Cardiff away, a sort of homecoming for Aaron Ramsey, and a chance for Arsenal to extend the lead at the top of the table with the Mugsmashers, City, Chelsea, Sp*rs and United all playing tomorrow.
I don’t imagine we’ll see too much different from the team that played on Tuesday night, although I’d expect Arteta to come back into the team, perhaps alongside Flamini. Whether that means shifting Wilshere to the left and Ramsey to the right, I don’t quite know, but I’m enjoying the fact that it’s no longer simple to choose the first XI.
It would mean leaving out Rosicky, Cazorla and Walcott, and that’s a measure of how strong our midfield/wide options are. It also means that if we’re chasing a game we’ve got many ways in which to change the dynamic of our play. The threat of Walcott’s pace, Cazorla’s skill and creativity, or Rosicky coming on to add drive and high energy to our pressing game.
Arsene Wenger has taken note of today’s hosts, saying:
I’m impressed with them I must say. They beat Man City at home and when they played against Man United at home just last Sunday, if you look at the numbers, their possession was 50:50. That means it was not a coincidence that it was a draw. The conclusion of the game was a fair result.
As I mentioned yesterday there’s no chance we’re taking this game for granted simply because we’re playing a newly promoted team. Cardiff looked good against United (maybe some of that had to do with United being poor, but still), and they showed that any lapses are capable of being punished.
We’ve had our issues with sides that have just come up in the past, but when you look at what we’ve done so far this season, where we are, and how we’ve got there, then there’s no reason not to be confident. Respectful, of course, but when you go away and win in Dortmund, you’ve got to fancy your chances in Cardiff.
If we can just keep doing what we’ve been doing then this is a game from which we can take three points. For the most part this season we’ve been tough to beat, first and foremost, and with the firepower we have, the chances will come. We just have to take them with some measure of efficiency.
It’s also interesting to hear Arsene Wenger talk pre-game about Aaron Ramsey, and while so much of the focus this season has been on what he’s done at the business end of the pitch, the fact that he’s added so much to the defensive side of his game has been somewhat overlooked. Last season, when he and Arteta formed that great partnership in midfield, it was noticeable how many tackles he won, and that’s continued this season. The boss said:
I believe his defensive awareness has improved, his defensive qualities have improved and his defensive score is very strong now. After that he has a huge desire to play every single ball. He wins the 50:50s – that was not the case a year ago.
Before joking that he’s like a kid playing in his back garden:
If you let him, he takes the ball at the back, passes to himself in midfield and passes to himself up front because he wants the ball so much.
“And it’s Ramsey, picking the ball up in his own box, he gives it Ramsey who beats two men, and another, and another … oh my … he’s going the whole length of the pitch … John Terry slips … he goes round the keeper, it must be a goal … what’s this? He’s stopped the ball on the line … Oooooh, and he’s kneeling down to head it in! What a player.”
Don’t lie. You did it too. I don’t want to name names, really, but when you look back at some of the midfielders we’ve had to put up with in recent years, and their tackling technique was which to stick out their arse and perhaps wave a leg as an opponent went flying past them, seeing players like Ramsey, Wilshere, Flamini and Arteta (whose tackling is much underrated), is great to see.
When someone like Ramsey can combine that defensive nous with the ability to get forward and score goals, then it’s little wonder there’s been such improvement in that area of the pitch. I’m sure he’ll get a reception today from the Cardiff fans, but not one that will make the slightest difference to him or his performance.
Other than that, not a lot going on. Remember, We’ll have full live blog coverage for you this evening. Check back later for a post with all the details, or simply bookmark our default live blog page and updates will begin automatically.
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Right, time for some breakfast, catch you later for the game.
