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

Smashed Title Dreams & Hull City Preview

Ok so here we go again, it’s been much difficult to bear  long long week for an Arsenal fan after the Chelsea game collapse, pretty much kissing our title hopes goodbye. It was an accomplished performance from the blues, professional as it was complete in the manner of delivery. Kudos to them on their title tilt. Not like it was much of a challenge from Arsenal anyway, the gunners have over the years failed to push for the title beyond February even when it seemed to be on offer like it last season and this season has been no different. It’s only normal to see a lot of extremely passionate reactions to after that loss at Stamford bridge, from the far right to the far left including everything in between, now the question isn’t about Wenger staying on or not. While I wouldn’t want to waddle into all the arguments between the two factions of Wenger-in or Wenger-out brigade, I believe it’s clear to even a blind man that something needs to change about the frail “mental strength” or ze mental strength as Arsene likes to call it and I mean from the boardroom to the pitch. Yes we may have shown fighting spirit more this season but, for stuff of real champions, we simply lack the bottle...…….look at Chelsea Period!!

On the match itself, I had said it was as accomplished as it was very professional from a well drilled Chelsea side. Conte efficiently stifled our front four while delivering swift but effective blows that killed us of. The gift from Cech was just a reflection of the mental psyche from the players. The Hazard goal, oh my that was just pure Genius from him. How we allowed him to waltz his way to scoring such a beauty….i leave you to “hazard” a guess. The only good thing from the game was Giroud’s goal, not much of a consolation for the fans as it was for him. He has finally scored against all the teams in the top 6. He is a much maligned striker, but this season he has shown he has the professionalism and mental strength to do the job of scoring when called upon. Kudos to the HFB, he will still have his critics but he keeps answering them.

Hull city come to town in what might turn out to be a continuation of our downward spiral in form or a snap out of it wake up call. While the league may be gone, its still imperative to keep pushing, second place is very much up for grabs and if Wenger doesn’t want to soil that sentimental record of never finishing below Tottenham, then he had better whip his boiz in line or else he may be going out on an all-time low. Spurs this season are looking the real deal though so it would be interesting to see how we can make them uncomfy till they capitulate but we need to catch Man City first so first lets do that by winning and keep on winning, I hope that’s not too much to ask of this Team? The form book shows Hull city to be feeling the effects of new coach Marco Silva with their two wins in the last four games, Arsenal have suddenly lost two games on the spin. I need not tell you what disaster it would be to drop any more home points. Do we have the players to win this game? Of course with a cast of Sanchez, Giroud, Walcott, Welbeck and Perez who must be asking his gods what else he needs to do to get a consistent run in this team, we have what it takes on paper to steam roll 90% of the EPL teams but we also know that this is the EPL and especially with Arsenal, one can’t be too sure these days. My predicted line up will be as shown below

Subs: Ospina, Giriud, Welbeck, Perez, Jeff, Gabriel, Holding,  Oxlade

Image Credit: The UK Guardian Online.

There you have it folks, a win will most definitely go some way in assuaging some valid concerns while the matter of Wenger in or out remains a debate for another day. thats it from us, do enjoy the game wherever you are........Ciaooo

Title Hopes Fade & Chelsea Preview

     Okay so while the global village that is the world continues to debate the recent executive orders from the Blue house we here at anaijagunner say, lets move on shall we? After all it is what t is, if the USA wants to play that way then play that way with them or sit back at  home. On the Arsenal front, let’s just say, I am all with our keeper, Cech when he says

“We owe ourselves a performance” after the midweek farce against Watford. That was just unacceptable, a minimum of a draw was the worst we should have gotten but when you keep sitting on your fanny taking your time to get ya engines fired up in a game in this unforgiving league, then, its bound to catch up with you some day and it duly did catch up with us in midweek. Arsenal had hitherto spent so many GOOJF cards this season for so long (Man United, Ludogorets, Bournemouth) it’s a wonder we haven’t come up short much earlier. After the euphoria of thrashing Southampton at St Mary’s one would have expected the return of the rested and supposedly fresh all-star cast for the midweek game against Watford  would bring about a much needed 3 points especially with Chelsea dropping 2 points….Gawd, I forgot, it can only be arsenal….blow hot this minute, blow cold the next. Fantastic in this game, attritional in the next. It can only be ARSENAL! When you make a habit of handing a two goal cushion to the opposition in the first 15 minutes of the game, you should be prepared to be at the end of a loss, plain and simple! Arsenal just blew the League as far as I am concerned, others will mock that statement that we were never in the hunt in the first place. Spurs are looking more like the biggest threat to Chelsea strolling to the title…..what a shame. What this means is that, there is that possibility of Totts finishing above the gunners for the first time in Wenger’s reign, ouch…..definitely not the way Le’boss would wanted to bow out.

