Bolton vs Arsenal: Match Preview

So this Sunday we travel to the Reebok with our title challenge hanging by a thread. Unlike many who have absolutely given up on the title, I am still very optimistic about the title race. Now it seems like it is going to be a three horse race for the title. Man United may be six points in front but a loss would put them back into the clutches of both Arsenal and Chelsea considering that the Red Devils still have to play both team. I am sure the end of the this season is gonna be more thrilling than the one we had last year

The Gunners have not lost to Bolton in their last five meetings in the Premiership. Last September, we thrashed them 4-1 at the Emirates but I don't think it is gonna be that easy this time around. Owen Coyle's team has been doing well this season although they seem to have gone off the boil in the last couple of games culminating in the humiliation last Sunday at Wembley in the FA Cup semifinals. They must be still smarting from the defeat and will definitely go all out to erase that memory by claiming the Gunner's scalp.

However, I have seen enough in the team last Wednesday to be optimistic about this match. After several pretty lacklustre matches, the attack seems to have gotten its swing back so we should see some goals for us. The key to getting a victory is again keeping the opposition out With Kevin Davies prowling the penalty box, our backline will come under pressure in the match but now with Wojciech Szechny between the post I am more confident. We just need to stump out those individual mistakes that have cost us dearly. All in all I expect the Gunners to claim three points this weekend. Who knows if the other results go our way, we would be right behind Man United before the May 1st showdown.

Another morning, another disappointing result

I was really hoping that we could get a win over the Spuds yesterday to get back to within 4 points of the title race but as expected we couldn't and now we are down to third place. Although we are still unbeaten in 2011, the many draws that we have suffered( I think it is 5 draws in the last 5 matches), have taken its toll on our premiership challenge.

Again it was not a match where the couldn't win. In fact, we had a two goal cushion at one point, just like the game at the Emirates but we failed to hold on to the lead. At least this time we didn't lose the match. I think the boys gave it their all but the lack of concentration among some of the players is evident. We just don't seem to be able to defend a lead well enough to secure the points. It was not as bad as the Eboue incident on Sunday but Szechny's penalty giveaway was a needless one. Other than that mistake, the young Pole actually did quite well and I think he will be the answer to our goalkeeping woes. 

Generally both teams played well but could not maintain the level of play for the whole 90 minutes. It was not only the Gunners but Harry's men as well. I guess that is why both the teams are struggling at the moment. It was an open and free-flowing game, a testament to all things good about the English game but if you were a fan of both teams, it would't have done your blood pressure any good. I know I went through a big rollercoaster of a time.( Not as bad as the Liverpool match though because at least this one was over 90 minutes rather than only 3)

All in all, the title challenge is still on but games are fast running out.  

Revenge over the Spuds needed badly

The loss at the Emirates earlier in the season was truly heartbreaking. To lead 2-0 going into the half and lose 3-2 in the end was the low point in our season. Since then we have gone to deeper depths of humiliations at St James's Park and Wembley but that will all be forgotten if we can get all three points tonight. 

The Spuds are not playing particularly well at this moment. After a bright start to their season, the team has sputtered over the last couple of months, much like the way our team is playing as well. So with both teams needing the points, I think this match is going to be a classic encounter which I hope we will come out on top.

The Spuds need the points because they are still chasing Man City for the final Championship spot while it is obvious why we need the points. Arsenal can close the gap to Man United to 4 points with a win tonight while a loss might see us drop to third place depending on Chelsea's result against Birmingham. So it is a game of epic proportions which neither side can afford to lose or draw.

Actually I am glad that we are not playing at the Emirates. As we saw last Sunday, teams come to the Emirates hoping to snatch a draw and if we can't break them down early (as it frequently happens) then we are in trouble. When we play away, teams tend to be more adventurous thus allowing players like Cesc and Nasri more space to create opportunities. I am sure the Spuds will come at us and it will be an open match with free-flowing football. This will suit us fine as we are more than capable of containing the Spuds attack. What we mustn't do is to lose our head and concentration like we did at the Emirates.

Getting a result and the points are important but what's more critical is the need to revenge for the humiliation at the Emirates. Come on you Gunners, do us proud!

We still have a chance but can we take it?

