RichieGunns
New Member
Fatigue has started to set in for some players and it has been noticeable with someone like Abou Diaby. Since arriving at Arsenal, the French international has struggled with injuries, so a Capital One Cup match will give him some much needed rest.
Apart from giving players some rest ahead of a big weekend clash with Chelsea, Arsene Wenger will also have the opportunity to see some players he hasn't given much playing time this season.
Starting from the back, if Wojciech Szczesny is fully healthy, he should be given the nod to start in goal for the Gunners. Having been unable to start consistently in the new campaign, the Polish keeper could really benefit from a match against Coventry where he shouldn't be tested all that much.
As for the Arsenal back line, I have never really been a fan of completely changing the full squad for games like these. One of the reasons is that you are putting players together who haven't played a competitive match in some time. The team will almost certainly come out flat and they could very well struggle to find a rhythm.
If captain Thomas Vermaelen is back from his illness, I would consider starting him or even Laurent Koscielny, who only played his first match this past weekend against Manchester City. Playing one of the starting center backs alongside someone like Johan Djourou will give that added confidence and experience needed to avoid an upset.
Brazilian defender Andre Santos should get the start over Kieran Gibbs, who will welcome the rest after a good performance against City.
In the midfield, Wenger will certainly make a number of changes considering the options he has. Considering their limited minutes this season, Theo Walcott and Oxlad-Chamberlaine should get the start.
Another starter should be Russian international Andriy Arshavin, who declined an offer to move away from the club in the summer. Despite his occasional lazy characteristics, if given time, confidence and a chance to play in the middle of the park, Arshavin could be a key contributor for Arsenal coming off the bench.
Offensively, one would imagine that Marouane Chamakh will get his chance, but I also think Olivier Giroud should get some time as well. The French international has yet to score a goal for his new club and although against a lower tier team, a goal at the Emirates before a match against Chelsea could really work wonders.
Chamakh is another player who I believe if given time and confidence, could be a very good option off the bench. In his first season, he showed that he could score goals as well as hold the ball up, but the good form of Robin van Persie forced the Moroccan to see limited minutes.
Arsene Wenger's side is very capable of being complacent in matches like these as they have proven in the past. Fielding a team that shows respect for the opposition will give Arsenal the needed confidence to avoid an upset at the Emirates.
A complete change of the squad could still get the Gunners a victory, but I believe that too many changes in the starting eleven could lead to Arsenal taking a long time to get into the match.
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I've highlighted the points I thought were interesting.
Starting from the back, if Wojciech Szczesny is fully healthy, he should be given the nod to start in goal for the Gunners. Having been unable to start consistently in the new campaign, the Polish keeper could really benefit from a match against Coventry where he shouldn't be tested all that much.
The poster might just be right about Wojciech Szczesny but in the games he has played this season he has let in some goals while his number 2 Vito Mannone kept two clean sheets in a row and has look really impressive this season in goal for the Gooners. I'd prefer Szczesny with how he's started this season and would feel worried if it was Mannone in goal as I can see him becoming Arsenals number 1 in a few years time and on current form, he could keep us out.
I'd hope that if we did go for it and play like we did at Birmingham, and its Szczesny in goal then we could see a goal or two. I'm not doubting his world class status but no goalkeeper is so world class that they wont miss a save from time to time and his recent injuries could provide some gaps we could exploite. We've seen, that in Cov's moments of brilliance, they have managed some impressive attacks on goal. If Robins can fine tune the finishing of our strikers, then I'd be confident of a goal or two.
As for the Arsenal back line, I have never really been a fan of completely changing the full squad for games like these. One of the reasons is that you are putting players together who haven't played a competitive match in some time. The team will almost certainly come out flat and they could very well struggle to find a rhythm.
This could work in our favour if we can play well against them. We've seen it before, Prem teams send out what is effectively their B team. While this B team is always full of very talented players, with a lot of them not playing regularly (or as substitutes), they wont have the same cohesiveness that Arsenals A team do. If Robins has really got into them since Saturday, I'd hope they'd actually exploit this!
Sure as the game goes on, they'd probably begin to gel so we'd need to hit them where it hurt in the 1st half and then, barring a goal from them, try and push our advantage in the 2nd half. I know a lot of people are going to say that it'll never happen, but after seeing what Cov did at Birmingham, I'm hoping to see that kind of commitment and determination again. Win or lose, they could walk out the game with their head held high and it could (it may not) give us that much needed confidence booster (which I believe Robins is hoping it will).
Arsene Wenger's side is very capable of being complacent in matches like these as they have proven in the past.
Another thing Robins will have highlighted to the players. I said it above and we've seen it in the past on a lot of occassions. Prem clubs come out expecting to walk all over teams like ours and then get their heads shuved up their own arses and find themselves walking off sore loosers. We need to hope Arsenal will do this because our boys could really use that too their advantage. Taking advantage of sloppy passing etc could really give us chances on their goal that they wouldn't expect etc
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I know we may not get the result we want but the potential is there for an upset and if Robins can instil in our lads a need to win and to perform for the shirt for the whole 90+ minutes then I think confidence could be greatly improved. So on that note I'll have my fingers and toes crossed and every good luck charm i can lay my hands on ready for kickoff because I believe that somewhere in that team is a winning mentality and I have faith in Robins that he'll make this team work for not only their paycheck, but for the shirt they wear and the fans they play for!
