Arsenal Still Await Cech Arrival With Schneiderlin Set To Follow Him

It's been a week since I wrote about the latest wheelings and dealings for Arsenal this summer and in truth nothing concrete has actually happened. There is money available to strengthen the squad, but players will have to leave to make way for any new arrivals. As always the rumour mill has been in full swing and it's not easy to separate the club's actual targets from the host of made up stories.

It does look as if the Petr Cech rumours are true though and it seems to be just a matter of time before he signs on the dotted line. A keeper of his experience will be a great addition to the squad, but it could lead to the exit of one of the other keepers. At the moment the rumour mill would suggest David Ospina is the most likely suspect to exit, but it would be strange if Arsenal sold him only a year after signing him.

I'm not sure if the current version of Cech is as good as he was a few years ago and whether he's a better option in goal than either Ospina or Wojciech Szczesny. He is proven at the very top though and has a list of medals as long as his arm to go with it too. Ex Arsenal players are queueing up to declare what a great signing he would be and the general consensus would seem to be that he's the top class keeper Arsenal have needed for many seasons.

With the Cech deal almost tied up the emphasis seems to be shifting to Morgan Schneiderlin and his possible arrival. Yet again he fits the bill for what Arsenal require and it would make sense for both the player and Arsenal if he was to join them. He won't come cheaply though and Arsenal will have to see off competition for his signature from plenty of other clubs if they're going to get their man.

The emergence of Francis Coquelin has made the necessity for a player like Schneiderlin not quite so important with Mikel Arteta hopefully back to full fitness next season too. I think there would be room in the Arsenal team for both Coquelin and Schneiderlin on occasions and he would certainly make the squad stronger. With trophies to be chased on all fronts next season I think it would make perfect sense to being Schneiderlin or a similar player in.

As usual there are plenty of stories linking Arsenal players with exits and the latest player is Laurent Koscielny. If the rumours are to be believed Real Madrid are the latest club to show an interest in the player I consider to be Arsenal's best and most important defender. It wouldn't make any sense at all for Arsenal to sell Koscielny and I would be very surprised if they were to even consider an offer for him.

The rumours of a Manchester City bid for Jack Wilshere still persist and talk of an exit for Theo Walcott won't go away either until he signs a new contract. I would be more than surprised if Arsenal had any intention of letting either player go despite the fact that their chances could be limited at times next season. They both have an awful lot to offer the team and it would cost so much more to replace them than Arsenal could expect to get for either player.

It's quite possible that Lukas Podolski could be on his way out though to make way for new players despite declaring his intention to stay at the club. I think it's more likely for him to be sold while both Yaya Sanogo and Carl Jenkinson look like spending more time out on loan this coming season. Premier League clubs are apparently lining up to borrow Jenkinson who I see as more likely to have a long term future at the club than Sanogo who looks more likely to spend his proposed loan spell abroad.

Finally for today I think it's about time I announced the winner of the competition I ran last week for a copy of Football Manager 2015. The lucky winner was Shaurya Vineet who will be hearing from me shortly in order to claim the prize. Thanks to everybody who entered the competition and read the review of the game by the guest reviewer (my son).

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

The Sweet Taste Of Victory For Arsenal

It's been two long days since Arsenal won their last trophy, but there's no talk of impatient fans demanding change if they don't break that run. On Saturday evening they broke their nine year trophyless streak with a fantastic come from behind victory over Hull City in the FA Cup final. It was a roller coaster ride for Arsenal fans after going 2-0 down inside the first 10 minutes, but they won 3-2 after extra time to spark wild celebrations.

I made the trip from Dublin to a pub near the Emirates to meet some very good Arsenal supporting friends for a day we hoped would end in glory. Before the game the only talk was of an Arsenal victory and there were no dissenters to that train of thought. We all hoped for the team to come out and take Hull apart in the fashion we knew they were capable of, but it turned out to be very different.

The shock of going 2-0 down so early on was hard to take for some and some doubters thought the game was all but over. I was worried about how the team just weren't looking like getting back into the game and a goal line clearance from Kieran Gibbs prevented Hull from increasing their lead. They eventually started to show something approaching a comeback though and the first goal followed shortly afterwards.

I can't remember the last time I saw Arsenal score directly from a free kick and I didn't hold out much hope when Santi Cazorla stepped up as the latest Arsenal player to attempt to do so. His sweetly struck effort sailed into the net and the celebrations were wild in the pub as well as the stadium. There was loads of time to go and the momentum was now back with Arsenal.

They didn't equalise before half time though and as the second half ticked by the nerves of all Arsenal fans started to fray. We shouldn't have worried though as Arsenal's own fox in the box stepped up to bring the sides level with 20 minutes left to play. I have rarely seen anything approaching the euphoria all around me when that goal went in and I can remember seeing one fan's pint of Guinness getting capaulted towards the ceiling. As the game wore on I couldn't help myself occasionally looking up to see the stain left by the darkest of drinks.

Suddenly it looked as if there was only one team in it and Hull were hanging on desperately for extra time. The quality Arsenal were able to bring off the bench was a big factor in their dominance and Hull were even more desperate to hang on in extra time. They knew they had a 50/50 chance if they could just hold on and take the game to penalties. 

Arsenal pressed forward in search of what would surely have been the winner and came close through an Olivier Giroud header in particular which hit the bar. It was that man Giroud who played a huge part in the goal which eventually won it for Arsenal when his deft back heel set up Aaron Ramsey to stroke the ball home with 10 minutes remaining. I jumped up and down again and again and hugged friend and stranger alike for what seemed like seconds but probably lasted minutes.

We sang our collective hearts out and couldn't wait for the final whistle to blow so there could be no more talk of how many years it had been since Arsenal won a trophy. There was an awful scare in the final moments when Lukasz Fabianski raced from his goal after a Per Mertesacker slip and missed his clearance right on the sideline. The Hull player in possession went for goal and our hearts were in our mouths as the ball flashed across the goal and Gibbs swung his boot at it to try to prevent a goal. Thankfully Gibbs missed the ball as I could see him putting into his own net if he made any connection and the ball passed to safety. 

It was all over within moments and Arsenal had their hands on a trophy for the first time in nine long years. The celebrations from the fans bordered on delerium with the players and manager looking almost as happy as their supporters. I have vague memories of the trophy bring lifted and a lap of honour, but at that stage I was almost lost in pints of San Miguel and £40 bottles of champagne. 

As the evening wore on some of those fans lucky enough to have been at the game made their way back to the pub and shared their experiences with us. We celebrated until it was time to try to find our hotel and wandered around the streets of Finsbury for what seemed like an eternity until eventually we found it above a local pub. Our take away food had gone cold and we were so tired that sleep was all that was left despite the lack of air conditioning in the room. 

Unfortunately we couldn't attend the parade the next day as our flights home were too early, but we had been there when it mattered most and the trophy was won. It's been a long time coming and it was a sweet sweet feeling when that winning goal went in. There's a lot to be done this summer to make the team even better for next season and hopefully that work will begin right away. 

Arsenal can at last bask in some glory though while teams like Chelsea, United, Liverpool and Spurs finished the season with their cupboards bare. Make what you will of the value of the FA Cup but it is still the second most important domestic trophy in England after the Premier League. When all is said and done Arsenal have now won the cup 11 times and matched the record of United while Arsene Wenger matched the record of five wins for a manager in the competition. 

Next season can't come quickly enough, but until then there's still the knowledge that Arsenal finished their season on a real high at long last.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal v Hull City: FA Cup Final Preview

It's been nine long years since Arsenal last won a trophy and they have a great chance to put an end to that wait this Saturday in the FA Cup Final against Hull City. Arsenal's season promised an awful lot but they finished fourth in the league yet again and the cup is where they can now find some glory. There are only three domestic trophies of any worth available in England and Arsenal can take the second most important of those after Manchester City have collected the other two.

In the nine years since Arsenal beat United on penalties to win the FA Cup there have been a few close calls. Who can forget the Champions Lesgue final of 2006 when 10 man Arsenal came so close to holding on to beat Barcelona, but lost 2-1 in the end. There was a Carling Cup final defeat to Chelsea the next season when Arsenal again took the lead and ended up losing by the same scoreline. There have been semi final defeats in all three cup competitions too and a couple of times when the Premier League challenge fell away just as us fans had got our hopes up.

I won't harp on about the league campaign or lack of squad depth and striking options which eventually put paid to it this season, but most of the players who were missing at crucial times are back for the FA Cup. Both Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil are players who can and do make a real difference and having both of them fit to face Hull is a massive boost for Arsenal. Their worth has been shown in the last few weeks with the team winning their last five league games to secure fourth spot with relative ease compared to recent seasons.

When it comes to the FA Cup only United have appeared in more finals than Arsenal and only United have won the trophy more times than them too. Arsenal will match United's record of 18 appearances against Hull and they can match their record of 11 wins too. At the moment their record stands at 10 wins and seven defeats in FA Cup finals.

I've been lucky enough to be around for an awful lot of those finals in nearly 44 years of supporting Arsenal. It started in 1971 but I only have vague memories of beating Liverpool with a Charlie George screamer when Arsenal won the first of their three domestic doubles. Thankfully my memories of the following year's final are vague too as Arsenal lost 1-0 to Leeds.

After a six year break they then played in successive finals from 1978 to 1980 with the only success of the three coming against United in 1979. I can remember all three finals very well back in the days when I was in my early teens and Chippy Brady was my hero. The defeats to Ipswich and West Ham in 78 and 80 hurt but at least there was the satisfaction of beating United sandwiched between them.

