Thursday, 28 December 2017 Selhurst Park USA TV: NBCSN 3pm ET After a crazy home draw, labeled by one pundit as “optional defending”, we go away to Palace, who are revitalized under the organized Roy Hodgson. They’re undefeated in 8 games, two more than us. So it’s 16th hosting 6th. And they’re fairly delighted with 16th place, having been rooted at 20th for long enough that many “experts” wrote off their survival long ago. This will be a tricky match for us I suspect. We MUST get a result to keep pace with our near rivals. We’ll need to cut out those stupid defensive errors. Contain Zaha who’s been hot. And hopefully Giroud gets enough minutes to produce a piece of agility like this, something I was lucky enough to witness in person… p.s. I also happened to do the MD thread that day, so here’s hoping the repetition brings us luck again. COYG!!!! Edit: My bad, forgetting that Giroud came up lame a game or two ago. So I guess we may just need the others to step up with clinical lethalness... Laca, Danny, Sanchez, maybe even Ozil?
p.p.s. Pool & Spurs earned +3 & +5 goal diff. So for us to really stay in contact, we need not only 3 pts, but a bunch of goals. Add that to our tricky assignment!
Better leave early you don't want to be stuck in traffic like we were last season...... that was part of the reason why we lost away to Selhurst Park that fateful Monday Night Matchday when we lost 4-0, because we arrived there just 45 minutes before kickoff and had no time to prepare or get any training prior to the match. Also....... I don't want to hear this goddamn chant from any turncoats at Selhurst THIS TIME AROUND: If I can stay true to my Los Angeles Kings for 42 years, I can definitely stay true to the Gunner Nation, COYF'n'G!!! I am a Gooner 'til I die, now it's just a matter of what kits we will be donning tomorrow, so I can be match-ready!!!
Take the same line up as the last 2. Kola in Niles spot, Niles in Jacks spot, Jack in Iwobi's spot. Iwobi on the bench.
The boss publicly answers the question about why Kolasinac has been dropped of late. Hmm... https://www.arsenal.com/news/wenger-why-kolasinac-has-been-out-team
What kits will we be wearing this afternoon/tonight? I guess we'll be donning our black and pink ones so I'll put mine on right now. COYF'n'G!!!
As far as Kola is concerned, he's looked really tentative to me going forward. He stopped taking the space in front of him and immediately stifled attacked on the wing by looking to pass inward or behind. Maybe I'm wrong, but it just looked liked he was trying to play 'smart' instead of bombing up the wing as he had earlier.
It's gonna be interesting because Arsene Wenger is employing basically a 5-man backline, having Chambers and Mustafi as inside backs with Kolasinac and Bellerin as wingbacks, with Koscielny (who will be our captain) as our centerback, how effective this will they be against Zaha and Benteke, we'll find out 30 minutes from now, COYF'n'G!!!
.....and also congrats to Arsene Wenger on both tying (and eventually breaking) Sir Alex Ferguson's record for most PL appearances by a manager!!!
Our goal coulda been ruled out. Due to Sanchez's offside/interference. Got a bit of luck there, so let's capitalize on it for a 2nd!