D-Sanchez-Cabello
Earlier in the season, these match previews were written with a small amount of logic. They might adhere to something along the lines of: said team has weakness, which compliments certain strength of ours. Sometimes it worked, other times it didn’t, but there was at least a certain amount of reasoning behind a wild prediction.
That all changed with the breakdown of our title challenge and, like the desperate atheist, embracing faith as a final gamble, I turned to more arcane methods. Nothing too severe, just ritual sacrifices…
Five goats, five bloody goats and we drew to Swansea! They weren’t even my goats!
It might take more than goats today…
Everything suggests this will be a tiresome game. City have resorted to early season scoring habits and we have resorted to our form circa 2009 (not an easy time to be a supporter, as you will probably remember).
The team will probably look like this:
Wojciech
Sagna Per Verm Gibbs
Arteta Cazorla
Rosicky Oxo Podolski
Giroud/Sanogo
With everything appearing to be against us, I’ve come into a mysterious bout of confidence. Not the real kind that is supported by reason/past experiences, but the David Moyes kind. You know, the sort that says things like: “because we need a reaction…” or “Football is a funny game.” …
Football isn’t always a ‘funny game’, in fact often it is the opposite, but strange results happen frequently enough for the mantra to survive.
Man City are the most complete team in the league, but they don’t scare me in the way that Chelsea do. Every time we play Chelsea, it feels as though we’re looking to banish some deep anxiety. A recurring dream that looks encouraging until it snags at that same bloody counterattack.
The psychological edge Chelsea have on us has been cultivated over a period of years. Our results against City over the same period have been a lot more positive.
The other good news is that Aguero is still out – meaning Dzeko will deputise. Though Dzeko is a good striker, you never feel as though he can win a game by himself. No matter how well you defend; Aguero always has that ability to turn a game.
Let’s hope the football gods are with us,
DSC.
I can’t believe Wenger would be so ambitious as to play that attacking a side after last week. Suspect it will be Flamini and Arteta in the middle just to try to keep things tight as long as possible. While I would love him to be out there I’m not sure Rosicky still has what it takes to play 3 tough games in a week.
Poldolski’s very good at scoring but doesn’t bring a huge amount else to the table. I’m not sure we can carry him – but an impact sub, certainly (as Tuesday). Kallstrom may slot in somewhere but we will see.
i so wish Flamini starts today
Never write off Arsenal. They perform wonders when all odds & predictions are against them & against Man city today is not an exception.
Arsenal will perform when least expected & written off. Against Man city is another of such Arenal surprise-performance.
I would love to see another one nil to Arsenal, it is a very hard game, but this next two games are our best chances to change the table
Winning these two and the top four is guaranteed, we may be able to go even no higher on the table
So as we are football fans, let’s hope we can win this!
In my squad Kallsrum is a starter, he is solid, experienced player with good long passes which we can hopefully use in counter attacks 🙂
History showed us that City has this habit having trouble with teams who work hard until the last moment, and despite all those five nil things, they easily get nervous and lose their focus on the final third of the opponence, they are lacking the luck factor either (which is however covered by the referees, helping them with their failed offside traps and not banning the guilty players)
Any way, let’s work hard today, press them hard in the middle and score that killer goal to Finish them off
You came close DOM. This is what I think ESPN (world wide leader in being ESPN) lists as the actual lineup.
Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Arteta, Rosicky, Flamini, Cazorla, Podolski, Giroud
Apparently John Terry scored a wonderful goal today. Hopefully Crystal Palace hold on for the win.
http://fansided.com/2014/03/29/john-terry-scores-goal-incredible-header-gif/
COYG!
Gord,
they could 🙂
Just another thing that winning (or losing) 6-0 (0-6) is the same as doing it with 1-0 (0-1): you only get 3 points for it.
Chelsea maybe thought that as the ball just flew in any time they shot between the posts in their last match that goals would come with no problem at all.
They should have saved a few goals up for this match… 😉
Dom, with respect to sacrificing goats, maybe you weren’t supposed to sacrifice goats? I went looking a little into kinds of meat, and someone mentioned that there was little to choose between meat goats (like the Boer) and hair sheep (Dorfer?). Maybe we were supposed to sacrifice sheep the other day?
Crystal Palace hang on for the 1-0 win. How to go John Terry!
COYG!
I said it earlier on another thread, it’s still up for grabs. Well done palace. Even if we don’t win today, nothing compares to seeing the smile getting wiped off that c*nt murionho’s face. COYG!!
Chelsea, they got two away losses 0-1 right after two big wins (against Tott and us).
What does that mean? They are wonderful, aren’t they!??
At least today I think I have every right to be pleased :))
The almighty man city was completely shackled by our perfect game!
Only one mistake and we are punished by a lucky gaol!
Fantastic game so far, flawless performance, never deserve a goal
City is nervous and Silva had to be sent off!
