If we give absolutely everything and fight together for every single game in every single competition we can still look back at the end of the season and be proud of our attitude and what we have achieved.

Have we fans not been saying that for many seasons now?

It’s all very well Wenger coming out with this rousing speech at the AGM on Thursday night but why has he not been able to be as passionate with his words to the team over the last few years? Sometimes we have played so poorly and without passion it’s pretty clear the manager has not been able to motivate the players in a way he maybe could or should have done.

Thursday though, Wenger said he spoke from his heart and if he did, maybe the old motivational skills are on their way back and he’s got it in him again to get the best from the players?

We’ll find out later….

Seriously, we can beat this Chelsea side today, if every player ‘turns up’ ready to play and fight from start to finish. Each and every one of them needs to back up Wengers words with action, do that and be proud of the shirt on their back.

Team News:

Gibbs, Sagna, Wilshere and Diaby are all definitely out of today’s squad, Jenkinson may be fit enough to start, depending how his training went yesterday and Vermaelen is definitely in the squad but may not start. Wenger suggests that that decision is down to us playing again on Tuesday against Marseille.

Why, the most important match today is against Chelsea, why is he already thinking about the Champions League fixture? If Vermaelen is either fit for today or he’s not, the squad for Marseille will take care of itself when Tuesday arrives and I’m sure every Arsenal fan cares only about getting at least a point today at Stamford Bridge!

Remember this??

Of course you do, it’s only a few months ago………

Song, Cesc and Theo were the goal scorers when we last played the pensioners back in December, what a game that was too and despite Robin van Persie missing a couple of glorious chances in front of goal. Drogba, who is missing today having seen red last weekend was a threat that day, but the most notable involvement in the game was a bust up with John ‘Thomas’ Terry after we went 3-0 up!

Djourou was immense that day, maybe the first time one of our defenders had Drogba in his pocket and Theo Walcott had a day to remember, we need another from him today.

That victory saw us go to second in the league and the talk was all about us being title contenders, Wenger was one of a few guilty of making that comment.

We didn’t need it then and we certainly don’t need it now, regardless of the outcome of todays game.

In that fixture we lined up:

Fabianski
Sagna
Kos
Djourou
Clichy
Fabregas
Nasri
Walcott
Song
Wilshere
van Persie

Substitutes:

Szczesny
Squillaci
Diaby
Rosicky
Arshavin
Chamakh
Bendtner

Are we facing them today with a stronger squad than we did back in December last year?

Chelsea are on a pretty good run despite not keeping a clean sheet during their last eight games. The last time we beat them at their tired old ground was back in 2008, but maybe the significant statistic is that we are on a run of eight away league games without a win – our longest in the Premier League.

So the odds are stacked against us today, but as Wenger says:

If we give absolutely everything and fight together for every single game……

We may just spring a surprise on the pensioners today…….