Arsenal v Liverpool – Both managers in confident moods!

Arsene Wenger has pulled his Arsenal team up from the Europa League positions by winning every single game they played in March, but he doesn’t want his team to have been put off by the interlull. He just wants to keep on winning!

“It’s a big game and an opportunity for us to continue our run, which is what we want to do,” Wenger said. “We are on a strong run and we just want to focus on winning our games, winning the next one. Liverpool is a big opponent but we play at the Emirates and we want to do it.

“You know after the international break it’s always important that you come back and straight away you are on it.”

This particular game is crucial six-pointer, and the fact is that victory will open up a significant gap on the chasing pack, headed by Liverpool, but Wenger refused to be drawn on the numbers. “I’m not too much in mathematics now,” he concluded. “We do that after the game. What is important is just for us to win the game and produce the performance. At the moment, I just want to make sure we have a quality performance and have a continuity of what we produced recently.”

Liverpool themselves have got the problems of Steven Gerrard and Martin Skrtel being banned for the game, but they will be boosted by the return of Daniel Sturridge who had been withdrawn from the England squad. Brendan Rodgers is confident he will be fit to play: “Daniel is back training with the team today (Thursday). We’ll see the reaction of that tomorrow,” he said.

“It was his first day back in so he wasn’t as sharp as he would want to be but he’s back training with the team and should be fine for the weekend.”

Liverpool had a stutter against Man United last week but have been in excellent form since the New Year. Rodgers also expects another good showing at the Emirates. “It’s a game we will want to get something from,” he said.

“In terms of the objectives going into the game, it’s no different to what it was before Manchester United. But of course we had a disappointing result and performance last time out.

“We really want to make sure we perform and give ourselves a chance to get a positive result.”

One thing is sure is that it s going to be an intriguing match between two sides in great form. Nothing is taken for granted on either side but I’m STILL expecting an easy win for the Gunners!

Onwards and Upwards!

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Tags Rodgers Sturridge Wenger

24 Comments

  1. Would love nothing better than to beat liverpool tomorrow at the emirates, and get 3 vital points! Coyg!

  2. 3 POINTS #COYG btw We are a free injury team…. Thanks to the new Medical and fitness team… Selection headache for Wenger!!

  3. I hope Sterling plays on the left. I want to see him try and use his pace against Walcott, or Bellerin, just not against Mertesacker… I hope Gabriel plays. Liverpool are a pacey, counter-attacking team. Gabriel is far better suited to defend against that kind of attack than Mertesacker. If Sterling plays on the right we might struggle with Monreal, so I’d be tempted to go for Gibbs instead. As for Sturridge, I hope Koscielny puts him in his pocket.

    1. I honestly don’t think Walcott will start wenger will start welbeck or Ramsey over him imo

  4. they can both be confident…. But , Brendan is no where near wenger’s level in terms of overall carrear achievements…. Hope qe chop em like diced meats

    1. I have a gut feeling we have a buyback option with Afobe..

      In a similar fashion like with C Vela, and he wasn’t even from our youth ranks.

  5. If feels so weird having over 95% of squad fit, hopefully it stays this way for the forthcoming seasons; I’d love to see what this squad could actually achieve.

  6. Hopefully we get all 3 points. Don’t care How we do it. A win is a win and I will be happy with a win

    We have the players to do it but they need to play their best.

    Id go with Ospina, Bellerin, Koscielny, Mertsacker, Monreal, Coquelin, Ramsey/Cazorla, Ozil, Alexis, Welbeck and Giroud

    Or maybe Gabriel for Mertsacker

  7. Can’t wait to sell Walcott and get Reus.
    Then Diaby, Jack, Flamini, Arteta, Welbeck, Rosicky,Mert, Poldolski, Campbell, Sanogo get released.

