As we enter match-day four we are well on course to a trip to Wembley. We have 9 points from 3 games in which we have scored 14 goals while only conceding two in the process. It’s a remarkable feat considering we broke the previous record held by the Galacticos, 12. We have scored 14 goals from 28 shots which means we have an accuracy of 50% in the CL so far which should make us feel very proud of our boys. In Chamakh we have a player who has scored in 6 consecutive CL games which is a new record. You cannot blame our attack so far but i believe there is one area where we need to improve..
Our fullbacks get so much space out wide and we need to take advantage of this. Clichy got his first assist in two years at the Emirates despite him seeing so much of the ball out wide in recent years as all our wing forwards cut in. Recent CL winning teams have shown that it helps in attacking play to have very good attacking fullbacks. The likes of alves, Maicon… have been immense for their respective teams in recent years producing virtuoso displays that have seen them bag goals and assists that have been vital in their trophy hunt. If Sagna and Clichy can improve on this aspect we’ll be much better.
When we beat Shaktar it was their only defeat in 11 matches, the other 10 of which have all been won. Indeed, they’ve won 18 of their 21 games this season, and kept clean sheets in nine of their 10 home games. They were overwhelmed by our superiority on the day but when we visit Donbass Arena it won’t be so easy. They have warmed up to the game by having played three, won three and conceded none since then. And they warmed up for Wednesday’s Champions League tie with a 1-0 win against Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk on Saturday, when Luiz Adriano converted a Willian cross at the far post on 27 minutes to keep Lucescu’s team eight points clear at the top of the Ukrainian Premier League after 15 matchdays. 
We on the other hand are currently in a rich vein of form, having won all of their last five matches, scoring 15 and conceding just two in the process, and keeping clean sheets in the last three. A win would secure our 11th consecutive appearance in the knockout stages of the CL. However, we’ll have to do it without Cesc who is definitely out injured. AA, Denilson and Song face late fitness tests. We may see his royal pinkiness, bendy, start. I also feel Theo is due a start and Darijo Srna will still have nightmares of how Theo tore him a new one as he scored a hat-trick against Croatia. Jack the lad should be fit for this one as he has been on a 3 match ban. Rosicky may also start.
Despite the injuries we have the quality to win. We need to keep the momentum going.
If we play with belief as we always do we’ll win this one. Shaktar may be at home but we are the ARSENAL!!! We want a win so as to guarantee qualification. This will help us breed in the likes of Szczesny, JET, Lansbury… in the remaining games which will be followed by some daunting tasks like a visit to Old Trafford and our first teamers will need all the rest they can get since Old Trafford is well…Old Trafford.
C’MON YOU REDS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Written by K-TR7
Morning all
Nice one KT, we are indeed in great form, another outstanding game is required from the old Pole…
Any news yet who travelled to Ukraine??
Morning.
Should be an interesting game with the inevitable changes to the starting XI. I expect Jack to come into midfield with Eboue & Diaby if available. Nasri is another midfield option as that would allow Theo a start on the right & Vela on the left with Arshavin’s reported absence.
what idiots! They just laid down and got spanked by the Spurds last night. Rafa should hang his head in shame 😉
Morning Ricodinho, big game for us tonight as Shaktar will be vieing for blood after the onslaught they received at the Emirates. I’m sure we’ll cope without Fabregas as long as wilshere is on form with Chamakhattack and our centre defence is alert
Morning T-buzz, Bale was on form wasn’t he but the defending was shocking by Inter…
Ricodinho 😆
Back five picks itself thankfully 🙂
I see him playing
Eboue Nasri Wilshere Rosicky
Walcott and Nikki
Still don’t know who is defiantely out tonight, Cesc is, but there were doubts over Song, Denilson and AA, afc.com is rubbish…
Win tonight and we can’t be caught…..
I tend not to use Arsenal.com unless i want to order some stuff from the shopping catalogue. They are as informed as Comical Ali.
It would be nice to give Chesney a run in the CL at some point methinks, get him more involved in the scheme of things…
As per Bale, if only he was English, eh? lol
Morning Guys, 🙂
Great Post KT, and a nice start to the day.
You are right Ricodinho, AA, Song and Denilson did not get on the ‘plane yesterday.
