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EPL rivals pile BIG pressure on Arsenal – Can we cope?

Arsenal were always going to be under pressure with an away game at the reigning Premier League champions Man City and that pressure was already ramped up by our not so great first half of the season as well as our recent run of results against the big teams in the league.

So the last thing Arsene Wenger and the Gunners needed was any more pressure piled on to our shoulders, but that is exactly what we have got today. Southampton have yet to play and we can only hope that they lose or at the very least do not win away to Newcastle.

All of our other big rivals for a top four finish won today, with Man United struggling but coming away with a 2-0 win at QPR, Liverpool easing to a 2-0 win away to Aston Villa. Worst of all for those of us of the Arsenal persuasion, was the fact that our north London rivals Tottenham snatched a late winner at Sunderland with just minutes left on the clock.

That puts Man United four points ahead of so we cannot catch them even if we beat Man City tomorrow. The spuds win means they have gone above Arsenal in the table, although a point tomorrow will put us back above them on goal difference, while Liverpool have crept up on us and are just a single point adrift.

So the pressure is on, although Man City have their own problems as Chelsea opened up a five point gap at the top after thumping Swansea, so who will cope better with the pressure and come out on top tomorrow?

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68 Comments

  1. wenger will buy a cb an bielik as our dm with le coq

    we will scrape 4th

    our best player will be offered to go elsewhere.

    same as every year- its getting old

    1. Thumbs down from me.

      We won’t crap 4th, maybe 6th and then our players will leave.

      4th, what a joke. What planet you living on?

        1. this looking like the year the competition caught us, AsOU winning away, only good news if we get shredded by City, pressure will mount to buy. It may finally not be Wengers yr in the top 4,

      2. I will tell you why we gonna lose,it seems because any team who press us high and hard break our rhythm.
        Our midfield is too weak physically and mentally.
        Man city gonna walk over us like if we were not there.
        Mark my words.

    2. Well it’s a tad pathetic if you lot just give up now. These teams still have to play each other anyway so they will still drop points. 4th place isn’t a trophy but Arsenal are masters at making Top 4. Looking at the table now is a dumb way to approach things. Let the season pan out and keep believing.

  2. now were going to drop points tomorrow too, oh great -__-. Wish this team could beat the other big clubs, but we always come up short. thats reality unfortunately.

    1. Mourinho came to the Emirates last Christmas to park the bus and hope for a draw, which he got, 0-0. I think that was the last time any ‘big’ team had the slightest bit of fear about facing us. Alexis is probably the only player that City have any worry about. We don’t really have a ‘fear factor’ at all, even when we play at home.

  3. What rivals? Rivals to us are Everton, Southupton, Spurs. The likes of Chelsea, City and Manure are on a diff leuage.

    Arsenal are on a potato a like status, we keep on following the big teams, like an annoying fly who doesnt leave you at peace, only to be crushed in the end by a big teams to shut us down once and for all. I am tllk about the 8;2 and 6;0 we cant barrely excuse such things, cant we?

    We need to beat City, bec fans do feed themself at such games, points are important, but beating big teams do make us proud and happy. diff outcome brings us shame and depression.

    1. manure are sh*t.right now we are better.
      but they will just splash another 150 million on hummels strootman and marquinhos
      and contend again.

      i agree we are one tier below city chelsea

      beating them tommorow- would show some promise for the future!

      1. Them being so sh*t and us still being uneable to beat them makes is it even worse. Can you remember the last time we beat them, Coz i dont.

    2. City are weakened at the moment. With Alexis in the form he’s in, not to mention others like Cazorla, I wouldn’t rule anything out. It’s still unlikely that we’ll even get a draw, but I still think we have a real chance.

      1. One thing going for us tomorrow is the fact that Man City rarely keep a clean sheet. So we do have a shimmer of hope, but we need everyone in red to show up both defensively and offensively on the pitch. Give Man City one look at goal and we’re SOL.

        1. We have quite a few things in our favour I think. Aguero and Kompany have only just come back from injury, they can’t be quite at their best yet. Toure is away at the Cup of Nations. Dzeko is injured, limiting their attacking options. And yes, City’s defence isn’t in the best form right now. On our part, having Alexis and others in form will be a big boost, plus having Koscielny should make our defence a lot more solid. Add all that up and we have a chance, but it’s still Man City at the Etihad, we’ll be up against it.

