We have to beat Bolton 13 April, 2007
Posted by lasagnechef in Premiership.trackback
If we don’t we’re going to be in a lot of trouble. If we lost they will overtake us and be in 4th place and we will drop to 5th and out of the Champions League places. If we draw they will be just one point behind us and I do not want to be in that position. We do have a game in hand over them but we shouldn’t have to rely on that. A win would create a bit of a gap but it’s our fault we’ve let them catch up. A few weeks ago we had 4th pretty much in the bag and we were just playing for 3rd, we’ve slipped up recently and allowed Bolton back in the race.
Wenger’s gone a bit mad with the team selection recently, he’s put Diaby up front in the last game and Gilberto had a run in defence not long ago. We’ve suffered a lot with injuries this season but still the teams been a bit strange. This is how I’d set the team out tomorrow:
Defence: Obviously Jens Lehmann in goal. His future’s still uncertain and he says he hopes to sort out his future in the next few days but until we bring in a replacement he’ll be our no.1. Then at right back I’d have Kolo Toure, I know Wenger will play him in the middle and have Eboue there but Kolo’s done brilliantly when put out wide and frankly I’ve had enough of Eboue. Then in the middle I’d have Johann Djourou and William Gallas, possibly Senderos instead of Djourou but I think Johann will be better suited to this game and he’s in better form. Then at left back I’d have Gael Clichy obviously. It’s a shame he doesn’t really have a competition for his place. Gallas can do a job at left back but other that that it’s really Armand Traore who plays there. There’s talk we might go in for a left back in the summer but I’m unsure Wenger will.
Midfield: Hleb will play but I hope to God he doesn’t, he really is shocking. This season near the beginning I thought he actually was improving but he’s back to his old self giving away every ball and making all the wrong decisions. At right midfield I suppose I’d have Freddie Ljungberg, I’d rather have someone else in there but we have other options. Arsene reckons Diaby can play out wide but he is definitely a central midfielder. That’s one position we really need to invest in, in the transfer window and that’s out wide. Then in the centre I’d play Abou Diaby, Gilberto and Cesc Fabregas. I’ve been really impressed with Diaby this season and I think he is the sort of player that can really make the difference tomorrow. Cesc, we all know the boy’s talents, he might not be in the greatest of form at the moment but it’s hard to leave him out the team. Then on the left wing I’d put Tomas Rosicky who has recovered from that problem that saw him miss the Newcastle game. I do like Rosicky but he really needs to do a lot more if he’s going to completely fill Pires’ boots.
Attack: Well I suppose I’d just go for Emmanuel Adebayor as the lone striker. I don’t like us playing 4-5-1 but really we have no other strikers to play. There’s Baptista and Aliadiere but to be perfectly frank, they’re shit. ‘The Beast’ has the first touch of a rapist and Aliadiere is simply not good enough, he runs around for a bit, never gets himself into the right positions and wanders around daydreaming most of the game. Diaby and Cesc will have to contribute from the middle and with the 2 wingers getting forward I think we should have enough attacking presence.
Well that’s how I’d play it tomorrow anyway. I know Wenger will put in Eboue, Hleb and probably Baptista but I wouldn’t. We shouldn’t be scared of Bolton, we must win and I know we can. We need the crowd to get behind the team to, there’s no point in having the home advantage if we don’t use it. I’ll get a match report up asap, c’mon you gunners.
P.S. “Oops”
we are two points ahead of them so with a draw we will still be two points ahead of them. If we draw and beat Man City we will be fine. (mind you I suspect I will lose again tomorrow).
COME ON GUNNERS
2-0 to us.
I think we’ll draw tomorrow. Bolton are still a tough side and will raise their game to play us and basically bully us all over the park. diaby must play in the middle for 90 minutes, no question of that. Rosicky could make the difference. I agree Hleb and Beast should be no where near this team and I also agree that Djourou to come in to the team would be a really good move.
BUT I also think Cesc needs a rest. I’d bench him and possibly give some thought to Denilson if we are in need to that kind of player in the team. Cesc has looked very short of ideas and very tired and slow recently. I love him but he is knackered.
Danny boy! Have Faith son! WE WILL WIN!!
Our time is now! The haters have had their time, but now it’s our time!!
FROM YOUR MOUTH TO G-D’S EARS. I JUST CAN NOT SEE US SCORING AND CAN CERTAINLY SEE THEM SCORING AT LEAST ONE.
