Tuesday 31 January 2017 Ashburton Grove USA TV: NBCSN Extra Time 2:45pm ET Coming off our trip to Southampton and one of the most fun wins in recent memory, our lads should be feeling the utmost confidence, and with any luck we can rotate back in our A-team players as successfully as we did our B-team guys yesterday. In contrast, Watford & Mazzarri have been struggling of late. They lie 14th in the EPL, with only 3pts in last 5 matches. And just today they were bounced out of the Cup by 3rd tier Millwall. Our squad is almost fully fit. The biggest exception being Santi, but we've learned how to win without him. Since we'll have a 4 day rest before our huge match @chelsea, and because the boss will want to give them some game-time in advance of Chelsea, we should expect to see many regulars back in for this match, like Sanchez, Ozil, Koscielny. Personally I think beating Watford might be as simple as just replicating the intensity we showed right from the getgo against Soton yesterday. We often forget how successful that can be. As an example, here's a little reminder of this fixture last year, a real thumping by us. With balanced scoring and Sanchez at the center of things: http://player.arsenal.com/videos/7591/watford-h-bitesize
I hope we start as fast and dangerous as we did vs Southampton. We're at home so let's show no mercy lads.
Start fast, put them away early, and then sub Alexis, Ozil, and Ramsey off early and wrap them in wool for Chelski.
We have many players coming off a rest for this mid-week home fixture, with Chelsea looming at the weekend. All the makings for a trap game. I hope the boys are dialed in and focused. 3 points at Chelsea will mean little of we drop points to Watford.
Here's the boss's presser from today: http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20170130/-welbeck-gives-huge-offensive-potential- Relevant to the match at hand, some key points I heard: * He's being careful about how often he plays Welbeck, i.e. he won't figure tomorrow, or at least won't start * We have to focus on Watford's loanee forward, Niang, and "keep him quiet" * He's not likely to play 3 at the back, as has become a trendy setup in England this season. Quelle surprise!
Me too, but I think we need Sanchez up top even more so for Chelsea. So if he wants to let Giroud play striker tomorrow, I guess I'd be OK with that. With Sanchez maybe playing wide for 60- 70 mins?
If Alexis starts at CF vs Chelsea let's also start him vs Watford. He needs to get in a rhythm again. He's still playing out of his skin but I worry that he won't be as sharp vs Chelsea. Take him out 60-70 min for Welbz or Giroud.
Yeah, had that thought too. Either way, I wonder if Sanchez will "go quietly" if removed at 65'. Maybe if we're up by 3 goals, one of which he scored and one he assisted?
I hope Lucas gets a start. I've enjoyed watching him so far and I really like the idea of Lucas, Ozil, Alexis and Iwobi all learning to play well together.
I had a similar thought but involving Lucas, Ozil & Theo. Not sure how likely that would be though. Obviously Iwobi & Theo bring very different things to the table. And thinking about Theo, even though he was a guaranteed starter early this season, and just had a hattrick on his return, I wonder if he'll have difficulty pushing his way back into our A-team.
for our purpose, walcott and perez are pretty interchangeable from out wide: they make that run in once sanchez vacates the top to still give us a threat against the centrebacks. i would not want them together. but then i'm biased when it comes to iwobi and i think we benefit from his presence on the pitch.
a 4-2-3-1 with Sexy Alexy up top sounds good to me, and including Lucas in the Starting XI is also good, let's see if Arsene Wenger agrees, besides after Threeo's hat-trick and Welbz' two goal (in two shots mind you (a 1.000 shooting %, shit with that shooting efficiency he should play for the Lakers, they need help right about now at the free throw line believe me!!! ), let's rest them and get them ready for the trip to Stamford Condemned Bridge on Saturday morning at 3:00 am PST and I plan on being awake for that one and then sleep in afterwards, but not before making up, yup, another plate for brats & eggs (5 Johnsonville brats grilled on the George Foreman Grill, and 6 grade AA large eggs, fried in butter just like in the pic below from the United match away from earlier this season which started at 3:00 am, yummy!!!) yup, so it will be a GOOD ONE!!!
Your getting ahead of yourself. Don't forget the mantra "one game at a time" p.s. Chelsea match is 4:30am PT.
Premier League LIVE begins at 3:30 am according to NBCSN (according to the promo I saw during the NHL All Star Game on Sunday). I enjoy watching the prematch shows because they're what sets you up for the game right up to procession. But either way, COYF'n'G!!! Better get out the can of Raid for this one (well we ARE playing the Hornets) and let's take nothing less than all 3 points!!! Steve Bould could sure use one of these during this afternoon's match:
Cech Gabriel Mustafi Koscielny Monreal Ramsey Coq Alexis Ozil Iwobi Giroud Wow, he's not screwing around!
I have to stream this one today, from NBC. It better work! Hey, hey, it's good ole Martin Tyler. But who's he paired with? Thought it was David Pleat, but some other David?
And hey, hey we got my favorite lineswoman too. Seriously I thought she was doing a great job a few years back and then they seemed to send her to the hinterlands. Sure hope for all our sakes that she gets it right tonite.