        2. I like the fact that you guys are all optimistic its really a joy reading these comments people praying for Zabaleta seeing a red card, happy that augero is just back from injury etc. this is pathetic no one at Manchester city is praying that none of our players gets a red. it’s simple, there is no fair factor we aren’t good enough at the moment. Apart from Sanchez and Carzola and to some extent Ox we have played poorly all season “oh yeah I forget the World Cup” Look at our position in the league table. Since you all are so optimistic go to “just bet” and put your money where your mouth and thoughts are. Am sure none of you will, most people make comments on this blog for “likes-thumbs up” but we are poor very poor look at Southampton even Liverpool is getting there Mo-Joe back. we will not and I repeat not make top 4 this season unless we sign three players

          1) a top top defender
          2) a top defensive midfielder
          3) a top striker

          The spine of our team is very weak, when I see Mert as a defender in arsenal shirt it makes me wonder what is it that we are about. no other team in the top 6 would even play Mert. I will be the first to tell you guys tomorrow that I told you so

          Opinions divided

      2. true, but our defense is the issue, not sanchez & carzola, if they unzip the back line, we tend to loose all composure vs big clubs

  4. we manage to pull it off when we’re playing under pressure let’s see how much we’ve grown since our last visit to the etihad. Nasri out for a month?! f**k you nasri f**************k you!

  5. Arsenal fans on justarsenal always whining like little babies. We loose, they whine, we win, they also whine even when other teams win, they whine. Goosh…can’t somebody here say something positive about our great team for ones???

    1. sorry. some of us are just painfully realistic sometimes…. positives are that Cazorla, Alexis are shining right now. Coquelin may step up, we have mostly all our starters fit. City are looking a bit shaky at the moment… I really do think we can give City a game, but, not so sure about 3 points, either way COYG! dont go down without a fight

    3. the problem is that we arent so great how you make us to be. Just look at the L.table and come back to earth.

  6. Manu are very lucky. Why we are not.
    QPR had 3 clear chances to score cannot finish a single, had they been playing agst us they would have scored all 3.
    This season top 4 is difficult.

    Wenger spend man, we are 2 or 3 players away from perfect team.

  7. Southampton are beating Newcastle (at the moment). Southampton are the real deal. No fluke

    Wish Wenger would take Schneiderlin from them.

    1. wish people would not assume we can just pluck players from teams,
      its never that simple- unless u do a city an offer crazy money

      1. Considering the number of quality players sold by Southampton (Lallana, Lambert, Shaw, Chambers, etc) it’s not impossible especially since Schneiderlin wants to leave. Arsenal are in good shape financially and don’t necessarily have to have City type money to get good players. Lots of factors are involved in transfers

  8. Our rivals ?

    Our rival are Southampton, Spurs and Everton.

    Thanks to our clueless buffoon of a manager and a boards of directors who are either completely incompetent or are just in it for the money.

    We have ONE class player.

    None of the other players we have wouldn’t get into either Chelsea’s or City’s side or even their subs bench.

    Arsenal are in reality just a top half of the table team.

    We are going to get STUFFED tomorrow.

    And yet that useless, past his best cretin will still be in a job.

    Arsenal rewards failure with an £8 million a year contract.

    We might as well enjoy Sanchez until he realises what a pile of sh*t Arsenal really are and leaves to join Chelsea, Bayern or City…

  9. off topic..but i find this hilarious.. wenger is the most stingy man alive..
    ttp://backpageheadlines.com/arsenal-spend-less-than-2-million-on-youngster-and-wenger-calls-it-a-gamble/17992

  10. When it comes to transfer window i have no #confidence in that man #aw all i can say iz good luck tomorrow lads but let’s b real we’re not going to beat city… why? Because its a big club & we dont usually do good against big clubs just being real & not a fickle fan but 1 ting i can day iz that #IN17WETRUST #INWENGERWEBUST!!!

  11. We are long overdue for a win against a bigger side. Come on you gunners, show us what you f*cking got tomorrow. You can do this.

  12. People are saying that we only have Sanchez as the only world class player..
    So true – yet aguero is their only true realistic world class player that would get into Barcelona or Madrid ..silva played for Valencia and wasn’t deemed good enough!
    Yes we are 1 or 2 players short in the middle and defence..but everywhere else is up in the air..
    On the day it’s a toss of a coin.. Whoever wants IT more.. Whoever shows the most desire and willing..
    Unfortunately city are at home and usually do well against the top 4, saying that, there is added pressure due to Chelsea’s win.. I think they have more to lose as we are realistically only challenging for top4 whereas city are challenging for 1 place..
    I believe we stand a good chance and as long as our tempo is high we can at least get a draw ..?
    Plenty of goals as city do play open football- just hope we take our chances if we get them..
    Mangala is a lump. Navas a headless chicken.. Joe harts more bothered about his Barnet..
    Cazorla to score a left footed volley in the 26th minute..

