Arsenal v Aston Villa Preview

A very disappointing season comes to an end for Arsenal today when they play at home to Aston Villa. It's been a season of what could have been and probably what should have been too, but ultimately it delivered nothing. At the turn of the year the league was there to be won, but all the old failings came back to haunt us in a far too familiar fashion.

There's still something to play for today of course with the possibility of finishing anywhere from second to fourth place still up for grabs. To finish second Arsenal need to win and Spurs need to lose at already relegated Newcastle which I just can't see happening. As long as we don't lose we will finish above City in third and qualify directly for the group stages of next season's Champions League.

On the face of it a home game against one of the worst teams the Premier League has seen in a long time is the ideal way to finish the season. In past years I would have been very confident of Arsenal handing out a thrashing to a Villa team who's only away win was on the opening day of the season and have only managed 17 points in their 37 games to date. Even with nothing really at stake, Arsenal should be looking for a very comfortable victory today.

The fans will get to say goodbye to a few players who won't be around next season, but we don't know if Mikel Arteta, Tomas Rosicky or Mathieu Flamini will get to play a part in proceedings today. Arteta came in at a time when we were really struggling and helped to steady the ship when it looked we were on our way out of the elite. He's the club captain and by all accounts a great influence in the dressing room and it will be sad to see him go, but he's been past his best for quite a while and injuries have curtailed his chances and performances.

Rosicky promised so much when he joined 10 years ago, but we never got the best out of him as he struggled from one injury to another. He's a very talented footballer and he could have been a huge part of the team during his time with us, but it wasn't to be. Players of his ability who stay at a club for as long as he did usually become legends, but his continued absences will mean he will be fondly remembered even if he fits into the "what could have been" category.

Flamini is a curious case who came back to train with us a couple of years ago when he had no club and we ended up offering him a contract. I would be with those who saw it as a backward step, but he did become a cult figure at the club. That doesn't mean he was good enough though, but he did at least beat Spurs almost single handedly in the Capital One Cup this season.

I'm not so sure we'll get to see those three play a part today because the game still has some meaning and none of them are anywhere near the team at the moment. I would imagine we'll see the strongest team possible play today as they look to finish the season on a high and put any pressure they can on Spurs. I would be surprised if the team differed too much from the one which drew at City last week and surely a strong Arsenal team has to be too good for a poor Villa team.

Villa drew 0-0 at home to Newcastle last week and it was the first point they managed in 12 games. After just avoiding relegation last summer they sold their best two players and replaced them with inferior players. Their fate this season comes as no surprise and they have been far and away the worst team in the league this season.

Second place might be out of Arsenal's hands, but they have to give it their all in an attempt to manage their highest league position in 11 years. There is still a possibility of Newcastle beating a Spurs team who have faded badly in the last few weeks. Newcastle may have been relegated already, but they have done relatively well at home this season and they will hopefully want to see their fans off on any high they can manage before playing in the Championship next season. 

In Arsene Wenger's 20 seasons at the club we have always finished ahead of Spurs despite them coming very close to catching us a couple of times. It looked like a done deal in their favour in 2006 until a dodgy lasagne put paid to their hopes and hopefully they have a similar dish on their menu today. Anything that can give Arsenal, or Newcastle for that matter, an edge will do very nicely indeed.

Looking back in a few years a second place finish and finishing above Spurs yet again will possibly be seen as some sort of improvement, but this season has been a huge failure for me. I'll deal what that more in my season review which will come in the next few days, but the biggest issue for me has been the lack of goals after failing to sign a striker last summer. When you see the seasons Gonzalo Higuain, Luis Suarez and to a lesser extent Javier Hernandez have all had it's so infuriating to know how we possibly could have had any of them in recent history. 

Olivier Giroud has been on a terrible run since January, but the manager has persevered with him in recent weeks and he has finally brought some goals and assists to his game. It would be just like him to play his best game of the season today and for the manager to tell us we don't need a striker after a performance like that. 

I can't imagine anything other than a compressive Arsenal win today and I think Villa will fold once they let in the first goal. The sooner we get that first goal the better and if we go ahead with Spurs drawing or losing it will put some pressure on them. We're playing for crumbs I know, but those crumbs would offer us some comfort at least. I don't think Spurs will lose, but we at least have to play as if we think they will.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Premier League Trip To Stoke Previewed

Arsenal make the trip to Stoke on Sunday afternoon knowing they have been knocked off the top of the Premier League. With all the other teams having played before them they will know their task with a win moving them above City. It's never an easy trip to Stoke, but it's certainly within this team's capabilities to go there and take the three points.

The trip to Liverpool on Wednesday night promised so much and in the end a point was probably a fair result. The hard part to take was the last-minute goal which rescued a point for Liverpool, but they had played well and probably deserved the draw in the end. That result meant Leicester cut Arsenal's lead at the top of table and they were only separated by goal difference before the weekend.

The players had to work very hard on Wednesday night against a Liverpool team who closed them down from first minute to last. Mesut Ozil in particular was given virtually no time or space, but he still managed to play a few passes which could have increased the lead during the second half. It would be good for some of the players if Arsene Wenger could rotate the team a little, but he's still hampered by an injury list which is slowly starting to get better.

Tomas Rosicky is back training with the first team, but he needs some game time before he'll be ready to play in that first team. Alexis Sanchez has a good chance of making the team on Sunday, but it all depends on how he has reacted over the last few days and whether playing him would be seen as a risk at this stage. The other possible addition to the squad is Mohamed Elneny who signed from Basel in midweek to bolster the midfield options.

Rosicky certainly won't play and I would have my doubts about the other two also. I think the boss will opt for the cautious approach and both of them will be available from the bench if they're needed. That would mean he will more than likely go with the team which started against Liverpool and trust in them to do the job.

There were at least three opportunities to finish Liverpool off in the second half on Wednesday night, but Arsenal players chose the wrong option on each occasion. It's hard to think those moves would have come to nothing if Alexis had been out there, but he can't be rushed back too soon. When he's back we need him at his best until the end of the season and he might be that extra spark that the team needs to make it over the finishing line. Players of his quality are few and far between and they can be the difference between winning trophies and ending up as also rans.

I would be surprised to see Stoke come at Arsenal and I think they will be content to hit us on the break despite being the home team. They have some very good attacking players who can turn a game on their own and Arsenal need to be strong in defence and in front of the defence too. Stoke have already taken some notable scalps this season and they will want to add Arsenal to the list of giants killed.

When we went there last season we put in one of the worst first half performances I can ever remember from an Arsenal team and we were lucky to be only 3-0 down at the break. The team fought back in the second half and very nearly got something from the game, but they lost 3-2 in the end. A start like that would be a disaster and the team need to be switched on from the very start which they certainly weren't on Wednesday night. 

Stoke have had some very good results against some of the Premier Leagues best teams at home this season, but they have also lost home games they were expected to win. Playing on the break suits them and they will be a real handful if they can get the first goal. Arsenal showed against Liverpool that they have the fight to come back against any team, but it would be far better if they score first.

Only Leicester have a better away record than Arsenal so far this season, but they have let in seven goals in their last two away games. The 3-3 draw with Liverpool was preceded by a 4-0 defeat at Southampton and the team have to be a lot stronger at the back. I think the combination of Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla offered more protection to the defence than the Mathieu Flamini and Aaron Ramsey one offers at the moment.

Ramsey has an awful lot to offer going forward, but maybe his best position would be playing behind a striker rather than in front of the defence. I know Flamini is expected to do the majority of the defensive work, but he needs more help in that department from Ramsey. With the purchase of Elneny there is the possibility of getting another more defensively minded player in there beside Flamini as we await the return of Coquelin.

