Written by Mean Lean on Saturday, 27 October 2012 09:07

Not much in the way of time to write anything with any real depth so just a few thoughts on the game before I wizz off.

Arsene is in somewhat of a selection dilemma. He has a squad of injured and tired players along with players who are not quite ready for 90 minutes, yet fit enough to start.

Jack Wilshere was supposed to take his place on the bench once again today and come on late in the second half but a double dose of jaded bad performances may have left the manager with not much choice. Our team needs fresh legs, needs a spark to get it started once again and the members of the midfield who can do that apart from Wilshere are all injured.

Ideally, Arsene would turn to Tomas Rosicky or Abou Diaby today but he cannot. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is probably in a more precarious position than Wilshere after just coming back from injury but with no games. Judging by the managers comments, I think Jack Wilshere will be selected to start the game.

It would also make sense to start Francis Coquelin who was the best Arsenal player on Wednesday. He hasn't played International football and has been a substitute in the weeks prior to the Schalke game so he should be fresh and we needed freshness.

I am intrigued to know how Arsene reshapes his side. Wilshere has played as the number 10 in his number 10 shirt for the reserves in his last two outings. It is difficult to know if that is because it is less physical in that position thus reducing the amount of 50/50 challenges or if this is the position Arsene wants to play Wilshere in.

We have lacked a creative spark in the attacking third so a drifting Santi Cazorla from the right or indeed left could allow that to happen but if Arsene didn't want to move Cazorla then either Arteta gets a rest or Wilshere gets moved wide to the right. The latter is unlikely I would imagine even if that is a position he was very used to as a youngster developing his game.

I would personally rest Thomas Vermaelen who has played every game for us this season on top of the games for Belgium, it is clear that he is not in the best of form right now and I don't think being the captain should protect anyone from resting. That said, I am not expecting him to sit out but with Laurent Koscielny we have a player more than good enough to play when needed even if he has been struggling himself for match sharpness.

Mean Lean's Predicted Line Up:

It is one of those games again where all eyes will be on us. QPR are languishing at the foot of the table, they have struggled but have players that are just waiting to click into gear. Pressure will be on us to take the game to them and break them down.

We need an early goal, an early goal that we haven't found in quite a while now. Fingers crossed that Jack and co can spark us back into form and a good victory is needed.

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Comments (20)

• 27-Oct-2012 09:44 | | richard
  

  nice prediction, i hope wenger will omit ramson from the starting eleven today.

• 27-Oct-2012 10:03 | | Waterboy
  

  I really like the look of the team and the formation you've picked ML! Plenty of fantastic passing skills in the midfield in particular. Santos at LB concerns me both in attack, where he seems to repeatedly move into the the left central channel and congest our central midfield area rather than stretch the play by staying on the flank, and in defence where he seems too eager to jump into tackles. Given that I would be inclined to replace Santos with Coquelin, drop Arteta into the position you've suggested Coquelin play, bring Arshavin into the role currently being occupied by Arteta and final switch Podolski and Cazorla so that their natural preference is to move into the box from their RCAM and LCAM positions, attack the goal more directly and increase their shooting options.

• 27-Oct-2012 10:09 | | GunnerPete  - TIRED???
  

  No wonder the Uk game has not had a world or euro cup national team that has produced since 1966..there all so tired! What rubbish.the 1971 AFC double team played twice as many games per season, with far less injuries and on terrible pitches with tiny squads. How did they do it.....Well (A) the clubs did not pander to 'injury' prone players like today with Diaby/Rosicky/Gibbs etc. Far too many times the manager is convinced that some precious gem is not quite fit or is too tired after playing two games a week ?? What a bunch of wimps today. That is the problem mate not tiredness. It is beeing coached into the players that they must feel tired after all thoes nasty plane flights in first class or luxury coaches etc. The same way Arsene coaches OUT of our players that they are allowed to shoot on sight..I bet he even punishes the ones who disobey his orders. No wonder they look like a team without any idea what to do next!
  
  As for the team you suggest above ...are you having a laugh? Santos, surely the worst full back in our history (and I go back to 1949)...how can anyone play him again? If Sagna is fit he should be made to play for his place by playing left back until Gibbs is back for a week or two. These overpaid pampered berks should be made to realise whi they are representing ie; THE ARSENAL !! Not some charity team.
  
  I would also push Vermaelen forward into Songs old position (A) because he is making too many defensive mistakes recently and (B) because the back six would be a much better defensive unit if this lot were confident in each other. I would also give either Shea or Martinez a go in goal as Mannone was not even good enough for Hull City. Flappy must be sold on the cheap along with Squillaci, Denilson, Bentner, Santos, Park, Arsharvin, Galindo, and any other waster who costs the club too much. I could name 5 Brits who would give us 100% more every game than any of these failures And if Arsene cannot see that he is paying a lot of duds too much then he should go too.
  
