Showing posts with label Pre Match Build Up. Show all posts

Lessons For Our Game With The Devils...

23rd April 2013 By Misterspruce


After our somewhat lackluster performance against Fulham, I only hope our boys would go into the match against the devils on Sunday bearing the following points in mind:

1. Do not NOT take advantage of a team less one man before the 1st half ends. Do a Mortal Kombat fatality move and finish it.

2. Do not play a high defence and commit more men forward than you would like and therefore struggle to tame the opposing team on the counter. We're lucky that was Fulham; of-course a team like Man-U, Chelsea and City, even Tottenham (like they did when we met them last) would have made us suffer for it.

3. Do not allow a team less one man play like they have thirteen (13) and press the sh*! out of you. In most of the 2nd half, we were on the back foot, even worse after pretty boy Giroud got sent off.

4. Do not make tackling an opposing team player an afterthought like Giroud did, it could painfully earn you a red card; something we cannot afford to do against the devils under the auspices of Sorcerer Ferguman.

5. Do remember that we actually do need Champions League football next season, not because we want to save face but because most of the players we hope would come to Drayton Park would only come if they can get Champions League football. If you mess up, nothing for you, Nada, zip, zilch! Capice?

6. Do not frolic about the pitch on Sunday boys, stop trying to top the table for the most passes in a game in the EPL, just shoot the friggin' ball into the friggin' net! *venting*

7. Do settle for at least a draw at Old Trafford. It's not impossible.

8. Put 'Judas-the-glass knees' (you know who I'm talking about) in his place, make him invisible, let people wonder if he's on the pitch at all. Scum.

The devils would want to finish up the job in front of their home fans, let's not give them the pleasure. Let's make life difficult for them. Bloody difficult.

Thanks for reading! Please comment on this post, subscribe by email, share with friends and follow me on twitter (@Misterspruce1).

West Bromwich Albion vs Arsenal Match Preview

5th April 2013 by Jeff @ArsenalTrend


Arsenal will be looking to keep up their top four challenge when they visit The Hawthorns to play West Bromwich Albion on Saturday afternoon. The Gunners (15-8-7) go into the latest round of Premier League games just two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, but star man Theo Walcott has called on the team to work on their consistency to ensure future silverware. "If we get a bad result, you see a reaction," said Walcott.


"We shouldn't have to get a bad result and then perform well in the next game. It should always be there. The guys have got it. Mentally, they are very strong. It's realizing how we cope when we come back from those disappointing results. We just need to do it every week - it's as simple as that. "There's great potential there. We've had too much experience now to be challenging for fourth. We need to be challenging for the Premier League because that's what we want to be known for. We want to be in the history books… we need to win something now."


West Brom (13-5-13) are comfortably in mid-table, but remain with an outside chance of claiming a Europa League place, and goalkeeper Ben Foster has urged his team to finish the season strongly. "I think it will be a very big ask to qualify for Europe, but we've got seven games left with four at home and three away," said Foster.

"We know our home form has been very good so if we can get three wins from our four games we will be there or thereabouts. "Our aim is to reach the mid-50s. We're on 44 now and if we can pick up another three or four wins it keeps us in the mix, at least." Steve Clarke's West Brom have won three of their last six league games after a run of six without a win. The Baggies are the only team in the division to have an equal number of wins and losses (13), and are also on the same number of goals scored as goals allowed (41). Only the Manchester clubs have won more home games than West Brom's nine this season.

With just 14 goals conceded at The Hawthorns, the Baggies have the fourth best home defensive record in the league - behind only Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City. The Gunners have won five of their last six and have allowed just four goals in that run - keeping three clean sheets. They have the best away defensive record in the league, with just 13 goals conceded in 15 games on the road. Arsenal won 2-0 when these teams met at the Emirates in December, with Mikel Arteta scoring two penalties after questionable decisions.

The Gunners have won their last three games against West Brom, outscoring the Baggies 8-2 in those matches, and haven't lost in four at The Hawthorns. West Brom have managed just one win in their last ten meetings with Arsenal. Arsenal's last game against Reading was relatively easy, at least that was evident from the overall statistics of the match, Reading were lucky to concede just four goals, however the game at Hawthorns won't be such easy, it will be a tougher test. It took a 'fumbling and floppy' Martin Fulop a very bad game for Arsenal to secure a 3-2 win last season, that game sealed 3rd place and an automatic Champions League spot, the Gunners may not enjoy such luxury of a bad goalkeeper from the Baggies, the team will have to be up for it from kick off.