I think the game tonight will be tough. Don’t forget Shaktar beat Barca, and the Spuds last year and many other top teams. There record of losing only 2 out of 18 games recently is also top class.
I think if we get the three points tonight T-buzz, quite a few will get the CL experience, especially JET, Chesney and Lansbury… 🙂
Morning RA, no way will be easy, especially with all our players missing. i wouldn’t be surprised if they are not really injured and the resting of players has begun, wenger knows the next two CL games are ‘easy’ on paper….
I think a draw would be a good result, next round secured and probably top spot with it as it could come down to results against us and SD for the top place…
RA, the site wouldn’t allow me access to wenger’s i/v, despite paying my money!! B’turds….
Rico,
That’s ridiculous. Did any message come up on screen?
Geoff, over at LG, said, some time ago, that Gazidis is aware that many fans are unhappy with ATVO, but surprise, surprise it’s run by Silent Fart Kroenke, and not likely to change its performance in the near future! 🙁
He has to earn a crust, does our Stan. B’tard indeed! 🙂
RA,
Tell me about it, I’m really cheesed off, it came up with a microsoft error code but thats all double dutch to me 🙁
I may aswell cancel mine RA, its worth diddly squit to me right now ….
Well all i can say is that Benitez is a rubbish coach or he has just gone bad over the years.
Jose must be wondering what Benitez has done to the perfect team he formed and nurtured to the final last year.
The same guys that won the CL now trashed by the Spuds,(DVD frenzy at the lane 🙂 )
Well i can only think about our game today now, we are going to field a weak team and the Sharktars will want to take advantage. God help us.
Amen SD!!
Hi SD, i echo T-buzz’s Amen….
Hello HH,
Song and Denilson out that can’t be good and if we add Diaby to the bunch we look short in players AW plays them as a DM.
But if we defend as a team I think we will do some good.
It would be nice if continue our winning run.
Hi Stef..
Does anyone know the squad that travelled please?
morning all. nice post, k. i hope we are there to take care of business…i doubt shakhtar will be as poor as they were at the emirates, but i don’t think they are anything special, even at home. this is a game we should try to win outright, not only for qualification’s sake, but to win for the first time in the ukraine.
i have quickly developed a healthy disdain and contempt for that clown lucescu. i am sure part of his comments were to “influence” the referee and rally support for his side, but they were still stupid, dishonest, and insulting – not only to arsenal. i would love to see our side not only win, but rack the score up and humiliate lucescu – arsene doesn’t operate like that, so i don’t see that happening.
rico, i’ll try and get it…all i know is that the players we speculated on – cesc, song, arshavin, and denilson – have all stayed home. as i understand, diaby did not make the trip either. so we have a light midfield.
starting eleven? i am going for fabianski, clichy, koscielny, squillaci, sagna, jack, nasri, eastmond, rosicky, theo, chamkah.
hi oliver, i read all that sruff about the SD manager saying they equalled us on play but lost only due to a dodgy ref… i’m surprised he has been reprimanded…
i certainly don’t think it will be easy for us there but then i thought it wouldn’t be that easy at home 😉
Hello all. Enjoyed the post and Rico i liked yours from 1st. I still have some reading to catch up on…
and our absentee list makes this job a bit more diffcult. i doubt it will be easy – shakthar are clearly a better side than bursaspor (can you think of a worse, more useless side to ever participate in the cl? of course united are the ones that get the free six points with them), but are nothing special. we can do this, just need to be focused and ready to battle.
thanks oliver – i reckon you are not far off with your starting eleven, i only wonder if nik will start to give chamakh a break..
i wish jj would pop on sometime, i suggested to him a long while ago that theo could follow henry, that being go from winger to striker, he laughed(nicely) at my suggestion…. now wenger has said he will soon be played in the central striker role, just like henry 😆
Howdy folks comes on you Arsenal!
Hi Pea, long time no see, thanks re the post, i am a bit of a Piers Morgan fan 🙂
Howdy Erick, good to see you …
Nice piece Rico for a minute I thought it was KT’s post he is rubbing some Euro magic on you
😆 Erick, it is KT’s, i forgot to put that at the bottom 😳
How come nobody has mentioned Vela for the trip.
