Nine Jimmy Rimmers – Arsenal and Football

We need a win tonight really. That’s not to say we will go out if we don’t win, but we don’t need the pressure and we don’t want to repeat last year’s early meeting with the likes of Barcelona.

We’ve got our noses in front, but only just.

Arsenal 4 2 8
Marseille 4 3 7
Dortmund 4 -4 4
Olympiacos 4 -1 3
(played,GD,points)

In the last two games of the group, the top two clubs are playing the bottom two clubs. Olympiacos have shown some determined moments on this competition, but a win for Marseille has to be expected.

If we were to mess up against Dortmund and lose, that would set up a very tight finish where a point could cover three clubs and Dortmund were playing for qualification against an already qualified Marseille.

A draw is probably survivable as it would then take two Olympiacos wins to put us out.

But like I said, we don’t need the pressure and we’re capable of a win against the Germans.

Wins for Arsenal and Marseille will split the group in two with no way back for the bottom two.

The most encouraging thing about Arsenal now is that we seem to have a maturity and self-belief that will survive a set-back like the first goal conceded against Norwich. Last season, going one down like that would have been the end. Now it isn’t and not just against Norwich but Chelsea too.

It isn’t that we’ve completely sorted the defence. Although were miles better now we still concede some soft goals. It isn’t that were unstoppable upfront, we’re very reliant on the form of one player. It’s the fact we’re a team now, that believes in itself and where players work for each other.

I think it’s come through a combination of two things. We’ve replaced some younger heads with old – Mertesacker, Arteta, Santos and Benayoun.

Perhaps even more importantly, we’ve replaced people who wanted away with those who want to play for Arsenal. Much as we valued the talents of Nasri and Cesc, the truth is that last season their hearts and minds had already departed. Whereas, anyone who joined Arsenal this summer, with everything that was going on, really wanted to be at Arsenal!

Anyway, I’ve got sidetracked, back to the Dortmund game – who will play?

Arsene Wenger has already said that Robin Van Persie will play. He also said that Rosicky is unavailable, but that Diaby is back in the squad. Given that Diaby hasn’t played in months, I can’t see him starting a big game like this. More likely we’ll see him at the weekend.

Koscielny played well at right-back on Saturday and I reckon we’ll see him there again. The Fulham and Wigan games are much more likely opportunities for rotation. So I’m not expecting any change to the starting line-up at all.

So -
_______ Szczesny _______
Kos _ Merte _ Verm _ Santos
________ Song _________
___ Arteta ___ Ramsey ___
Walcott __ RVP __ Gervinho

I wonder if Arshavin is expecting the same?

What to make of this game then?  Absolutely key is remembering that is worth three points like any other and that we messed up this fixture last time.

Just as we appear to have got over the problems that damaged the start to this season, it is vital that we don’t fall back into one of our old bad habits.  Too many times last season we went into fixtures like this with a breezy confidence that wasn’t backed up by effort on the pitch.

The ball wasn’t moved quickly enough, opponents were given time and space and, before we knew it, we were behind.  The players looked stunned at the apparent insult to the form guide.  Sometimes they fought their way back, sometimes they didn’t.

In the home game against West Brom, we were lazy and they played a blinder.  They went three up.  Arsenal got back into the game but could only get two back and the points were lost.

That’s what we have to avoid this time.  The only place we can lose this game is in our heads.

We don’t seem to have any new injuries, other than for Abou Diaby whose exploration of the medical dictionary sadly continues.

We have three fit and reliable central defenders so one can take a break unless someone is needed to fill in at full-back.  Mertesacker’s turn I guess after Koscielny was rested against Marseille.

Van Persie got a break for most of the Tuesday game too, so I hope he will start.  After all, he’s only going to get injured playing a meaningless friendly for the Netherlands so we might as well have him in an Arsenal shirt this weekend.

Is there a starting place for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – rotating in for Walcott or Ramsey?  Maybe, but I hope we don’t take too many risks.  We have to avoid a repeat of last year.

Arteta has played a lot of games, but won’t be playing in the break, so he probably gets another game tomorrow.

If they’re in good condition:

_______ Szczesny _____
Jenk _ Kos _ Verm _ Santos
_______ Song ________
___ Arteta _ Ramsey ___
OxCham _ RVP _ Gervinho

Consistency is everything.

Unusually for these two teams, this game was largely dominated by competent defending. Neither team really threatened with slim chances all round.

