Arsenal Look To Bounce Back At Swansea
Oct 30th, 2015 by 'holic
“It’s a different team. What we want to focus on is the Premier League and I’ve said that many times. The Premier League team did not play on Tuesday night.”
With those words Arsene Wenger brushed aside the COCup exit on Tuesday and emphasised what he expects from his team at Swansea. Arsenal are on something of a roll, Tuesday aside, and with the top five separated by just three points it is important that we do not draw another blank at the Liberty Stadium.
The task has been made a little more complicated by the loss of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott. They have joined David Ospina, Aaron Ramsey, Mikel Arteta, Jack Wilshire, Tomas Rosicky, and Danny Welbeck in the West Wing of the extended treatment complex at Shenley. Swansea manager Garry Monk isn’t of the belief that those injuries hand the advantage to his charges.
“Arsenal have an excellent squad. The bigger squads can afford injuries. It would hit us harder if we had those injuries but they have the strength and resources to cope.”
That remains to be seen, but in fairness we will probably have nine of Arsene’s preferred starting eleven on the pitch at kick-off. There remains the question of who will start on the right side of the Gunners midfield in South Wales. Listeners to last night’s (Thursday) ABW podcast will know of my preference for Alex Iwobi to get the nod. However, that seems unlikely after Arsene rather puzzlingly said in the wake of the Sheffield defeat that the level was “too high” for the younger players he selected.
It is likely that the boss will turn to Joel Campbell for his greater experience. If he does let’s hope Joel seizes the opportunity to finally prove he is Premiership material. If you want to hear more of what was discussed by @The_GFP @ozgooner49 @jasondavies71 @Geoff Arsenal and yours truly on the podcast it can be found below.
Monk has no such worries and a full squad to pick from. The Swans promised to challenge for a top five or six berth early on in the season drawing at Chelsea on the opening day before going on to beat Newcastle and Manchester United. They hit the skids in September, securing just one point and one goal as well as tumbling out of the COCup to Hull City. In October they have beaten Aston Villa, drawn with the little club up the road, and lost to Stoke in their last home outing.
The key for us could be how we handle Bafetimbi Gomis, the French international who scored home and away as the Swans did the double over us last season. However, he has gone six Premier League games without a goal after scoring in each of the opening four Premiership matches. His fellow countryman, Olivier Giroud, has an excellent opportunity to again secure the central striker’s role in the absence of Walcott.
With Bayern Munich and the neighbours to follow in the coming week we’ll be praying for no further injuries for the visitors this weekend. That goes for red cards too. The penalty for a sending off tomorrow would be a ban for the neighbours and that is something we could well do without.
The ‘holic pound
The bookmakers have us as odds on to overturn last season’s defeats to the Swans. I have a sneaking fancy for a 1-2 win which is on offer at around eights. That scoreline had been taken when I predicted 0-3 on the podcast. I will have to have a back-up pound on that at 15/1.
Have a cracking day out if you are fortunate enough to have a ticket for the match. The forecast is for a decent day so hopefully that is a good omen. It will be another stream hunt for those in the UK where 3pm Saturday matches cannot be broadcast. That will mean Twitter off so we don’t see what is going on a couple of minutes before it happens on the stream. First world problems, eh?
Have a good one, ‘holics.
93 Responses to “Arsenal Look To Bounce Back At Swansea”
A very nice appetiser as ever. I watched Swansea’s struggles with Stoke and they looked poor but they did well at our place at the end of the season. 2-1 to the good guys looks a shrewd deployment of the Holic pound and the three points are important because Citeh have their third easy home game in a row.
Reine Adelaide is returning from the World U-17 championships and though he won’t be considered tomorrow he might be a better answer than Iwobi or Campbell to the Soare berth. I understand from one who knows a major row is brewing in the Academy hence the return of Brady. The remark by Wenger was apparently meant to.be heard by Gazidis because there is concern at the quality of what Jonker is producing. I don’t know how fair this criticism is but the lads who pitched up on Wednesday were miles off the necessary pace. Let’s hope our injury situation perks up soon and doesn’t derail our season again.
Cheers H.
Arsenal on a roll? Sounds good. So does a swan sandwich for late lunch tomorrow.
For the spare berth. Soare plays for Palace!
Glad I read the post and then dawdled typing- TTG deserved a first for that effort!
