What Arsenal Need: With the top two dropping points Arsenal need to keep the pressue on in the race for third place. The race is made more difficult by Liverpool's recent form and three points are absolutely essential. Arsenal need to bounce back from the most impotent and insipid performance in memory and show some desire. Arsenal cannot afford to sustain any more injuries. There is no depth at all in certain positions such as up front and on the wings.
Things To Watch Out For: I think the fans want to see some spirit and some passion, both traits that Wenger drones on about week in week out, both of which were absent at Bramall Lane. Arsenal played like a headless chicken in that match and some leadership should be evident tonight and I'm looking to Gilberto, Fabregas and Toure to deliver it.
Hopes For The Match: I hope to see Lauren get some time at the end of the match and the standing ovation he deserves. I'll be pleased when he's fit and putting pressure on Eboue and Hoyte.
I hope to see a better performance from Rosicky and van Persie in this game as their creativity is essential to Arsenal. Once again I'm looking for Fabregas to control the match and dictate Arsenal's play. If the young Spaniard plays well then Arsenal should win.
Team Selection: The Gunners squad remains decimated by injury and as such it almost picks itself. The latest news is that van Persie has apparently hurt his ankle and could be out tonight. To make matters worse Baptista is out too. Thanks to A Cultured Left Foot for the terrible news. (Good blog by the way).
Can it get any worse? Well it could get worse if Henry comes back too early and hurts himself. I shudder to think of this club sustaining any more injuries.
Arsenal only have one fit 'winger' and he's not even a real winger! Regardless, Wenger should have played Flamini on the wing and not Baptista, who should be played in his rightful position or sent back to the Bernabeu. Why buy a Range Rover and then try and turn it into a Porsche? Wenger insists in playing the Brazilian out of position and then wonders why he doesn't perform. Wenger should give Baptista a chance to play up front on a football pitch, rather than on the wing on a farm, but I have no idea when he'll be back.
Aliadiere should not be wearing an Arsenal shirt and I only have him on the pitch in my team selection as Wenger named him in the squad for this match and there is literally no-one else who could play there. Although, you could argue that Bendtner and Stokes could both quite easily replace Aliadiere. We have to assume Arsene knows.
| My team selection for this game: van Persie, Aliadiere Rosicky, Gilberto, Fabregas, Flamini Clichy, Senderos, Toure, Hoyte Almunia Subs: Almunia, Lauren, Song, Denilson, Hleb (if fit) |
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Potentially available: Stokes is more deserving of a place on the Arsenal bench than Aliadiere who was sent on loan and unused at Wolves, Celtic and West Ham. Stokes has scored a hatfull of goals and lead the SPL scoring charts before he returned to Arsenal. He has shone in what was a mid-table team in a tough league and that's exactly what Arsene would have hoped from him. What more could Stokes do to get a shot? If Fabregas and Cole were good enough at such a young age, could he be? Yes, he could and I for one would love to see him on the bench tonight.
Rumour has it that Henry may be called into the squad tonight and if so that could only make Arsenal stronger. I'll be watching to see if his attitute is right as well as his hamstring.
Unavailable: Hleb (shin); Walcott (back); Adebayor and Gallas (thigh); Djourou, Henry and Ljungberg (hamstring); Baptista, Eboue and Diaby (ankle).
Long-term issues: Wenger needs to make a decision about Aliadiere and his potential replacements who are all scoring whilst on loan. The fans have run out of patience with the Frenchman and most would be pleased to see him leave.
Prediction: Arsenal 2 Charlton 1