Olivier Giroud took his two goals on Wednesday night very well and he's very much an in form striker at the moment. Maybe he should have had a hat trick, but his goals have been very important to Arsenal this season and every striker misses chances although they're not always as easy as the one he missed. If Arsenal are to get the victory they so badly need Giroud is the player most likely to deliver the goals.

A point away to Stoke wouldn't be the worst result, but three points are what's required after City thumped Palace 4-0. A point would put Arsenal ahead of them again, but the bigger the gap the better and I think they have to go for the three points. As good as Stoke have been at home against the so called better teams I think they could struggle if Arsenal score first.

Arsenal can't afford to let Stoke build up a head of steam and the best way to do that is to come out all guns blazing. They owe Stoke a good beating on their own ground and this would be the ideal time to deliver. I just hope they can get their game together enough to put in a performance to show their title credentials.

That is for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Premier League Trip To Liverpool Previewed

With a spot in the fourth round of the FA Cup safely secured after beating Sunderland it's back to Premier League action for Arsenal tonight when they travel to play Liverpool. Anfield is traditionally a tough ground to get a result on and Liverpool need the points tonight as they attempt to close the gap on the top four. Arsenal need the the three points too with a two point lead at the top of the table to defend and games at Stoke and at home to Chelsea coming up.

It's certainly a tough run of three league games for the team before they play at home to Burnley in the fifth round of the FA Cup. If they can emerge from those three games still on top of the pile they will have overcome a big hurdle in their attempt to win their first league title in 12 years. There are still plenty of other challenges to come, but the indicators at the moment are that this team is capable of meeting those challenges head on.

Of course we all know Arsenal are also capable of just not showing up and putting on a horror show like they did in the 4-0 defeat at struggling Southampton. Those performances come out of the blue and it's impossible to predict when they will arrive, but they have been against so called lesser teams in the league so far this season. They have been at or near their best in the big tests and have won at home to both Manchester teams as well as drawing at home to Liverpool and Spurs.

The only defeat was at Chelsea who are still a big team despite their current position and that game was ruined by ridiculous officiating. The most worrying thing might be that they have played at home to so many of those teams and face some tough away days in the second half of the season. The first of those away tests is tonight and it would be great if they could pass it with flying colours.

Liverpool have a very busy schedule at the moment with an FA Cup replay against Exeter City to come as well as the second leg of their Capital One Cup semi final against Stoke. They will play an awful lot of matches this month and can't be happy to see midweek league matches thrown into the mix. Those games are taking their toll already with an injury list to rival the one Arsenal seem to have on a permanent basis.

Arsenal have managed to overcome those injuries to keep their season going in the league and cup as well as the Champions League and Liverpool will be looking to do the same. Jurgen Klopp has got very good results away to Chelsea and City since taking the reins at Liverpool and he will want to add Arsenal to that list. They have had real problems against some of the teams they would be expected to beat though and it seems like it's taking some time for the players to adapt to the style Klopp wants them to play.

Their high pressing game isn't so effective against teams who are content to sit back and draw Liverpool on to them and they have really struggled to open up compact defences this season. Injuries have certainly played a part in their problems and they have had to draft Steven Caulker in on loan to shore up a defence which is missing a lot of players. I think they are bound to offer up chances tonight with a makeshift defence and Arsenal need to be clinical when those chances arrive.

Arsene Wenger has a perceived starting 11 with the players he has available at the moment and I expect him to go with that team tonight. That exact team lost 4-0 to Southampton only 18 days ago and yet Arsenal have won their three games since then. I would be surprised to see a different line up from the one which performed so dismally that night, but I do expect a much better performance from them.

In Mesut Ozil they have the player to unlock any defence and I think his set piece delivery could be crucial tonight. Liverpool have suffered at set pieces and their defence could be in for a torrid time if Olivier Giroud, Per Mertesacker or Laurent Koscielny can get on the end of Ozil's fantastic left foot. The pace of Theo Walcott and work rate of Joel Campbell could cause them real problems too while Aaron Ramsey has the habit of popping up in the right place at the right time and maybe he can get a few more goals now after breaking his poor streak on Saturday.

Of course Liverpool will have their moments going forward and Mathieu Flamini has to be disciplined in front of the defence while the more attack minded players need to get back and do their share too. If Arsenal are going to win it's going to take a team effort and this team all know each other very well. When Arsenal win at Anfield under the boss they tend to do so by a narrow margin, but their losses have often tended to be one sided affairs in Liverpool's favour. If it comes to the the crunch tonight I fancy Arsenal to be the ones able to squeeze a tight win out of the game.

When all things are considered Arsenal can't win the league tonight no matter what the result is. They can, however, lay down a marker and show how genuine their title credentials are. A win would be the ideal result to do just that, but it's very important that they don't lose. I think they have the quality in the right places to get that win by a narrow margin and I just hope they can show that quality often enough tonight.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal v Newcastle United Preview

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal v Manchester City Preview

As Leicester continue to sweep all aside at the top of the Premier League it's up to the next two teams to try to close the gap on them. Arsenal and City get a chance to do just that tonight when they play each other at the Emirates in a game which is probably the most important league game for both of them so far this season. As it stands Arsenal are a point ahead of City and will stay ahead of them once they don't lose the game.

City are still favourites to win the league despite Leicester's great form and Arsenal being ahead of them too, but Arsenal are the next most likely team to win it if City falter. They have the chance to open a four point gap over them tonight or at least maintain their one point gap and they have to make sure they don't lose. There is no doubting City's ability to play very good attacking football, but their defence looks extremely porous every time Vincent Kompany is missing and he won't be playing tonight.

I'm not overly impressed by Kompany myself, but City's defence certainly performs better when he plays. If Arsenal can get about them they are prone to errors and there are goals for the taking. The tougher job for Arsenal could be keeping City out at the other end with their array of attacking options.

The injuries to Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla mean the axis of Arsenal's midfield will be a combination of Mathieu Flamini and Aaron Ramsey and for all their qualities they don't protect the defence anywhere near as well as Coquelin in particular did. If City are going to be repelled  tonight Flamini has to curb his attacking urges and so too does Ramsey if that's possible.

In the last few games since he got his chance in his favoured role he has been a huge attacking threat, but that threat also leaves Arsenal vulnerable behind him when he gets forward. If the game is too open and becomes a shootout tonight it's more likely to go in City's favour. It's not easy to know which City team will turn up though and I hope it's the one which was thumped 4-1 at home by Liverpool or by the same score away to Spurs.

Petr Cech has the chance to set a record for Premier League clean sheets tonight while Mesut Ozil is quickly closing in on the record for assists in a Premier League season currently held by Arsenal legend Thierry Henry. It would be great for Cech to get that record tonight and for Ozil to get a step closer to his record too, but for all the hype none of those records really count for much. The only record that really matters is the one which shows who lifted the Premier League trophy at the end of the season and that has to be Arsenal's aim this season.

They haven't won the league since the Invincibles of 2004 and this season has to be their best chance since then. The reigning champions are already out of the running while both United and Liverpool look incapable of putting in a serious challenge. In reality the title should come down to a straight fight between Arsenal and City despite Leicster's current position and Arsenal need to get every edge that they can over City.

There's no extra midweek games for Arsenal to worry about before they play Barcelona in late February while City have a two legged Capital One Cup semi final to play against Everton in January. Arsenal might just get the opportunity to put a bit of pressure on City in January and again it's an opportunity they have to make sure they don't miss out on. 

City started the season as if they were going to run away with the league, but their form has been patchy since then to say the least. They have a pretty good defensive record on their travels, but they have struggled to score away from home. Arsenal haven't set the world alight at home either with the exception of their display against United and they have been a lot more clinical in front of goal away from home.

It all points to a low scoring game tonight which probably means we'll get an eight or 10 goal classic in a season where it's been almost impossible to predict the outcome of any game in the Premier League. I'll take either as long as Arsenal come out on top and it's certainly within their capabilities. 