If our regular options are anything to go by then the right wing spot is currently the ‘sore’ berth, I believe.
Hehe, the pedants strike back, TTG 🙂
I keep hearing that the Liberty stadium is a tough gig, then I watch them (Swansea) on Murdoch-vision and they look ordinary.
Ok they beat another ordinary team called Man Utd but still, will be very disappointed if we get less than 3 points tomorrow.
0-2. Alexis and Giroud (late on).
COYRs.
Btw, H
An hour and 42 minutes? That’s 90 minutes longer than I’ve listened to Rox this week…..
Could you not have given us a hint as to the co-ordinates of the good bit?
😉
So that Iwobi push wasn’t a joke after all? Now I realize I may have been quite offensive then, sorry about that :p
And since I have absolutely zero insight on what’s going on behind the club’s walls I feel entitled to tell Arsene he should start with Campbell against the Swans and then strike the fear of their lives in Bayern’s defense with Bellerin in front of Debuchy. If we win it’ll show everyone I’m the right man to succeed Arsene and if not Wenger out.
z, there was a good bit? 🙂
No there wasn’t H. You talked over it. Wink.
Great intro BTW. I thought we had 10, not 9 of Arsene’s preferred eleven available with only RW to be retrofitted. Am I missing someone?
On a previous topic there’s one young lad that’s not in the limelight but seems to be progressing very well. On the Hull city board Isaac Hayden went from being lambasted after his fist few games to being regularly nominated in the top 3 MOTM nominations by the fans. Maybe there won’t be any need to splash more cash at the back in the near future…
Ah Walcott, got it. Still not 100% used to Giroud being a super sub now.
I wish I could favourite #11 🙂
Interesting point about Hayden, Matt…apart from the fact he hasn’t played a single minute of Hull’s last 5 league games (when they’ve been on their great run) so I think their fans can only be referring to his ‘surprise’ performance in the cup win against Leicester alone. Still, it could be worse, with Crowley and Gnabry’s recent travails, it’s not been a good time for Arsenal’s loanees. Obviously there’s a big discrepancy between academy life and the necessities of Championship/Lge 1 football. It also doesn’t surprise me that Pulis might not like Gnabry, when he so prefers the hardened, scurrying, defensive-minded wingers like James McClean and Calum McManaman!
As for tomorrow. We have a mixed record in recent times at the Liberty, and Swansea look like they could be hitting some form again after their poor spell in Sep/Oct. My head says a hard-fought 1-1 draw, but I’m hoping we can sneak a second to fulfil the ‘Holic prophecy. Anyone putting a sneaky bet on Campbell not only to get his first league start but to also bag one as well?
Leicester and Swansea, I should have looked at the dates though.
#11 GSD is worse than me.
Fine preview Guvna. Just the aperitif I need.
I’ll take 2-1 for the Arsenal. Hell, I’ll take any kind of win. Go get ’em Alexis.
Skidmarks for this one.
Nice preview Sir.
Like Bath, I will be happy with any win. Gary Monk has worked wonders with Swansea and it will be a tough place to play. For a victory we will have to look to our usual high end performers to take hold of the game.
Interesting listening to David Dein tonight talking about Fifa. I can’t help but feel that as a true Arsenal man with over 30 years in football that he would still be an asset to this club.
Just my opinion, nothing more.
😉
Why are we loaning youngsters to that knobhead Pulis anyway?
The only things I’d loan him are a mask and a muzzle.
2-0 to the good guys.
UTA.
Fingers crossed the COCup cock-up doesn’t affect morale too much and we can at least squeeze a draw – if not a narrow win. Not that an runaway win wouldn’t be welcome!
As for dangers I’m less concerned about Bafetimbi Gomis than of Coq or Kos giving Gylfi Sigurdsson free kicks within range.
I hope AW starts OG with JC on the wing where he spent most of his time in the WC. Starting him at CF and using OG as a super sub would be a mistake, imo.
Just win it please guys.
Oskar
Fine preview H. The Liberty is not our most happy hunting ground but if the boys are properly focused a narrow win is on the cards. It’s noted that Swansea have a fully fit squad to chose from…..if only!
Agree with the boss that minimal changes are in order so Giroud up top and Campbell out wide right. I don’t think Gomis is in the same league as Benteke, so if we likewise cut off his supply, that will negate his heading prowess. Keeping Montero quiet is another matter entirely – young Hector will be in for a tough afternoon. One of those games of many ifs!
