Editor’s note: Hmm…must be a big game coming up or something, as this week we have not one, not two, but three previews. Thanks for the contributions, here they are in the order we received them:
From live_dont_exist:
Been a while since I dropped in here due to too much work so thought tonight might be a good time to revisit and do a Game Preview. Hope this gets puts up 
First for the hosts. Liverpool and Arsenal share some great camraderie over the years with even rival fans showing some wonderful respect rare to be seen in a modern game for each other. I like Liverpool a lot and if anyone had to win titles apart from us I wouldn’t really mind it if it was Pool. As of now though I hope they lose every game they play 
Coming to the teams now Reina has not ever impressed me, I do not know why because people rate him very highly. He makes many mistakes as well coupled with the odd brilliant save. I’d say Old Jens is better..but Jens can go now so lets not talk about that. Hyppia has had a nightmare lately .. 2 consecutive own goals and Daniel Agger is still out. SO whoz he gonna play there — Mascherano?? or is he gonna play Paletta…the same guy Our rampaging Beast made a mockery of :).Whats that …Senderos is a better third defender .. oh wait … Carragher will put in a monster performance and Finnan and Riise will be up for it but there’s a gaping hole at CB there right now.
Pennant will start for sure coz of his crosses and Gerrard will as well. If Mascherano is not at CB and I don’t think he will be there he will start as well. Alonso will be on the bench if fit at best and Kewell is injured as usual so Babel will start this one with Benayoun off the bench. I’m not sure Crouch will start but Voronin has been so poor lately (didnt see him against Besiktas) and Crouch scored a hatrick last time round so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him with Kuyt in a 4-4-1-1
Arsenal are rocking right now and the back 5 will not change unless there’s an injury. For that matter apart from Eduardo coming in for Theo and Mozart for Eboue with Hleb switching to the right I see nothing changing at all. Mascherano will nip at Cesc all day and it’ll be up to the Flamster , a big game player to nullify that threat. Clichy needs to get his interceptions spot on — Pennant is an excellent crosser and no one in our team is winning with Crouch on the headers if he plays. Ade is going to torture Hyppia and Carragher again and I see him and Mozart scoring on Sunday.
Won’t be surprised though if AW plays a 4-5-1 with Hleb behind Ade and switches to a 4-4-2 with Theo if and when we’re down.
Liverpool’s form means nothing going in to this one but Arsenal are on a high this time round and I’ll dare to say:
Liverpool 0 - Arsenal 2
From DannyT:
While everyone is getting carried away, and to some extent it’s hard not to, I think it’s worth focusing on the fact that Sunday’s game will NOT be easy.
In my opinion to underestimate Liverpool would be folly. It may be worth remembering that unlike Man Utd and Chelsea, Liverpool have not lost a league game this season and have only lost two at home in the last two seasons. No matter how well Arsenal are playing it is very unlikely to be a cakewalk.
Personally, I still have a few reservations about this Arsenal team despite being absolutely delighted with how the season is panning out. Maybe it’s my cautious nature, but I think this Liverpool game could be problematic.
My main concern is Benitez tactical moves vs Wenger’s. Wenger is rolling with pretty much the same team throughout this winning run, but I would like to seem a change. I think Gilberto has to play in this game. His aerial ability at set pieces might be crucial. We should know that Gallas and Toure are usually all over the place on crosses, so we will need the extra height and Gilberto’s added defensive expertise. And talking of crosses, Almunia still worries me. He’s a great shot stopper, but on crosses when he’s not making dodgy one-fisted punches he’s usually pinned to his goal line.
I think Benitez will be clever and start with Crouch who I think could be a real handful as he was in Arsenal’s 4-1 defeat at Anfield at the end of the season. Benitez will certainly try to ensure crosses are coming in from all angles and at set-pieces, and maybe this is an area of Arsenal’s defensive strength that needs to be proven. We’ll see how good Sagna is how much Clichy has improved by the amount of damage limitation they can muster in this area.
Having said all this, personally I don’t think there’s any way Wenger can drop Almunia now, especially after Lehmann’s recent comments. But I do think it’s a mistake to play Flamini ahead of Gilberto in this match. It only takes one set piece fumble to go behind and Liverpool’s confidence will be instantly restored.
This is a massive test for Arsenal’s young guns and I can’t wait to see how they cope, it will be fascinating. Something tells me this could be a high scoring classic which could go either way. Arsenal’s 7-0 thrashing of Slavia Prague will certainly have little bearing on this game, hopes of sitting back while Arsenal run rings around a team bereft of confidence just seems to fanciful. If that does happen then Arsenal have truly arrived.
And from fstanin:
On Sunday, the two remaining teams in the Premiership without a league loss meet at Anfield.
At this enjoyable moment, these are two teams seemingly headed in different directions. As we Gooners have enjoyed the performances of our squad of late, the red-colored Merseyside fandom is in a state of high anxiety. After Wednesday evening’s loss in Turkey, the Reds have made it look like the unthinkable could happen in the Champion’s League group stage - elimination - and only 3 of the 6 group stage match days have passed. Yes, the team that prides itself on being Britain’s answer to Europe’s big clubs could go down before Christmas, or even Thanksgiving.