I would expect to see the same team which beat Villa last week play tonight with Alexis Sanchez probably coming off the bench towards the end. It's great to see him back again and hopefully his enforced break because of his injury will have given him a chance to recharge his batteries. He's going to have a big part to play if Arsenal are going to go all the way this season and he might just be the man to help them end their 12 year wait for a Premier League title.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Trip To Olympiacos Previewed

Arsenal's Champions League group comes to a conclusion tonight and it's crunch time for them. It's been a pretty dismal campaign so far with three defeats in their five games, but they can put that right with the right result in Greece. It's certainly going to be far from easy, but it's something the players are capable of and something they have to go for.

The spate of injuries for the last month or so has robbed Arsene Wenger of Alexis Sanchez, Santi Cazorla and Francis Coquelin among others and those three would have been certain starters tonight. The combination of Coquelin and Cazorla was the axis Arsenal built everything on with Coquelin doing so much hard work and Cazorla keeping the engine of the team ticking.

In their absence those tasks will fall to Mathieu Flamini and Aaron Ramsey and their performances will have a huge say in the outcome of the game. Flamini doesn't possess the defensive discipline of Coquelin or his youth either and he will have to be on his game from first minute to last to stop the threat of Olympiacos counter attacking. He seems to have a desire to get involved in the opposition penalty area, but Arsenal need him to sit and hold for every minute he is on the pitch tonight.

Ramsey is only just back from injury himself, but he is getting a chance to play in his favoured position and he seems determined to show that he deserves the role on a permanent basis. He got a goal and an assist in the win over Sunderland on Saturday and he probably should have had two more goals. He plays a lot further forward than Cazorla in that role and his runs into the box could be just what Arsenal need to break Olympiacos down. Of course those runs also leave Arsenal more vulnerable to the break and that's why it has to be impressed on Flamini to keep his attacking urges under control. 

It was good to see Theo Walcott make his comeback on Saturday and hopefully it means he will be available from the start tonight. His pace offers Arsenal something in attack which Olivier Giroud doesn't have although I think Walcott will be deployed on the right if he does start. Giroud has done so well from the set piece deliveries of Mesut Ozil that I think it's an option that has to be used from the start. I have no doubt Olympiacos will do all they can to prevent Arsenal's progress on the pitch and Ozil could find himself delivering quite a few set pieces in the 90 minutes. 

The form of that man Ozil is a real positive for the team and his contributions are almost single handedly making the difference for Arsenal at the moment. Along with Alexis he's one of the two really special players in the team and in the absence of Alexis even more is expected of Ozil. While Ozil is the master of making chances Alexis can make things happen all on his own and he will be sorely missed. His absence has made the return of Walcott even more important as he can score goals and worry any defence with his pace.

Once he's fit I expect Walcott to start and it's just a matter of whether the boss picks Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain or Joel Campbell to play on the opposite side to him. I know Chamberlain offers far more at his best, but he's only just back from injury too and I have a feeling Campbell might get the nod. I would prefer to see Chamberlain play because he can make a real difference when he turns it on and like Walcott he can really worry the Olympiacos defence.

The chances are Walcott will play on the right, but I wouldn't mind seeing him on the left as it makes it easier for him to score with his right foot as he comes in from the left. A few of the goals he has got from that side are reminiscent of Thierry Henry and we could do with some of that inspiration tonight. Henry had some great away days in the Champions League in his time at Arsenal and it would be great to see somebody follow in his illustrious footsteps.

Arsenal have to win tonight to go through and a 2-0 win is the minimum requirement too. However, once they win and score three goals it doesn't matter what the winning margin is as Arsenal will go through. I can't see Arsenal keeping a clean sheet in a game where they have to attack so they will probably have to manage those three goals if they are going to progress.

When Olympiacos won 3-2 at the Emirates they were helped in no small part by an awful Arsenal performance as well as an horrendous error from David Ospina. Petr Cech will be between the sticks tonight and that has to give the whole team more belief in their chances of getting a result. He has already proved his worth since joining from Chelsea in the summer and he could still prove to be the most important signing for any Premier League team last summer.

Olympiacos have had a very good season so far and have won all 12 of their domestic league games. Their only defeats so far have come home and away to Bayern Munich and they won't be short of confidence. They showed in the game at the Emirates that they can be deadly on the break and Arsenal have to be aware of that.

Arsenal haven't played well for a while now and they will have to up their game an awful lot to get the result they need tonight. They are capable of it though and I just hope they can give it a real go. If they can go one up at any stage in the game it will put the cat among the pigeons and just maybe give them the edge they need.

We've been through all the close calls and glorious second leg results that just weren't quite good enough in recent seasons. Maybe it's time for the players to actually come through this time and get the result to put them through to the last 16. If they can do so who knows where they can go, but looking at some of the team's through already the draw could be very difficult. I'll be happy to see their name go into that draw though and I have a sneaky feeling they might just do it.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal v Sunderland Preview

Things haven't being going too well in the league for Arsenal recently with only two points from their last three games. The fact they're only two points off the leaders isn't so bad, but the points dropped in those last three games were an opportunity lost. They could and probably should have won all three games and they could find themselves five points clear at the top of the table if they had done so.

However, there's no point in dwelling on the past and the players have to look at the points they can still win rather than rue the ones they have lost. They can't keep passing up opportunities to beat teams in the lower reaches of the league and tomorrow's game presents another opportunity to do so. Sunderland have just climbed out of the relegation zone after winning their last two games, but they still have to be seen as one of the easier games for Arsenal this season.

The injury situation has only got worse since this time last week with both Santi Cazorla and Alexis definitely out of tomorrow's game after picking up injuries last Saturday at West Brom. Alexis could be back in a few weeks, but Cazorla is out until March at least and his absence is another huge blow to the team. He had formed a very effective partnership with Francis Coquelin in the engine room of the team and both of them will now be missing until well into the new year.

For me the only fit player who can play in that position in Cazorla's absence is Aaron Ramsey and it will give him an opportunity to play in his favoured position. He'll play alongside Mathieu Flamini and hopefully they can form an effective partnership over the next few months and both stay fit too. We just can't afford any more injuries in midfield (or attack for that matter) and we have to hope Mikel Arteta, Jack Wilshere and Tomas Risicky can all return as soon as possible.

Pinning our hopes on any or all of those three staying fit is a push though and Arsene Wenger really has to add to his options when the transfer window opens. It's not easy to prise players away from their clubs half way through the season and the better players are rarely available. The boss has to do all he can to bring someone in though and we have to hope the players we have can keep us competitive until then.

The results in the last three league games have given this game more importance and it's one the team quite simply have to win. I just hope the players haven't got their minds on the all important Champions League group decider away to Olympiacos on Wednesday night. They have a huge task in that game needing a two goal win with so many players unavailable, but they can't let it affect how they perform against Sunderland.

On the good news front Laurent Koscielny, Kieran Gibbs and Theo Walcott all have a chance of playing tomorrow and hopefully they will give the boss more options. I would like to see Walcott come on at some stage which would mean he might just be available from the start on Wednesday night. As well as Giroud has done in his absence Walcott's pace gives Arsenal an option Giroud just cannot offer.

The boss doesn't have too many choices in his team selection, but he surely has to play the strongest team possible. The team need to get back to winning ways and they can't leave anything on the pitch for Wednesday night. Despite Sunderland's recent upturn in form they have a pretty poor away record this season and Arsenal need to add to that record.

I know the last three league games have not been good and the players are suffering from a lack of rotation due to all the injuries. At least they had no midweek game this week and it will hopefully have given them a chance to recharge their batteries. Let's just hope they have done just that and a good win against Sunderland will send them to Greece on Wednesday night in high spirits and full of confidence.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal v Dinamo Zagreb Preview

It's do or die tomorrow night for Arsenal when they take on Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League. A win is the only thing that will do for them to keep their hopes alive and even then they will need Bayern Munich to win at home to Olympiacos. Three defeats in their first four group games have left them on the verge of missing out on the knock out stages and the cash rewards that brings.

