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Really looking forward to seeing Frimpong live tonight, think his passion and strength could well be the driving force we need.
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Written by Mean Lean on Tuesday, 16 August 2011 15:04
Let's be real here for a moment, we are taking part in a game this evening that we really shouldn't be. The players should be sat at home playing FIFA or watching Manchester City play this game a few days after their opening Premier League fixture of the new season.
Our free fall last season has meant that we face one of the most important ties in Arsene Wenger's reign as manager of this great club.
To make matters worse, our most clinical and most creative striker is unavailable due to shooting on goal a second after the referee's whistle. Usually many feel the advantage is with the team who plays at home in the second leg but I would have been more than happy to have played today's game at the Emirates first if we had Van Persie and Jack Wilshere available for selection.
Instead we face the prospect of trying to take a healthy lead with us away in the second leg without our best striker. Our form at the Emirates has not been good for a while now and I don't know how that would have been addressed during the pre season.
Anyway, enough of the negativity and onto why we are good enough to win this game. European nights at the Emirates are usually very good with the players responding to the supporters. I think that explains why our home record in the Champions League is actually very good. Recent nights against Porto, Villarreal and of course Barcelona were all amazing. A stark contrast to some of the 3pm kick off's against teams that we expect to beat.
Gervinho's red card on the weekend means that he will be unavailable domestically for three matches, so he needs to give everything he has into this game and hopefully make the difference in Van Persie's absence. I suspect he will do just that. He was our biggest threat against Newcastle but fell just short in the end product stakes. We need a player at home who will lift the crowd from their seats which will in turn recycle itself back onto the pitch.
Tomas Rosicky has joined Jack Wilshere on the treatment table and neither will be available for selection so we could see a defensive double pivot of Alex Song and Emmanuel Frimpong sat in front of our back four, whoever is selected alongside those players in midfield could well have greater freedom to express themselves in attack. The obvious choice would be to have Aaron Ramsey playing in the same position that a former number four did during his time here instead of the midfield rotation that has been the preferred option whenever Ramsey has partnered Wilshere.
Another option would be to have Andrey Arshavin playing behind the forward knowing that two powerhouses will be sat waiting for the ball to fall into the midfield trap.
It would allow Theo Walcott and Gervinho to play in both wide areas around the central striker which would more than likely be Marouane Chamakh although according to Arsene, Nicklas Bendtner has a chance to be involved in the game as he looks far from lacking 'a little bit sharpness' in training.
I cannot think of one occasion when Arsene Wenger has started Arshavin in that position, although he has given him that role in periods in certain games. There is obviously a reason why Wenger doesn't use that option very often so I am not going to lay any money on that taking place this evening, but I would love to see his explosiveness from that position. Arshavin is at his best when he has his head down skipping away from challenges with passing options left and right as well as the chance to offload one of those right footed sledgehammers into the top corner.
It remains to be seen whether or not the Italians will be the same force as they were last season. As you know Sanchez, Inler and Zapata have left while their replacements have yet to prove themselves in that very high bracket of player. I suppose the same can be said of Arsenal losing our captain, missing our best striker through suspension and a host of top players through injury. What our opponents have in their locker is a striker of real quality. Antonio Di Natale is a technical forward who has a rocket shot. One of the most intriguing battles will be Laurent Koscielny against Di Natale.
Koscielny has managed to keep the likes of Messi, Rooney and Tevez pretty quiet so let us see if he can continue his collection of smaller strikers ticked off his list. Koscielny could be our most important player tonight.
I needn't tell you how important this game is, it is vital for our short term future. We have been down this route before and have done rather well until now, let us hope that we can continue our good run of qualifying into the Champions League.
Those lucky enough to have a ticket for the game tonight, should set aside any personal grievances that they may have with the team, manager or board. This is about Arsenal FC and not fans FC. We have seen how a supportive atmosphere can help the team. Last season's match against Everton and Barcelona are great exaples. We were losing the game but the support continued and it visibly lifted the team to victory.
All Arsenal supporters should want the exact same thing tonight and that is victory, the only way to help the team achieve a win is to support from the first whistle until the last.
Mean Lean's Predicted Line Up
(Graphic created before news of Rosicky injury. Frimpong should start)
COME ON YOU GUNNERS.
