Is A Top Four Finish Beyond Arsenal

With Sunday's 2-0 defeat at Spurs still fresh in our minds it's hard to imagine that Arsenal still have any hopes of a top four finish. Before the defeat to Spurs their fate was in their own hands with six wins from their final six games guaranteeing them that coveted top four finish. That defeat has lessened their chances, but not by too much with both City and United drawing on Sunday and Liverpool winning on Monday night.

It's not going to be easy to catch Liverpool now, but City and United are both still well within Arsenal's sights and we only need to overhaul two of the three of them to finish in the top four. A win against United on Sunday would put us two points behind them with a game in hand and then we would just need someone to beat City to give us a chance of catching them. On paper it all looks very plausible, but the part that looks the most unlikely of all is Arsenal winning their games.

Even if we beat a United team who are really struggling with a hectic schedule at the moment we still have trips to both Southampton and Stoke to come as well as home games against Sunderland and Everton. Whatever about beating Sunderland I would have my doubts about us taking three points at home to Everton on the final day of the league season if we get that far still in contention. The spanner in the works has to be the trips to Southampton and Stoke though when you consider our current away form and our away form against the rest of teams in the top half of the table.

The defeat against Spurs summed up how Arsenal have played since the turn of the year with a performance of no heart and very little in the line of tactics too. It's become too easy to beat Arsenal with five defeats in their last six away games and Arsene Wenger is incapable of stopping the rot. The switch to a back three was dumped as soon as Spurs went two up and we ended up playing the game with no real shape at all.

I'm not sure what Rob Holding did to lose favour after the semi final defeat of City, but Gabriel Paulista reverted to type against Spurs and Nacho Monreal was bizarrely deployed as a central defender. I really thought Gabriel had a great game against City when he was called upon to do some very good last ditch defending, but he had one of his worst games in an Arsenal shirt against Spurs. He wasn't the only player to have a stinker, but he was probably the worst of the lot.

He gave possession away so frequently that it was almost laughable, but again he wasn't the only one to do so with Alexis Sanchez losing possession even more than he usually does too. I'm a huge fan of Alexis, but it's difficult to understand exactly how so many of his passes go astray so often. The manager seems to be confident of Alexis staying next season, but I would be shocked if he didn't get out of dodge as quickly as possible once the season is over.

I've heard it said that we have struggled since Santi Cazorla's injury and it's hard to deny it, but surely we can't be so one dimensional that we could not cope without him. There is no cohesion in the team though and nobody to set the pace of our game and bring the ball out from the back with any real quality. I thought we should have re-signed Cesc Fabregas when Barcelona decided to sell him a few seasons ago and he might have been the player to fill that role. At the time the manager said we didn't need him because we had Mesut Ozil, but surely we could have found a place in the team for a player of his quality.

I didn't understand the decision to play Olivier Giroud on Sunday against Spurs as he just doesn't suit the football we are trying to play. We have needed a striker with genuine pace for far too long now and that's something Giroud has never had and never will have. Our attacking options are so limited with him leading the line even if he has managed a pretty good goals per minute ratio when he does play.

Back to the question I asked at the start and Arsenal's chances of a top four finish this season. On paper it's still a possibility of course, but in reality it's just not going to happen. There's still an FA Cup Final to come of course, but it would take a brave man to predict anything other than a defeat for Arsenal in that game. I just can't see any way these players can turn things around and have any chance of beating a good team unless we get as lucky as we did in the semi final against City.

Despite the team having virtually no clue what to do when they're playing we are still no nearer to knowing what will happen with the manager. We were told there would be an answer before the end of March if I'm not mistaken and yet here we are in May and we still have no idea what will happen. I made my mind up on what I think the club need to do a long time ago, but it appears there is nobody capable of making the decision one way or the other.

Any way you look at it there is no case for him keeping his job. If you subscribe to the opinion that the players have let him down then how does he get those players back on board. They're his players and they're playing the way he wants them to play, but it just isn't working.

Sure the board are as useless as an ashtray on a motorbike, but nothing is going to change at that level no matter what us fans might want. We need a young manager with new ideas who can motivate the players and get them to give their all for a manager and a system they believe in. I suggested Marco Silva of Hull on Twitter a couple of days ago and got laughed at, but I would honestly take him over Arsene Wenger right now.

His record as a manager has been very good in the almost six years he has managed and he hasn't lost a home game in some ridiculous amount of time like four years I think. He gets his ideals through to his players and he has changed the fortunes of every club he has managed very quickly. The players seem to take to him and play the way he wants and it gets results.

It would be a big step up for him and he has never stayed anywhere for long which suggests he might not be the easiest man to get along with either. It would be a huge gamble to go with a man like him, but it can't be more of a gamble than it would be to go with the status quo. We need to shake things up in a big way and someone coming in from outfield like Silva might just do that.

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.

Arsenal Throw The Towel In Against Bayern Munich

Well that wasn't exactly very good was it. We feared the worst at home to Bayern Munich last night and after some initial hope in the first half Arsenal delivered on those fears in a big way. We ended up on the end of a 10-2 aggregate drubbing and it's hard to believe it wasn't deserved. 

The team selection at least gave some promise, but Danny Welbeck's injury in the warm up meant Olivier Giroud had to be drafted into the starting team. Bayern are vulnerable to pace as Theo Walcott showed last night, but that's one thing Giroud completely lacks. The first half went our way though and Walcott took his goal very well even if Bayern did give us a couple of scares.

I held out no real hope of Arsenal getting the other three goals they needed in the second half, but a similar performance to the first half would have at least been sufficient. They did all that could be asked of them in that first half and played with the pride, passion and the aggression which has been missing too often recently.

At the start of the second half Giroud came close with a header before things went badly awry. The referee had let Vidal off with an awful challenge on Alexis in the first half for which he could have seen red and turned down a penalty appeal for a foul on Walcott too. He had let Bayern away with a few fouls which didn't endear him to us Arsenal fans and then he changed the course of the game.

Laurent Koscielny was adjudged to have fouled Lewandowski in the box and the referee gave a penalty and a yellow card which looked about right to me. However, he was over ruled by the official behind the goal who informed his that Koscielny should be sent off. He duly obliged and when Lewandoski dispatched the penalty it had to become a damage limitation exercise for Arsenal.

With 10 men left on the pitch and a four goal deficit to overturn against a team like Bayern there was no hope, but Arsenal weren't to be told. The first mistake was dropping Granit Xhaka back into defence to replace Koscielny while Gabriel Paulista stayed on the bench. Xhaka had done well in midfield in the first half, but it was a ridiculous decision to put him back into the defence.

After that the 10 men tried to play an even more open and attacking game than they had done in the first half and Bayern just picked them off at will. It reminded me of the 8-2 defeat at United a few years ago where we continued to try to attack them as they scored goal after goal. The manager doesn't seem to comprehend what damage limitation is or what results like that do to us fans.

No matter what he says he cannot feel what we do or he would have the sense to realise when it's time to shut up shop and stop the pain. I called for his head after that game or at least said he had to consider his position and he has to do that now too. I don't even think it's a case of considering his position as I think it has become untenable at this stage.

