Arsenal v New Look Wigan, A Prospect To Savour?
Sep 18th, 2009 by 'holic
Mention of Wigan always stirs a whole heap of memories in the old ‘holic grey cells. ‘All-niters’ at Wigan Casino were a part of away games in the north-west back in the seventies. The dancing was more famous than the football in those days although occasionally the non-league club would make strides in the FA Cup.
It is a credit to the vision (and the cash!) of Dave Whelan that they had advanced to the Premier League, and were of course the last visitors to Highbury on that memorable day in 2006 when we said farewell to our spiritual home with a crucial 4-2 win.
I cannot forget last season either, when Emmanuel Eboue was a substituted substitute, and subjected to the sort of reception I hope will never be repeated to a current Arsenal player. Both the player, and the supporters, have made great efforts to put that day firmly in the past. That point was not lost on Arsene Wenger in his press conference. “It is always down to your attitude as a player to change the fans’ minds. They are always ready to do that if you show quality performances.”
He also said that the only absentee from Liege who will return to the squad on Saturday is Robin van Persie. It is not only in attack, however, that he will consider changes. I think most were surprised to see Bacary Sagna ‘rested’ out of the two full-backs on Wednesday. It is not beyond the realms of possibility that ‘Le Boss’ has had a ‘sunshine’ chat with Gael Clichy. ‘Now look here, sunshine, any more mistakes, and I will give Gibbs or Traore a chance.’
The midfield trio may vex him, even with Arshavin, Nasri, and now Denilson, ruled out. Perm any three from Song, Diaby, Fabregas, Rosicky, and Ramsey. I fear Rosicky may be one to return to the bench, although this clearly would not be the most popular decision. Ramsey may just get the nod ahead of Diaby, given the opposition.
In concentrating on Arsenal’s problems going into the game, we risk missing the threat that Wigan could pose. It is probably fair to say that they have been unadventurous and uninspiring visitors to the Grove, but that appears to have changed with the appointment of Roberto Martinez as manager.
Now that could be suicidal, if Arsenal are at their best. Given that we appear to have defensive issues at present, I’m sure the visitors would prefer to concentrate on the opportunities to spring a surprise that may come their way.
The formation being attempted by Arsenal this season has had many drooling about our attacking play when it works. It is a 4-3-3 in as far as we rely on wide players pressing to recover the ball in advanced positions when we surrender it, but the central midfielders need to provide cover ahead of the full-backs as well as covering in front of of Gallas and Vermaelen. That has worked when Denilson and Song have been prepared to sit and hold. It remains to be seen if Song and Diaby, or Ramsey, can offer the required protection.
The ‘holic pound has to be wagered optimistically after providing a healthy profit at Standard. Arsenal to win 3-1 is widely available at 10/1, so that is it, although after the events on Wednesday I was sorely tempted by Paddy Power’s offer of 17/2 on Arsenal coming from behind to win.
As usual can I wish those going a great day. I am saving my pennies for a day out alongside the Thames next Saturday, so will join those stream-hunting at 3pm. Have a good one, ‘holics, wherever you are watching.
Time for a few Guinni, and a ruby, methinks.
23 Responses to “Arsenal v New Look Wigan, A Prospect To Savour?”
I think Clichy should come down with a ‘chest infection’ too and traore be given a chance to prove himself. Maybe just until clichy gets back to his ‘A game’. Gunners 4-0 wigan is my prediction. RVP hatrick!! And a headed goal by gallas.
3-1 at 10/1? Too good to be true, I should ask my mom to place a wager for me on the non-puritan side of the pond…
For the other one I would wait to know if Song will be alone to defend or not. If Rambo plays alogside then I would not risk it but if two of Rosicki/Diaby/Cesc are partnering Song go for it!
In any case we’re starting a run of 9 games against “little” teams until Chelski, if we want to claim a stake to the title we have to win ’em all. As simple as that.
GO GUNNERS!
Cujo: just curious, why Traore ahead of Gibbs?
arsenal 4 wigan 1
rosicky 1/eduardo1/van persie 2
Wigan to win 2 – 1 with Hugo Rodallega and Jordi Gomez scoring for the latics and Van Persie scoring for arsenal..
let just use sagna…gallas….sederos{when in form}vermealen
for the main time untill clichy recovers,bcos gibbs cannot defend,neiter traore so we have to shuffle the defends if u want clean sheet.my prediction 4 wigan is 3-1 or 3-0
Managed to make it over for City game last Saturday and was in Belgium on Wednesday. Won’t make tomorrow’s game as birthday party duties preclude. I enjoyed the City experience but I thought we played as badly as I’ve ever seen in Wednesday’s win. Frustrating.
