Match Preview

It’ll be close………

Posted on by rico

Morning all.

We have worked very hard to get where we are. Now it is about how much we can keep our focus, how much we can push ourselves to do well and on that front I cannot complain. – Arsène Wenger

I’m not sure if Arsene is talking about the FA Cup or our season in general.

A win today and a quarter final place will be in the bag but we can’t take Boro for granted…

Arsene Wenger has hinted at a few changes but he’s also confirmed that he’s taking Boro very seriously… Good, because the opposition will want another big scalp to add to City.

Wenger has spoken about our last match:

The new situation in the Premier League is that the teams who are last in the league can beat anybody. You look at the quality of Leicester’s players and it’s quite frightening. One goes out and the one who comes in is also a quality player. That has changed.

It wasn’t a relaxing game at all because first of all we played against a good Leicester side and it looked like our game died in the second half. Was it physical, was it mental? When Leicester came back to 2-1 it looked more like it could be a 2-2 than a 3-1.

We were pretty shoddy in that Leicester match, especially in the second half when our performance really dipped and almost allowed them to nick a point. Boro will be at their level, if not better. They sit top of the Championship with confidence sky high…

It’s going to be tough, very tough….. But we’ll be ready:

We will not have the excuse to be surprised because they beat Manchester City in a convincing way.

That is a good warning for us. We are at home, we have a possibility to go to the quarter-finals so we cannot be surprised by them, that’s for sure.

It’s a big challenge, but big opportunity as well. That’s how we have to look at it. We have the luck with the draw to play at the Emirates so let’s take this opportunity.

I watched some of that City match and to be honest  the home side had plenty of chances to take control of the game but perhaps flying in from Abu Dhabi on previous evening didn’t help their cause. Added to that, the Boro second choice keeper Tomas Mejías, was having a great day. At 6′ 5″ tall, he’s hard to beat and their defence as a whole isn’t bad either. They do have a couple of injuries in defence with both Tomas Kalas and Daniel Alaya expected to miss the game. Leadbitter, Bamford and Martinez are their three top scorers and perhaps the ones to watch..

2015 has been good for us at The Emirates so far as we haven’t lost a fixture, we haven’t even drawn one either but, some of our performances have hardly set the world alight. In order to beat Boro, that seriously needs to change because any lapse in concentration or taking the foot off the gas and they’ll be ready to take advantage.

No doubt Boro will sit back and absorb any early pressure and the longer we don’t score, the more their confidence will rise. We need to come out of the blocks early and with pace, width and 100% commitment.

Gabriel is expected to make his debut, Jack could be back on the bench, Alexis will no doubt be rested and Szczesny returns in goal. He needs a big game, as does Theo Walcott if he starts – he’s the man with great pace and he’s got to start using it. I think Welbeck will be the main man up front which will be good as he’s no passenger. The rest, well I haven’t a clue but I sure hope whoever plays, aren’t ready to let go of the FA Cup….

4pm kick-off, we are at home so there’s no excuses…..

I think we’ll win, but it’s going to be close……..

COYRRG’s

rico

114 thoughts on “It’ll be close………”

  4. Hell Raising Devil says:

    Good Morning Lovelies and Hunkies.

    yes of course it will be close Rico. Infact it will be so close that till kick off the teams will still be 0-0. Make no mistake…..if we do not turn up it will be difficult. But if we turn up in the right state of mind and be ruthless Boro will get a hiding.

    Let’s flip the coin and see which side will end up face up.

  8. Wavy says:

    5th! Yes, fifth!
    Agreed Devil, who knows which team will turn up? The happy smiling soft one or the ruthless, determined successful one?
    At least it’s a 4 o’clock k.o. So the whole of the squad should be awake!
    Should win, 2-1 again, and it will be nail bitingly close until the 95th minute.

    Morning all.

  10. HenryB says:

    A super Post, Rico, and well put about the need to focus and not take Boro for granted.

    After the Leicester game we must have learned that we cannot take anything for granted.

    Personally I am excited about the game and looking forward to seeing who is in the team today but I am also just a tad concerned, because to lose a game like this – not that it should happen – could have a bad knock on effect for us in the Premiership.

  11. allezkev says:

    Morning All, again…

    Morning Rico.
    I’m really looking forward to today’s game, I’ve just got a feeling that it could be a good ‘un…

    Off to read the post…

  20. Rick says:

    Afternoon Rico and the House
    Todays team Chessny Chambers Gabby Kossy Gibbs \flamini santi wellbeck Ozil Alexies Giroud.
    Subs Martinez Merts Monreal Rosicky Wallcott Coq Akpom

  25. Wavy says:

    Not a very defensive line up!
    I’m worried! Flamini, on his own in front of the back four? Mmm, not good…….still well soon see! We are the Arsenal after all.

