Arsenal had a lot of space and it was Reading's undoing.
What Arsenal Need: They need to withstand the initial pressure and enthusiasm from Reading in the first 20 minutes, but after that they should control the ball and dominate possession.
Reading conceded so early that the result was a formality within 60 seconds. Arsenal had two-thirds of possession and controlled the tempo throughout the game.
Arsenal also need Ljungberg and Baptista back in shape to compete for playing time. Competition in the squad can only be a good thing.
Neither player was fit enough to make the squad.
Things To Watch Out For: I presume that Wenger will start with the same defenders as he did in Moscow.
Gallas, Djourou, Toure, Hoyte
But I expect to see Clichy get another twenty minutes at the end in place of Djourou, with Gallas moving across into the centre.Strangely, Wenger bought Song on with 15 minutes left, but I question why he wouldn't use Clichy at this point instead. He could come on and work on his match fitness as a left winger, so I stand confused by the substitution.
Keep an eye out for the way Henry captains the side. Some of his body language is less than desirable for a captain. He has had incidents in the last two Arsenal games that portrayed a poor relationship between him and van Persie. I expect a more mature display from him on Sunday.
Credit where it is due... Henry looked more positive this week.
I'm also watching out for how Hoyte plays at right back. He is an adequate defender, who works hard, but his forays into attacking positions leave him out of position if possession changes. He is not the player Eboue is, but Arsenal need him to do a job in the meantime... oh and he's English, which is nice.
Hoyte played well, but he does not have the same attacking potency as Eboue. I actually believe Eboue makes Hleb a better player. Hoyte doesn't offer the same complimentary traits.
Hopes For The Match: Looking at this season's statistics on the Arsenal Stats Centre, you can see that Arsenal concede away goals after an average of 31 minutes. Equaly, they score their first away goal after an average of 65 minutes. I'm hoping the Gunners can turn these stats around. I'm looking for Arsenal to score in the first 30 minutes and to keep a clean sheet.
Arsenal did score within the first 30 minutes, but a but quicker than I'd expected. They followed that up with goals just before and just after half-time. They kept a clean sheet, which I was pleased with.
I'm hoping Toure avoids a yellow card today as already has three this season, which is harsh for such a fair playing centre back. He's not far off a ban if he picks up any more.
No yellow cards at all in the match, which I was pleased with.
I'd like to see Senderos get in the squad for the game but I can't see him having enough match fitness yet. I watched him play against Chelsea for the reserves on Monday night, but I think he'll need a few more matches before he's ready for Premiership action. I expect to see him play in the Carling Cup against West Brom.
No Senderos in the squad, but I still expect to see him against West Brom.
Prediction: Reading 0 Arsenal 2
Score: Reading 0 Arsenal 4
