Bogey Boro Set To Face Depleted Gunners Side
If Arsenal are to claim this year’s Premier League title, then they will certainly need to triumph over the ‘lesser sides’ of the league.
One of those sides is arguably Gareth Southgate’s Middlesborough troops. And with the likes of Kolo Toure and Samir Nasri missing from Arsene Wenger’s team selection, Saturday’s lunchtime game becomes a whole lot more decisive for the north London giants.
In recent years, Boro have posed a rugged yet attacking threat which has caught out many of the experienced defenders in past seasons. A loss against Porto won’t help the cause either, despite starting a youthful-looking side, French tactician Wenger will have to hope that Fabregas and co come up with the goods in what looks like an extremely tough tie.
Speaking on the injury news, Wenger said.
“Sagna, Clichy, Fabregas, Van Persie and Adebayor have a reasonable chance to come back,” Arsène Wenger told Arsenal TV Online on Thursday. “Perhaps less certain is Sagna but the other four should be alright.
That means Arsenal should be able to put out a strong eleven with Spanish sensation Fabregas captaining the team for the third occasion since his appointment.
Gooner Talk’s Predicted Starting XI
Almunia
Sagna – Djourou – Silvestre – Clichy
Eboue – Fabregas – Song – Denilson
Adebayor – van Persie
We are crap, and I am fed up with us being crap. Wenger has half a season to get it right or fans will begin to revolt
Wenger is so far up his own backside he will never realize it untill he is sacked.
is that Bentnder posting a message!
Your all up your own backsides!
Gooner Chris, article on Wengers demise from untouchable to touchable, his failure down to his signings getting younger and younger
We have to sign one or two in the transfer window. If anything it’ll freshen things up. Gunner Juilu, i don’t think we’re crap, i think everyone’s confidence is shot and the only way to get it back is a good run of wins. Danish Gooner what do you expect Wenger to say, he has to say he has confidence in the team and all that talk he goes on with. He knows we need signings but he’ll wait for the right players if he has to.
How can we have a good run of wins when he picks a youth team against a top European club! We are crap, we used to be amazing, now we are ordinary, not even dominating matches, and losing out, we are just losing with bad performances
I’ll get right on it Jillu. 😉
We need to splash out big, but i seriously doubt he will. He will think Walcott coming back, Diaby getting fit, Eduardo and Bshoff, then he will think he has 5 central midfielders in Fabregas, Song, Denilson, Ramsay, Bishoff. Its obvious what he is thinking
Why do you have Silvestre starting? He has been shite against Burnley and last night against Porto. More importantly he has shown a lack of focus (Burnley throw in for goal) and a lack of commitment (not chasing Porto players back on many occassions).
Gallas had some iffy moments, but he and Djourou are without question are best partnership. We’ve yet to lose a match when they’ve played together.
By the way, the problem with players like Bendtner, Diaby and Eboue is not that they are young. It’s that they lack quality, focus and the desire to succeed and win.
sorry yet to lose a match in the league with Gallas-Djourou. last night’s champions league reserve/youth team notwithstanding.
We need a left FOOTED left sided midfielder, a central midfielder, a centre half and if possible a player to play behind the striker to create chances. Thats 4 players, and I am not even joking, thats what we need.
Reasons
1. Pires and Lberg were amazing, they played on the left many a times but were right footed, but they played in a team with the like of Henry(who used to drift to the left) and Bergkamp who came could find a runner grom anywhere. Nasri good, but he is inconsistent, sometimes looking good otherimes looking mediocre. And then there are the injuries. We had the same problem last season, we had Diably playing left and when he got injured, he used Walcott who was still finding his feet. Hleb would have been the obvious one to play there but due to RVP injury he played upporting striker
2. Central midfielder – Fabregas should not have to be the only central midfieler in the squad whois comfortable on the ball. A central midfielder should have a near 100% pass accuracy and have an engine. Run u and down, make tackles and pass the ball effectivey. We only have Fabregas, the others have low pass accuracy and do not have the engine to mke up for it.