    Happy happy times

  8. I’ve been using this stat comparison thing a few times now and I’ve searched high and low for a defensive midfielder with better defensive stats that Coquelin, and I just can’t find one. Matic, Wanyama, Schneiderlin, Kondogbia, Gustavo, Schweinsteiger, Lahm, The Bender twins, Busquets, Alonso and even Mascherano. Coquelin doesn’t just beat all of them, he blows them all out of the water.

    Some of them do have better overall stats of course, as they’re more attacking than Coquelin is, like Schweinsteiger for example. But in terms of defensive stats: tackles, aerial duels, interceptions and the like, I can’t find any better than Coquelin. Stats can be misleading and paint a false picture, but for a defensive midfielder I think they can be quite accurate, more accurate than other positions at least.

    We need another defensive midfielder so that never again do we have to rely on Flamini to keep us safe, but Coquelin has been exceptional, I can’t see him not being first choice..

    1. I think stats are pretty accurate nowadays since there is so many different aspects of the game they can quantify but they also don’t tell the whole story but like you said for a DM they seem accurate. But Le coq is a mother f*ckin beast there is no other way to put it I can’t stop saying enough good things about this kid and he’s only 23! Give him a full preseason and another year in the prem under his belt and he will get better and better

      1. I remember a period last year were we where holding each dm stats up against each other and L Bender was the stand out with Schneiderlin nearest to him. Looking at Coqs stats now looked very similar to what i seen from Bender at that time… 3. something interceptions and/or 3. something tackles per game i cant remember exactly but very alike what i am seeing with Coqs.

        Stats dont tell the whole story as we all know, they wont tell you when he is in an area he shouldnt not even for a second, but i suppose thats when our eyes decide… and they dont tell you when he should have taken a yellow or sometimes the red, and they dont tell you about the niggly stuff ie unsettling opponents with over physicality, smack talk, quick little shirt tugs, odd elbow slyly leading.. and of course theirs the Vinnie/Gazza tear jerker lol. Our own minds with the benefit of eyesight must make up a lot of judgement on whether he stands proudly amongst the best def midfielders all over. Considering many Gooners would put in a PL DM ahead of Coq well then i must assume peoples eyes are telling them that he is not worlds best DM, or i could be wrong and many believe that Coq is best at his foremost duty defending and Schneiderlin is that all rounder or agile Arteta if you like so he gets the nod on more abilities.

        If i could choose our next DM signing i would go with M Verratti from PSG, i dont expect many to agree as we are all each to our own much of the time. The main reason i would go for this lad is because when needed i think himself and Coq would be totally awesome together, excellent player all round and never hides in the big games… well not ones i seen him in.

        1. verratti is the player I most want to see at arsenal alongside kondogbia. He’s the type of pleyer I thought wilshere would progress into, both quite aggressive on and off the ball with good close dribbling and passing range. Jack bulked out a fair bit though and I think that affected his style of play a little, but verratti’s most impressive asset is his ability to use both feet so openly, I think this is a great attribute for any player to have.

          1. I would also love to see that… and glad your on same page with Verratti as i think he gets underrated, people always talking about pogba and maybe rightly so but Verratti is a very special player.

  9. I want to rest overworked Alexis for Burnley. But he can be a Sub on the bench to be brought on in our home game against Liverpool. If the boss rest him for our away game to Burnley, it will help Alexis as he could become able to get back his goal scoring flair at Turf Moor after a due rest by grabbing 2 goals against the Clarets. But I doubt if the boss will agree with my game menu. I will not be surprised to see the boss start him ahead of Walcott tomorrow.

    1. Best way to get back in confident goalscoring mood is to be on the pitch and to snatch a goal whether its rebounded off your ass or if its a thirty yard keeper no chance.

  10. Big games need big players, i think if the manager is being honest with himself, ozil should be coming from the bench, let ramsay partner coq and cazorla behind giroud welbeck and sanchez, also put in gabriel so that we can high press liverpool and kill their game.

    Unlike arsenal, liverpool do not have a long ball outlet as arsenal and enjoys pressing their opponents, but dislike this being done to them.

    Lets gun them down

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