Arsene Wenger decided to rest Van Persie and Koscielny but didn’t rotate anywhere else. But the team looked tired going forward and Park struggled to make any impact. Passes didn’t get through which made for a stuttering performance.

It looked a bit like a day at work after the Christmas Party. Everyone still knows what to do, but it doesn’t come off as effectively as usual. Some people drift in late with a bit more energy, but to be honest you’re settling for nothing going really wrong.

For the first twenty minutes Marseille dominated. They came out of the blocks fast, determined to give a better game than last time, and Arsenal had to work hard to contain them. But we did contain them, snuffing out their attacks on the way to a clean sheet.

Santos and Jenkinson got forward in support but couldn’t make the difference. In fact, Santos was forward so much that you began to think that Arteta or Vermaelen was playing at left-back.

But despite Santos’ constant forward runs, Arsenal’s back four was pretty solid. Jenkinson is gaining experience and confidence. He isn’t flashy and exciting, he is solid and determined. He doesn’t get forced off the ball and his reading of the game is improving. Considering how far he’s come in the last two years, very impressive.

Vermaelen and Mertesacker both had good games and a clean sheet is more than welcome. Vermaelen looked completely fit and it will be interesting to see how Arsene Wenger goes in choosing the central pairing in future games.

Vermaelen leads our Man of the Match poll.

The problem last night was that Marseille were just as solid at the back as we were and we couldn’t find a way through. Perhaps it wasn’t just physical tiredness but an emotional fatigue as well after the intensity of Stamford Bridge.

Later in the game, on came fresher legs, with Arshavin and Rosicky. Van Persie came on too for a cameo. But the pattern of the game seemed fixed by then and it felt like a draw for the last twenty minutes.

Maybe the fresher Arshavin, Rosicky or Benayoun should have played from the start. Maybe it wouldn’t have made a difference. It’s a tough call to change a team that’s beaten Chelsea 5:3.

A draw isn’t a disaster though by any means. Dortmund helped out by reclaiming points from Olympiacos. That effectively splits the group into two pairs and we have the head-to-head advantage over Marseille thanks to Ramsey’s late winner in France. We can still win this group.

Arsenal 0:0 Marseille

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Arsene Wenger wasn’t giving much away yesterday, repeating several times that he hadn’t picked the team yet.  This is sensible with two big games close together.  He obviously needs to wait and see if anyone suffers a reaction from the Chelsea game.

He did give some squad news.  Vermaelen and Jenkinson are both included.  Obviously Benayoun is back in, having been excluded on Saturday as a Chelsea loanee.

Marouane Chamakh is apparently injured.  Some are whispering that this is an Almunia style injury – a condition that is more about not exposing an unpicked player to media questioning than a serious physical problem.  Presumably Park will be on the bench.

Abou Diaby’s recovery is going more slowly than hoped, so it will be a while before he is an option.  Which doesn’t create a big problem at the moment.  Diaby is a useful, versatile player to have on the bench, or as cover, but who would you start him ahead of in a fit squad?

This is a big game tonight.  Win and we qualify.  Win and we are favourites to top the group.  I don’t think Arsene Wenger will want to make many changes.  Marseille are a good side with a decent away record.  Like Arsenal they have been staging a recovery with three wins out of their last three games.

Clearly, Wenger must decide on Djourou, Jenkinson or Koscielny at right-back.  I doubt we’re going to see Djourou there.  There are two possible rotations with Arshavin and Rosicky.  That will be all I think, unless fitness problems force further change.

After tonight November should be slightly easier.  The first and last gamed provide the biggest challenges and there is just one away game.

CL – Marseille (h)
PL – West Brom (h)
Break
PL – Norwich (a)
CL – Dortmund (h)
PL – Fulham (h)
CC – Man City (h)

Last season we messed up the equivalent West Brom game.  Clearly we have the chance to consolidate our recent climb up the table with three more league wins.  A perfect Champions League performance at home is a distinct possibility too.

Then comes a big decision on the Carling Cup.  In the last round, Manchester City made eleven changes and still beat Wolves 5:2 away.  What will be Mancini and Wenger’s game plan this time?

I guess that Mancini will play his second choice team.  There are some big names even there and they need to play.  Mancini isn’t going to be too worried about the Carling Cup.  For Arsenal I guess it depends how the month goes.  If were winning our games, consolidating our Premier and Champions league position, we can afford to be less concerned about the Carling Cup too.

