Arsenal are aiming to win their tenth game in row tomorrow against Chelsea, and they can hardly be in a more confident mood having scored 20 goals in the previous 9 games, and only conceding 5. I personally believe that having David Ospina in goal has been the greatest aid to our improvement, but Arsene Wenger was asked if he thought the back line were more cautious than earlier in the season.
“I think we are a bit more efficient defensively but not necessarily more cautious,” he said on Arsenal.com. ”Maybe we attack even more. There is less reluctance to go forward when we have the ball when the belief is stronger.
“When we go, we go because the belief is behind them. Sometimes it is difficult to let that inhibition go when the belief is not there. When you are on a winning route, it is a bit easier.
“We have to organise that the players who go forward against Chelsea do so with 100 per cent belief and the players who do not go protect us from being caught on the counter-attack.
“We have been good when defending counter-attacks, but Chelsea have been the most efficient team on them. Maybe as well they play a bit more for that.”
As Arsenal are at home the onus will be on us to try and break down the Chelsea defence, and I am sure that Mourinho will set his team up to soak up the pressure as they did against Man United last weekend. Ask any Chelsea fan and they will tell you they would be happy with a 0-0 bore-draw tomorrow, but you can be sure our UNSTOPPABLE attack will force them out of the corner and make them try and play us at our own game. Then they will get SLAUGHTERED!
Agreed! We must go into this match, with the mindset and confidence that we can beat them, and get 3 priceless points! Coyg!
If the right team selection is made and the balance is met they we definitely turn the fortunes is this very tie. OT but Wenger starting Ramsey on the RW ahead of Welbeck and Walcott raises alarms and questions for me regarding those two. What is Wenger seeing that we don’t for him to put a player that has half their pace on the wing ahead of them?!?
I remember the first time Ramsay was forced to play our wide right. He began having the worst season ever following Wenger’s decision to put him there. Why he is back there again boggles the mind. Surely Welbeck or Walcott should start there.
I too find it a strange one – maybe too subtle for me to work out the tactical effect. In very slight mitigation, we have won all 3 games when he has played there with AR scoring and assisting. Not a total disaster – you would think we had been ripped apart in the last 3 judging from the reaction.
It seems to work because Ramsey and Ozil interchange plus Ozil and Ramsey seem to be able to find each other.
I’m guessing the underlying issue is not enough goals from Welbeck means Wenger took a shot putting Ramsey there who can score
maybe its because of ramsey’s good form it gives him a selection headache. If ox wasn’t injured i’m pretty sure he would start ahead of ramsey.
As I said below I don’t fully understand it but there is a bit more to it than simply sticking your fastest player in there. We don’t play with out and out wingers so hitting the bye-line and skinning the FB has never been part of the equation. We get the pace and incisiveness from Alexis on the other side – maybe this is a balancing act. To me, if I was guessing you would say it is conservative selection to shore up a team, Ramsey is a very busy player with bags of stamina he will be nuisance in those areas all day. Dare I say it, seems like something Mourinho would do to tighten things up a bit. Or maybe it is more basic than that – Wenger just trying to shoe-horn who he considers the best X1 on to the field by making compromises in player’s natural positions.
Nice summation @Jonestown1
“Or maybe it is more basic than that – Wenger just trying to shoe-horn who he considers the best X1 on to the field by making compromises in player’s natural positions.”.
I’ll probably go with the above. And if it is indeed the case, I’ll say it is perfectly understandable as long as it is working.
I actually need us to win so we go into next season wit a strong belief that we can win Chelsea,mancity,man u and WIN d league.C.O.Y.G
quick question, which team you hate most, chelsea or man u? spuds dont count as they are wee wee club.
Pool
utd the most, they have very annoying fans
A while ago, if u asked me i would be confused but after a liverpool friend of mine told me that coutinho was waaaayyy betteer than ozil i have made up my mind. It’s liverpool i hate more. And the idiot didn’t even admit ozil was better after we thrashed them.
Barcelona> Manure> Chelsea> Liverpool ( for fk’ing up Suarez transfer) > Stock city > What is Spurs?
true f**k barca!!!
Absolutely
Without belief in yourself and belief in each other (team) you can’t succeed.
Stay positive, believe in your quality and the team’s quality and work your socks off On the pitch.
we have the quality to beat Chelsea as long as they believe and work hard, thats all that matters
🙂
Admini, I can assure you people that the Gunners have already unwavering belief they will beat the Blues hands down. And they believe their belief without any iota of doubt they will beat Jose Mourinho’s Blues outfit at the Emirates Stadium tomorrow Sunday evening kickoff time. The Gunners will undoubtedly press the Blues hard to their spines and crush them to pieces. The final scores has been truly revealed in advance as: AFC 4-0 CFC. FT 90′ +.
If Ramsey plays on the wings ahead of Welbeck or Walcott, doom is what will await us. Wenger is a manager who is prone to favorisem. He simple cant shut down his ego and play the players according to the needs in the game.
Chelsea is nor QPR, and Hazard is not a pokemon but the best player in the Epl who needs to be stoped by more then 2 players alone.
Welbeck is tall and fast, at least he can help the defence by teasing and fouling Hazard at times, bec it will be very diff to stop him.
1-0 For Arsenal and call it a lucky day.
Brad Guzan just singlehandedly put City in 2nd place. Wish we could be gifted a goal like that in the FA Cup Final. Pathetic how the other teams get these gifts time and time again, but they always turn up against Arsenal…