The combantants’ respective managers also seem to be of different moods. Our leader, Arsene Wenger, just celebrated his 58th birthday in fine style (and he looks about Rafa’s age - 47). He unveiled his own bronze bust, and he led an old-fashioned butt kicking at the Emirates Tuesday night that has the British Isles’ football community, not to mention the Continent’s observers (and even a wee small fraction of us Americans) talking big about the Gunners, their gaudy record, and their beautiful style of play. Even our English lad is being reconsidered for reinstatement to the national team. What a difference a couple of goals make.
Then there is Rafa. His predicament is making him look a lot older than our man Arsene. Wednesday’s loss, combined with his decision to pull the heart and soul of Club Red off the pitch for playing with “too much passion” in the latest episode of Scouser Derby (argued by some as a brilliant, ballsy move) has got the Liverpool supporters looking at Rafa’s rotation scheme as Rafa’s Rotational Russian Roulette…and the gun is pointed at his own head.
So these two teams might be headed in opposite directions at the moment, but they are soon to collide head on at one of the world’s best venues. Let’s just hope that both clubs continue in the same direction after the match as before.
Predictions? Not from me. But I had a dream. It was 1-1 after 90 and the Gunners scored twice in stoppage time to end it 3-1. The boys huddled at midfield, Wenger did a sideline jib, and Rafa ran for the nearest exit…
80 Responses to “Arsenal vs. Liverpool - 3 Previews For the Price of One!”
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October 26th, 2007 at 6:19 am
I said it soon after the Bolton game that we will have to improve our aerial defence for the Liverpool game. I am pretty sure Crouch will start and they will be whipping in crosses at every possible opportunity. Another factor is Torres, is he fit? Our main aim should be to exploit Carragher and Hyppia in their defence, so Walcott might start. I am sure this will be a tight game, but am hoping for a 1-0 or 2-1 win.
October 26th, 2007 at 9:00 am
I wouldn’t mind seeing AW go with a 4-5-1 for this one. Move Hleb in to a central position behind Ade and place Eboue on the flank. I agree with Danny T’s past assessment that having both Eboue and Sagna on one side gives us some real defensive steel. And I don’t think this formation means we necessarily have to be too cautious. We can still produce some fine, attacking football out of this formation. If changes need to be made, it is as simple as bringing on Theo for Eboue and sliding Hleb back to the flank. I also would like to see Gilberto in for Flamini. Flamini has somewhat proved me wrong this season and I am very happy for the lad. However, in games against stronger teams in the league, I feel Gilberto offers more tactical awareness and better positioning. Gilberto can be crucial on set pieces against Pool. Not to look too far ahead but I think Gilberto has to play against ManU as well. Rooney and Tevez like to drop off and get balls in the hole between midfield and the forwards. Unfortunately, due to the constant running around of Flamini, that some seem to admire so much, he is almost always vacating that area. This is also a place where Gerrard finds much of his space. Gilberto shields the back four and always makes himself available as an outlet when we have the ball. I think he must play this weekend (although, unfortunately I doubt he will) I am not asking for Benitez-esque tinkering, just one or two simple changes.
October 26th, 2007 at 10:59 am
Brendan, I think the lineup will be exactly what u suggested. 4-5-1 with Hleb dropping into the “hole”. Probably Rosicky down the left, Eboue down the right (to offer defensive cover as u mentioned). Ade leads the line.
@DannyT, i don’t think anyone will actually get carried away and to underestimate Liverpool, particular at Anfield.
i think most of us are happy after that 7-0 win and our recent wins, but being happy is one thing, to believe we will just walk over Liverpool is crazy, unless it’s someone just started following football. As soon as someone has followed the game for a few years, he would know in football things are never going to be so straightforward.
Personally, I m confident we will get a result. Will be happy for a draw, just to keep our momentum going.
October 26th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
I’m hoping for 4-5-1 with Gilberto in the side. While I was one of the first to point out that the Flamster was having a nice run of games early in the season, I think its time for us to call on his experience and aerial ability. Aside from 1/2 of a mistake in the Slavia game where he came up for the ball and it got past him (cant entirely blame him cuz Rosicky lost the ball to begin with), leading to a shot opportunity, he had an excellent 30 minutes and served up a reminder of his quality.
With Liverpool sure to be playing high balls all over the place, we need someone that can help cut out some of those and also keep an eye on Gerrard.
But Wenger is unlikely to drop Flamini and I dont see how we would play both at the same time unless we get up a goal and want to kill of the game (like west ham).
October 26th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
I expect a low scoring draw or a narrow 0-1 or 1-2 win, simply because we’re playing away (for the first time up north since our 2nd game at blackburn) and that Liverpool always rises to the occasion against top teams, especially playing at Anfield. I hope Gallas remembers what happened last season and he’d better not go AWOL again in defense. If our back 4 can keep things tidy, we have a chance to win.
The only other thing of interest is what will Rafa-the-Rotator do for Sunday. I hope he continues his rotational policy only to give us some help in killing any chemistry his players may have on the pitch. I also hope Sissoko and Gerrard will be their central mid-field pairing because one gives the ball away and the other doesn’t defend at all - this will give our midfield much needed space to work our game in the middle of the park.
October 26th, 2007 at 11:19 pm
Hope we win smartly because anything else would be stupid! Doh.
The lads are on fire and let’s hope the splash at the Pool won’t douse their flames.