A couple of common themes from both games. In the absence of Denilson (second half in Manchester) the midfield loses a lot of its sparkle, defensive capability and passing accuracy. In the presence of Clichy, the defensive howlers multiply (although the crossing from the left wing has improved, if not from the right where Sagna still can’t get the ball past the first defender). I’d go with Gibbs tomorrow. Time to bite the bullet.
We miss Adebayor’s drive, penetration, ability to lead the line and move the opposing defense around. Although he was wearing a blue shirt, he was great to watch last Saturday. I even enjoyed his Henry-esque (vs Tottingham) run and slide toward us. You can see me and a few others laughing in last Sunday’s press pics. The man’s an entertainer, not everyone was throwing chairs.
Tomorrow? We’ll win it. Wish I could be there to see Robin and Nicky B score in our 2-0 win.
I opted for traore because the few times i’ve seen him play, he can send in one mean cross. In our current squad, all injuries considered, we lack creativity. Accurate crossing into the box could go a long way in supplementing our lack of creativity. Thats why i’d pick traore over gibbs, but only as a temporary fix.
BtM you must have the patience and unflappability of a saint!
I know you have said from the outset that you thought selling him was a mistake, that we would miss his quality, but as Mrs Snail so rightly pointed out to me just now, you also cannot leave a rotten apple festering in the basket either. For all his footballing skills he continues to show a lack of class, nay, actual basic awareness of how a ‘professional’ should conduct themselves. The irony of his Henryesque celebration was not lost on me, anymore than the picture of it in front of the Arsenal fans. I still think our fans look more composed than those Spud ones from days of yore and a bit better dressed as well. The reality of last Saturday, however, is that he should never have been on the pitch to score one and assist with another. The Citeh fans seem to have overlooked that as has much of the media.
Anyway, what do I know, I wasn’t at the game I was on the ferry coming back from Ireland, trying to get a phone signal to update me with the latest score – a far more painful and flappable experience I can tell you.
I’ll have one of those Guinnis please, ‘holic, and get BtM one as well, oh, and two Bushmill chasers, and one for yourself.
Cheers.
BKM: Agree 200% on Denilson. Unless someone is tasked to help Song defend we will miss Denilson big time until his return.
Cujo: Both Gibbs and Traore are converted midfielders, the only difference is that Traore played as LM during his loan spell. I’m keen to see both play anyway, too bad one of them is not RB.
Cujo, Traore *cannot* cross. He prefers to boom them into the back-stands rather than into the box.
I have a question to lucky gooners who attend games at the Emirates. I found this piece from a Spurs fan (I know…) and wondered how much truthful they think it is because from a distance I’m sad to say that it *rings* true (and I’m not talking about his fear of a toilet bowl-shaped stadium).
From here: http://www.sportingpreview.com/columns/316903.php
“My main observance on the day was their huge contingent of support under thirty years of age, therefore with little knowledge of less privileged days, or the old rivalry, and certainly none of the days when Arsenal were simply ordinary, and vilified deservedly.
Of course, under Wenger, they have only known success, or at least, have always expected it.
What do they know of the barren years, of the uncompromising one-nil victories, and certainly, the days when more than one of four could win our domestic trophies? In essence, this is a club that has sold out its roots. Although I give them full credit for rushing off the starting blocks when the Premiership began, while our own benefactors sat on their hands to see what would happen, speculation that may have seen us competitive from the very beginning of the largest changes to the ‘beautiful game’.
In fact, our respective roots are similar; both emanating from the grey and barren streets of south London; my own nemesis team being those gentlemen of S.W.6. While all through my childhood, Arsenal were just another ordinary outfit from another, ordinary part of town.
Yes, it’s all well and good dishing out a history lesson on our greatest rivals, but have we, and will we, learn from their exploits?
Personally, I like the idea of our ‘new’ ground being a comparative rebuild. On approaching The Emirates’, the first word that dropped from my mouth was a wholly involuntary ‘wow’. Although on entering, the place has the football appeal of a glass and chromium morgue; an impressively, aesthetic morgue, but a morgue all the same.
Please, please, please, Tottenham Hotspur, you must learn from this! Please don’t turn our cauldron of passion and noise in to yet another flat-pack construction that bases its very existence on the attendance of the ‘new’ fan.”
Its funny how everyone can see that Denilson was missing from the pitch when the goals were conceded but don’t see that Rosicky was present when they were.
Right now Rosicky is seriously short of fitness. He just cant put in the shift that he should be putting. See the fourth goal we conceded against citeh. Rosicky was a couple of yards ahead of SWP but just ambled back while SWP made a blistering run. This when Rosicky had not been on the field for less than half an hour.