Their only victory in the group so far came at home to Bayern and the German champions exacted their revenge in the return game. If Bayern draw at home to Olympiacos it would see both teams through to the next stage, but I would be very surprised if Bayern didn't do to Olympiacos what they have done to almost every other opponent this season. Arsenal just have to assume that Bayern will want to win the game to make sure they top the group and concentrate on what they need to do against Dinamo.

From a team selection point Arsene Wenger's options are even more limited since the weekend defeat to West Brom. It was bad enough to lose a game Arsenal were winning, but to lose both Francis Coquelin and Mikel Arteta to injury made it an even worse day. The loss of Coquelin in particular is a huge blow to the team as his emergence has been a huge factor in the team's performances in this calendar year.

Arteta limped off yet again within half an hour of coming on and it's hard to believe that he will be able to put his continuous injuries behind him. The absence of both of those players means the team will have to rely on Mathieu Flamini to play a defensive midfield role and I have to say that worries me greatly. There have been suggestions of playing Calum Chambers, Gabriel Paulista or Kieran Gibbs in the role, but I can't see any of them being up to the task in that role at least. It has to be Flamini for me or maybe the boss might have to rethink the way the team is playing just a little.

The only good news is that Aaron Ramsey is fit to play at least although it might be a risk for him to play from the start. His inclusion would certainly make the team stronger and I assume it would be on the right rather than in a central role alongside Santi Cazorla. Ramsey would be a far better choice than Joel Campbell who I am still far from convinced by, but the boss has to decide whether it's worth the risk so soon after his return.

When Arsensl lost their opening game in Zagreb and the next game at home to Olympiacos the boss played some of his fringe players in each game. The gamble backfired on each occasion and it's one of the main reasons the team are so close to elimination at the moment. The performances and attitudes on each night didn't help either and they need to put those results right in the next two games. They owe both Zagreb and Olympiacos the beating they should have given them in the first place and they need to get that underway tomorrow night.

It's not going to be easy for the players who are available to keep on putting in performances game after game, but they have to find it within themselves to do it. I thought they were a little unlucky against West Brom to lose 2-1 to a team who only had one shot on target. They weren't helped by the penalty miss, Mesut Ozil hitting the post or Campbell's miss, but the defending on the day and the drop in concentration when they went ahead wasn't good enough either.

Zagreb showed in the first game that they have plenty to offer and Arsenal cannot afford to take them lightly again. Hopefully none of the players will get themselves sent off like Olivier Giroud did in the first game and the boss will play his strongest team too. After that it's down to taking their chances and not over committing players forward so they're not caught on the break.

November has been a bad month for Arsenal far too often and a win tomorrow night would be their first win this month. They have a trip to Norwich on Sunday, but at least that's five days after the Zagreb game and any small knocks or tiredness can be overcome in that time. It's a tough schedule from here until the transfer window opens in January and the team need to get back on track right away if they're going to continue to challenge in the league.

The way I see it they're the better team and they just need to put in a performance to show that. If Bayern can do their part then Arsenal can go to Olympiacos in two weeks and try to get the two goal win they will need to make the last 16. It won't be an easy task but it's one they're capable of once the get the first part of that task done tomorrow night. 

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Have A Tuesday To Forget Against Wednesday

What can you say about a night like last night for Arsenal. On the face of it there was a chance for a few youngsters and fringe players to make an impression, but it ended up as an unmitigated disaster. To add insult to the result Arsenal lost two players to injury when the squad was already threadbare.

Arsene Wenger would usually try to make 11 changes from the team that played at the weekend at this stage in the Capital One Cup, but injuries and players loaned out limited those changes to eight. He kept Petr Cech in goal with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain playing the advanced midfield role and Olivier Giroud lead the attack. Otherwise it was all change with both Alex Iwobi and and Glen Kamara making their debuts and the whole defence rotating as well as Joel Campbell and Mathieu Flamini coming in.

The biggest concern for games like this is for the players not to pick up injuries and it took less than 20 minutes for those fears to be realised. First of all it was Chamberlain who went off after only a couple of minutes with hamstring trouble and he was quickly followed by Theo Walcott who had only come on to replace him. 

Those changes did little to help the team shape with Ismael Bennacer coming on to make his debut for Walcott and Giroud as the only player with any real first team experience among the attacking players. It's hard to know if Chamberlain's injury was something he carried into the game or if it was something he just picked up on the night. He certainly seemed to warm up well enough, but the same cannot be said of Walcott and it's hard to see how his injury was caused by anything other than him failing to warm up properly.

The result of those injuries is that Giroud is the only striker available for the trips to Swansea and Munich as well as the North London Derby and Arsenal won't have the option of Walcott's pace on the break. The chances are Campbell will have to play in each of those games too unless Iwobi is risked, but the boss didn't think any of the youngsters were up to the task last night.

If you ask me it was the senior players who should have come in for far more criticism as all of them are a level above the Championship, but allowed themselves to be outplayed and outfought by a team from a league below them. Those youngsters needed help and guidance through their first games, but none of that was on offer from a team who looked like they didn't even want to be there. I really thought players like Mathieu Debuchey and Kieran Gibbs would take the opportunity to remind the boss that they have something to offer the team, but they did the opposite.

Elsewhere Flamini only showed any fight for a short spell in the second half and was again absent without leave when it came to his most important defensive duties far too often. He might have scored the two goals that beat Spurs in the last round, but he should have been the rock on which the youngsters could lean last night and he failed to show up. If Francis Coquelin picks up an injury or suspension I would be very worried to think Flamini would come in for him.

I felt sorry for Canpbell because he gave his all on the night, but football takes more than just commitment and that's something he's clearly lacking. When he got the chance to deliver the ball into the box he failed miserably and not just by slight margins. If he does play in the next three games I have no doubt he will give his all, but I can't see what he has to offer the team. 

Wednesday fully deserved their win and took their goals well even if Arsenal were abysmal. It was an awful night to be an Arsenal fan with the injuries a much bigger blow for me than the defeat. I've never been a huge fan of this competition and I'd prefer it if Arsenal could opt out rather than go through the torture of last night again.

I can't see any positives to take from the game and the next three games are going to be far from easy as a result. I'm not so much worried by the loss of momentum as the injuries and the decision not to add to the outfield players in the squad last summer is coming back to haunt the boss. He has to seriously consider his options for the next three games and hope Aaron Ramsey, Wakcott and Chamberlain can return after the next round of international games in a couple of weeks. 

Their absences for the next three games could have a bad effect on not only the team's chances of getting out of their Champions League group, but also on their chances of keeping up the pace in the Premier League. After a slow start the team are right there in the mix, but the games against Swansea and Spurs won't be easy and last night will only make them harder. There's still enough quality in the team to win both of those games, but one more attacking injury and the crisis will become almost too much for the team to handle.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Game With Sheffield Wednesday Previewed

Things are going pretty well for Arsenal at the moment with the win over Everton on Saturday keeping them second in the league. They're only behind City on goal difference after the Manchester derby bored us all to death on Sunday afternoon. There's still a long way to go in the Champions League group if qualification for the knock out stages is to be achieved, but the win against Bayern has given us real hope.

For the moment though it's a game in the less glamourous Capital One Cup with Arsenal making the trip to Sheffield to play Wednesday on Tuesday night. It's been quite a while since they played Wednesday that I can remember at least, but there was a time when the games were a permanent fixture in the top flight of English football. The most memorable encounters were probably the meetings in the FA Cup and League cup finals of 1993 with Arsenal coming out on top in both.

