While every Arsenal fan will be urging the players to give absolutely everything for a victory over table topping Leicester City tomorrow, our manager is often a bit more pragmatic than that and whereas we used to sometimes get caught out when throwing players forward, Arsene Wenger will now sometimes make sure of the point rather than risking all for the win.
This was highlighted once again in the game against Southampton recently, when the boss brought on Francis Coquelin and left Oxlade-Chamberlain on the bench in the closing stages. There is no doubt that we really need a win tomorrow but failing that we simply must not lose. Five points could still be made up but eight would look daunting and the win would also give Leicester a massive boost.
Having said all that, I expect Wenger to send the lads out to go for the win and to play with a certain amount of freedom. Being worried about losing is not good for the fluency of a team and so the defeat of Manchester United by Sunderland today could prove to be a big help to the Gunners.
If United had won at the Stadium of Light they would have moved to within four points and that might have got the prof and the players thinking about the fight to finish in the top four instead of just focusing on catching Leicester.
As it is we can afford to lose and still be six points ahead of the chasing pack and that should help the team to play with freedom and make the win all the more likely. Thanks big Sam.
When has Arsenal delivered with freedom to mess up?
Like everytime they need to do so.
Best case scenario
Arsenal 3 Leicester 0
City 1 Spurs 1
Worst case scenario
Arsenal 1 Leicester 4
City 0 Spurs 2
But if not draw then I rather see spurs won than city. The bottom line______________City are of a threat than spurs.
arsenal comparing them selfs with other losers. dont you people feel its kinda odd that we have to think about a way to beat l. city, instead of them thinking about a way to beat us instead? poor mentality, poor club.
i hope that tomorrow we beat them to save face a bit before barcelona puts us in our places which is near the basement alongiste the likes of spurs and others.
cl should be for cl alone
champions*
Why would someone who hates Arsenal spend so much of their time on a website about Arsenal? Don’t you have better things to do with your time?
Who says that i hate Arsenal. Sigh. Its just that i have never gotten used to be comfortable with being a loser, even after so many years of waiting. Right now we are in a situatin where we have to win the leuage or pipe down once and forever. dont you agree?
I’ve never seen you say anything that would suggest you like a single thing about Arsenal. I’ve seen you slate the players, stadium, manager, board, training staff and mentality on numerous occasions. What’s left to like other than the name? I’ve seen you predict failure before almost every game and complain even after victories. There’s realistic and then there’s unreasonably critical. There are Spurs fans who like Arsenal more than that.
No, I don’t agree. If we don’t win the league next season, there any number of seasons to come afterwards. Our team is as strong as it’s been for ages, yet there are talented youth players coming through and money to be spent in the summer. We’ve been slowly building to get to this point and are inching closer and closer. Why have you picked this arbitrary year as the endpoint of Arsenal’s title ambitions? You could have picked any year since 2004.
?
@_liam_
You’ve mentioned several stuff that I agree with. However, I don’t seem to like the statement that:
”…there are talented youth players coming through and money to be spent in the summer. We’ve been slowly building to get to this point and are inching closer and closer”.
As much as I’ll hate our team to be like ManCity or Chelsea, you have to see that Arsenal has lost most of our seasons during the summer windows. We’ve always been 2-3 players short of the title. Imagine if it was Man City or Chelsea who was interested in signing Suarez when Arsenal bid for him. £40m+£1? What were we thinking?
We’ve actually been building slowly (too slow if I may say). I fear that too many teams are beginning to catch up with us.
I hope city hammer spuds big time !
i want a tie between them; from a points point-of-view.
Hahaha. …Wtf! ‘ ?
Just because Sunderland beat Utd, You’re saying that its okay if we drop points against Leicester? ?
Are you Wenger in disguise? ?
Oh to be a gooner… Fourth – wards and downwards ??
Theres no place like Home!
he’s AKB, happy with fourth, as long as Wenger keeps lying to fans everyday
Typical loser mentality that allows Wenger to keep mediocre players on the field and aim for top 4 instead of the title. Fans should be demanding and expecting wins instead of relying on the misfortune of other teams. And seriously United is who you’re worried about ??! You seem to forget Spurs has a higher GD than us and Leicester are no1, winning is the only thing fans and the team alike should be thinking about. From now on we should be aiming for the PL title every season and nothing less, gone are the days of top 4 spot. Seriously, it’s getting embarrassing calling ourselves a big club and then having many people support the board’s decision to stay comfortable being 4th.
Van Gaal will surely be gone
by lunch time Monday.
That means Utd will be all
emotionally charged when
they play us next.
Gabriel was missing from training today!
With a suspected thigh injury ?
Looks like mertesacker will start after all ?
We are doomed. .. Dooooooomed!!! ???
u better be wrong or im cancelling ur gastric band
FUDGE FUDGE FUDGING FUDGEPACKER TOM CRUISE.
I hate seeing Mertesacker on the pitch
disclaimer.
there is no evidence to suggest tom cruise is a fudgepacker….why was he on brokeback mountain after filimg had finished?
research guys….research
Didn’t he played when we beat Leicester last time?
Sam, I think you are right. Safety 1st. But it’s all depend. Arsenal MUST attack with a positive productive attacking quality to collect all the 3 points that will be at stake on the Ems’ football playing turf tomorrow Sunday afternoon kickoff time.
The Gunners MUST attack but with an eagle’s eye to sight any erring Foxes who is incursing into the their territory to wreck any havoc, and collectively or singularly deal with him or them.
One thing the Gunners MUST eschew in this encounter, is discipline in all aspect of thei game. They MUST convert their chances when they have them. Moreso, the ones on the platters that will fall to them MUST all be buried. Every Gunner MUST track back to defend when they happen to lose possesion at any stage of playing this our enhancing title challenge match.
Reading reports Ozil has rejected a new contract with Arsenal, thumbs up if true, thumbs down if not.
Reportings by the MARca papers who like Barcelona!!! Very SUSPICIOUS timings I think!
any thumbs up are getting cut off yakuza style
We should learn to keep our house in order and stop comforting ourselves with other pple’s failures!!!…we have to win tomorrow cause the alternative is unthinkable..
Yeh, no need to stress.
Manu got beat (who aren’t even a challenger) So we can throw point away.
That’s the spirit.
Vardy & Co will be made up that the Mert is likely the one to stop their speedy goal raids!!!:)
manu’s defending continues to suck. we can beat them when we go there.