As for height in the box! This is the best football comedy skit I’ve seen in a while and it has The Robot Dancing Scouser Peter Crouch in it
The Wayne Rooney in this skit is just to remind us of next weeks fixture.
Well worth watching!!!
October 26th, 2007 at 11:21 pm
Hey why can’t I post the link for above - let me try again
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38T0BF2WAHk
or try w w w . youtube.com/watch?v=38T0BF2WAHk
October 27th, 2007 at 12:24 am
The Scouser’s are shell shocked and will be nervous as hell before the game. Wenger will blitz them from the start and they wont be able to compete with the speed of the Arsenal attacks. I have no doubt Arsenal are capable of knocking in 5 and this could be the stage for Walcott to become Englands future CENTER FORWARD. The next two league games are our season, win both and we’ll never be knocked off the top all season. This is the best Arsenal squad ever!
October 27th, 2007 at 3:24 am
The last time we beat Liverpool at anfield in the league was i think the 2003-2004 season when Owen was still around. Not that that means anything but things are going to be tough. I am more worried about this game than the Mancs game. I think Liverpool’s going to be a tougher game.
October 27th, 2007 at 4:19 am
Just thinking about last season at Anfield…..surrendering an early goal would be bad. First 20 minutes will be critical. I would be pretty happy with a draw.
I saw the November match at the Emirates- great display. Maybe we can replicate that one away from home.
October 27th, 2007 at 4:48 am
There is no way that Flamini could be dropped… He has been in amazing form all season….
His positioning is actually getting a lot better and his tackling is much more ferocious than Gilberto. He protects the back 4 a lot better now (less running around like a headless chicken) and Fabregas is getting much more forward than he ever used to.
If we were to play 4-5-1 with Eboue on the right and Hleb in the hole, I would much rather see Flamini’s tackling and workrate in midfield than GIlberto’s defensive shield.
October 27th, 2007 at 6:31 am
The more I think about tomorrow the more I think we will lose. Probably 2-0 or 2-1, with Almunia being a culprit or poor defending in the air. I believe Wenger will play Flamini ahead of Gilberto which will add to our downfall. I would be more than happy with a draw and ecstatic with a win.
October 27th, 2007 at 7:45 am
It’s a big game for Almunia. No doubt about that. I recently saw the highlights of our 2-4 defeat at Highbury to ManU. Almunia was at fault for two of their goals. Was Lehmann back in the side after that game?
October 27th, 2007 at 8:53 am
I think Gilberto will come back after we lose a game. The team is on fire at the moment, charging forward at every opportunity while still defending well enough to keep clean sheets. However, there is an important mental component to this attitude. If we lose, the mentality may change, people become unsure, the forward momentum drops and mistakes are made at the back - same thing happened the invincibles. Bringing Gilberto back at that stage will stablise the team both mentally, positionally and physically.
October 27th, 2007 at 9:07 am
@DannyT#12: You said that against Spurs and Westham as well but we won. The slating of Flamini is absurd tbh. What has he done wrong all season? Its as if some people can’t bear the fact that they might have been wrong. When a guy like you who is such a big believer in facts and results why ignore what the Flamster has done and assume that he is bad. Sure .. Gilberto is a great player but asking for him to get a niggle so Bert can come in is ridiculous and I’m sure even our gentle Brazilian wouldn’t want that at all.
Irishgunner makes a great point about Bert…he calms the nerves much like Bobby used to do towards the later part of his career.. 2-1 up or 3-2 up..Bobby used to calm around and pass it around with Titi n Viera and demoralize oppositions…so yes when we have a slump and it won’t be big at all this year I feel…Bert might come in at DCM and we switch to a 4-5-1 for a while…that apart it is unfair to drop Flamini. Hell he might have even stopped Beletti getting down that RHS at the CL final and not gone to sleep like Cole. Anyway I think Flamini should start… you cannot second guess that Gerrard’s going to catch him out of position… u can only plan as per what you see and what the stats tell you…IMO
October 27th, 2007 at 9:21 am
Another gem from LeBoss:
“Somebody asked me if I think I’m one of the safest managers in the League and I replied no-one has found a machine yet to measure how safe you are.
October 27th, 2007 at 11:46 am
damn, chelsea are battering the shit out of man city….seems like they are back for good now. my hopes of their demise are dashed. and man u too have found their last season consistency again. good thing is that they have both played 2 games more than us!
hopefully we can dispatch liverpool and make it a 3-horse race.
October 27th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
The pressure is back on Arsenal to win tomorrow now more than ever. Man U have have just disposed of another team by their familiar 4 goal scoreline. Tevez gets 2 goals and Rooney gets 1 goal and sets up 2 goals. Andersen and Nani are giving Man U much more pace in attack than Scholes or Giggs and so they will not be missed. Man U are now back in first by one point.
The demise of Chelsea has officially been cancelled. This year’s darling team Man City just had their guts spilled all over the pitch by a ‘flowing’ Chelsea attack. Not only was Man City defensive effort (Garrido-LB, Johnson-CB, Duune-CB, Verluka-RB, Hamman-DM) horrendous in this 6-0 bloodletting, but they even let Schevchenko mop up with the 6th goal. Abramovich and Grant look like bloody geniuses based on this game.