How has Fran Merida being doing in …. i forgot the club he went to now.Athletico Madrid ?
i think arsene will start with chamakh and look to bendtner in the second half. since nik has returned from injury, that is how arsene has been employing them, and i don’t expect him to depart from that just yet.
i would like to see nik start some games, but i can see arsene looking at fixtures like wolves for that. or the last two cl group ties (if we win tonight). actually, if we win tonight, i would like to see jet start one of these last two cl ties.
sd, unless vela is hurt, i imagine he will made the trip. our problem is the midfield absentees, we are fine up front. i don’t see any scenario that has vela starting tonight.
Don’t think he’s played for them yet SD, he should have stayed put….
good point re vela, i forget about him, how bad am i, he should be the replacement for AA thats for sure..
we’ll know soon enough i guess and i’m just glad its not my job to pick the side. been calling for vela to get games and then i forget him…
i guess it will depend on how wenger approaches the game, can’t see him playing 4-3-3 in this tie to be honest….
🙂 no worries Rico its all HH
another one gone out on loan, Tom Cruise has joined Carlisle….
😆 Erick…
The Reserve seems to be getting weaker with all this loans but Nikky needs to start ahead of Chamaka we have Newcastle sunday and we need the fire power
i think they are too, they lost yesterday at home to villa, oliver was right, for the first time too 🙁
Has anyone mentioned that we lost 3:0 the last time we played Shakhtar away (2007, I think).
Thanks RA for scarring us the more with your research
Howdy all.cesc has made 10 successfull through balls;more than anyone in the entire league.
In 2000-2001 when we met shaktar we beat them 3-2 at Highbury but lost 3 nil in Ukraine.
but with a CC team i think RA 🙂
Hi KT, nice preview, thank you 🙂
Barca have won 1 in 11 away games in the CL.
Barca are rubbish KT 🙂
I saw the FC Copenhagen manager having a right go at Pep after the game… what was all that about then??
I seem to have lost my piggy 🙁
Bit quiet on here have you missed me 😉
No need to reply RA I know you have it’s ok…!
Don’t all rush to reply now. . . . . . . . .
Blimey, shock horror, look who finally makes an appearance 🙂
Ah ok so I get it,
It took you so long ro reply cos you fell off ur zimmer frame sorry I mean off your chair with shock…!
Sailor 🙂 howdy
i did, bent it now 😆 total shock, where you been you old tinker ….
WATH WHAT?
What is going on?
Rico you said you had lost your piggy, and in the next second WATH reappears! That’s not nice.
I hope you apologise to my little friend, who I have missed terribly!! 🙂 I kept trying to hit him but kept missing terribly when he kept ducking. 🙂
So basically we now know Inter cant win the CL this season i guess my money is on Real Madrid and Arsenal 🙂
😆 RA…
I’d cut that down to just the one SD … 🙂
Ra stop getting all lovey dovey with me I really cant see a grown man get all slushy over someone….!
SD, Erick greetings gents hope your all keeping well, long time SD you ok… Erick hows work mate..?
Rico been a tad busy thats all but I’m sure you been having lots of fun without me….!
wenger has had this to say re Chesney
‘I don’t understand the statement because we are talking. So I’m quite surprised when I read statements like that. This statement is not true.
The quotes are supposed to be from the agent not Szczeseny and we are talking to the agent so I cannot understand where this statement comes from.
I expect the matter to be resolved shortly.’
I thought you had retired WATH, you are meant to take it easy 😆
Aw reckons theo will lace henry’s boots…time will tell.
Retired……….. lol, I aim to before my 40th Rico so got a little while yet…! You been back a while isn’t it time you had a nother holiday 😛
Good to see yah WATH.
Are we winning today ?
Ha Ha, am due another one this month, but may have to put it on hold 😉
KT, i think Theo will in time, wenger thinks he’s ahead of schedule so all he needs to do is stay fit, thats his only obstacle
Mourinho made inter look decent.benitez has made inter look liverpool…i like bale.we need direct runners in our team who can burn players on one on one sitiuations.in our team only theo,diaby and sicky do it consistently.AA does it less frequently.
Not so sure about winning SD but think we def good enough to get a point and if we keep it solid in midfield yep good enough to win it too…. I fancy Theo having a bit of a stormer 2nite….!
