(FA CUP-4th/Rnd Replay) Bolton vs. Arsenal [R] Pre/dur/Post Match

[Catfish]

Wednesday, February 14 (What a way to spend Valentine's Day
with someone you love, screaming with venomous rage at Bolton...good times).

8:05pm GMT
3pm EST (LIVE)
Fox Soccer Channel

Bolton continue to plod along near the top and find ways to win. We all know there style isn't pretty, but some how its effective for them. Bolton and Weebok are clearly not our favorite venue. That being said, this is the time for Wenger and the lads to step up and knock Big Sam's crew right on their rump.

My Prediction: 2-1 to The Arsenal. For once, our lads will score first,
Bolton will equalise and then, we get the late winner.

RAISE A PINT FOR THE ARSENAL!!

[Rewinder]

After a rather poor game against wigan, we really need to raise our game for this trip.

Wouldn't be completely surprised with a loss either - we were very lucky to make it this far.

[LadyforSpike]

After today's performance I just go and pray that we could somehow squeeze out a victory. I don't even care if it will be just as ugly as it was today, but for Heaven's sake lets win this one OK?

[Schu419]

Hopefully training will be rather relaxed in the next few days. A game at the Reebok will require a lot of energy, and I think we looked legitimately depleted from international duties. Ade didn't play a friendly did he? I thought he clearly looked the freshest of our attackers .

[NightHawk]

Bolton played very well against Fulham to win 2-1, better than we did against Wigan. I'd be surprised to win against them considering they are our bogey team, fixture conjestion, our injuries and add to the fact that we are away at their ground!

[NightHawk]

Ade didn't play a friendly did he? I thought he clearly looked the freshest of our attackers .

I think he played a half against Cameroon and scored. However his workrate was a lot less compared to other games. Baptista went missing in the 2nd half and Henry, well he was Henry!

Thank god Baptista's contribution in the game was a fantastic cross for Rosicky otherwise he was pretty ordinary. Probably a reason why you should keep him on until the end if you are chasing a game. Same with Henry.

[shincan]

Since we seem to get strong for bigger games, maybe the lads will consider this a big game and give all the skill and effort they gave against Manu/Chelsea/Liverpool, etc. That'd make me happy.

Oh man, I miss RvP.

[NightHawk]

Oh man, I miss RvP.

Me too :(. Baptista ain't a patch on RvP.

[shincan]

Me too :(. Baptista ain't a patch on RvP.

Plus, with all these fixtures....

Maybe he should amputate and get a robot toe. Solve a lot of problems right now....

[Highbury]

I predict another easy 4-0 victory for the Arsenal!

[antifan]

Djourou has a broken nose, but might still be able to play. And Cesc picked up some sort of knee injury, an while it doesn't sound serious, it might keep him out of the Bolton game. No word on when Gallas might return.

http://www.arsenal.com/article.asp?thisNav=News&article=445027&lid=NewsHeadline&Title=Wenger:+%27We+have+shown+great+character+and+resilience%27

[NightHawk]

Djourou has a broken nose, but might still be able to play. And Cesc picked up some sort of knee injury, an while it doesn't sound serious, it might keep him out of the Bolton game. No word on when Gallas might return.

and the injuries just keep continuing for Arsenal! I don't think Cesc's injury is too serious. I saw he picked it up early in the Wigan game but carried on and played the full 90 so it can't be too bad to rule him out of the Bolton replay.

[Cannon]

We're getting pretty damn short at the back. I wonder if we'll see Hoyte at CB if Djourou can't play and Eboue at RB. Not a great choice with Senderos banned for another game, Gallas injured, and just kid CBs like Connolly left.

If Cesc does miss the Bolton game, I'll be really annoyed. Today would have been a great game to rest him and play Denilson. I don't see why Wenger insists on running some players into the ground and then seems surprised that we get so many injuries. Oh well. Hopefully it won't get worse and Cesc will be fine.

[Lord Fabregas]

Denilson has proven he can play but I wouldn't underestimate Cesc's importance to the team. Damn I have an obsession.

[NightHawk]

If Cesc does miss the Bolton game, I'll be really annoyed. Today would have been a great game to rest him and play Denilson. I don't see why Wenger insists on running some players into the ground and then seems surprised that we get so many injuries. Oh well. Hopefully it won't get worse and Cesc will be fine.

Cesc was always going to start against Wigan. The league games are still the priority as we still haven't secured the Champions League places and have Bolton breathing down our necks for the 4th spot. Comon we struggled to beat Wigan with Cesc in the side. Without him we wouldn't have created as much or might not have scored as he was involved in both our goals.

Denilson will have other games to start, namely Carling Cup Final and possibly the FA Cup replay.

[Cannon]

Cesc's tired play was part of the reason we struggled today and against Boro as well. So saying that we somehow needed him today to beat Wigan doesn't make much sense. Cesc has needed a break for awhile and playing a relegation team at home is probably a good a time to give Denilson a Prem start as any other time. A rested Denilson would have been better today than a clearly tired Cesc who wasn't able to pass well and failed to close people down. True Cesc had some involvement in the first goal. His pass was the one before the pass that led to the assist. Hardly a clearcut case where he did something that Denilson couldn't have done. As far as I remember, Cesc had no real involvement in the second goal unless it was 5 or 6 passes before the goal.

I agree that Cesc was always going to start today just like Henry was always going to start despite spending the week flying to the Middle East and France but that doesn't mean that it was the right choice either in the short or long term.

[NightHawk]

I still think a tired Cesc is still better than most midfielders and that includes Denilson. Not saying he doesn't need a rest as he doesnt look as sharp as he did earlier in the season. Then again I can see where you're coming from. Apart from the Carling Cup Final and the FA Cup replay, the Wigan game would have been the one league game Cesc could have been rested.

[Bluto11]

We're getting pretty damn short at the back. I wonder if we'll see Hoyte at CB if Djourou can't play and Eboue at RB. Not a great choice with Senderos banned for another game, Gallas injured, and just kid CBs like Connolly left.

If Cesc does miss the Bolton game, I'll be really annoyed. Today would have been a great game to rest him and play Denilson. I don't see why Wenger insists on running some players into the ground and then seems surprised that we get so many injuries. Oh well. Hopefully it won't get worse and Cesc will be fine.
Cesc also only played like 20ish minutes against England, so he wasn't as "run into the ground" as others

[Cannon]

Cesc also only played like 20ish minutes against England, so he wasn't as "run into the ground" as others
closer to 17 minutes actually. :p ;)

I know but I think even that was too many since he looked exhausted in the Boro match and perhaps a bit worse today. I was really hoping that he'd play zero minutes midweek and then get today off. That should have been enough to recharge him for the big games coming up. Instead he basically got 73 minutes off for one game and will now be called to start against Bolton, hopefully Blackburn, PSV, and Chelski without rest.

[phishy]

dont really know if cesc needs rest.. but he certainly wasnt the same today. not horrible mind, but not that difference-maker-type that we normally see.