Arsenal have “hellhounds on their trail” and need to heed the words of their players (Fabregas, Gallas and Adebayor) who say they need to keep their heads down and keep up their hard work. I don’t care who plays, what formation is played, who scores, what they’ve had for breakfast, how much sex they’ve had last week, whether or not they love their mothers or hate their fathers, whether they’re are English, French, Brazilian or martian, whether they are driving a Bentley or a Yugo, all I care about is that we in first place at the end of the day.
October 27th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
@live_dont_exist
“You said that against Spurs and Westham as well but we won. The slating of Flamini…”
Yeah I know what I said and I am glad I was wrong. Maybe the difference between me and others is that they give the prediction they want to see and I give what I consider to be the most realistic. Arsenal have lost the last 7 Premier League trips to Anfield, who have lost only 2 home games in 2 and a half years. So it’s not exactly peculiar to predict that Arsenal won’t win.
I don’t remember “slating” Flamini, I think he’s done a good job - but in this particular match I think Gilberto would be more useful defending set pieces. It’s also no secret that I think Diarra would be twice as good as Flamini at performing the same role. Long-term I have doubts about whether Flamini can keep up his performances and stay at Arsenal, especially with Diarra and Denilson pressing, although Gilberto’s likely departure might save his bacon.
October 27th, 2007 at 1:09 pm
Consider A.Grant’s situation (with Chelsea fans took him as a scaptgoat for their beloved Special One’s departure) when he took over, he has done a tremendous job with Chelsea so far.
It also proved that with the $$$ Chelsea got, u don’t really need a “Special One” to get result.
Personally, if to choose teams I believe will be the biggest threat to us, both short term and long term, it’s still Chelsea and Man Utd.
October 27th, 2007 at 1:43 pm
I have to say I am not at all confident about this one. I guess its a good thing I am just a fan and not a player. I would be overjoyed if we won but I dont think that is likely. Liverpool is playing at their fortress and they will be eager to attone for recent bad performances and save their managers blushes. They will have players like Crouch and Torres and I am not sure if the current squad can effectively deal with them. The defence, Hleb and Fabrigas are going to need to have an extremely good game if we are to get anything from this game. I hope the players do not get into this match thinking it will be easy. They should be prepared for exactly what this match is likely to be….their toughest test so far this season in all competition!
October 27th, 2007 at 1:45 pm
I am really nervous….we will know in 24 hours ladies and gentlemen! Cannot wait for the match though. Go Gunners!!!
October 27th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
i know i predicted a small victory for us…..but to be honest i would be very delighted with a draw. no point kidding ones self. our team is filled with kids. fabregas is a genius…but he is 20, even i cant remember what i was doing at that age.
they should just go there fight it out and ensure they dont roll over like they did in their last trip there. hopefully all the short-sighted folks wont come out with their slating if we dont get the result we “expect” up there.
October 27th, 2007 at 2:31 pm
now, this is the PERFECT match for hleb to prove me wrong. away ground, up north, lower temperature, high-octane crowd, away from the cozy emirates against wounded TOP quality opposition. if he does that i would permanently jump on the hleb loving bandwagon.
i definitely hopes he or someone else does the magic cos we would need it up there.
October 27th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
@Fred#23: U never know…Maybe Mazza
.. or maybe … “The return of Chris Stagliola” …. 
:) .. kidding where is ol Stag anyway?… FcBarcelonaBlog?
October 27th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
Don’t worry about the weather Fred, it’s forecast for 62F tomorrow - incredibly warm for this time of year.
October 27th, 2007 at 3:53 pm
I think the sceptics will start slating if we don’t get the performance we expect; not the result. And why shouldn’t the “short-sighted” folks vent their spleen a bit if everything goes tits up at Anfield? It’s exactly these sort of games which will seriously test the elements in our team which the realists think are our major weaknesses. Contentious issues such as Flamini’s effectivness against a top class midfield, Toure and Gallas ability to defend high balls, as well as Adebayor’s finishing ability. Also our general inability to keep our intensity and concentration over ninety minutes in a hard fought game. This is the game the Negative Nick’s have earmarked as the litmus test all season -even though we’ve won tough away games already- so we/they are well entitled to use tomorrow’s game to reinforce their previously held views or hopefully, retract them.
There were plenty of short-sighted people who boldly predicted Tevez and Roony would cancel each other out and after a few dodgy games in the early season, declared themselves right. I predicted after watching Nani and Anderson against Glentoran in pre-season that they were marvellous signings. I was ridiculed but those two players are doing an even better job than Scholes and Giggs at the minute. So everyone is can be called short-sighted. I would rather call it an opinion and wait to till the end of the season to see how it all shakes out.
October 27th, 2007 at 4:04 pm
As for the game, it all depends on Arsenal. If we play with gusto and verve and Fabregas, Hleb, and Rosicky turn up we should be too strong for Liverpool. If we play tentatively and sit deep, then Liverpool are big favourites because they are more adept playing an agricultural game than Arsenal. An early goal in these matches- Liverpool/Arsenal games more than any other- will probably dictate how the game shapes up.
However I still maintain Liverpool at Anfield are big favourites. In all the games at Anfield against them last season they played the game in our half and managed to successfully impose themselves on us. Luckily one long ball to Aliadiere and a flash of inspiration from Rosicky thawed our tension and gave us shot in the arm in both games. Liverpool lost a bit of shape after that. In the league game, when they again started the sharper, they got the goal and cruised it. This shows how important the first goal is. I think Liverpool will get it tomorrow and win.