There were no FA Cup finals after that until 1993, but there was a horrendous Milk Cup Final defeat to Luton Town that will haunt me until the day I die. Think of the Carling Cup final defeat to Birmingham three years ago and multiply the pain by a factor of 10 at least. 

In the 1990s George Graham won his only FA Cup as Arsenal manager in 1993 when they did a domestic cup double by beating Sheffield Wednesday in both finals and followed it up by winning the European Cup Winners Cup the next season. We thought they were glory days no matter how the style of play grated or how defensively minded the manager became before his eventual departure. 

The Arsene Wenger reign started off with a League and Cup double in his second season in charge as Arsenal beat Newcastle in the final to secure both trophies together for the second time in their history and surpass their local rivals. Wenger has gone on to win three more FA Cups as Arsenal manager and the only FA Cup final loss under him was against Liverpool in 2001 when some pathetic refereeing and a late Michael Owen brace saw a far superior Arsenal team lose a game they should have walked away with.

They made up for it the next season by beating Chelsea in the final to secure their second double under Wenger and their third overall. They held on to the trophy the next season by beating Southampton and then two years later came their most recent win against United. It's a pretty good FA Cup record since I started supporting Arsenal as a five year old back in 1970.

This will be their 12th final in those years and they had only played in six in the previous 86 years since the club was founded. I've been very lucky to live through the club'a best years in the cup and to have seen six league titles come our way too. Hopefully my record will read eight wins and four defeats when the game is over.

It's often been said Arsene Wenger doesn't treat the cup with the respect it deserves, but Arsenal have won four of their five finals under him and he has won more FA Cups for the club than any other manager. They haven't reached a final in nine years though and that's probably why those accusations have been aimed his way. It's been a difficult nine years for the club as they have looked to pay for the magnificent new stadium while still trying to challenge the newly rich clubs like Chelsea and City. A win against Hull would be the first trophy since Arsenal moved to their new stadium and hopefully the first of many if they can win the game.

The game itself is there for Arsenal to win with the array of talent they have available to them. They have played Hull twice in the league this season and won both games scoring seven goals in the process. I'm not trying to be insulting towards Hull but there's a very good reason why Arsenal are the strong favourites to win.

From a team selection point of view I want to see the strongest possible Arsenal team which means Lukasz Fabianski and Yaya Sanogo should really be on the bench. They have both been constants in the cup this season though and there's a very good chance they will get the nod ahead of Wojciech Szczesny and Olivier Giroud.

The rest of the team more or less picks itself with the exception of the battle between Kieran Gibbs and Nacho Monreal for the left back slot. I think the boss would prefer to pick Gibbs but he's only just back from another injury which might tip things in Monreal's favour. Both players offer a fair amount going forward, but I think Gibbs is a better defender.

I would love to see Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain play to utilise his pace in the wide open spaces of Wembley, but I think the game may have come just too soon for him to start. If he's fit to make the bench he could be a great weapon for Arsenal to have in reserve. Since Theo Walcott got injured in the third round defeat of Spurs Chamberlain has been the only player with real attacking pace in the team.

Wembley has a very big pitch and Arsenal have the players to use every inch of it to tire the Hull players. If they can play their swift passing game and make the Hull players chase them they could be facing a very tired team before the end. It looks like it's going to be a very hot day and possession of the ball is going to be very important.

When the two teams played at Hull a few weeks ago Hull tried to press Arsenal and close them down all over the pitch. The tactic backfired though as Arsenal had too many good players on the pitch and found their way past them to win 3-0. Hull had their chances of course, but it was a well deserved win and more of the same would be very welcome.

I think Hull will be a lot more defensive though and hope to frustrate Arsenal and maybe try to score from a set piece or on the break. They were very good defensively earlier in the season and they might just try to rely on that defensive ability. With Ramsey and Ozil in the team Arsenal I think Arsenal will quite simply have too much quality for Hull. To add to Hull's woes their two best strikers were signed in the January transfer window and can't play because they're both cup tied.

I would love Arsenal to come out and play in devastating style from the start like they did at home to Liverpool in the league and Napoli in the Champions League this season. If they can do that against Hull I think the trophy is theirs, but it won't be easy to do so. I'm predicting an Arsenal win though and I'm fairly confident they will win. I just can't imagine them losing and I dread to think what the reaction might be if they do lose. 

I'll be in London for the game but I won't be at Wembley as there wasn't a hope of getting tickets. I'll be in a pub close to the Emirates with hundreds of other Arsenal fans singing our hearts out to support our team. I can't wait to get there for what promises to be a great day.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Finish Their League Campaign On A High

Arsenal played their final league game of the season yesterday when they travelled to already relegated Norwich City. Arsenal came into the game on a run of four wins in a row and wanted to finish their season with 15 points from their last five games and their highest points tally since 2005. Despite Norwich already being as good as relegated they have proved to be a tough team to beat at home this season and weren't going to lie down and play dead.

I expected Arsene Wenger to make quite a few chances to the team with next week's FA Cup final against Hull in mind. There weren't too many changes though as the boss chose to pick a strong side and keep the team's momentum going. The team he picked proved to be far too strong for Norwich and Arsenal ran out 2-0 winners. 

Lukasz Fabianski was picked in goal which denied Wojciech Szczesny the chance to run up the most clean sheets of any keeper in the Premier League this season. With Szczesny not playing I think he might be the keeper to get the nod for the cup final next week which would be the correct decision in my opinion. It's a possibility that Fabianski was played because he will be the one to play in the cup final next week and it was decided to give him a game the week beforehand. 

Fabianski has played in every other round but he's set to leave in the summer and surely Szczesny has to be the man for the cup final. Fabianski had a very good game though and he showed he will be a big loss to the squad when he does leave. He had his problems when he first got into the team, but he probably would be Arsenal's first choice right now if it wasn't for a series of unfortunate injuries at exactly the wrong times for him.

In defence both Kieran Gibbs and Carl Jenkinson came into the team with Nacho Monreal dropping to the bench and Per Mertesacker getting a day off. It meant Bacary Sagna played as a central defender, but I have no doubt that Mertesacker will be back in the team next week. Gibbs got the chance to prove his fitness after his latest injury and it's going to be a very close call between him and Monreal next week.

In midfield Aaron Ramsey and Tomas Rosicky came in for Mathieu Flamini and Santi Cazorla but their additions certainly didn't weaken the team. Ramsey has had a great season and Arsenal's fate in the league might have been a lot different if he hadn't missed over three months due to injury. If he can stay fit for the whole of next season his influence could be what the team need to get even closer to winning the league than they did this season.

I was surprised to see Olivier Giroud starting as I thought he would be rested for next week after playing so many games this season. He is Arsenal's top scorer this season despite the misgivings I have about his goalscoring ability and it's important for the team that he is fit for next week. He went close on a couple of occasions, but again showed he doesn't have the killer instinct associated with a top class striker.

Norwich started well but Arsenal gradually took over and should have been ahead by half time, but a mixture of John Ruddy saves and some poor finishing kept Norwich in the game. With Ramsey and Mesut Ozil running the show in midfield I was confident the goals would come in the second half. 

It didn't take too long for Arsenal to go ahead in the second half and it was no surprise to see Ramsey get the goal. Just seven minutes in Giroud clipped a ball to the far post and Ramsey met it with a sweet volley into the top corner of the net. It was a fantastic finish from a player who's goals from midfield have been a revelation this season.

Only 10 minutes later the game was over as a contest when Jenkinson poked the ball home for his first goal for the club. He was thrilled with his goal and who can blame a player who has been a life long Arsenal fan. With Sagna also leaving this summer he might expect to play a lot more next season, but it does look like Arsenal are hunting for a new right back.

With Arsenal looking good for the win Jack Wilshere came on for Ramsey just after the goal and he will hope to at least make the bench next week. Like Ramsey his season has been interrupted by injury and that was his first appearance in 10 weeks. Arsenal have so many midfield options for next week that the boss will have a tough job picking the right combination.

With 15 minutes to go Giroud and Rosicky were replaced by Yaya Sanogo and Abou Diaby. It was great we too see Diaby back after a 14 month injury absence and on his 28th birthday too. It's impossible to know how his career might have gone if he didn't suffer that horrific injury in 2006 and hopefully he can put all of those injuries behind him now. Sanogo has been the striker to lead the line in the FA Cup this season, but it's difficult to imagine he will get the nod ahead of Giroud next week.

Arsenal went looking for more goals and could have had a few but Ruddy was at his best to deny them. At the other end Fabianski did his best to keep Norwich out and he did very well to keep a clean sheet on the day. The win saw Arsenal finish the season on 79 points in fourth place and qualify for the final qualifying round for next season's Champions League yet again.

They finished 15 points ahead of last season's champions and it's strange to think that tally only brought them fourth place. At the start of the season I would have thought finishing 15 points ahead of Umited would have been enough for any team to win the league. I would also have thought a final tally of 79 points would more than lithely have seen any team finish second in the league.

