Nine Jimmy Rimmers – Arsenal and Football

So, Thomas Eisfeld then?  Haven’t a clue to be honest.  I mean, we’d all learned up about Mario Gotze and it turns out we’re buying the other teenage attacking midfielder from Dortmund.  The one who isn’t tipped by all the big past stars of German football and isn’t called Super Mario.  Poor kid!

Not sure how much we’ll see of him this season.   He has played no first team games for Borussia Dortmund and Arsene Wenger has said that there will be a period of adaptation.  So I doubt that he will feature much before the autumn.  Which is a pity because the bad news of the day was confirmation that Jack Wilshere is unlikely to feature before next season as well.  So Gotze would have been just the job.

But the truth is that no ‘big name’ was likely to come in this January.  People can witter on all they like about Arsenal having plenty in the bank and that Arsenal have to buy, but you can only buy if people want to come.  What big star would commit to Arsenal in January when we are six points off a Champions League spot?  This may be unfamiliar territory for younger fans, but it’s where we are and we will only change it on the pitch with the player we have.

The news about Jack Wilshere is quite a blow as we could do with more midfield cover as the season goes on.  Arteta and Ramsey have both done a great job but Ramsey is looking a bit jaded and Arteta didn’t have the best of fitness records before joining Arsenal.  Rosicky is doing a great job at the moment bit you don’t see him starting many consecutive games.

Which brings us on to the team to face Bolton tonight.  Bolton are fourth from bottom but we haven’t let such things get in the way of an embarrassing slip-up before.  Laurent Koscielny is right to warn against any complacency.

Last night, Chelsea were kind enough to leave a couple of points in Swansea, so we need seize the opportunity.  Arteta, and Henry are apparently both good to start, but it is less likely for Sagna.  There are no additional injuries from the Villa game.

Our current league form is, of course, dire with three losses on the trot.  Bolton on the other hand have had a good month with victories over Everton and Liverpool and progress on the cup.  Losing at Old Trafford was their only problem in January.

So a strong team choice is order to ensure we get back to winning ways.  Only two real choices to makes I guess, Sagna v Coquelin/Djourou and Ox v Arshavin.  Bolton are not particularly pacey on the left so Djourou would be ok, but I would prefer Coquelin.  As for the other choice, Arsene Wenger has talked of a cautious development of Oxlade-Chamberlain’s career so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Arshavin start with the younger player back on Saturday at Bolton.

So something like this:

______ Szczesny ______
Coq _ Merte _ Kos _ Verm
________ Song _______
___ Arteta __ Ramsey __
Walcott _ RVP _ Arshavin

If ever there were a game of two halves….  Amazing turnaround yesterday to go through to the fourth round against Sunderland or Middlesborough.

January has been a crap month for us with three league games lost in a row and controversy over that substitution.  Put together with the likelihood that the temporary appearance of Thierry Henry will be the only form of reinforcement it was looking even more grim by half-time yesterday.

In the first half we watched that frustrating Arsenal that shows flashes of class but then sloppily squanders them.  Signs of superiority for a while, but without taking control.  It took Villa a little while to capitalise, but you feared it was coming.  Come it did, twice.  The second was a good finish from Bent on a very tight angle, but both were poor goals to succeed.

In the second half though, Arsenal were transformed.  Eager, faster and more direct.  Don’t know what Arsene Wenger said during the break but we were a different team.  All three Arsenal goals came as a result of strong runs into the box.  A bit of luck too, but the sort of luck that doesn’t come without pressurising your opponents.

Some really rate Richard Dunne and I’ve seen him put in some solid, professional performances.  But for Arsenal’s first goal he panicked big time.  Aaron Ramsey surged into the box but had probably pushed the ball a bit further ahead than he wanted.  He was certainly only evens with Given to collect first and odds against to score.  But before either could win that race, Dunne appeared on an unstoppable slide that cleaned Ramsey out.  Penalty, no question.

Nicely taken by Van Persie.  Given guessed right and was agile as ever, but the ball was beyond him.  Van Persie sprinted back to the centre spot with the ball, Arsenal were in with a shout.

Then we were level.  Again it came from a strong run with the ball into the box and a slice of luck.  Theo Walcott jinked his way in from the right, along the line, but there was no obvious pass on.  Another jink and a hopeful stab could have come to nothing but for the hapless Hutton stabbing the ball back into Walcott’s path for a rebound into the goal.  Another piece of well earned luck.  Alan Hutton you had that coming after your last appearance against Arsenal.

Same again for the third goal.  This time Koscielny surged forward, bursting through into the box.  Darren Bent had tracked most of his long run and I guess a sort of mental momentum took over.  He went for the tackle even though he was too late and too directly behind Koscielny.  On the ground he gestured hopefully that he’d got to the ball, but no chance.  He’d gone straight through Koscielny to get there and it was another straightforward penalty decision.