I would quit whining about all the spilt milk points now. This weekend is crunch time and lots of people have been talking tough. Arsenal travel down to the bridge in a London derby of severe consequences.  If Arsenal can win Chelsea then maybe just a vert itsy bitsy tiny maybe there just might be a chance to claw back the deficit…… a very very very slim glimmer of hope there. Chelsea has the upper hand with 8 wins in the last 10 matches and as many goals scored with just a few conceded. The momentum is definitely with the boiz from Stamford Bridge as they have turned a corner after being on the receiving end of a 3-0 thrashing back in September at the emirates. How times have changed………deep sigh. Having said that, everyone now knows this is a must win game for the gunners while the hosts can afford to play not to lose, having lost our game in midweek, we inadvertently boxed ourselves into this corner and the boiz need to give a response. Arsene caps it al here;

Look, for me it was always [a must-win game],” said Arsène Wenger, who wants that gap cut as quickly as possible. “But I think what is important is that I can say it is a must-win game but for us what is important is to respond in a very strong, united way, straightaway after what happened on Tuesday night.

“We can’t focus too much on the consequences of the game. Do we win? Do we lose? Football is like that, you can win or lose but make absolutely sure you put every ingredient in to win the game. We have shown that we can beat them in the first game, so let’s just do it again.”

Ah yes, the first game. That 3-0 victory over Chelsea in September remains the high water mark of our season - but it was a turning point for our London rivals.

Read more at http://www.arsenal.com/match/report/1617/pre/first-team/chelsea-v-arsenal-video-stats-es#HeAQWMBrEImIu3eS.99

There you have it, the boss knows the fans know, I just hope the players know. What Arsenal is grabbing at is a fast fading glimmer of hope, and they can decide to make it a reality by playing Chelsea of the park with some stunning ruthlessness…. Dr jeklyll or be the soft centered weaklings who play victim all the time…..Mr Hyde. How the gunners will keep Costa Hazard Willian and Pedro quiet again will depend on which arsenal shows up at Saturdays possible league champions decider, remains to be seen. Dr Jekyll  or Mr Hyde ?? BIG question that only 90 plus minutes of time can tell. My Predicted line up is below:

Subs:  Ospina, Holding, Welbeck, Perez, Jeff, "Giroud" , Gabriel, Niles

We look a bit short yet again in the middle with Ramsey picking up a knock but if we avoid any silly errors and stay very disciplined in both attack and defence, then we may have a chance against Chelsea. The Chelsea back line for me is still suspect against a rasping attack like ours, lets get at them from the blast of the whistle. No time for dulling on this one, do enjoy the game wherever you are......Ciaoo

5th Round Draws & Watford Preview

    Well our president is alive as we can see from the pictures posted by Madam first lady. Way to go ma, waaay to go! I hope a lot of our naija gunners in diaspora aren’t affected by the new migrant rules being ‘‘Trumped’’ around in the states, why people are surprised at these executive orders being Trumped out is beyond me. Those with a bit of a brain about them could tell where this president was gonna go with his policies. I am here back home enjoying the crunchy feel of the recession but as long as arsenal is doing well, we can make it through these tough times…….lol. Sorry about the political detour, it’s so difficult to isolate politics from our everyday lives these days.

   Arsenal did a sterling job on their visit to Saint Mary’s for the first time in 3 years. 5 unreplied goals with Walcott grabbing a hat trick on his injury comeback while Welbeck notched a brace in an all-round 5 star performance from a very youthful yet experienced Arsenal side. A lot of people will excuse Claude Puel, saying he fielded a half strength Southampton side but full credit to Arsenal for getting the Job well and truly done despite the gunners making more than 8 changes to the team that narrowly won Burnely at the emirates last week. It also tells you the potential depth we have in this squad if well rotated by the coaches. Arsenal is now billed to face Non-League side, Sutton United away at Grander Green Lane in an FA Cup 5^th round matchup. Other ties include:

                                        Wolves Vs Chelsea.

                                       Fulham Vs Tottenham.

