Schalke Shocker?: There couldn’t be a worse time to meet them
By Tanaka Felix Chidemo
On a day that all our main title rivals battled hard from behind to clinch vital wins in their respective fixtures, we failed to do the same or even come close.
We were so poor, we can’t even say we were unlucky. We gave nothing to the game and got as much out of it.
I wonder when we are ever going to stop looking like a work in progress and start being the finished article? I’m sure everyone is in agreement that we were off colour. The less said about that appalling performance the better for me.
Looking ahead, we have a tough date with Schalke in the champions league on Wednesday. There couldn’t be a worse time to meet them. They are fresh off a moral boosting win against reigning Bundesliga champions Dortmund.
For me, Schalke are our main threat in the group. Dropping points at home against Montpellier wasn’t good for them but they are the ones that I feel are capable of upsetting us at home and beating us to the top spot in the group.This one for me is genuinely hard to call. We have a great record in the Champions league at home but the way we played against Olympiacos left a lot to be desired.
They were always in the game until Ramsey put them to sleep in the dying embers of the game. It is my expectation that Wednesday’s encounter against Schalke will have the same intensity. In Huntelaar they have a quality marksman. For the kind of money we are comfortable with paying in the market, I believe he was the closest thing to RVP that we could buy. Fingers crossed, he doesn’t show it on Wednesday.
Our defence will certainly be audited on this one. The trickery of Affelay will not be easy to deal with, especially without Gibbs who remains sidelined due to injury. Its prudent to believe in the strength of your rival but it would be foolish to underestimate yourself. In Carzola and Podolski we have a killer attack. Podolski will want to get one over some of his countrymen while Santi will just be Santi and school ’em all!
Really wish contract rebel Theo was fit for this one. He’s come through with some good performances of late. There’s talk about him heading to Liverpool. No one is bigger than the team but at times for the team to stay big it ought to be able to tie up a deal for its most capped player quickly.
Another absentee will be Oxlade-Chamberlain but Arshavin or Gnarby can fill that gap. Wonder when Eisfeld is going to get a place in the team? He was good in pre-season and he’s still scoring from midfield with the U21s. Jack will probably stay on the bench for longer but I suspect Sagna will join him there. It will be interesting to see how the latter gets back into the starting Xl because Jenkinson hasn’t given Wenger any reason to have to make a decision.
I’ll go for a 2-1 win in favour of the best team in London and my starting Xl will be as follows. Mannone; Jenkinson; Vermaelen; Per; Santos; Arteta; Coquelin; Carzola(of course); Podolski; Giroud; Ramsey. Gervinho didn’t do enough for me on Saturday so he can sit this one out.
I think we’re gonna spank them personally. They will be outclassed in midfield.
3-0
As if we could even ‘spank’ lowly Norwich or outclass their midfield. Jinxers like you will never cease to annoy me.
He’s entitled to his positive opinion Randy and even if he isn’t a pessimist like you, he might end up being correct! AFC have everything to prove and I have NEVEr seen them have two stinkers in a row so cheer up….we’ll see a good game on Wednesday and the best team in London should win but a draw is entirely possible. A loss in front of our fans will mean we capitulated at the emirates and that should never happen in the CL.
You’re hilarious. “We’ve never had two stinkers in a row”. Arguing that daft statement will bring pessimistic words out of me because we have in fact had more than two, even three losses in a row in recent years.
In no way I’m I calling for that poor form to repeat, but I advice you to be factual and know what the reality is and stop hiding behind expectations.
I’m glad the players may not have the same attitude as you. Otherwise they will just think rolling their socks up is enough to beat Schalke tomorrow. Like they did on Saturday where expectations were so high it became complacency.
Ahhh Randy or should I call you Whiny? Of course you didn’t read my post properly….I never said we never lost 2 in a row, I said we’ve never had 2 stinkers like last Saturday’s in a row so check your own facts Whiny before moaning off about me. Your complacency is in expecting AFC to continue playing like they did last weekend and not up their game….cheer up, they’ll come back like they always do….wasn’t last season proof enough for you or are you an eternal pessimist?
It’s the same every season, the same glaring errors, the same spin the dictator spouts, nothing changes and nothing will til Wenger goes, he is killing the club with his negative tactics lacking a plan b, he lives in the past and he thinks the FFP will save him, don’t be silly clubs will find a way around it while the clown fumbles in the dark ruining Arsenal, profit before trophies, but everyone is starting to wake up and realise the damage he is doing except the idiots AKB who hang onto his every word
What i don’t understand is why everyone seems to put the club’s profit policy down to Wenger. It’s not his call, it’s the board that needs change. Wenger is doing the best he can with the resources he’s got and in my opinion he’s doing a pretty damn good job. I dare you to find another manager that could keep Arsenal at the level and consistency they have been at for the last 15 years with the extremely limited resources he’s got compared to his competitors.
Right on Thor but don’t spoil Randy’s whine with facts like that….he wants to throw his toys out of the pram so let him…..
i prefer chamberlain rather than ramsey
he is ft, right? ramsey could do better when he come from bench
Ramsey has no spot on that team.. How do you leave your highest scorer this season. Oh yeah he had a horrible game at Norwich.. and Ramsey was outstanding against Norwich. All very logical.
No much arguing guys, the players have got a statement to make tonight against schalke after the weekend, i go for a 4-1 to the arsenal. Good luck to us…
Well this one will definitely be the litmus paper for the team. See if we can dig deep from a poor performance to give it to a strong confident team like Schalke.
Schalke wings are the ones to exploit. Holtby and Affelay are “walcotts” (great going forward, trash at defending) so if we can contain them there will be space for the full backs to overlap.
I’d prefer Arteta and Coq as holding mids as that allows Ramsey freedom on the right of cazorla. There Jenks will need to really marshall that flank up and down and Ramsey needs to try track that winger but will be like Cazorla but on the right. Something different and unexpected, 2 AM’s.
Up front I guess it’s a toss up between Gerv or Giroud.
Would love to see Gnarby on the wing when Schalke are tyring.