MATCH PREVIEW vs MARSEILLE [h].

Please excuse any and all spelling/grammar errors because I used GoogleDocs for this (to try it out) and the dictionary didn’t even have the word “preview” in it.

Let us reflect on the Chelsea game for a few seconds... Wow. That’s all that can be said. Now I wasn’t fortunate enough to attend the game OR see it on television, but from a 3-5 scoreline (and highlights) you can’t say the fixture wasn’t exciting. A Robin van Persie hattrick, a goal from a André Santos (disappointing in the first half) , and an impressive display (and a goal) from Walcott amounted to a very VERY important three points for The Arsenal.

The question is: do we look to rest players for the Marseille game and focus on getting back into the top four in the league (vs West Brom on Saturday), or do we try and go out for the win against Marseille? Resting the Dutch master for this game would be foolish, a seasoned striker like him would do well against a team like Marseille, and with Chamakh not being the sharpest tool, starting Van Persie seems fitting. However, with Park showing us how fantastic he is against Bolton, will he be started alongside RVP in a 4-4-2? Or will he be saved for the West Brom fixture on Saturday? It’s hard to tell with Wenger’s faffing around with selections (especially Park).

Marseille, as we know, are a very strong side. They have achieved four domestic wins and two draws (out of a possible six) in October alone. We need to keep our feet on the ground for Tuesday and not get too carried away with the Chelsea result. But can you blame us if we do? Yes, there is absolutely no room for complacency at this stage, especially as we are just getting back into our stride with eight wins in our last nine games.

Key man for Arsenal: Robin van Persie (for obvious reasons), providing he isn’t rested, otherwise it’s the ever-present Aaron Ramsey who has been instrumental for us this season in the middle of the park.


Surprise package for Arsenal (if he comes on or is actually picked): Park Chu-Yung, I honestly believe that his inclusion in the starting-eleven will add some extra depth and ruthlessness to the side, something that Chamakh cannot offer, especially on the European stage.

Danger man: It would be foolish not highlight the the threat of Loic Remy against our - let’s face it - vulnerable defence. That being said, Vermaelen is due back and I’m sure Wenger will have a thing or two to say about the defending against Chelsea in the first half. The French striker has scored a mediocre 12 games, 5 goals, the most recent goal coming during Marseille’s most recent fixture - a 3:2 win away from home against a struggling yet resilient Dijon [mustard]. - sorry

I think Marseille will look to apply the pace and technique of their wingers against our not so great full-backs, André Ayew (not to be confused with teammate, and brother, Jordan Ayew) will be giving both our full-backs (presumably Santos and Jenkinson) a run for their money - I can see him switching flanks, as he is almost ambidextrous.
Us on the other hand? I think the use of our spine (Vermaelen, Song and RVP) + Ramsey is our key [well pointed out by @WengerBoy1]. If we keep the ball down the middle, with Ramsey being the creative hub, we can slice open the likes of Diawara, M’Bia and N’Koulou - depending on the starting partnership Monsieur Deschamps picks.

Predicted Arsenal line-up:

Szczesny

Jenkinson - Koscielny - Vermaelen - Santos

Arteta - Song - Ramsey

Walcott - RVP - Arshavin.

I am aware that I did mention earlier how I’d like to see Park alongside RVP and I do think he’ll play second half, as well as being the surprise package. I am also aware that this squad is the bulk of the weekend’s Chelsea-bashers. These boys’ll have enough in the tank.

This could all be wrong, by the way. I don’t see the point in predicting Marseille’s squad because:
1) Deschamps is weird.
2) I don’t know much about Marseille apart from the fact that they’re good.
3) Who gives a shit? We’ve come to see The Arsenal.

That’s about it.

Follow me on Twitter (@MylesBurrell) because, as sad as it is, that’s the best way to contact me because I spend most of my time there.

Out.

Arsenal Player Ratings vs Chelsea

Player Ratings

 Szezesney- 7- Solid as always and can’t be blamed for any of the goals however did run out rashly and brought down Ashley Cole (High Five)

Djourou- 5.5- Had problems with A.Cole despite improving in the second half he was subsititued for young Carl Jenkinson.

Metresacker-5- Very Disappointing for both Lampard’s and Terry’s goals, however did make a couple of good interceptions.

Koscielny-8.5- Didn’t do much wrong and got us out of trouble multiple times. By far the best defender on the pitch today. I reckon him and Vermaelen should be out CB pairing for the majority of games. Outstanding.

Santos-6.5- Had an odd game he looked slow in the first half and couldn’t deal with Sturridge on the other hand he took his goal well which seemed to give him a whole new leg of life.

Arteta-6.5- Quiet in the first half but kept us going in the second with some intricate passes topped off with a assist for Van Persie’s 3^rd.

