Morning, it’s Wigan on the menu today and a home game which seems like a bit of a novelty this season so far.
Only Robin van Persie is back from injury. Andrei Arshavin hasn’t made it, neither has Almunia, Theo Walcott has had a setback apparently, and the others we know about already. The importance of this game should be in no doubt. I don’t usually look at the league table too closely this early in the season but the fact is we’re 9 points behind Chelsea, albeit with a game in hand.
Nothing less than three points will do. Given the players available I think the manager will go with:
Mannone – Sagna – Gallas – Vermaelen – Clichy – Song – Diaby – Cesc – Eduardo – van Persie – Bendtner.
I’d like to see Nik continue in the central position but I think it’s clear Arsene really, really wants van Persie to learn that position. He got on the scoresheet last weekend against those unspeakable Oasis fans so fingers crossed he can do the same today.
I think he’ll resist the temptation of playing Rosicky from the start although if there were no nagging doubts about his fitness I’d have him in place of Diaby in central midfield. Wigan will provide a decent test, both from a football and a physical point of view, so I think he’ll look for the added giving the ball away and strolling back physicality of Diaby.
What might be to our benefit is that under new boss Roberto Martinez Wigan will come to play football, not ‘park the bus’, which has often proved so difficult to break down. However, while that will allow us more space to play our attacking football it will also prove a test for our defence which has been somewhat leaky in recent games. We’ve conceded 11 goals in 7 games so far this season so while three points is absolutely necessary a clean sheet would be nice to see.
Playing at home, after three consecutive away games, should be a boost too and the manager is aware of how important our home form will be. He says:
Three of our four matches so far have been difficult away games – it is very important to be strong at the Emirates. That will be the decider of how strong we fight for the title.
Time to show it today then. No European hangover, no post Manchester hangover, and we need a return to the attitude with which we started the season. It was apparent in the City game that we weren’t pressing the opposition the same way we did in previous games, that has to change. The Liege game was so poor in terms of performance you have to think it was an anomaly, not helped by the ridiculous start we made to the game. I haven’t seen us pass the ball that badly or struggle to retain possession like that in a long time, so fingers crossed today sees a return to the kind of workrate and performance we got against Everton, Portsmouth and United (despite the result).
In other news the boss talks about Emmanuel Eboue who suffered a torrid time against Wigan last season, he speaks about the new financial rules while Liam Brady returns to Highbury to talk about the youth system.
He also confirmed we were ‘close’ to signing Marouane Chamakh from Bordeaux during the summer and said we might revisit the deal if needed in January.
Beyond that not much else going on so now it’s bacon time. Here’s to a good three points today.
Till tomorrow.
