Morning Gooners!
I am on cloud nine in spite of that loss that we experienced on
Tuesday thanks to my new Xperia Z J. This new piece of beauty has
made me conveniently forget that debacle and the poor performance on pitch
which made many people realize how badly we require a quality back up striker
and how important it is to give your talented youngsters more playing time. I
am one of those people who are not affected by the outcome of the game as I
believe the loss just means that we have 1 less competition to play in and in
turn, less congestion in fixtures. We can concentrate on the more meaningful
premier league, the prestigious FA cup and the elusive champions’ league, and
our position in any of these would greatly affect our transfer dealings in
January. Moving on to premier league action, the game against Liverpool will be
the first real test for Arsenal this season. Last season, this game was
extremely entertaining and fortunes literally changed in a matter of minutes.
Lineup Then
Arsenal
Starting
XI: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Vermaelen,
Gibbs*, Ramsey, Wilshere, Cazorla, Walcott, Podolski, Giroud
Subs : Mannone, Koscielny, Jenkinson, Santos*, Diaby,
Oxlade-Chamberlain, Rosicky
Liverpool
Starting
XI : Reina, Johnson, Agger, Carragher,
Wisdom, Henderson, Lucas, Gerrard, Downing, Sturridge*, Suarez
Subs : Jones, Enrique*, Skrtel, Allen, Shelvey, Sterling, Borini
*subbed players
Blast from the Past
This game took place at a time when Arsenal were struggling to
defend well on the pitch, often committing individual mistakes and being prone
to committing errors, leading to goals for the opposition. Suarez was more than
happy to make use of these mistakes and scored as early as 5 minutes in to the
game. A similar blunder from our defenders in the second half gifted them
another goal which Henderson literally walked into and the score was 2-0 to
Liverpool. Though we were 2 goals down, we were never out and the players kept
pushing. A couple of goals, first from Giroud and then from Walcott just 7
minutes after the 2nd goal from Liverpool meant that the score was
2-2. Though both teams tried hard for a winner, neither could score one and
that's how things ended.
Current Mood
Arsenal
Our difficult period began with the games against Dortmund and
Chelsea and we lost both, in contrasting fashion. The fact that the players
have been playing so many games have been playing games in so little time is
pretty evident on their performance on the pitch, especially on Ramsey and on Özil.
I, for one, expected Ramsey to be rested for the game against Chelsea and hope
he doesn’t burn out as we need him and the rest of the team to be at their best
for the rest of the difficult period. Arsenal are still at the top of the
league, 2 points clear of Chelsea and will look to maintain the gap or may be
even hope to increase it with a home win. Another interesting fact in our favor
is that no team has managed to keep a clean sheet against us in the premier
league. So watch out ye scousers! J
Liverpool
Suarez and Sturridge (SAS) are scoring goals at will, from
wherever they want to and from whichever angle they want to. This has made them
the most devastating duo in the league and it wouldn’t be wrong to say that
they are the reason why Liverpool are doing so well in the league right now.
Keep SAS quiet and you can win the game. Give them space and time, and you will
see Liverpool at the top of the table with us falling below.
Injury List
Arsenal
Walcott (Abdomen), Flamini (Groin), Oxlade (Knee), Podolski
(Hamstring), Gnabry, Diaby (Knee – he is going to be a regular fixture in this
list till March 2014L)
Liverpool
Enrique(Knee), Aspas(Thigh)
Coutinho is back to full training and may feature against
Arsenal.
Predicted Lineup
Arsenal
There will be only one change to the team from the last game
against Crystal palace in the league. As Flamini is injured, Wilshere will step
in.
Liverpool
The playmaker of Liverpool, Coutinho, is back from injury which
kept him out for a month and he is back at the right time. His inclusion which
strengthen the side and he might replace Henderson.
Talisman
Arsenal
Cazorla assisted and scored his 1st goal for Arsenal
against Liverpool last season. He was showing his magic against Chelsea 3 days
before and he will look to replicate the magic against the scousers again. He
will be in the spotlight for Arsenal this weekend and like all you guys I am
looking forward to him combining with Ozil, Ramsey, Giroud and Jack.
Liverpool
Suarez. That one name in their line up takes the team a level
higher. Apart from his antics, he is a truly gifted player and he will create
havoc against our defenders. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that he might end up
being the difference between the 2 teams
Score line Prediction
This is going to be an interesting match altogether and it will
end as a close 2-2 draw, similar to what happened last season.
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