With friends like these, who needs enemies? At least that is what the Arsenal players and fans hope this will be what our former captain Cesc Fabregas will be thinking after he faces his former club in a Chelsea shirt at Stamford Bridge this afternoon.
Because there are still plenty of familiar faces for the Spanish international midfielder in the Arsenal ranks, but there will not be much friendliness on show once the whistle blows. One Gunner in particular, Mathieu Flamini, is fired up for the encounter, even though the Frenchman has revealed in a Sky Sports report that the two players are still extremely close.
Because of their respective playing positions in the centre of the pitch, Flamini knows that he will be in direct contact with Fabregas during the game and he will certainly not be thinking about their friendship when that happens. I just hope that he can be tough with the new Chelsea man and stop him influencing the game without getting himself sent off.
Flamini said, “We are really close friends. It is a special game for me to play against him.
“I stay in touch with him all the time. We live next to each other.
“He is someone I really appreciate on the pitch, not just because he is a good player, but he is a top guy off the pitch as well.
“Football is our lives, but also we have a life outside the pitch also.
“He shows the right mentality and works for the team. He is certainly going to be one of the (Chelsea) players to be careful about on Sunday.
“When we were together here, we had a great partnership on the pitch. He was more offensive and I was more defensive, working hard for him.
“The difference on Sunday is that I will probably mark him and that will not be easy – first of all because he is a good player, but also because he is a friend.
“Now after going to Italy, I have learned a lot tactically and obviously gained experience, so I am trying to play more with my head and more quality.”
Stopping or curbing the creative talents of Fabregas is clearly important to the Arsenal cause, but they have plenty of dangerous players in their side. The one that Arsene Wenger is most concerned about, according to another Sky Sports report, is their new striker Diego Costa.
If Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker can keep Costa quiet, then the Gunners have a great chance, but can they do it? And who will win the midfield battle?
Just point him towards Ozil, the supreme assist maker.
as far as games go this is season defining.
im putting all my chips on this game
then me thinks you are the wrong gooner on behalf of the arsenal family to be holding those ”chips” trade them will you plz.
damn i was joking – il stick to knock knock from now on.
sorry i doubt you speak on behalf of anyone but you and your first cuisin/girlfriend … 🙂
nah she got a mind of her on she can take care of her own her way she strong she smart she’s a goonerret yall
Nah this is just game
7 of 38. It’s early days.
so are u saying i was wrong to bet my mortgage and first born son on this match?
every body knows bet on your first born son and you never loss not know about winning though
@ Muff
No not made the wrong call. You will have an icegrill and Escalade by lunch time tomorrow
i somehow smell at least a yellow on Cesc from Flam…
Oh God pls dont let it be red this time…
we MUST end this game with 11 players
COYG
i dont know if we will win or not but i am sure this is going to be a very close match
In my mind Murinho is the man who destroyed football… want to see him lose!
well, if Flamini is now more tactical than before he left Arsenal for Italy,,,then just how un-tactical was he in his first spell at arsenal?!!!
but I like him and hope he keeps sissy cesc in his back pocket and choke him with continuous foul smelling farts 😀 😀 😀
Vital we do not concede early the longer it stays goalless the better for us as chelski will have to take a few chances to win the game the will increase the space for us then we can hurt them!
THE LAST TIME flamini spoke like this AC milano draw with Barca the got walloped ,so maybe we got beat last time ,we draw before then ,we win this time around no joke .
clutching onto any possible straw are we?
fair play man
but I like him and hope he keeps sissy cesc in his back pocket and choke him with continuous foul smelling farts 😀 😀 😀
ok haywill- whatever floats your yacht
why are you addressing haywill on my comment? I am not him
hmmmm
“I am not him”
Speak to my palm.
both our names have h a and y but there are more different characters than there are similar
when was the last time Arsenal won a game before international break ?
Let’s be frank..
flammini marking Fabregas is like a cycle marking a Ferrari car :v
In our team..only chambers can mark him if he plays as DMF
hope we play like Bayern Munich one day !!
Formation 3-2-4-1
————-ospina————
chambers–koscienly–gibbs
———diaby–wilshere——–
sanchez–ozil–cazorla–chambo
————-welbeck————-
eish! aarrhh mehn ? all ? dem these Chelsea fan bands beside me ,I thing moanrinho n abrahovic should sell this people on next January transfer window er! to aston vila ,west brom or Norwich something like that lol.
Wish we can have the Chelsea game postponed by 2 weeks so we can unlease Sanchez, Welbeck and Walcott on Chelsea 😉
I am just not that confident by the way we play against big teams.. We play the same crap tactics season after season, same formation different but same kind of players season in season out..
We are so undisciplined in our play, we just attack with no thought about being countered, the Left backs, Right backs ans wingers all attack at the same time, the attacking midfielders all push up at the same time and don’t seem to have any sensing of opposition danger..
We do this every season against better teams and we get humiliated, our players just don’t seem to read the game or sense danger. This is what always unnerves me.
I am always nervous due to our suicidal tactics..