Rico henry is as intelligent a player in the last decade as you’ll see.not only did he have pace, he also had an abundance of skills and flicks that would help him past players parking the bus.he would also score screamers,very tall and strong too.do you honestly think theo can accomplish 80% of that?…if he does i’ll be thrilled!
KT, i was talking to someone the other day who reckons Benitez is a quality manager… he reckons that he did well with the players he had at ‘pool!!
I didn’t say anything….
I do KT, he’s only 21, Henry wasn’t doing it at that age, if he stays fit we will see a wonderful player, probably not as good as Henry, but he’ll be a great Theo Walcott and that’s all I hope for.. He’s certainly heading in the right direction at the moment…
I reckon a point tonight, unless Shakatak are off form…
I loved Henry, please don’t anyone doubt that but… in his last few seasons with us he almsot hindered our game. Most players always looked to find him with a pass regardless of where he was on the pitch.. It was almost as if they were frightened to try something different or pass to a player in a better position… We were too reliant on him just as we are in some games now with Cesc…
Theo isn’t like that right now and I hope he never does become like that either….
And boy did Henry sulk if the pass was not perfect….
Rico i get your point about henry inhibiting our game.cesc felt obliged to pass to him but now we play more as a team.rico i want theo to develop more flair to his game as we know most teams won’t give him that half yard.
He will, we just have to be patient KT 😉
I don’t think he needs half a yard to be honest, the perfect ball into his run will be enough, he’d breeze passed most. Look at one of the goals tiny totts scored, Bale just hit the ball many yards ahead of him and ran. His pace got them that goal and the old boy after him had no chance of catching him….
Gotta shoot catch ya soon…… be good all…!
Catch you soon WATH, be good 😉
Rico, the statement from Wenger shows to prove to us all once again that footballers are generally clueless and doesn’t even understand when discussions are going on that it means a potential deal is about to happen.
That reminds me of a quote from Andy Cole during the Rooney drama , he thought his agent was being nice allowing him to stay in his house for 3weeks until he discovered the agent(Rooney’s agent)was taking the rent out of his pay.
How did his agent have access to his pay to start with ?
Then i would understand why Chesney’s agent will be discussing with Wenger and Chesney himself will be thinking he is blackmailing arsenal with a dream of playing for AC Milan just like ADE.Stupid footballers.
Rico but i’ve got to say theo is developing a magnetic close control that has seen him glide past 3 players in one movement.it helps training with sicky,cesc,AA and nasri…
RVP10 has been called up for the dutch friendly against Turkey!!!…Van Marjwick must be insane…
Good statisticky piece, KT. 😉 Interesting how both teams are currently in great form. It should be an explosive match.
Hello, everyone. 🙂
The Dutch NT coach is an idiot! 😡
For a player so young, he’s soon caught on SD, he should shut up and know his chance will come…
KT, i think we agree, he gonig to be good, one day 😉
Howdy agag, wth, Robin called up by the Dutch, that’s just what wenger thought they would do isn’t it??
Fantastic, rico. Got a few things up my sleeve. 🙂 🙂 Busy though. 😕 And you?
Are they so silly as to call Robin up for some completely meaningless match, when he has been out so long? Shows how little they care about their players. I would be the happiest person on earth if he never goes on international duty again… 😀
all good thanks agag, ‘a few things up your sleeve’ sounds interesting 😉
so would i, he seriously needs to start putting his club first and quit dutch footie, otherwise his career will soon be over…
Sunderland’s 2nd top goal scorer is (drumrolls)…own goal from the mancs…hola agag and thanks for the support.