  So My team today =
  
  Martinez...jenks...Per...Kossy...Sagna.
  
  Vetmaelen
  
  Carzola Arteta Wilshire
  
  Podolski
  
  Giroud.
  
  AND LEAVE THEM TOGETHER

• 27-Oct-2012 10:16 | | MeanLean
  

  GunnerPete,
  
  The game is a completely different game today than it was back in 1971. In 1971 players used to go out and get pissed and eat chips post match. I could probably play 52 games a season at Sunday league.
  
  Today football is about athletes playing at such a high level. It is not just Arsenal but all the big clubs have had to rotate because of this reason. They are covering far greater distances and the game is far far quicker.
  
  Also players played through injury more often back then and I would put my house on it that more players had to retire far earlier due to damaged bodies. Players are protected these days because the awareness is much better than back then.
  
  You cannot compare 2012 to 1971 on so many levels.

• 27-Oct-2012 10:19 | | MeanLean
  

  Waterboy,
  
  Santos was worrying against Schalke and is clearly not at his peak fitness mainly due to lack of pitch time but also naturally he is not as fit as someone like Gibbs. Difference is,. you kinda do not expect QPR to take advantage as much as Schalke did. Well that is my hope at least

• 27-Oct-2012 10:45 | | Waterboy
  

  @GunnerPete I'm actually interested to know who the 5 Brits you had in mind who would give 100% more than those players you've listed in your post above? Also I actually don't mind the team you've suggested, particularly where you have positioned Vermaelen and Podolski.

• 27-Oct-2012 12:11 | | Spectrum
  

  Well said Gunner Pete. Agree about Santos. He should not be at our club. He's overweight, constantly lacks fitness, and can't defend. If Q.P.R.'s Park Ji - Sung is in form, he'll have a field day against Santos. You don't need to be a manager yourself to work out that our weakness is down our right flank. If Mark Hughes is wise, he'll exploit that, as other coaches before him have.
  
  P.S. Mean Lean said "You cannot compare 2012 to 1971 on so many levels".
  
  Dead right, Mean. In 1971 we did the League and F.A. Cup Double, I believe !
  
  "IAWR"

• 27-Oct-2012 12:18 | | MeanLean
  

  I dread to think what you would have been like back then. No title from 1971-1989. Imagine the amount of constant complaining that would have come from you?

• 27-Oct-2012 12:21 | | MeanLean
  

  I guess you would have to be a special manager to win the double for Arsenal ey?

• 27-Oct-2012 13:53 | | Spectrum
  

  Mean Lean - And why would I be complaining from 1971 - 1989 ? We had a board then that had footballing success as their paramount objective, instead of lying to and misleading the fans in their quest for profits. We had a team that had more fight and pride in the shirt than they have now, a manager that actually had a strategy other than constant attack, and knew how to defend a lead and see a match out successfully. Who wasn't obsessed with pet projects and proving his detractors wrong e.t.c. e.t.c. In those days the CLUB ITSELF mattered more than the staff who ran it. Note ; all these factors were totally exclusive from the considerations of paying off a new stadium ( even if we had had one then ).
  
  Just as they can be TODAY, if you refuse to be hoodwinked by the P.R. spin that the the board and Le Senile want you to swallow.
  
  
  
  In short, back then I'd have been content and patient in my support, knowing that we were being honest in our objectives, had a team that applied themselves in EVERY match, and most importantly, were being competently led. I'd have had HOPE. For the last eight years Wenger and the board have destroyed that hope. It's time we reclaimed Arsenal for the fans.
  
  "IAWR"

• 27-Oct-2012 16:39 | | Spectrum
  

  Happy to steal the three points. How is it though, that I feel more relieved than satisfied ? It takes us 84 minutes of average football ( "stylish" richie, - really ? ) to finally score a scrambled goal. At one stage we had 78% possession to their 22%. Same old pattern then, only this time the result fortunately fell OUR way. Pleased to see Jack The Lad get a start, though he had no real impact. But give him time.
  
  Q.P.R. did a good impression of us, having only had one decent shot on goal that I can recall. They were poor but Cesar, their best player by a mile, made some terrific reaction saves to keep us out. You might say we COULD have scored more, but that's what he's paid to do, and he did the job for his team for most of the game. Overall our finishing when we DID find a way through, was ( still ) terrible. Why did Cazorla attempt to blast the ball, when he only had to poke it in, like Arteta belatedly did ? Incidentally , does anyone know what happened as regards Foreheadinho's injury ? I didn't see it.
  
  A win, but unconvincing * ( *at home v. Q.P.R. F.F.S. ? ), and I don't know about you, but for me it leaves a hollow feeling. And like I said previously, it doesn't hide the inadequacies of this side. Championship form ? Be HONEST now, what do you think ?
  
