Morning all.
I’m not overly fussed about tomorrow nights result but as Arsenal fans will be giving up their time and money to watch the boys play against one of the best sides in football, should we expect to see our strongest eleven up against Bayern?
Our Champions League destination is in our own hands. Win all the remaining group fixtures and we’ll make the knock-out stages, lose tomorrow and we’re pretty much out. As Arsene Wenger said on Saturday, not even a 0-0 will do us any good.
Should we win tomorrow, what are the chances of us beating Bayern again in two weeks time and what’s the chances of winning all of the other fixtures? Slim to none spring to mind, a bit like back in 2003/04 when at this stage of the competition, we sat bottom of our group with just one point. How we ended up topping the group that season I don’t know.
Arsene Wenger has made it quite clear that he really wants to win the Premier League again so he has to make a big decision ahead of tomorrow nights fixture. Does he stick with David Ospina in goal and play the likes of Gibbs, Debuchy, Chambers, Arteta, Flamini etc etc? Or field the strongest side he can and go for the win?
I don’t think it would be worth going with the latter, not in the long run, as this is perhaps the best chance we’ll have to win the league for a while and the Champions League would be nothing other than a hindrance. Too many players have played too many matches and any one of them could pick up an injury playing again so soon after the international break and a tough fixture just a couple of days ago…
Everton travel to The Emirates on Saturday for an evening kick-off and I’d hate to see a few of our key players missing that one….
What do you think?
[yop_poll id=”4″]Have a good Monday all…
I have been having loading problems loading HH for a few days now too.
I would have thought that the CL has gone for us, but who knows? But we do need to maintain the performance level we are setting in the PL so a strong team for me.
No Europa League though for sure.
I’d rather one or two get a breather, certainly Alexis but have a feeling it’ll be the strongest eleven…
Mixed feelings, really. I don’t want to us putout of the CL ignominiously but I don’t want to watch Thursday football, even if it does mean the reserves get to fly around Europe and beyond! If the old chap thinks we still have a chance of qualifying he should put out the strongest team but, if he’s given up on this year’s comp then he should save the cream and aim for last spot! Shocking I know but, as Rico said, it’s possibly our best chance of winning our league, this year and I think old Silverado might well hand in his meal ticket, a la red nose, if the Arsenal were title holders! Then again he would be left dissatisfied as he would never have won, nor could he if he resigned, have actually attempted to win the CL! So what will he do tomorrow? He’ll select a stronger team than he was going to, in order to give himself and the team half a chance of qualification and playing beyond Xmas.
We’ll see, maybe he’ll give us all a steer after 12.30.
Gosh, I’m almost excited!
Morning all.
A full tilt assault at the League is what I’d like to see.
Two woeful performances have Alamos totally killed off any CL aspirations we might have had, so let’s send a decent side out to have a crack, but rest a few lads that have had a busy schedule.
No Thursday footie for me either, unless AW plays the old has beens and youngsters… 😉
Me too Scott, and the FA Cup..
Whatever logic behind it, I wouldn’t want us to field a weakened side just because we’re aiming for the title. AW wouldn’t do that and I’d go with him all the way. If, and it’s looking a big IF, England gets stripped of one CL spot, I wouldn’t want the blame to be anywhere around Arsenal.
Besides, who says this Arsenal side can’t beat Bayern? They can and they will tomorrow…whoever knows things about Arsenal should place a huge bet on their beating Bayern tomorrow. The Arsenal I’ve come to know will take four points off Bayern. Sounds crazy but I’m confident they will.
Afternoon Rico, All…
Nice post
Afternoon Tai.
The flip side to England losing a CL place would mean the club would have to ensure we have a stronger squad in order to all but guarantee 3rd place at least each season…
Four points off Bayern wouldn’t be enough would it? And we’d still have to beat the other two….
David Ospina won’t start tomorrow, he’s injured…
Four points off Bayern and we’re very much in it and should qualify. Having a stronger squad is no more a guarantee in the EPL…any team can beat another on any turf…just look at West Ham.
Chelsea still have a very strong squad…imagine if Arsenal were presently in Chelsea’s position!
Conservatism will have a lot to play henceforth in this league.
afternoon rico and the house
nice post
i voted for a weaken side and have now changed my mind. if we can get a win it will bolster our belief even more.
im not sure the fans who turn up on tuesday will be happy to see a weakened team.
AW has hinted at playing his best side too…
Afternoon Mg…
Looks like it’ll be a full strength side so we’ll just have to hope for no injuries. I guess AW will really go for the home game and see where it takes us.