Song-7- Had Mata in his pocket despite a slow start.

Ramsey-8.5- Before the game on Tuesday I got his name on the back of my shirt a lot of people said why him? He answered that today with good runs and passes into the box. Dare I say but almost Cesc like.

Gervinho-7.5- Missed a sitter early on however his skills caused Chelsea’s defence problems and also assisted both Van Persie and Santos.

Walcott-8- Won the battle vs Cole, created chances and scored a cracking goal. More of the same needed.

Robin Van Persie-9(MOTM)- Captain Vantastic, Hat-trick Hero, 28^th in 27 now. Need I say more?

Subs

Jenkinson-6.5- Put on a decent shift. Vermaelam – N/A (Came on 88^th min) ,Rosiscky- 6- Had little time but made some neat passes.
OVERALL (TEAM): We showed great skill and Character however defence STILL needs work.

Please leave a comment or tweet us your match ratings.
Luke (@Arsenal_RTS)

A Game Of 2 Halves

"Enough is enough"- Gary Neville these are the words from our once great enemy, a man I'm sure we have all hated and shouted at the TV when he played. Yet even he has become so upset with our defence he can no longer watch.

Welcome to the club Gary!

It seems that everyone has had enough of watching our once great defending become a joke. This is because we are most people's "second" team, we are loved by so many neutrals because we play the game as it is meant to be played. (Well we used too!)

Part of attacking is defending anyone with a basic knowledge of the game knows that there is no point in scoring 5 goals to concede 6 and it’s better to concede 0 and score 1.

At Chelsea once again our defensive problems were all too clear Chelsea got down our flanks at us leaving Santos and Djourou with bewildered looks on the faces, Mertesacker's 6.5ft height didn't help him in a single aerial battle as his positioning meant he may as well have been 4ft.

To be honest this isn't about individuals, the problem is much deeper, it is a fundamental basics that no longer exist in the way we play, it is a huge problem that threatens to destroy all the hard work AW has done to get our team attacking; we as "sofa managers" can all see the problems our line, our man marking which have been shocking and worthy of criticism from all in football,we as Gooners have taken this criticism very well without much reply.

However what isn’t deserved to be criticised is our clubs honour, our captains honour, and the outstanding record our great manger has at OUR glorious club, that we as LOYAL Gooners  can no longer take.

That was proved today at Chelsea, I appreciate you all couldn't be there in person, but as a club, Arsenal football club heard you all today, we proved to all the "haters" that what is left at our club after a mist players leaving, unexpected injuries is a never say die attitude to the way the game should be played.

Finally we can look at our players and see the pride they have in our Gunners and what guns! Guns that today sank a Chelsea ship that at home have looked unsinkable! Today we played the Arsenal way in the second half our movement and ball control was sublime, our patience in our football unshakable.

We played in triangles, we played with pace, in the second half our defence was strong, diving in front of fierce shots from Juan Mata (who choose the wrong club) just for the badge ,just for the club ,just for you!

They showed guts today and also showing why this team, like all great Arsenal teams of the past, don't know when there beat!

I could write for hours about individual players and about the beauty of our game today but I will leave that to better men then me I'm just a humble Arsenal fan who feels blessed to have witnessed the beginning of our charge to the top.

Today we played and defended as a team, we worked as a unit, we left it all on the pitch, today our 11 men fired our cannons with pride and passion, thanks Arsene, thanks lads, forward together!
Ryan

The 'Arsenal' Way

In the last ten years of world football there has been a shift in how the beautiful game is played.

Most people have used the term the "Arsenal" way this means triangles of players inter changing and moving forward using space in between the opposing midfield and defending lines. Using anything from four or ten passes to counter attack with blistering speed and a ruthless cutting edge going forward and looking for goals no matter the score.

If as the defending team you were lucky enough to survive this onslaught, you would be hounded by 11 men until the ball was stripped from you again. This is now the Barcelona way and it is truly the way football should be played,
This style of play relied on 10 outfield players of a certain standard; all had to have a football brain and to know their jobs in an out,

As well as individual skill it required discipline from all members of the team and a mindset ingrained in Arsenal football club however a lot has changed since that infamous team of 2005 and 2006,I am aware that we have lost some great players over the years and no more recent then this season,

But I fear more than that we have lost a mindset that defined our club, Barcelona have some great players but they don't have 11 great players they have a mindset that if you pull the Barcelona shirt on you play a certain way.