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16-Aug-2011 15:54 | | tonyi think it would be good 2 c arshavin in for rosicky and play walcott out wide
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16-Aug-2011 15:57 | | AnonymousThat team is not good enough to finish in the top four of the premier league...........oh dear.
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16-Aug-2011 16:05 | | OgbanHistory is in Arsenal's favour. Remember AC Milan, Inter, Roma. In each case we came away with a good away result to qualify after an indifferent home outcome. But I hope it will be a double triumph. We need it.
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16-Aug-2011 16:18 | | angelic beardyIf you look at our squad on Arsenal.com it is looking very young and threadbare. I am worried for this season, we really need to bring in some experienced players before the transfer window closes. If not then Arsene is seriously doing something wrong here and must step down as manager with immediate effect.
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16-Aug-2011 16:23 | | wesAll of us need to get behind the team tonight. Scream our hearts out for the lands.
Because with the insane French buffoon in charge, there is a very real chance that this is the last chanpions league game we will see at the Emirates for a very very long time.
Even if the cretin did the decent thing and left in the morning, he has left the squad in such a condition that even a top manager would struggle to put it right. I almost hope the delusional fool doesn't spend any more money this summer - the guy coming in next is going to need it all to put this mess right.
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16-Aug-2011 16:34 | | JesuSaves - Need Another 1 or 2 Star playersWe Bought so many wingers. Now we need Central player. Last year we had too many, this year we have too few central lol. He doesnt trust lansbury and he is too loyal to drop Chamakh. I would have that starting line up if Walcot is injured.
---------------Szczesny
Sagna - Koscielny - Vermaelen - Gibbs
------------Song - Frimpong
Gervinho - Ramsey - Arshavin
-----------------Chamakh
Bench: Lukasz Fabianski, Johan Djourou, Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sebastian Squilaci, Henri Lansbury, Nicklas Bendtner/Armon Traore ( injured in reserve)
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16-Aug-2011 16:46 | | AnonymousWenger is the one that will bring Arsenal to redigation this surma. I dont no y u refused 2 bring in matured player. And warn your boys in involvin in viotation i.e song, gervinho, diaby, etc.
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16-Aug-2011 16:46 | | Gerry LennonI have suggested this line up, in a 5-3-2 :
CZSZ
KOSCIELNY - VERMAELIN
DJOUROU
SAGNA - GIBBS
RAMSEY - ARSHAVIN
SONG
WALCOTT - GERVINHO
Playing Djourou as a forward centre back- cum defensive midfielder.
Sagna and Gibbs as wing backs.
Ramsey as the second DM, with Arshavin the attacking MF.
Song playing behind the strikers as he can shield the ball better than the other two, and play decent balls into the area.
Walcott and Gervinho both free running along their defence, but not out wide - unless they are interacting with Gibbs and Sagna, who will provide the real width.
Having 5 defenders should be enough to keep the score at 0-0, which is better than a 2-1 win in some ways. But with pace to break quickly, we may be able to nick a couple of goals?
The key to this is making sure Djourou stays back to cover any ball over the top, or the CB if they are dragged wide. It is a position that we need, and as I am pretty sure he was a midfielder before he went to centre back, I think he could be pretty good in the present circumstamces?
Once we have our goals, that is the time to bring in Frimpong (for Arshavin probably).
I would not object to a Bendner -Gervinho parthership either, but whether you use Walcott's pace at the beginning or late on is another matter.
At least it is different ...
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16-Aug-2011 16:51 | | Wenger Boy
You know how I feel about Arshavin in the centre, ML. Would love to see it.
Ramsey, Song, Frimpong it is though. I'd bet several Roman coins on it.
Nice write up as always my boy. See you on the other side.
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17-Aug-2011 11:30 | | AndrewWell, unlike most of the media I didn't think we were too bad. We certainly did one thing that we couldn't do last season ie defend a lead. Chamakh really is out of sorts but the VermiScielny partnership works well, Sczezny was in good form and Theo and Gervinho always looked threatening. Rosicky is no Nasri and we do need to inject something there as well as buying a left back who isn't made of glass.
1-nil to the Arsenal.
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