You could not really say that Arsenal have had it all our own way in our recent appearances at Wembley Stadium. The Gunners have needed extra time in all three of the games played at the home of English football in the last couple of years and we even had to endure the tension of a penalty shoot out in the semi-final against Wigan Athletic last season.
So you might be a bit surprised to hear our German centre back Per Mertesacker in an Arsenal.com report talking about how Arsenal will be feeling good about the ground when they arrive to face Aston Villa in the FA cup final on Saturday. But I see where he is coming from.
The Gunners have really been up against it there, no more so than finding ourselves 2-0 down in last year’s final against Hull City when the long wait for a trophy looked like stretching to a full decade. But the players have always found a way to overcome the problems and emerge victorious. And the fact that the team have gotten used to playing there should help us to avoid those cup final nerves.
Mertesacker said, “We know how difficult it is to compete at Wembley. It’s different from being away or at home – you can’t compare it.
“We have a certain mental strength in this competition to come back. We’ve been successful at Wembley, we’ve done well there but not shown our best form which is weird.
“Against Championship sides and Premier League sides like Hull, it was always a tight game. You can’t compare it to a Premier League game.
“We’ve been through [a very close final] last season, so it can be an advantage. We just have to be aware that anything can happen on the day. If we turn up with a good performance at Wembley then it’s difficult to stop us.
“You can feel the excitement about Wembley with the British boys but also [because it is] the final of the FA Cup. It’s special in every country and everyone is really proud to be involved in a big football night.
“Everyone is really up for it. It’s another special occasion for us to show we are capable of winning something. But we need the right attitude to compete at that high level and we need to turn up with our best performance, maybe of the season, to grab the [trophy] again.”
Do you think that Arsenal can play this final with some freedom and fluency and produce the sort of performance that will light up the national stadium or do you expect another nail-biter?
Cazorla should be on the bench. Coquelin, Ramsey and Ozil in midfield. Walcott on rw,
Sanchez on lw and Giroud up front.
Why should Cazorla start on the bench??
Well who should Cazorla replace out of Coquelin, Ramsey, Ozil, Walcott, Alexis and Giroud? Also why should he replace that player?
Why has MoneyTalks got 8 thumbs down?
What’s wrong with Ramsey, Ozil, Walcott, Alexis and Giroud all starting with Cazorla on the bench
Coquelin would obviously be the remaining Midfielder.
I have no problem with Cazorla playing instead of Ramsey but I think Ramsey has played excellent recently and Ozil has played better than Cazorla recently. Just very surprised with 8 thumbs down!
Are these 8 People Cazorla fans or Ozil/Ramsey haters lol?
At the moment we should all be Arsenal fans
Lol @ fred cowardly….agreed. Guess Cazorla has been a pretty classy performer in that position for much of the season, whereas Ramsay (who has also played well) is under threat from Theo for the position on the right.
So, for me it’s Ramsay or Theo, leaving Ozil as AMC with Coquelin and Cazorla in the middle.
ramSEY ffs
It’s in our hands. If we play well then we have too much quality for Villa to cope with, we’ll win comfortably. If we play poorly, Villa have every chance of beating us.
This cup final is very important for us. It’s different from last year. Last year was all about pressure, we had to win. This year it’s about winning because we want to win, there’s no drought to be ended, only records to be made. It’s time for our players to go out and show that they do have the desire to win trophies, for themselves as much as the club. If they don’t, then I’d have serious concerns about whether or not they even have a chance of going for the league title next year.
OT: Excitement diminishes by 50% when Ozil not playing!
May I ask why?
With Ozil on the ball there is always an unexpected ending, move or pass being conjured up. Most moves you cannot guess correctly. Example everybody expecting him to pass to Bellerin – he turns around and passes to Sanchez. Totally unexpected!
With Wilshere we all know what the expected ending is going to be. Dribble dribble and then more dribble when 4 defenders are onto you – fall down (the expected ending).
With Ramsey there is a cut back and forth a pass sideways and a pass at the back and make a dash to the opponents penalty box whilst there is already a break on for the opponents. Then run back furiously…
Put fear in them!!!
Talk up the game!!!
Threaten them!!!
Tell them how good we are!!!
Ask them if they’ve been watching us!!!
Let them know it’s very hard to beat us!!!
Let them know we have no rival!!!
Tell them we are feared cuz we fear none!!!
Tell them we shall start and end the game in their own half.
FEAR NOT, FRIENDS!!! TOMORROW WE DEPART WEMBLEY WITH YET ANOTHER TROPHY!!!