Given gambled on Robin Van Persie repeating the first one and went early to his right.  Robin went the other way and we were winning.  After that we weren’t going to throw it away.  Villa did have the odd attack, but Koscielny, Mertesacker and Fabianski dealt with them all.  Mainly it was more Arsenal pressure.

Henry, Arteta and Sagna came on as late subs to keep Villa exercised.  Good to see Bacary Sagna on his way back, because to be honest Francis Coquelin had a torrid old time against Agbonlahor.  Arteta though wasn’t so badly missed last night as Tomas Rosicky played an absolute blinder.

After the game, ESPN pundit Martin Keown was talking through the highlights.  With Laurent Koscielny onscreen he said that there were some real leaders beginning to emerge in this team.  He was certainly right about Koscielny.  He is a star and he is putting some backbone into Arsenal too.  He is the clear winner in our match poll despite strong support for Rosicky and Van Persie.

So, finally some cheer to end a dismal month.  Next up this week is a double helping in the league – Bolton on Wednesday, Blackburn Saturday.  The first half Arsenal will turn both into nail-biters, won or lost on a late, lonely goal.  Second half Arsenal will take six points with ease.

Come on you Gunners.

Apart from Thierry’s winner against Leeds United, January has been a thoroughly crap month. Let’s hope we can end it with a win against Villa tomorrow. I know the league is our main focus nut when you’re in a losing rut you just need any kind of win.

A big part of our problem has been injuries of course and the news there is good and bad. Arteta, Henry and Coquelin are likely to be available and Sagna could make the bench.

The news that Jack Wilshere has suffered a set-back this week is depressing. He’s said to be gifted and I’m sure he is. It’s frustrating for us as fans, must be so much worse for him.

Of the potential returnees, I think it’s Arteta we’ve missed the most. We’ve definitely lacked composure and possession whilst he’s been out so if just one of them is ready I hope it’s him. If there’s any doubt about Coquelin, I wouldn’t be disappointed to see Yennaris at fullback. He’s looked alright and it’s his position.

Last time we played Villa we won with a late Benayoun header. Since then they’ve added Keane on loan. He may not be quite the player he was, but he’s still a big threat. I think it could be a tough game.

Will Oxlade-Chamberlain get a start? I think he might just, although Arsene Wenger was on bit of a mission to fix Arshavin’s confidence yesterday. But form is the thing and managers earn their corn by being ruthless when required. So it would be good to see AOC, even if he doesn’t have the stamina for ninety minutes yet.

Course, if he can’t do ninety minutes, Arsene Wenger won’t relish repeating THAT substitution! But if Henry is fit he can be spared that option.

Maybe he’ll start them both and leave Theo sitting on the bench pondering where to pitch his contract bid.

Predicting a team line-up is difficult when so many players are on the cusp of match fitness, but how about something like this -

______ Szczesny ______
Yen _ Merte _ Kos _ Verm
_______ Song ________
__ Arteta ___ Ramsey __
Walcott __ RVP ___ AOC

He may not be as fast as before and we will have to see what he’s got in the tank. But in twenty minutes he showed that he still has a level of movement off the ball, composure, skill and commitment that can change a game.

Thierry Henry, did I need to say who, was the inevitable winner of our match poll. He probably would have been so just for stepping onto the pitch, but scoring the winner made it a no contest. It changed the game too of course.

Arsenal dominated possession and created chances. Arshavin worked like never before. Arteta, Ramsey, Chamakh and Chamberlain attacked and attacked. But it was almost as if they were trying too hard. The final ball often faltered rather than found the target. By half-time we must have had about a dozen chances and only tested the Leeds keeper on a couple.

We never looked in danger but the longer it stayed goaless you began to worry about us losing to a sole Leeds strike on goal. To add to the anxiety we suffered another defensive injury. Sprinting down the right to overlap with Chamberlain, Coquelin pulled up and fell to the ground clutching his hamstring. I’m guessing that’s the last we’ll see of him for a few weeks and it adds impetus to the search for some loaned reinforcement at the back.

Some say that playing out of position adds to the risk of injury and you wonder how often Coquelin sprints like that in training. He was replaced by number fifty-something Nico Yennaris, who, apart from nervously conceding a couple of corners, did a good job.

But back to the story which is dominating all sports coverage this morning. When Henry came on he showed the difference between good endeavour and class. He got into dangerous positions, he found space where the others got lost in a crowd of Leeds defenders. For extra encouragement he also ran to block and cover when we didn’t have the ball.

The goal when it came was classic Henry. He drifted wide, pulling a defender with him but still getting a yard of space. Looking along the line of defenders, he timed his move to perfection. Song played the ball through the gap and Henry was there to collect it. As he made his first touch I smiled and thought: I know what he does from there. He opens his body up and with his second touch he strokes the ball across the keeper and into the far corner of the goal. Beautiful.