So, a month with great potential.  Let’s hope we’ve got the consistency now to take full advantage.

C’mon Arsenal.

On Saturday we showed that we can compete at the top of the Premier League.  Three away points taken from the third place team is a fantastic result.

Tomorrow we can take charge of our Champions League Group.  A home win against Marseille will leave us four points ahead of them, and and at least that ahead of Olympiacos, with two games to play.

Can we keep our run of form going?  Did the Chelsea game take too much out of anyone essential?  Does anyone need an immediate break, given that we are at home to West Brom next weekend and then there is a two week gap to our next game?

Given the lighter load beyond this game I would hope we can put out a pretty solid team and go all out for the win that will put us on course to top the group.  If there is another game in Robin Van Persie I would play him with the promise of a weekend off to come.

Two players who could well get rotated in are Rosicky and Arshavin.

The right-back choice will be interesting with both Jenkinson and Vermaelen fit.  Will Jenkinson come back in against Marseille, or will Arsene Wenger use Vermaelen’s return to see what Koscielny can do out on the right?

Arsene Wenger hasn’t gone for much rotation so far this season, mainly settling for Rosicky/Ramsey and Arshavin:Gervinho.

So the team I’m expected is:

_______ Szczesny _______
Kos _ Merte _ Verm _ Santos
________ Song _________
___ Rosicky __ Arteta ___
Walcott __ RVP __ Arshavin

Though the right back choice could go either way.  We didn’t see either Jenkinson or Vermaelen for long on Saturday so only Arsene Wenger knows how fit either really is.  But Djourou clearly isn’t a great option there, despite his work-rate and commitment.

One thing that’s surprised me over the last few weeks is how transfer speculation has carried on since the window closed.  This may be my memory playing up but I’m sure there’s more of it than last season.

I think that there are two reasons.  First, everyone knows that because Arsenal sold players late, they have money in the bank.  Second, the explosion in websites following football and Arsenal in particular means that there is great competition for readers.

Most web traffic comes via aggregator sites like arsenalnews.net where you choose what to read on the basis of just the headline – and a transfer headline gets you more visits, even when the window’s closed.  It’s almost as if there’s s breed of fan whose mote interested in the transfer speculation than the football.

How long readers stay on a site when they discover the story is based on the idea that Arsenal want to buy back Kolo Toure is another matter.  But no matter to the website owner, the visitor has been noted by Google and fed through to their advertising algorithm, serving up higher value ads next time.

Only the third most important reason for the speculation is the idea that Arsenal will spend all that cash in the January window.  Now obviously there is room for more quality in the Arsenal squad, even after the result on Saturday.

But will the right players do deals in January.  If I were a top player, which probably means I would already be playing Champions League football, I would want to wait and see where Arsenal end up.  And I wouldn’t be sure of that in January.

Arsene Wenger may pull off a surprise purchase, but more likely is that what we have now is what we have to use.  After Saturday, that doesn’t seem quite so worrying.

Nothing comes easy for Arsenal at the moment.  Just when the team are beginning to creep towards some consistent form, we get another injury setback.  This time it’s Carl Jenkinson out after over-stretching his knee in the game against Marseille.  All of a sudden Arsenal are without a recognised right back.

Arsenal promise an update today, but what they’ve said so far isn’t encouraging.

When Bacary Sagna broke his leg, Arsene Wenger said that along with Jenkinson the options were Djourou and Koscielny.  He also mentioned reserve team member Nicholas Yennaris, but I’m doubt he would play him in a Premiership game.

So will play at right back against Stoke on Sunday if Jenkinson’s absence is confirmed today?

Koscielny has the most experience of playing out wide, but the downside is breaking up the partnership he makes with Mertesacker in the middle.  It’s a pairing that is beginning to gel and is part of the reason why Arsenal are looking a little less fragile.  Koscielny is making an impact now, and was Man of the Match against Marseille.

Djourou has played at right back too, but not as often, and not been that convincing.  He was quoted yesterday as being happy to do the job for the team, but he acknowledged that it’s a very different role.

I think it’s more likely that we will see Djourou in the middle with Koscielny out wide, but it’s a tough call with downsides each way.

Most eyes will be on the Manchester derby this weekend, which is inevitably being hyped as the title decider.  It will be interesting to see what happens, but with thirty games left to play it’s hardly decisive either way.  After all, if they draw.  Chelsea will probably go second with three points covering the three clubs.