Team News: WBA: West Brom have doubts over James Morrison (hamstring), but are without Grant Thorne (knee) and Zoltan Gera (knee) until next season.

ARSENAL: Nacho Monreal returns to the squad after knee injury concerns from last match, but Abou Diaby (knee), Walcott (groin) and Jack Wilshere (ankle) are all expected to miss out. Arsenal must continue with their record of conceding fewer goals away from home on Saturday if they are to have any chance of coming tops against WBA, considering Romelu Lukaku's exceptional form for the home team, he can take on defenders and punish any complacency in Arsenal's defense.

Opta stats

1. No team have scored more goals after the 76th minute of matches this season than Arsenal (15).

2.The Gunners are yet to lose a Premier League game that they have taken the lead in this season (W15 D2).

3. West Brom's pairing of Jonas Olsson and Gareth McAuley have made 32 blocks each this season. Only Ryan Shawcross (33) and Ashley Williams (42) have made more.

Arsenal must now forget their stroll against Reading and be weary of treas Europa League spot chasing Albions as they can pose on the day, or at least they will be aiming to want to secure their highest Premier League finish in history. Can the Arsenal soar high at Hawthorns and secure all three points?

Predicted Line Ups Via SkySports

Arsenal Vs Reading Preview

29 March 2013 By Jeff @ArsenalTrend


Nigel Adkins will take charge of Reading for the first time on Saturday afternoon, when his new team visit the Emirates Stadium to take on Champions League-chasing Arsenal. Adkins was confirmed as the successor to fired manager Brian McDermott earlier this week, and knows he faces a tough task in trying to keep Reading (5-8-17) in the Premier League. The Royals are seven points from safety with just eight games remaining, but owner Anton Zingarevich is convinced he has brought in the right manager to take the club forward.

"Nigel is the man for the job. It's an important day for us, a really important appointment. I think he has all the right criteria, in terms of his CV and what he has been able to achieve. And the attractive football that he likes to play was one of the key factors for me. It's important for a manger to play attractive football - for the fans and for everyone who is involved."


Arsenal (14-8-7) are in the hunt for the Champions League places, and go into the latest round of matches just four points behind fourth-place Tottenham with a game in hand. However, the Gunners remain without Jack Wilshere, who is being given more time to get back to match fitness. "Wilshere's injury is not better or worse," admitted Wenger ahead of Saturday's game. "It was an inflammation of his (ankle) bone and we had such history with him, we are a bit more cautious than we would be with you or with me. We deferred a little bit his rehab by one week. We gave him one more week rest because it was wise medically to do it. "Honestly, it's very difficult (to predict when he will be back). I believe in two weeks on Sunday. That means not the next game; the game after. We will rest him when it is needed. He has regular scans and as soon as we have an alert, we will respect it no matter what is at stake."

These teams have played each other twice this season, with a staggering combined score of 14-7 to Arsenal over the two games. A sensational 7-5 League Cup win for the Gunners was followed up by a 5-2 win in the league, while seven different Reading players have accounted for the goals. Reading have lost five straight league games and have managed the least shots (270) and shots on target (97) of any club in the league. The Gunners have won four of their last five league games, keeping three clean sheets in that run. Arsenal have won all 11 meetings with Reading in their history. 

Cazorla scored a hat-trick in the reverse fixture
TEAM NEWS: ARSENAL : Arsenal have injury doubts over Kieran Gibbs (illness), Theo Walcott (groin) and Bacary Sagna (knee) in addition to Wilshire, and Abou Diaby will be out until next season after tearing his ACL in training on Wednesday. READING: Reading's Jason Roberts is out with a hip injury, while Danny Guthrie (knee), Adam Federici (ankle) and Jimmy Kebe (groin) are doubtful.

Arsenal are currently the second best in-form team in the Premier League behind Manchester United, that moment must continue to mount pressure on teams ahead for 'coveted' top 4 place. Reading will come fighting with renewed vigor anchored by their new coaching staff and in two previous games this season, Reading showed they can cause Arsenal problems especially in the final third, and can score goals too. Arsenal will get opportunities in front of goal, no doubt, how they take them & early on in the game, will speak volume of likely outcome tomorrow. This is a game Arsenal should win, irrespective of any threat Reading may pose, any result short of 3 points, will be a set back. Can the Gunners coast home to victory against Reading after the international break ? Leave your predictions in the comments below winning score gets a shout out on Twitter!

