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Written by Mean Lean on Wednesday, 19 January 2011 14:07
A replay against Leeds United in the FA cup away at Elland road will bring back plenty of memories for many an Arsenal fan today. This was certainly a popular fixture during the late eighties, early nineties when both clubs were competing at the top end of English football. The demise of Leeds United due to poor club management has meant that this massive fixture has been missed over the years. Simon Grayson has attempted to stoke the fires with his comments about Theo Walcott but I get the feeling that the atmosphere will already be red hot.
The home side have been playing well of late and will give everything they have to overcome an Arsenal side that is very likely to be rotated after brushing aside West Ham on the weekend.
It is anyone's guess as to what team Arsene will select this evening, especially after the below par performances in recent rotated teams against Leeds at home and then Ipswich away.
Our attack looked bereft of ideas and lacked imagination in those games with both Samir Nasri and Robin Van Persie being left out of those two squads. The fact that they played no part in those games makes me believe that at least one of them will be sufficiently rested to take part in the game tonight.
Bacary Sagna has completed his three match ban after pushing his head against Manchester City's Zabaleta and will almost certainly be brought back to his usual right back spot. Johan Djourou who looked short of his best form against West Ham will almost certainly be rested which does not give Arsene Wenger many options to select from.
Alex Song could take a couple of steps back to partner Koscielny or Ignasi Miquel could be drafted in to make his senior debut, unless Sebastien Squillaci has made a miraculous recovery then it looks as if that is Arsene's only real possibilities, unless larger re-jigs were on the managers mind which would only be used in emergency.
Tomas Rosicky is back in the squad and could start in place of Cesc Fabregas if the managers believes that his hamstrings may need a break. You would expect Andrey Arshavin, Nicklas Bendtner and Marouane Chamakh to all be in contention for a start but I am not so sure that they can all play together in the same team, especially if one of Nasri or Van Persie get the green light from the boss to start.
Mean Lean's Predicted Line Up
For once I shall not attempt to guess the line up as I will no doubt get it wrong. We will mix up the team from the game at Upton Park but it is impossible to know which players will be brought back and which ones will come in. I expect a strong team but it is difficult to guess how strong.
One to watch: Laurent Koscielny
After a recent dip in form, I think Koscielny has picked up the baton and has churned out some very good performances alongside Johan Djourou. It is likely that he will have an unfamiliar partner tonight and he will need to take on plenty of responsibility as the home side will try to give 'it a go' in front of their fans. Much of our attacking football starts from the back and Koscielny is an excellent footballer who gives the midfield very good passes but it is his defensive work that will have to be spot on.
Mean Lean's Match Prediction:
Leeds United 1 Arsenal 2 (Arshavin, Nasri)
It will be a very tough game tonight and depending on the line up and attitude to the game, it can go either way. We will have to be at our best if we are to come away with a positive result. Arsene has publicly asked the team to be sharper in their approach and that is correct. If we move the ball around quickly then we have a good chance but if our team is packed full of players lacking match sharpness then we could easily be dumped out of the competition.
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19-Jan-2011 14:50 | | BalaArsene has confirmed that it will be Kosh and JD again today.Hope they come out Unscathed
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19-Jan-2011 16:07 | | dkgoonerHave been keeping a low profile after my embarrassing tirade after the Ipswich gane - well, I'm embarrassed even if no-one else was. Can't think what came over me - it was only the MM Cup fcs. (Two notes to myself: 1. Stay off the sauce at half-time, 2. Wait 24 hours before saying anything after a defeat.)
The FA Cup has a long tradition but it's still number 3 on our prioriies list, so I hope the team selected tonight reflects that. I see Pulis made 10 changes to the Stoke rteam last night and Cardiff also had 5/6 changes. A sign of the times. Whatever, we're in with a good chance of the Premiership title this year and everything takes second place to that. Wigan on Saturday is most important. For example, why not play Sagna as a stop-gap centre-half and give Eboue a chance to redeem himself after a couple of shockers. He was basically awol most of the game against WH so it was no wonder Djourou didn't have the best of games, playing right-back as well as centre half. But Eboue has come back from shockers before and I have a lot of respect for him for the character he has shown.
A word about Chamakh. He's reported as being exhausted - not surprising after his efforts in the early part of the season when RVP and Bendtner were both out. He's done a cracking job in his first season in the Prem, carrying the front line and scoring some important goals. I think he looks a more complete player than Bendtner and I hope he gets the nod tonight - don't think the two of them together has worked.
Premiership: we're still behind but don't forget that ManU and Chelsea haven't played each other yet. I don't see either team winning both of these, so they can both drop anything from 2 to 5 points. Ideal would be one Chelsea win and one draw. Plus United have to play City at home and us at the Emirates. City meanwhile also have Chelsea away and Spurs at home. We are bang in there this season and if we can keep relatively injury free and show the same hunger and movement as we did at Upton Park, we'll be hard to stop.
The Champions League - ah, that's another story.
Tonight will be riveting viewing I'm sure and I promise to keep my big mouth shut whatever.
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19-Jan-2011 16:34 | | KarmapoliceIt doesn't matter which combination we field at the back cos Szczesny is in goal. As for midfield as long Denilson is not playing we will dominate. I cannot stress this enough, really anyone but him please, cos one Diaby is bad enough. In attack most likely Bendy will start, cos le prof sees Chamakh more as RVPs backup in more "important" games to come.
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19-Jan-2011 22:02 | | dkgoonerSolid.
Comfortable.
Always in control.
Fucking good squad we have.
Now for some sauce.
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19-Jan-2011 23:10 | | richie - Controling those from the lower leaguesOur superior class of player shone through, we controlled every aspect of the game. Their goal came from a thunderbolt of a shot which was exactly that a thunderbolt out of the blue. Unlike the debacle at ipswich when we were awful and many of us could see their goal was coming for a long time. For this game we were alway in control. Song was immense!
Best DM around. JD was solid and Kosh had a good game. Then there's our number 2.......... Nas is class and he's getting better. Strong memory's of old nights at Eland Rd, when Leeds were a greater threat to all.
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19-Jan-2011 23:17 | | richieWell Denilson played and I cannot stress this enough we won. Personally I can't wait for Diaby to return. Like TV, he's been missed!
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20-Jan-2011 00:12 | | MeanLean
Good evening Gooners,
Haven't been around of late so sorry for inconsistent postings but a great victory tonight, much improved from the home game and the Ipswich match.
Nasri was superb in the first half and he works so hard. You could almost take it for granted but he covers so much ground.
Our squad players (Bendtner, Chamakh, Gibbs etc) looked much sharper in their passing and movement and that made a massive difference.
The two world cup finalists looked on another planet when they came on with 20 minutes to go. Imagine how Leeds felt watching those two trot on when they are pushing forward for an equalizer.
Still in all four comps. Players looking sharp and focused.
I can go to bed with a smile.
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