It was a fairy tale script made real. Good job too, because we were struggling to break through a Leeds defence that worked and concentrated hard throughout. They didn’t many chances because they played so deep. But they were keeping us out despite having little possession.

If Thierry Henry hadn’t been there, either Arshavin, Arteta or Ramsey would have been man of the match for their sheer industry. And you don’t get to say that about Arshavin often. But we would probably be facing an unwelcome replay at Elland Road.

Instead the substitutes Walcott and Henry did the trick. Walcott’s pace and Henry’s experience stretched the Leeds defence just a little bit more than it could take and the gaps and the goal came.

One-nil to the Arsenal and the return of the king instead of frustration.

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?

Arsene Wenger was angry with the referee after the game and it’s true that Lee Probert was poor.  But he wasn’t to blame.  We started well with a barrage of attacking play but faded as the game went on.

Yesterday I wondered how much Arsene Wenger would change the team, given that this was the third game in seven days.  The answer was to make just one change from Saturday with Gervinho starting instead of Arshavin.  You have to wonder if that was enough with players flagging as the game went on.  Useless hindsight I guess but some fresher legs might have carried us further.

I’m not saying there was a lack of effort, the likes of Ramsey, Arteta and Koscielny ran all night.  Koscielny narrowly lost out to Coquelin in our match poll.  But as the second half went on we lost the sharpness and passes were failing all over the place.  We were being pegged back even before Djourou got his second yellow.

I don’t think you can blame the referee for the red card.  He didn’t give out a lot of cards and he could have done it on a challenge a few minutes before the one that finally sealed Djourou’s fate.

The lack of fullbacks is definitely hurting us though. Coquelin had a good game but he isn’t the real thing.  He’s a right-sided central midfielder and it shows. Djourou is ok defending, but again, he isn’t a fullback.

The result is first that slower fullbacks means playing deeper and second that we are not moving the ball out down the sides of the pitch.

In the first half, Ramsey and Van Persie were compensating for the first problem by working hard to close down Fulham players high up the pitch and slow their attacks. But as time went on their energy fell and Fulham had more time and space to pick their way forward.

The lack of real fullbacks means we are feeding nearly everything through the middle.  Even the attacks that used Gervinho and Walcott were going via Arteta and Ramsey first.  This made life easier for Dembele and Murphy who were breaking up a big percentage of them.  It meant that their fullbacks could tuck in a bit, which makes threading a through ball even tighter.

Hopefully we can find some fullback cover.  At the moment we are I reckon we are one defensive injury away from undoing our recent progress.

Arsene Wenger doesn’t have the option of an unchanged side against Aston Villa tonight.  The City game saw Alex Song reach five yellow cards and Johann Djourou limp off with a groin strain.  So now we have five injured defenders!

To make things worse it appears that Kieran Gibbs has had a setback and may be out for quite some time.  Arsene Wenger is now talking publically about looking for loan options.

Tonight of course, Arsenal have to play with what we’ve got.  That means Squillaci or Miquel getting a game.  Hopefully Miquel.  It’s a shame for Squillaci how things have turned out, but he hasn’t convinced so it’s better to invest pitch time in Miquel, even out of position.

So that means a back four of Koscielny, Mertesacker, Vermaelen and Miquel.  Not ideal going forward, but it should be pretty secure.  Villa haven’t been scoring too many goals this season.

Who is top understudy to Song, Frimpong or Coquelin?  There isn’t a huge amount to choose between then really, but it’s Coquelin who’s been getting more of the chances this season.

Will any of the attacking players get a break tonight.  Yossi Benayoun certainly deserves more games.  But with changes in the defensive half, I suspect Arsene Wenger will be cautious and make no change.  With Liverpool matching us on points now, we could do with some goals tonight so I hope that we can manage a similar intensity to Sunday.

I’m expecting:

______ Szczesny ______
Kos _ Merte _ Verm _ Miq
______ Coquelin _______
___ Arteta __ Ramsey __
Walcott _ RVP _ Gervinho

What do you think?

Longer-term, we obviously have a fullback problem to solve and the media have decided that the obvious solution is to take Wayne Bridge on loan from Man City.  This story has been helped on with comments from Roberto Mancini to the effect that trotting round the training ground with the reserves each morning is no work for a grown man.

Trouble is, do we want Manchester City’s third choice leftback, especially given we’d have to pay the lion’s share of his reported £90,000 a week wages?  Finding a suitable replacement isn’t easy though.  As Arsene Wenger said, it isn’t like a supermarket where there’s loads sitting on the shelf waiting for you.  But there’s surely got to be a better option than someone who’s played just one Carling Cup game and can’t even get on the bench most weeks.