The funny thing about the two games against Bayern is we won them 2-1 with Koscielny on the pitch and lost 9-0 without him. It's a record home defeat in Europe as well as a record aggregate defeat added to the joint record away defeat in the first leg. How anyone could consider any of that progress I just don't know and yet we're meant to be able to complete with the best.

Maybe the manager managed to inspire his players in the first half last night, but when the chips were down he not only couldn't inspire them, but he got it completely wrong tactically. We have lost five of our last seven games and conceded 18 goals in those five defeats. The only wins in that run were a lucky one at home to Hull and an FA Cup win against a non league team.

It's just not good enough and we have the banana skin of another non league team in the next round of the FA Cup this week to look forward to. We should beat them by five or six goals at a canter, but I genuinely fear we could be on the end of possibly the biggest FA Cup upset ever. As a club we are going nowhere and nowhere fast too.

If the manager cannot inspire his players and is so tactically inept we need to find someone who can do the job better than him. We need a complete change and quickly too or we will have nothing left to play for in a matter of weeks. I know we won't even consider a new manager until the season ends, but I think he has to make his intentions known immediately for the good of the club and the fans.

I hope he has decided he's not the right man for the job and will let us all know soon, but I doubt it. I think we will stumble along until the end of the season without a trophy, outside the top four and behind Spurs too. After all the proud work of his 20 years at the club it would be awful for it to end like that, but it's the most likely scenario for me at this stage.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Should Arsenal Switch To A Back Three

An awful lot has been made of Chelsea's surge to the top of the Premier League since they switched from a flat back four to five at the back (or three, depending on how you see it). On the day it actually happened Arsenal handed them a 3-0 beating and it gave Antonio Conte the impetus he needed to switch to his preferred formation. They haven't looked back since then with 15 wins in 16 league games and clean sheets in 12 of those games.

There's been more than a suggestion from a few quarters that Arsenal should adopt a similar formation and I'll do my best to judge it's merits and pitfalls from an Arsenal perspective. I suppose it comes down to a few factors such as whether we have the players to fit the formation in both attack and defence and whether our coaching staff have the tactical nous to get the players ready for this possible new formation. 

From a defensive perspective I think we might well have three central defenders to fit the mould in Laurent Koscielny, Shkodran Mustafi and Gabriel Paulista. Gabriel has done well in the defensive part of the game while covering for the injured Hector Bellerin at right back recently and he actually looks sounder there than he has done in a central position. He might not have the attacking instincts or capabilities of Bellerin, but the right side of three central defenders might just be the ideal position for him.

With Gabriel on the right the obvious choice on the left would have to be Koscielny who is by far our best central defender and one of the best in the league too. He already plays on the left of the two central defenders and has shown he can play at left back if required. His ability to shift to the left when the left back is found wanting is a great part of his game and I have no doubt he would cope perfectly well on the left side of a central defensive trio.

That would leave Mustafi in the centre and he's probably the one I'm most worried about of the three. If he was to get isolated I think he could struggle without Koscielny right beside him to bail him out. Arsenal have still to lose a game with him in the team though and he has looked very good since he signed in the summer, but he still has a way to go to reach Koscielny's level.

The back ups for those three would be Per Mertesacker, Rob Holding and Nacho Monreal. While those three might not set the world alight one of them at a time would still fit easily enough into the system. I know Monreal is a left back more than a central defender, but he did very well in the centre of defence when the team needed him to play there during one of the numerous injury crisisies. Holding is still one for the future, but from what I have seen so far he's very promising and hopefully Mertesacker will still have something to offer when he returns from his long injury absence shortly.

For me the wing backs would have to be Bellerin and Kieran Gibbs. Bellerin is a no brainer, but I think Gibbs would offer more in attack than Monreal and wing backs need to be able to offer a lot at the other end. Of course Monreal would be the cover for Gibbs, but it's hard to see who could fill that role on the other side which creates a bit of a problem. Do we look at the returning Mathieu Debuchey or maybe Ainsley Maitland-Niles. I don't think Debuchey even wants to be at the club and it's probably too early for Maitland-Niles to make the step up.

The only other options might be Theo Walcott or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, but I'm not so sure about either of them. At a push I would say Chamberlain would be the better option and I suppose if Victor Moses can do it at Chelsea then why can't Chamberlain do it at Arsenal. 

In midfield we would need two holding players and we have plenty to choose from. Granit Xhaka is the obvious choice if he can curb his natural instinct to get himself sent off and he could be accompanied by Francis Coquelin or Mohamed Elneny. If we were playing a more attack minded formation there's the option of Aaron Ramsey or Santi Cazorla (if he can get over his current injury) and both of them could certainly bring a lot to the team at the right time.

That would only leave three other players and two of them would have to be Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil. The problem for me would be who would lead the line. Both Alexis and Ozil might have more freedom in this formation, but they would need a central striker who's more mobile than Olivier Giroud and that could be a problem. Maybe Danny Welbeck (if he can stay fit) would fit the bill or possibly even Walcott or Lucas Perez. 

It's certainly a formation which should be at least considered, but I'm not sure it would leave enough attacking players in the team. I know it's working very well for Chelsea at the moment, but they have different personnel to us and a manager who is so familiar with the formation. I'm not sure it would make us any stronger at the back and I would be pretty sure we would lose some of our attacking prowess too.

For me the "five man back four" (as Johnny Giles once called it) is probably something not best suited to Arsenal, but it does bring back some good memories. If I'm not mistaken Arsenal started a certain game on May 26th 1989 with that formation and that ended pretty well even if they did switch to four at the back as they pushed for the all important second goal towards the end of the game. I don't think it's something we're going to see too soon though and the chances of Arsene Wenger changing are few and far between.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal v Burnley Preview

Arsenal play at home to Burnley today in a game which gives them the chance to climb to second in the table. Yesterday's results went very well for Arsenal with Liverpool losing while Spurs, City and United all drew. Those slips mean Arsenal can go one point above Spurs in second place and five points behind Chelsea before the league leaders play Hull later in the day.

I don't hold out much hope of Hull getting anything from Chelsea which would see them maintain their eight point lead over Arsenal as long as Arsenal beat Burnley. On the face of it Arsenal should have few problems against the team with the worst away record in the league and a team who have only scored three goals in their nine away games. Of course things are rarely that easy in football and I expect Burnley to do all they can to keep Arsenal at bay.

Arsene Wenger is unlikely to make too many changes to the team which won 4-0 at Swansea last week and maybe Swansea's win at Liverpool yesterday puts a little more perspective on that result last week. Hector Bellerin, Francis Coquelin and Kieran Gibbs all return to the squad and all three could genuinely hope to play from the start, but I think Bellerin will probably be the only change made. Gabriel Paulista has looked better defensively at right back than he has done in the centre, but Bellerin's attacking prowess could be very useful today.

I expect Burnley to sit deep, tackle hard and hope to get something on the break or from a set piece. Arsenal won 1-0 away to them earlier in the season with a last gasp goal that never should have stood as Burnley put up s very good performance. Their home form is right up there with the best teams in the league, but they are a different team on their travels.

