Arsenal vs Swansea

We've got our usual crappy November out of the way and now head to December where our fixture list, at least on paper, looks friendlier. But I don't need to tell you that our form since the end of March doesn't allow us to get too ahead of ourselves when looking at the next month of games. Only once this season have we won two league games in a row, Liverpool and Southampton. We have 4 home games this month vs Swansea, WBA, West Ham and Newcastle, with two away games to Wigan and Reading in between with Southampton away on January 1st. We really need to be looking at minimum 5 victories and no defeats, but...

First up is Swansea. The Swans are coming off a very good week with a draw vs Liverpool before dispatching West Brom with some ease last night. In fact, they have had a decent two months after struggling throughout September. Since losing to Stoke at the end of September, they have:

Oct
Swansea 2-2 Reading
Swansea 2-1 Wigan
Man City 1-0 Swansea
Liverpool 1-3 Swansea - COC
Nov
Swansea 1-1 Chelsea
Southampton 1-1 Swansea
Newcastle 1-2 Swansea
Swansea 0-0 Liverpool
Swansea 3-1 WBA


They are now sitting 1 point and 1 place below us in the table and probably recognise that it is a good time to play us. We know, outside of the NLD, how suffocating it can be for us to play games at the Emirates with the crowd becoming increasingly agitated earlier and earlier. We need a win. Swansea have some good players and play some good football. They have a combination of Spanish flair and English directness from the wide areas. Maybe that will play into our advantage, allowing us more time to play. But we've also seen recently how teams can come to the Emirates and attack and go right through us and we're not exactly cutting through teams with ease ourselves.


Team news:

Koscielny is out for roughly 3 weeks and Sagna is a doubt. I assume Podolski will be available again to replace Ramsey. Some players look like they need a breather but our weak squad doesn't allow it, especially as I doubt Rosicky is able to start at the moment. Rotation can take place in Greece in midweek, even though we need a win to try and top the group. But something has to give.

My team:

Szczesny
Jenkinson Mertesacker Vermaelen Gibbs
Wilshere Arteta Cazorla
Walcott Giroud Podolski


No prediction at the moment but Swansea also played in midweek so I don't want to see the 'jaded' excuse come into play after a frustrating 90 minutes. We beat them 1-0 last season at the Grove and I'd bite your hand off for another.

I like our chances in this game, as Swansea play an open and attacking style. We need to show more solidity defending as a team though (we've heard that before)

sigh ... gone are the days when we could look into a match and say .... say we will win .... n bet a round of pints. anyway im hoping the team will pick itself up. for me cazorla needs a rest maybe im reading into it a bit too much but i feel that his game could improve if he got a breather ... but then again dont really have anyone of his quality to replace him ... i dont think rosicky would be up for a 90min game ... anyway heres to a happy weekend.

deepgrg wrote:sigh ... gone are the days when we could look into a match and say .... say we will win .... n bet a round of pints. anyway im hoping the team will pick itself up. for me cazorla needs a rest maybe im reading into it a bit too much but i feel that his game could improve if he got a breather ... but then again dont really have anyone of his quality to replace him ... i dont think rosicky would be up for a 90min game ... anyway heres to a happy weekend.

when were those days?? its football. anything can happen in any game.

Can't see us winning this game. I'm going for a 1-1 draw

Arshavin could play in the Cazorla role so he could rest but I can't see it happening

Personally I'd rather see Arshavin over Gervinho and The Ox coming on as a sub if we are in need of a goal.

Jenkinson to replace Sagna, Poldi in Ramsey's place and I think me may see Gervinho up front and Giroud given a rest. The real worry is Per,Arteta and Santi who almost haven't missed a game this season. I hope we do have a comfortable lead around 60 mins so we can rest some key players although it is unlikely. (having a comfortable lead AND Wenger making a sub before the 70thmin)

Years gone by you might look at December, feel optimistic that we can win EVERY GAME, not anymore unfortunately.

i will prefer rosicky over arshavin

We really need to win this game and get back on track. Why are people suggesting we rest players? We are already five points off fourth place, don't want that gap widening any further. There's a mid-week Champions League, rest players for that game seeing as we have already qualified for the next round.

Vanig Bostanian wrote:Can't see us winning this game. I'm going for a 1-1 draw

I feel exactly the same about this game...don't know why just feel we won't win this..

Not sure as what team I would select.....I just hope they rip this game up...inconsistency is killing us at the moment..

Anybody got a decent link for the match??

Decent start....looking sharper than we have done...

Michael Foster wrote:Decent start....looking sharper than we have done...

We don't look sharp AT ALL...

Podolski looks like he's lumbering around aimlessly

Am I really watching this.looking like a under 18 team playing against a senior side

So we finally manage to consistently put in a few good crosses and the one man who can take advantage of them is on the bench.

Wow....this game has turned very dull and scrappy.....and where has our ability to keep hold and pass a ball gone....

I know Wilshere's been out a while, but you'd figure he'd know that he shouldn't try and go past three opposing players at the same time.

That was close...keeper leaving that was a bit risky....

Alex Hadjicharalampous wrote:So we finally manage to consistently put in a few good crosses and the one man who can take advantage of them is on the bench.

This team is full of irony.

What a shit first half......

Gervinho's been terrible since he's come back. I'd say it's time to let Ox start over him and let Arshavin come off the bench before him cause he's just frustrating.

What pisses me off the most looking at the league table as it stands we have apart from the big 3..west brom,Everton,spurs above us....how sad is that....