The season isn't over for Arsenal though with the FA Cup final to come next week and it will be judged as a successful one if they win the cup. The league campaign might be one full of what might have beens, but the thought of playing for a trophy next week is one all Arsenal fans are looking forward to. Let's hope they can continue the vein of form they're in at the moment and lift that trophy at Wembley next Saturday evening.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Plucky Arsenal Knock Out The Holders To Reach The FA Cup Final

Arsenal went to Wembley on Saturday to take on the FA Cup holders in an attempt to reach this season's final. With their league chances gone it was their last chance of silverware this season and they emerged with a win on penalties after extra time. They will face Hull City in the final on May 17 and hopefully end their nine year wait for a trophy.

Arsene Wenger made a few changes from the team which lost 3-0 to Everton the previous week. Aaron Ramsey started for the first time this year after recovering from injury with Lukasz Fabianski, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Yaya Sanogo also coming in. Mathieu Flamini didn't play as he was suspended, Tomas Rosicky missed out through injury and Olivier Giroud dropped to the bench as he had done in the previous rounds.

Wigan may have been the cup holders but they currently ply their trade in the Championship and Arsenal were rightly strong favourites to reach the final. Arsenal hadn't won in their last four games though and their injury ravaged team had struggled for form and confidence in those four games. If they were going to reach the final they were going to have to beat a Wigan team who had put up an excellent defence of the trophy they won last season.

It was far from a classic game and chances were few and far between in the first half with Sanogo and Bacary Sagna going closest for Arsenal and Wigan never really threatening the Arsenal goal. The second half seemed to be taking the same path until Per Mertesacker upended a Wigan player in the Arsenal area on the hour mark to give away a penalty. Jordi Gomez stepped up to put the ball past Fabianski from the spot, but the Arsenal keeper was to get plenty of other chances to deny Wigan from 12 yards.

Arsenal had half an hour left to save their season and Giroud came on for Lukas Podolski as they switched to playing two strikers. As the minutes ticked by they pushed further forward all the time, but it looked like their luck would desert them when Sagna hit the post with just over 10 minutes left. The goal they craved eventually came when Mertesacker got his head to a wayward Chamberlain shot to score from close range. His celebration was very emotional as he was very relieved after giving away the penalty Wigan had scored from. 

Arsenal had their equaliser and the game went to extra time without too much incident in the remaining minutes. In the 30 minutes of extra time it was Arsenal who did most of the attacking as they had done for the majority of the game and they came closest to scoring when Chamberlain hit the post with a fine shot. Kim Kallstrom made a rare appearance with eight minutes remaining as he came on for the fatigued Ramsey.

I thought Wigan were happy to go to penalties and take their chances from 12 yards and that's exactly what happened. Arsenal don't have the worst record in penalty shoot outs in recent years, but statistics like that fade from the mind when your team is faced with a shoot out. Fabianski is a good penalty saver though and I thought he might just be the man to make the difference for Arsenal. 

He proved to be the difference between the teams as he saved the first two Wigan penalties while Mikel Arteta, Kallstrom, Giroud and Santi Cazorla all scored to send Arsenal through 4-2 on penalties. It was tense and nervous but the players just about got the result they needed without ever being really convincing. It doesn't really matter how they won though as the all important fact is that they're through to the FA Cup final for the first time since 2005.

The players celebrated like they had won the cup after the game and it's understandable considering how close they were to going out and how their league campaign has floundered so badly recently. A lot of questions had been asked of these players and a defeat to Wigan would have ended their chances of a trophy. They now have a very real chance for glory at the same venue in just under five weeks and those celebrations had a fair degree of relief in them I would imagine.

With that cup final place booked they can concentrate on trying to win their last five league games to give them a chance of catching Everton and finishing in the top four. While it's important for the team to end it's trophy drought against Hull  it's equally important for them to qualify for next season's Champions League. Everton won again on Saturday and they're now two points ahead of Arsenal and both teams have five games to play. 

On paper Everton have the tougher run in but they have form on their side having won their last seven games in a row. They play at home to both Manchester clubs as well as Crystal Palace and face trips to Southampton and Hull. Arsenal have home games against West Ham, Newcastle and West Brom as well as trips to Hull and Norwich. 

It's certainly an easier run in for Arsenal, but they will need to win all of those games to put pressure on Everton. The first of those games is this Tuesday night at home to West Ham and the players have to put that approaching cup final out of their minds and concentrate on the job in hand. West Ham will be no pushovers, but a win would put Arsenal back into the top four before Everton play at home to Palace on Wednesday night.

It looks like being a very exciting end to the season even if it's only the usual annual fight for a top four place and the added bonus of a trophy to compete for. There should be a few players coming back from injury very soon too with Laurent Koscielny possibly available on Tuesday night and Mesut Ozil possibly returning next Sunday. They are two very important players and their returns will add some genuine quality to the team at a vital time. Let's hope they can help to make the difference that the team need right now.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Trip To Bayern Munich Previewed

Arsenal face the daunting task of a trip to Bayern Munich tonight in the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie. To make matters worse they go into the game with a 2-0 deficit to make up after losing the first leg at home. That game was very even until Wojciech Szczesny got his marching orders shortly before half time and Bayern took advantage of the extra man to score twice.

Bayern are running away with their domestic league and have now matched Arsenal's invincibles by going 49 league games unbeaten. They look like they will be unbeaten in the league this season and they just don't lose games at home in particular. They're the current champions of Europe and are rightly favourites to retain that trophy despite some very tough opposition.

Of course it's easy to dominate a domestic league when your club can afford to buy the best players from their opponents every season. Any player in Germany who looks good enough usually ends up at Bayern or leaving to ply their trade in another country. They can afford to have a huge squad filled with quality players and it helps them to dominate at home.

For all of their excellence they are not unbeatable though and Arsenal gave them a real run for their money when it was 11 v 11 in the first leg. Things might have been different if Mesut Ozil hadn't missed an early penalty for Arsenal or if the referee chose not to send Szczesny off when he awarded Bayern a penalty. Arsenal made chances early in that game and that early performance will give them hope for tonight.

It also has to be remembered that Bayern have only lost at home once since Arsenal beat them at this exact stage of the same competition last season and that was against Manchester City. Their 2-0 win that night was not enough for Arsenal as Bayern went through on the away goals rule and went on to lift the trophy. It does show that they can be beaten at home though and that Arsenal are capable of doing so.

With Szczesny suspended tonight Lukasz Fabianski will deputise for him and Kieran Gibbs will miss out too through injury. Laurent Koscielny will be fit to return though and resume his excellent central defensive partnership with Per Mertesacker. The big question is who will replace Gibbs with Nacho Mobreal also out injured. 

There are three options and I'm not so sure which is the best of them. First of all Bacary Sagna could switch to the left with Carl Jenkinson coming in on the right, but Jenkinson has a lot to learn at this level still and Bayern will target any supposed weak links in the Arsenal team. Mathieu Flamini could play there too as he has done many years ago when Arsenal went all the way to the 2007 Champions League final, but his services will surely be needed in midfield. The final and most likely option is Thomas Vermaelen who looked very rusty at times in central defence at the weekend, but is the most likely to get the nod in my opinion.

At least Mikael Arteta will be available again after sitting out the first leg through suspension and I expect the Arsenal midfield and attack to be unchanged from Saturday with one exception. I would be very surprised if Yaya Sanogo was chosen ahead of Olivier Giroud for this game and Giroud staked his claim for a place by scoring twice after replacing Sanogo on Saturday against Everton. I thought Sanogo was off the pace in that game, but he did look good in his previous appearances and one of them was in the first leg against Bayern.

If Arsenal are to have any chance tonight I think they have to get the first goal just to see how Bayern react. When they did just that in the game last season Bayern weren't sure what approach to take and ended up a little confused before losing 2-0. That scoreline was of course just good enough to see Bayern progress and they didn't look back as they went on to lift the trophy.

Arsenal's chances are slim to say the least tonight but that gives the players a free shot at it really. No matter what anyone says nobody really expects them to make it through to the next stage and there can be no outcry if they go out to the favourites and reigning champions. They might have won their group and got a better draw in the last 16, but that can't be changed now and there is no shame if they go out to Bayern.

There is still plenty to look forward to this season with Arsenal strong favourites to win the FA Cup and still in with a shout in the Premier League. I haven't given up all hope tonight and I will be over the moon if Arsenal win or better still win by enough to knock Bayern out. It's a highly unlikely scenario but hoping it happens is what supporting your team is all about. 

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

10 Man Arsenal Lose To Bayern Munich

Last night was a good night for Arsenal in some ways despite losing 2-0 at home to Bayern Munich. The scoreline will probably mean they have little chance of qualifying for the quarter finals, but the circumstances of the night gave much hope for Arsenal for the rest of the season.

Arsene Wenger went with the team he was expected to pick with one exception when he included Yaya Sanogo as the central striker and kept Olivier Giroud on the bench. Sanogo had done well against Liverpool at the weekend but it had been supposed he played in that game to give Giroud a rest ahead of the Bayern game. It was a big risk from the boss and one which could have backfired quite easily.

Arsenal came out fighting from the first kick and looked to get behind Bayern as Bayern tried to push forward and close them down. They were on top early on and had the crowd behind them as they took the game to Bayern. The atmosphere died off a little when Wojciech Szczesny had to make an excellent save to deny Toni Kroos, but it picked up again as Arsenal pushed forward in search of the lead.

The first chance came to Sanogo whose snap shot was very well saved by Manuel Neuer and very shortly afterwards Arsenal got an even better chance. Jack Wilshere played Mesut Ozil in on the left and he feigned to shoot before cutting inside Jerome Boateng who took him down for a penalty. Ozil knew exactly what he was doing as he ran into the outstretched leg of Boateng who got a yellow card for his troubles.