  43. Lee says:

    Hi Rico, yeah been trying focus more on work and we’ve been super busy. Was three years ago yesterday that my mum passed……

  48. rico says:

    Not sure if the comments about Gabriel not being able to head a ball were in jest the other day but one clearance he got his head to first half nearly reached the halfway line….

  55. agirlagunner says:

    Hiya, rico. 😉 When he’s not being a lump, he scores some great goals, doesn’t he?

    Lee, Giroud scored just for youuuu. 😉 🙁 re your mum!

    Hiya, Bt, Ginge, and Rick. 🙂

  77. Hell Raising Devil says:

    Good evening Lovelies and Hunkies.

    It surely is a good evening to be in.

    I did not see the first half. But from what I saw in the second plus the overall stats it seems we put on a professional performance. We kept them at bay and we had around 20 shots half of which were on goal. Boro did their best, but if their best is simply around 4 shots of which only 2 were on target then it just sums up the state of the English 1st div. Yes they may have won against shitty but that was a one off

    All in all….very heartening to see the boys win.

    Gabriel did not have much to do. He was eased in today. He will get more difficult opposition imo later on in the season.

    Gibbs had a good second half.

    Good to see that we kept a clean sheet with Coquelin, Per, Bellerin, Monreal and Ospina rested. That shows we have a good squad. However, it needs to be improved.

    Three quality subs to rest those who began the match.

    In the second half I liked Ozil. He could have got on the scoresheet as wel

  78. rico says:

    Totally admire their manager coming out after a defeat and talking live to the BT Sports panel…

    Couldn’t see Wenger doing that….

  82. Hell Raising Devil says:

    Same here Rico. Gabriel will get better definitely. Today was not so difficult for him, yet he did his job professionally. Now he needs to get game time under his belt and learn slowly. Its next year which will see him establish himself.

  85. HenryB says:

    Well, the guys took your advice to heart, Rico.

    Treated Boro seriously and it was a first class performance.

    So that will be Chelea/’Pool/Chavs in the draw – bring them on!! 🙂

  89. rico says:

    You might have a point, especially re Jack and without sounding harsh, Ramsey is nothing near the the player he was last season…..

  90. Hell Raising Devil says:

    imo both should be kept far apart. For example a fully fit Aaron should be played with Ozil while Jack should be played with Santi.

    But of the two I feel that Aaron is more of a team player than Jack. Jack, although blessed with a high level of skill, is not tactically disciplined, while Aaron is a bit more disciplined of the two. However playing them both is not a good idea. Consider the fact that both have better games when TR07 is around. Why?? simply because he guides them and nullifies their mistakes.

  95. allezkev says:

    Very impressed with Gabriel.
    He isn’t a flashy player, but to me he looks intelligent, keeps it simple and is a proper defender…

    Koz and BFG will have to up their game, because if Gab gets into the team and he plays a few games, he might be impossible to shift.

  96. allezkev says:

    Santi was exceptional again, as was Ozil.

    Chambers had a really good game, a throwback to how he started the season.

    Sanchez was, well, Sanchez, just fantastic.

    And I actually thought that Flamini had a good game…

  97. Lee says:

    Rumours coming out of Spain that Santi has signed a pre-contract with Athletico Madrid!! That’d be a real pisser if true….

  99. HenryB says:

    I would take all the Santi rumours with a large pinch of salt.

    There is a world of difference between an agent talking to another club about his client – if the rumour is correct – and the clubs agreeing a deal. Technically it is illegal anyway for another club to make an approach directly to a player, altho we all know it happens, as that sort of contact can only happen in the January of the year that a player’s contract ends.

    Cazorla’s contract has another year to go from this summer – so maybe it is his agent just getting in the first shot before Arsenal sit down to negotiate an extension to Santi’s contract extension.

    Nothin new there.

  100. rico says:

    Morning all..

    Santi to At Madrid, perhaps that’s why he’s playing so well…. 😉

    No chance has a deal been agreed, football clubs don’t do such naughty things do they… lol

  103. rico says:

    Can’t see him going anywhere Scott, not now he’s got Ozil and Alexis alongside him. Perhaps that’s why he’s happy and playing well….

    Darn agents eh….

  108. Wath says:

    A happy Ozil is a better player Rico….. The bloke is cheer class for sure, his use of the ball is something else… a proper proper footballer…!

  109. Joe says:

    Just think how good Ireland could if we had all our players.
    Players I don’t know like the England captain 🙂

  110. rico says:

    He sure is Wath. Arsene suggested he’d come back a better player, well I think he’s always been great but now with Alexis and Santi around him, he has footballers who are on his wavelength…

    And that’s what makes him happy… and finally, we are getting to see the real Mesut.

  111. Joe says:

    Just watched 9 minutes of Özilly goodness just what we need him playing well coming in to the business end of the season.

  112. tsgh says:

    Morning Rico, Wath, Joe et al…

    A miserable morning…

    Am I the only one thinking a team of the stature of Arsenal should have put M’boro to teh sword? Albeit they have a very good defence…

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