                                     Burnley Vs Lincoln City.

                                   Blackburn Vs Man United.

                               Huddersfield Town Vs Man City.

    Interesting matchups out there and a lot of room for big guns to falter if they get complacent against the so called minnows. What’s interesting to note is the mere fact that the “smaller” teams are all at home so who knows? Before I leave the FA cup, shout out to the trio of OX, Jeff and Maitiland-Niles who ran the show against the saints in the middle of the park. Up front, Wellbz and Wally may have grabbed the goals but Lucas Perez definitely knitted the front trio quite nicely with his timings on passes and deftness of touch, definitely a good player we got in him.

     The EPL is back on show in a midweek round of matches as Arsene continues his ban, while the title race begins to crank up the heat. Arsenal have a date with Watford at the Emirates in a match that has must win written all over it (yeah we know every match is). Liverpool welcome Chelsea to Anfield in what might be a nail in the coffin for Liverpool’s dying title hopes or ….. a race blown wide open for any of the top 4 sides. After losing their last 3 home games to make just one win in their last 8 games, the signs aren’t looking good for the Mersey siders. Still, should pool and Arsenal win, that cuts down Chelsea’s lead at the top to 5 points with one third of the league games still to play, lots of pressure on the blues and points to play for in there, especially a date with Arsenal on the corner. There’s a caveat to all these if, buts, n maybe conjectures though….that is the BIG IF of both Pool and the gunners winning so lets concentrate on our own game against Watford and go get the much precious 3 points. Walter Mezzari's sides recent FA cup exit to lowly Milwall side captures the poor form they are in with 0W 3D 2L in their last 5 league games. Ighalo has failed to reenact last season's imperious goal scoring form with Isaac Success for all his "promising talent'' not any closer to becoming a success. Watford has lost their fair share on the road, some of those games have been close to be honest but this is the league where fine margins go on to determine who bags the 3 points. That’s a warning to the gunners too, we haven’t lost any games since 2017 which is a good thing but we have to make a winning habit even when we don’t play well. Our performance over the weekend looks like an outlier given a recent penchant for kicking off games a bit lethargically but against the saints Arsenal took no prisoners as they rolled back the years with such eye catching display. Consistency to do that time and again, week in week out has been the bane of this team Can they Arsene (Touchline ban or not) get his boiz to rise up to the occasion of consistency as the league run hits the crescendo. Big questions there, a win against Watford will go a mile or two in answering them positively, so COYG!! I believe the star cast will come back for the game so expect some changes like the trio of Ox Jeff and Niles going back to the bench despite their weekend performance, while  Ospina Holding and Gibbs will likely make way for Cech, Koscielny and Monreal. The front three would be interesting as Wenger is suddenly blessed with many options since Welbeck and Walcott are back firing on all cylinders (Long may it continue) My predicted line up for the game with a bit of tweak to the usual is below :

Subs: Ospina, Bellerin, Jeff, Iwobi, Ox, Welbeck, Giroud

So people, thats it from us for an early look at the game for Tuesday night, hoping the boiz keep their focus, stay compact get the goals the 3 points and a clean sheet, do enjoy the game wherever you are.......Ciaoo

Bans Banter & FA Cup Preview

      Whadup ma beautiful people, not much happening besides Trump shooting off from his hip as usual and of course, those silly rumors about my Presidents death. Jeeze some people are so discontent with his handling the leadership of the world’s most populous black country thus far that they wish him dead…..to those people I shake my head for you, not like I am impressed with the current economic state of the country, far from it but to now go as far as wishing ill of death on the president just because you are unimpressed, seriously such people should get a LIFE puhlllzzzzzzz!!! Back to things football jaare, did i say nothing much is happening ?

    A lot is actually, AFCON semis are here if you watching while Arsenal’s manager Arsene Wenger finally got handed his anticipated and much deserved 4 match touchline ban by the FA for his misconduct in the dugout during the latter stages of the drama filled contest against Burnley at the Emirates last weekend. God knows what came over him but I expected better from Arsene, pushing the NOT so "special one" into his proper place is begrudgingly okay for me, but doing that to a fourth official is definitely asking for the hammer which he deserved to get. I wouldn’t want us to dwell to much on that as the match in question was drama-filled enough, besides the media circus this has racked up should suffice for those baying for the Frenchman’s blood. Well people of the press, there you go….. I am happy about the way the match ended with us “nicking” 3 points after allowing Burnley draw level from the spot. It seemed like one of those days where Arsenal looked set for the usual collapse when bashed by a bad stroke of luck but…we had good the fortune of lady luck with that controversial penalty and Sanchez (touch wood) duly converted. Burnley have every right to feel cheated...... again by Koscielny who was at the heart of our highly controversial 1-0 win at Turf moor but on the balance of everything I think we just shaved the desire in terms of who wanted and needed the points more. I am not going to cry over that or Arsene’s  ban, if you ask me I kind of wish to see Steve Bould whip the boiz up from the touchline, let see what he’s got in the locker shall we?

