I wanted to post something to capture any mid-week discussions regarding the two EPL games on Wed and any Arsenal team news/rumours.

Looking above and below:

One of the consequences of the recent dropped points is that the fate of the EPL title is not entirely in Arsenal’s hands. Previously, when Arsenal were clear at the top by 1 one point after the top 2 had played the same number of games, the equation was simple on paper at least: If Arsenal won all their remaining games, they would be champions no matter what the chasing pack did.

Now, things are not so simple: If Arsenal win all their remaining games, they may still not be champions due to an inferior goal-difference.

So either Man Utd have to drop some points and leak in some goals or Arsenal have to win all their games and outscore United in each game by at least one goal to make up the goal difference of 8. And then there is the annoying matter of Chelsea being only 3 points behind Arsenal with their game in hand on Wed and a goal difference of just 5 less than Arsenal’s. Despite not having any warm feelings towards these 4 teams (putting it mildly), I will have to keep an eye out just in case.

Game 1: Angels Utd vs Sweet & Mellow Bolton

I was hoping for Bolton to get something from their crucial game against Wigan on the weekend so that their game against Arsenal in 11 days time won’t be as crucial. But despite throwing away their UEFA Cup tie against Sporting Lisbon, they still lost 1-0 to Wigan. I can understand the financial incentive of staying up in the Premier League is more important than advancing to another round in the UEFA Cup but I find it amazing that Bolton did not even take most of their first team away to Lisbon.

So now that Bolton are stuck at 25 points, they should be fighting for their lives against Manchester on Wednesday. But with Gary Megson, I am not so sure. Bolton might consider this game as a lost cause and instead focus on their home game with Man City on Saturday as more worthy to get points. Bolton would still make life difficult for Arsenal when the two meet on March 29, but if Bolton get nothing in their next two games, the Gunners better be ready for yet another hard day at the Reebok.

Game 2: Friendly Neighbours Spurs vs Sexy Football Chelsea

Chelsea have plenty of incentive going into this game. A win and they draw level with Arsenal ahead of Sunday’s big clash. Also, Chelsea want to avenge their Carling Cup loss to Spurs. I am not sure how much motivation Spurs have going into this game. Even though they are in 11th place with just 35 points, Spurs are not going to get relegated because the teams below them are unlikely to string together more than a win in succession. Spurs have already qualified for next season’s UEFA Cup and won’t finish in the top 4 needed for the Champions league either. In order for Spurs to finish in 4th, they would need every team between Liverpool and themselves to lose all their 9 remaining games. Since that is not possible, Spurs might be content with things as they are. Is pride at stake for Spurs? I thought pride only mattered when Spurs took on Arsenal and that the remaining 36 games were only a warm up until their meetings with their North London rivals.

This and that..

The most unlikely transfer rumour came out a few days ago: Barca are interested in Eboue. While this may make a few people happy, it seems more like fantasy news conjured up from the Eboue camp. No disrespect towards him, but considering the players Barca can sign, why would they go for him?

It was interesting to tune into Birmingham’s game against Newcastle on Monday and observe two Birmingham players attempting to emulate their hero Martin Taylor with two lunging tackles. Both Stephen Kelly and Stuart Parnaby got yellow cards for their Taylor like studs up tackles. Since no one was injured, the incident obviously needs no mentioning. It only confirms the style that is common at Birmingham as neither player needed to make that sort of tackle.

Since the big 4 will be involved in a fixture congested upcoming few weeks, it makes perfect sense to have those delightful friendlies on March 26. Of course, the friendly dates were set months in advance well before the Champions League draw was made. But from an Arsenal point of view, the timing is wrong, yet again. For those not familiar with the friendly break, let me explain — This is where Arsenal send away their entire first team to play meaningless games and the best Arsenal can hope for is that their players come back fit and injury free. The full squads are not known yet but since France, Brazil, Switzerland and Spain are in action, it is safe to guess a majority of the players will be gone (Senderos is already named for the Swiss squad). France are once again planning on back to back friendly games on Tuesday (March 25) and Wed.

While not worrying about injuries to Arsenal players, fans in North London can treat themselves to a friendly between Brazil and Sweden at the Emirates on March 26. The match is meant to celebrate 50 years since the two teams met in that eventful World Cup final where a young Pele made his name.