October 27th, 2007 at 5:12 pm
since i have time to burn and nothing better to do….a careful and thorough deconstruction of comment 27:
1) Flamini played in the ManU away win, the Liverpool home win (he scored here) and both Chelsea draws (he also scored in one of those games too). So what exactly gives you the impression that he is not a big game player??? I am definitely not his favorite fan (i was hoping he got sold in the summer) but his record is definitely very good against the top-4 teams.
2) Toure/Gallas and high, long balls? Adebayor’s finishing?? Whoopty doo, we all called that over a year ago.
3) Wow, you predicted that Tevez and Rooney would be great together like millions of others around the globe. So your prediction aint a big deal. It was based on the fact that both are very good players. I boldly predicted that Sheva would flop in England…because Chelsea had no midfielders who pass well to feet. That is a bold prediction. You based your Tevez prediction only on the fact that he is a good player - whoopty-do…you are LONG-SIGHTED indeed.
come to think of it….funny how u always get the Man U predictions right and pretty much get the Arsenal, Spurs and all other predictions wrong.
I wont give you the Nani/Anderson yet though….all new players have a rosy honeymoon then a massive slump. Whether they recover from that slump is the end point. Not playing so well at home against Boro. One word, Reyes!
4) Yeah the Pool game is the “real” litmus test. We all knew that when the fixture list came out. And it would definitely tell us how far the kids have come. But then again the realistic amongst us know that we might still be a year or so off a “real” challenge.
That said why slate Arsenal for “allowing” Liverpool to “impose” themselves in their own Anfield??? Name ONE team in the EPL that goes to Anfield and dominates them from start to finish?? Thats right. NONE.
Plus when Chelsea or Man U beats them there on occasion, its never called a “lucky long ball” or a “moment of inspiration”. Face it, the 3 times we beat Liverpool last season we deserved to because we were better on those days.
October 27th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
Flamini didn’t play in the Man United away win. Looks like your ever so “careful and thorough destruction” wasn’t so careful and thorough after all Fred.
October 27th, 2007 at 5:46 pm
DannyT is a disgrace. A ‘fan’ who wishes injury on an Arsenal player. You lost enormous credibility with that piece of idiocy.
October 27th, 2007 at 6:30 pm
(In Scouse accent) Hey, alright, calm down, calm down.
Yes, Liverpool will come at us and yes we will have to work extra hard to play our normal fluid passing game. But our swift counter-attacking is better this year. And we, as a team, are so much better this year.
I think our chances of a win are actually pretty good - certainly a draw. I think the ManUre game will much harder - and mentally more damaging if we’re outwitted — Fergie’s Evil Empire with its preening hair-gelled pretty boy winking scum contingent will rub it in that much more if we lose.
For Liverpol,, Here’s the tacitical nub for me. If we go with Gilberto, we’re already in a defensive frame of mine, and therefore not playing our natural game. Remember those slender leads over the past two years where we tried to shut up shop and couldn’t do it. Wenger’s teams are just not built to sit back. It’s counter-instinstive to all the forward-moving training they do.
Even with the Invicinbles, who made some defensive howlers every so often, the best form of defence was scoring a bucketload of great goals to suck the life out the opposition.
Also we tend to make our decisive breakthroughs in the last 15mins where our fabled fitness makes a difference. I say go with Flamini to start, because he doesn’t mind mixing it up and gives Cesc that extra bit of space to drive forward and create openings. Gilberto was the one who over-reacted against Blackburn’s niggling and got sent off, remember. I love Gilberto’s solidity, but with this team we need to be driving forward, not playing it safe.
October 27th, 2007 at 6:40 pm
Agree Macmac. While there is a good chance Gilberto will probably make a key headed clearance or two if he plays, his general tendency to think defensive sends bad vibes throughout the team and promotes a tendency to drop deep. The fact that he drops deep actually invites the very crosses he is good at cutting out. As you said, it’s better if we just go forward and and dominate the game as best we can. Play with the same mentality as Marseille did recently.
Liverpool will have a good period in the game, they have too many good players not have a purple patch. However our passing style, if on form and confident, should restrict them from building up a dirty scouse momentum which players like Gerrard feed off. Keep them emotionally flat and we have a good chance.
I still think we’re not quite tactically mature enough to do that yet though. Liverpool will have enough of the ball to stretch our defence and expose Almunia.
October 27th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
Yeah, I predicted Martin Jol would lose his job back then in the summer when ppl were talking about Spurs for the big 4. So I was right. So what?
The thing is - everyone of us must have made hundred of football-related prediction each year. U got it right on some, got it wrong on others. Just because someone made a wrong prediction, it doesn’t make him being “short-sighted”. And just because we made some right prediction, it doesn’t mean we know better than others neither.
October 27th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
btw, nipuna predicted Fabregas would score 10 goals this season back in the summer, despite the fact Cesc’s goal tally throughout his Arsenal career before the start of this season may not even reached 10.
Cesc is now one goal away from reaching 10. Now that’s some prediction!