COYRRR
Interesting listening to David Dein tonight talking about Fifa. I can’t help but feel that as a true Arsenal man with over 30 years in football that he would still be an asset to this club.
Whereas all the time I was listening to him, I was thinking “You expect us to believe you had no clue about the most open secret in football?”
3-0 to us!
Up The Arse!
😀
Without David Dein this club would be Tottenham with bells on. He did a great job for us and brought Wenger to the club. I’d like him back
Agreed TTG @25 and Steve T earlier.
Cynic @23, I do think he was being ‘diplomatic’ in the extreme with his statement that he felt there was something ‘in the air’. He is an astute businessman and football politician. He knew the nature of the people with whom he had to deal.
Thanks for the preview, Holic.
So, Swansea choose from a fully fit squad and we have a mere eight players out injured. Last night on SSNews, Arsene said that “some players are more injury prone than others but we manage that situation very well”. Do we ?
That may have been a public vote of confidence for Shad Forsythe and the current medical team in the light of Vergehen’s comments about our regime but can he really be happy to have a third of the squad unavailable again ? Obviously not.
The latest forecast, again in quotes on SSNews, for The Ox and Theo is “at least three weeks”. Scarier than anything else I’m likely to see this Halloween.
The bench will be made up of defensive options and kids who are not ready, in the manager’s own words. As You said, Holic, Iwobi maight be a different proposition with better players around him – let’s hope so, although he did show some signs on Tuesday.
We haven’t been great at the Liberty in recent seasons, which is adding to my pessimism for this afternoon. We do, though, have almost our first eleven available. Any way they can come through unscathed with three points will be a massive relief.
Yes, TTG, bath, Steve,
David Dein’s crime was to sell his shares to Usmanov. That was, however, after he had been thrown out for introducing Stan Kroenke to the board.
Stan was so much “not the sort we want round here” that he is now, er, the owner. You do have to feel that some of our recent transfer sagas would have been better resolved with Dein in tandem with AW.
On the other hand – Swedish Reverse Alert, if you’re around, Lars – we have captured Alexis Sanchez And Mesut Özil, so what do I know ?
*waits to be informed that he doesn’t actually know very much – with which he will not argue*
Let’s snatch ’em.
All 3 points that is.
Keep on winning and see where it takes us.
If Dein was still around, would everyone not be schlepping out to Wembley every fortnight?
Or have I just forgotten stuff…..wouldn’t be a surprise as my acquaintance with senior moments become more frequent.
Zico. I know Wembley was definitely an option Dein was in favour of. However I also believe that it had no chance of ever coming off. Very much like our flirtation with Wembley for champions league matches, I do wonder if all of the Wembley talk was essentially politics.
Personally, considering who is pulling the strings at the club at the moment, I would take him back tomorrow given the chance. Whatever people think of him he is an Arsenal man through and through. I’m sure that he had the best interests of the club at heart. I have never ever felt that the is something I have ever been able to say about those currently in charge of proceedings.
Chavs give up an equalizer during first half stoppage time. Mourinho storms off.
1-1 at the bus stop. Clattenberg lets the half run 30 seconds beyond nominal stoppage time and Coutinho scores at the death. Well done!
1-1 HT at the Bridge. Scunts get their equaliser against uber cunts in over time of added time – another event to get the “paranoid one” worked up. Hahaha.
Two and a half minutes into two minutes of extra time? All I need now is for Benteke to punch the winner a yard offside and Maureen will explode.
1-3 ! Chelsea supporters, where’s the fire ?
1-3 at the Fridge. Liverpool are an average enough side, but hats off to Klop because he has transformed them in the space of 2 -3 games. Their work ethic, honesty and intent to actually play football is admirable and entirely contrasting to the chavs who seem to be more interested in diving, cheating and putting pressure on the referee. Luckily for Liverpool Mark Clattenburg is no Mike Dean. Mourinho with a face like a spanked arse. Brilliant!
Spot on Joe. Good to see football triumph over cynicism. May Moanrinho stay in his job for some time yet with him and the chavs suffering for much, much longer.
Hoping my schaudenfraude doesn’t come back to bite me on the Arse in a few minutes. 😉
Zico – that’s why i said i wouldn’t argue!