Arsene Wenger usually gives his fringe and reserve players a run out in this competition and this game should be no didferent, but his options are somewhat limited. The players who have played so many games in recent weeks are in need of a break with a tough week coming up after the game which includes trips to Swansea and Bayern as well as the North London derby. His problem is injuries have deprived him of many of the players who would have played and he has loaned out most of the others.

The only goalkeeper available besides Petr Cech is the untested Matt Macey and it would certainly be a gamble to play him. The defensive options are much easier for him and I would expect to see Mathieu Debuchey, Calum Chambers and Kieran Gibbs play from the start. Per Mertesacker has returned from the illness which saw him miss Saturday's game and I expect him to play from the start too.

In midfield Mathieu Flamini is bound to come in to play the defensive role which saw him score twice against Spurs in the last round and nearly do the same when he came on late on Saturday, but Mikel Arteta is again unavailable through injury. The only other player certain to start is Joel Campbell while I doubt if we'll see Theo Walcott in the team even if he was an unused sub against Everton. I think the most likely option on the right will be Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who still looks like he needs more game time to me.

After that it's a matter of which players will be chosen from the ones who played on Saturday and I suspect Olivier Giroud will be one of them considering how often he has been on the bench recently. He has done very well when he has come in from the bench and led the line well when he started against Everton on Saturday. I wouldn't be surprised to see him play tonight and then play alongside Walcott on Saturday with Walcott taking over the striking duties away to Bayern next week.

It's anyone's guess who the other two players to make up the team will be, but the chances are they will be first team regulars. The hopes of dipping into the younger players have diminished with so many of the more advanced ones out on loan, but it's not impossible to suggest he might play Alex Iwobi. He's already made his full debut for Nigeria and didn't look out of place in pre season games in the first team so he's probably the most likely to play if any of the youngsters get a run out. 

Wednesday are sitting in mid table in the Championship and they're not too far off the play off places at the moment. I have no doubt they would like to get one over on the team who are joint leaders in the Premier League and it would be a huge boost for them if they did. I'm no lover of this competition and the team could probably do without a game this midweek, but a win would certainly continue the current momentum.

A loss won't be the end of the world either and at least the game will give our back up defenders a chance to show what they can do. It's an opportunity for all of the players who aren't regulars to remind the boss of their abilities and let's hope they take it with both hands. Arsenal have a pretty solid first choice 11 at the moment and a few of the players on show tonight need to try their all to changes minds on their current situation. 

The one thing we really don't want is extra time followed by penalties and we can do without any more injuries too. Let's hope the fringe players decide to remind the boss of their abilities tonight and help the team through to the quarter finals. It's been a long time since Arsenal won the league cup and they have never won it under Wenger, but who knows where it could end up if they reach the last eight.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Trip To Watford Previewed

Here we are again back to the real football after another insufferable international break and full in the knowledge the next one is only a few weeks away again. During those few weeks there's plenty of football to be played though with Arsenal playing in the Premier League, the Champions League and the Capital One Cup. The first of those games is this afternoon when they travel to Watford to play against the first of the three teams promoted from the Championship last season.

Watford have had a reasonable start to life in the Premier League and have made themselves a tough team to beat. There hasn't been too many goals in their four home games so far with two scoreless draws and the other two games being settled by the only goal of the game. I don't expect them to open up and play attacking football today and Arsenal could face a long hard slog trying to find openings to score.

Watford tend to use their two big front players early and those two players rely on their strength as often as not. It's not exactly pretty to watch, but it has been effective so far with Odion Ighalo bagging five goals already this season. Arsenal have to be wary of this tactic and the two full backs need to be ready to come in behind the central defenders to mop up at times. That's not always easy when Arsenal are pushing those full backs forward, but it's something they have to be aware of.

In team news the international break has been kinder to Arsenal than other teams for a change with none of the players reporting back in a worse state than they left. Alexis Sanchez might not have been 100% as he headed off to play for Chile, but he played both of their games and scored three goals in those games. That's eight goals for him in his last four games and it's going to be hard to leave him out of the team today even with Bayern Munich coming to town on Tuesday night. In fact Arsenal players had a bit of a field day during the international break with more goals than you can shake a stick at from Olivier Giroud, Theo Walcott, Joel Campbell, Aaron Ramsey, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Santi Cazorla as well as the goals from Alexis.

It's hard to know if the team today will be influenced by that game against Bayern and it's importance for this season's Champions League group. Mathieu Flamini and Mikel Arteta are both available for selection again after their respective injuries while Laurent Koscielny faces a late test to see if he can play. I don't expect Koscielny to be risked, but it's quite possible there will be a few changes to the team which was so impressive last time out against United.

Tinkering with the team hasn't worked too well so far this season though which is why Arsenal have no points from their two Champions League games and sit at the bottom of their group. A win today is essential to maintain Arsenal's chase of City and keep them in second place or even close the gap if City slip up. Arsenal have scored more goals away from home than any other team so far and they will give Watford their toughest match so far since their promotion. 

It still hasn't been a great start to the season for Arsenal with highs and lows seemingly coming with each game, but that victory over United has really upped the hopes and expectations. Arsenal have won every league match that they have scored in, but they have failed to score in three of their eight games. After struggling for goals early on they have scored eight in their last two league games and look capable of scoring at any time in any game.

I think Watford will make life tough for them, but a fully focused Arsenal should have enough to take the three points. It might take the late introduction of Alexis to swing the the game in their favour if he is on the bench, but at least they will have that option. He's the outstanding player in the team and the league at the moment and Arsenal are lucky enough to have him. They have to do everything possible to make sure he stays at the club and they continue to build a team around him.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal v Olympiacos: Champions League Preview

Arsenal finally found their shooting boots on Saturday when they put five goals past Leicester to match their tally of their previous six league games. Those goals couldn't have come at a better time with a Champions League game that has to be won at home to Olympiacos tonight. After losing their first game away to Dinamo Zagreb there is very little room for error left for Arsenal in a group which also includes Bayern Munich.

After tonight's game Arsenal have back to back games at home and then away to Bayern and they have to go into those games with three points in the bag. The defeat to Dinamo has made life difficult in the group, but failure to win tonight would make it almost impossible. Bayern are in fantastic form at the moment and it won't be easy to get anything off them, but Arsenal are of course capable of doing just that.

It would be just like Arsenal to drop points tonight and then go out and take three or four points off Bayern. They can't depend on getting anything from Bayern though and they need to make sure they take maximum points from the three games left against Olympiacos and Dinamo starting with tonight. 

Olympiacos have had a very good start to their domestic campaign and they're on top of the Greek league after winning their first five games. They lost their opening group game 3-0 at home to Bayern, but Arsenal's defeat in Zagreb will have given them real hope of making the knockout stages. They will hope to get through to the final game with a chance of qualifying and know they have a chance at home to Arsenal in that game. 

As for Arsenal they know it would not be in their best interests to have to go to Greece needing a result in the last game and they need to tie things up before that game. The first step in that journey is tonight's game and it's a game they should and have to win. 

In team news it seems both Mathieu Flamini and Mikel Arteta will miss out with slight knocks after Saturday's victory over Leicester. Flamini started that game after his heroics against Spurs in the Capital One Cup, but he went off injured early on to be replaced by Arteta. The team looked a lot more solid with Arteta in the holding role instead of Flamini and maybe the games he's played recently are helping him to regain some form after he missed so much of last season through injury.

It looks like Francis Coquelin could be set for a return to the team as he's been back in training for a few days after recovering from the knock he picked against Chelsea last week. Coquelin has made that defensive midfield spot his own and it will be good to see him back in the team if he's fit to play. If he's not fit to play I can only imagine an axis of Aaron Ramsey and Santi Cazorla will play together, but neither of them have the defensive instincts of Coquelin.

One player who definitely won't be playing is Olivier Giroud after he was sent off in the first half of that defeat in Zagreb. His absence will surely mean Theo Walcott starts again and he seems to be growing in confidence with each game he plays as a striker. The jury may still be out on him, but 12 goals in his last 13 Premier League starts suggest he must be doing something right.