Arsene Wenger Press Conference Click Here

Opta Facts on Arsenal Vs Reading

The two meetings between Arsenal and Reading in 2012-13 already have seen 19 goals scored
Reading have conceded more Premier League goals against Arsenal (16) than any other opponent
Arsenal are yet to lose a Premier League game that they have taken the lead in this season

Arsenal Vs Reading : Arsene Wenger Press Conference

28 March 2013 By Arsenal Supremo


Today Arsene Wenger faced the media ahead of the Premier League tie between the Arsenal and Reading. Below are the main topics discussed : 

1. Team News Revealed 

2. Jack Wilshere injury update

3. On the race for top 4

4. Wenger on weather Walcott injury was England's fault

5. Szczesny has responded well and was coy on who would start in goal. 

6. On facing Nigel Atkins

Arsene Wenger talked about the importance of managing Jack Wilshere's recovery from injury. Jack Wilshere has missed the ast two games after suffering minor inflammation to his ankle and won't be fit for the Reading game. 

“He had a difficult moment of course when you told him [he would be rested] because he didn’t feel any special pain. But he knows he has to take care of his future. Because he is a very young player, I think he accepts it.”
Just a friendly reminder If you want more videos like this then subscribe to our site via email and get up to date with every post we post without missing a thing!

Check out our new feature on the site we look back at the past Arsenal Legends today is the turn of Nwankwo Kanu as we look back on his career and you can now watch all of his goals for Arsenal if you want to find out more Click Here If you want a certain legend to be analysed next feel free to leave a comment below.

Swansea V Arsenal Build Up : Exclusive Interview : Santi Cazorla

16th March 2013 By Arsenal Supremo



Here is Santi Cazorla's interview as he reflects on the win over Bayern Munich and stated that the Arsenal must build of the momentum created to secure top 4 for next season.

The positive we take out of the game is that we gave a good account of ourselves against one of the favorites for the Champions League, winning at their stadium,”

“The team can gain momentum from this. We have to use this game as an example for the future and try to play as well as we did against Bayern.

Below find out more what he had to say and please share this interview with your gunner friends. You will get all of the exclusive videos & great match previews and reviews to all Arsenal games on this site so subscribe to our site via email and don't miss out on any of the interview's with all of the Arsenal players. Coming up next on the site is an exclusive interview Olivier Giroud so stay tuned for that. 

Video Source www.arsenal.com

Match Preview : Swansea V Arsenal

15th Match By Jeff @ArsenalTrend Swansea V Arsenal Match Preview 


Much to the consternation of Arsene Wenger and Arsenal, it will be another season without a trophy in north London. Swansea City, though, are still basking in the glory of winning their first such hardware in 101 years and have their eyes on something bigger.

Chomping at the bit to open their most challenging stretch of league play, the Swans try to head into the international break with some momentum on Saturday when they host the Gunners at Liberty Stadium.

Arsenal nearly overturned a massive deficit Wednesday at Bayern Munich in the second leg of their round of 16 tie, rallying with two goals to knot the aggregate 3-3, but the crucial third away goal never came, and the Gunners (13-8-7) became the last English side to be eliminated in the Champions League despite a 2-0 win."Our second goal came a bit too late,'' Wenger said. "Bayern was nervous but we paid the price for not playing well in the first leg.''


Having already been eliminated in all domestic cup competitions - including ousters in the FA Cup and League Cup to lower-tier sides, Arsenal can throw their full attention into the final nine matches in league play to secure a spot in Champions League for next season. The Gunners had a five-match unbeaten streak snapped last Sunday in a 2-1 derby loss at Tottenham and are five points behind fourth-place Chelsea for the last European berth.

"We just have to go into every game focused and try and win every game that we play until the end of the season to try and get back into the Champions League," midfielder Aaron Ramsey told the team's official website.


Arsenal have done a good job following up their midweek matches in league play, going 4-3-0 on their last seven such occasions. Swansea (10-10-9) enter this match on 40 points, four places and seven points behind Arsenal, but this season can already be labeled a smashing success for the Welsh side in just their second season in the top flight. The Swans made a successful transition to new coach Michael Laudrup, found a top scorer in Michu and will be playing at least in the Europa League next season after winning the League Cup.

This will be the fourth competitive meeting between Arsenal and Swansea already this season, with both teams having a W1 D1 L1 record. Now comes a daunting stretch of matches for the Swans, starting with this match and a home match against third-place Spurs after the World Cup qualifying break. The six-match gauntlet concludes with a trip to Stamford Bridge versus Chelsea and a home match against reigning champions Manchester City, and talisman Garry Monk feels the high-profile clashes give the Swans all the incentive they need to surpass last season's total of 47 points and avoid complacency.

