Arsenal v City Pre Match Thread

[ElanJo]

Re: City v Arsenal Pre Match Thread

With them having so many injuries and us having a near enough fully fit squad, we've got to be favourites for this. I'd take a draw but I'll be ecstatic with 6 out of 6 points after these tough away fixtures. Doesn't put us in the position where we have to go for the win at anfield.

bang on the money and just shows the difference in the fortunes and luck between the 2 clubs. At the most important stage of the season you've got a fully fit squad to chose from (barring augero), whilst we've now got 5 of our best players out (walcott, ramsey, ozil, wilshere and now kos).

it really is that simple - fit squad = we were top of the league and playing good football. loads of injuries to our best players = not very good football and poor results.

this is one season where i can't blame mentality or all the other usual cliches people are using.

you can't take that many of your best players out of any team and expect to plough on.

anyway think you'll win for the reasons mentioned above. we simply have too many of our best players out to give you a good game.

In fairness we have had Aguero out for three long spells, Kompany twice, Jovetic for most of the season, Silva for two months, Nasri for 6 weeks, Fernandinho for a few weeks including the key match against Chelsea. I'd say that's most of our key players, only Zabaleta and Yaya have been injury free.

Nastasic has been out pretty much all season. Richards as well

 

[gmckennasell]

hopefully the tarquins will spend all evening booing nasri and clichy and completely forget about actually supporting their own team , they have to be the most bitter set of fans regarding their ex-players , cole , ade , clichy , nasri , just a few ex-players who always get dogs abuse from the perennial losers.

 

[aguero93:20]

@lovebitesandeveryfing Arsenal haven't got 4th secured, Toffees are 6 behind them with a game in hand, the only thing that worries me about this game is that the gap being closed might drive them on. If ourselves and everton win this weekend, it becomes 3 points behind with a game in hands and as things stand the goal differences are arsenal +19, everton +16, so you have to feel if everton make up the points they'll make up the goal difference as well.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

@lovebitesandeveryfing Arsenal haven't got 4th secured, Toffees are 6 behind them with a game in hand, the only thing that worries me about this game is that the gap being closed might drive them on. If ourselves and everton win this weekend, it becomes 3 points behind with a game in hands and as things stand the goal differences are arsenal +19, everton +16, so you have to feel if everton make up the points they'll make up the goal difference as well.

Yeah, but Everton have got us to play, haven't they? And they're going to lose that, aren't they? ;-)

 

[chris85mcfc]

@lovebitesandeveryfing Arsenal haven't got 4th secured, Toffees are 6 behind them with a game in hand, the only thing that worries me about this game is that the gap being closed might drive them on. If ourselves and everton win this weekend, it becomes 3 points behind with a game in hands and as things stand the goal differences are arsenal +19, everton +16, so you have to feel if everton make up the points they'll make up the goal difference as well.

I think Arsenal's biggest problem is their inability to raise their game when it really matters.

You'd think that after getting whalloped by their London rivals last weekend that they would come out firing against Swansea.

If they had a fully fit squad including Walcott id be a little bit worried that they might come out firing, but I just can't see anyone in their side that can hurt us enough for us not to win this game.

 

[aguero93:20]

I said the only thing lads, not that I was unduly worried (for a big game) ;). Yeh everton could well lose against us, but arsenal could go into free fall, or at the very least, drop a shitload more points if they get another twatting of us and wenger will know it, he'll have them well up for this game.
Still expecting 3 points though.

 

[Andouble]

No Ozil, Ramsay, Wilshere, Koscielny, Walcott.

Anything less than three points would be devastating.

 

[chris85mcfc]

I said the only thing lads, not that I was unduly worried (for a big game) ;). Yeh everton could well lose against us, but arsenal could go into free fall, or at the very least, drop a shitload more points if they get another twatting of us and wenger will know it, he'll have them well up for this game.
Still expecting 3 points though.

This is their main problem tho in my opinion, is their inability to get up for games when it comes to the crunch part of the season.

They almost a balls up of qualifying for CL last season and their doing it again, although this season taking their injuries into account, you could suggest that its more likely to happen this season.

I agree im still expecting 3 points, but im also expecting an Arsenal side that haven't got the mentality to step up when it matters. Funnily enough it seems their fans have the same mentality, giving it the big one on here for a few months when they were top of the league but go missing when times are getting hard.

 

[more lazy than useless]

@lovebitesandeveryfing Arsenal haven't got 4th secured, Toffees are 6 behind them with a game in hand, the only thing that worries me about this game is that the gap being closed might drive them on. If ourselves and everton win this weekend, it becomes 3 points behind with a game in hands and as things stand the goal differences are arsenal +19, everton +16, so you have to feel if everton make up the points they'll make up the goal difference as well.

Yeah, but Everton have got us to play, haven't they? And they're going to lose that, aren't they? ;-)

Arsenal also have to play us don't forget, so maybe that evens itself out.

The really interesting thing is that Everton still have to go to the Emirates!

Assuming we beat both of them, Everton are 6 points behind Arsenal. If Everton win their game in hand (don't know who it is) they are 3 points behind Arsenal. They then go and play them. Even with a draw, Everton may have already overturned the goal difference.

If I was an Arsenal fan I wouldn't be sitting very comfortably right now.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

In my honest opinion, if there's one striker at a top club in the Premier League who is an incredibly limited donkey, it's Giroud. Our back four will shut him down. It so happens that I saw him play when he was at Montpellier, several times, and when Arsenal bought him, I thought, "you're buying a useful French league player who definitely does not have the speed, accuracy or positional sense to make it at the top level in the Premiership". He will not get a sniff from Vinny, and with their injuries, they just don't have too many other scoring options. A point gained here is the absolute minimum. But we must go for three.