We should field a best side in Bayern match. After saying that, if we consider the next six matches, we need to play our best team in 5 matches except Shiefield.
1) Bayern (H) – CL
2) Everton (H) – PL
3) Shiefield (A) – LC
4) Swansea (A) – PL
5) Bayern (A) – CL
6) Tottenham (H) – PL
If we are to stay in contention for a champions league place, we’ll have to play our best to get the maximum points.
The three PL matches are very much tricky and they’ll play to beat us at all cost. We can’t take risk by playing with a weaker side, which would reduce our chance to win the league. We need our best team to take points from all three matches to stay in the title challenge.
This is the part of season where squad depth is required to fight for the title (our weakness). Hope our players don’t fall into fatigue or injury.
He has no option, the United game upped the stakes and he needs to keep the team’s spirits up . a win might be on the cards but even a draw assists in the coefficients . Should we fail to win the league , a narrow defeat would mean we might need the points to get a better draw next year.
3 tough league games in there Madhav, should be a few changes for the CO Cup though…
Good post…
A strong squad for me..; winning is a habit. the ex-pros keep telling us.
Rico, I have a pre-match post for you if you haven’t written one yet.
Well, being quite neutral about things, I want Wenger to rest a few players and save them for the Everton match, which is far more important…
Hold on…..!
I’ve just got a ticket for the Bayern game…
So, in that case, I insist that Wenger plays his strongest team…
I will be outraged if he rests players… 🙂
A strong and the best possible team for me.
We must win for have any chances for go throught
The game will be broadcast arround the world. It’s in cause our prestige.
The others teams has also international games.
We all know, those crucial times will arrive. The squad isn’t deept enought. Everybody recognize this.
Normally, we could be close the second leg in the Champions and if it happen, the last 2-3 games we could stay in contention. Now, it’s too late for thinking in this way. Win or lost. If we lost, we can become in thinking in contention. Not for now when we are in a good moment.
Evening, strongest 11 for me, we might as well go down fighting than out with a whimper. with a full squad to choose from apart from the usual suspects, why shouldn,t we go out tomorrow night and give all, winning is a habit,it,s all about momentum now, is this what AW and the board have brought us to, not caring whether we put our strongest team out to fight for every single point left in this group, our 2 shameful performances, should be motivation enough to the team, to stand up tomorrow night and play for the Fans and the badge on their jerseys.
Well said JM, I’m with you all the way hombre…
Evening…..
Ts, yes please, thank you….
I’d play the strongest team it seems to me that 9 points will take second place in the group.
Win tomorrow and even if we lose in Munich we still only have to win our last two games which we are capable of doing.
You sure Joe, I thought it was lose tomorrow and we’ve gone…
Joe is very right. Even six points could see us to knockout stage provided Dynamo Zagreb and Olympiacos draw both their head-to-head games.
Having a side like Munich in the group generally means they win most or all their games. So win tomorrow and also win two more games against the other teams in the group will give us nine points.
Tai it’s Arsenal we are talking about we’d never get that lucky only needing 6 points 😉
Evening all….
Strongest team for me, i’m not freezin’ me nutz off for nothing..lol
Good news…
Ajax want to send Sanogo back to Arsenal.
That’ll be our new striker sorted out then…
Kev, are you for the Rocket tomorrow night?
Well, I just don’t see us getting through the group at all…
I read that Kev, deep joy eh….
Mind you, if Pep wants to replace Arsene one day, he might just help us out…. ?
Rico…this is football…and you never say never. Bayern is a great team…but the Arsenal team that beat them at the Alianz Arena had no Sanchez, no Cech, not even Ozil…
Tai, we’ll see… None of us can predict either way believing we are right…
But yes, on paper we are stronger than before – but not strong enough to beat Olympiacos at home…..
Neither were we strong enough to beat West Ham but we did beat Man U!
Are Man Utd much better than West Ham?? ??
Of course they’re not…same way I wouldn’t believe Bayern are any better than Olympiacos…
I’m not convinced Tai…. Lol
But we were superb against Utd and made them look quite average….
I’m off so night all…
Night Rico…hope we’d all be having a good laugh by this time tomorrow.
Sorry BT…
Not tomorrow mate, I’ll be working up to close to kick-off…
If I go to a Saturday or Sunday game I go in there…
You in there then mate?
You’ll love it, it has a great vibe, full of Gooners, big TV screens, wall-to-wall football… 😉
It would a great venue for a HH Christmas party… 🙂
Kev, i’ll be in from about 6pm, i know the Rocket well, usually head to the match from there, done a few of their parties over the years. Pity your not about earlier, would have been nice to have had a beverage or two with you…..lol
Next time perhaps, certainly plenty of room for a Christmas party..
