Sunday, January 25th, 2009 Kickoff: 8:30am ET, 1:30pm GMT. TV: Setanta USA pre-game @ 7:30am ET Round 4. Let's do this.
with all the hype about ramsey going back to cardiff, surely he has no business being in the first team, right? the bench, of course.
I hope Wenger starts a strong squad because this game will not be easy. My prediction: A nervy 2-1 affair that goes to the good.
Wrap Van Persie, Nasri & Sagna in cotton wool and have em ready for Everton, the title challenge is back on!
I'd love to see something a little different than the Nasri-Denilson-Diaby-Eboue we've been seeing lately, but am guessing that those will be our starting four midfielders.
seriously john, when we sub on another forward for eboue, the offensive push increases. i'm almost thinking we need to play a 4-3-3 from the get-go. happened in the last 3 games or so.
I just think this lineup has been growing together as a unit. With so much youth and inexperience in the lineup, it seems to me that stability is important right now. That said, with a midweek game coming up for the first time in weeks, i won't be shocked if Wenger shakes up the lineup a bit. But the options are pretty limited at the moment.
Do you guys think we rest some first teamers because of the HUGE league fixture at Everton the Wednesday after this game?
Probably. But i don't really see why Everton would be considered a HUGE game. They're playing Liverpool again this weekend and will probably be focusing on that. Facing them after back to back derbies could be good luck for us.
True. I think it is huge because it is pulling three points from a fixture that has dropped points written all over it. If we could get three points from tough games like this it will go miles toward finishing fourth or higher.
The way i see it right now, every game has the threat of dropped points, every game is a tough one, every game is a must win. I'm just hoping the players have now figured that out as well.
I was just looking at the table, and Everton is one of the few clubs with no relegation worries right now. Even Wigan in 7th is only 10 points clear of the bottom and could get sucked into a relegation fight quickly. The Premier League hasn't been this competitive in years.
Hay there, I don't really post much on the Arsenal forums but I feel this game could be a big banana skin for Arsenal. Sorry to be pessimistic but this Cardiff team are doing better then the season before and are better then Burnley (and we all saw what happened when Arsenal put their youngsters against them). Especailly with the Everton game midweek Arsene will most likely juggle his team and that could be an advantage to Cardiff. Note: Clichy will be out for the Cardiff game through suspension. http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/clichy-to-sit-out-sunday-s-cardiff-trip
I could see that happening. I like how it's worked so far when he plays there because we transition into a 4-3-3 in attack that simply overwhelms the opposition. If Bendtner starts though, I'd bet Song comes in for Denilson or Diaby to add some defensive stability since Bendtner is a natural forward not midfielder. However, Wenger has said he's placing just as much importance on the FA Cup as the PL or CL. So it also wouldn't surprise me to see us start with the same lineup he started against Hull (other than Gibbs in for Clichy). Then Bendtner coming on for Eboue if it's still a draw or if we're losing around the 65-70min mark.
Agreed, but the Hull game showed how well the (injury-plagued) team does offensively when Nik is on the wing. Let's face it, Eboue is providing NOTHING offensively. He isn't crossing the ball like he did two years ago, and his defense is solid. I'd keep the same lineup as Hull, and once the left back is a little tired at about 60-65 minutes, bring in Nik to run at him and cause havoc. 1-1. And I'll take it considering how brutal bluebird fans are.
I'll take win so Arsenal don't have to slide a replay into a crowded fixture list. IMO, the lineup will likely be the same as Hull (except Clichy as mentioned earlier). Though I would prefer to see a more offensive side, AW will stick with the one that brought him and go defensive (regarless of players like Eboue's ineffectiveness), then switch out for offensive, if needed, in the last 20-30 minutes.
Can't wait to go to this match; should be an awesome atmosphere with 4200 Gooners on mostly terraces .