3.Cntre Half – We are exposed, When Gallas is not playing well then he does not have someone next to him to lead. Big, experienced, and composed.
4. Supporting striker – Oh how we miss Bergkamp, If Fabregas is not creating chances by picking out eye of the needle passes and spotting runners then who is?? RVP and Ade are strikers, both different bt are outright forwards. Hleb was able to fill the Bergkamp role last season hith his mazey runs and passes, forget his goal scoring record, he used to create so many chances for the team
Gunner Jillu
You say Arsenal fans will revolt coz we are shit.
How will you revolt?
By watching ManU on your effin TV instead of the Arsenal?
The club won’t miss pathetic fickle plastics like you.
So an understrength team lost an almost meanigless game away from home….?
If we fail to beat Boro on Saturday then Wenger can well be slated, until then… go and play fantasy manager.
Revolt against Wenger idiot, meaning what him out
Oh and G Chris… No way is Silvestre starting ahead of Gallas.
Spike, I am being realistic, we cant manage to win three games in a row, tht is poor
Oh, how you gonna do that?
Shout out of your mum’s bedroon window that you think Wenger’s a twat?
Stick to the fantasy manager fool
If we fail to beat Boro, then the whole reason for resting all those players will have been for nothing and then, you can plan your revolt Jilly
yeh whtever Spike, stick to yor table football
The mighty United United (you know, that team you used to support) failed to beat a glorified pub team yesterday, are they shite?
Ooh, what a great come back, thats me told!
Who are United, what Leeds, Sheffield??? West Ham
Oh, you refer o Manchester United as United, i see, now who is the Mannchester Utd supporter
Dam, you got me, bang to rights.
I get instantly depressed whenever faced with the fact that we are going to have to play both denilson and song in the same midfield.
As soon as wilshere came on the pitch against porto, he created chances and took on players. Since wenger has deployed denilson , not once, NOT ONCE have i seen denilson go past someone.
In fact whats te point of denilson, he passes sideways, can’t beat his man, his shooting is average……….why wenger.
Boro fan here!
Think you are all being a bit unfair on Wenger. Just wait til the credit crunch hits and Manures massive debts drags them under, Liverpool can’t afford their new ground, Abramovich is now struggling and down to his last £100 billion! You have a fantastic stadium that cost a fortune but generates income way beyond anything that Highbury could. Your foundations are being laid for the next decade and you are still in the top 4 and the Champions league!
Wenger clearly hasn’t got the millions at the disposal of Scholari and Hughes but he will build it his way just like he did before. Keep faith with him. he is a very shrewd and astute man, nobody knows more than him what your present shortcomings are. Besides who else is there that wouldn’t want/need £100M to spend?
The reality check here is that Real Madrid have just awarded the ultimate football management job to Ramos! Thats what you could have had. Careful what you wish for ……you just might get it!
Anyway good luck on Saturday hope its a good game but that your revival starts the week after. If its any consolation Boro have Wheater suspended, Huth, Hoyte and Riggot crocked so our defence is decimated and our £12.7M striker couldn’t score with £500 in his pocket in a brothel! (just watch him get a hat trick now!).
to be fair, nearly all the teams in this years CL knockout round are tough so it doesn’t really matter who we face. in some way i would prefer to play a Juve or Roma than a panathanaikos as we always play better against the bigger teams. i am not so sure about saturdays game, i can’t remember the last time we won a match very convincingly and boro are the type of team we come un-stuck against
Nic bend is lousy what was he doing playing in midfield and he is a stricker? he kept kicking the ball backward each time he got it and to opponent destroying the build up the guy has no idea how to shake off defence he is just that lousy for lack of a better word everytime we he started we never win someone explain to me how can a striker play 90 mins with no shot? silvester came to arsenal on bargain but we shouldnt hav taken him for free
Nic bend is lousy what was he doing playing in midfield and he is a stricker? he kept kicking the ball backward each time he got it and to opponent destroying the build up the guy has no idea how to shake off defence he is just that for lack of a better word everytime we he started we never win someone explain to me how can a striker play 90 mins with no shot? silvester came to arsenal on bargain but we shouldnt hav taken him for free
chris;
The Boro game will be a good barometer. It will show us IF this team can actually raise themselves for games against the so-called lesser teams.