The answer is YES! The draw last night actually did not change anything in terms of the title race. If we had gotten all three points, we would have been 4 points back from Man United. As it stand now we are 6 points back. How a points perspective there is little difference between being 4 or 6 points back. We still need Man United to drop point in two matches out of their remaining six. The key statistic is 2 matches back. While at 4 points we need the leaders to at least lose one and draw the other, now we need them to lose two matches. Again there is hope in that because the leaders still need to come to the Emirates and travel to Chelsea. I am almost certain that Man United will drop the six points needed in the last six matches. This is their schedule for the end of the month

•  April 27 Schalke
•  May 1 Arsenal
• May 3 Schalke
• May 6 Chelsea

I see them losing to both Arsenal and Chelsea during this stretch. Their other games are not easy fixtures as well because of the relegation battle brewing down the bottom half of the league.

Unfortunately, I do not have much confidence in the team to get all the points from their remaining matches. If they can throw away three points from a winning position at the Emirates, how can they be counted on to deliver the maximum at places like White Hart Lane, The Reebok or The Britannia.

So we are definitely in with a shout for the title but unfortunately this team is not mentally strong enough to win the title.

What's wrong with this team? Lack of believe is the answer

Seriously, how can anything team score a goal in the 98th minute of a match to lead and end up with a draw. I really do not understand how we can just throw away the points like that. While we used to have a fragile mindset in previous seasons, this year what we have done really takes the cake. We were leading Spurs 2-0 at home yet end up losing 3-2. We lost to WBA and Newcastle at the Emirates. We were leading 4-0 at St James Park only to throw away the points again. Seriously something must be very wrong with the team. This can't be fragile minds anymore. The excuse that this is a bunch of kids also does not hold up anymore because the lads are all grown up now. The Liverpool team had even more kids in the eleven that ended the match.

No doubt it was an unfamiliar Liverpool that was on display last night. I can entertain teams like WBA or Wigan coming to Arsenal and set up to park the bus but not Liverpool. Here is a team with wins over Chelsea and Manchester United but Daglish chose not to come at us. Maybe it was a sign of respect for our attacking prowess but if Liverpool had a more positive mindset, they could have possibly won the match. Nonetheless, they defended well and got the point they wanted. It was our responsibility to break them down and we failed rather badly.

The team didn't play well at all. Arsene said the last 7 games were going to be like Cup Finals to the team. Well the team will certainly not be winning anything if they played like that in Cup Finals. There were no passion in the players at all. Arsene said the players looked jaded but they haven't played a match in a week. How jaded could they be? Plus they are in a position to fight for the title. Surely there must be some impetus in that. It really looked like the players do not have the believe that they can catch Man United for the title. It is this lack of believe that will ultimately see us not winning anything this year.

Arsenal's second place under threat?

From a position where we were really the only true challengers to Manchester United for the league title last month, we now face a battle on two fronts. The challenge for the title is still on but if we were to slip up, then we have to be wary about a resurgent Chelsea who is fast closing up on our second position. Their 3-1 win over West Bromwich Albion tonight means that the Blues are only 1 point behind us. Our game in hand is against the Scums at White Hart Lane so it is far from a guaranteed three points. Any slip up in the remaining games will see them overtaking us.

I watched the just completed game and it was a comfortable win for Chelsea. Unlike our visit to the Hawthorns where we had to battle from two goals back, the game was literally sealed in the first half where all the goals were scored. The West Brom defense were severely lacking in this match. It just goes to show our attack failed to put them under pressure in the draw late last month. It felt to me that the Baggies were intimated or even afraid of playing Chelsea.It was this factor that caused the players to play under the strain of not conceding and the believe that they WILL NOT win the game. I guess that is why team like Chelsea and Manchester United always have it with the lower ranked teams. It was the same when us when we had that aura of the Invincibles. Now when teams like WBA or Newcastle play us, we give them hope with our woeful defending and lack of clinical finishing so they come at us and play better, hoping to create an upset which they often do. We need to get back this intimidation factor if we are going to be successful as the early Wenger years.

Do the Gunners still have a chance for the Premiership title

I guess all our remaining matches are must win ones if we were to harbor any hope of winning the premiership title this year. The match against Liverpool at the Emirates this Sunday will begin a sequence of 5 matches which I believe will be critical to our championship hopes. If we do not lose or draw in any of these matches, I can safely say that we will be champions come the end of May. After Liverpool, we will visit White Hart Lane and The Reebok in subsequent matches before the big game against Manchester United. After the May 1 encounter, we travel to the Britannia to take on Stoke. All these matches are winnable but it will be tough. The question is do the Gunners have the passion and heart to make a last gasp drive to the title.