It could well be another game where Arsenal have to be patient and then need to push home their advantage if they do take the lead. Far too often for my liking the intensity from Arsenal has dropped off after they have taken the lead and their opponents have got back into the game. It nearly happened at Swansea last week, but the second half display was a lot more like the performance of a team who want to challenge for the title.

I would love to see them win by a few goals and I would be very surprised if they failed to score in the game. Burnley have found goals very hard to come by away from home and you would imagine scoring more than one goal today should be enough to tie down the three points. Even if Arsenal win they will more than likely be eight points behind Chelsea and it's going to be a tough gap to close.

To be fair any team that wins 14 of 15 games is going to streak away from the opposition and Arsenal will not catch them unless things start to go wrong for Chelsea. After the FA Cup games next week Chelsea travel to Liverpool for a midweek game and it's a game every other team hoping to challenge has to want Liverpool to win. Then Arsenal travel to Chelsea the following weekend and again all logic says it's a game Arsenal need to win for their sake and the other team's sakes too.

They need to go into that game on the back of wins at home to Burnley and Watford and that starts today. They have taken 10 points from their last four games and 16 from six games would be a good way to go into that Chelsea game despite who the opposition might have been in those games. I still doubt this team's ability to do what needs to be done at the crucial stages in the season, but they at least have to go to Chelsea in a position where they can do something.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Trip To Manchester United Previewed

Arsenal haven't won away to Manchester United in far too long and they have passed up a few good chances to do so in that time. The last time they managed the feat it was Emmanuel Adebayor who got the goal and Cesc Fabregas who set him, but their stars have long since faded for Arsenal fans. In the 10 years since that 2006 victory Arsenal have drawn twice and lost seven times at Old Trafford and that run has to end some time.

Last season provided one of the best opportunities in a long time, but a poor performance on the day helped a sub standard United team to a 3-2 win. Marcus Rashford was a star born on that day as Arsenal neglected their defensive duties and enabled to score two goals and make the other one. He hasn't looked too bad since then, but he will have to do an awful lot more to become the world beater we made him look like in that game.

The draw at home to Spurs in our last game was an opportunity to go to the top of the table missed and now Arsenal have to try to keep pace with Liverpool and Chelsea who are the in form teams at the moment. On the face of it Arsenal have the best away record in the Premier League with 13 points from five games and they have the best defensive record away from home too. Those 13 points have mostly come against teams who Arsenal would be expected to beat though and a trip to Old Trafford is a completely different prospect.

From a team perspective the absences of Hector Bellerin and Santi Cazorla will be sorely felt, but at least it looks like Alexis Sanchez will be fit to play. He played for Chile on Tuesday night despite apparently carrying a hamstring injury and he scored twice too. It would seem he has come through unscathed and will be available to play which is a huge boost and we can only hope his injury doesn't come back to haunt him and us too.

The biggest question will probably be who fills in for Bellerin and Carl Jenkinson seems the most likely to get the nod. There are other options though with Gabriel Paulista being one of those mentioned as a possibility and I think Shkodran Mustafi might be an even better option. He has played as a right back before and he plays on the right side of the centre of our defence. Of the three of them I think he offers the most going forward and I think he would be defensively stronger too.

Of course if Mustafi moves to the right it would mean Gabriel would have to come in to play alongside Laurent Koscielny. The partnership between Koscielny and Mustafi is developing nicely and I don't think Gabriel is as good as Mustafi, but I would be worried to see Jenkinson in the team as I think he might struggle. Not only is he just back from a long term injury, but I'm not sure he's quite good enough to play at this level.

The rest of the team nearly picks itself at the moment whether you agree with Arsene Wenger's choices or not we all have a pretty good idea of the players he will opt for. Midfield could give him a dilemma with Aaron Ramsey, Francis Coquelin, Granit Xhaka and Mohamed Elneny all vying for the two spots available. I wouldn't be surprised to see Ramsey and Coquelin chosen, but I think the other two might be a good fit for this game. I wouldn't be unhappy to see two defensively minded players in front of the defence as there will no doubt be a battle that needs to be won in midfield.

The media is of course full of the Wenger against Mourinho aspect and our boss certainly has a bad record against United's latest manager. The world is waiting for Mourinho to fail at United and things haven't gone too well for him so far this season. It would be fantastic if we could heap even more pressure on him by winning this game and bringing him even nearer the failure I think he will be at United.

We don't want to win just to get one over on Mourinho though and the best reason for wanting to win is to show we are genuine title contenders. I'm still not sure about that myself, but three points at United would certainly improve our chances. I still think the players need more belief in themselves and this could well be the way for them to build that confidence.

Who knows how United will approach the game with that man in charge, but he will certainly set his team up in the best way he sees to win. He won't be afraid to park the bus despite being at home and they're sure to put the boot in at every opportunity as well as trying every trick in the book to try to influence the referee. Arsenal will surely know what to expect though and they need to be strong enough to deal with it.

I have no doubt the boss will send the players out to play their own game as he always does. I think it's a great opportunity to get the first win at United in 10 years and I hope the players can find a performance to really go for it. I would be happy with a jammy three points, but I would love to see the players set down a marker and get the win with a commanding performance.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's EFL Cup Game With Nottingham Forest Previewed

Arsenal stuttered at the start of the season, but they are slowly beginning to find some form. A couple of late goals put a nice 4-1 gloss on their win at Hiull on Saturday, but there's still a way to go before they are anywhere near their best. In a long season which could be anything from 50 to 60 games they've only just scratched the surface of the games they have to play.

They make the trip to Nottingham Forest tonight for a game in the least important of the four competitions they are in this season. The EFL Cup is little more than a distraction and an opportunity to give a run out to the fringe players in the first team squad. With that in mind I expect to see plenty of changes in the team to face Forest.

The only player who might return to the squad is Gabriel Paulista who has been injured since before the season began. The rest of the team should be made up of the players on the bench on Saturday and those who didn't make it to the bench. Arsenal should still be able to put out a fairly strong team though and one with every chance to progress to the next round of the competition.

The choice in goal is a straight one between David Ospina and Emilio Martinez with sense saying it should be Ospina who gets the nod. It looks like he's the first choice for our Champions League group games which might be the only reason he might sit this one out. Either way I think the goalkeeper's position is well covered.

In defence I imagine Rob Holding, Kieran Gibbs and maybe even Mathieu Debuchey will play and Gabriel too if he's fit. If Gabriel isn't quite ready to play I wouldn't be surprised to see Shkodran Mustafi play as the more games he gets the better. I've been impressed with him so far and it looks like we might finally have got the top quality central defender we need to play alongside Laurent Koscielny.

In midfield surely we have to see Granit Xhaka and Mohamed Elneny get a run out. Xhaka has had to bide his time since joining, but his time has to come and the sooner the better for me. As for Elneny he seems to have dropped even further down the line and it's difficult to understand why. Of course there are still plenty of games to go and both Xhaka and Elneny will get plenty of chances to prove themselves, but I find it hard to understand why Xhaka in particular isn't one of the first names on the team sheet for every game. 

