Written by Mean Lean on Monday, 29 November 2010 13:34

Interesting weekend of football has just whizzed past us. Chelsea managed a draw at Newcastle yesterday which now lifts them to level points with us in the table at the end of November. Football is a funny old game isn't it? When they were swatting away teams at the start of the season due to their very kind early fixtures, people were already engraving their name on the Premier League trophy, even with our below standard home form we are level with Chelsea and two points from Manchester United who are looking in very good shape right now.

They have looked average so far but have remained unbeaten in the league and are now starting to get their players back and playing well. Our game next month at Old Trafford should be pretty juicy. The Mancs strong at home and we have been tough away so something could well give.

I was very impressed with our game against Aston Villa on Saturday, we played some wonderful football. One passage of play towards the touchline with Rosicky, Nasri and someone else was just mind boggling. In the tightest of areas we pinged the ball around Villa, all one touch with Villa players swarming over us, attempting to win the ball back. Our finishing in that game was frustrating for me, the game should have been over before it had begun. We seem to do that quite often. Some of the game where we dropped points should have been in the bag way before that team settled down.

So we switch our attentions over to the cups. When you look at what we had on the bench on Saturday you think that a very strong team could be let off the leash against a Wigan side who were beaten by West Ham on Saturday.

The trouble is, that squad could be a little attack heavy whilst the midfield could do with another fit player such as Ramsey or Diaby. Van Persie, Walcott and Bendtner will all be expecting to start whilst Carlos Vela and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas would have wanted a chance to show that they belong in the first team more often than currently provided.

In the FA Cup we have been presented with a home tie with Leeds United which will bring some good memories back for the older Gooner amongst us. The sight of Paul Merson cutting in from the left and curling it into the top corner late on at the famous Highbury still feels like yesterday *sigh*

We used to have many a good old battle with Leeds both at Highbury and Elland Road and I must say I miss our rivalry and their presence in the top league. If we take them lightly then they may just do to us what they did with Manchester United last season (I think).

One of Manchester United or Liverpool will be dumped out at the first attempt so that is quite humorous and helpful as they play each other in the same round.

Right, I am going on computer strike now. I have just written a whole load of stuff that has been deleted because I didn't save it before this *BEEP* computer crashed. Not writing it again otherwise I may find myself punching my screen with frustration. Bloody electrical equipment.

Might go over it again next time. Enjoy the bitterly cold weather, if you are reading from a chilling England.

Back tomorrow.

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Comments (4)

• 29-Nov-2010 14:27 | | Iron Man
  

  ML,
  
  Is this not the second time in a few months that your comp has crashed causing you to lose your work? Time to invest in a new machine methinks.
  
  It's a weird thing about Leeds. I absolutely loved their demise and laughed myself silly as they plummeted down the leagues but like yourself, I find myself missing their presence in the top flight. Just goes to show no matter how much we dislike our rivals we need them there.

• 29-Nov-2010 14:46 | | BenLUFC
  

  It was last season we beat Man U in the cup.
  
  Maybe we could do the same to Arsenal this season but i doupt it, you have some quility players and we dont have some of the players we did last season when we beat Man u (Beckford, Kisnobo).
  Im waiting for the day Arsenal beat Man u to the title please let this seson be it.
  
  Trust me, I am also missing our presence in the top flight lol. Hopfully the next few years will seem fruitful for us and we can be playing you again regular.
  
  Ben

• 29-Nov-2010 16:35 | | trueyorxman
  

  Its nice to know you miss us, sure you'd rather we came to town rather than Wigan, Bolton, Blackburn etc. Went to Highbury a few times, including an FA Cup replay on a freezing cold night in 91 (I think), always good games. Prepare for a Leeds invasion, not sure how many tickets we'll get, but in the Championship this season we are averaging 4500 at every away game. 7200 went to Barnsley, 6200 to Coventry so we will bring an atmosphere to your new 'Library'. Hope we can snatch a draw, but doubt it

• 30-Nov-2010 14:10 | | richie  - Found this on Arse 606 comments please Gooners
  

  Comments by a Deluded Geordie following El Classico
  Titled "Can't make sense of this Barca Love"
  Barca 5 Real 0
  
  Everyone on here is raving about Barca, and how they are easily the best side in the worl. But Barca don'y have the ingredients to be a successful side which is agreed on by all pundits and the majority of fans.
  1st They don't have physical players. Messi Iniesta, Xavi, Villa, Pedro -all pretty to watch, but they lack the physicality to grind out results.
  The Barca defenders have grown a bad habit of playing the ball out of defense rather than hoofing it, like a proper centre half this surly show a lack of mental strength.
  
  Barca play pretty football, and score loads of goals, but this is irrelevant because it is a well known fact pretty football doesn't win trophies.
  Obviously sarcastic, but its so annoying that English pundits & fans still use all these cliches which both Barca and the Spanish national team have proven to be wrong. We need to come out of the dark ages and aspire to this level. We praise hard men who hoof balls out of defense all day long. But the real hard men are those who not only fight, but have the courage and bravery to show their ability and play with style.
  
  Our attitude needs to change because Barca as Spain did in the World Ciup make a mockery of our media, pundits and many fans.
  
  My question is for our own intelligent thinking Gooners, not the Arsene out brigade who only joined because of Arsene in the first place.
  How would Barca fare in the EPL? And is it right for us to hold our nerve and continue to play our own version of pretty football?

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