Gabriel Paulista will also be available after sitting out the victory over Leicester as he served his one match ban. It's going to be a close call between him and Per Mertesacker to play alongside Laurent Koscielny at the heart of the defence and it's impossible to know who will get the nod. For me Gabriel is the better choice and I think he will confirm his status as first choice before too long. 

Arsene Wenger made quite a few changes for the game in Zagreb, but I don't expect him to make too many for tonight. I think he has to play what he sees as his strongest team possible to do everything possible to ensure a victory. Arsenal don't play again until Sunday and that should give the players plenty of time to recover.

Of course they did play only three days ago and that game next Sunday is against the current league leaders Manchester United. It's been a long time since Arsenal beat United in the league and a victory on Sunday would be so sweet with them on top of the league, but the points tonight are just as important. I think the five day gap to the United game has to be more than enough for the key players to play in both games.

Speaking of key players it was great to see Alexis Sanchez get his first goals of the season on Saturday. I said in my preview of that game that he looked to have finally found his feet after missing out on a pre season and his hat trick showed that he is back to his best. Not only was he the 100th player to score a hat trick for Arsenal, but apparently he was the first player to score a hat trick in all three of Serie A, La Liga and the Premier League. 

A few times in recent seasons Arsenal have come out in home group games and blown the opposition away with some great attacking football and early goals. It would be great to see them turn that style on tonight and get the win they need to get their chances of qualifying back on track. Any sort of win would do tonight of course, but another attacking performance like Saturday's would be great ahead of the United game.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Trip To Leicester City Previewed

It hasn't been the greatest start to the season for Arsenal, but they're still only five points behind the league leaders City who are at least looking a lot more beatable after losing at home to West Ham last week. Two defeats in six league games is far from ideal for Arsenal though even if there was little they could do about last week's defeat at Chelsea thanks to Mike Dean. If they're going to challenge for the title they have to find a lot more consistency and put in performances worthy of potential champions.

So far those performances haven't been there and they have failed to take any team apart. They were by far the better team at home to Stoke, but still needed a lateish goal to finish up 2-0 winners after a couple of scares. They haven't found their goalscoring touch yet and it's hard to finish teams off when you miss chance after chance.

Today's opponents Leicester have had a great start to their season and continued on where they finished last season. They are the only unbeaten team in the Premier League with three wins and three draws so far and they have scored in every game they have played. They have also conceded in every game they have played and that gives Arsenal some food for thought today.

Leicester have made themselves the comeback kings of the league and their never say die attitude has to be admired. In Riyad Mahrez they have the in form player in the league and he will have to be closely watched by Arsenal today to try to contain him. Arsenal won 2-1 at home to them towards the end of last season, but Leicester were very good that night and deserved something from the game. Despite the departure Nigel Pearson of they have continued in the same vein and Claudio Ranieri has them playing good attractive football.

In team news the only Arsenal player who won't be available from the midweek squad which won away to Spurs in the Capital One Cup is Gabriel Paulista. He admitted to the FA charge of improper conduct and received a one match ban for his troubles. The fact that his conduct was a reaction to an improper red card which was later rescinded makes no difference and he misses out today.

There's not much more that can be said about last Saturday, but the latest utterings from Mourinho are those of a man losing the plot. Of course he's trying to deflect from his team and their shortcomings so far and the pressure it has put on his job. It strikes me that he's now the voyeur he accused Arsene Wenger of being quite a few years ago. Also if he actually needs an explanation of Diego Costa's retrospective red card then he really is losing the plot. He should try looking at the footage of the game and see if he finds Costa's behaviour acceptable and within the rules of the game and if he does the men in the white coats will be on their way to Stamford Bridge very soon.

Anyway I digress and it's back to today's game and what the team news means to Arsenal. Francis Coquelin won't be back from the injury he picked up in that game and it looks like he'll miss out on the Olimpiacos match on Tuesday night too, but he could be available against United next weekend. He's a big miss of course, but at least Santi Cazorla will be back from his one game suspension after his red card against Chelsea.

I would be very surprised to see anything other than a full strength Arsenal team despite the big game coming up on Tuesday night as a win today is essential. That should mean Aaron Ramsey could be the only player to keep his place from that win over Spurs although somebody has to play the Coquelin role. I can't see both Ramsey and Cazorla playing in the middle as somebody has to do the donkey work which Coquelin excels at.

Mathieu Flamini has surely moved up in the pecking order after his display against Spurs where he did the hard work very well as well as scoring the two goals on the night. The chances are Mikel Arteta will be chosen ahead of him, but I have serious doubts about Arteta and he has looked far from his best in the two games he has played so far. I would prefer to see Flamini get the nod and get the reward that display against Spurs deserves.

Otherwise I think the team will be the same as it was against Chelsea and it's about time a few of the players stepped up. Alexis Sanchez made the difference when he came on against Spurs and maybe he has at last shaken off his late return to the squad and lack of pre season. He needs a goal to get going and just maybe that first goal will arrive today.

Leicester's defensive record offers Arsenal plenty of hope today and I think there are goals there for them to score. They have to concentrate for every single minute of the game though as Leicester have stormed back after trailing far too often this season. Leicester haven't played a team as good as Arsenal can be yet and an Arsenal team playing at it's best are more than capable of taking all three points.

The thing is we haven't seen Arsenal anywhere near their best yet and they are eight games into the season. They need to click as a team and impose their attacking style on their opponents as well as taking advantage when they are dominating possession and chances. If they can eventually find their shooting boots this team is far from out of the title race and they need to perform like a team who can win the league. They will get good chances today and I think they can and will win if only they can put them away

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Ladies And Gentleman It's The Mathieu Flamini Show

Mathieu Flamini hadn't got a look in so far this season for Arsenal, but he was one of 10 changes Arsene Wenger made to the team which lost to Chelsea last Saturday. The only player who remained from the starting 11 in that game was Aaron Ramsey who got to play just behind Olivier Giroud. I can't say I was overly impressed with the team and I worried about the outcome of the game, but Spurs made eight changes to the team which beat Palace on Sunday.

The boss did at least decide to go with a double defensive axis of Mathieu Flamini and Mikel Arteta to protect the back four. That looked like a wise move after Arteta struggled so badly in the defeat away to Dinamo Zagreb last week. The choice of Flanini turned out to be an inspired one as it was his contributions which ultimately won the game for Arsenal.

The first half was going nowhere until Flamini stepped in to bury the rebound from an Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain into the roof of the net and give Arsenal the lead. The game got better after that goal with Spurs offering more out of necessity and the makeshift Arsenal team finding some belief. There were no more goals in the first half, but there was still plenty of drama to come after the break.

There was a marked difference in Spurs after the break and they gradually got on top of the game. Even though they were on top Spurs still struggled to make real chances and needed a lot of help to get their equaliser. Calum Chambers inexplicably stuck his foot out at a ball which was bound for David Ospina in the Arsenal goal and deflected it past him into an empty net. I can only assume Ospina called for a ball which was his all the way, but Chambers couldn't help himself.  

The goal had been coming for a while as Arsenal kept giving the ball away and were offering next to nothing in attack. Spurs continued to dominate after their equaliser and it took a fantastic goal line clearance from Kieran Gibbs to keep the scores level. The game was only going one way at that stage, but the boss brought Alexis Sanchez on for Joel Campbell and Arsenal found their feet again.

They made a couple of decent chances but nothing came of them until that man Flamini intervened again. With just over 10 minutes to go he ran on to a ball which had been deflected high into the air. He shifted his feet brilliantly and hit a first time volley from outside the box past the despairing dive of Michelle Vorm. 

