Will The Real Arsenal........??

    A whole lot has happened In the past two weeks or there abouts of my absence and a good one it was too. the dollar has crashed against the Naira by a whopping 50 bucks, aint that great? Go Naira, go Banjo, uuhhh PMB is yet to show up though...LOL. While I apologize for not being able to put pen to paper for our teeming fan base around the globe (yeah we’r international folks, just check the maps) sorry folks, we have no apologies for Arsenal letting us down again and again and yet agaaaaiiiinnn in the 1^st leg of the round of 16 in the UCL. It hurts don’t it, yeah it does. You’d think with the team right now we coulda put up a better fight cuz it suddenly feels like all is lost in the season that started with so much promise. Maybe our expectations have been too high but Arsenal being a BIG club should aspire for top trophies not just any tin can. I missed the away match at Bayern but the score like backed with stats told me all I needed to know. We were completely obliterated by a far more superior team that knew how to do a professional  job at this stage of the tournament, yet people say Bayern is a weaker team under Ancelotti this season…..i say Hniaan to that!! Arsene, after talking up the boyz before the match saying we were up for the epic clash which is gradually becoming a routine win for Bayern, he then comes back with the usual excuses by saying we mentally collapsed in the last 20-25 minutes of the match upon conceding the third goal. Seriously Coach, just CHANGE, can we at least try something different that might actually help?

    Anyway, away from the quandary that is our almost  routine round of sixteen exit from the UCL for a BIG club like Arsenal, regardless of the opposition, its time to focus on the league……..not winning it though. We know the past two weeks have been anything but cheerful for the gunners with Özil coming under serious scrutiny by the media and fans alike, lots of talk about Sanchez wanting to leave, possibly Perez and then there’s the possible contract extension for Arsene (say it quietly). Still, Arsenal face Liverpool in what still is somewhat of an epic clash of two domestic heavy weights. Two managers who are under the microscope for obvious lackadaisical performances from their wards, Liverpool with a terrible win stat of only one win so far in all competitions in 2017, Jurgen Klopp is definitely staring down an empty barrel wondering what’s gone wrong in a season where they had a flying start. Liverpool have been abject against mid to lower table opposition this season contriving to lose matches they have no business even drawing. Whatever happened to the notion of them being possible challengers for the EPL title this season? Then comes Arsenal, The Good (Chelsea at the Emirates) The Bad (Watford at the Emirates) and the downright Ugly….. (United at the Emirates), yeah I know we havent played that match. For me, Bayern away is another case we can’t quantify so let’s just pretend. For a supposed title challenger, Arsenal have blown hot and cold this season and are the epitome of Harvey “two face” Dent along with a healthy slice of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. In two words, Consistently Inconsistent!! Add the fact that thus far this season Arsene Wenger has just a win against top 6 opposition ….so far, so let’s see. 

    Whichever Arsenal team goes out to play one hopes at least the boiz can give a performance worthy of the time spent watching. Having said all of these and put them into context, it makes for an interesting matchup. Will Pool be able to turn us over to rip us apart like they did in a 15minutes Blitz back in august or would it be payback time for the gunners….COYG! It does make for an interesting match up as form definitely goes out the window here, Arsenal yet to lose at Anfield in a while, drawing the last 3 league games there while Liverpool have won 4 of their 5 games against top 6 opposition at home this season. Saido Mane coming back has injected the fiery pace of their attack back but they still haven’t been able to put teams away since his return from The AFCON. Their defence remains their sorest weak point especially at corners, 5goals worse than Arsenal. In midfield, well maybe both teams are evenly matched. It would be interesting to see Xhaka and Coq matchup against Henderson and Emre Can. If the gunners get their Psyche/focus right, then Arsenal definitely edge it slightly in the attacking trio of Sanchez, Welbz/Ox, and Giroud, while their still remains an option of Perez off the bench. The key place where the match will be won is in the midfield, Liverpool if and when allowed have a rasping attacking transition that’s deadly while Arsenal can be slow in that regard, Arsenal depend on quick ball movement with many people involved. If we can stifle Henderson/Can axis while staying compact, then Coutinho will be less dangerous up front, no silly free kicks of course (Xhaka/Coq I am looking at you). While Özil is a doubt due to a possible flu, he still makes my predicted line up as shown below.

Subs: Ospina, Giroud, Walcott, Perez, Ramsey, Holding, Gabriel, Merts, Jeff, Niles.

Image Credit: The Uk Guardian Online

Liverpool are definitely going through a more than a flux right now and are there for the taking regardless of their home form especially against top 6 opposition, the BIG question is, will the real Arsenal please stand up? 90+ Minutes, do enjoy the game wherever you are.. Ciaoooo