Apologies for not publishing any post yesterday. Well it wasn’t entirely my fault as my ISP decided to act like your everyday Gervinho in the final third, when I had finished writing a post on the AGM.
Utterly frustrated with the fact that I couldn’t voice my opinions on the pretty annoying AGM, I decided not to smash my laptop against the wall (obviously), so I resolved to enjoy my Sallah break by going to watch a couple of movies at Genesis Deluxe Cinemas with this hottie I’ve known since the days Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua was still our president.
I saved the best for last though, as I attended a ram-fest hosted by a Muslim friend at night. There was ram suya, ram barbeque, ram peppersoup, and errrr….Ramsey.
As expected, the AGM was dominated by how well we are doing off the pitch, while we pretty much suck on it. After a very good start to the season coupled with very good defensive performances, everyone connected with Arsenal ran out of superlatives for the defensive Dark Lord, Steve Bouldimort, but things have become so appalling on the pitch, as the Gunners have managed to shoot themselves in the foot again, conceding 11 goals in their last nine games.
Looking to the future, there’s actually no point sulking over the disappointing defeats suffered in the hands of Norwich and Schalke, because we need to firmly fix all focus on today’s game against Queens Park Rangers, the team carrying the Premier League on their able shoulders from the bottom.
Despite the fact that QPR has been very appalling in the league, on their day, they can be a force to be reckoned with. Adel Taarabt is one player that can’t be afforded some space because he puts teams to the sword without blinking twice. QPR boss, Mark “Sparky” Hughes, is weary of the threat Arsenal poses, and he’s also dreading Wilshere’s comeback,
“He’s an outstanding young player, I think the league’s been a lesser league [without him]. I think everyone missed watching his talents. Ideally, I would have hoped that he [was] one week away from a return but it seems that he played midweek [for Arsenal’s under-21s] with a view to being involved, so we’ll see.
“He’s a young man that seemed to have the world at his feet but he’s had a real setback.
“We wish him well but not too many good wishes if he plays at the weekend.”
Arsene Wenger on the other hand, has stated that he’ll decide Wilshere’s role. With Ramsey playing poorly at the moment, there could be a place in the team for Francis Coquelin, but if the boss believes that Wilshere is ready to make the step up to first team football, I don’t think any sane Arsenal fan would oppose that. His qualities have been sorely missed.
To team news, Vito Mannone will continue in goal and I’m no longer to utter any word on this goalkeeping situation. I’ve figured that Mannone prefers to pick the ball out of the net as his only telling contributions in the pitch. I can’t remember the last time he made a save, and I’m sure that he was relatively untroubled in the last successive defeats but we still lost. Bleeeeh.
In the defense, I and many Gooners out there will go berserk if we see Andre Santos start today. Thomas Vermaelen can whine all he wants in playing as a left back, but a player of Laurent Koscielny’s qualities is badly needed on the pitch. I was expecting Dark Lord Bouldimort to replace Andre Santos with Koscielny on Wednesday night, but that tactical move never happened.
I’d believed that a player like Vermaelen would have nullified the threat Jefferson Farfan posed but there’s no point crying over spilled milk. At least, Wenger has acknowledged the fact that the Koscielny-Mertesacker combo will be good for the team.
For the right back slot, I don’t believe that Bacary Sagna is ready as well. Besides, Carl Jenkinson hasn’t put a foot wrong all season long.
There’ll be a conundrum in the midfield selection on the curious case of the box-to-box role, because we expect the Spanish duo of Mikel Arteta and Santi Cazorla to keep their places in the squad. Coquelin was one of the bright sparks in the dark defeat to Schalke and it’s obvious that he’s hungry for first team action, unlike Ramsey that has his issues.
In attack, I hope to see Olivier Giroud spearhead the attack. Yes, he hasn’t hit the ground running, but replacing him for Gervinho has shown that the Ivorian can’t lead the line, all season long. Gervinho is a trickster with a very good technique, but he lacks that predatory instinct natural center forwards have.
Lukas Podolski has been efficient thus far, but I’ll like to see him complete 90 minutes today. I hope that’s not to much to ask.
My expected line-up is,
Arsenal, it’s time to get back on track.
Sayonara.
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