        This weekend the Emirates FA cup takes center stage as we visit another team that seems to be becoming a bogey team for the gunners away especially. Southampton Saint Mary’s seems like a tough nut to crack these days for some mysterious reason. Arsenal hasn’t won there in the league since 2013 if I am not mistaken and now we have an FA cup 4^th round tie to navigate. Well it looks poised for us to get  upset, but there’s the good luck charm of Mustafi (if he plays we don’t lose…hehehee), seriously if we have any dreams of winning any trophy this season, then I say realistically it’s the FA Cup. EFL cup is out and while i am not giving up on the league, just that to win it requires a lot of factors clicking with most out of Arsenals control, basically the EPL trophy is Chelsea’s to lose, simple as that! The UEFA champion’s league is we all know how its ‘’likely’’ to go after drawing Bayern yet again despite topping group A. I don’t know if we are mature enough to navigate this tie better this time around. That’s what now? 3 trophy’s out of Four discounted, leaving just the FA cup, a bit underwhelming for this team no doubt but still a trough that has some amout of tin glamour. I would expect Arsene Wenger to field a strong side, maybe even bring on the BIG guns in Alexis & Özil. Southampton has knocked us out of a competition this season, just like they did last season so they are no slouches on the pitch. The good news is, we have more options up front although a bit short in midfield being without Neny at the AFCON 2017 and Xhaka after picking another of those silly reds he seems to have a knack for. I would expect the boiz to be pumped up for this, we need to stuff the saints in their won backyard by doing a good payback. I will pick a strong and fast front three of Perez Sanchez and Welbz. Power and pace to hit them on the break, Ramsey plays behind them with Coquelin and Niles at the base. The back four picks itself with only Ospina taking Cech’s place between the sticks. Below is my preferred Team Sheet

Subs: Martinez, Jeff, Oxlade, Giroud,  Özil, Koscielny, Mertersacker, Iwobi

A relatively strong line up if not our best starting 11 and the bench isnt that far off in quality too. The Big question is can we stay focused in enought to eck out a much needed win, replays are the last resort right now. i guess we would have to wait and see if the Boiz are up for it. Thats it from us here at anaijagunner, do enjoy the game wherever you are....Ciaoo

Early FA Cup Draw Musings & Burnley Preview

   Here we go again, we must have some kinda luck with cup draws, first its Bayern yet  again....in the round of 16 of the champions league and now we are supposed to go away at Southampton in an FA cup 4^th round tie….yet again. Did I hear someone ask if I was scared of these teams? Of course I am wary somewhat.  Bayern has done us in how many times in the UCL, so lets not go there. Southampton on the other hand, is another story. They have managed to screw us over in recent meetings at Saint Mary’s, the most famous of which began the downward spiral of Wojech Scezney’s Arsenal career……note, Arsenal career. If you add the fact that the Saints have come to the Emirates to knock us out of the League Cup [EFL Cup] two seasons in a row, then you probably get my cause for concern. Oh well it is what it is, if the Gunners wanna win these trophies, then we have to be ready to rise to the challenge of beating whoever the luck of the draw brings…SIMPLE!!!

     Back to the premier league and I must say what a positive Saturday it has turned out to be in terms of favourable results going our way, but it would be frustratingly typical of  old Arsenal to not seize the opportunity by way of contriving to drop valuable points. Let's not preempt fate, this seasons Arsenal is made of sterner stuff and we are slowly grinding our way back to hauling Chelsea in point by point……Right. Arsenal wasn’t exactly spectacular at the liberty stadium last weekend but the came back with the goods, 3 points 4 goals for and a clean sheet to add to Cech’s all-time record was as good a return as one would have hoped for.  On the scoreline alone, 0-4 to Arsenal didn’t paint a true picture of the game and Swansea did make life difficult for us. Fast forward a week later in a game against Liverpool and you could see why. Paul Clement’s Swansea showed heart in their visit to Liverpool in the measured and disciplined manner they went about closing down Jurgen Klop’s boiz. They were duly rewarded with a win for their daring adventure. If we learnt anything Liverpool’s loss was while unexpected, it would be that defending is a key ingredient to winning this league and no team is going to roll over for any other team just by vrtue of its Big four status. Stoke handed Man United a scare as Pep endure frustrating day of EPL  refereeing with another City drew against Spurs. All in all, Arsenal has been handed the initiative to reclaim second spot with all the points dropped by our rivals.