There are still four places to fill in the team after those players and I fully expect Lucas Perez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to take two of them with the other two quite possibly going to Jeff Reine-Adelaide and Chuba Akpom. It's a reasonably strong team and one which should have a chance against a Championship team. For me it's about the performance from those players on the night and avoiding injuries.

Last season we went out of the equivalent competition one round later after winning away to Spurs at this stage. We lost away to Sheffield Wednesday on a night to forget when we were well beaten and lost both Chamberlain and Theo Walcott to injuries. If the cost of progress is a couple of injuries this season I would choose elimination from a competition which has never been good to us.

I still have nightmares about the loss to Luton Town in the final in 1988 and I imagine older fans than me have less than fond memories of the 1969 final loss to Swindon Town. There was the 2007 final loss to Chelsea too, the 1968 loss to Leeds and who can forget that awful day against Birmingham in 2011. There were better days too, but not nearly as many as the bad ones.

It will certainly be good to see the fringe players get a run out, but it's never easy to judge a player by how he performs in a second string team. It's easier to judge a player when he gets his chance in a strong line up, but I would be pretty sure those in line to play Chelsea on Saturday will sit this one out. Maybe it's just me, but I would certainly take a defeat against Forest as long as we can take all three points off Chelsea.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Line Up Two Players For €60 Million

It's been a long hard summer for Arsenal fans as they have waited in vain for the signings the club needed to strengthen a team who finished second in the Premier League last season. Granit Xhaka arrived what seemed like an age ago and there have been a few low key signings who are earmarked as "ones for the future". Among those low key signings was Rob Holding who has been called into action early in the first two league games this season as injuries forced Arsene Wenger's hand.

It looks like the elusive centre back is finally on the way though with reports coming out of Spain that Arsenal have finally agreed a price with Valencia for German international Shkodran Mustafi. The fee being bandied about is somewhere around the €40 million mark and it's an awful lot to pay for a defender. Unfortunately the transfer market has gone mad this summer and it's the going rate for a player of his ability and standing.

With both Per Merresacker and Gabriel Paulista injured the need for a central defender was pressing and hopefully it will be money well spent. He should make himself a first choice in the team alongside Laurent Koscielny and it's a signing which was needed whether Mertesacker and Gabriel were injured or not. Mertesacker is nearing the end of his career and the jury is still out on Gabriel, so the imminent arrival of Mustafi has to be welcomed.

With the central defensive issue finally looking solved the club seem to be moving quickly to bring in a striker. Reports from Spain again would seem to suggest Arsenal have jumped ahead of Everton in the queue and are about to wrap up the signing of Lucas Perez from Deportivo La Coruna. He's not exactly the international superstar we were clambering for, but needs must and there aren't too many strikers out there who are available.

With Danny Welbeck out until the new year and Theo Walcott looking like anything but a striker the only option besides Olivier Giroud is Chuba Akpom and the manager clearly doesn't fancy him just yet at least. I can't say I'm over impressed by Perez's scoring record to date, but he made a pretty good fist of it last season with just short of a goal every two games. He's had his fair share of clubs for a 27 year old and not all of them have worked out, but we have to hope we have signed him just as he's about the make his career breakthrough.

He's not going to be first choice of course with Giroud still occupying that role, but he will get to fill in for him at times or maybe come off the bench to replace him. There's also the possibility of the two of them playing together if the boss decides to change his tactics or we're chasing a game. Like any new player he has to be given a chance to settle in and hopefully the current atmosphere won't affect him or any of the other players for that matter. 

I know neither of these players are actually signed yet and everything I have just written could be to no avail, but it does look like they are going to happen. With the close of the transfer window still nearly a week away it's very early for Arsenal to tie down these deals, but I'm certainly not complaining about that. There's still the possibility of more players arriving, but I would be very surprised if we see any more arrivals. 

I would imagine the boss will have to sit down and take a deep breath if he has indeed brought his summer spending to €100 million. These two players might not have been our first choices at the start of the summer, but I think Mustafi in particular looks like he could be a great addition to the team. I doubt if anything will be tied up in time for us to see them play at Watford on Saturday, but they should be raring to go after the international break as long as we do actually sign them.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal v West Brom Preview

The end of the season can't come quickly enough for Arsenal right now as they continue to disappoint in game after game. A couple of weeks ago we wondered if the wins over Everton and Watford promised a strong finish to the season or if it was just a matter of how bad the opponents were. The later has proved to be the case as Arsenal drew their next two matches against West Ham and Palace after leading both games.

The nature of the performances in those games is what has made so many fans deeply unhappy. After leading 2-0 at West Ham the team were taken apart by high balls into the box and they didn't have a clue how to deal with it. They followed that with a truly awful display at home to Palace on Sunday and nobody was surprised when Palace were handed a late equaliser by Arsenal.

What makes it all the worse is seeing Spurs close the gap on Leicester at the top of the table and we can only hope that Leicrster can hold it together or the unthinkable will happen. Arsenal went out on Sunday after seeing Leicester slip up and knowing they had to win if they were going to at least keep an interest for the last few weeks. They produced an insipid display and bottled it yet again when faced with the chance to do something.

The very next night Spurs went to Stoke and they took advantage of Leicester's slip by tearing Stoke apart. They are now five points behind them with four games to play and the momentum looks to have shifted in their favour. It's been 55 years since they last won the league and it will be Arsenal's fault if they win it this season.

Despite being so poor since the turn of the year wins against West Ham and Palace would have put Arsenal back in the picture and their inability to see both games out speaks volumes for the manager and the team he has put together. If they had won those games a win against West Brom would have put them a point behind Spurs with four games to go and very much in the hunt for second place at worst. Instead we are faced with the annual battle to finish in the top four with United, West Ham and Liverpool closing in quickly on both Arsenal and City.

With five games to go they need to take at least 10 points I would imagine to confirm a top four finish yet again. While this season has been a bitter disappointment it's still crucial to finish in the top four to qualify for next season's Champions League and try to attract the players which the team needs so badly to improve it. The squad needs some major investment this summer and we need every advantage in our favour to try to lure those players.

After the last two displays the team needs some changes against West Brom, but the options are pretty limited. Per Mertesacker could come in for Gabriel Paulista in defence I suppose, but maybe the better move might be to give Calum Chambers a game. The centre of the defence has struggled and he's the only central defender who hasn't been given much of a chance.

I would be surprised if Aaron Ramsey doesn't come back into the team, but who he replaces is the question. He could come in for either Francis Coquelin or Mohamed El Neny or possibly even on the right side of the attacking trio. I have a feeling it will be Coquelin who will miss out and maybe Ramsey can bring some life back into the team.

There's always the possibility of either Olivier Giroud or Theo Walcott playing from the start, but I would be surprised to see them in the team. I don't think there will be too many changes from the team which has disappointed so much recently. I'm not sure that's such a good thing, but what are the options.

