortable when they inexcusably went to sleep. Swansea came back into the game before Arsenal restored their two goal lead and then made the very same mistake again. They just about managed to get away with a 3-2 win, but they could easily have ended up sharing the points.

The most worrying aspects for me were the roasting Nacho Monreal took in the second half in particular and the lapses from Granit Xhaka. Despite Monreal being seen as in the best form of his career I really am not too sure that he is as good as he's perceived. As for Xhaka I'm sure he still needs more time to adapt to English football and Saturday will have been a real learning experience for him.

What Arsenal need to do today is keep their concentration from first minute to last and maybe put away a few more of the very good chances which come their way. I would be very surprised if they didn't win by at least two goals, but the players can't go into the game with that attitude. They need to approach it as seriously as they did the game against Basel and do everything in their power to move into a really healthy position in the group.

When it comes to the crunch in the group it could come down to how Arsenal and PSG do against the other two teams and Arsenal have the chance to put down a marker tonight. I have no doubt that the return trip to Bulgaria will be a tougher task, but Arsenal need to hammer home their advantage on their own ground. 

Arsene Wenger has gone with four changes from the team which started against Swansea. David Ospina continues in goal for the Champions League games and who could deny him his place after his heroics in the 1-1 draw in Paris. I haven't been his biggest fan, but he more than proved his worth and his value as a top class reserve keeper in that game.

In defence Kieran Gibbs comes in for Monreal and you can't deny that he deserves a chance. As I said already I'm a little worried about Monreal and it has to be good to see how Gibbs will perform. He has been a perfect professional in his attitude to bring out of the team for so long now and he always gives his all when he gets a chance.

In midfield Francis Coquelin comes in for Xhaka as he makes his return from injury. The boss is very fond of his partnership with Santi Cazorla and I assume Coquelin could do with some game time seeming as Xhaka is now suspended for the next three domestic games. Where that leaves Mohamed Elneny is anybody's guess, but maybe that's one of the benefits of having a strong squad.

The final change is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain coming in for Alex Iwobi and he's a player with something to prove. I thought he looked good in the few minutes he got on Saturday and hopefully he can take this chance a little better than he has done with others in the last while. There's no doubting his talent and it's hard to know where it all goes wrong for him all too often.

It's certainly a strong enough team to do what needs to be done tonight and I think they will do just that. Hopefully they will be a lot more focused than they were on Saturday and take the good chances that come their way. I think they will win by at least two goals and if they can keep up the pressure from first to last minute maybe even more.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal v Swansea City Preview

The Premier League returns tomorrow and Arsenal play at home to Swansea at the traditional time of 3pm on a Saturday afternoon.  It's fairly rare for Arsenal to play at 3 on a Saturday because more often than not their game is moved to facilitate TV. The fact this game hasn't been moved gives us an idea about the opposition and how Arsenal are expected to beat them.

Arsenal are rarely shown on TV at home to the Premier League's lesser lights, but their away games against them are quite regularly scheduled for screening. I suppose the bigger teams are more likely to lose these games on their travels and of course that's what everybody bar the supporters of the losing team wants to see. It might explain why the home game against Middlesbrough next week is a 3pm kick off too, but the trip to Sunderland the following week will be on TV at the earlier time of 12.30.

On the face of it they are three games against struggling teams where Arsenal should be taking all nine points. Swansea have proved a stumbling block in the past while both Boro and Sunderland will try to repel Arsenal, but three wins really are a must if the team are going to challenge for the league. After those games the fixtures get decidedly tougher and it would be great to go into games against Spurs and United on a run of eight consecutive league wins.

As it is that run stands at five wins and the slow start in the opening two games is a distant memory. With City losing to Spurs it has become very tight at the top of the table and Arsenal are only two points behind them. There's a long way to go, but it certainly looks promising at the moment.

From a team selection point there won't be too many changes from the team who just about won away to Burnley last time out. Francis Coquelin is fit to return after picking up a knock in the 3-0 win over Chelsea, but I think Granit Xhaka will keep his place. It doesn't look like we have picked up any injuries in the international break, but there may be one or two players who need to start from the bench after their exertions for their countries.