I am not criticizing Tomas. The point is, its not Denilson we are missing its effort from other midfielders. By having Denilson and Song we are spoiling the rest even more. It might work in the short term, not sure if that is the idea.
Denilson and Song in the middle kill all creativity. It can only work when Arshavin and Cesc are fit.
Haha jammathon.. Saying the guy cant cross is a bit harsh but i’d still like to see him try. Im overly eager to see Gibbs in a few of the group stage matches though. I remember last season i watched him play and was genuinely impressed. *Cujo puts on fortune teller hat* im having some random premonision that liverpool get kicked out of the top 4 this season aaaaaaaah!
Matt, you cannot believe everything you hear. I find it interesting that a Spurs fan should want to come and watch Arsenal v Middlesborough on the basis that it was a corporate event….
Matt, to put that pillocks observations into context, any Spurs fan younger than me has only known failure, and I’m ancient! 🙂
The Middlesex marshmen will be forever in our shadow.
Yours are fair comments, Snail and Mrs Snail’s are equally, nay, even more fair. Be careful on these trans-ocean crossings lad. There are submarines in them thar waters (some of which are driven by whisky toting Scots drivers).
I have to admit that I still resent the campaign to oust Ade and won’t be persuaded that the squad is stronger for his departure. Nevertheless, you won’t find a more passionate advocate for those that remain. My Adebayor shirt is now consigned to grass cutting duties. (Virginia’s residents don’t appreciate the significance of it in any case “Gee, Wilbur, does Adebayor play for the Redskins?”).
Cesc and Denilson’s shirts retain pride of place and it’s a tough call between these and Van Persie’s number 11 on match day. Cesc won the day on this trip and is traveling with me and will be at tomorrow’s birthday party, if not the Wigan game.
You won’t hear more from me on he who now wears blue.
Simply has to be Ramsey to start tomorrow. a relatively straight forward fixture at home is an ideal place to give him a prem start. he is looking ready, and sharp as a sub recently. Diaby has been woeful. Rosicky just short of match fitness and I would wary of giving Ros 3 games in a week (he played for the Czechs). If Diaby does play then it has to be centrally just behind the front men. anywhere else and the man is a liability.
Clichy may need a day off, but wenger wont make too many changes, especially with CC coming up where Gibbs and Ramsey might feature.
Fair play, BtM. You never changed your tune on him for a minute, and I can understand where you are coming from. I think the events of last Saturday, and the comments of the participants since, have shown the value of cutting the cancer from our midst.
You will have to educate your neighbours on the difference between Injuns and Africans 🙂
‘Holic: Fair enough but they din’t they win the Carling Cup in the season before last? There seems to be plenty of plastic fans who’d like us to sell our soul to Jabba the Uzbek so we can put our mitts on it.
Anyway let’s hope for a deafening support tomorrow!
I must resist emptying the burbon bottle tonight, I’ll just have one glass. Or two.
Sorry for the frantic commenting today but I found an update on our finances here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/arsenal/6207896/Arsenals-new-loan-plan-set-to-relieve-the-pressure.html
In short we didn’t generate enough revenue to reimburse our £133 million loan by April so we had to renegotiate a new loan.
“Although about 600 of the 655 Highbury Square apartments are contracted to be sold, the financial climate slowed the speed at which purchases have been completed.”
Chairman Peter Hill-Wood admitted the prevailing economic conditions had taken the club by surprise.
“It’s a wonderful development and it’ll sell like crazy one day, but we’re in 2009,” he said.
“Sitting here today if we had sold the whole thing three or four years ago and taken a one-off payment of X million that would look very clever. When we decided not to do that we looked at all the downsides other than the current downside.”
Straight out of a Bird and Fortune parody that last one…
Thanks for that Matt, but anybody who didn’t understand that situation before could have read it in a number of places, including here back in February
http://goonerholic.com/?p=1578
The goose that was to lay the golden egg is having a little trouble conceiving, and those who have blindly called for money to be thrown at new transfers can now see, hopefully, why that just wasn’t possible, and get behind the manager and the team instead of throwing their toys out of the pram every time there is a setback.
IN ARSENE WE TRUST.. people are too harsh on him and criticize every decision he makes, or doesnt make (not buying during summer) but as you can see, certain things are just out of his hands. We should just trust him. He knows whats best for the team. Oh and i really think we’re gona score 6 goals against wigan. If they really come out guns blazing, like they say they are, they will be punished heavily. Not too sure how many we’ll concede, but anything less that 6 is mighty fine with me HAHA HAHA!