West Brom will do what most teams do when they come to Arsenal and pack their defence. They will try to hit us on the break or from a set piece and it's a tactic we struggle to counter. For me there isn't enough pace or urgency to Arsenal's attacking play and that's got to be the way to break down a packed defence.

To be honest I don't know what we're going to get from the team, but I fear it's going to be more of the same. I desperately want it to be different, but my belief in that happening has been shot to pieces by a team who just don't look like a cohesive unit. Maybe they'll come out and play the thrilling football which they are capable of, but equally we could get another performance like the one against Palace.

Arsenal's home form has been their biggest problem this season and the lack of goals at home is a real problem. Nine other teams have scored more home goals than Arsenal and that includes Newcastle who are currently second last and looking likely to be a Championship side next season. They have three home games left and they're all against teams in the lower reaches of the league and surely they can find it within themselves to entertain the home fans and score a few goals in the process.

There's talk of a protest and a walk out on the night and the chances are there will be a lot of empty seats in the stadium. I can't remember a league game being played on a Thursday night before, but the needs of television have to be met. Wouldn't it be a pleasant change if the needs of the fans were met too and the team gave us a performance worthy of the name.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal v Crystal Palace Preview

With Arsenal's hopes of winning the Premier League all but gone they have to knuckle down to their annual task of securing a top four finish. The prize for a top four finish is Champions League football next season and it's worth an awful lot more than just the monetary rewards. It's a lot easier to lure prospective transfer targets to the club with the carrot of Champions League football unless of course those players would like to advance past the last 16 of the competition.

With four of their remaining six games at home against teams in the bottom seven of the league they should be able to complete that task comfortably. Of course completing any task at all, never mind in a comfortable fashion, is something this Arsenal team are hardly adapt at. Their ability to self destruct has been well documented and they showed it again last week when they drew 3-3 away to West Ham after leading 2-0 just before half time.

With a game coming up on Thursday night at home to West Brom there might be some temptation for Arsene Wenger to shuffle the pack today. The team has been much better going forward in the last few games and I don't think he will make any changes in midfield or attack, but he could be tempted to alter the defence. It's unfair to blame the defence solely for the torture Andy Carroll put them through last week, but they certainly weren't up to the task and didn't know how to handle his threat.

The full backs didn't get enough help from the players in front of them when it came to preventing the crosses Carroll thrived on and the central defenders just couldn't cope with his aerial ability. The fact that the manager said afterwards that he didn't expect Carroll to play had some bearing on the lack of preparation in dealing with him, but the inability to coach from the sideline was a damning indictment on Arsene Wenger. They were his players out there who were not prepared properly to deal with an opponent and he either couldn't get the message across to them during the game or they just didn't listen to that message.

The only real options for him would be to bring in any or all of Petr Cech, Per Mertesacker and Kieran Gibbs. I would be surprised if Cech didn't return, but I don't think the other two will come off the bench today. Mertesacker is getting close to the end of his career and Gabriel Paulista needs to play more games to get used to playing in the Premier League. It looks like Gibbs could be on his way out of the club in the summer in search of more regular first team action and I think that should be enough for Nacho Monreal to keep his place despite a poor performance from him last week.

Palace offer a very real threat from set pieces and it's something Arsenal have to be aware of and they need to be properly prepared to deal with it. We appear to be a team who do not learn from their mistakes and the players have a chance today to show that is not the case. We know what the threat is before the game and every player should be well drilled in his part to play to cut out that threat.

Palace beat Norwich last week for their first win in the league since December and they drew with Everton during the week. They have a midweek game coming up too and an FA Cup semi final to play against Watford next weekend. It's a very busy schedule for them at the moment and the win last week should mean their Premier League position is secure for another season. With all of that in mind their minds could be elsewhere today and Arsenal need to press home any advantage they can get.

Arsenal may be the top scorers away from home in the league, but they have struggled to find the net at home. Their defensive record at home is only bettered by United though which all points to a low scoring game today. Palace might have only won that one game since December, but they are still a difficult team to break down.

I hope to see the attacking flair of the last few games again today with the balance the six players in front of the defence have found. The team have to defend an awful better as a team than they did last week though and they should win if they do just that. They are all basic requirements for any team and it says an awful lot about Arsenal that you can't be sure they will get the basic things in their game right.

There's still an outside chance of finishing second ahead of Spurs and Arsenal need to win today to put some pressure on them before they play Stoke tomorrow night. Two wins this week and anything other than a win for Spurs tomorrow night would leave the team in a much healthier position with only four games to go. I think they will win today's game to start with at least and do their part in trying to make sure their near neighbours finish behind them as they have done every single season since Arsene Wenger took the reins in 1996.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Trip To Barcelona Previewed

It's been yet another tough week for Arsenal as they relinquished their hold on the FA Cup with a home defeat to Watford on Sunday. They still have the slightest chance of winning the league, but they would probably have to win all nine of their remaining games if that were to happen. That just leaves the Champions League and they go to Barcelona tomorrow night in an almost impossible position.

Barcelona haven't lost in almost 40 games in all competitions and they are the current holders of the Champions League as well as being the best club side in the world. They came to Arsenal a few weeks ago and left with a 2-0 win after two lapses in defence gave them the opportunities they wanted. Arsenal will have to go to Barcelona and match or better that result to progress and even the most optimistic of Arsenal fans surely cannot imagine that scenario.

For Arsenal to have any hope of doing that they will have to be at their very best and that's something we haven't seen in a long time. As the pressure has mounted over the last couple of months the players have struggled more and more with each game. Surely the pressure can't be on them in this game as there are no expectations and just maybe that will help them to play just a little bit better.

Barca are a fantastic team, but they are vulnerable on the break and from set pieces too. If Arsenal are to come out of this game with anything other than a bad memory they need to maximise their chances of taking advantage of Barca's weaknesses. For me that means playing attacking players with genuine pace who can take advantage of any break that might come our way.

The argument for Olivier Giroud says he is the player to hold the ball up and bring others into play, but I don't think that's what we need in this game. To be honest he's playing so badly at the moment that Arsene Wenger can't consider picking him. He might be the most likely man to get his head on the end of Mesut Ozil's set pieces, but Danny Welbeck has shown he can do that against United and Spurs.

If Giroud shouldn't play them Theo Walcott shouldn't either, but he does possess the pace to which Barca are vulnerable. I think Joel Campbell will get the nod on the right as he can put in the work needed and he's playing better than either Giroud or Walcott at the moment. 

I suppose you could say Alexis Sanchez should sit this one out too if current form is anything to go by, but I can't see that happening. He does possess the genuine class that others don't but he has struggled awfully since his return from injury. The difference between the Alexis of this season and last season is immense and his form mirrors the struggles of the team.

As far as the rest of the team goes I think we have to set up as defensively as we can and I think Nacho Monreal and Hector Bellerin will come back in to the full back roles. We can only hope Laurent Koscielny is fit to return because the Per Mertesacker and Gabriel Paulista partnership certainly isn't working. Maybe it's time to give Calum Chambers a run in the centre of defence as he surely can't do much worse than Gabriel at the moment.