With Mikel Arteta suspended and Giroud on the bench Ozil stepped up to take the penalty himself despite missing his previous attempt for Arsenal. On that occasion he never looked like scoring once the keeper didn't buy his dummy in his run up and it was no surprise when it was saved. He took exactly the same approach last night and when Neuer didn't buy it he didn't know where to put the ball. In the end he put it just left of centre and Neuer was able to reach back and get a hand to it to keep the ball out.

It was a bitter blow for Arsenal and a miss I thought they might come to regret before the game was over. Bayern gradually grew into the game and began to get more possession, but Arsenal looked dangerous on the break as Bayern held a high back line. Sanogo played a great ball for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to run on to and Neuer had to be very quick off his line to get to the ball before Chamberlain. 

As the half progressed the possession was more and more in Bayern's favour, but Arsenal were holding strong at the back and looking dangerous every time they went forward. The next blow for Arsenal came on the half hour mark when Kieran Gibbs went down with what looked like a hamstring injury and had to be replaced by Nacho Monreal. Bayern had being loading the right side of their attack and Monreal found it hard to get into the pace of the game as he struggled to cope on that side.

On 38 minutes the game swung hugely in Bayern's favour as Monreal didn't track an Arjen Robben run onto a ball over the top and Szczesny caught Robben on the shin after Robben beat him to the ball. It was a definite penalty but I thought the red card he got was harsh as Robben had knocked the ball away from the goal and Boateng had only got a yellow card when he took Ozil down and Ozil was through on the keeper. Lukasz Fabianski came on to play in goal and Santi Cazorla was the player sacrificed as a result.

David Alaba stepped up and hit the post with his penalty despite Fabianski going the wrong way and Arsenal were still in the game. They had to play for over 50 minutes with only 10 men though and against the best club side in the world too. It wax going to be a very tough backs to the wall remainder of the game for Arsenal and I would have happily taken a 0-0 draw at that stage.

Arsenal made it to half time without conceding but the second half was going to be very hard for them with only one substitution left to make in the game. The longer they could hold out the better but Bayern started to turn the screw immediately and got their reward after 54 minutes when that man Kroos fired a wonderful shot into the top corner of the net. There was nothing Fabianski could do about it and the signs were ominous for Arsenal with 35 minutes still remaining.

The players dug in though and gave their all for the cause as they did everything they could to keep the score at 1-0. There were a few close calls but it looked like they might just make it through to full time with only a solitary goal conceded until substitute Thomas Muller headed home with only two minutes remaining. He found space in the box after a great run by Claudio Pizarrio to take Per Mertesacker out of the way and he managed to lose Mathieu Flamini to score the goal.

The team managed to see out the last few minutes and the added time too, but there was some disappointment at the final whistle because of the late second goal. It was always going to be a huge task to go to Bayern for the second leg and to go there and overturn a two goal deficit is almost impossible. Arsenal did go to Bayern and win 2-0 last season though and ended up going out on away goals and they will need to at least match that score this time around.

The Arsenal players can be proud of their performance on the night and things might have been very different if Szczesny hadn't been sent off or if Ozil had scored his penalty. The attacking display from the team up until Szczesny's red card was very encouraging and it gives me a lot of hope for the rest of the season. If they can approach their remaining domestic games with the same attitude there is a trophy there for the taking.

Sanogo did very well in attack and looked like a genuine threat which is something it's been hard to say about Giroud in recent weeks. The boss said he picked him on form and it's up to Giroud now to up his game if he wants to get back in the team. Chamberlain used his pace again and was a real threat on the break and he has to be utilised as often as possible for the rest of the season.

Flamini was very strong in his defensive midfield role and it's a pity he lost Muller for the second Bayern goal. If Arsenal had defended like that against Liverpool last week they would not have conceded five goals and they need that level of defensive concentration for the rest of the season. 

Ozil came in for a lot of criticism during the game as he struggled to do the defensive part of the game which was needed after the red card. I thought he did as much as could be expected for a player who isn't defensively minded and he never stopped running for the whole game. The penalty miss might have affected his confidence for a while, but hopefully he will feel the need to make up for it over the rest of the season. 

Despite the defeat the Arsenal players can be proud of their performance on the night. If Szczesny had stayed on the game might have ended very differently but he didn't and Bayern took advantage of the situation. The players need to try to recharge their batteries for the game against Sunderland on Saturday and it won't be too easy after all the work they put in last night. A win against Sunderland is an absolute must but they have been in good form recently and are fighting for every single point at the wrong end of the table.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Beat Liverpool And Face Everton Next

Arsenal got their chance for revenge on Liverpool yesterday with an FA Cup fifth round game at home to them. After losing 5-1 in the league at Anfield last week nothing short of a win would have sufficed on their home patch. It wasn't going to be easy against a Liverpool team who were full of confidence and scoring freely at the moment.

Arsene Wenger changed things around quite a lot from the midweek 0-0 draw with United as he made seven changes to the team. The four players who stayed in the team were Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny, Mikel Arteta and Mesut Ozil as others were rested with the Champions League game against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night in mind. It looked like a risk to make so many changes in a competition where Arsenal probably have their best chance of a trophy this season.

The players to come in were Carl Jenkinson and Nacho Monreal in the full back berths, Lukasz Fabianski in goal, Mathieu Flamini in midfield and the attacking trio of Lukas Podolski, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Yaya Sanogo. The biggest surprise was the inclusion of Sanogo in the central strikers role with Olivier Giroud on the bench and Nicklas Bendtner not even in the match day squad. It was a big vote of confidence in the young striker who has spent most of the season so far in the treatment room.

With the draw for the quarter finals being made before the game the winners knew they would have a home tie against Everton in the next round. Arsenal had progressed with home toes in the previous two rounds and the thought of another home tie to progress to the semi finals was a real incentive. Arsemal haven't won the FA Cup since 2005, but their path to a semi final was laid out before them with consecutive home games against the two Liverpool clubs.

Liverpool had the better of things early on and Daniel Sturridge missed a couple of good chances before Arsenal even got the ball anywhere near their goal. Arsenal gradually got into the game and were ahead after only 17 minutes when Chamberlain hit the rebound home after a Sanogo shot was blocked by Steven Gerrard. It was their first real attempt on goal and it was the confidence boost the team needed. 

The rest of the first half went off without too many scares for either defence, but Liverpool certainly had the better of the chances. Fabianski was having a good game in the Arsenal goal and showed he has a lot to offer after the break in particular. He made the first of his saves in the first minute of that half and within a minute of that save Arsenal had increased their lead.

They broke quickly from defence and Ozil played a delightful ball behind the Liverpool defence for Chamberlain to run on to as he outpaced Daniel Agger. He got to the end line and cut the ball back for the rapidly arriving Podolski to hit it home first time and double the lead. I said in my preview that Ozil needs outlets and runners for his passing and the pace of Chamberlain provided that for the second goal. 

Liverpool knew they were on their way out of the cup if they didn't up the pace of the game and came at Arsenal with everything they could muster. With just less than an hour gone they got the break they needed when they were awarded a penalty after a clumsy foul on Luis Suarez by Podolski. It was definitely a penalty despite Suarez making a meal of the situation and Steven Gerrard stroked it past Fabianski to cut the deficit to one goal. 

It was game on now and only a few minutes later Liverpool should have had another penalty when Chamberlain collided with that man Suarez again, but the referee chose not to give it. He could have been influenced by Suarez's theatrics as he threw himself all over the place, but he probably didn't give the penalty because it was so soon after the previous one. Whatever the reason it was a lucky break and one which went Arsenal's way for a change this time.

It can't be forgotten that Liveroool got the dodgy decision in their favour last week when Martin Skrtel was offside as he scored their first goal. Arsenal also had a certain penalty and red card denied to them in both of their games against City and Chelsea. These things supposedly even out over a season and maybe it was time for Arsenal to get a call in their favour at last.

Santi Cazorla came on for Podolski not too long after that and he was involved quite quickly a couple of times at the Liverpool end. He blazed a good chance over from just inside the box first of all and then had what a I thought was a penalty denied when Skrtel came out studs up to block a shot and caught him on the leg. A studs up challenge is against the rules as I understand them, but the referee had no interest in penalty claims and played on. 

He had already allowed Gerrard to stay on the pitch after he should have received his second yellow card of the day for yet another foul on Chamberlain. The Arsenal player had outpaced him and was in a dangerous position when Gerrard deliberately took him down and that's a definite yellow card. His position as England captain lets him get away with an awful lot and he's not the first person to enjoy that privilege. 

At the other end Fabianski was called on to save at the feet of Daniel Sturridge and make a few good saves from Liverpool shots too. His only error of the day was when he came for a free kick and missed it, but thankfully Agger put his header wide with an open goal. Liverpool looked for a penalty again as they claimed Fabianski had caught Agger instead of the ball and Arsenal were perhaps a little lucky to escape yet again. 

Arsenal saw out the rest of the game with Kieran Gibbs and Giroud coming on for Chamberlain and Sanogo late on. At the final whistle the players and the manager were very happy with the victory and to have put last week's humiliation behind them. Liverpool were a little unlucky not to have got at least a draw out of the game and a replay at Anfield would have been the last thing Arsenal wanted.