From the evidence in the last four matches, sadly the answer is a resounding no. The points we dropped at Sunderland, West Bromwich and Blackburn were a result of the lack of heart from the players. If we fail in our quest for the title this year, we will have to look back at our performances in these three games. I seldom criticize our players but it pains me to see some of the lads not putting their heart into the game.

So what can we expect this Sunday? In the first game of the season, we were really lucky to escape with a point from Anfield. We were totally outplayed by the Reds even though they were down to 10 men. This time around, I hope it will be different. They will not have Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres is gone but I am pretty impressed with Suarez and Carroll. I fear our defense will have a hard time containing these two. The good news for our defense is the possible return of Wojciech Szcsesny to the line-up. I feel much better with him between the sticks than either Lehmann or Almunia. That is why I am quite bullish about our chances in this game. No doubt they have a good offence but I think our midfielders will have control of the space and provide more chances to the forwards. The possible return of Song will be timely while Walcott will surely add something different when he takes his place in the starting line-up.

No matter how we do it, all that matters on Sunday is the three points. Come on, Gunners

Not pretty but a win finally

Yesterday's win was a much needed one for the Gunners. It was not pretty and we could have easily lost to Blackpool but finally we managed to have Lady Luck shine on us yesterday. The Seasiders showed much more passion than out lads especially in the second half and should have at least scored an equalizer when they were only 2-1 down. I have to admit that Jens should have been sent off but the referee obviously thought giving the goal was enough. If he had send Jens off, then the goal would not have stood. In the end, the three points is all that matters for the title chase.

 

No matter what everyone says, every team needs to have some luck to win a championship. Man United certainly has their fair share of luck during this run-in while we have had certainly the worse share of Lady Luck so far. I am not trying to blame our troubles on luck but when you have your first choice goalkeeper breaking a finger when picking up a slow ball, you realize that this is going to be a long and frustrating run-in. But when Almunia hurt himself during the warm up, I realize that Lady Luck might be turning our way.

 

Not many people will agree with me but I think Jens at 41 is still a much better goalkeeper than Almunia currently. Yes he looks a little rusty but the German obviously has a better command of the penalty box and gives more confidence to his defenders. Even his usual madness seems to have disappeared with age. I know this is just his first game back but I hope he will continue to do well especially with the game against Liverpool at the weekend. I just hope Arsene does not bring back Almunia for the next game because if he does, you can kiss our title hopes goodbye.

Match Preview: Blackpool vs Arsenal

So this Sunday is another one of those must win matches we have been hearing for the past month or so. Every time we have a must win match, we ultimately fail to do so. The last three matches were particularly disappointing as they were very winnable matches especially the two home games. Now from a comfortable run in to challenge Man United, we have literally handed them the initiative and they are taking it by the horns. On the other, we seem to be stumbling yet again, as in previous years.

Somehow, I do not feel very confident about the match against the Seasiders. They are a tough team to beat at home and given our form at the moment, a draw could even be a stretch. Unless of course, the lads decide to turn on the power for the last 7 games and really give the title challenge a go. It is still not impossible to win, as Man United will surely drop points in their last six matches. The only thing we need to do keep pace with them until the end of the month when they visit the Emirates. I still think that match will be title decider.

I am not sure what has happened to the Gunners in the past few games but the lads have just not shown that they want the title. Arsene was totally right when he said he couldn't see the strength in the last match against Blackburn. In fact, there was no passion in the play at all. That is the most saddening part for me, not the drop points but the lack of desire from the players. I just hope the boss can do something this weekend and turn the whole morale of the team around for the sake of the club and supporters.

Arsenal vs Blackburn: Match Preview

The game tomorrow is another one which we cannot lose. Actually we have said this phrase so often that it has lost much of its meaning. Yes, we need to win the match tomorrow but I am not sure if it is that critical anymore. If anything, the Premier League this year is as unpredictable as ever. I am sure that even if we do not get full points against Blackburn we will still be in the title race because I do foresee Man United losing to West Ham.

It is not to say that I don’t want the full points from tomorrow’s match. We have not won for some time now so we need to win tomorrow to boost the team’s morale. With the return of the four key players I know we can do it. Plus we are at home tomorrow so by right we should be for all three points.

Beating Blackburn used to be some much more joyful when the Big Walrus was there. There are still a tough side to beat although I think they are struggling at the moment. Steven Kean has until the end of the season to make sure he remains in the job so his boys will really be up for it. All in all, it should be an entertaining match. I am sure the Gunners will do us proud and win all their remaining matches starting with this one