From Sports Mole:
> 11 min PENALTY APPEAL! Arsenal want a penalty as Rosicky goes down under a challenge from Zabaleta. However, Mike Dean waves away the appeals. It was probably the right decision from the official as well. The Arsenal midfielder looked like he went down a bit too easily there.
> 27 min Nasri, who has been booed since kickoff, does nothing to endear himself to the Arsenal fans as he clatters into Rosicky. Mike Dean decides to keep his cards in his pocket this time. Despite the hosts showing a bit more attacking intent it’s Man City who continue to pose more of a threat.
—
I am guessing that the reason there was no penalty is that Rosicky obviously did not have a broken bone protruding through his skin. And probably something similar for Nasri fouling Rosicky in the later case?
COYG!
Wish we could play more calm at their final third, the sence where Hart and Demiklis shook hand for that deflection showed how stressed they are
Lukaswas the worst player, 3 mistakes and the last one was hilarious!
Gord
If this was Daniel Sturridge, it would be penalty and a red cart!
Silva’s tackle deserved a straight Red Card
Ruthless tackle, not even near the ball
So far I feel good about Mikel. Well done to him! Possession really meant little at this first half. Got no impression that we weren’t as good as them.
Hopefully it’ll turn out to be a good result at the end.
From Sports Mole:
> 6.30pm
> 5 – There have been just five fouls in the first half of Arsenal v Man City but four yellow cards have been shown. Harsh.
—
Obviously, persistent infringement has not been the reason for any yellows then.
COYG!
We need to fuckin shoot,why do we have to pass in the wings when we are just outside the eighteen yard box. One shot and none on target really! and we need to be champions?/ Wenger get off the chair and command the boys to shoooooooooot. And let Ox and Gnabry come on for Giroud and Flamin because if he gets a yellow card he will miss Everton and Wigan. We need to put Man $ity’s defence on heat and Giroud can not do that.
Yesssss
Obviously, someone was listening to you KampalaGun.
None of the Arsenal players are in card danger.
COYG!
@Gord thanks but are you seeing the ass liner he is on a mission or what!!
We need the OX NOW
KampalaGun.
All I get is text commentary, and they never mention things like that.
COYG!
It does seem that Mertesacker and Vermaelen are getting more used to each other. For the Arsenal defence to be complimented by commentary is unusual.
COYG!
Really why podoski and not Giroud anyway wenger knows i hope
The whore lists are changing their tongues
and mike dean shit is doing his shit
ok but its not enough,but we have to cheer for that.
Fantastic play, as I said before: flawless!
What a spirit! Hard worker battlers all game long!
For me, Mathiu’s goal celebration and Thomas Rosicky’s chase back was like 3 points!
Soooooooooo unlucky with Podolsky’s shot!
Thank you guys! Thank you!
City had nothing to say with all they super squad!
If we just have one player like Ramsey to come to the pith at 75 mins to provide some fresh legs in the middle ..
This performance brings us a lot of hope
A positive attitude brings hopes and smiles to a positive life.
Thank you all Gunners and supporters today.
@ DSC – Stolen goats ? Really ? And what if God is a vegetarian ? Well at least during Lent !
Goats and sheep have cloven hooves and fur ,just like the fallen one .Maybe a study is required ?
Next week try red herrings !
WHAT HAPPENS IN HEAVEN WHEN WE PRAY?
I dreamt that I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around. We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels. My angel guide stopped in front of the first section and said, ‘This is the Receiving Section. Here, all petitions to God said in prayer are received.
I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many angels sorting out prayer petitions written down on voluminous paper sheets from people all over the world.
Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second section.
The angel then said to me, “This is the Packaging and Delivery Section. Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for them.” I noticed again how busy it was there. There were many angels working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged for delivery to Earth.
Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the door of a very small station. To my great surprise, only one angel was seated there, idly doing nothing. “This is the Acknowledgment Section, my angel friend quietly admitted to me. He seemed embarrassed.
“How is it that there is no work going on here? I asked.”
“So sad,” the angel sighed. “After people receive the blessings that they asked for, very few send back acknowledgments.”
“How does one acknowledge God’s blessings? “I asked.
“Simple,” the angel answered. Just say, “Thank you, Lord.”
“What blessings should they acknowledge?” I asked.
“If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world.
If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy, and if you get this on your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the world who has that opportunity.”
“If you woke up this morning with more health than illness.. You are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day.”
“If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation… You are ahead of 700 million people in the world.”
“If you can attend a church/gurudwara/mosque/temple without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death you are envied by, and more blessed than, three billion people in the world.”
“If your parents are still alive and still married…. you are very rare.”
“If you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm, you’re unique to all those in doubt and despair…….”
“Ok,” I said. “What now? How can I start?”
The Angel said, “If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you as very special and you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.”
Have a good day, count your blessings, and if you care to, pass this along to remind everyone else how blessed we all are……….
ATTN: Acknowledge Dept.
“Thank you Lord, for giving me the ability to share this message and for giving me so many wonderful people with whom to share it.”