So after attempting to skin Chelsea at the Bridge and coming back home with a well earned point, we are back to doing more mundane stuff … like playing “average joe” teams. But its these pesky teams that give us the most troubles. The boys must be on their toes.
Wigan are an OK, midtable team. They wont get into Europe but they wont get relegated either. They were a surprise team last year and while they lost some of their key players in the summer it seems they have still managed to keep their midtable place. We have to go there carefully, make little or no mistakes. And hope mishaps dont happen. The boys should also be prepared for a bit of a physical tusstle too.
With games coming rapidly till for the next three weeks, I expect a player or two like Adebayor to be rested. Our team could be:
Lehmann
Eboue - Toure - Djorou - Clichy
Gilberto
Hleb - Fabregas - Ljunberg
RvP - Baptista
With a bench of: Almunia, Senderos, Flamini, Walcott, Adebayor.
Normally this sort of team should be able to beat Wigan. But we never know.
To prevail we need to ensure that:
- We dont give away silly goals against the run of play from a set piece or longball. That is their most likely avenue to score.
- We should try to win as many 50-50 tackles as possible.
- Not give them space or opportunity to try out freak longrange shots.
- Wenger must not make large scale changes to the lineup or else the team pattern will be fractured - just like at Fulham.
- Gilberto continues his rich form and great captaincy.
- Cesc and Hleb continue to create.
All in all it could be an open match. But as you all know, I no longer predict scores on here. So here is hoping for a good match and a win. Or a bad match and a win. However the game wants to play out, I dont care, lets just get the points and get out of there.
Good luck boys. Do us proud as we know you can!
Gooner for life!
9 Responses to “Wigan”
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December 12th, 2006 at 2:28 pm
Wigan are a team who mix the brawling with some very good football as well at times. Henri Camara will be a threat with Heskey up front. Baines has a mean left foot and we will need to be careful at giving thoses tupid free kicks away.
Really we should win… but then havent we said that 1ce too often this season and slipped up?? So lets keep the focus guys.. and get the 3 points…
Maybe the draw at Chelsea instead of a win is good in the long run. Sounds stupid but makes sense with a young team. I’d have been over the moon if we’d won but the draw will help the kids not get too too excited about the win and slip up against a decent mid table side.
Fred since you’re not willing to predict…I’ll do it for you .. 2-1 to the Arsenal..
December 12th, 2006 at 5:39 pm
I reckon Arsenal will lose if they play 4-5-1. Without Henry - and even with him - this team needs 2 strikers up top otherwise they simply don’t create enough chances to win. Arsenal will drop points playing 4-4-2 because we don’t have a centre, but if it’s at the expense of scoring goals what’s the point?
December 13th, 2006 at 3:16 pm
Have NO IDEA what we are doing with the line-up today… but I can see us dropping points…
Hleb Cesc VanPersie on the bench.
Baptista / Theo start… still no sign of Aliadiare at all. I think he’s probably already gone for the holidays. Poor kid!
Hope we get 3 points.
December 13th, 2006 at 4:11 pm
Thru 65 minutes at Wigan.
BIG FAT ZERO for us… and they are outshooting us 9 to 5.
Heaven help us.
Get Cesc on the pitch. Now.
December 13th, 2006 at 4:21 pm
15 minutes to go…
we finally bring on Cesc and RVP… desperately needing a goal.
Good Grief Charlie Brown.
December 13th, 2006 at 4:36 pm
than not at all.
Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew.
Ade to the rescue.
1-0.
December 13th, 2006 at 5:04 pm
relieved to see us win and secure three points
but a lot of the same old pit-falls…shite in front of goal (though a lil more trigger happy today) and prone to poor defensive organization and individual lapses in defence (clichy and tourre even!)
good to see a lil more width and penetration (mainly in second half via walcott and clichy…who also has excellent pace) though. well atleast a draw and a win on the road…something to build on
December 13th, 2006 at 6:42 pm
as i said, i dont really care how we win, as long as we get the 3 points and get the hell outta there. also cesc, RvP are a bit rested, so that is good.
now on for portsmouth at home. and if we can take the points here and bolton and liverpool falter we would have some breathing space in third place - and that is important.
go gunners.
December 13th, 2006 at 7:47 pm
I don’t see Liverpool faltering… they’ve played like crap for the most part… they are more likely to come on strong.
Its going to be tough playing them in BOTH the Carling Cup and FA Cup. We’ll be lucky to escape those matches… although we seem to play better against them than the other big teams, in the last few seasons.