The fact Boro beat us last season (and went a long way to fucking up the title by drawing at the Grove!) should be insentive enough really, but this Arsenal are just sooooo effin unpredictable, who knows?
yeah i just never know what arsenal side will turn up for games, is it the united and chelsea beating arsenal or the stoke, villa, porto, hull, fulham…the list goes on, arsenal that lacks any sort of creativity
Im always optimistic BEFORE a game, so Im going for a 3-1 win!
Then we’ll beat the scousers at home, Villa away and then hammer Big Tone’s Pompey.
Then it’ll be the transfer window and Wenger will strengthen the central midfield, buy a winger and a CB….. Yep, coz thats gonna happen!
i think Ramsey is unbelievable the thing he can do with the ball and his age puts to shame the old legs as we see them of Diaby denilson and boo boy to Nic again you think you are top class go back to reserves polish you act i see Jack and Jay with more talent than you
Boro cut our unbeaten run last season thats history we have to spike them my prediction 4-0 to Arsenal but defending has to be tight and hold their line the goals we have conceded has been as a result of defenders being sloppy and out of position
ya spike its pretty unlikely but we can always hope. Well i really hope gazidis or whatever his name is gets stuck in straight away for us and explains to AW that investment in players now will bring returns later. We have to sign at least one or two 26-30 year olds. Whatever about the League, not qualifying for champions league could have disastrous consequences.
Oh and Bendtner out in January please god
I share your disappointment Jillu. After Chelsea game i was sure we finally turned the corner and then they go and put in an awful performance against Wigan. At least we won though. Sometimes i wonder if the fans calling for Wenger out are right? What if this doesn’t change? What if a clean start is the only answer? There could be big decisions to be made in June. In the meantime i keep hoping the next game will be a fantastic performance and the one after…
But we have to get behind the team no matter what , the fans are just plain shit right now, not helping the team at all
u know what we went to manu game chelsea game we won we had aston villa and man city we lost difference in first scenario we said YES WE CAN and the latter maybe we can. Just like Obama of Kenyan decent against all odds did it. its all in the mind the resolve and will power to win
fans get frustrated when we can win matches and also lack what we do best fantasy football many dont know what to expect its several seasons since we witnessed a major trophy being lifted patience is fast running out
You’re right LGK
Slating the team during games is so effin stoopid, counter productive and basically a big fucking no-no. I can’t believe we have ‘fans’ who’d even contemplate that kinda shite.
We need to support the whole team regardless.
Dunno why there’s all this negativity right now? As far as I can tell, we have won our last 2 league games and there’s every chance we will continue that on Saturday.
Well I think that it has been seen and said so many times, you just have to wonder is Arsene is really on the same planet. We have a squad made up of some very good players – Fabregas, Van Persie, Clichy, Sagna – some good players with potential – Nasri, Walcott, Eduardo, Djourou, – Some Squad players – Adebeyor, Silvestre – some good young players who have potential – Denilson, Ramsey, Wilshire, Vela, Gibbs, Fabianski……. but then we have a lot of VERY average players – Diaby, Song, Almunia, Bendtner, Eboue (and I am trying to be kind in putting him in here), Gallas.
When you assess it like this……. you understand why we keep seeing bad performances and results, because we simply do not have the top quality in depth to achieve consistancy and results.
Now I don’t know if this is generally known but……..
Wengers dream (or is it folly) of being able to build a young all conquering side failed at Monaco where he pretty much did the same as he is doing now at Arsenal ie. he won the French cupin 1991 & finsihed runners up in the league in 1991 & 1992 then he brought in young unknown players on the cheap …. mainly from Africa …. shipped out the experienced players …… dropped out of the top 4 and in 1994 after 3 tropkyless years the team started off badly and Wenger was sacked when his teams performances continued to deteriorate and they dropped to 14th in the table.