October 27th, 2007 at 8:16 pm
lol….yeah mazza, your only defense against my points are that flamini didnt play one of the matches - which is technically incorrect. LOL.
am happy though that u have no objections to the rest of the points and accept your folly. it was always worth putting u straight.
by the way GIBBS played a stunner against Inter Milan of all people….I hereby call it first - that kid is PHENOMENAL !!!! MARK MY WORDS!
:-D 
October 27th, 2007 at 8:42 pm
Yeah, you really put me straight Fred. In your own mind at least.
October 27th, 2007 at 10:20 pm
yep i sure did…hopefully u are sensible enough to be made straight … and hopefully u keep the smug drivel to a minimum 2moro. am sure u will try your best
October 27th, 2007 at 11:55 pm
Here’s a fresh angle on Wenger’s Kids in the Sunday Times, comparing them to Fergie’s double-winners of 95-96. Very encouraging!
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/arsenal/article2753903.ece
October 28th, 2007 at 3:22 am
In further support of Andez#34and35: I’m pretty fed up myself of the “I TOLD YOU SO” posts. I mean … if you got something right..wonderful.But as Andez says..SO WHAT? … If everyone started bragging about every prediction they got right this would become a very stuffy place to come to IMO. What about all those predictions that you got horribly wrong? How about someone brings that up each and every time you start blowing your trumpet? It makes no sense to do that..so why gloat when you just “guessed right”? Stag used to say it on here a lot….”Its opinion” and he was right.
What all of us say are not “FACTS” .. it is just opinion based on what we see. We do not have a complete database of a players playing statistics or training stats, all wee see is the football on the pitch for 90 minutes. This can be hugely misleading..yes you can get a fair idea of what “MIGHT” happen … that is it.
People here used to say “Walcott sucks and his final ball, vision etc is crap” Now he’s the next Thierry Henry(not in so many words) but u get what I’m saying. So ease off the gloating it doesn’t raise you to any level higher than you already are. If your predictions and comments are insightful they will automatically earn respect of others without you screaming it out on a megaphone on this site.
Rant over…Peace
October 28th, 2007 at 4:19 am
Remember last time we didn’t have Henry and Van Persie who were our main source of goals last season. We are more prepared now. Goals are coming in from all areas of the field. Even Rosicky started on the bench last time later coming on for Diaby. Baptista was very wasteful as well. We played with Denilson and Cesc in the center of the pack which was way too weak for the likes of Gerrard and Alonso. Flamini is more capable defensively. And Eboue just couldn’t cope. Sagna will keep the likes of Benayoun in check.
From last time’s game Le Boss noted that…….. “Defensively our performance was horrendous. The difference was Crouch, we just did not handle him at all.
“He was the big difference. We could not cope with him in the air and his three goals all came from crosses from wide areas.
“He made fine runs and we never got close enough to him, and with Steven Gerrard also finding gaps between our defenders, Liverpool more than deserved to win.”…………..
If anyone knows what Arsenal need to do it’s Arsene. If anyone knows how important this game is, it’s Arsene.
I remember before the Westham game almost every1 was saying how they did the double on us last season and all but I personally wasn’t worried and I knew we’d walk over them and now the same thing is happening here. Last season’s result has nothing to do with the present. We didn’t have the best team last time.
—————-Lehmann—————-
Eboue—Toure—-Gallas—Clichy
Hleb—–Cesc—-Denilson—Diaby
————-Ade——Baptista———-
This time round we have Sagna and Flamini to do defensive duties. We are a better team. If anything Liverpool should be the ones scared. Not us!!!!
I believe this time we are set and ready to go. I confident we’ll pile more misery on the kop.
October 28th, 2007 at 4:57 am
@ LDE: was just responding to mazza, he is alway on abt how knowledgeable he is and bla so was just calling out the BS.
October 28th, 2007 at 5:05 am
as for the game, i dont think walcott will start as AW wont have let him play the full 90 minutes midweek if he was planning on doing that. eduardo is too out of form or not yet in tune with the team to start such an important game. and bendtner is obviously not going to start.
that means hleb would play support striker. rosicky left, fabregas, flamini in the center and eboue on the right. eboue and sagna would keep beyanoun or babel locked. while clichy should be able to handle gerrard if benitez moves him there.
fabregas and flamini will probably sit back more considering the nature of the game and since hleb is right in front of them. adebayor will need to work his socks off like he always does.
and finally the key to the match would rest on hleb. if he plays like did in his last 2 games we will win. if he doesnt ……. hmmmmm
October 28th, 2007 at 7:32 am
Another 4.5 hours to go. I can’t remember the last time I was so excited/anxious about an Arsenal game.
As for Flamini, I am sure Wenger will tell him how to play to ensure he doesn’t get found out. The key is to spend the first 30 min or so without conceding. We all know who will win if it comes to the latter part of the game.
October 28th, 2007 at 8:39 am
I am looking at this game more from a tactical perspective, because I believe that’s where it will be won.
I want to see if Wenger gets it tactically right or not, and the starting formation will give an immediate clue.
If Arsenal lose because of big tactical flaws then you might as well rule us out of Europe as usual. For me this is as much about Wenger’s tactically ability as the players’ ability to win this big match. Close games are won on set pieces these days, can Arsenal defend them and score from them, or will we come undone?
October 28th, 2007 at 11:28 am
I am also curious to see which kit Arsenal use. I believe all three clash with Liverpool.