Alexis Sanchez is the player most likely to miss out having played for Chile away to Peru on Wednesday night. The time difference and flight back would have seen him return on Friday I imagine and it probably makes sense for him to be on the bench to start. He did mange to score twice in that game in a 4-3 win and there aren't too many options in his central striking role.

With Olivier Giroud still injured and Lucas Perez not quite back to full fitness we could see Theo Walcott deployed in that position. Walcott has done very well so far this season on the right and hopefully he can continue that form if he has to play centrally. Alexis suffered from being overplayed last season and we can't allow that to happen again this season. Hopefully he won't have to come on to rescue us and we can get the job done without him.

Arsenal have had their problems at home to teams who shut up shop and no doubt Swansea will try to do just that. They have a very good record at the Emirates with 10 points from their five games there since their promotion to the Premier League. It's been a nightmare to watch Arsenal at home to them in the main and it's something we have to put right.

It took a long time to break Burnley down in the last game and we were more than a little lucky to sneak a win in the end. We might need to be patient and we might have to bide our time, but getting the three points is absolutely vital. A little bit of revenge for all the points Swansea have taken at our ground would be nice and I think we will get it, but it won't be easy.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Go From One Extreme To Another

After last week's 4-3 defeat at home to Liverpool I complained of Arsenal's defensive deficiencies and I was more than a little surprised that the makeshift attack managed to score three goals. That attack improved when Santi Cazorla and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain came on and I hoped their inclusions for the injured Aaron Ramsey and Alex Iwobi would be a good thing. The other changes against Leicester were not enforced by injuries with Laurent Koscielny and Granit Xhaka coming in for Calum Chambers and Mohamed Elneny.

From a defensive point of view it was a much better performance after the horror show against Liverpool and the return of Koscielny was the main factor in that improvement. With Per Mertesacker and Gabriel Paulista injured his return was a real boost to the team and they managed to keep Leicester at bay for most of the game. Unfortunately the defensive improvement was matched by a complete lack of creativity at the other end.

Quite often after Arsenal have shipped too many goals they become more defensive as a team and they end up struggling to score goals. We all thought Liverpool looked so good against us, but their 2-0 defeat at Burnley puts our defeat to them in a different light. We scored three goals against Liverpool because they appear to be even worse in defence than we are and a reasonable Leicester defence were rarely troubled by Arsenal.

Things did improve when Mesut Ozil came on and his inclusion from the start can only make us much stronger in attack. We still haven't signed the striker he deserves to compliment the most creative player in world football and I can only imagine that he feels the same frustration that us fans do too. There's still just over a week to go before the transfer window closes and the likleyhood of that much fabled striker arriving decreases by the day.

For me the experiment of playing Alexis Sanchez as the central striker just isn't working and he has to be moved back to a wide role. Our striking problems cannot be cured from within as far as I can see it and we need to spend some of the lovely lolly we are stock piling. The only actual striker we have available besides Olivier Giroud is Chuba Akpom and it's pretty clear he's not going to get much of a chance. I can only imagine Arsene Wenger doesn't fancy him in that role because he has been prepared to put the even less experienced Rob Holding in for both games so far. 

We are still waiting to see the Xhaka and Elneny partnership in midfield and again it's hard to understand why they aren't getting a chance together. Even when Francis Coquelin was running a very thin line on Saturday it was Xhaka who ended up making way in midfield. I'm sure the boss thinks he owes some sort of loyalty to Coquelin, but there has to come a time when we get to see the Xhaka and Elbeny partnership take root.

One point from the first two games is not a good return, but the calibre of the opposition was always going to make those games less than easy. The game next Saturday is away to Watford and it will be followed by an international break and it's a game we just have to win. If we can't beat Watford and go into a two week break without a win I can only imagine the reaction of some fans on social media in particular. It will certainly be a stronger Arsenal team in that gave and a lot closer to our best team and for me anything less than three points will be nothing short of a disaster.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.