  
  
  "IAWR"

• 27-Oct-2012 17:06 | | Andy
  

  Next up Manure. They will punish us.

• 27-Oct-2012 23:21 | | richie
  

  @Andy Next up reading later Manure.

• 28-Oct-2012 01:55 | | richie
  

  @Gunner Pete if you've been watching since 49 you'll know its a totally different game. The pitches are different, the ball and boots are different, and as ML says these players are athletes. I personally knew/know our first double team and I loved them, but they "trained" in the park, got pissed in the pub after the match and spent most of the rest of the week either in the bookies or playing cards. The training was a bit of Gym work and 45minute games Tuesdays and Thursdays to prepare for the weekend.
  
  The speed of todays game would've bypassed our 71 side completely, if Santos is out of shape I'd hate to think what would've been made of the class of 71. I mean Geogie Armstrong had stamina but at todays speed I really don't know? Of the rest Pat Rice and Frank McLintock were fit -ish but Peter Simpson Eddie Kelly and Bob Mc Nab? Peter Storey and George Graham? None of them covered much ground they were hard men, you had to be to play the game back then, especially again Leeds, but they weren't athletes by any stretch of the imagination.
  The reasons we have so many injuries in the game compared to back then is quite simple, the game was slow then. Players could and would stroll about, I mean walk for 5 or 10 minutes. These players are fine tuned athletes now, who cover more ground in one match than the 71 squad would cover in a month. In many ways although they were professional footballers they weren't professional in the training preparation and their lifestyles.

• 28-Oct-2012 02:58 | | richie
  

  As for the Lone Ranger Spectrum you so obviously don't like the realities of the Arsenal existance now, and in regards 71 to 89 its another fantasy of yours. The board weren't anything like you imagine, I know I was there! I stood on the north bank freezing my nuts off in the 60's watching an abysmal team play abysmal football, before our magnificient 3 card trick. Fairs Cup 70, League & FA double 71- After that we all imagined it was only the start we'd push on, but it all went pear shaped. Barely 3 years later the double wining side had been sold and we were back to being a crap side playing crap football. We'd waited 17 years for silverwear before 1970 and we waited another 18 years before we saw the league again in 89.
  
  O.K we weren't playing attractive football when we won it in 89 (we mugged plenty of teams because we had such a great defence) but we couldn't afford to buy big money players so it was acceptable for us to win however we could. The years in between were horrific the board wouldn't buy anything worth while and we all sat on our hands watching Liverpool rack up title after title and cup after cup. We didn't play well and we didn't have a good team. Liverpool did back then what SAF's Manu'er did since the prem. To be fair after winning in 89 we all thought we'd have the confidence go on to dominate, but the following season we were pants again. Its a total fantasy to think that the board back then had footballing success as their only aim. We all thought the board was praying on our club loyalties knowing we'd come no matter what, and not even making any attempt to build a team.

• 28-Oct-2012 03:12 | | richie  - The lone rangers sad refrane
  

  And yes we played some stylish football yesterday certainly compared to the years when we'd only ever score from a set piece, the years when we revelled in the one-nil- to- the-Ars-en-al chant. Yesterday was all about grinding out a result, which thankfully we did. I certainly don't feel hollow, as with all Arsenal wins it leaves me feeling great!

• 28-Oct-2012 03:20 | | richie
  

  ML I don't know about you but before the game I was becoming P'ed off with all the pressure being heaped on "Jack"; like Jack was the answer to all our woes. Well after yesterdays comeback he might well be! What a great 66mins he put in, it didn't look like he'd been out for 14 months. What a welcome return "Just like a new signing" he says mischievously!

• 28-Oct-2012 07:58 | | paspartu
  

  "I dread to think what you would have been like back then. No title from 1971-1989. Imagine the amount of constant complaining that would have come from you?"
  
  haha ..well said !
  
  and there was no wenger to complain to back then was there ? ...hehehe nor a stadium to pay back ....

• 28-Oct-2012 08:02 | | paspartu
  

  hey richie gday, look what first words f365 uses to comment on our game
  
  "Arsenal left it late to lift the air of mutiny among the home support"
  
  the air of mutiny among the home support....ahahahahahah..i guess them lot are the smae ones who were wathcing arsenal between 71 and 89 winning f.a ...
  
  mutiny?? lol a bunch of mugs who dont know their arse form their elbow who think they have the power of vote and influence because they pay a ticket ...ahahahahaah

• 28-Oct-2012 09:00 | | paspartu
  

  "And why would I be complaining from 1971 - 1989 ? We had a board then that had footballing success as their paramount objective,"
  
  ahahhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaa from 71 to 89 we only won an f.a cup in 79 ...and a league cup in 87.....
  
  is that what you call "football success being of paramount importance" ?
  
  ....your stupidity hits 8,9 on the richter scale.....
  
  bring it on you little peasant bastard troll ....

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