Maybe that is all just coincidence??? But it looks to me as if maybe, just maybe AW dropped into the perfect situation at Arsenal with a team already on the rise and with just a bit of tweaking things went well..that is until Arsene then had to replace and build the side himself……… are we now seeing the true abilities (or failures) of Arsene Wenger….. where he is repeating the same mistakes he made before …….
Who knows? like I said maybe it’s just coincidence, but Monaco had a sucessfull team who with Arsene as manager went into decline and they saw the light and sacked him before it was too late……. but even then it took them 5 more years to recover and win the French League again …….. lets hope we are not too blinded by his earlier success too see the “light” before it is too late for us!!!
Yeah, coz Wenger’s never had to replace any original Arsenal players has he?
Nope, thats why its sooo good to still have Seaman in net behind the 48 year olds Winterburn and Dixon…
Jesus, give me an effin break with this University Challenged thesis bullshite!
And calling gallas and Adebayor squad players???
Are you shitting me???
Hey Spike thats just what I am saying – what has he replaced those players with???
GK Mad Jens, Almunia???
FB Cole…was already in the Youth setup, Luzhney, Laurn (midfield who filled in at RB) Eboue
CB Stepanov, Senderos, Gallas & Silvestre,and of course the great Pascal Cygan
Adebeyor and Gallas are listed as first team squad players…. Adebeyor is ok when things are going well…. but cannot be classed as top quality….Gallas is again the same ok when things go well and he has top players round him to cover for his inadequaces.
As for Uni bullshit….. well mate it doesn’t need a degree to work out the similarities….but of course if u want to bury your head in the sand and hope that it didn;t happen then fine… lets just hope that for your sake this is all just a coincidence and that lightning hasn’t struck for a 2nd time!!!
I used to to be a firm supporter of Wenger, even ater last seasons heartache I felt we were a bit unlucky towards the end, with Eduardo’s injury and the Birmingham game, it kind of broke us, however i thought with Flamini and Hleb going and Rosicky out for so long, I thought Wenger is going to have to really strenghten the squad. Hleb, Flamini and Rosicky at their best are first pick in most teams around the world so to lose them, you cant just put anyone in. But that is what Wenger has done. Song/Denilson are not ggo enough to replace Flamini, Walcott is proving to be a good player but is a bit of a one trick pony, he has pace and that is about it, influential but not world class. Nasri looks the business but I think we will see the best of him next season as he is still young(middle age compared to the rest of our squad). We needed big sighnings, not because of the names but players that can change games and have a winning mentality and stand out. Apart from We have Fabregas as our most influential player and after that possible Ade, RVP, Walcott and Nasri can influence a game. We have seen flashes from the latter three this season with Ade not really giving us the same impact as last season. Waht to do? Buy players who are class, who can fit straight in and perform, has that killer run, or that killer pass or that dominance in a match for clubs to start fearing us again. Now clubs that play us know that if they work hard, and stop a couple of our players performing the team will run out of ideas and lose confidence. That is what is happening
Wenger alwasy says in interviews we fear no one, well Barca, Real, Man Utd, Chelsea, Milan, they fear no one but they dont have to say it because its obvious because teams fear them. Teams do not fear us so now we have to come out and say we do not fear anyone. We are slowly dropping out of the elite
Wengers best players under him
Seaman
Clicy Adams Cambell Sagna
Overmars Viria Fabregas Pires
Bergkamp
Henry
Tempting to put Wrighty in but how can you drop henry or Bergkamp
Matt;
No offence meant fella, sorry if I was over the top! Im just so effin fed up of people spoutin negative BS. Theres been enough of that after the games aginst the likes of Hull, Stoke, Fulham!