October 28th, 2007 at 11:57 am
danny, lets hope u are not right….cos tactical genius is not one of AWs strengths……lets just hope he gets the formation right and makes the right subs at least as OK as last match.
October 28th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
We feared that Flamini will get caught out of position, but did not expect it to be in the wall.
Otherwise, Arsenal haven’t done badly. I think we are missing Ade’s all running style, he seems to be a little subdued. We need it all the more in a 4-5-1.
Hoping for a better second half.
October 28th, 2007 at 12:56 pm
team’s done ok. Since we are a goal down i’ll complain and say Arsenal’s got no mercy from the referee around the either 18 yard box…
agree nipuna… we need Ade to really step up
looks like we can pick at least a point or 3 if we dont concede from another set-piece and if we finally get one or perhaps 2 clean shots
October 28th, 2007 at 12:56 pm
His crap shielding ability also led to that free kick. He always shows too much of the ball to the opposition. To compound the little twat moved out of the wall as well. Is Diarra allowed to play now Arsene?
Take of Adebayor and bring on Bendtner.
October 28th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
Set piece blunder, Flamini to blame from breaking out of the wall. No point having a wall if you’re going to split as soon as the guy strikes the ball.
October 28th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
our passing around in front of our box caught us again. then the mistakes are compounded by the wall breaking up.
overall our play was not that bad. but hleb, rosicky and fabregas need to move into another level.
eboue is an UTTER and COMPLETE JOKE. he will never change. he was lying in the box and f-cking up our promising attack move. we have to sell him and buy somebody proper this january.
in a way we have to admit we probably scored too many goals in midweek. we probably should have saved it lol.
torres is injured and crouch is coming on…damn!
i would be very very grateful for a draw!
October 28th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
when a free kick goes thru the wall, it’s a players mistake. No chance for almunia. Otherwise, we looked positive in our response but still no shots on goals yet. As usual, we’ll turn it up in the second half.
Liverpool have no legs in the middle of the park and its’ route 1 football for them. We should nick a 2-1 win.
October 28th, 2007 at 1:01 pm
One of the better away performance in the first half, we completely controlled the possession. Liverpool barely got a touch. Yes, we are 0-1 down. but as long as the team keep playing this way, and control the game, it’s before time we will equalize. The Reds been trying to close us down, so i expect they will make more mistakes inside the last 15 minutes or so as their legs get tired.
October 28th, 2007 at 1:02 pm
This is a mugging. Arsenal need to respond physically to their physical play or just wrap it up and go home.
Test the ref and give as good as we’ve got. If he cards them, then the fix is in. But I would love to see a crunching tackle.
Also, please no more Eboue. He’s a disgrace.
October 28th, 2007 at 1:04 pm
Route 1 football is what’s beating Arsenal at the moment. As much as I can see Arsenal getting back into it I can see Liverpool scoring from another set piece.
October 28th, 2007 at 1:05 pm
Except for that goal..it’s been all Arsenal so far …Adebayor is been frustrating..and i think his bad first touch is getting to Wenger as well…first time i’ve seen that [:D]
If we don’t score by the 60′ ..i think we should see Walcott and Bendtner coming on..with hleb moving to the right.
Still hoping for an Arsenal win on the basis of the way they are playing at the moment.
October 28th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
the main question is where will the goals come from cos i doubt adebayor will. so a toure or fabregas howitzer or something from rosicky or hleb.
October 28th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
>>We should nick a 2-1 win
neova that’s the spirit… I say amen to that
October 28th, 2007 at 1:58 pm
Hleb got that match winning pass. What a pass it was. First Ade and then Bendtner went offside. But Hleb waited and found Cesc whose first time shot caught Reina by total surprise. Way to go!!!
We could have nicked ithad Cesc’s shot gone in or Bendtner had done better. But I am delighted with the result. As always, we will fight back, not matter what happens.
By the way, we are still missing width.
October 28th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
What a match! ..we cud have won it easily……but still happy with the draw..if we can beat Man Utd next week..we’ really going to mount a serious title challenge.
Tackle of the match shud go to Gilberto…just as Stevie G was about to unleash a long range effort…
How does Carragher keep getting away with pulling people down in the box??
Cheers
October 28th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
Liverpool rode their luck today. We gifted them with two absoutley sitters. But consider the late fight back again from us to get a draw. Happy with the one point. At least that should silence some rival fans that our season hadn’t started just because we didn’t play the so-called “big teams”. As far as i m concerned, Blackburn and West Ham gave us a much tougher time.
October 28th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
Great blocks by Gallas and Gilberto, both on Gerrard. Will we see Gilberto back after this game?
By the way, Almunia had a very good game. Have to applaud him when he gets it right. This will not please Lehmann.
October 28th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
Exactly Wayne, Carragher is allowed to do anything inside his own penalty box. No wonder they called him the “rock”.
October 28th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
sorry..forgot to add…the Hleb pass was too good
Eboue was better on the right today..but he can do away with his histrionics..the shot which hit the post was a blinder ….Fabregas should have scored that one
Looking forward to next weekend
Cheers,
October 28th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
Good result. Some small issues, but nice to see the Gunners firing away (even if the darned post seemed 3x wider at times).
October 28th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
Two shots that hit their left post and two shots missed with the goal gaping open. It could have been a lot better, but got to admire the way we fight back. Never rule out the Arsenal.