    We all know the business end of the season is beginning to unfold and if Wenger has any aspirations of winning this league, he and the whole Team need to find that consistency to go on one of those Chelsea like 13 match winning runs in order to put daylight between them and the others in the chasing pack while overhauling Chelsea. Another win another clean sheet against Burnley on Sunday will see us begin to build that run of form. Burnely’s away fortunes are a stark contrast to their home form, just one win in ten away games compared to eight wins in their eleven home games, terrible is the WORD. They obviously don’t travel well and I hope this remains true on their stop by at the Emirates. Arsenal on their part must stay switched on defensively while they find a way to break down Sean Dyches wards who on their day can be a tough nut to crack….flash back to our encounter at tuff moor. I wouldn’t be expecting an easy game despite Burnley’s away form on paper cuz there are no easy games in this league. That said, i am hoping the Gunners make it look easy. While Alexis body language may be a source of concern I would expect him Özil, Perez, Welbeck and Giroud who we feared might be injured earlier to be able to do the business like pros by securing us the needed 3points.  Other coming back from injury are, Bellerin Coquelin and Mertersaker.....yeah you heard me, the BFG is back....lol. Anyway my predicted line up will be as shown below,

Subs: Ospina, Coquelin, Jeff , Perez, Ox, Welbeck, Gabriel, Holding

Image Credit: The Uk Guardian Online

If Giroud isnt starting, for precautionary reasons then I guess Sanchez up top with Iwobi and maybe Welbeck on the flank should do it but i think Giroud will start as he is currently in rich vein of form. A nice win on Sunday will just cap what's been so far a good weekend. Hats of to Rooney for that landmark record breaking goal against Stoke, while not a Man United fan, you just have to love such beauty in football. Do enjoy the game wherever you are....Ciaoooo

Preston Escape & Swansea Preview

     Nina Simone is one old school act you should listen to, she “puts a spell on you” and you don’t know it or cant explain it but like birds flying high “I am feeelin good”. Anyway its going to be a quick one here guys so bear with me. I am feeling good not because Arsenal just bought Suarez, Modeste or Unai or  Belloti from their various clubs……naaaah! 

We all know our dear Arsenal don’t come close to doing things like that on the fly in the summer transfer window talk less of the January window, not a chance. We went to the North end of Preston to do a job and we did it however the performance was anything but captivating as we know we should. Arsenal was this close to being dumped out of the FA cup as we were stretched by the lower league team in ways I would rather not describe. An away game is always a difficult one no matter how much lower than the rungs of league football the opposition team may be but, if you wanna win a trophy, any trophy at all….you shouldn’t be playing like Arsenal did against Preston. The win aside, I look at the opportunities in the first half Preston had to finish Arsenal off for a big upset even though they have a much better head to head record on us. Preston didn’t and Arsenal got their B minus game on a bit in the second half, got a goal back early in the second half and Giroud continued his goal run of form by scoring the winner late into the second half. I would not want to disparage what the lads had done, after all Liverpool with a second string side couldn’t beat Plymouth at the KOP right? Wrong! We were lucky to win that FA cup game last weekend on the balance of it all, plain and simple!

