Gut Feeling: As gut feelings go this is a gimmee. Watford have won once so far in the Premiership and it doesn't look like changing today. If they play a high line as they did at the Grove then things could get ugly, but the Gunners back line need to expect a deluge of long balls. If they cope with this, then Ashley Young looks to be the only real threat from the home side. Eventhough this young man has pace and unarguabe talent, I don't believe he'll be able to do much on his own and Arsenal should secure a comfortable win.
On the day my gut feeling was a little off the mark. I'd expected a Reading-like away win against a team with little to offer but all credit to them, they kept me biting my nails until the final whistle.
What Arsenal Need: Once again we need three points but we need to get through the match with no more injuries and no silly bookings. The Gunners need a strong and spirited performance, with commitment, focus and.... wait a minute I'm beginning to sould like Wenger here. In all seriousness, they need to defend well against set-pieces (particularly when Ashley Young is over the ball) and to work hard to control the ball and limit the barage of long balls the centre backs are inevitably going to suffer.
The three points were secured in a tight match by an individual bit of skill from a player growing in stature with every game. The young Dutchman scored a similar goal in the impressive victory over Blackburn earlier in the week, but this was by far the more important of the two. A point at Vicarage Road would have been almost unforgiveable. Thank God for the vision of Walcott and the finishing of van Persie.
Things To Watch Out For: If Flamini plays I'll once again watch his performance with interest, as I'm not sure what his best position is. I presume Wenger sees him as a defensive midfielder but his surging runs into the box have exposed a different side to him and on the face of it, he's not strong enough to be the only defensive player in a midfield. I admire his passion and work ethic and obviously his recent goal scoring form has been a welcome surprise.
Flamini was an unused substitute, but I'm pretty sure he'll get to play a part in the match against Sheffield United as the Arsenal squad is depleted with long term injury, short term knocks and viruses.
It seems to me that oh so often goalkeepers have the performance of a lifetime when they face the Gunners. I wouldn't be surprised if we see that today from the young Ben Foster, who is on loan from the Red Devils.
As predicted the keeper did have a good game, but fortunately not so good as to deny the Gunners the three points they deserved.
Hopes For The Match: If Walcott starts the match, I hope he puts in a good performance but he'll be going up against a defence that has conceded only seven goals at home all year. That's one better than the Arsenal defence!!! I'd be looking for him to put in a similar performance to his dynamic cameos when he comes on as a substitutes.
I felt that Watford's performance showed that their league position is not reflective of their worth and effort as a team this season. Arsenal squandered a number of chances and a neutral would probably argue that they deserved a share of the points on the day. Walcott's addition on 71 minutes certainly influenced the game and he was unlucky not to score at the whistle from a Baptista pass.
Once again (and I apologise for making this point for another time), I hope he Baptista gets himself into the match today. Word has it that Wenger will be starting him and at some point he's going to have to turn up. His display at Wigan was poor, as were his first touch, passing and dribbling. I'm probably in the minority here, but I do hope he establishes himself at Arsenal, but he's running out of time.
Baptista replaced Rosicky on 79 minutes and once again failed to catch the eye. We were exposed to one or two glimpses of his ability but he only had ten minutes in which to assert his authority on the game and that was always going to be difficult. He should start against Sheffield United on Saturday.
On a similar vein, it seems that Real Madrid have offered Baptista to Arsenal in a straight swap deal for Reyes. Fortunately, they said no and have sent the Spanish away to come up with a better offer. My only concern with any Reyes-Baptista swap is that it is not a like-for-like transaction. The big Brazilian offers no width and at present little pace and I still believe a Reyes-shaped void exists in the Arsenal squad.
Team Selection: Wenger has the luxury of two games in a row against teams at the foot of the table. Hopefully, he'll spread out the changes over the two games and not put one of the performances at risk by resting too many people at once.
I was shocked to see Wenger start an unchanged team from the victory against Blackburn. In retrospect it was a stroke of genius as he has a further four injuries to deal with now and the squad will be at the bare minimum when they face Neil Warnock's team.
I've suggested that Senderos plays in defence as I think Watford's long ball style will suit him and if Toure was going to be rested for any match I'd go for the Watford match rather that the Wenger-Pardew evening re-match. If this is the defence that starts the match it has an average age of about 21 and leadership will be required throughout.
As a result of Djourou's injured hamstring Senderos got the entire second half along side Toure in the heart of Arsenal's defence. He is a player that needs a run of games to get comfortable, so that should be take into consideration but I still felt he played quite well. There is no argument though, that Wenger currently sees him as the fourth centre back in the squad and I think that this may begin to affect him soon.
I've predicted my starting eleven based on a 4-4-2 as I don't believe we need to go away to Vicarage Road and play a 4-5-1. Equally, I haven't started Flamini and I concede that Wenger may do so, but I'm not sure where he'd play the Frenchman.
Long-term issues: I've been thinking about Ljungberg recently and I'm beginning to accept that he will need replacing soon. His versatility were of great benefit to Wenger and I feel that he needs to bring in another two-footed, pacey winger. At present I have no suggestions for the purchase, but I'll keep my eyes open. If he does get replaced it'll probably be from off the transfer-radar, like the purchases of Adebayor and Eboue.
Prediction: Watford 0 Arsenal 3
Score: Watford 1 Arsenal 2
