I quite liked Reading last season and although Steve Coppell has come out and talked rubbish about English players I quite like the guy. Comes across as a guy who likes to play football and has a team that doesn’t really kick out too much.
Anyway Steve Sidwell has moved “up a notch” to warming the bench at Chelsea. Uumm… good luck to him! So, there’s a hole in CM and I’m not sure who plays there these days. I’m pretty sure it’ll be a 4-5-1 with Dave Kitson up front on his own. Reading do work very very hard so if we go behind it might be tough to come back.
Sill with Cesc and Hleb fresh for this one and no new injuries at all we should win this..even Phil’s back to training..just RVP out now and he’s due back for Wigan so that is a relief. The squad I guess picks itself:
Almunia
Clichy Gallas Toure Sagna
Mozart Flamster Cesc Hleb
Eduardo Adebayor
Subs: Lehmann, Diarra/Diaby, Denilson, Theo, Bendtner
Reading 1 - Arsenal 3
26 Responses to “Reading - Arsenal”
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November 12th, 2007 at 10:13 am
I think this is Eduardo’s sort of match. We need a finisher to play high up the pitch because Reading have probably worked all week on nullifying runners from deep. Might catch them unawares if we go 4-4-2.
November 12th, 2007 at 10:28 am
We should play 4-4-2. No two ways about it. We should also win 2-0. Only question is who will score. I hope Eduardo does. In fact, I have been hoping this since the Derby game. Incidentally, that was the last game in which any of the currently fit strikers scored. Now would be a good time to start scoring.
November 12th, 2007 at 11:38 am
guess from now on it’s all about “mental” now - a challenge of whoever holds the nerve best.
the Premiership is more like two leagues within one right now. The gap between the top 4 and the rest is still massive. I weren’t suprised Blackburn lost to Man U. In fact, i wonder how Man U is ever going to drop points.
it seems getting even more difficult to win the league than before. at the past i remember Fegie and AW both mentioned that a title winning side could afford to lose 4 matches in a season. i doubt it’s still the same case now.
ever since our unbeaten season, the par has surely raised even higher for the title winning team.
November 12th, 2007 at 12:56 pm
Andez, you’re exactly right. Arsenal going unbeaten certainly raised the bar and Ferguson has realized that it’s not good enough to be close after Christmas and then go on a run. You’ve got to run the entire season.
What I do admire about Man Utd. is that they seem to feel they have a God-given right to be champions and to beat everyone. They play with that swagger and have many people in their team that can win a game for them. Almost like Brazil just play their game and make the other team worry about them.
I’ve been critical of the bosses tactics/decisions over the past two matches. He should get this one right and it should be a comprehensive victory. If for no other reason, because Arsenal are better than Reading.
November 12th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
“What I do admire about Man Utd. is that they seem to feel they have a God-given right to be champions and to beat everyone.”
I got the same feeling when I watched them Blackburn. It was like the old days. ManU are champions. Their coach, players and fans become arrogant and feel that the title is their divine right. They rant at everything when they drop points. They criticize referees and put abnormal amount of psychological pressure on them. So much that decisions start going their way. Like the ridiculous sending off of Dunn in the game.
Like Keegan said - I would just love it if we could beat them.
November 12th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
yes josh, nipuna, I basically given up hope to count on Man U losing points, or other teams doing us a favour by beating them. can’t see too many teams are capable of anyway. so it’s all up to Arsenal to get the job done ourselves.
November 12th, 2007 at 2:23 pm
Respect and admire ManU??????????
They’re the best whiners and bullies in the business and that’s only surpassed by their ability to dive.
They seem to think that their shite doesn’t stink
November 12th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
We’ve gone 4-5-1 again. Eduardo out of the squad. Rosicky has to produce tonight to make this work.
November 12th, 2007 at 3:52 pm
I can understand 5-4-1 against Liverpool, and to a lesser extent against Man Utd, but why play it against a team like Reading who are leaking goals everywhere? Would Man Utd play 5-4-1 in this game?
It is showing too much respect to the opposition, blunting our attack and give the message to our strikers that they’re not good enough to get in the team in Van Persie’s absence. I only see negativity.
November 12th, 2007 at 3:53 pm
I really don’t understand the deal with the 4-5-1 formation. Has Arsene lost the plot?
November 12th, 2007 at 4:23 pm
Arsene will either look really smart or really stupid with this formation. We better win comfortably, or I will have to lay the blame at his feat.
Unless, someone does something incredibly stupid to cost us.