     The weekend is upon us as the gunners travel this time to keep a date at the Liberty stadium as we play Swansea. With Arsenal currently in 5^th position o the log, I don’t need to tell you how important a win is here as any more dropped points ………. Look at it this way. Man United play Liverpool, Man City travel to Everton , Chelsea who lost their first league game in that record equaling run of wins, visit Leicester. We can see the opportunity here and I need not tell you how important it is to grab this by winning. If all goes well, I mean a big If, Arsenal could leapfrog all and sundry and perch in 2^nd Place by Monday, now that is a very BIG IF. Be that as it may, its still a chance to pile the heat on the other teams in the Top 6. The onus is on the gunners to win their game first and that’s where it becomes dicey, one which Arsenal would to stand up. Swansea on the other hand gives a bit of relief from concern [I hope I haven’t jinxed it], Second from bottom of the log, wretched run of form, recently sacked Bob Bradley for the new guy Paul Clement, what can I say? It’s a set up for us to slip against chasing the contenders right? I hope you are wrong. While our recent performances have been slow and leggy, the good news is, Welbz is coming back gradually  Özil Sanchez Welbeck Giroud Iwobi and Ox on “paper” should be more than enough ammo for the Swans even with Walcotts threat upfront still missing, if not then we really need to ask Wenger,  what we are hunting for this season? My "predicted" line up should be like this:  

Subs: Ospina, Martínez, Holding, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Reine-Adélaïde, Pérez, Welbeck

Image Credit: The UK Guardian Online

There you go, a solid looking team on Paper, now lets see what they can do.....Win or Burst. DO enjoy the game wherever you are..........Ciao

Points Dropped To 1 Point Gained & Preston Preview

   

Image Credit: The Metro UK

 I am so pissed!!! From an ooooh my…. to a Uurrgghhh. From making fans purr with ecstatic Joy almost wetting their pants to making them wanna tear their hair out in unbelievable frustration, you know it can only be Arsenal. What could have been a routine 3 points in the bag soon became an embarrassing scrap for a point, we sure know how to make a seemingly simple task harder than it looks. Well I have already mentioned it before that it can only be the gunners. Arsene may say his wards are now men but, performances like these ……. Le’ Proff plzzzzzzzz. What I see instead is what seems to be a battle between Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, you not sure which Arsenal team would turn up. It’s becoming harder to tell by each passing game. The game against Bournemouth left me feeling a complex mix of extremes, angry frustration at the way the team committed school boy error after error (Hector I am looking at you) till we were 3 goals down, then there’s the Joy from the determined comeback to level the deficit. Why and how the gunners got themselves into such a tight spot, remains a mystery, not for the first time too and that’s the mystery….WHY!?

In our preview, we noted how Bournemouth were in fine form at the Vitality Stadium and how they liked to play the ball. The 3-1 score line at the emirates back in November never reflected the complete perspective of the game not doing proper justice to their effort in that match. One would have expected us to be better prepared knowing how dangerous this team is at home… Ask Liverpool.

Arsenal on this day were second bested by an average team that came prepared, better prepared if I dare say and had the commitment to follow through. It was thus no surprise to find us on the back foot, 2 goals down by the 21^st minute. When Bournemouth broke with pace on their right before quickly switching play with a nice diagonal lob to their left. Bellerin was caught out cold, sucked into the center, he tried to readjust but couldn’t get his balance right, made a lame attempt to nick the ball from Charlie Daniels who calmly slotted home beating Cech at his near post. Everton at Goodison came to mind.

1-0 to Bournemouth

 We tried to rally but met a resolute and confident Bournemouth, 5 minutes later we were down by another goal. This time from Granit Xhaka’s rush of blood to the head as he made another of his silly mistakes at the wrong end of the pitch. What he was thinking when he shoved down King I think from the back is beyond me. Callum Wilson dutifully obliged the opportunity by slotting home from the spot. 

1-0  to Bournemouth

    2 goals down going into the interval was a first for the gunners this season and we needed a response from the lads. Bellerin and Monreal were being torn to shreds by Fraser and Stanislaus, Arsenal was all at sea but it was going to get worse, not better. We lost Coquelin to a hamstring pull so Ox came on. Then we conceded a third goal. Bellerin again a culprit. He really had a bad bad day at the office on this one. Frazer almost beat him to the duel sprint but just couldn’t so he did a little nudge for Bellerin to lose his footing, before scooping the ball to slot through Cechs legs. It was all falling apart for us.

Finally the lads woke up and started to play better, we began to claw back the deficit which starting from Sanchez (as usual) we did in 20 minutes. That’s the only positive I take from this match. That Arsenal fought back from 3 goals down, so credit to the Boiz for that! and that's where it stops!. The inexplicable annoyance is, what where we doing getting ourselves into such a jam in the first place? For a team that habours the ambition of winning Titles? That’s probably gone anyway if the keep this sham up.