Morning Rico, All…
Woke up today, feeling more optimistic than I’ve ever been. Bayern is falling tonight. Say it loud in London, Munich, all of Chile, Nigeria et al…
Morning Rico, tai and all..
Bt- are you paying for the HH Christmas party? 🙂
FC Munchens’ record of 9 wins out of 9 seems very impressive but in my view they can be beaten…
They have relied a lot on Muller and Lew’s goals…; their makeshift central defender Alaba can be exposed.
That’s a definate, BT…
We can share a jug of beer for sure… 🙂
Morning Ts…
We’re beating Bayern tonight.
Ts, please can you post the starting line-up between both sides when we hammered them 2 – 0 in Munich?
Morning all.
Morning Ts, Tai, Kev, Scott and all..
Thanks re the post Ts, just passed it to my editor…. 😉
Are you guys finding loading the site is much quicker this morning?
Well, I never encountered problem over here with the site. So…
I have one complaint Rico, the post are becoming far to precise eloquent and grammatically correct…. I can’t understand a bloody word……………!
😉
Oh and morning you lot…………..
Bye……….
Tai- for us we had Flappy in goal.
Defence- Gibbs, CJ25, Kosser, Per.
Midfield- Ramsey- Arteta-TR07
AM- SC19, Theo
with OG12 upfront.
That was the game Jupp Heynckes singled out my man MA08 and TR07 as the difference between first leg and second leg.
That game re-started AR16’s career with us
Morning Wath- and Bye
FC Hollywood started with Neuer, Lahm, Van Buyten, Dante, Alaba, Javi Martinez, Gustavo, Muller, Kroos, Robben, Mandzukic
Much quicker for me today Rico
Morning Rico and all.
Rico, you have an editor then? 🙂
I hope your editor was not Wath- I can’t trust that bloke.. 😉
Hi Adam… well, I thought her editor was you but since you are asking I am beginning to wonder… 🙂
Morning Wath. That’s funny… 🙂
Me too Ts, much better..
Morning Adam. No chance…. 😉
Thanks Ts…
Now add Cech, Gabriel, Monreal, Bellerin in places of Flappy, Per, Gibbs and Jenks respectively in defence…meaning only Kozzer remains…
Put Le Coq, Carzola, Ozil in place of AR08, TR7, Ramsey…in the middle.
Then have Ramsey Sanchez, Theo in place of Theo, Carzola, OG12 in attack.
What do we have?
A far better Arsenal in every department.
Morning TS. Certainly not me. 🙂
And apart from Lewnadowski, that bayern looked more fearsome than what we have today, even if Guardiola should be feared more than Heynckes…
I hear you Tai- but you are forgetting the Bavarians have Alonso, and Vidal in place of Kroos and Gustavo.
In my view, Sc19 and Le coq are not tactical enough to handle Lahm, Alonso and Thiago in CM.
Plus they have Lew instead of mandzukic…
Both teams are stronger but I think we are stronger defensively than they are. I don’t rate their main defenders Rafinha, Boateng, alaba and Bentrand.
The naivety of AW will be a factor. Pep will start with 2 more defensive players than we will, whilst AW will most probably go all out.
That’s a good one Ts…but has Vidal truly settled in?
AW should forget any attempt at possessive football with any Guardiola team…play direct. With the paces of Sanchez and Walcott…Bayern will be vulnerable…
Carzola and Le Coq can never be intimidated by any midfield on a good day…and they’ve been having good days all season.
No Per and Koz and Gabriel would give Lew a game of his life!
Thank goodness there’s no Robin…the other Messi, who can effortlessly unlock any defense.
Much better without the adverts Rico…
Maybe the adverts have more of an effect on those blogging from a phone?
London has been invaded by the Chinese…
Loads of little smiley people all over the place, 🙂
Agreed there Tai.
You are right re Vidal btw
Good Kev. Ads slowed my laptop too but much better now…
lol Kev. Are you going to be given a gun salaute whilst you drive Xi to HM’s Palace? 😛
Ts, If I was the editor I would encrypt it so you had something to do all day long………. 🙂
Morning Rico and the House.
Much quicker today. It was just like the old days! Fast, direct and up!
Tonight? Arsenal to win a close and intense match, 2-1. A bit of a nail biter. And a few squeaky bottom So!
On the negative side, anything less than a win will sanction our demise from this competition.
Bottoms. iPad still not up to snuff despite a massive improvement on the blogosphere!
New post up now…
Morning Wavy… Glad to hear…