Nine Jimmy Rimmers – Arsenal and Football

Arsenal 1:0 Leeds Utd
Thierry Henry!

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A year ago we played Leeds United in the Third Round of the FA Cup, just as we are today.  We very nearly went out. Arsene Wenger changed half the team and we couldn’t cope with Leeds.  They got a goal and kept us pegged back.  In the end we escaped with a very late penalty and won the replay.

Just like last year we are going to have changes to the team.  Djourou is our with a red card.  Gervinho has departed to join his national team in the African Cup of Nations.  Arsene Wenger has decided that Robin Van Persie must take a break and it’s hard to argue with that.

So that’s three changes.  Then there’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Ahead of the Fulham game, Arsene Wenger said Chamberlsin was very close to a first team start, but he didn’t feature.  Was Arsene Wenger thinking ahead to this game?  Is that four changes?  Then we also have to think about Arteta, who had played just about every game since he joined the club.

So very quickly you can see a case for changing half the team, just like last year.  And as Arsene Wenger says, this is the third most important competition for the club out the three were in.  But we don’t want to lose right?

What that means is no start for Thierry Henry, though I would be surprised to see him on at some stage to get some match time.  I also think that it means Song stays in and Coquelin stays at fullback.  I’ve seen some suggesting that Song could be rested, but I think that would be a change too many.

I reckon there are two big choices.  First is whether to put Squillaci or Miquel in the back four.  I would like to see Miquel.  He is the future, so give him experience.  Second is whether to give all the attacking slots to players with something to prove, or whether to put Arshavin or Benayoun in to add experience.  Whether Arteta needs a rest is something that only Arsene and his team know.

So I hope we won’t see in any more changes than this:

______ Szczesny _______
Kos _ Merte _ Miquel _ Coq
________ Song _________
_ AOC _ Rosicky _ Rambo _
___ Chamakh _ Park _____

But that might still be too many.

Meanwhile, the draw for the next round had already happened and if we sort out Leeds, we are at home to Villa which isn’t the easiest of games but not the hardest either.  Most interesting tie in the draw is Liverpool v Manchester United after the Suarez incident.  Will Evra play. Will he suffer abuse on or off the pitch?

Hopefully this will be a chance for players and fans to step up, but I’m not holding my breath.  I hope Liverpool are going to be proactive about creating the right atmosphere for the game.

The transfer rumour mill spins on, now throwing out entertaining claims that we will pay £100m for Hulk from Porto to replace a departing Van Persie or, alternatively that we will swap RVP for two Real Madrid players.  Well I suppose that’s more exciting than pondering a loan deal for a fullback!

Back later with Arsenal Man of the Match Poll.

I have dozed and slept most the weekend and what have I missed? Not too much really. No great cup upsets to speak of. Bolton should have seen off Macclesfield and QPR should have buried MK Dons. Wigan fans will be slightly irked by losing to Swindon, but they know that fighting relegation is the more important battle. I have woken up for United v City, which is getting interesting.

When I was a kid I was completely transfixed by the FA Cup and would spend the whole of Saturday switching between Frank Bough on Grandstand and Dickie Davies on World of Sport. There were features on carworkers and shopkeepers who would be playing for ‘minnows’ like Bideford or Alvechurch against ‘giants’ like Derby County and Nottingham Forrest. Teams like Hendon would get a draw at St James Park and then get tonked in the replay. Blyth Spartans sounded strangely exotic, but wasn’t.

Now, somehow I’m unmoved. Have I just grown up or has the long diet of European football cast the FA Cup into the shadows? Then again, there was that barney we had up at Old Trafford! The one with the pizza. That got my attention but the competition as a whole doesn’t move me so much now.

The most notable thing to happen in the Third Round so far has been that someone at Anfield shouted racial abuse at a black Oldham player. A man has now been arrested. Presumably his defence will be that he found the club’s guidance on the subject confusing and that, in any event, he only meant the words in a friendly way to calm the lad’s nerves on the big occasion.

Meanwhile, the papers would have us believe that great transfer tussles are going on with Arsenal pouncing or, alternatively, getting snubbed over various players. Matius Suarez is the flavour of the weekend for Arsenal rumours and gives me the chance of two Suarez tags in the same post. Demba Ba also gets some mentions by those who’ve forgotten the stories they wrote last week about Newcastle struggling now the African Cup of Nations is upon us.