Hope Everton do a nuber on Man-U, tot’s to draw, Arsenal to silence our critics, may our defence have big pockets and our strikers great accuracy Ozil to have his best game ever and Mourinho to suffer Laryngitis.
shit was I praying out loud again :)))
null n void
I remember how fabregas was my favourite player when i started supporting arsenal(not very long ago because im only 13), RVP when fab left was my favourite player. Now they’ve both left off to rivals teams. Now im totally behind the current gunners, say, why dont we show fab respect by whopping chelsea’s arse?
really how old were you when you started supporting Arsenal fc oh oh oh is it supporting CESC lol , but really how opld were you fellow?
uh i was 10 but mature enough
I can watch future
And I am watching arsenal have beaten Chelsea
i will kick u in your crystal balls if your wrong mystic meg
6 hours of motor bike riding will do for me to avoid today’s game lol
Why not the whole nine months you can miss all the season, stress free life.
true is i knows I need to miss 4 seasons lol
Though i strongly fcuk up my predictions yet-
3-2 to Arsenal.
God i won’t drink for a month. Promise. God only this match. Please please please.
@Sumo
I got 4-2 to us…
It’s time for us to dig in and put paid to this sh*t, once and for all…
WE F**KN RULE LONDON…. COYG
Wow, Cazorla did the tyre precision challenge with his left foot. Top player 😉
Ahhhhh Man U 4th and above us as it stands 🙁
Everton 6 points out of 21, wtf!
What’s changed? Delofeu gone, Barkley and Mirrallas injured?
the Martinez magic brilliant first season of appointment bad season the next and they say they want him now lol try 3 to 8 years from now
It’s Europa it costs teams big so,let’s hope we’re are not in it next year
On BBC website:
Chelsea v Arsenal (14:05 BST)
Posted at
Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown: “Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has a philosophy of how he wants to play football which is where it will be difficult at Chelsea. He thinks his team are good enough to beat anyone but if you don’t defend in numbers against Chelsea they will punish you.
“The players have to recognise it and their game management has to be better. The manager doesn’t give you any restrictions. I would imagine Mathieu Flamini being important for Arsenal if he plays.”
Former QPR and Man City winger Trevor Sinclair: “I’m shocked [at Wenger’s philosophy] because offensively you can have your philosophy but defensively surely you change your game.”
Welbeck
Sanchez Ozil Oxlade-Chamberlain
Flamini Wilshere
Gibbs Koscielny Mertesacker Chambers
Szczesny
I would not play him like this. I would play CC next to MF
It’s easy why go out there to win go and get a point. Just lock up tight and even take them with 10 min to go but just don’t give the game away. If AW can’t do this to day then sorry he needs to GO
Can’t stand games like today coz everyone and its sister takes the piss out of the gunners
Just seen the team Ox dropped for Wiltshire
I really really really really really really hope he’s not playing ozil left
You no AW he will do it his way and we can see this as wrong but him well he lost the plot years ago mate
Ox dropped? damn it 🙁
@arsenalkid1970.
Totally agree we need to build a big wall and make it difficult for Chelsea to get through. Eventually they will so we need to be prepared to break quickly or nick the game on a set piece, (with not too many players committed forward). I agree if Wenger doesn’t realise today is a day to defend a point and hope for three then he’s lost it and is delusional!
Well done Naismith 🙂
Arsenal fans tend to boo on the wrong direction.
Mind my words, if you boo Fabregas today, you will soon find yourself crying, bec he will up to punish us for any disrespect towards him.
A hero you could be, now you are nothing more then a mercenary C$nt, Cesc Fabregas.
Just saw the team news, hope we plan to line up like this:
Szczesny,
Chambers, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs,
Wilshere, Flamini,
Sanchez, Ozil, Cazorla, ,
Welbeck
Is just not a good time to play Chelsea. They are really in form now. Draw will be a very good result.
If you want a punt on Chelsea @4/6 on reflection of past encounters.. That’s buying money..
History isn’t in our favour.. The team selection and their team isn’t in our favour..
Current form and current defenders are in their favour..
Manure were 3-1 up at Leicester and nobody barring a few brainless Leicester ‘die hards’ saw 5-3 coming..
I’m a brainless gooner today hoping..5-3!
Someone has got to beat them soon, if not I can see them going unbeaten for a lengthy period 🙁
How I wish we were fielding this team today:
Szczesny,
Chambers, Hummels, Koscielny, Gibbs,
Wilshere, Kondogbia,
Sanchez, Ozil, Cazorla, ,
Welbeck
What I want to see more than anything today is a leader on the pitch, some vocality and real fight.
What we seem to be poor at is game management and changing tactics on the pitch as and when required. Today we need an organiser on the pitch, I think this will be Jack and Flamini today.
@Admin: why comments always being moderated?
(ADMIN – Because I caught you trolling under different names perhaps?)
@admin: Why does system allow it?
I don’t have anyone’s name now
ADMIN – The system allows it but be prepared to be moderated! Iam not an idiot I´m afraid….
@admin: if I left name as is or changed to original will it matter, it takes ages now for comments meaning no point in commenting.
If not how long so I can come back in that many weeks or months
ADMIN – Change back to CraigZWE, don´t troll, and I´ll allow you back tomorrow ok?
Fabregas 2 Flamini 0 BIG Mistake Mr Wenger.