For all our talk of them being pre maidens, do you know another team that work as hard in 90minutes of football?
My point is that you don't need 11 great players but you do need a team willing to work its heart out, willing to leave it all on the pitch, to play for the shirt because they understand what it means to be wearing it.
The Arsenal team we have now seem to have lost their way we no longer play with the triangles going forward and we no longer get from box to box in 5 passes,

During the recent Marseille game we had a huge gap between our midfield and our attackers, meaning   Song and Arteta had to force passes through the lines that  weren't even there also when the players looked for options there seemed to be little options for the player on the ball.

This is not down to personal missing but down to a mindset that is no longer at Arsenal FC. Wenger and the coaching staff need to get the dressing room back, they need to get the players back playing the Arsenal way and we as fans deserve to see the beautiful game played the right way.

Ryan

Team Positive.

Team Positive
With Arsenal now climbing to the great heights of 7^th in the Premier League there are plenty of reason to be positive. I have written about just 3 of these.

Good Form
Apart from the afternoon at White Hart Lane our form has been respectable since the Shrewsbury match, the performances may have not been the best but 3 points is 3 points. So the run (apart from Sp*rs) now goes back to the Shrewsbury home game in the Carling Cup, the result isn’t to significant but the fact our last match in the competition was the Final which started our ‘Slump’ is. After almost half a year our ‘Carling Hangover’ was over something which in my opinion was worse than missing out on the trophy itself. With Chelsea next week I can’t see why we can’t pick up a point of three.

Our Squad

Our squad isn’t as good as it could be however we do have World Class players and other good players  in it unfortunately the majority are injured and when they come back the team will be even stronger especially if Wenger  also dips into the January transfer market.  

Position in the league

We are now only 2 points behind Liverpool, 3 behind Tottenham (they have a game in hand) and 6 behind 3^rd & 4^th place Newcastle & Chelsea. After playing only 9 games and form we have been and dare I say it players we lost isn’t as bad as the Media have made it have been and finishing 4^th now looks much more Realistic.

Between now and the end of the season their will up’s and downs but one thing is for sure their is Only One Arsenal.

Luke

Finance Vs Trophies

Finance Vs Trophies

The time has come in the season to weigh up our ambition for the year and look deep into our squad of players and see if we believe in them enough to match our aim.

Historically not a year has passed since 2005 that a section of arsenal fans haven't questioned the once unquestionable professor on his ability to buy the right players, to spend the right money so we can finally win back some pride this until now has been a small section of the fans.

Fans that didn't remember how bad things were before "Le Boss" turned up at our club we had a side that was unprepared for the change in the way football was going to be played ,back then Wenger had seen the future and he knew what type of players were needed to compete at the highest level.

Then in came Dennis and Co and the rest was History.

Te arrival off Wenger also changed things off the pitch as he insured that like NO other club in the world our club is safe for generations, he has insured that the crazy weekly wage some teams pay didn't happen at Arsenal and that players played for the love of the game and the club not for how many Ferrari’s they could buy.

Wenger has seen our club through its biggest transition this is the move from Highbury too the Emirates, one of the best modern stadiums in the football world.

Somehow while achieving all this we have won league titles and Domestic Cups and only the Champions League has escaped us, we have always finished within the holly top 4 and never once really looked like being outside it. He (Wenger) has bought to our team some outstanding players and these players have changed the game of football. Our club still stands in great shape despite all our rivals needing to sell their clubs soul s something we have always firmly had. We are the 3rd highest valued club in the world, were we to sell, it would be for around £1.7BN which is remarkable given our clubs once very humble beginnings 125 years ago.

Yet the cry from fans will always has been that we haven't won anything, the fact our club is the ONLY football club in the top flight in Europe that aren't in debt isn't important, the fact that we have morals on how much a player should take home each week is also seen as irrelevant.

So would you as an Arsenal fan be happier in debt? And having won a trophy or Two? Knowing that a change in the stock market could sink 12 5years of history overnight? Also in our league like no other in Europe money doesn't equal trophies. Clubs have spent hundreds of millions just to be satisfied with a top four finish!

Yes there is a half way point between heavy spending and success and Little spending and little success. I want to see top players win every competition we are in.

However if you were "Le Boss" having seen clubs crumpled and crippled by debt having won nothing having spent 15 years being frugal with money and still finding world class players, would you be so keen to quickly blow £71M?

Please feel free to leave a comment with your view.

Ryan- (@Ryanvr46)

Welcome

Hello and Welcome to the Only 1 Arsenal blog!

We hope you enjoy our pieces about the mighty Gunners, We welcome feedback which you can do through twitter (@OnlyOneArsenal) or on email only1arsenalblog@gmail.com

So who writes for us at the moment ?
The only two writers are me Luke (Twitter: @Arsenal_RTs) and Ryan (Twitter- @Ryanvr46). You can see more about us in the 'about us' page. We also hope to announce a new writer soon!
The opening piece is called 'Finance vs Trophies

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