My senior moments appear more severe than yours. 😉
Quite possibly would not have come to that but i had actually forgotten all about it. Seems impossible that we have been in our new homw for a decade.
Mourinho : Specialist in come from in front losses.
streams https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/37736480/blbnuti.mp3
fuck wrong link, sorry http://www.livefootballol.com/streaming/english-premier-league/31-10-2015-swansea-city-arsenal.html
http://livetv.sx/en/eventinfo/353485_swansea_arsenal/
lets hope for some good result at Liberty, we have had pretty torrid time against Swans as of late. Come on boys!
morning trev, eandy, uply. anyone particularly displeased by pool not losing points to such a shit team?
liking the look of Campbell so far, in ours. he just ran half the pitch to block a cross…
holy fuck Bellerin
love me some hekator. speedy little guy.
rotational fouling is passé, says the ref.
oh OG ..this has to be a goal
great move, og should have made it 1-0 to us.
no foul there. hector and Joel, finely defended.
oh no..this looks bad.
ouch …hope that it is nothing serious ..that looked nasty.
thank goodness, just a knee knock, eandy.
knock from the side on the leg with full weight, cringetastic.
Come on Arsenal. The second half has to be better than the first.
definitely that, eandy.
definitely a grind it out game so far…
We look lethargic, Alexis not in the game, the lovely Hector is having a hard time, Campbell doing OK tracking back, the HFB’s effort should have at least been on target. Nothing much happening, let’s hope it’s another Watford afternoon. Looks as though Giroud is OK thank Dennis.
Let’s hope for a bit more action by us in the second half.
come on arsenal!
Delia, Agreed about Alexis not being in the game. Seldom have both he and Mesut looked so peripheral. Be OK Olivier (it rhymes).
Cmon boys strong second half let’s go
oooooogggggggggggggggggggg
Get in OG!
Oh Giround u beauty
cech saves twice…
thrice.
great, unnecessary save by hector. Hope he will still have wind after slamming the post.
after a good first quarter game, Campbell has disappeared.
come on Alexis!!
Flapper is back
flappy!!!
KOS!
joooeeeelllll!!!
Welcome to the party JC
JOEL 😀
🙂 bmgedo…
We are a very long way in front of the Chavs…. In every sense!
who, ttg? oh, you mean that shit team from west London averaging a point a game?
I don’t know either scruz, they are specialists in failure?
isn’t that the “one” thing they’re “special” in?
Norwich goal 1-1 w MC
arsenal has a bit of that rampant feeling at the moment.
so, of course, bring in chambers for og (yes, ok, rest him a bit for bayern…).
Damn MC
bang on second half.
and further gap opens with the red half of manchester.
Get in.
Lovely Fucking Jubly 🙂 3 Points – EgoCunt battered again, Please don’t put him out of his misery as this is far to much fun – United drawing pun alert another blank, The only small negative City getting a winner – But no complaints from me
Up The Arse and the League we Go
Big, Big 3 points.
Big goal and big injury escape for OG.
Big game and big goal for Joel Campbell.
Big clean sheet.
Big Flappy mistake by … Flappy but Koscielny there to take advantage. Koscielny also won us the corner that led to our first goal, I believe, when he beat the whole Swansea defense to Santi’s clever reverse pass.
Big momentum keeps on rolling.
COYG.
Great win, we were due some against Swans. Unrelated…fuck me, that guy Vardy is on fire.
Yes, it was another Watford afternoon, amazing how the confidence returned after we scored but it could have been so different had Swansea taken their chances in the first half.
We could have scored more but we persisted in trying to walk the ball in the net. At least our fans are going home happy and have something to compensate for Tuesday night.
COYRs
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
What about Hector’s two miraculous recoveries in this game, one to deny Gomis in the first half when he ran back half the length of the field to toe poke it off him when he was rounding Cech, and the other when he slid across goal to prevent a Swansea goal that would have been ruled out anyway due to an offside call if I remember right. Big and miraculous injury escape for Hector on that one when he slid into the upright and clattered his hip bone. Ugly red marks and abrasions if not difficulty in walking tomorrow for him, I imagine. Near the start of the game Dean Sturridge on the commentary called him one of the best fullbacks in the Premier League and Hector went out and proved him absolutely correct.