    1. If Silva isnt world class i dont know who is.Silva is better than any midfielder we have at present and i am pretty sure Silva was sold because Valencia needed the money

      1. Silva is definitely world class, I wouldn’t rate him much higher than Cazorla though. Silva is great at dribbling and quick passing, I’d say he’s probably better than Cazorla, but I think Cazorla contributes more to the team as a whole, when he’s in form at least. But of the whole midfield, I fancy Cazorla, Ramsey and Coquelin against Silva, Fernando and Fernandinho, but that’s just me.

        1. I said that would get into Madrid or barca.. I don’t doubt he’s a ‘world class’ player – only aguero would get into Madrid or barca… In my opinion ..
          Missing the point..
          He’s better than cazorla though..

      2. I agree silva is a great player in a great side..toure and Milner do all his work and allow space for him to do it..

        Regardless of whether Valencia needed the money or not – barca and Madrid never wanted him..
        On his day, Ozil could and should be his equal .. But unfortunately Ozil Plays or played with giroud instead of ronaldo and benzema.. I’m hoping Ozil lives up to his price tag in the run-in..and combines with Sanchez and Walcott to do the damage..
        In general terms we aren’t that far away..
        The same old story in my opinion.. ALWAYS 2-3 players short of title winning side.

  14. City’s weakness is their left side. They have no left winger, Silva generally vacates the position and plays centrally. Clichy and Kolarov aren’t the best fullbacks in my opinion, they get forward a lot but neglect their defnesive duties. Then there’s Mangala at centre back, who always seems prone to a mistake. Annoyingly we mainly attack down our left side with Alexis, so we’ll be attacking Zabaleta and Kompany.

  15. @phill-thompson-nose,seriously are you kidding me? Aguero is the only world class player in Mancity? Now,what about Kompany,Di Michelis,Yaya Toure,Jeo Hart,Jovetic,Lampard, Nasri,Silva? I can go ahead mentioning. Does your own judgement of world class only include players who have played or currently play for Madrid,Barca and Bayern?

    1. People are getting carried away by the media hype.. World class in my opinion are messi ronaldo zidane maradona..
      To much of a throw away comment trying to devalue the true term ‘world class’!!

      1. I blame the pundits who will still call a goal that comes of a strikers arse ‘a GREAT GOAL’.

        Same thing with World Class.
        HENRY & BERGKAMP. Now there was WC!!

      2. Completely agree PTN although I think the 4 you mention are all time greats, a few notches above being merely “world class”. The problem is that “WC” is a meaningless statement – to some it is only if a geezer would get in to an all-time world X1, to others, making Garth Crooks team of the week is good enough. For me, and I don’t claim it is foolproof method, I ask myself whether they are close to being in the world top 5 or 6 playing in that position at the moment.

  17. Anyone see Falcao’s miss today? Ahahaha £350k a week for that. Torres would have been proud of that one.

    1. Yeah, but apparently the defender touched it before he did. But still Falcao had his chances including that one

  20. Anyone else sick to death of the media gloating and OTT about fabregas and just ‘how good’ he always is..
    Agree he was awesome for us but he’s playing in a great Chelsea side against a very weak team.. He never quite cut it with the ‘greats’ of Barca ..
    Another throw away comment about ‘world class’.. Although he is and always is world class in my opinion..
    Sad sad sad he isn’t back at his true home..

    1. To be perfectly objective here and I hate Chelsea as much as the next guy but Chelsea were scintillating today and Fabregas was at the heart of it. Swansea aren’t a weak team, this is the same Swansea that we lost to, mind you they were without a few players, big players mind you but Fabregas was amazing today. The barca comparison isn’t really apt because he was playing false 9 and LW at Barca.

      And he’s having a damn good season , only player in EPL history to get 15 assists in 2 seasons and we’re just over half way there. At this rate he WILL break Henry’s record by a bit.