My transfer window predictions remain the same, in the following order of likelihood:
1) Henry plus a fullback on loan.
2) Just Henry.
3) Henry, a fullback and a striker.

Anyway, the odds’n'ends are taking over this post so back to the plot. Who will play for Arsenal tomorrow against Leeds United? Will it be the return of the King?

Part of me can’t wait. Part of me dreads the thought of some Leeds United numptie deciding to get fifteen minutes of fame by reminding Thierry just want cup football on a cold January evening is all about! Followed by an announcement that Thierry is out for at least six weeks.

We played Leeds in the FA Cup last year of course, snatching a late draw and then winning the replay 3:1. This was the team for the draw:

Szczesny
Eboue, Djourou, Squillaci, Gibbs
Song, Denilson, Rosicky
Arshavin, Chamakh, Bendtner

Vela, Walcott and Fabregas came on as subs and Cesc saved our embarrassment with a late penalty equalizer. In the replay the starting line-up was beefed up by Sagna, Koscielny and Nasri.

So what about tomorrow. Well we know that Thierry Henry is available and Chamakh. But Van Persie and Gervinho won’t feature.

How will Arsene Wenger perm four from: Coquelin, Squillaci, Mertesacker, Miquel and Koscielny? Is there a start for Yennaris maybe?

Up front, Wenger has talked of Chamakh and maybe Park. Perhaps he will play both with Thierry waiting on the bench.

Before the Fulham game, Arsene Wenger said that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was very close to a start but he didn’t feature at all. Will he be in for the Leeds game?

How about:

______ Szczesny _______
Kos _ Merte _ Miquel _ Coq
________ Song _________
_ AOC _ Rosicky _ Rambo _
___ Chamakh _ Park _____

Or is that a bit risky up front? What do you think?

Whilst talk of the quadruple was always fanciful, we are in a bad place now after a grim fortnight.

We didn’t actually play that badly yesterday, but Van De Sar and Smalling kept them in it at the back and they made two chances count. Without dominating, United got the crucial things right.

I still don’t get why Nasri isn’t the automatic choice in the centre when Fabregas isn’t available. Or even Arshavin. Neither Diaby nor Rosicky drive forward with often enough or with determination.

The double whammy yesterday cam with Djourou exiting the season on a stretcher.

So, one shot at silverware left. No Szczesny, Djourou, Vermaelen, Song, Fabregas or Walcott. The last three will play some part, but it’s a miserable day today.

Beating Leyton Orient five-nil is just as it should be, so there was no feeling of euphoria last night.  But it was important to win after the nightmare of Sunday.  Falling out of two cup competitions in two consecutive games would have destroyed the squad completely.  Winning well was back to business as normal.

Also back to normal sadly is the Van Persie injury status.  Arsene Wenger confirmed that he is out until after the next international break – four weeks.

That news adds interest to how Chamakh and Bendtner played last night.  Both did well, though obviously Bentner grabbed most of the action with two well taken goals and the penalty.

Whilst two goals against a League One side are not career highlights they both demonstrated good skill.  The first showed the power and accuracy of his heading ability.  The second showed an expert touch to go across the keeper, out of his reach but still just inside the post to score.

Chamakh’s goal was more about reading the play, checking his run to lose his marker and slotting home the finish.  A better defender would have checked his run too and stayed tight, but credit where it is due.

I expect that Bendtner did enough to get the central slot at the weekend, but both may play to keep them in match form as one of them must lead the line for the next four games at least.

So, now for Sunderland, Barcelona and Manchester United – game on!

***** Man of the Match poll for last night – add your vote here. *****

Arsene Wenger’s task of picking the players up off the floor was given a massive boost last night by Chelsea.  By taking three points off Manchester United they have helped put the title within reach.  All we have to do is win all our remaining games and it’s ours.  Simple!

Well I doubt its going to be quite that simple, but it’s a big boost all the same and will help put some belief back into the team.  Manchester United have a tougher run-in than we do, so we have a real chance.  With the red card late in the game they will miss both Vidic and Ferdinand against Liverpool, so there is potential for more lost points there too.