KT, did you see earlier, Erick came on and told me my post was good and that your style was rubbing off on me – oops, guess who forgot to write your name under the article 😆
van marwijk has also called up kuyt (liverpool), van bommel (bayern), who are also injured…he did not call robben (bayern), another injured player. if arsenal wants to complain, we should have allies in bayern, at least…
i can only hope that common sense will prevail and none of the players will actually play if not ready. our problem is fifa’s system overwhelmingly favors the national teams, as the world cup and regional championships are that groups’ big money-spinners. as much as i personally disagree with the netherlands’ fa decision, i believe fifa regulations support them doing this.
the “reasonable man solution”, one that may ensure future cooperation and decent relations between club and country – is for van marwijk to overlook rvp for this upcoming meaningless friendly, and let him finish his recovery and start playing for arsenal again. this will probably go a long way to preventing ill will in the future. however, as van marwijk has already announced his squad – with rvp included – it is probably too late for that.
i am sure arsene will be less than pleased. and i imagine relations between arsenal and the dutch fa will continue to deteriorate.
someone – i think rico – suggested recently that rvp reconsider his committment to his national side. i argued that he probably dreamt of winning the world cup in orange, and would not give that up lightly. situations such as this, however, support rico’s argument far more than mine. at some point, robin himself is going to have to consider whether or not retiring from iternational football may be in the best interests for his club career. a player can have a great club career without international football. to my knowledge, nobody has had an international career without actually having a club career.
over to you, robin…
Hey, KT. You really do love your stats and trivia, don’t you? Re: your 12:42, Cesc has grown in stature and influence so much, it’s hard to believe he’s still so young. Injury barring, he will only get better. 🙂
Where only two years ago, he was constantly described as one of the best young talents around, he is now touted as one of football’s finest. Full stop. I like that.
rico, just happy things. 🙂 🙂 It is beyond ridiculous to even consider him; and downright offensive to the club. Such disregard for a player’s playing condition can only breed animosity between club and country. After that farcical diagnosis of RvP’s ankle injury last year, which resulted in a looooong lay-off, do they seriously think we’d let him play now that he’s hardly seen any action?
Hey, oliver. Howdy?
hi agag…annoying about robin being called up for that useless november 17th friendly, but i think we all saw this coming…
Aston villa have not scored in 344 minutes of football…
When this was first mentioned, I thought it so silly it could only be true… And true enough… 🙂
That’s a lot of minutes, KT. 🙂
Did he call De Jong?
He didnt the last time after his Chuck Norris antics
agag, they are often the best 😉
oliver, what upsets me is we are the only one’s who lose out by him playing – some may say robin does too but he is the only person who knows how his body feels… surely he must realise he will end up crippled if he doesn’t give up the dutch….
I liked what KT wrote yesterday too about Bale… Low and behold, this morning every top club in the world is being linked to him….
Rico maybe i’ll be Aw’s successor…!
Rico,
I have kept an eye on Newsnow reports while working, and I am appalled.
This is the “closed” season, several weeks away from the transfer window, but the number of headlines declaring our interest in, or pursuit of, or fight with Manure/Chelski for the signature of …., is at an incredble and implausible level.
Horrible nonsense! 🙁
Sorry KT,
I have made the observation many times that Arsene signed the “wrong” Southampton starlet. Blasphemy? Maybe.
We could have had Bale for about £5m but because Clichy and Traore looked like the future, AW rejected the chance.
Bet he would re-consider now. Tricky business football. 🙂
Maybe you should be KT 🙂
Oh about Bale being linked to every top club:
I will personally like to meet these newspaper writers in person one day then i will laugh them off.
They pick on any little event and run with it with speculations.
Do you really think any club CEO or Chairman would suddenly be on the phone yesterday to find out if he is for sale ?
it is junk journalism.
i know what you are saying rico, but the real solution – one that will probably never happen – is for fifa to introduce balance to their international call-up regulations. i imagine that national fa’s have been vested power to call up injured players to prevent club teams from “deselecting” certain players through injury, real or feigned. our problem, however, is that we have fools like van marwijk calling rvp up “because he can”.
the record shows that robin has not played competitive football in nearly two months. surely his injury is valid? and surely it is nobodys interests to play him before he is ready? arsene projects the spuddies fixture for his return – four days after this friendly. is it really so difficult for van marwijk to hold off on the call up, wait for robin play for arsenal again, and then call him up. it is because this is all about van marwijk making a point…but that is another argument…
But that’s always been the way RA, you/we know it happens just before the window opens, 8 weeks to go and it will get a lot worse 😉
Bale had set a new record for minutes played without a win.he nearly left the tiny totts in jan only for injuries to force ‘arry to play him.since then he has grown in confidence and it is showing.i hope fabianski takes heart from bale.however,i want to see how bale plays against ‘park the plane’ opponents or double/triple marking which will determine if he truly is world class.messi/cr7 have produced performances like those of bale 8/10 times in the past 3 years making them remarkable players.welsh fans can now hope that with ramsey (touchwood) and bale they can have some international success those two talents deserve.it would be sad if bale/rambo fail to get recognition like giggs due to failure of the Welsh national team.