    Hind sight is a chick they say….init? This was a game that we could have used to cement our grip on the top assault, leapfrogging Man City and squeezing the heat on Liverpool, better yet we gain 3 massive points on Chelsea having not to unexpectedly dropped points at Spurs. A massive opportunity lost. Xhaka has had couple decent games for some time now but he really need to cut out his ridiculous moments of “brainwave” else he would become a liability for all his talent. Bellerin on the other hand is usually most dependable, so imam give him a free pass on this day where he was just not at the races going by his high standards. Alexis Sanchez, for all his work ethic and immense talent should grow a pair of "cajones" and stop with the sulking, get behind the team and lead. Not pout ya lips in frustration because you think the others aren’t on the same wavelength as you. Mustafi has to be our good luck charm, Arsenal hasn’t lost a game he has started this season. Wenger should do whatever he can to keep him "embalmed". Just Kidding but that stat is real or have I jinxed it now? The whole Team needs to refocus in general if they really wanna win anything this season. All isn’t lost but we are throwing away points. Arsene Wenger i am Looking at you!

Preston Preview: Whatever the team we put out but, If we can’t win Preston on Saturday at the Emirates, then we might as well forget any trophy this season, no disrespect to Preston North End.  That’s it for my preview. No team sheet on this…..Ciao

2017 Beauty By The HFB & Bournemouth Preview

Courtesy: The Uk Mirror

         WHeeeeww, what a way to announce ya hunger gametime for 2017. Its moments like these this that makes one love the game of football, goals like that make you love Arsenal and the way they play. This is also part of what frustrates the fans, tease us with a thing of beauty such as that, then follow it up with a tepid ughhhhh kinda performance….God forbid. Have I finished drooling over the scorpion goal by Giroud, for those still wondering what I am yapping about? Of course I have, moved on with the 3 points in the bag too. I was only musing out loud, but just in case you want to relive that special magic moment, here it is… fully worth another look, trust me.

Giroud got Arsenal off to a perfect start for 2017, with a solid albeit kind measured 2-0 win over Palace, much has been talked about the beauty of Girouds goal, and I take nothing away from it when I say the match was just another 3 points so let’s not lose sight of that the performance was such that we controlled much of the game and limited Big Sam’s boiz to a short spell where Cech had to earn his thursday paycheck. There was a lot of encouraging points to take from the match. A win, second consecutive clean sheet, Benteke kept in check, Iwobi did well in Ozils absence, well anchored by the improving Xhaka and we shoved another defeat down Big Sam’s throat. Adding the beauty of Giroud’s goal was just a gloss over an afternoon of accomplished well controlled performance. So what’s not to like? All that is history now and we grind on by travelling down to the Vitality stadium.

     Its Bournemouth Tuesday evening. We all know how they play i.e the Eddie Howie way with the ball on the ground. Their home form while not stellar is quite good 5W 1D 3L isn’t a bad return for a team their size, beating Liverpool in here in one of the most shocking comebacks of this season. This has them at 9^th position on the log then you realize they are to be taken with seriousness. The last league encounter between these two teams back in November 2016 was a cracking affair even though Alexis genius helped settle the match at   3-1 in favour of Arsenal. The score line did not exactly reflect how fine the margins of that game were as Bournemouth could have gotten something out of it. I want to believe Wenger and his boiz are focused on the task at hand. One match at a time but a must win this is….yet again. 9 points off the top with just a point separating us Spurs and Man United, it’s really getting tight around the top six. The league is still Chelsea’s to lose but with 18 matches still to be played, none of the top six teams are out of contention. You just have to look at the momentum 6 straight wins for Man United has done to get that point into proper context, things can and do change in as little as 3 matches. Like I said though, lets take it one game at a time, stay focused and take nothing for granted. Benik Afobe has stayed back from the AFCON to help his club, the threats of Stanislus, Arter, King and Ake also adds more to us needing to be focused for this encounter. We have to win this game, a good ol’ one-nil to the Arsenal will be fine, since it appears we may have gotten back our clean sheets formula (I hope). Jack wilshere missing this one due to his loan may be another good one for us, he has somehow steadily found his influence grow in this team, which bides well for his continued return back to fitness. It also raises questions about our handling him on and off the pitch back at arsenal. What they not getting right about him. Anyway, that’s another matter for another day. Today is about getting another win on our travels. Potential banana skin it could be if the gunners lose focus and get complacent, there are no easy games should be the watch word. With the games coming thick and fast, I would give iwobi a rest and start Ramsey in the playmaker role, he needs the run of games and boost of confidence as his season has being more stop than start. Our depth in midfield has been the saving grace in helping Arsenal cope with Ramsey’s absence, Welbz should get a look in from the bench as he eases back to full match fitness while Mustafi remains a 50/50. My team will look like this:

Subs: Ospina, Welbeck, Jeff, Iwobi, Oxlade, Mustafi, Holding

Not an exactly strong bench we have there, but in light of injuries and suspensions, i think the mix is just about balanced. The gunners will need to cut out any silly errors here, keep the sheet clean for a slim win, thats hoping they can maintain focus. Whatever the team that turns out, lets just get all 3 points and close the gap on Liverpool having drawn, maybe Chelsea too if they draw against Spurs, but we need to win first. Do enjoy the game wherever you are...Ciaoooo

A 2016 Flash Back & Palace Preview

   

   And so here we are. As the 2016 train slowly grinds down to a halt we at anaijagunner would love to wish all our teaming readers, Football, Arsenal and Non Arsenal fans alike a very royal welcome to 2017 wherever you may be. Happy New Year folks. 2016, like every other year was one of highs and lows for us as Arsenal fans and Super Eagles supporters. The emergence of Alex Iwobi on the scene from the tail end of last season, teased us on what could possibly be...so much potential for his young age, already capped and scored for the Eagles at the young age of 20 signed a professional contract to boot. It seems the sky is just a starting point. Well it hasn’t being a straight up curve of success for the young man though, he has had criticisms for his seeming lack of goals amongst other things so I guess the jury is still out on him on how good he will come. There was that 3-0 thrashing of Chelsea my gaaawwd, was that good?  It’s been a long time coming and it was nice to see the boiz raise their game to deliver such a blitz of a performance. For the eagles though, Iheanacho’s star continues to shine as his stock does go up. He has shown he can be lethal in front of goal for both club and country, though not helping the eagles qualify for the 2017 AFCON. Next is the world cup qualifiers, let’s see how it goes. Then the lows, I grit ma teeth to type theses even though it’s easier to find yourself remembering the negatives while taking the positives for granted. Losing to Liverpool, City then the draw against Spurs for me was the height of ill preparation both mentally and physically. That’s just one win in in 5 against top 5 opposition…..NOT good enough I will like to continue but let’s just leave it at that for a little flash back on the past year, glass half full perspective.

     Fast forward to today, talk isn’t about transfers on ins or outs. It’s the visit of Crystal palace to the Emirates in a late New Year day Kickoff. The Eagles have recently hired a familiar foe in Sam Allardyce after sacking former player and Coach, Alan Pardew for a bad run of results… ouch!! Wenger and Big Sam encounters go way back to the Bolton wanderers’ days when they kind of became some sort of a bogey team to the gunners, other meetings after that have been more favorable to Wenger. Our Boxing Day clash with Westbrom was more steel than style according to wenger, I think we might need more of such doggedness. Chelsea is flying high, having matched Arsenals record on the number of consecutive wins, 13 on the bounce, while Liverpool suddenly has found a way to win 1-0. The reds win over city was their third in the last four matches. City is not looking as imperious as they should but the seat above us in 3^rd place.  I don’t need to hammer home the importance of 3 points at stake here, be it grinding out these wins no matter how parked the opposition buses may be. Thats what i loved about the game against the baggies, we eked out a 1 Nil win, our first in 13 games but hopefully many more to come.  Wenger says:

“Coming after two bad results, we didn’t panic, we kept going,” Arsène Wenger said. “We had a relentless attitude and in the end we managed to win it.

“We’ve done that many times this season, so that means the resolve is there and the stubbornness too. We said we want to have style and steel, and I think we may be showed more steel than style in this game, but it will be important for our season.”

The Season is half way through and the points at stake keep reducing with each passing game, the league is obviously not won yet with lots of points to play for but Chelsea’s as Wenger reckons are definitely super favorites thus theirs to lose. (They were top on Christmas day) With Walcott and Ox out, It’s not all gloomy as the squad is bolstered by the return of Mustafi and Danny Welbeck which a serious boost, if we get things right. So can we? That’s the question for Wenger and the team to answer. My predicted lineup here

Whatever the lineup we put out, the boys eed to be up for a fight cuz thats the way Big Sam will set up his team, get into our faces try to knock us out of our fluidity and hope for a hit on set pieces. We need to stay tough and stand up to the upcoming physicality. DO enjoy the game wherever you are....Ciaoo