October 28th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
Disagree Nipuna at Almunia. those highlight flim saves was bread and butter stuff he was SUPPOSED to save it. Even Paul Robinson could make those saves. But when come to one cross, only ONE cross, he punched nothing but air. And that cross (from set piece) wasn’t even a high cross, something a ‘keeper should deal with comfortably. Well, i mean a good keeper should be able to deal with it comfortably.
October 28th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
The save from Crouch, I remember Mellor beating Lehmann from the same range three years ago. That’s when Lehmann was dropped.
Yes, he flapped at the cross. But we all know he doesn’t deal with crosses well. I am not saying Alumina is our new #1 just that he got the major decisions correct.
October 28th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
btw, Bottenham Hotspur took a lead, then blew their lead and got beaten in injury time…. AGAIN.
don’t have the stats with me, but we must have scored more late goals than anybody this season. While Bottenham or Bottleham Hotspur must have conceded more late goals than anybody.
October 28th, 2007 at 2:12 pm
btw nipuna, Cesc now got 10 goals. And it’s not yet November. Crazy!
Robert Pires at his best scored 20 goals from midfield in one season. i won’t bet against Cesc to break dear Rob’s record.
October 28th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
i’m more than happy with the point especially since the draw came at a higher price to Liverpool than to us: torres, alonzo… out.
All we need to do is meet ManU at emirates and we’ll be truly and official title contenders
October 28th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
that is true…liverpool are not that great…especially considering they were playing at home. West Ham and Blackburn gave us a greater challenge.
we should have won this match if either the match was 5 minutes longer OR someone had taken the game by the scruff of the neck RvP was there.
all in all it is great experience for the team.
PS: Gerrard is not really that great. his only M.O. is excess testerone and shooting. he is an attacking midfielder for crying out loud.
overall a draw is a great result but i thought we might nick a winner after we equalized.
also hleb and rosicky tended to be playing the ball wide way too often. rosicky and hleb didnt have any shots on target.
gilberto made an awesome block but he also made a few blundering passes as well and was always slow to get back. he is not the solution to the flamini problem. he is too lax, too lackadaisical…but we need his experience.
toure and gallas handled crouch quite well……….and almunia did not dissappoint.
all in all we are STILL TOP OF THE BLOODY LEAGUE with a game at hand. so its not a bad weekend.
October 28th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
Biggest disappointment was Rosicky. Is he still struggling with his injury? I hope Wenger adds a winger in Jan. We need one.
October 28th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
You know, Andez, when Fabregas got the ball, I was super confident that he would score. But he hit the post and Bendtner missed the rebound.
A bit like Gerrard. When Gerrard was advancing, I was glad Gilberto blocked him, because you know he will hit the target. Cesc is getting there.
October 28th, 2007 at 2:19 pm
Hleb did give away the ball more than in other games. It had to do with the physicality of Liverpool. But his pass was a beauty. Just super.
October 28th, 2007 at 2:21 pm
my ratings would be:
almunia - 8, made a number of great saves. wasnt at fault for the goal.
sagna - 7 relatively solid.
toure - 7 coped well with aerial threat and had time to run forward as well
gallas - 7 handled torres, then crouch quite well.
clichy - 6 was OK, lost possession a couple of times
eboue - 5, his theaterics on 30 minutes was horrible. he had a good shot against the post though.
flamini - 5, not one of his best games, but didnt get taken off.
fabregas - 8, my MOM, is the only midfielder that looked like scoring. was the only midfielder that even had a shot on.
hleb - 7, made the assist, but didnt have an shot ons and didnt really “run the game”
rosicky - 5, off form.
adebayor - 5, off form.
SUBS:
walcott - 5, did nothing
gilberto - 6, great block, but was sloppy on other occasions
bendtner - 6, missed a very difficult sitter but put himself about.
whatever:
SPURS LOST !!!
October 28th, 2007 at 2:21 pm
Any idea why Clichy was subbed off? ..that was a surprise.
October 28th, 2007 at 2:22 pm
“A bit like Gerrard. When Gerrard was advancing, I was glad Gilberto blocked him, because you know he will hit the target. Cesc is getting there.”
Yes Nipuna. Gerrard is one of those players everytime he took a shot, I fear for worst. Personally, IMO he’s the best English player at the moment. Though his form has not been impressive, he’s the real deal nevertheless.
I bet the happiest man in Anfield tonight gotta be…. Sir Alex!
October 28th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
Almunia 8 - Dealt with everything thrown at him
Sagna 9 - Rock solid
Toure 8 - Usual quality, came forward well
Gallas 8 - Looked like the old Gallas
Clichy 6 - Seems to have one bad game every 3, bit tepid
Eboue 7 - Pretty good game bar the usual stupid antics
Flamini 6 - Did ok, but split the wall handing Liverpool a goal. I want Diarra there.
Fabregas 9 - Superb. Didn’t think his miss was that bad considering the speed the ball came at him. Had he taken a touch it could have easily squirted away.
Hleb 9 - Fantastic
Rosicky 6 - Needs a few games to get his fitness, wasn’t much of an attacking threat
Adebayor 5 - Looked jaded and his technique let him down repeatedly
Subs
Walcott 6 - A handful
Bendtner 5 - Missed a good chance but pretty sure ref would have blown for offside
Gilberto 6 - Gave stability when we needed it