fifa and how they run the international friendlies are just as much to blame as the netherlands fa. their unfair system enables the likes of van marwijk, domenech and others to do this sort of thing. these friendlies also make money for fifa and the respective fa’s, so perhaps sponsors expect to see full-strength sides for these garbage matches – that is still no ground for calling up a player not yet deemed match fit.
if you think this is bad, wait until van marwijk actually plays robin – before he makes his arsenal return!!
sorry…as you may reasonably infer, these friendlies are a bit of a sore subject for me. i am rather dismissive of international football as a whole – i consider it vasstly inferior – and massively overhyped – to club football.
they are too busy trying to pick on the clubs oliver, they don’t look any further than that. do clubs get fined for a false injury?
but i like your idea and sadly you are right, they are unlikely to do that..
i think the call up is in hope, just in case robin plays, but he won’t and even if he was fit, wenger will wait until after the international break to play him i’m sure… if he’s got any sense he will get Theo and Cesc to pull up with injuries on 88 minutes against everton 😉
oliver, i understand where you are coming from, they are pointless and midweek between two PL fixtures…
Madness, utter madness!
KT, i do think inter made him look good though, yes he has greatly improved but i thought his performance in the away game was better, scoring a hatrick from his position is something special…
You have a point about Bale, KT.
My interest in him came from watching Arsenal/Southampton youth matches some years ago.
Interestingly, a Spurs supporting neighbour told me Bale was absolutely cr*p last year while playing full back, his recognised position.
It is only since ‘Arry moved him up to midfield has he regained his youthful brilliance. I understand what SD is saying and he too is right. To imagine the world of football woke up this morning and said “wow, we must sign him” is just bullsh*t. 🙂
My earlier post re:bale.when he played the mancs he made 18 successful passes because nani and rafael often double teamed him.against everton phil neville did the same resulting in him making 15 passes.against inter he made 31 passes…feel free to make your own conclusions.
hi ra…offseason now starts. hal steinbrenner was on with francesa yesterday afternoon to talk about chuck greenberg’s stupid and insulting comments and free agency. yankees will be looking to strengthen the team – cliff lee – but also have start negotiations with jeter and rivera on new contracts. he warned that they want to bring both icons back, but the deals will have to suit both (player and team) parties…
jeter and mo are yankees in their blood – i just cannot see either playing for another team. stranger things have happened, but there is no step up from where either of them are now.
popping off for a bit, back before the game…
Hi Oliver,
I was really pleased the SF Giants closed out the Worlds, as I had hoped. 🙂
Greenberg is a total idiot and frankly it is hard to understand why he behaves like that.
Anyway, it will be interesting to see what transpires during the off season.
I think that’s Rico knocking at the door, so I’ve got to go too. 🙂
Only kidding guys! 🙂
yeah, i was hugely impressed by the sf giants – there pitching was just too good. i also thought tim linceum – the seattle kid with the pinoy lolo – should have been the series mvp. without him outpitching lee twice, i think the teams would be playing game six tonight…
theoooooooooooooooooooooo
who needs a yard KT 😉 great pace by Theo and such a cooooool finish 🙂
evening oliver, good start
cant believe nikki didn’t get a penalty earlier…
Oh Dear…..
sagna on please arsene……
same old clichy then……
Atleast Eastmond scored 😀
we look a bit off we don’t pass the ball as good as we know.
I think if we played Lansbury instead of Eastmond the scoreline would be different.
i think has got better stef, really unlucky with the own goal 🙁
chamakaka has to come on soon….
no eastmond own goal, good…..
oliver, please let me know if you want a night off from writing tonight 😉
well, its like the fan who creeps out early, i’m off guys and gals, night night all stay safe ….
Well just to dampen everybody’s spirit, we lost and that was my fear and I did tell everybody to be afraid. 🙁
new post up…