The chances of winning the league are almost gone and the final nail will be put in the coffin if Arsenal lose away to Everton on Saturday. The boss has to be aware of the amount of work the players will put in against Barca and the lack of rest time available to them before Saturday. There is no effort from the Premier League and the TV companies to be of any aid to English teams playing in the Champions League unlike just about every country in the competition.

I'm almost always optimistic when Arsenal play, but it's very hard to be optimistic at the moment. I know how much ability there is in the team and what these players can be capable of at their best, but I've rarely seen them further from their best. Things have to change at some time though and just maybe the right performance in this game will be the trigger to do just that.

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 v Spurs Preview

The chances to close the gap on the teams above them keep presenting themselves to Arsenal and they keep turning them down. As bad as the defeat to United was on Sunday the loss at home to Swansea on Wednesday night was so much worse. The team have now lost three games in a row for the first time in six years and have only won two of their last eight in the league.

A few weeks ago when we couldn't muster a goal we were at least faring well at the back and drawing games, but the defence has now gone to pieces too. We can complain all we want about the poor decisions from the referee which played a part in both Swansea goals, but Arsenal's complete inability to respond to going 2-1 down was a joke. We have a team devoid of leaders and without the mental strength Arsene Wenger has told us his team possesses in abundance.

Three points on Wednesday would have put Arsenal level with Spurs after they lost to West Ham and trey can still join them on 54 points if they win today.  Of course an Arsenal win would be just what Leicester want and could see them open up a six point lead at the top of the table if they can win at Watford later in the day. I have no doubt that Leicester can be caught, but I'm just not sure any more that Arsenal are the team that can do it.

Any belief I had in the team has been shot to pieces, but I probably still have more belief than the players have in themselves. They don't seem to have a clue what to do to break an opponent down and when they do somehow manage it there's not a man Jack of them I would trust to put the ball away. For me they are paying the price for under investment in the squad when there is plenty of money available.

If this season ends in the abject failure it seems to be heading towards them we could be faced with the very real prospect of Mesut Ozil and/or Alexis Sanchez looking towards the exit door. If either or even both of them were to leave it would destroy all the the "squad building" of the last few years. The best time to strengthen any squad is when they are on a high and last summer was the perfect opportunity. The addition of Petr Cech was no doubt a great addition, but the failure to add any outfield players is surely one of the main reasons for our current struggles. 

Speaking of Cech he won't be playing today after picking up an injury on his way back after going forward for a late corner against Swansea. Laurent Koscielny won't be playing either as he hasn't recovered from the injury which kept him out of that game and we're faced with David Ospina in goal behind a central defensive partnership of Per Mertesacker and Gabriel Paulista. That combination doesn't exactly fill me with confidence and I doubt if it will scare Spurs.

Ospina is a good keeper, but he's not in Cech's class and his howler at home to Olympiacos is what he is remembered for so far this season. I was full of hope when Gabriel signed in January of last year, but he has looked progressively worse with each chance he gets. It almost seems like Arsenal can sign good players and gradually coach that right out of them.

I can't see too many changes from the team who performed so abjectly against Swansea as there are so few genuine options. In midfield the players who might have made a difference (Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere and Tomas Risicky) are all injured and both Wilshere and Rosicky seem to be permanently on the unavailable list. There comes a time where you have to question how long you can keep a place in the squad for players who spend so much time injured.

The attacking options are virtually non existent with Theo Walcott so badly out of form that others don't even pass the ball to him. Alex Iwobi was brought on for the last 10 minutes at Old Trafford and I thought his introduction was grossly unfair on a young player trying to make a name for himself. To be thrown into a team playing so badly and expected to try to get them back in the game with 10 minutes remaining was a task beyond a player with vastly more experience than him.

If Arsenal are going to win today and keep their title chances alive there has to be a complete change in attitude and conviction from Wednesday night and the vast majority of this season in fact. The performance needed today is one we have seen on maybe only two or three occasions this season and definitely not at all since the 3-0 win away to Olympiacos. If the boss can somehow get that performance out of his players today then just maybe he still has something to offer, but there can't be too many fans who believe that any more.

This is being billed as the biggest North London Derby in decades and maybe the biggest one since the 1991 FA Cup semi final. That game didn't go Arsenal's way, but they did go on to win the league and I'd gladly take a similar scenario today, but I have no doubt that a defeat will end their title chances this season. With 10 games to go a six point game is certainly not too much to make up and Arsenal have done so in the past, but their current form suggests it's so far beyond them that it's impossible.  

I hope the team show up and play with the confidence and passion required today, but I have no belief that they will. I'll gladly take a lucky win too and hope it's the catalyst the team needs to turn things around, but again my belief in that is virtually non existent. I see myself as an optimist but this team more than any other I can remember has beaten that optimism out of me game by game.

The worst thing is despite the underinvestment in the squad we were perfectly set to win the league at the turn of the year. We were right in there with the other challengers and the list of players ready to return from injury led us to believe the performances would improve once the fit players could hang in there. As those players have returned we have got progressively worse and we're now faced with the FA Cup being our only realistic hope of a trophy if things don't go our way today. 

I'll still support the team for every single one of the 90 minutes today though, but I dread to think what the reaction will be if they lose. They have the ability to win, but it takes a whole lot more than just ability to win a game of football. It may seem a forlorn hope, but I do hope that the players show all that is needed and put in a performance worthy of a team who are still in the title race despite themselves.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal v Swansea City Preview

The less said about Arsenal's defeat at United on Saturday the better, but it has left a feeling for many fans that the Premier League title is beyond the team yet again. Arsenal are seen as serial bottlers thanks to their ability to implode when well placed and it seems that scenario has reared it's ugly head again. With most of the other "big clubs" doing a Burton the title seemed to be there for the taking, but that's just when Arsenal decided to go missing.

To be honest the team haven't being playing well for a couple of months at least and there hasn't been a convincing victory or display since the turn of the year at least. They had a chance to lay down a marker against a seriously depleted United team on Sunday, but ended up playing second fiddle to a team mainly comprised of youngsters and players who can't keep a place in a team who had only won three of their previous 13 league games. The same old failings were there for Arsenal and the same questions we ask ourselves season after season have to be asked again.

There is a chance for the players to at least partially redeem themselves tonight when Swansea come calling. Swansea are struggling at the wrong end of the table and only just above the relegation zone, but that didn't stop them coming close to taking a point at Spurs on Sunday. Unfortunately for Arsenal their near neighbours came from behind to win 2-1 and will now go to the top of the league if they win away to West Ham tonight.

Spurs look like the team most likely to win the league at the moment with 11 games to go and it's in their own hands now after Leicester could only draw 2-2 at home to West Brom last night. Their next game is at home to Arsenal on Saturday in the early kick off and it's a real six pointer for both teams. Spurs have won their last six league games and are the form team at the moment, but a win for Arsenal tonight and again on Saturday would put them level with Spurs at worst. 

That trip they have to West Ham tonight is no easy task though and West Ham are unbeaten in their last 11 home games in the league. If Arsenal fall away and Spurs end up winning the title I cannot see a future for Arsene Wenger at the club. He's losing the support of more and more fans as each season passes and that shower taking the title when it was Arsenal's to win would be the final straw surely.