The option that everyone apart from Andre Santos would like to see is Leighton Baines.  Sadly I’m not sure it’s a runner.  Everton are in dire financial straits but they’re not in ‘fire sale’ territory yet I think.  Selling Baines would be a desperate move for them.

Third name doing the rounds is Taye Taiwo at AC Milan.  He’s probably the right sort of player to be a good stop-gap, in terms of both skill and value.  Nigeria didn’t qualify for the African Cup of Nations and Taiwo has only played seven times this season.  He has played in the Champions League though which would reduce his value for us.  But is he really available and would AC Milan want to help us out in any way now that they’re our next Champions League opponents?

Now that Arsene Wenger is speculating openly about the situation I expect we will see a whole host of other names over the next couple of weeks.

Man of the Match poll for the Villa game later – come on you Gunners!

After beating Wigan yesterday it feels like we have reached the end of the recovery phase.  Four – nil was the right score rather than just getting the right number of points.  I know that Wigan away is a fixture that we’ve cocked up two years running, but all the same it feels like a suitable statement about this season – we’re back where we should be.

It’s tempting to say now for the hard bit, but that underplays what we have already achieved since that dire day at Old Trafford.  Pulling a team out of a crisis of confusion and confidence is hard, but Arsenal have done it.  It’s just that the next bit is going to be hard too.

The race for a top four slot has got harder thanks to Sheik Mansour and Harry Redknapp.  Much as it pains me to say it, Redknapp has put together the most credible Tottenham team in decades.  Meanwhile City have spent nearly a billion pounds and this season they are getting the inevitable rewards.  We debate the sanity or morality of spending billion pounds on a football club when the world’s in such a state, but there we are, that’s what he’s done, and now Man City and Tottenham are at the races too.

I’m not sure about Newcastle.  Their start to the season has been stunning but I get the feeling we are about to see how deep the quality of their challenge really is.  They picked up a couple of injuries on Saturday that might be hard to deal with.  But for the moment they are in the mix with us.

So too are Chelsea.  Like Newcastle, there are still questions to be answered, but on Saturday they looked like they knew their business again.  Their defenders held their shape and did a good job.  Sturridge looks increasingly good and Drogba looks fitter.  You wonder how different it might have been if Luiz had got a red card early on when he brought down Demba Ba.  He was clearly last man, but Chelsea got the break and made the most of it.

Tomorrow we will see if Liverpool are still on the pace after a few draws that have taken a bit of the gloss off.

But at the moment there’s a seven way fight for the only four positions that mean anything and we’ve got a tough month ahead.  Before Christmas we play Everton (eighth), Man City (top) and Aston Villa (ninth).  These are all going to be harder work.

Looking around the web today there’s all the usual transfer speculation, none of it really stood up with convincing quotes, so I think we might leave it be a little longer yet.  One pretty solid looking story is that Emmanuel Frimpong wants a loan spell, with Wolves the most likely destination.  Sounds like a sensible enough move to me.  Coquelin is probably edging him as chief understudy to Song at the moment and after Tuesday’s shot to nothing against Olympiacos and us going out of the Carling, it’s hard to see what time on the pitch he’s going to get.

Mikel Artea won our Wigan Man of the Match poll after initially being neck and neck with Robin Van Persie.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is running away with our Man of the Match poll for last night’s cup defeat.  Frimpong and Coquelin also have some support after a game where a largely second string team had to work hard in the middle to stifle Manchester City.

Maybe Frimpong’s also picking up support on reports of him facing up Samir Nasri in the tunnel afterwards!

Because of work I didn’t get to see much of the game and was furiously stabbing refresh on the phone as my train trundled out of London on the way home.  But from what I have seen and read it looks like Arsenal’s midfield of AOC, Benayoun, Frimpong and Coquelin put up a good enough fight to contain City for most of the game but we couldn’t finish the few chances created.

Wenger was full of praise for Chamberlain after the game, but made it clear that he’s going to take a cautious approach on the teenager’s career development.  But he also criticised the fact that the team let Manchester City escape too quickly from their box after a poor corner, allowing them to break forward for the goal.

Arsene Wenger went for a switch to 4-4-2 in order to accommodate both Chamakh and Park, but I’m not sure how much he will have learned.  Chamakh form frustrates and Park’s potential intrigues, but we don’t have anyone to step into Van Persie’s boots when required.  That’s OK for a Carling Cup defeat that we can shrug our shoulders over, but there’s a high chance that at some point someone’s going to have to sub RVP for a run of four or five games.

Given Chamakh and Park’s lack of pitch time, and strikers need pitch time to be sharp, this may all be unfair but it looks like the biggest potential problem right now.

Given City’s budget, this was a more even battle than might have been expected and I don’t see a lot of flak flying around from Arsenal fans.  Basically it was a decent effort whilst we rested key players.  We need to move on and whack Wigan at the weekend.