And seeing Spurs drop out of the top four is a bonus for Gooners too!  Chelsea fans in the office will be shown great respect today for as long as they resist the temptation to mention Birmingham.  Ferguson blames the referee naturally and if the leniency shown to Rooney is anything to go by he will get away with saying it.

The Arsenal players can give fans a boost as well with a straightforward win tonight against Orient.  A professional, spirited display is the least we deserve after the depression of Sunday.

The dark cloud inside these silver linings of course is the current injury list.  Van Persie and Walcott out until after Barcelona – maybe three weeks.  No Fabregas or Song until after the weekend.  Koscielny has a tight hamstring.

Yesterday I wondered whether Wenger would take the ‘business as usual’ or ‘get straight back out there’ approach after the cup final defeat.  Looks like he’s opted for business as usual and will be resting a few players tonight including Szczesny and Koscielny.  Predictably some of the papers are going for the ‘blunderers dropped’ line this morning.

So Almunia, Squillaci and Diaby are in the team tonight.  No hints at all about Ramsay in the pre-match interview.  Whoever Arsene Wenger picks ought to be good enough.  But morale will be on a knife-edge and at the moment we seem to have the habit of adjusting our level to match whoever we play – making every game close.  So I still feel anxious about tonight.

I hope that every Arsenal fan in the ground does their bit tonight by roaring the team on.

C’mon Arsenal!

Arsenal have the chance to bounce straight back from the Birmingham defeat with an emphatic performance against Orient tomorrow.

In fact, despite Orient’s lower league status, any win will do as the players need to get their heads straight after losing at Wembley.

It will be interesting to see how many changes Wenger makes.  Will he judge that the best psychological move is to send the same team out to purge the memories of Sunday from their minds?  Or will he tell them it’s already behind them and it’s business as usual?  With Sunderland and Barcelona up next he would certainly be looking to rest players.  But now it could be a case of physical verses psychological needs.

Van Persie is clearly out, but in normal circumstances would probably not if played in a game like this. Bendtner or Chamakh?  This could be just the occasion for Bendtner’s bullet-proof confidence.

What about Szczesny and Koscielny?  I think most of the team were poor on Sunday, but obviously the media focus has been on them.  If Almunia plays, as was probably likely ahead of Sunday’s result, it will be headlined as ‘blunder keeper dropped’.  I think there’s a strong case for sending him straight back on the pitch.

There is some speculation around today that Ramsay’s return may be delayed, but this doesn’t seem to be based on anything more than the Cardiff manager hopefully saying “perhaps Arsene Wenger will change his mind”.  I hope that he is back and that he plays.   The player who should make way for him is Rosicky.

I think that Nasri has to play when Fabregas doesn’t.  And he has to be the direct replacement for Cesc in the middle of the pitch.

I think that the needs of Sunderland and Barcelona will force some changes, but not as many as were probably planned.  So here’s my guess:

__________ Szczesny ___________
Eboue _ Djourou _ Koscielny _ Clichy
_______ Diaby ___ Ramsay ______
___________ Nasri _____________
Arshavin ___ Bendtner ___ Chamakh

What do you think?

We can’t get enough of this FA Cup can we guys?  I mean, why finish off in 90 minutes what you could spend 180 over?

It was a pretty joyless occasion for Arsenal last night with few positives as the team struggled to find space or acceleration.  Orient had circled the wagons effectively and Arsenal passed and passed around them without finding the way in.  Arshavin and Song looked the most diligent and Rosicky scored his first Arsenal goal since forever.  But that’s about it.

Miquel looked to be having an OK debut until he and Gibbs combined to allow the fresh-legged Orient sub through for the equaliser.

It was hard not to smile at the joy of the home fans and the Hearn clan.  They have been shafted by the decision to allow a Premier club into the Olympic stadium after worked hard to build a viable ‘small’ club.  Now they will get another lucrative payday out of an Emirates replay.

Arsenal get another game in the run-up to the Barcelona second leg.  I feel pretty confident that in the wide open spaces of the Emirates we will stretch and overwhelm Orient in a way that we failed to do at Brisbane Road.  But we could have done without the bother.

***** Man of the Match Poll running here. *****