I'm certainly not saying it's a scenario I want to see come to fruition, but it's hard to deny that it's a very real possibility. We're forever hearing of the progress of the team and/or squad, but nobody could defend losing a title to Spurs as any sort of progress when Arsenal had their fate in their own hands. We'll have to wait until May to make a final judgement on this season, but a defeat on Saturday would be a devestating blow no matter what the outcome of tonight's game might be.

There's an FA Cup replay away to Hull coming up next week too and I would suggest Arsenal need to play a strong team in that game as the FA Cup could be their best route to silverware yet again this season. It's a very poor substitute for the league, especially if Spurs win it, but it's better than nothing at all. So far the cup has been treated as an outing for the fringe players and those on the way back from injury, but it might just become a priority very quickly.

Swansea come calling tonight in dire need of points and they will be content to sit deep and try to hit Arsenal on the break. They very nearly got something out of their trip to Spurs on Sunday with a similar plan with Lukas Fabianski pulling off some magnificent saves to deny Spurs at times. He did the very same thing when Swansea hit Arsenal with a late sucker punch to take all three points in this fixture last season. He's a good shot stopper, but he can be dodgy on crosses and that will hopefully be where Arsenal can take advantage of their former keeper tonight.

There's a suggestion of plenty of changes from the team which performed so badly against United on Sunday, but I doubt if we'll see too many. Surely Olivier Giroud has to come in for Theo Walcott who created a whole new level of "being ineffectual" in that game. There's some suggestion of Aaron Ramsey moving to wide on the right, but I think Danny Welbeck will play there with Giroud central and Alexis Sanchez on the left again. As bad as Alexis has been since his return from injury he's too good to be dropped and we have to continue to wait for him to find his form. 

Giroud might not have scored in nine games, but he has still contributed far more goals than any other player and we need others to do their part if we're going to improve. We have struggled for goals all season long and we have rarely scored enough to make us comfortable in any game. When you see how far behind Spurs we are on goal difference you realise how few goals we are scoring.

At the back there are bound to be calls for Per Mertesacker to replace Gabriel Paulista who was not at the races on Sunday. Mind you it was Mertesacker who faced those same calls after his performance against Barca and it's probably a fifty/fifty shout between the two of them. Whoever plays the team have to defend better as a unit when called upon and cut out the stupid mistakes.

The season is not lost yet though and there's still time to turn things around. A win tonight will put us three points off the summit with 10 games to play and that's a position we would have been happy to take on many occasions in the last 12 years. If Leicrster and Spurs are the teams ahead of us in that scenario then all cannot be lost and the title is still a possibility.

The chances to sort out the mess are decreasing with each game, but it's still not all lost. As bad as Arsenal can and have been they still have the ability to win the league, but they can't do it unless they improve an awful lot. I won't say I'm sure they will do so tonight, but the optimist in me still hopes they will.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal v Leicester City Preview

Arsenal play Leicester City later today in what is probably the biggest Premier League game so far of the season for both clubs. Leicester had their previous biggest game of the season away to City last week and they came through it with flying colours and a crucial 3-1 victory. They have been the outstanding team in the league this season and are finally the favourites to win the title.

I can remember when more or less the same Leicester team came to Arsenal last season at the foot of the table in desperate need of points in their attempt to stay up. They played really well that night and Arsenal were more than lucky to emerge with a 2-1 win. It came as no surprise to see them put together a great run to avoid the drop, but what they have done this season has been nothing short of incredible.

The Premier League has been almost impossible to predict this season, but Leicester have been the one team to show the consistency required and they deserve to be currently at the top of the table. I thought they were playing a more attacking style earlier in the season and it took a long time for them to get their first clean sheet, but they have tightened up at the back since the mid point. They were very good on the counter attack earlier in the season, but now that their defence has stepped up they have become a lot more dependent on those counter attacks. With players like Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy they can take any team apart on the break and the continued fitness of those two is crucial to their chances.

They have only lost two league games this season and the only team to take them apart was Arsenal when we went up there and beat them 5-2 in late September. Leicester took the lead that day, but Arsenal stormed back with Alexis Sanchez scoring a hat trick. There were plenty of other chances in that game and it could have ended up with either team scoring at least two or three more.

I don't imagine Leicester will be anywhere near as open today and they will be quite happy with a dull 0-0 draw. It's up to Arsenal to make the play and open Leicester up while making sure they're not too open at the back. Arsenal eventually managed a win and a couple of goals last week after three scoreless league games and four without a win.

This Arsenal team is capable of an awful lot when they're at their best though, but we haven't seen it often enough this season. The first 20 minutes in the 3-0 win at home to United was incredible to watch and the wins at home to Bayern Munich and City were very good too as well as the 3-0 win away to Olympiacos when the chips were really down.

We need to see more of those performances and more often now that we've reached the business end of the season. I have no doubt that Arsenal will beat Leicester if they come out of the blocks raring to go and on the front foot from the first minute. Leicester took advantage of a sluggish City team to score early in both halves last week and Arsenal have to be switched on from the first kick in each half.

Even if Arsenal win the best they can do is go second with City and Spurs playing later in the day, but a win would cut Leicester's lead to two points. From here on in Leicester have only the league to worry about while Arsenal are still in the FA Cup with Hull up next week and Barcelona to follow that in the Champions League. There are some real tough games to come in the league too after today's game with trips to United, Spurs and City still to come.

At least Arsene Wenger has a few more players to pick from and even more look like returning from injury very soon. The full squad could have to be utilised as the games pile up and players start to feel the strain. The more options he has the more pressure it will put on those who aren't performing to their best too and that has to be a good thing for the team.

He has a few decisions to make for today and I hope he opts to keep Gabriel Paulista in the team ahead of Per Mertesacker. Gabriel hasn't been great since taking over from the suspended Mertesacker a few weeks ago, but his pace has to be the deciding factor in his favour considering the threat of Vardy on the break. I don't want to even try to imagine the thought of Vardy getting the chance to run in behind Mertesacker as Laurent Koscielny pushes up to try to play offside and there is no pressure on the ball. It's something we have seen too often as the boss has to be aware of Mertesacker's limitations in this game.

In midfield I still can't understand how Mathieu Flamini is keeping Francis Coquelin out of the team. I know he's only a few weeks back from injury, but he is the best defensive midfielder we have and surely he has to play. I don't know how well he will gel with Aaron Ramsey in the center of midfield, but it has to be better than how Flamini and Ramsey play together.

The only other thing the boss has to consider is who plays on the right side of the attacking trio. It's a very close call between Joel Campbell, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and that decision could be a crucial one for today. Despite his current poor form I would still opt for Walcott because I think he offers the better goal threat and Arsenal are still struggling to score goals.