Come on you Gunners! I need a good way to relax after work!
November 12th, 2007 at 4:58 pm
on ya Flamster!
A brave determined goal.
Reading have got what they deserve for serving up such defensively minded crap at home.
Agree with others I think 4-5-1 was unnecessary.
November 12th, 2007 at 4:58 pm
Does the formation really matters when Reading had everyone packed in the box?
November 12th, 2007 at 5:07 pm
another tactical blunder from wenger!
adebayor, hleb, rosicky are all blunt tools when it comes to goals.
i just hope we can collect all 3 points here.
November 12th, 2007 at 5:17 pm
looks like that talk at half-time seems to have made a difference
November 12th, 2007 at 5:41 pm
Cesc just got himself suspended for the Wigan game…guess he needs the rest anyway
November 12th, 2007 at 5:46 pm
What was that about Hleb and Adebayor being blunt tools when it comes to goals?
November 12th, 2007 at 5:58 pm
tactical blunder? 3-1!!
frankly, let’s don’t get too obsessed with the “formation”. With Arsenal, formation is only the paper lineup appear on TV. the fact is we played more like a 2-3-5 today! and basically u can’t tell who’s playing where!
November 12th, 2007 at 6:00 pm
and a clever little move by Cesc by getting himself another booking. with the fixtures coming up fast and thick, it’s better for him to miss the Wigan match at home than the up and coming away matches.
November 12th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
It was completely unnecessary to play 4-5-1. It’s not like Hleb was playing up front with Adebayor he spent the whole first half playing too deep.
Thankfully, we were too good for them anyway. Had Arsenal been on their game it could have easily been 6 or 7. Reading were abysmal.
Eboue and Rosicky were both awful tonight - I’m not sure what Rosicky is giving the team, at least with Eboue the right side is defensively impenetrable. We still need an attacking left winger.
Still, enjoyed the game, Flamini was excellent - not often I’ve said that.
November 12th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
good point Andez…i was upset at first when Cesc picked up the card, but he was gonna get that 5th at some point, what better time than now?
November 12th, 2007 at 6:04 pm
reading are an inferior team….so beating them doesnt make the tactic or formation right.
am just thankful we got the 2 goals difference to get back to the top.
diarra looks good…..but i dont understand why flamini never gets subbed.
hleb and adebayor are blunt tools…against a liverpool or Man U defense they wont have scored today.
adebayor loves having to place the ball for his goals….while hleb was looking to pass for the goal he finally scored…lol.
anyway, no need to nitpick, we win, we are top.
November 12th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
yeah right, “inferior team” again…… sigh…
November 12th, 2007 at 6:31 pm
LDE, you were spot on with the score
Although I was delighted when it was 3-0 as it would have given Arsenal a tiny separation from ManU on goal difference. Would have made Arsenal’s 18…Still 3-1 is great as back to the top.
November 12th, 2007 at 6:45 pm
We responded to ManU’s challenge - which is excellent.
The first goal was critical. It opened up the game. Prior to that we looked a bit toothless. Lotsa possession but not a lot of penetration. Not that penetration is easy when a side ‘parks the bus’ in such mind numbing fashion.
In the 2nd half we had the goal advantage, Reading loosened up their formation and we looked a lot better. But that first goal was critical.
Good to see Ade score, he should have had 2, a poor decision by the linesman.
Re formation Andez, for me it’s as much about the personnel as the actual formation. When we play 4-5-1 we sacrifice an attacking partner for Ade and play into the hands of teams that take a defensive approach like Reading. We end up having lotsa players who pass the ball around in front of their defence but not many who actually want to have a go. If one of our midfield players was really goal hungry then maybe 4-5-1 would work better - but Hleb, Eboue and Rosicky have a way to go in that area. Even Fab’s shooting looked really off tonight. Thank goodness for the flamster.
Maybe playing Hleb behind Ade is Wengers way of forcing his goal scoring development.
November 12th, 2007 at 9:30 pm
Adebayor is just one of those players, it’s so hard to criticise him. His first touch is often dreadful, his finishing wild - but he scored one goal, set up another and had one disallowed when he was clearly onside. He is not a lethal goalscorer, but as long as he gets about 20 I think we can happy with that - he is well on course.
And Fred, it’s a bit harsh to say that against Man Utd he wouldn’t have scored, because he did just that last season at Old Trafford playing 4-5-1, it was the winner as well.
He’s a player who always believes in himself and never gives up, and I really admire that about him.