So PSUB and SBF and a Mark Robins Sky Blue Army for good measure!
Apart from giving players some rest ahead of a big weekend clash with Chelsea, Arsene Wenger will also have the opportunity to see some players he hasn't given much playing time this season.
Starting from the back, if Wojciech Szczesny is fully healthy, he should be given the nod to start in goal for the Gunners. Having been unable to start consistently in the new campaign, the Polish keeper could really benefit from a match against Coventry where he shouldn't be tested all that much.
As for the Arsenal back line, I have never really been a fan of completely changing the full squad for games like these. One of the reasons is that you are putting players together who haven't played a competitive match in some time. The team will almost certainly come out flat and they could very well struggle to find a rhythm.
If captain Thomas Vermaelen is back from his illness, I would consider starting him or even Laurent Koscielny, who only played his first match this past weekend against Manchester City. Playing one of the starting center backs alongside someone like Johan Djourou will give that added confidence and experience needed to avoid an upset.
Brazilian defender Andre Santos should get the start over Kieran Gibbs, who will welcome the rest after a good performance against City.
In the midfield, Wenger will certainly make a number of changes considering the options he has. Considering their limited minutes this season, Theo Walcott and Oxlad-Chamberlaine should get the start.
Another starter should be Russian international Andriy Arshavin, who declined an offer to move away from the club in the summer. Despite his occasional lazy characteristics, if given time, confidence and a chance to play in the middle of the park, Arshavin could be a key contributor for Arsenal coming off the bench.
Offensively, one would imagine that Marouane Chamakh will get his chance, but I also think Olivier Giroud should get some time as well. The French international has yet to score a goal for his new club and although against a lower tier team, a goal at the Emirates before a match against Chelsea could really work wonders.
Chamakh is another player who I believe if given time and confidence, could be a very good option off the bench. In his first season, he showed that he could score goals as well as hold the ball up, but the good form of Robin van Persie forced the Moroccan to see limited minutes.
Arsene Wenger's side is very capable of being complacent in matches like these as they have proven in the past. Fielding a team that shows respect for the opposition will give Arsenal the needed confidence to avoid an upset at the Emirates.
A complete change of the squad could still get the Gunners a victory, but I believe that too many changes in the starting eleven could lead to Arsenal taking a long time to get into the match.
-----------------------------------
I've highlighted the points I thought were interesting.
Starting from the back, if Wojciech Szczesny is fully healthy, he should be given the nod to start in goal for the Gunners. Having been unable to start consistently in the new campaign, the Polish keeper could really benefit from a match against Coventry where he shouldn't be tested all that much.
The poster might just be right about Wojciech Szczesny but in the games he has played this season he has let in some goals while his number 2 Vito Mannone kept two clean sheets in a row and has look really impressive this season in goal for the Gooners. I'd prefer Szczesny with how he's started this season and would feel worried if it was Mannone in goal as I can see him becoming Arsenals number 1 in a few years time and on current form, he could keep us out.
I'd hope that if we did go for it and play like we did at Birmingham, and its Szczesny in goal then we could see a goal or two. I'm not doubting his world class status but no goalkeeper is so world class that they wont miss a save from time to time and his recent injuries could provide some gaps we could exploite. We've seen, that in Cov's moments of brilliance, they have managed some impressive attacks on goal. If Robins can fine tune the finishing of our strikers, then I'd be confident of a goal or two.
As for the Arsenal back line, I have never really been a fan of completely changing the full squad for games like these. One of the reasons is that you are putting players together who haven't played a competitive match in some time. The team will almost certainly come out flat and they could very well struggle to find a rhythm.
This could work in our favour if we can play well against them. We've seen it before, Prem teams send out what is effectively their B team. While this B team is always full of very talented players, with a lot of them not playing regularly (or as substitutes), they wont have the same cohesiveness that Arsenals A team do. If Robins has really got into them since Saturday, I'd hope they'd actually exploit this!
Sure as the game goes on, they'd probably begin to gel so we'd need to hit them where it hurt in the 1st half and then, barring a goal from them, try and push our advantage in the 2nd half. I know a lot of people are going to say that it'll never happen, but after seeing what Cov did at Birmingham, I'm hoping to see that kind of commitment and determination again. Win or lose, they could walk out the game with their head held high and it could (it may not) give us that much needed confidence booster (which I believe Robins is hoping it will).
Arsene Wenger's side is very capable of being complacent in matches like these as they have proven in the past.
Another thing Robins will have highlighted to the players. I said it above and we've seen it in the past on a lot of occassions. Prem clubs come out expecting to walk all over teams like ours and then get their heads shuved up their own arses and find themselves walking off sore loosers. We need to hope Arsenal will do this because our boys could really use that too their advantage. Taking advantage of sloppy passing etc could really give us chances on their goal that they wouldn't expect etc
-------------------------
I know we may not get the result we want but the potential is there for an upset and if Robins can instil in our lads a need to win and to perform for the shirt for the whole 90+ minutes then I think confidence could be greatly improved. So on that note I'll have my fingers and toes crossed and every good luck charm i can lay my hands on ready for kickoff because I believe that somewhere in that team is a winning mentality and I have faith in Robins that he'll make this team work for not only their paycheck, but for the shirt they wear and the fans they play for!
So PSUB and SBF and a Mark Robins Sky Blue Army for good measure!