Fabianski was probably Arsenal's best player on the day with Chamberlain getting a goal and an assist to run him close for the award. He has looked very good in recent games and has either scored or assisted in each of Arsenal's last five goals. With Theo Walcott's season over he could be just coming into form at exactly the right time for the team.

Liverpool were probably the better team on the day and Arsenal were a little fortunate to progress but it's about time they got a result like that in their favour. We have often complained how other teams can sneak wins in games where Arsenal might not and it's a very nice quality to have. I'd be perfectly happy if Arsenal were outplayed by Bayern on Wednesday night but still ended up winning the game.

There's only Arsenal and City now who can win the double and it makes a pleasant change to have the team still fighting on three fronts as we approach March. They're only a point off the top of the league with 12 games to play and have a home game in the last eight of the FA Cup to come too as well as that Champions League last 16 tie with Bayern. If that had been offered as a scenario at the start of the season I can't think there would have been too many Arsenal fans unhappy with it.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal v Liverpool: FA Cup Preview

It's been a bad week so far for Arsenal, but they have a chance to regain some pride at home to Liverpool in the FA Cup this Sunday. The winners progress to the last eight and within sight of a Wembley final in May. The FA Cup was the last trophy Arsenal won when they beat United on penalties back in 2005 and it's still their best chance of a trophy this season.

It's also a chance to put last Saturday's abomination behind them against the team which humbled them 5-1 at Anfield. The display in that game just was not good enough from Arsenal and Liverpool won it because they wanted it more. They snapped into tackles and closed Arsenal down all over the pitch and the Arsenal players and Arsene Wenger could not find a way to counter them. Before Arsenal had time to draw breath they were 4-0 down after only 20 minutes and the game was over.

The last time Arsenal conceded so many goals in the first half of a Premier League game was in 2001 when United led them 5-1 at the break and went on to win 6-1. Arsenal were building a team then and came back the next season to win at United and win the domestic double too. This current Arsenal team isn't the finished article and it has to be hoped they are in the process of building for next season too, but they are in a position where the League and FA Cup are within their sights and they have a chance to shut up those who drone on about how many years it has been since they won a trophy.

They showed some resolve in their midweek 0-0 draw at home to United, but it was far from the convincing performance needed to rid the team and the fans of the doubts they have after last weekend. Rather than take the game to a relatively weak United team they hedged their bets and hoped to snatch a win in a game in which they were happy not to lose. They got a point but missed the opportunity to ascend to the top of the table with Chelsea drawing and City's game falling foul of the weather.

At the same time Liverpool were getting themselves back into the title race by twice coming from behind against bottom club Fulham to eventually win 3-2 with a last minute penalty. Liverpool don't have the Champions League distractions of the three clubs above them and still have to play at home to City and Chelsea before the season ends. If they can continue to score goals with ease they might just have a say in where the Premier League trophy ends up. 

Their only distraction from the league will be the FA Cup and they come to the Emirates on Sunday vying for a place in the last eight. The last time Arsenal hosted them was early last November and it was a one sided affair with Arsenal winning 2-0. It was a very different game to the one last Saturday and it's exactly the type of performance Arsenal need to put in this Sunday.

The main difference in personnel from that game will of course be the continued absence of Aaron Ramsey from the Arsenal team and he's a player who is sorely missed at the moment. Prior to his injury he was the best midfielder in the Premier League and his performances had been a big factor in propelling Arsenal to the top of the table. His injury setback in January was a big blow and it limited the team's attacking options in a big way. The team coped for the month of January but the signs were there as they struggled to put teams away at times and now they're feeling his absence even more.

To add to Arsenal's attacking woes Theo Walcott got injured in the third round of the FA Cup win over Spurs and won't be available for the rest of the season. His pace is a weapon Arsenal really need to have in their armoury and he will be missed as much as Ramsey. There was an opportunity during the January transfer window to add some attacking flair to the squad but it didn't happen and Arsenal will have to make do with the players that they have.

If they're going to beat Liverpool on Sunday they are going to have to find some attacking flair from somewhere. There's a team full of midfielders who are very comfortable in possession and seem content to pass the ball continuously without finding any penetration. Against the lesser teams they can wear them down and tire them out, but it's not so easy against the better teams. 

In Mesut Ozil Arsenal have a player who can open up any defence but with Walcott and Ramsey missing he has no outlets for his precise passing. It might be a little different if Arsenal had a centre forward with some genuine pace, but that's an asset Olivier Giroud simply doesn't possess. I don't like to knock Arsenal players and Giroud gives his all for the cause, but he just isn't good enough for a team with Arsenal's ambitions in my opinion. 

There's a very good chance the boss will change the team around against Liverpool with a Champions League game against Bayern Munich coming up on Wednesday night. Players such as Lukasz Fabianski, Carl Jenkinson, Mathieu Flamini, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lukas Podolski, Serge Gnabry, Nicklas Bendtner and Yaya Sonogo could all get a place in the team if he decides to shake things around or rest a few players. I think he will probably go for a bit of a mixture and bring a few of those players into the team. 

Now that Flamini has served his three game suspension for the red card against Southampton I imagine he will play and I would be surprised if Podolski, Chamberlain and Bendtner didn't start as well. I would be surprised if there are any defensive changes with the exception of Fabianski taking his place in goal for a cup game as usual. The defence were very poor against Liverpool last week, but they have been excellent at home with seven clean sheets in a row in all competitions and they could do with the chance to put the wrongs of last week right.

If Flamini, Podolski, Chamberlain and Bendtner do play it only leaves two other places in the team and it should be a choice of two out of four between Ozil, Jack Wilshere, Tomas Rosicky and Santi Cazorla. Much has been made of Wilshere being far from his best recently and giving the ball away too often in dangerous positions. He has huge potential but he still has a lot to learn and I have no doubt he will improve that aspect of his game in time. I'd be happy to see any combination of the four of them play, but I have a feeling Wilshere will get the day off.

With no midweek distractions coming up for Liverpool they can afford to put out their strongest team and that's the team which humbled Arsenal only a week ago. Liverpool have been far from impressive away from home and were a little fortunate to win at bottom club Fulham on Wednesday night. They made two terrible defensive errors for the Fulham goals and their defence is their weakest link in my opinion. That may sound strange coming from a fan whose team conceded five goals against Liverpool last week, but if Arsenal can get on the front foot they can score goals.

They cannot afford to come out tentatively and gradually play themselves into the game like they have done far too often recently. Arsenal are the home team and they need to show Liverpool what it's like to come and play on their home patch. This is Liverpool's best chance of a trophy this season and Arsenal's too and Arsenal have to play like they want to progress to the next round.

I think the players have it in them to put in a performance which can win the game and I really hope they can show that. I hope they're not affected by fear of defeat and can find the confidence to play their own game from the very start. As always I'm backing Arsenal to win and I can never imagine a time when I will consider anything else. Hopefully my faith in the team will be repaid with a performance to put some confidence back into the team for the home stretch this season. There's still an awful lot to play for this season and it's far too early to throw the towel in no matter how badly this week may have gone so far. 

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Brush Spurs Aside And Face Coventry Next

Arsenal have won the FA Cup 10 times in their history and a win this season would equal the record amount of wins for any club which is held by Manchester United. They faced a tricky home game against local rivals Spurs yesterday, but emerged as 2-0 winners to enter into the hat for the fourth round draw. The draw was made this afternoon and Arsenal will play at home to League One side Coventry City three weeks from now.

It's a game Arsenal will be very strong favourites to win and should do just that as long as they don't underestimate their opposition. The prize for a victory over Coventry would be a place in the fifth round when the competition is reduced to just 16 clubs. It's a draw Arsenal have to be more than happy with and one which can get the team dreaming just a little of a trip to Wembley.

When the teams were announced for the game against Spurs yesterday I was a little worried as Arsene Wenger decided to rest a few players and it could have been a big risk. The Arsenal bench looked very strong though with Per Mertesacker, Mesut Ozil, Mathieu Flamini and Lukas Podolski all available if they were to be called upon. Spurs had a few injuries of their own and it promised to be a very close game.

As usual in the FA Cup Arsenal put their second choice goalkeeper in the team and Lukasz Fabianski got a rare chance to show what he can do. His contract is up at the end of the season and the chances are he will be on his way elsewhere, but he's still a good goalkeeper. As it turned out Arsenal could almost have put a ball boy in goals such was the lack of goal threat from Spurs.

The other changes in the team saw Serge Gnabry get a rare start on the right side of the attacking trio with Thomas Vermaelen coming into the defence and Tomas Rosicky playing in midfield. The players to miss out were Mertesacker, Flamini and Podolski, but all three were held in reserve just in case they were needed. It meant Theo Walcott got a rare chance to play in his favoured position as the focal point for the Arsenal attack.

The game didn't look like it would be so one sided early on when a lucky deflection put Christian Eriksen through with only Fabianski to beat, but the keeper saved well in what was his toughest task of the day. Arsenal gradually got on top of the game and their midfield started creating chances for lone striker Walcott. It's a role Walcott favours but has rarely got a chance to play in and he showed he can be a threat and he was a constant thorn in Spurs' sides. 

Arsenal came close a few times before they made the breakthrough just after the half hour mark. A quick break saw Gnabry run at the Spurs defence and he timed a perfect pass for Santi Cazorla who was coming in from the left. Cazorla hit a perfect left footed shot which left Hugo Lloris with no chance in the Spurs goal. I expected Spurs to rally after the goal and throw players forward in search of an equaliser, but they continued to be toothless in the face of a strong Arsenal defensive unit.

