Written by Mean Lean on Saturday, 05 November 2011 12:52

The boing, boing Baggies come bouncing into town this afternoon as the midland club entertain the Gunners at the Emirates. Arsenal did not find West Brom very entertaining last season as they took four points from us over the two games. The 3-2 defeat at the Emirates last season sticks in the craw somewhat. Manuel Almunia's howlers will remain the quickest memory of that defeat but it was more the lacklustre approach from the home side that frustrated me more than anything else. Even with Almunia not at his best we would have won that game if we approached it correctly from the start. It was Carling cup boy Nasri that grabbed two late goals that day but it was not enough.

This time around, I don't imagine that experienced heads such as Mikel Arteta and Thomas Vermaelen would allow that attitude creep back in this afternoon at 3pm.

Our opposition today are likely to have a different approach to the game than the team that bravely went toe to toe with us successfully last season, a more conservative Roy Hodgson replaced the offensive Roberto Di Matteo and since then Woy has done a fantastic job in turning around West Brom's fortunes and successfully avoiding the drop.

While the match last weekend has got everyone on a high, got the Arsenal fan base buzzing again, I cannot help but feel like it is these type of matches that will shape our season in the end.

Breaking down defensive teams at home was a problem for Arsenal last season especially towards the end of the season. A confidence drained Arsenal team found it difficult to raise the tempo of matches which resulted in plenty of possession without the penetration needed to score the goals and win the games.

Our home record so far this season has been good, winning all but one when down to ten men against Liverpool, but we are still waiting to see the team click offensively, waiting for goals to rain in from all angles. This has not yet happened and the last 20 minutes of our games have largely been tense affairs.

At Stamford Bridge last weekend, our attacking players gelled and played well at the same time, which has been rare this season. Some of that could be down to how Chelsea allowed us to play but we need to have more players on top of their game along with van Persie.

Watching the Arsenal makes me nervous and I could do with a calming early goal. That would do wonders for my heart. I would love us to start aggressively, move the ball quickly and be clinical when in front of goal. If we do grab that first goal then I hope we do not take our foot off the pedal and we continue to carve out chances.

It might sound a bit presumptuous but I am not sure if just a victory is enough to help this Arsenal team take that next step, we need to win and win well. I do not want to come across as complacent because last season against this same side both home and away is more than enough to take any Gooner down a peg or two but if we are to get back to the top four places then struggling at home every other week will not always result in victory.

I expect rested duo Laurent Koscielny and Robin van Persie to come back into the team. Wenger may not see it that way though. Mertesacker and Vermaelen struck up a good partnership in midweek against Marseille but if Arsene doesn't want to get into my bad books then he better restore Koscielny to the starting eleven to continue the excellent partnership he struck up with Vermaelen before he got injured.

I would say that Theo Walcott could well be in line for a rest given that he has started all the last few matches as well as playing for his country. If Arsene does decided to rotate Theo then Arshavin could come in on the left and Gervinho move over to the right.

Like I mentioned in a piece yesterday about Andre Santos, I am interested to watch the relationship between our attacking Brazilian and Thomas Vermaelen and our deeper midfielders. Santos could be the bus parking team's nightmare.

Like most match preview's that I have written and will write, we need to win this game, especially as the momentum has been growing over the weeks. Arsene, remove that handbrake before you forget and lets get our football going again and score some much needed goals for the Emirates faithful.

COYG.

Mean Lean's Predicted Line Up:

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Comments (8)

• 05-Nov-2011 13:39 | | hjp
  

  We need to get that positive goal difference plus the vital 3 points this afternoon. The Mancunian teams will drop points soon and Arsenal should take full advantage of that! Go Gunners.

• 05-Nov-2011 14:28 | | matt
  

  A win without conceeding would be good. I still feel we are at a fragile moment in the building of the team. We need to continue with our cautious approach and collect point for the next few games. All big teams are playing each other in the next few fixtures and are bound to start dropping points. We have a more confortable list of fixtures. However teams are better prepared for the usual free flowing Arsenal than the gritty Arsenal.