I have no doubt Arsenal can take the three points and go on to win the league, but they will have to improve an awful lot on how they are currently playing to do so. The players did just enough to win at Bournemouth last week and the time has come for them to give their all and show they want it as much as us fans. If Arsenal lose today I can't see them winning the league and they quite simply have to show the effort and commitment needed to win and keep our hopes alive.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal v Southampton: Premier League Preview

It's back to Premier League action tonight for Arsenal when Southampton pay a visit to the Emirates Stadium. With the team currently in third place every game could be seen as a must win game, but this one most certainly is. The last three games were all tough tests, but the return of two points from them wasn't good enough for a team with title ambitions.

They have three points to make up on a Leicester side who are facing a very tough three game run which culminates in a trip to Arsenal on Valentine's Day. City are only ahead of Arsenal on goal difference, but with Sergio Aguero back and firing on all cylinders they are title favourites. As good as City can be they still haven't won back to back league games since mid October and it will be interesting to see how the players react to the news that Manuel Pellagrini will be on his bike at the end of the season.

For all the ins and outs of the two teams ahead of them Arsenal's fate is in their own hands and they can go out and win the title themselves. I suppose we have to take Spurs into consideration at this stage too as they're only two points behind Arsenal and City, but surely they're only one dodgy lasagne away from having the bottom fall out of their world or vice versa. To be fair to Spurs they have been very consistent and have looked the part, but I still think they will fall away.

From a selection perspective Arsene Wenger isn't quite spoiled for choice yet, but he certainly has more options than he has had in a while. The returns of both Alexis Sanchez and Francis Coquelin were huge boosts to the team and I would be surprised if they didn't both start tonight. The boss made nine changes for the FA Cup win over Burnley on Saturday and I would expect him to make seven tonight.

Petr Cech, Nacho Monreal and Hector Bellerin will all come in at the back and I suspect Per Mertesacker will get the nod ahead of Gabriel Paulista. Gabriel is certainly the man for the future, but Mertesacker is still first choice for the boss at the moment whether us fans agree with that or not. Gabriel had his dodgy moments on Saturday and Laurent Koscielny wasn't too steady at times either, but it seems Mertesacker is always the one to take the rap when Arsenal fail at the back.

Mesut Ozil will obviously return as will Aaron Ramsey with Olivier Giroud keeping his place down the middle. The last choice for the boss will be who plays in the other wide role and it's a straight choice between Theo Walcott and Joel Campbell with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Alex Iwobi as outside bets. I think Campbell will get the nod as he's the form player of the two although I still think Walcott is the bigger goal threat. The great chance he missed with virtually the last kick against Burnley could have been just what he needed if he had managed to put it away.

Southampton are in good form at the moment and they have won their last three league games without conceding a goal including their victory away to United last weekend. If Arsenal are anywhere off their best they could be punished tonight by a team who have already beaten them 4-0 in the league this season. Surely that result must give the players the impetus they need to give it their all tonight and take the three points.

I think it will be a close game, but Arsenal have the class of Ozil and Sanchez to call on and that should make the difference. If they can make up ground on either or both of Leicester and City that would be great with those two playing each other at the weekend and Arsenal away to Bournemouth. It's getting to the business end of the season and Arsenal need to show that they mean business from here on in.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal v Newcastle United Preview

Arsenal start the new year at the top of the Premier League and they have the chance to maintain or even increase that lead against Newcastle. Despite the 4-0 defeat at Southampton last week they have won four of their last five league games to lead Leicester on goal difference and City by three points. The 2-0 win over Bournemouth on Monday was the result which put them on top of the table and more of the same would do very nicely.

The team started slowly in that game, but they grew into it and again showed their new found ability to put bad results behind them very quickly. Bournemouth were on a very good run before that game which included victories over both Chelsea and United. The trouble they caused Bournemouth from corners was very impressive as was the performance of Mesut Ozil.

I have never thought he was anything other than the best player in his position in the league and maybe even the world too. He has had his ups and downs at Arsenal as well as a long list of critics, but he is the outstanding player in the league so far this season for me and looks set to break the record for the most assists in a season. That record is currently held by Thierry Henry on 20 assists and Ozil needs 5 assists in the remaining 19 games to beat him. It would take a very brave man to bet against him doing so considering how he has played this season.

At the moment it just seems to be a matter of how many of the chances Ozil makes that Arsenal can put away to determine the outcomes of their games. In the first half against Bournemouth he created all six of the chances which the team created, but the other players only managed to put one of them away. He duly stepped up in the second half to score the second goal himself just to make sure of the result.

Arsenal haven't lost at home since the opening game of the season when West Ham beat them 2-0. They have taken 19 points from their last seven games at home with 14 goals scored and only four conceded. 

By contrast to that Newcastle have lost six of their nine away games and are the lowest scorers away from home in the league. They did come from behind to win away to Spurs a few weeks ago though and their defensive record has improved in recent weeks with only four goals conceded in their last five games. They do have players who can carry a threat, but it's nowhere near the threat carried by Arsenal.

In team news the only player to return to the squad will probably be Mathieu Flamini as he seems to have recovered from the knock which kept him out of the Bournemouth game. With three games in eight days I would imagine there will again be some changes to the team from that game. The team which started against Southampton was seen by Arsene Wenger as his current best option available to him, but the players who came in on Monday did well.

Gabriel Paulista did very well in that game and should surely keep his place, but the question is who will miss out if he does. Per Mertesacker has played the last two games while Laurent Koscielny sat out Monday so maybe it's time for Mertesacker to get a well earned rest. I still think the Koscielny and Gabriel combination is the way forward and it's just a matter of time before Gabriel earns a permanent position in the team.

If Flamini does return to the starting 11 then Calum Chambers would be the man to miss out. Chambers did well after a slightly shaky start, but I think Flamini's experience should see him get the nod. The rumours of the imminent arrival of Mohamed Elneny still abound and he could find himself called into service very soon if he does arrive with the amount of midfield injuries at the moment.

I think Nacho Monreal will return after sitting out the Bournemouth game, but I think it's probably a fifty/fifty call between Joel Campbell and Akex Oxlade-Chamberlain for the last place in the team. I can't see the likes of Ozil, Olivier Giroud or Theo Walcott sitting on the bench as their creativity and end product cannot be done without at the moment.

Alexis Sanchez won't be back in time to play, but the chances are he will be back for the FA Cup game with Sunderland next week. I'll be making the trip to London for that game and I'm hoping to see the strongest team possible despite the team having a league game four days later. That game is the first of three very tough league games in a row and the team need to go into them on the back of wins against Newcastle and Sunderland. Having Alexis back from injury for those three league games will be a huge boost and hopefully he won't suffer another setback.

Back to Newcastle and it's a game I expect Arsenal to win as long as they show up without the attitude and performance we saw against Southampton. Newcastle will try to park the bus but the ability of Ozil to break through any defence and set his team mates up could and probably will make the difference. If Arsenal can get ahead hopefully they can press home any advantage they have and finish Newcastle off. They managed to come back late against Spurs and we can't afford to let them get into a position where such a comeback might be on.

With City facing a tricky trip to Watford later in the day there's a good chance for Arsenal to put some pressure on them before they play. The next three games are very tricky ones as I said above and a six point margin over City ahead of those games would be very handy. Let's just keep our fingers crossed that they can do their part and Watford might just help them a little too.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.