In the second half the best chances were again going Arsenal's way and it took just over 15 minutes for them to convert one. Spurs defender Danny Rose was the last man back and tried to turn Tomas Rosicky on the halfway line, but was dispossessed by the little Czech dynamo. He raced towards goal with Kyle Walker quickly making up ground on him, but to no avail as Rosicky clipped the ball over the advancing Lloris to make it 2-0 to Arsenal.

The only surprise for the rest of the game was that Arsenal failed to add to their tally and Fabianski still remained relatively inactive in the Arsenal goal. Spurs tried to push further forward and Arsenal were happy to defend in depth with the threat of hitting them on the break. That threat subsided a little with 10 minutes left when Walcott was stretchered off and Arsenal had to finish the game with 10 men as they had already used all of their substitutes. Spurs still failed to offer any real threat though and it was Arsenal who came closest to scoring in those last 10 minutes plus the five minutes of added time. 

There were so many positives on the day for Arsenal with the performance of Gnabry in particular being a real bonus. He showed again that he has something to offer the team right now and he could well get a chance depending on the prognosis on the Walcott injury. He looks like he's the real deal and he impressed with his shooting, dribbling and awareness of his team mates. 

The players now have an eight day break before they travel to Villa on Monday week for their next league game. Olivier Giroud should be back to lead the line for that game, but Nicklas Bendtner won't be available after the news he will be out for at least four weeks with the ankle injury he picked up scoring the all important breakthrough goal against Cardiff. His absence and the injury to Walcott may well tempt the boss into dipping into the transfer market for a striker if he can find the right player to sign in a hurry. I'm still not convinced he will sign a striker though, but only time will tell.

All in all it was a very good weekend for Arsenal with a routine win over Spurs and a home draw in the next round against lower league opposition. Added to that City only drew with Blackburn in the cup and must face a replay as well as a two legged Capital One Cup semi final this month. That means they will have to play three extra games this month and hopefully that schedule will have an effect on their league results.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's FA Cup Game With Spurs Previewed

It's FA Cup third round day and Arsenal face arch rivals Spurs in the evening kick off at The Emirates Stadium. It's a tough draw for both teams at this early stage in the competition and one of them will exit at the first hurdle. That will be a bitter pill to swallow for the losers with both teams having such an excellent pedigree in the FA Cup. Manchester United have won the FA Cup 11 times and the two North London rivals are next in the list of overall winners with 10 to Arsenal and eight to Spurs.

It's been a hectic festive schedule for both teams over the last few weeks and injuries have taken their toll. Arsenal will have to do without the services of Kieran Gibbs, Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil, Nicklas Bendtner and probably Oliver Giroud too. Giroud looks to have recovered from his ankle injury, but has come down with an illness and the signs aren't positive for his participation today.

It means Nacho Monreal will continue at left back, but I would be surprised if there are any other changes to the defence with the possible exception of Lukasz Fabianski getting a chance seeming as it's the FA Cup. Arsene Wenger has usually picked his second choice goalkeeper in FA Cup games and I can't imagine it will be any different in this game. Fabianski has been very unlucky over the past couple of seasons as he has picked up injuries on every occasion when he has looked like staking a genuine claim for a first team place.

There must be a temptation for the boss to rest one or two players in the FA Cup as he has done in previous seasons, but this game is too important to do so in my opinion. First of all it's against arch rivals Spurs and it means so much to the fans that it has to be treated very seriously and secondly the team have some real momentum and a defeat could damage that. The FA Cup may be seen as a distraction with Arsenal topping the league and through to the last 16 of the Champions League, but no game against Spurs can be surrendered at any time.

The lack of Bendtner or Giroud will probably mean Lukas Podolski leads the attack again and hopefully he can do a bit better in that role than he did on Wednesday against Cardiff. Ideally Giroud would recover in time but I don't think that will happen and the team will have to try to adapt to Podolski's strengths. The game against Cardiff was Podolski's first start since August due to injury and hopefully he has benefitted from the game time.

In midfield I have a feeling both Mathieu Flamini and Mikael Arteta will start again as a defensive duo with Jack Wilshere taking up the attacking duties. That would leave Theo Walcott on the right of the attacking trio and probably Santi Cazorla on the left although there is a chance of Tomas Rosicky playing instead of any of those players. There is also a possibility of Serge Gnabry taking one of the wide roles, but I have a feeling the team will be the same one which started against Cardiff.

The team really missed a focal point in attack in that game and they will have to do their best without one today as well. Spurs set themselves up to play on the counter attack away from home and got a good win away to United on Wednesday with those tactics. They have won seven of their 10 Premier League games away from home and have a far better record on their travels than they do at home. 

While Arsenal always try to push forward on the front foot at home they will have to be wary of being hit on the counter attack. They cannot afford to over commit players forward or they could find themselves left short at the back. The team have plenty of games to play at the moment, but a draw wouldn't be the worst result as Giroud would surely be back for the replay and Spurs are a lot less dangerous at home. 

Having said that I of course want Arsenal to win on the day and get a much needed week of rest before playing away to Villa on Monday week. That break would give some players a chance to return from injury and maybe give the boss some time to browse the transfer market for the striker and central defender which the club really need to add for the sake of their title challenge. Whether he actually buys anyone or not is another matter, but hopefully he can at least try to set himself a couple of targets and then try to convince their clubs to sell them. 

It's always hectic between Arsenal and Spurs and this game has the added incentive of being a cup fixture. I expect to see the game played at a high pace and to see the tackles flying in from the first minute to the last. Refereeing decisions have been to the fore in most of Arsenal's recent games and hopefully this game won't be ruined by any more bad decisions. Surely Arsenal have to be given a penalty at some stage after being denied so many over the festive period and hopefully any serious foul play will be appropriately dealt with for a change.

I would be surprised if either team kept a clean sheet and I think if there is a winner it will be only by one goal. As I said I would be happy with a draw and the opportunity to fight another day but I'm predicting a narrow Arsenal victory. Ideally I'd love to see Podolski thrive in the central strikers role and get the goals to win the game.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Premier League Game With Reading Previewed

The dreaded international break is finally over and Arsenal can get back to the important matter of assuring Champions League qualification for next season. They have nine games left to get as many points as possible and try to overtake either Spurs or Chelsea. It won't be an easy task but it's one the team are capable of living up to.

The first game of those nine is at home to relegation threatened Reading and it's one Arsenal should be winning handsomely. Reading have the worst away record in the league with only five points taken from 15 games so far. They have also conceded more goals than any other team in the Premier League at the moment.

Of course statistics can be used to prove or disprove just about anything and can never be fully trusted. I could just as easily tell you Reading have scored more goals against Arsenal than any other team this season with seven goals in two games on their own ground. Arsenal did manage 12 goals in those games though and won them both of course.

Reading sacked ex Arsenal player Brian McDermott from his position as their manager a couple of weeks ago and replaced him with Nigel Adkins. Adkins looked to have been harshly treated when he was sacked by Southampton in January himself and will be looking to prove his credentials at Reading. This will be their first game under his control and a team with a new manager can be a dangerous animal sometimes.

Players will feel they have something to prove to a new manager and some players might get a new chance after being discarded by the previous regime. In Reading's last game they played quite well and only lost 1-0 away to runaway leaders United. They had a temporary manager in charge for that game and their players gave their all for the cause.

Arsenal cannot be complacent and need to treat their opponents with the utmost respect. They have to make sure they play at their best and do all they can to kill the game off as quickly as possible. Reading have been known for their comebacks this season and Arsenal need to make sure they get no such opportunity in this game.

In team news the international break has taken it's toll with Theo Walcott unavailable after picking up a knock. Jack Wilshere is still unavailable due to his ankle injury and will miss next week's game at West Brom too. Kieran Gibbs has been sick in bed and the chances are Nacho Monreal will fill the left back slot in this game.

Poor old Abou Diaby injured his left knee in training on Wednesday and will miss the next nine months. He had so much potential before his horrendous injury against Sunderland seven years ago. We have only seen little bits of what he can do since then and sadly I don't think he will ever get to fulfill his potential.

Bacary Sagna is available again and so is Lukas Podolski and the chances are they will both come straight back into the team. Carl Jenkinson might feel a little hard done by if Sagna plays, but Sagna is still the first choice right back at the club. Hopefully he can play more like the Sagna of old than like the Sagna of the last couple of months before his injury.

Lukasz Fabianski should continue in goal with Wojciech Szczesny on the bench again. It was a bit of a shock to see Fabianski come from almost nowhere in terms of recent playing time to usurp Szczesny, but he has looked the part in the two games he has played. Hopefully Szczesny can come back an even stronger and better goalkeeper and the competition can only do Arsenal good.

The big choice for Arsene Wenger will be his central defensive pairing and I hope he goes with the pair that have started the last two games. For me the best pairing are Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny which means the club captain has to miss out. I'm not so sure how Thomas Vermaelen feels about it but hopefully he can try hard to regain the form he has shown in previous seasons.

With Wilshere missing I think the midfield more or less picks itself with Mikael Arteta, Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey the starting trio. Walcott's absence will see either Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain or Gervinho start on the right with Podolski probably returning on the left. That means Olivier Giroud will play through the middle and hopefully he can stay fit as he is the only player we have who can play there in my opinion.

