- By Bulldog Drummond.You don’t need me to tell you that Arsenal’s form of this year has been erratic following the hammering by Liverpool.
Date Game Res Score 01 Jan 2019 Arsenal v Fulham W 4-1 05 Jan 2019 Blackpool v Arsenal FAC W 0-3 12 Jan 2019 West Ham United v Arsenal L 1-0 19 Jan 2019 Arsenal v Chelsea W 2-0 25 Jan 2019 Arsenal v Manchester United FAC L 1-3 29 Jan 2019 Arsenal v Cardiff City W 2-1 The win over Chelsea looked particularly encouraging until Bournemouth went two better, and suggested Chelsea were not all we thought they were. But then Chelsea rebounded yesterday against Huddersfield, so who knows.
The win over Cardiff was not emphatic against a team with such a poor away record, and Arsenal were completely beaten by Manchester United.
Manchester City started the new year like a team still going for the title but had one little wobble last week.
Date Game Res Score 03 Jan 2019 Manchester City v Liverpool W 2-1 06 Jan 2019 Manchester City v Rotherham United FAC W 7-0 09 Jan 2019 Manchester City v Burton Albion Lge Cup W 9-0 14 Jan 2019 Manchester City v Wolverhampton Wanderers W 3-0 20 Jan 2019 Huddersfield Town v Manchester City W 0-3 23 Jan 2019 Burton Albion v Manchester City Lge Cup W 0-1 26 Jan 2019 Manchester City v Burnley FAC W 5-0 29 Jan 2019 Newcastle United v Manchester City L 2-1 and as we can see they slipped up against Newcastle, perhaps mistaking the team for another Burton.
But their home form is probably far too impressive to allow for such nerves and it would need a team who are brilliant away from home to upset them. For at home Manchester City have played 12 home games and won 11, losing just one, scoring 40 goals and conceding 10.
Away from home Arsenal don’t have any form remotely like this – we have played 11, won four, drawn three, and lost for, scoring 22 and conceding 22.
Which really places the psychological issues at Arsenal’s door. What is worse is that the psychological issue of Arsenal’s 5-1 defeat to Liverpool will still be raw, and a couple of early goals for Manchester City could lead to disaster.
Even a recourse to recent history doesn’t help Arsenal much… – results again from Arsenal’s point of view…
Date Game Res Score Competitition 08 May 2016 Manchester City v Arsenal D 2-2 Premier League 18 Dec 2016 Manchester City v Arsenal L 2-1 Premier League 02 Apr 2017 Arsenal v Manchester City D 2-2 Premier League 23 Apr 2017 Arsenal v Manchester City W 2-1 FA Cup 05 Nov 2017 Manchester City v Arsenal L 3-1 Premier League 25 Feb 2018 Arsenal v Manchester City L 0-3 League Cup 01 Mar 2018 Arsenal v Manchester City L 0-3 Premier League 12 Aug 2018 Arsenal v Manchester City L 0-2 Premier League
Untold Arsenal: Supporting the club, the manager and the team
"I believe the target of anything in life should be to do it so well that it becomes an art." A Wenger
A Manchester paper who photographed the team on arrival last evening report no Xhaka, Maitland-Niles or Mkhitaryan. At RB/RWB we will therefore see Lichtsteiner or Jenkinson with the latter being my choice due to Licht’s lack of pace. In midfield Guendouzi and Ramsey to partner Torriera and I suspect Özil to start with Suárez coming off the bench at half time. But, like you Bulldog, what do I know?
Elsewhere in the Women’s FA Cup fourth round we have an interesting away match against Crawley Wasps. Crawley play in the fourth tier of Women’s football but are unbeaten this season with 10 straight wins so I hope we don’t underestimate them. I’m going to the game and will have a report posted probably tomorrow. Our Women have even more bad news on the injury front with Katie McCabe being seen in a protective boot at the training ground this week alongside Lia Walti and Lisa Evans who both missed our game against Reading last week with knee injuries. We now have 8 players out with long term issues. January signings Katherine Vene and Jenni Arnth are both likely to start. It will be interesting to see how much squad rotation Joe Montemurro is able to make as our U21 squad also has a Cup game today.
This game will be the biggest in Crawley’s history so it should be a good day out. The weather is cold but there is currently a cloudless blue sky and bright sunshine melting the overnight frost.
COYG
Hope you are right in selecting Suarez. Citeh won’t know him and he’s just the sort of player who will light up his new colleagues.;)
Was just pondering over Arsenal current season the Wobs are complaining that we are left by Wenger in such a big mess but fail to see that even without starting our best players we are still around 4 th place in the league +-.
Had UE played our best players in easy winable games with Ozil and Ramsey together we could have been in top4 easily.
Wenger has really destroyed us…AAArgh
Starting line up
Leno, Lichtsteiner, Koscielney, Mustafi,
Monreal, Kolasinac, Torreira, Guendouzi,
Iwobi, Aubameyang, Lacazette
Arsenal are having more injury problem on their hands in addition to the many other ones they’ve had already this season but now the regular 1st team match starter Granit Xhaka is reported to be suffering from a knock that ruled him out of the match today against Man $ity in the PL. And it has also been reported that Maitland-Niles could miss the match due his having a nagging injury. And Koscielny could be out too if his jaw that was basterdized by Lukaku hasn’t heal. Nevertheless, I’ve choose to remain positive and optimistic of an Arsenal win over Man $ity at the Etihad this evening despite that Arsenal have somehow being erratic in the PL after they’ve recovered from 2 opening seasons game lose to go unbeaten I think in 12 matches in the PL. I have made my own Arsenal diamond head match formation of 4-4-2 starting XI and the 7 Gunners I choose to be on the bench for the match yesterday night in my comment posting on this UA site. But with Xhaka now out of the 18 for the match, I am reshuffling my starts and bench for the match in the below order.
Starts.
Leno;
Jenkinson Mustafi Monreal Kolasinac;
Suarez Guendouzi Torreira Iwobi;
Lacazette Aubameyang.
Bench:
Cech Lichtsteiner Mavropanous Elneny Ramsey Ozil Willock.
I think an Arsenal win in the match is seriously on the cards. All that is left to do by Arsenal is for them to actualise the win to claim it. And I believe they’ll actualise the win and claim it denying Man $ity from laying their hands on any claim.
Amazing officiating yet again by Dean in the Leicester City v Man United game.
A true display of selected vision and gifting of cards.
The football wasn’t bad but the slope was too steep for Leicester to climb.
Grr, that isn’t a great start.
Come on Gunners!
Walter has his live match report going