      If we’re to be sick of anything, be sick that Wegner deemed both Cesc and Costa as not good enough for Arsenal

      1. Agree to disagree..
        Firstly cesc is a very very good player.. In the premiership when he has with arsenal he was without doubt the best player by a mile over and above Gerard .
        However – at barca.. Regardless of false this or that, I’m under the impression, if you’re good enough you can adapt to almost any position..
        Secondly, I have this belief that good English players are made to look amazing because they play alongside superb foreigners.. And when they play for England they look average..
        Hence why I believe we fail in world and European tournaments..
        I can compare the Spain team and the barca connection and the German team with the bayern connection.
        Fabregas is playing alongside Eden hazard, Oscar, matic and Willian ..
        They have without doubt the best midfield in England… Put fabregas in Leicesters team and although he would look good.. He would have average players to pass to that wouldn’t be on his wavelength ..
        Swansea aren’t great- we were and are poor that’s the reality – Chelsea are probably a tier above us.. City with a full squad are a tier above us.. We are on a level with, Everton, spuds, Liverpool..- arsene is stubborn and loyal to the players he has.. You can’t blame arsene for showing something we all despise that’s lacking in the modern game..
        Although I’m loathed seeing him in the blue ..!

        1. I agree that Chelsea are a tier above us unquestionably however a lot of what you have said is very vague and easily applicable to a host of situations. Being able to adapt to different positions is true but within a VERY limited scope. Eden Hazard is arguably the best left winger in the EPL, I say arguably because I feel that distinction goes to Sanchez but it will suffice for this example. He puts in some of his best performances at CAM but Hazard plays poorly as a false 9, this isn’t because Hazard isn’t world class but because his skill set is better utilized elsewhere. If you want to go closer to home take a look at Ozil’s performances as a winger vs a no 10.

          Ozil doesn’t have the skill set to be a winger, he isn’t particularly fast, he’s quick but not blistering. He does not cross particularly well and he loves to attack centrally. Moreover Ozil shuns confrontation. He isn’t suited to play as a winger. Ozil prefers to influence play with a very broad scope at his disposal, it is simply the player he is. The same can be said of Fabregas, he is no false 9, he has never played in a position remotely similar and there are very few clubs currently that play without a focal point. The only one that immediately springs to mind is Roma. You can’t take a player who is used to deliver to that focal point, turn him into a pseudo focal point play maker and expect him to have the same effect.

          As for blaming Arsene, I expect him to make signings in areas we lack or need bolstering and while playmakers are in abundance here if they are world class or not is the aspect I’m looking at. I expect Arsenal to compete on all fronts vs any team and we currently aren’t even in the top 4 of the EPL let alone Europe, as such we SHOULD be adjusting the squad to allow for such. We are currently a CB, LB, ST and a DM from having a starting 11 capable of competing with Chelsea or City, we would then need a deep bench to be realistically aspiring for a title let alone anything in Europe

          1. Completely agree..well said..
            It’s funny, when we were reportedly interested in hazard – I conpared him to fabregas cross with nasri..
            I told a fellow Gooner that this hazard was amazing and would be messi like in the future…
            Not sure wing is his position.. As he tends to have a free role although he seems to be predominantly left sided.
            Ozil can be great.. And I’ve said it for a while now.. 2/3 players short (a spine) from challenging..

          2. I think anyone who assumes that if you transposed Cesc in to our present 1st X1 we would be anywhere other than hovering around 5th or 6th is seriously mistaken. We have 3 or 4 players who would be doing a job at Chelsea if they were sitting in front of that back 5, Matic and/or Mikel on his back and Ramires, Oscar and Willian doing the water carrying further up field (albeit high class water carriers). Fabregas is operating from an immensely stable platform, almost like an NFL quarterback. No-one could persuade me that an in form Ozil or Carzorla wouldn’t be racking up the assist stats if they were in that line-up. Truth is that Cesc was the Chelsea missing link, aside from Hazard they were pretty short on the creativity front especially for a team with such high aspirations. Cesc was definitely not our missing link and as I have said elsewhere if I could nick a single Chelsea player to play for us Cesc would not be in top 6 of those I’d take; I’d take Courtois, Cahill, probably Azpillicueta, Matic, Hazard or Costa over him all day every day if I wanted a significant upgrade for us.

  22. Wenger has made too many mistakes this year. I’m still not sure if his tightness with money (apart from with the fans money), stems from the board or him as it only really started in 2007, when Kronke arrived, the Emirates project started and David Dein left, who up till then had responsibility for most of the signings.

    As everyone else near and above us has won, we simply must win every game now, or we won’t make 4th place. I am surprised how Wenger hasn’t made any signings yet, as he will surely not carry on if we don’t make 4th, but then I heard reports that the board weren’t giving him what he wanted. Smoke and mirrors…..

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