The task at hand is quite simple for Arsenal. They have to play at home to the worst defence in the league and against the team with the worst away record too. They need to impose their game on Reading from first minute to last and not let up at all. There's an opportunity to put real pressure on both Spurs and Chelsea who have tricky away games at the same time that Arsenal play.

If Arsenal can win and Spurs don't beat Swansea then Arsenal's fate is in their own hands again with a game in hand. Spurs have crumbled in this position in the past and there's no reason why they shouldn't do so again. Arsenal need to keep winning games to take advantage of any points dropped by Spurs or Chelsea.

A top four finish is so important to bring Champions League football and the TV revenue from that is probably 10 times the revenue from Europa League football. It would be a shame if half of Arsenal's transfer kitty had to be set aside to cover the fall in income from not making it through to the Champions League.   

Of course this weekend is very special to Arsenal fans for another reason as tomorrow marks the 12th anniversary of the day David "Rocky" Rocastle was so cruelly taken from us. He was so young at only 33 years of age and despite moving from Arsenal he will always be remembered by our fans as a truly great player. I was lucky enough to see him play on a few occasions myself and tomorrow will be a sad day for me.



Hopefully the team can get a result to cheer the fans on such a sad occasion and I'm sure he will be fondly remembered at the game today. One of my favourite memories of Rocky in an Arsenal shirt was the magnificent goal he scored away to Manchester United in 1991. He showed exactly how good he was with that goal and I've included it below for all to see.

I'm hoping for a great Arsenal performance today to show the teams they're chasing that Arsenal won't give up in their quest to catch them. Three points and a good performance would be the ideal way to kick start the run in and I'm predicting a 3-1 win for Arsenal.

Football is a simple game and Arsenal are a better team than Reading. They quite simply have to show that along with hard work and desire and I'm sure they will reap the rewards. Anything other than a win would be a huge blow and just cannot be allowed to happen.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Premier League Trip To Swansea Previewed

With all of Arsenal's trophy hopes for the season now well and truly finished there's just a top four spot in the Premier League to play for. Arsene Wenger may have included it as one of the "trophies" the club aim for at the start of the season, but there's no silverware for finishing anything but first. The big prize is Champions League qualification and the rewards and benefits it brings.

It's projected that Arsenal will make well over €30 million from their participation in the Champions League this season and the absence for that sort of reward puts a big hole in any transfer fund. I doubt there's much money to be made from Europa League football in comparison and the inconvenience of Thursday night football is one no fan can really wish for. It's also a lot easier to attract players to a club with the promise of participation in the top club competition in football.

The team defended very well against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night and took their chances to claim a 2-0 victory. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to put them through to the quarter finals as they went out on away goals. Hopefully the result will have given the players the confidence they need to go into their final 10 games on a high.

If they win all 10 of those games I have no doubt they will make up the ground on the teams above them, but each game they don't win is a step further away from the holy grail. I personally think they will need to win eight of those games to guarantee a spot in the top four and that won't be an easy task. It's vital for the team to get that task off to a good start with a positive result today.

In team news Jack Wilshere and Lukas Podolski are both unavailable through injury. It should mean the team isn't too different from the one that played on Wednesday night. The boss has a few decisions to make after the performances of the players in that game.

There has been a call for Lukasz Fabianski to play in goal after his very good performance against Bayern, but that would surely be unfair on Wojciech Szczesny. He has been good this season despite a few lapses in concentration and he is the first choice keeper at the club. To drop him now might do his confidence an awful lot of harm and hopefully Fabianski's performance will make him realise he has some real competition at last.

Kieran Gibbs did well at left back considering it was his first game back from injury after a couple of months out. I think Nacho Monreal will probably get the nod though as Gibbs might be feeling the effects from that game and it could lead to him picking up another injury.

The other real big choice is in the centre of defence where Laurent Koscielny had a great game against Bayern. It's a straight choice between him and captain Thomas Vermaelen to play alongside Per Mertesacker. I think Koscielny should play, but it's a big decision for the manager to leave his captain on the bench again.

The midfield were far from great against Bayern and far too many passes went astray on the night. They will have to be an awful lot tighter today if they are going to win. I don't think there will be any changes in the six players outside of the defence, but there are options besides the players who played on Wednesday night.

Abou Diaby, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Gervinho will all feel they have something to contribute. Hopefully they can take the chance if it comes their way today. I though both Chamberlain and Gervinho impressed coming off the bench against Bayern.

Swansea are a good team and fully deserved to win the Capital One Cup a few weeks ago. They are in a safe position in the league with a Europa League spot for next season already secured thanks to that Capital One Cup victory. They could be forgiven for relaxing and going through the motions for the rest of the season.

I can't see any such thing happening though and I have no doubt they will do their best to finish as high in the league as possible. They will give their all to today's game and would be delighted to do the double over Arsenal this season. They got a fully deserved 2-0 win over Arsenal at the Emirates late last year in a game where Arsenal were at their very worst.

The Arsenal players know what has to be done for the rest of the season and they quite simply have to go out and do it. There can be no half-hearted displays in any game and every single point has to be fought for. They are good enough to get the points they need as long as they have the application that is required.

I think they will manage a win today, but it will be a very close game. There should be plenty of good football from both sides and Arsenal need to take whatever good chances come their way. It would be great for Arsenal to close the gap on both Chelsea and Spurs ahead of their games tomorrow.

The better the results Arsenal get ahead of games those teams play the more pressure that will be on them. Hopefully that pressure can mount if Arsenal can put a good run together. It's amazing the difference a few wins can make and it's time for Arsenal to make that difference.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Win 2-0 Away To Bayern Munich Isn't Quite Enough

Arsenal went to Bayern Munich last night with a seemingly impossible task ahead of them. They had lost the home leg 3-1 three weeks ago and needed to score three goals or they were going out of the Champions League. It looked like an impossible task for an Arsenal that had rarely played at their best this season.

The team was pretty much as expected with Kieran Gibbs coming back from injury to play at left back. Tomas Rosicky came in to midfield for the injured Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey got to play with Lukas Podolski also injured. Lukasz Fabianski started in goal for Wojciech Szczesny who was rested for the game.

Bayern had played so well in the first game that Arsenal's task looked to be beyond them. Surely it was only a matter of how much they could limit any further damage. I had hoped for Arsenal to regain some pride on the night with a performance to show what it means to wear the shirt to the players.

Arsenal got off to the perfect start when Olivier Giroud smashed the ball into the roof of the net from close range after Theo Walcott had squared the ball to him. Suddenly they had hope and Bayern seemed more than a little lost. They still had a one goal cushion, but they didn't know how to approach the rest of the game.

Arsenal didn't create an awful lot more in the first half, but they defended very well when it was needed. At half time it was still 1-0 to Arsenal and the home fans were notable by their silence. The Arsenal fans could be heard singing from the first minute to the last and they did the club proud as always.

There was more of the same in the second half with Arsenal struggling to create chances, but managing to hold tight at the back. Bayern came into the game even more at the start of the second half, but they failed to get anything past Fabianski in the Arsenal goal.

I was very impressed with Laurent Koscielny and Carl Jenkinson in defence and Kieran Gibbs wasn't bad for his first game in nearly two months. They were ably assisted by Fabianski and Per Mertesacker with a defensive performance to bring back memories of Arsenal teams from previous years.

There were a couple of defensive scares for Bayern with Gervinho going close after he had come on for Ramsey. Giroud also failed to set up Oxlade-Chamberlain in front of the Bayern goal when he slipped as he tried to poke the ball to him. Bayern looked comfortable though until Arsenal got their first corner with four minutes remaining.

Santi Cazorla whipped in a very good corner from the right and Koscielny was on hand to head it into the night. There was an almighty scramble as Arsenal tried to retrieve the ball in an effort to get the game going as quickly as possible. In those last four minutes and three minutes of added time they never really created another chance, but they certainly had Bayern worried.

I'm not sure how the referee only added three minutes with all of the substitutions and time wasting by Bayern. I was highly unimpressed by Bayern's ability to fall over whenever they were approached by an Arsenal player and by how often the officials bought it. Bayern looked far from the team tipped by many to win this season's Champions League.

At the final whistle the Arsenal players looked very disappointed to be out of the competition. They should be proud of their efforts on the night and their exit was glorious in it's own way. After the severe disappointment of the first leg the team went some way towards restoring some of the pride which had being missing far too often this season.

Their exit was due to the performance in the first 45 minutes of the home game in particular. When the team pulled a goal back in the home leg they probably pushed forward too much and the third goal Bayern scored was ultimately the difference between the teams. Without that goal to fall back on last night's game could well have been a very different one.

The team now have 10 league games left to save their season. All that's left to play for is fourth place and a place in next season's Champions League. They have to win as many of those 10 games as possible and hope the teams above them will drop points.

Hopefully last night's performance can give the players the lift they need to play at their best in those 10 remaining games. The first of those games is at Swansea on Saturday and it will be a very tough test for the team. Three points would be a great return from that game and the spirit shown last night will certainly help to achieve that goal.

There are some big decisions for the manager to make ahead of that game. He must decide who to play on goal and at left back as well as deciding whether Koscielny keeps his place ahead of Vermaelen. None of them are easy choices but it won't be easy for him to make changes to a defence which performed so well last night. Whoever plays had to defend with the same intensity that was shown last night if Arsenal are going to win the game.

I'll look into that a lot more in my preview on Saturday, but for now it's time to bask in the joy of Arsenal's victory last night. It may not have been enough to get them through to the quarter finals, but it went a long way to restoring some pride. Hopefully that pride can remain with the team for the rest of the season and help them to achieve the one goal they have left.