He replaced Cole wth Clichy, Sagna is the best RB Ive seen at our club, Cesc aint too shabby, Djourou is a top CB in the making Theo is quality as is Nasri and RvP is top class. Adebayor, altho ungainly and an offside flag magnet causes oppo defenders nuff probs and scores goals on a regular basis.
We need to strengthen thats for bleedin sure, and I would blood the likes of Ramsey, Wilshire, Simpson, Gibbs instead of few of the so called senior players.
I aint burying my head in the sand, its just my 1st instinct is to be positive, theres way too much doom mongerin in the media as it is.
doom is where we are, untill we get five wins in a row under our belt, it is difficult to see any +ve, we play Liverpool soon and have to win
The game against Liverpool isnt a problem is it, given our games with United (thats Manchester!) and the Chavs. Its the games against the likes of Boro, etc where we can judge IMO.
You cannot judge the game agaist Liverpool with those against Man Utd and Chelsea, though i dont think much of Liverpool ad we normally play well against them it is still a match that we have to win. Like I said we nedd to win back to back games including the Liverpool game to give us any chance in the new year otherwise we might as well all cancel our subsriptions to sky sports untill next season. Do I think we can reach December 31st with all wins. No way
Borough
Liverpool
Villa
Portsmouth
We win all these games, including our last two wins, it gives us a chnce to get back in the thick of things with 6 straight wins. Draw or lose any of these, its game over
Spike isn’t far off. We still have a good deal of quality’ but the weaknesses, are and were at the beginning of the season, bleedin’ obvious.This isn’t major surgery, its three signings. One, a winger ‘cos Rosicky wont play again, plus the fact that Nasri, also injury prone, aint a winger ,though he is a good footballer. Second and fundimental, the Flamini replacement, and please dont tell me we will win the league with Song or Denilson in that position,although I do think both have future value as squad players.Last ,but by no means least, a centre half who is dominant in the air. If that means Haangland,so be it. Then pair him with Kolo and bring djouru on as the long term answer_ but dont risk the season on him now.
i cant believe some of the comments from fellow gooners.come on guys ,we can all be experts but only the players and wenger can change things so lets be real gooners and support the team.we have a world famous club,a great stadium,fanancial credibility and 4th in the league,still in the fa cup and in the last 16 in the champions league.we could spend millions get redknap as a manager and go bankrupt.arsene is building for the future.with a strong foundation and financial security we’ll be very successful.have faith guys and lets celebrate our position
How you can call Wenger a tactician is beyond me. Sure in the past the man was a genius but now he is a has been. His tactics have been shit all season. He plays sub par players out of position and then is suprised when he doesnt get the best out of them. He didnt strengthen the squad because of the youngsters but is afraid to use them in big games. When we have Vela on the bench, a kid who played an entire fucking season at left midfield, who is left footed and quick why on fucking earth would you ever play shit like Diaby or Eboue on the left? it makes NO SENSE. Why would be play Denilson on the right when we have Ramsey or even Wilshere who are quicker and more tecnicially gifted. Why would he stick with Gallas for so long? Why would be do all the things he has done to run this club into the ground. It’s time to take the Wenger goggles off and see just what this man has done. he gutted the club to fuel his own ego and now we are a shell of what we used to be. I would love nothing more then to be proven wrong, for Wenger and his kids to win something but it just wont happen when he insists on keeping shit players like Diaby and then playing everyone out of position. It is time for a change at the Emirates. Either Wenger need to bring in 3-4 players or we need a manager who will. It is not Wenger’s job to provide Diaby and Eboue with a platform to be good. It is his job to win games and have the best squad we can. If Diaby or the others are good enough they will rise to the top, regardless of who is in their way.
The fans need to make emirates like a fortress. Unfortunately i can’t see that happening. There is a breed of Arsenal fan there that has been spoilt with trophies during AW’s first 10 years and they’re throwing the toys out of the pram now that we’re struggling a bit. The progress we’ve made under AW is phenomenal. If he hadn’t come we’d have been battling with villa and the spuds for uefa cup spots every year instead of winning 2 doubles. He deserves some loyalty and support