Arsenal will be feeling a lot better about life right now and will feel much more confident heading into the Premier League clash with Southampton at the Emirates. Not only have the Gunners finally seemed to get it together, but our visitors are coming off the back of a heavy defeat to Man City.
That, however, does not mean that this game is going to be easy. The Saints have a large store of confidence and will be determined to bounce back. Their manager Ronald Koeman will also be determined not to lose two EPL games in a row and their success so far has been largely based on a solid defensive display.
They still have the best defence in the league despite conceding three at the weekend, just nine goals let in from 13 games with seven clean sheets. So I expect them to be well organised and tough to break down, which is why I think the in form Santi Cazorla could be the key man for Arsenal to claim all three points.
After a slump in form, the Spaniard has assisted our last three goals and is really pulling the strings back in his number 10 role. Santi can pick a pass to unlock any defence at his best and he is linking up really well with Ramsey, Welbeck, Alexis and now Giroud.
Being in the middle means he does not have to track back and help the full backs and he can focus on doing what he does best, tie the opposition up in knots. He is even starting to find his shooting boots, although he could do with the confidence of a first goal since the Community shield.
no. the key is the defense keeping a clean sheet. the win will come if the defense does its job properly
I think u will find that the defense keeping a clean, will not win the match. It might help but it is not key, because outscoring the other team is far more important.
Arsenals motto for the past five seasons:
“Outscore the opponent, defense is not that important”
um, had the defense kept a clean sheet against utd, we would have won… the key is not to fall behind, which means you are one moment of magic away from winning the match… whereas if you dont keep a clean sheet you have to score more than once to win the game… both are important, but i think that first we must focus on getting a solid start in the game and not falling behind, hopefully with kos back we will keep a clean sheet tomoro
The key to beating Southhampton
is to score more goals than they do.
Judging for the MC game,the key could be us scoring 1st, cos even with 10 men MC managed to score 2 more against them…and also maybe having a plan B should they decide to park the Bus, (as most teams do at Emirates), and we don’t get a goal early…any ideas??
> 1 – could play the 4-4-2 and throw balls into the box for Wel/Gir
> 2 – play Podolski – and get him and Sanchez to try more shots for Outside box
> 3 – Get Carzola/Ox to dribble into the box and play for a penalty..
Attack as a unit and defend as one it’s easy.
A tight defense will do the trick.Soton goals seem to have dried up in the last few games. And our front three of Welbz, Giruod and Sanchez will be too much for their defense.Keep the line up that beat Westbrom.
I’ve been impressed with the team in the last couple of games, maybe even the Man. U game too, it bothers me when we play with the handbrakes up. I like the fact that I did not see flamini in the last game because everyone tracked back to help out and even pressed them high up the pitch, they fought for balls they would normally not fight for. Thanks to a certain Chilean who has brought an unbelievable work rate to the team, if we keep playing with such enthusiasm, I really think we’d do very well. I got so pissed at a point that I deliberately gave the Man. U game a miss, I don’t like watching cowards playing football.
I re-watched the West brom game last night and you can see how mature and disciplined we were, we pressed them, closed down any ball as a unit, no over committing naively in each attack m, we left 3-4 players in defensive position during each attack. I was. Impressed, and I think Sanchez work rate and the criticisms after the Anderlecht, Swansea and United games has sank in, you can be defending suicidely like that, the same problem from last season seemed to not have been addressed, it seemed like City, Liverpool and Chelsea humiliations had been ignored.
But the last 2 games have been mature, let’s hope it was not only due to the liked of Dortmund and West brom being in poor form..
Let’s continue with pressing, closing down and tracking back as a unit.
The key to beating Southampton is to take out Schneiderline or Wanyama 🙂
How we need a great DM 🙂
If you watch the saints play you will not believe that wanysma is a dm because he is found on the edge of opposition box more often. I also noticed schniederlene do the same. Their defensive performance is down to team play. They work so hard without the ball to close space. In terms of scoring goals they do not have an impressive record. Apart from the sunderland game they have been scoring few game. Mane provide the greatest threat, with long, tadich and pele danferous as well. However going by the capital cup game these players can easily be contained. In that match we had a backline of francis, chambers, hayden, and hector. It was never threatened at all and had it not for rosicky and clyne wonder strike we would gave comfortably seen off that game.
What was the thumbs down for taking out a player or us getting a great DM 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
MUPPET!!!!!!!!!!!!
You pathetic individual, you have got no guts or spin and just hind behind a thumb.
Wenger vs Koeman
1 win
4 draws
3 losses
Wenger sure needs the team in form to improve his record against Koeman.
Cylne will be feasting on Flamini if Gibbs and Monreal is not well. Cylne is in red hot form.
Giroud has scored three times against them in the two games that he started.
It’s going to be interesting cause Southampton will not be a walkover. Hope Sanchez is fit to start.
Do you realize that clyne is a right back? He will have defensive duties to worry about before bombing forward. I guess alexis will play left wing meaning that clyne may not be able to crosd the centre line. As for his red hot form i am not quiet sure about that. He is a good right back with excellent workrate but i do not think he is exceptionalky well as you insinuate.
Cazorla could be crucial tomorrow. His confidence is mountain high. But he still needs that goal…its becoming little bit worrying.
Carzola’s form is up and down like a Bangkok bar girls… Well you get the idea.
So inconsistent, let’s hope he keeps it together.
Prefer to see Ramsey getting that goal and hopefully with Jack out Wenger will play 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1 and let him play where he is more effective.
COYG!
All the best to everyone I have had a laugh with over the last few years.
Andrew, just thumbed you up since none else will. Heehee!
Flamini will be the most crucial tommorow
Cazorla is our best No10 but he has been so frustrating since last season. He has been so inconsistent, the Cazorla of the last 2 games is the Cazorla we know, works hard for the team creatively and defensively..
If you can notice, when Cazorla has a good game we hardly lose that game. The Ox, Sanchez, Welbeck, Wilshere etc can have good games but we can lose. But when Santi, Ramsey or Giroud have a good game we get good results most of the time. Mostly Cazorla, when he is on form the who team is buzzing..
And it’s best when arguably the best 10 in our team is used in the central role and not played out of position out wide, agree?
I’m not trying to be a d*ck by the way, just staying consistent.