Not ‘the beautiful game’ but we’ve got seven points from nine with two home games left to play.  What more is there to say after a game like that?

None of us are going to reminisce about this as a footballing encounter.  It was a high-line, compressed game, ground out by midfielders.  But hopefully we will remember it as another game where Arsenal put their season back together.

Most fans think that Laurent Koscielny was the pick of our players and he currently leads our Man of the Match poll with Rosicky, Song and Ramsey jockeying for second place.

Koscielny had a difficult first season, struggling for consistency in a team that was losing its way.  This season he has been much better and we might be heading for a position where we can call on any two from three reliable central defenders – Koscielny, Mertesacker and Vermaelen.

Let’s hope he doesn’t end up having to cover at right back after Jenkinson had to come off for an over-extended knee.  No word yet on how passing or serious the injury is.

Interesting that Arsene Wenger didn’t do much on the way of rotating players as many, including me, thought he would.  Did he sense the opportunity to take the dominating position in the group?  Or did he feel that Arsenal’s confidence must be nurtured game by game to get us back on track and we’ll deal with the fatigue later?  It’ll be interesting to see who plays against Bolton in the Carling Cup.

But the Champions League position is looking pretty good now with three games played:

Arsenal 7
Marseille 6
Olympiacos 3
Dortmund 1

Maybe UEFA does know something about seeding after all as this is the order suggested by the different pots the teams were in for the draw.

The next match day is the same fixtures as last night.  If the results were the same, we will be on ten.  Marseille and Olympiacos will be on six each with a maximum twelve available.  But only at each others expense – one finishing on twelve, the other nine.  So one more win puts us through with a group win for the taking.

Come on you Gunners!

Marseille 0:1 Arsenal

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When you’ve had the start that Arsenal have it’s tempting to start calling every match a ‘must win’ game.  The game tonight against Marseille isn’t a must win game, but if we can win it will open up a good route to topping the group.

Haunted by the memory of having to play a group winner in the next round last year and drawing Barcelona, Arsene Wenger will want to field a team that can win.  Marseille are no mugs either.  They top the group right now with two wins.  Loic Remy and Andre Ayew are a serious threat.

So whilst I’m expecting some rotation tonight I don’t think we’ll see wholesale change.

But Wenger will have in mind the need to play Stoke, Bolton and Chelsea in a seven day run next.  So there are bound to be some changes.

With Sagna, Gibbs and Vermaelen out the back five surely picks itself.  Not much scope for rotation here.  Arsene Wenger has hinted at choices other than Jenkinson, but I can’t see him passing on a Mertesacker/Koscielny pairing in the middle for this game unless he has a particular concern about Mertesacker’s stamina.

So that’s: Szczesny, Jenkinson, Mertesacker, Koscielny and Santos at the back.

Is this game an opportunity for Francis Coquelin to give Song a break?  Could be, he’s done well when he has played and this is familiar territory for him after his long loan spell in France.

Oxlade-Chamberlain hasn’t been included but Ramsey has.  So next we’re looking at two out of Arteta, Ramsey & Rosicky.  Tomas Rosicky had impressed so far this season.  He seems determined to step up and prove we can prosper without Cesc and Nasri.  Obviously he’s not in Fabregas’ class but he good, experienced and his rediscovered enthusiasm is very welcome.  But is he going to make two starts in four days?

My hunch is – no he isn’t.  On the other hand, how resilient is Arteta?  He’s had a slightly dodgy fitness record in recent times as well, but he didn’t have to play any internationals so surely Ramsey and Arteta this time.

Up front I think we might see a bit more change.  Van Persie has been terrific this season both in ability and fitness.  But we surely need to avoid over-working a player with his fitness record.  This game, and the Carling Cup match against Bolton are surely two opportunities to start him on the bench.  Park isn’t in the squad, so a rest for Van Persie means a start for Chamakh.

Some pundits are suggesting a complete change for Arsenal up front with Arshavin and Benayoun either side of Chamakh.  Arshavin re-energized the side when he came on against Sunderland and I think he will start.  But Benayoun is more likely to be held back as a sub.

That would give us:
_______ Szczesny ______
Jenk _ Merte _ Kos _ Santos
______ Coquelin _______
__ Arteta ____ Ramsey __
Walcott __ RVP __ Arshavin

What do you think?