The goal was a thing of beauty and it was richly deserved by a player who showed he still has something to offer the team. With performances like last night he has to be considered to play alongside Francis Coquelin in games where the team needs a more defensive formation. The trip to Bayern Munich springs to mind and maybe even a few of the games away to some of the better teams in the Premier League.

Spurs tried to get back into the game in the remaining time, but it was Arsenal who had the best of the chances. The game finished with an Arsenal victory and first blood in their local rivalry for this season. It put an end to a run of successive defeats and most of the first choice 11 were able to sit the game out. 

Some of the performances weren't the best though and I thought Mathieu Debuchey didn't have a good night. Danny Rose gave him a rough ride all night long and it was no surprise when the goal came from his side. He hasn't had many chances since Hector Bellerin made the right back slot his own during Debuchey's injuries last season, but he will have to do an awful lot better if he is to have any hope of regaining his place in the team.

Campbell gave it his all for the time he was on the pitch, but nothing he did worked out for him. He just doesn't look good enough to play at this level to me and maybe he might be better suited to a team who play a different style of football. I couldn't fault his effort, but it takes more than effort to play at the top.

I wasn't too impressed with Arteta again, but he was better than his performance against Dinamo at least. The more I see of him the more I am convinced he's past his sell by date. I hope I'm wrong and he can find some form and make a telling contribution this season.

The difference in the team play when Alexis came on for Campbell was amazing. He came close to his first goal of the season and it surely can't be too far away. 

The real star of the show was Flamini and his performance was s reminder to the boss that he still has something to offer and that he wants to play. You want players to do well when they get their chance and he did just that besides his two goals. Those goals were the icing on the cake though and I have no doubt he will remember them for a long time to come.

The draw for the fourth round was made after the game and Arsenal were drawn away to Sheffield Wednesday. The game brings back memories of two Cup Finals in 1993 which both went Arsenal's way even if they weren't classic games. The game will be played in five weeks time with the winners going through to the quarter finals.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Capital One Cup Game At Spurs Previewed

The last week hasn't gone well for Arsenal with a defeat away to Dinamo Zagreb followed by the defeat at Chelsea on Saturday. To make matters worse they got a total of three red cards in those games with Olivier Giroud, Gabriel Paulista and Santi Cazorla all getting their marching orders. Cazorla won't be available tonight after that red card against Chelsea, but Arsenal won their appeal against Gabriel's red and he will be available.

The circumstances of Gabriel's red card were ridiculous in the first place and Mike Dean has been shown in a very poor light. He gave Gabriel a straight red for kicking out at Diego Costa, but Arsenal managed to find a camera angle which showed there was no contact and to claim it was violent conduct was a joke. Thankfully common sense prevailed and the appeal was upheld, but Gabriel still has to face an improper conduct charge for his reaction to his red card.

The FA also imposed a three game ban on Costa for his violent conduct towards Laurent Koscielny or possibly Gabriel or maybe even a combination of both. Chelsea released a statement saying they were very disappointed with the outcome, but Costa's cheating won them the game and got them the three points. Despite Gabriel winning his appeal Arsenal got nothing out of a game where the wrong decisions of the referee clearly had a huge influence on the result. There is nothing they can do to get those three points they lost back and the result was just what a struggling Chelsea team needed to kickstart their season. 

The continued insistence on not using the vast array of cameras at a game to help the officials was shown up to be totally inadequate yet again. If TV replays had been allowed Costa would have been sent off and Arsenal would have been the team with the man advantage for more than half of the game. The fact that the retrospective decision has proved that is exactly what should have happened will have no bearing on the authorities and referees will continue to be infallible which is a very dangerous thing when the likes of Dean are involved.

Normally a Capital One Cup game wouldn't be top of the list of priorities, but after those two defeats and considering the opponents it has taken on more significance. To lose three games in a row would be seen as a mini crisis for Arsenal and it's something they have to try to avoid. If they're going to do that they quite simply have to find some goalscoring form and find it fast. 

In seven games this season Arsenal have only scored six goals and that's simply not good enough for a team with their attacking options and ambitions. Both Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud have a couple of goals each with two own goals helping the Arsenal cause, but none of the midfielders or wide players have got in on the act yet. With players like Alexis Sanchez, Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil and Cazorla among those not to find the net that just isn't good enough. 

It's not that the team aren't creating chances, but the finishing has been very poor at times while opponents continue to score a much higher percentage of their chances against Arsenal. Their league form had been on an upward trend before the Chelsea game though and the referee made their chances in that game almost impossible. They need to bounce back from it quickly and there is no better opportunity to put things right than against their local rivals.

I would be very surprised to see Spurs play anything other than a full strength team even though they have to play City in the early kick off on Saturday. They had a slow start to their season, but they have won three games in a row in all competitions and will be feeling an awful lot more confident than they were just over a week ago.

I think Arsenal need to put out a strong team too and do all they can to get through to the next round. I know Arsene Wenger has used this competition to blood youngsters and give fringe players a chance to shine, but tonight could be very different. I don't think he will play his strongest side with a trip to unbeaten Leicester to come on Saturday, but he will probably play a stronger than usual team.

His options are already a little limited though with Cazorla injured and Francis Coquelin injured from Saturday's game along with the longer term absentees of Jack Wilshere, Danny Welbeck and Tomas Rosicky. I would be surprised if Koscielny played too considering the injury problems he has had, but otherwise I wouldn't be surprised to see any of the other first choice players on show. 

This might only be the Capital One Cup, but any game against Spurs means a lot to us fans and hopefully it means as much to the players. It would be great to see them find their goalscoring form in this game with Alexis in particular surely due a goal. He scored 25 goals last season and while he is still playing catch up after missing out on pre season he did hit the woodwork twice in the 2-0 win over Stoke.

I saw a couple of Spurs games recently and was wholly unimpressed with their 3-1 victory in the Europa League last week, but they did look better in beating Palace on Sunday. I thought they closed the Palace players down very quickly as Palace tried to being the ball out of defence and Arsenal need to be aware of that. If Spurs are going to push that far up then maybe there will be some room behind them for Theo Walcott to run into if he's in the team.

With Cazorla out there's a possibility of Ramsey playing a deeper role and the chances are he will play alongside Mikel Arteta. The club captain didn't have a good game against Dinamo last week, but it was his first start in a long time and hopefully he can get to the pace of the game tonight if he plays. If he's not in the team then Mathieu Flamini would be the obvious choice and I don't know if he would do any better.

Spurs got the better of Arsenal last season in head to head meetings with a win and a draw, but of course they finished below them in the league as they always do. Every dog supposedly has it's day and last season belonged to them in terms of head to head meetings, but the Arsenal players have the chance to reverse the trend tonight. What they will need from first to last minute is total commitment no matter what team is chosen and they have every chance of winning if they can bring that to the game.

If they're going to do anything this season they need to find some consistency and they just haven't got it yet. Three defeats in seven games isn't good enough and failing to score in three of those games isn't up to scratch either. It's about time the players started taking their chances and putting away teams that they are dominating and when they do that then things will surely improve.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Face Lyon And Wolfsburg As Szczesny Heads For Rome

Arsenal are back in England after a good Barclays Asian Trophy in Sinapore where they beat the hosts 4-0 and Everton 3-1. The win over Everton was very convincing and it was difficult to believe it was only the second of their pre season games. They are back at home though and they face a very busy weekend with games on both Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

In team news the only doubt from the players who traveled to Singapore is Mathieu Flamini who has apparently picked up a slight knock and might not play. I don't know if his possible absence has anything to do with his supposed pending transfer to Galatasaray, but it's hard to believe it doesn't if that move is going to happen. Flamini has always seen out his contract before moving in the past, as Arsenal know all too well, and I would be surprised if he agreed to let himself be sold rather than seeing out his contract yet again. I suppose he might have reached the stage where he wants to play more often and the emergence of Francis Coquelin is going to severely hamper his chances at Arsenal.