"We have got the entire top five to play in the remaining games, and we are targeting more scalps," he told Swansea's official website. "Arsenal are a really good outfit and we've already had some great battles with them this season. "But if we don't maintain our standards for the remaining nine games, then that could take the gloss of our season."

Michu's goals in the 88th and 91st minutes gave the Swans a 2-0 victory at the Emirates in the reverse fixture, but Arsenal gained a measure of revenge by dumping Swans from the FA Cup with a 1-0 triumph at home in a January replay on Jack Wilshire's goal in the 86th minute after the two teams had played to a 2-2 draw at Liberty Stadium.


Predicted line ups from the Guardian 


Swansea's last double over Arsenal came in the 1981-82 season. Arsenal with 10 games left to haul themselves into the top four, and cannot afford a repeat of December's meeting in North London when Michu's late double earned Swansea a 2-0 win.

Do you think the Gunners can do it tomorrow at the Liberty Stadium ? What do you think the score line would be? Please comment & leave us your feedback.

Pre Match Build Up : Arsene Wenger Press Conference Pre Swansea

15tth March By ArsenalSupremo



Arsene Wenger spoke to the media ahead of the vital game away to Swansea where the Arsenal looking to maintain the performance from Munich. Arsene looked back on the win over Bayern, competition for places and didn't want to reveal who would start in goal, was it going to be Szczesny or Fabianski who had a near faultless performance in Munich. Topics also raised was racism in football and what should be done to combat it and finally the excellent form of Swansea's Michu.

On the way is a match preview of the game by Jeff @ArsenalTrend so comeback to have a good read and remember to subscribe via email so you don't miss out on any of the stories on our new Arsenal Fan Site COYG! What do you think is going to happen at the game would love to see your thoughts on the game why not leave a comment and give us your predictions.

Match Preview from Jeff @ArsenalTrend Click Here

Arsene Wenger & Thomas Vermaelen Press Conference Pre Bayern Munich



Arsene Wenger & Thomas Vermaelen spoke to the media ahead of the crucial 2nd leg tie with Bayern Munich with most people calling it the mission impossible to beat the German leaders, needing at least 3 goals at The Allianz Arena to have any chance of going through.

Although Arsene hasn't given hope just yet. "It is not mission impossible," said the manager. "It can be done, but first of all you need 100 per cent commitment, attitude and things to go your way. But usually football goes your way when you have the right attitude. The boss also explained the situation with Szczesny, as his surprise exclusion from the travelling squad.“I decided to give him a breather just to refresh him and [so that he would] not be under increasing pressure, because once people start speaking about you, you think, ‘Now I cannot afford any [errors]’ and that's when you make mistakes.”

Thomas Vermaelen wants to repay the faith the manager has shown the whole squad by putting in a performance against Bayern. “He has worked for a long time at this Club and he's done a lot for it. We want to give him something back because he gives us confidence and belief. Find out more in what they both had to say in the video below.

Team News ahead of the Bayern Munich game - Jack Wilshere out for 3 weeks!



Arsene Wenger confirms his team news for the Bayern Munich game Jack Wilshere out for 3 weeks with ankle injury while Szczesny is rest and Podolski is also out with injury.

While coming back into the squad are Kierian Gibbs who has come back from injury also Diaby and Fabianski were called up into the squad.Meanwhile, Nacho Monreal is ineligible for the match, having represented Malaga in the group stages of the competition.

Final Comment - Due to the fact we are not bringing out our strongest squad I just cannot see us winning unless there is a collapse from Bayern and we play to the maximum. What I want to see from Arsenal is to see us go for the win we have nothing to lose.

Pre Match Build Up : Arsene Wenger on the Bayern Munich game


Arsene spoke ahead of the 2nd leg tie with Bayern Munich which Arsenal lost the first leg 3 1 and need 3 goal without reply to have a chance of going through to the next round. 

It will need a faultless performance at the Allianz Arena but he believes a positive mental attitude can give his players a fighting chance."We’re chasing the game in a very difficult environment against a team that has no doubts at all,"

"We just have to convince ourselves that we can do it in Munich as well. Yes, the chance is small, but the chance makes the impossible possible. That would be a great credit for our team to do it. We have to try to achieve it."

Injury news ahead of the game revealed on twitter by Bayern Munich Frank Ribery won't be playing due to an  ligament injury. They will be also with the suspended Boateng & Schweinsteiger which gives the Arsenal a bit more hope that the impossible is still possible. COYG!

Arsene Wenger interview on the Bayern Munich Game on Twitpic
Click Image To Bring Up The Interview
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