• 06-Nov-2011 02:04 | | richie  - Just what the Dr. ordered eh ML?
  

  A comfortable win, without really coming out of 2nd gear and another pleasing clean sheet. I'm becoming really pleased with our midfields positional play, especially Arteta who's not playing in the traditional Cesc spot, but deeper more in the old Gilberto role. which is giving Ramsey greater freedom to roam. Back in the day we all loved Patrick! And not many in our ranks continually voiced our support for the wonderful Gilberto (Like them or not those are the facts!)
  
  Why wasn't everyone singing the praises of our £4'5M capture, Aparecido da Silver? Well, he never seemed to do a lot, he wasn't spectacular like Vieira, or Pires or Freddy. He just sat in the gap between defence and midfield and with his fantastic positional play and reading of the game he broke up the oppositions play and kept it simple letting the others shine. Greater recognition of his immense talent came in the post invincibles season because of his absence due to a serious back injury. Without him Patrick & Co struggled.
  
  Now I'm not claiming Arteta is the new Gilberto, but what I am saying is that our team has missed the type of player who will position themselves in the space between midfield and defence. In recent games Arteta has taken that role on and dropped back as others have moved forward. Thats pleasing to me! Not only that but I have become aware of his positional awareness, he reads the game really well, and almost magically has started to pick up the ball by being in the right place at the right time. Often his passing is simple and it may at first appear that he hasn't done a lot, but I ask you all to look again.
  
  Arteta isn't Cesc that we know, he's not the invisible wall that Gilberto was either, but he has other qualities that I am learning to appreciate, I hope by the end of this season all of us will end up with a greater appreciation of Arteta talents and qualities. Impess us Mikel!

• 06-Nov-2011 10:09 | | pika
  

  hey richie , good day man
  
  i just have this question...we ve lost two "good" buddies of this site and i wonder if youve seen them...???
  
  hahahaha ..its been what?? 2 whole weeks now? hhahaahah

• 06-Nov-2011 12:36 | | richie  - Spud infiltrator no shows?
  

  I've said many times that its not so hard to spot those who don't really belong on this site. Many of us bleed when we aren't doing well, but not many would ever dream of engaging in the type of critiicism and pure vitriol that was directed at everything our great club stands for. Certain bloggers who post on this site reveal themselves like flashers standing outside a kindergarten. They are way too obvious in taking sly perverse pleasure when we aren't doing so well. And they are all too often absent when things get turned around, like now. I vividly recall their absence after we beat Barca last year, its no surprise to me that they wouldn't be around basking in bridge bashing, since stamfords slip. Not with the Emirates faithful again proudly proclaiming "In Arsene We Trust"

• 06-Nov-2011 13:20 | | MeanLean
  

  Richie,
  
  I have been thinking the same. The Chelsea game had all loyal Gooners buzzing, not because it means we are going to win trophies or anything like that but as an Arsenal supporter you enjoy those moments.
  
  There were some faces who were conspicuous by their absence. In fact strangely enough since we have been doing well they haven't been around telling anyone who will listen that everything to do with the club is wrong or bad.
  
  Had we lost the game to Chelsea 5-3 do you really think that we wouldn't have heard something about it?
  
  There I was thinking that supporting your team was supposed to be enjoyable.

• 06-Nov-2011 13:22 | | MeanLean
  

  ONE ARSENE WENGER! THERE'S ONLY ONE ARSENE WENGER!.. ONE ARSENE WENGER!!

• 06-Nov-2011 14:25 | | richie
  

  Enjoyable? Thats possibly a bridge (get it) ) too far! Its a double headed coin its a rollercoaster of emotions. I'm immediatly introspective if things aren't going well, alright alright I'm downright miserable! Next up I'm on a high when we're winning! I enjoy everything more after an Arsenal victory. Now when we win by playing marvellous fast attacking football I'm buzzed. But even in the depths of despare after our summer debacle and post the unmentionables. I never felt or heard any of my bunch of old Gooners voicing any sentiments other than frustration. Those who attack our club aren't Gooners! Gooners are Arsenal supporters through thick and thin! In good times and bad.

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