Alexis Sanchez is still unavailable of course as he won't return to training until after next week's Community Shield against Chelsea. He's going to miss the start of the season, but it's for his own good and the team's too after his long hard season followed by his exploits in the Copa America. His absence is going to affect my starting fantasy team, but I'm willing to put up with it for the sake of the team.

Danny Welbek still isn't available either as he continues to recover from the injury which caused him to miss out on the FA Cup final win in May. It looks like he'll miss the start of the season too, but according to Arsene Wenger he should be back soon after the big kick off. With no new strikers arriving so far he will be needed sooner rather than later and the quicker he recovers the better.

Thankfully Arsenal don't have to play in the final qualifying round for the Champions League this season after they finished third in the league. It means the players will only have to play once a week in August and won't have the added pressure of having to make the group stages yet again. It means there should be plenty of recovery time and time to continue the fitness work too between each game at the start of the season.

David Ospina won't be around this weekend either as he's only coming back to pre season on Monday after playing for Colombia in the Copa America. It looked like he would be the one to be on his way after the arrival of Petr Cech, but he seems determined to stay and fight for his place. With Ospina set to tussle with Cech for the keeper's spot it looks like Wojciech Szczesny will be the one to be on the move.

He's all set to go on loan to Roma for the season with the boss admitting it's just a matter of waiting for the paperwork to be completed. If Szczesny can make himself first choice at Roma he will play in the Champions League with them and get plenty of much needed game time too. A keeper can't learn too much sitting on the bench and his chances at Arsenal this season were going to be severely limited. 

If the rumours are to be believed Roma will have an option to buy, him when the loan spell has finished, but I'm not sure if that is the case or not. The boss has said there is still a future for him at Arsenal and he rates him highly. I suppose it will come down to Szczesny himself and whether he sees a future for him at Arsenal.

The fans will get to see the team play at home for the first time this pre season with games against both Lyon and Wolfsburg. Both games kick off at 4.20 with Lyon on Saturday afternoon followed by Wolfsburg on Sunday in the Emirates Cup. With two games to play in quick succession the whole squad will have to be utilised and virtually every player will get a chance to impress at some stage.

Despite the supposedly meaningless nature of pre season games it's still nice to see the team win and to see them lifting some silverware is even better. I'm sure they will give their all in both games and they have every chance of winning both games, but the most important thing is for the players to continue their progress towards the new season which kicks off in two weeks. A lot is expected of Arsenal this coming season and I think they have to hit the ground running if they're going to seriously contend for the league title.

Finally for today Arsenal director Lord Harris has told all who will listen that the club have £200 million to spend if needs be and that the boss can break the club's transfer record if he so requires. His comments won't do anything to help Arsenal's negotiating position with clubs of any potential targets if they believe Arsenal have funds to burn. They might well have loads of money to spend, but it's still not easy to get clubs to part with their best players with the new season approaching quickly. 

It's going to take some very good players to improve on what Arsenal already have and the boss has said he will buy players that will improve the team/squad if he can get them. He's proved that by spending so much on Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil in the last two summers and there can be no doubt that both players have improved the team. If a player of the calibre of either of those is available and the boss feels he would fit in at Arsenal I think Arsenal will certainly make a move, but those players are few and far between. I hope it happens and I think the squad needs to be strengthened, but it's by no means certain that it will be.

As usual this season my fantasy league is up and running again and it's open to all comers with a €50 prize (out of my pocket) to the winner. You can join up by using the league code 48497-14043 after you have set your team up here and good luck to all who play. There were over 1,000 teams in my league last season and I'm hoping for even more this season.

I'm also running my Predictions League again this season and it's very enjoyable even if there's no cash prize for the winner. The code for my league is FD757-ARR after you have signed up here and of course both games are completely free to play. 

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Premier League Trip To Manchester City Previewed

Arsenal have really struggled away to the better teams in the Premier League in the last few seasons and they face a trip to the current champions this afternoon. Arsenal scored three goals away to City last season but they conceded six in what can only be described as a naive performance. They need to find an awful lot more defensively today if they are going to take something from the game.

As usual Arsenal have had an awful season with injuries and the good news of Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey returning has been countered by the news concerning Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Debuchy. Both players have had to undergo surgery on their respective injuries and will be missing from action for the next three months it seems. If there are any further setbacks for either player their season will be as good as over.

For me those two injuries only impress further the need for Arsenal to dig deep into their pockets and strengthen the squad in the January transfer window. As well as Francis Coquelin has done since his recall from his loan spell at Charlton he's still not the player Arsenal need in front of their back four and neither is Mathieu Flamini. Arteta is reaching a stage in his career where his contributions in the first team will decrease and Arsenal need to replace him with a player who is better than him in my opinion. It's not easy to find the right player in January, but the team's chances of finishing the season on a high could depend on the right player coming in or not.

Arsenal started the season short of two central defenders and both Debuchy and Nacho Monreal have been asked to move in there from their full back roles at different times this season. With Debuchy out for three months I think Arsene Wenger has to do all he can to bring in some central defensive cover or he is tempting fate. We all know how cruel the injury gods have been to Arsenal and not signing a central defender would be tantamount to mocking them.

In team news for today both Ozil and Ramsey are still available after being on the bench last week (with Ozil coming on) while Kieran Gibbs should be available too. It means the boss will have plenty of options when it comes to picking the team and the choices he makes will be a large factor in how the game goes for Arsenal. If he chooses an overly offensive team it could lead to another afternoon to forget for Arsenal and he has to get the balance right.

In recent away games Arsenal have tried to defend in depth and hit their opponents on the break and have had some success with that tactic. If they play that way they have to be a lot more careful outside their own area where they have been turned over far too much this season for my liking. A lack of concentration in that area has led to far too many chances for opponents in my opinion and it has to be clamped down on. I think Coquelin is more likely to keep his concentration in that area than Flamini and that might just give him the advantage when it comes to team selection. 

 Of course there is a chance both Coquelin and Flamini will play as a double defensive axis and that might not be a bad idea. It would still leave four offensive players in front of them and maybe free those four players from some of their defensive duties at times. City are vulnerable to the counter attack and the pace of players like Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain might just be a deciding factor for Arsenal.

City have a few of their own players missing such as Yaya Toure and Samir Nasri while Sergio Aguero only got a few minutes off the bench last week on his return from injury. Vincent Kompany hasn't played in their last six games either but it looks like he will okay today and he's a very important player for them. He makes their defence an awful lot stronger when he plays, but he can be vulnerable to pace too and has his moments where he looks decidedly average.

I would be surprised if Olivier Giroud didn't play from the start with his aerial ability being very important at both ends of the pitch while both Alexis and Santi Cazorla have to be certain to play. Looking at the attacking options Arsenal have the boss has some very tough decisions to make and those decisions could make all the difference. The team cannot accommodate Tomas Rosicky, Ramsey, Ozil, Walcott and Chamberlain along with the players who look certain to start. 

After seeing United, Southampton and Spurs winning their games yesterday it's vital for Arsenal to get something from this game. A win would be a huge boost to confidence, but a draw would be quite acceptable too considering the opposition and the importance of the game. I always think Arsenal are capable of beating any team they play and today is no different, but I can only hope the players have that belief too.

It could be another high scoring end to end thriller like last season, but if it goes that way you have to think City will make their home advantage count. Arsenal have to keep things as tight as possible and take what chances come their way and only then will have a chance of getting something out of it. I would love to see myself writing about a famous victory tomorrow, but as I said I would be very happy to be writing about a hard fought draw too. What cannot be allowed to happen is what has happened away from home to good teams in recent seasons far too often which is for Arsenal simply not to turn up. It's always a possibility with this team and we have to hope we see their best side today and they put in a performance they are capable of and which makes us fans feel there is real hope for the rest of the season.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.