Gazzap mate you talk a lot of sense. I also agree with above re; Kolo.
Arsene has made some bloody daft selections lately and Im at a loss to know why ie; why does he rate Hleb ( no danger / runs around a lot with no end product & passes mainly to the opposition ) Why does he rate Baptista ? Why does he keep saying that Alliadierre is on the verge etc? Why can he not see that Kolo has cost us 12 points along this season, and is no centre back unless we are playing midgets!
Why is it AW cannot remember the back 4/5 who broke the age old European record for clean sheets last year?
Worst still, how come he preaches youth, and tiredness constantly, and then playes Fabrigas until he is exhausted…when he has Denilson who is great cover? And why oh why is it that he has zero tactics at corners / freekicks and games when we fall behind (most games that is!?
My team for this very important (financially ) would be :-
Lehmann
Toure Djurou Senderos Clichy
Gallas Silver
Denilson Diaby Rosicky
Adebajour
Subs: Almunia, Eboue, Baptista, Fabrigas, Merida
4-2-3-1? Interesting tactics Pete. I don’t think Arsene has ever tried something like that before.
What has worked for the team in pressure matches has been doubling up Eboue with Rosicky on the RIGHT. Look at how Rosicky and Eboue did against Manure at home this season! Rosicky set up the first (Fabregas sub-assist) and Eboue set up the second (Rosicky sub-assist).
arsene has never tried different tactics, he picks teams based on the players available and has very little tactical acumen, a spotter of talent he may be, but a tactitioner he is clearly not.
As much as I love arsenal, I just can’t see how we’re gong to score in this game. we’ve got to blunder a goal or two in don’t we? I say it’ll be a tie 1-1.
hopefully with rosicky back we’ll have an injection of pace. between hleb’s slow ball possession and freddie’s sudden geriatric running, we’ve gone from a full-speed sprinting team to playing like a dull, ball possession italian side.
still, I think adebayor will have a good game for us. Every game he comes up with some really inventive moves to give himself space. His goals will come.
My team to beat Bolton:
Lehman.
Eboue- Toure-Djourou (or Senderos)- Gallas.
Hleb- Denilson-Gilberto-Rosicky.
Adebayor- Aliadiere.
Arsenal 2 Bolton 1.
Come on, Gunners!
I think people are too harsh on Hleb. Although he does make some really horrible passes sometimes, he is in the heart of many of our more dangerous moves. His greatest problem is the same as that of our other midfielders – he doesn’t score enough goals. Although I believe Cesc will be a good goal scorer in the future, we really need a scoring midfielder. And since we are overloaded in the central midfield department, we should probably bring in a goal-scoring winger. That’s where Hleb’s real problem is – he’s not among the goals. I don’t care he doesn’t cross much; that’s not Arsenal’s style. I don’t care he misses 5 easy passes a game, if he is in the heart of 5 great moves every match. I do care that he (and the other midfielders) don’t score goals, and that’s the only reason why I think he shouldn’t be an automatic starter next season.
Hleb should be left out. His form has dipped and i can only suspect that he may be talking to other clubs possibly from germany.
AW should play 4 5 1. yes at home because he hasn’t the wide players to play 4 4 2.
A fast tempo is needed due to bolton’s high average age compared to Arsenal’s.
And finally they should be prepared to deal properly with long diagonal balls to kevin davies. For this reason Clichy may be dropped and Gallas play at left back to deal with the long balls. Similarly Senderos should start with toure in central defence.
Do all these and 1-0 is a very achievable result.
I’m all for Hleb early this season, but he’s had a monstrous dip in form. So leave him out for now. It’s a no-brainer. but I don’t think he’s gong anywhere. wenger doesn’t give up that easily. I think this team will be miles better if we ditch freddie in favor of someone faster next year.
and yes, we need to have senderos or djourou in defense this game. although senderos was in shocking form during the international friendlies a few weeks ago. he was personally responsible for several goals against the swiss. I can’t tell if big phil is going to get better or stay the same. fingers crossed…
We won….NICE JOB GUNNERS………………BOGEY TEAM??????????????????…..LMFAO
sanfrangoon, you were right about Hleb, another bad game.
Here are the goals.
a win! thank christ for small favors! not to moan, but that game shouldn’t have even been close. once again, our finishing let us down.