Here's the highlights from last night's game.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Champions League Trip To Bayern Munich Previewed

Arsenal face a daunting task of going to Bayern Munich tonight needing to overturn a 3-1 defeat from the home leg of the tie three weeks ago. Bayern completely out thought and outplayed Arsenal that night and were good value for their win. Their three away goals were surely more than enough to see them safely through to the quarter finals.

Only the most optimistic of Arsenal fans could give them any hope of winning through to the last eight. They do have their pride to play for though and for professional footballers that must surely count for something. The wrong approach tonight could see Arsenal on the end of a very bad result and that cannot be allowed to happen.

I can't honestly see Arsenal progressing to the last eight, but there is always a chance that they can win on the night. Bayern are an excellent team and a victory away to them would surely be a great boost to the team. If Arsenal are to manage to get anything out of the game they will have to be at their very best.

In team news it seems Jack Wilshere has picked up an ankle injury and will be out for three weeks. At least it's not the same ankle which kept him out for well over a year not so long ago. His energy and drive will be missed, but if he's back within the projected three weeks he will hopefully only miss the league game at Swansea next Saturday.

The other absentee is Bacary Sagna who has still not recovered from his injury and Carl Jenkinson will again deputise for him. Sagna had not being playing well before his injury and Jenkinson has looked quite good filling in for him recently. He'll have his work cut out against a very good Bayern team, but he didn't let himself down in the first leg.

It also seems that Wojciech Szczesny will not be traveling as he is to be rested for this game. Lukasz Fabianski seems to be the goalkeeper to profit from Szczesny's absence and he hasn't played in a long time due to injury. He looks like a very good keeper, but when things go wrong for him they tend to go badly wrong.

He's had many chances before and looked like he might finally be taking them until Szczesny's emergence. That coincided with an injury for him and his Arsenal prospects have never recovered. He has a chance tonight to show that he still had something to offer the club despite his desire to move elsewhere.

Lukas Podolski is another absentee and I think he is badly missed at the moment. He has apparently being carrying an injury for a while and his appearances recently have been limited. When he plays in the front three with Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud I think Arsenal look their most dangerous in attack.

Both Walcott and Giroud have been misfiring recently and I wonder if the absence of Podolski has been a factor in that. His divert from the left has made plenty of chances for both of them and he had his fair share of goals from his wide role too. Hopefully he can recover quickly enough to play a part in Arsenal's crucial last 10 league games.

Both Kieran Gibbs and Abou Diaby should be fit to return to the squad, but match fitness is a different thing. I hope Gibbs can play with Nacho Monreal cup tied and Thomas Vermaelen really struggling at left back in the first leg. Vermaelen's form in the centre of defence has not been great and Bayern found it too easy to expose him at left back.

I can't imagine Diaby will play even if he is passed fit, as he is so injury prone. It would be a big risk to play him and it's not a game Arsenal should be taking risks with players in. There are 10 league games left this season and Arsenal need every single player available to them to be able to make a contribution in those games.

The most important thing for the team is to finish in the top four in the league and it's going to be a tough slog. They will probably have to win at least eight of their last 10 games to do so and that would require a radical change in the consistency they have shown so far this season. It's not an impossible task, but it is out of their own hands at the moment.

As for tonight there are rumours of Arsenal playing a weakened team, but the options Arsene Wenger has are somewhat limited by all of the absentees. He needs to put out his strongest team possible in my opinion or it could turn out to be a very embarrassing result. This Bayern team are very good and it will take an exceptional team to stop them in the Champions League this season.

They have a huge lead in their domestic league and the German league is a very competitive one. Their away record in the league is quite incredible with only one goal conceded in 12 away games so far. Their home record isn't quite so perfect though with one defeat in 13 games and nine goals conceded.

With the players absent I would imagine Aaron Ramsey and Gervinho will come in for Wilshere and Podolski with Laurent Koscielny possibly playing in defence too. The left back slot will be filled by either Vermaelen or Gibbs, but I think Gibbs will play as Monreal is available to play there in the league if he suffers a reaction to his injury. It could be a long hard night for the players and fans alike, but hopefully the team can take something out of the game if not the tie.

A good defensive performance would be a great thing to see with Arsenal also posing a threat on the break. Both Walcott and Gervinho have loads of pace and Arsenal will have to utilise that whenever they can. I'm not convinced by Gervinho at all, but hopefully he can have one of his better games.

The midfield need to perform like they did in the second half of the home leg and the wide players need to get back and help their full backs every time Bayern go forward. It won't be easy but if every player does their job properly and concentrates for the full 90 minutes the team can at least know they have given their all. If that leads to a positive result on the night it would be a great thing.

I'm not for a minute suggesting Arsenal will make it through to the next round, but I would be very happy if they didn't lose tonight's game all things considered. It might give the team some confidence for the struggle that lies ahead to qualify for next season's competition.

Of course life for Arsenal had to be more than just qualifying for the Champions League. That in itself cannot be the goal at the start of the season and the club have to genuinely start challenging for trophies again. That will require some real investment this summer and the money is there to do just that.

Champions League qualification will mean there is more money available, but we cannot be in the exact same situation at this time next season. Progress has to be made and had to be seen to be made or something will have to change at the club. The current team have stagnated as also-rans and this had to be the last season of that. The future we are led to believe the club are planning for had to arrive at some time soon as the present cost of building for it is a very high one in my opinion.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Trip To Stoke City Previewed

Arsenal make the tough trip to play Stoke in the early kick off on Sunday. They only managed to take one point from their first game at home to Sunderland, and they have to get something from this game. Arsenal have never had it easy when traveling to play Stoke in recent years, and this game will be no different.

There is a marked contrast between the footballing styles and philosophies of both clubs. While Arsenal do their best to play a possession based game which can be appealing to the eye, Stoke prefer a more old fashioned "up and at them approach." There is also more than a little needle between the two clubs after Aaron Ramsey's horrific injury against Stoke two years ago.

Both teams started their campaigns with draws last week, and both of them would have been unhappy with those results. Arsenal could only manage a 0-0 draw at home to Sunderland while Stoke conceded a last minute goal to draw away to Reading. A win for either team would mean a good start to the season, but a defeat would see them struggling at the wrong end of the table.

Arsenal have played away to Stoke four times since Stoke were promoted to the Premier League, and they have only won once. That victory came in the game where Ramsey had his leg so badly broken, and it's about time victory number two arrived. The chances are Ramsey will be on the bench tomorrow, but his appearance at any stage will draw howls of derision from the Stoke fans.

They haven't quite managed to forgive him yet for being a little ungracious in accepting Ryan Shawcross's apology for the horrific tackle which broke his leg. To be fair to Shawcross he was very upset afterwards, and his mother had to bring him home in tears. They are hardly the actions of a thug or hard man, but then again bullies and thugs will hide behind anyone who will shelter them.

In team news Arsenal should have more or less the same players available as last week, but Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain might return and Wojciech Szczesny is a doubt after picking up an injury. I can only hope Szczesny plays because I don't fancy the thought of watching Lukasz Fabianski play against Stoke. He has struggled with their style of football in the past, and if he is to get his chance I would hope for it to be against a less physical team. 

The defence and midfield will probably be the exact same as they were last week against Sunderland, but Chamberlain and Ramsey will be hoping to be included. The most important player for Arsenal in their midfield could be Santi Carzola, and he proved his worth last week by creating more goalscoring chances than any other Premier League player. Hopefully Arsenal can put away a few of those chances this time to help them on the road to a victory.

Arsene Wenger has to decide whether new boy Oliver Giroud will play from the start or not in a central attacking role. If Giroud does start I would expect either Theo Walcott or Gervinho to miss out, as I expect Lukas Podolski to keep his place but play on the left more than likely. Walcott struggled against a defensive team last week. and I suspect he could be the player to lose out.

The inclusion of Per Mertesacker at the heart of the Arsenal defence while Laurent Koscielny is injured is seen as a big positive in this game by many Arsenal fans. Despite his height I don't think Mertesacker is a very physical player, and he depends more on anticipation for defensive interceptions. I hope he can stand firm against the onslaught from set pieces which is inevitable, and hopefully his stature will be an advantage for Arsenal.

Stoke only know one way to play and they will look to pressurise the Arsenal defence at every opportunity. They may have been the lowest scorers in the Premier League last season, but their home record is still pretty good. Arsenal have conceded the first goal on all previous Premier League trips to Stoke, and it would be a pleasant change for them to reverse that trend.

Of course Arsenal only really know the one way to play as well, and if they can get their passing game going at the right pace they will cause Stoke problems. The wide players need to become more involved than they were against Sunderland, and they need to take the good chances that come their way. Hopefully Giroud will get his name on the scoresheet if he gets a chance as good as the one he missed last week.

It takes time for players to settle into a new club, but the best way for a striker to settle is to find the back of the net. Carzola doesn't seem like he will need time to settle in ,and his quick feet and football brain will cause Stoke real problems, as long as the referee doesn't allow them to kick him out of the game. I am genuinely excited by the prospect of Carzola, and what he can do for Arsenal this season.

I think it's going to be a very tight game, but Arsenal have the ability to take all three points if they can work hard enough to win them. I'm predicting a 2-1 win for Arsenal with Carzola again being the star of the show. It would be nice for Arsenal to head to Liverpool next weekend with four points in the bag already.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.