Game Thread: v Arsenal (h)

[Your Mum]

25. Reina

 

2. Johnson 23. Carragher 5. Agger 12. Aurelio

 

20. Mascherano 8. Gerrard

 

17. Maxi 10. J. Cole 14. Jovanovic

 

9. Torres

 

Subs:

1. Cavalieri

22. Wilson

21. Lucas

18. Kuyt

15. Crouch

19. Babel

24. Ngog

 

3-0. Torres (13) Jovanovic (53) Crouch (89)

 

and the redmen top the league at the end of the weekend.

 

Wow! A Spurs player makes the cut even before Aquilani.

[thekid]

doesnt agger have a knock as well?

[mypost]

Bloody hell 12 years ago. I was convinced it was our first game of the season, judas announced he had signed a new contract. But first game at Anfield that season anyway.

 

It was even at Saturday at 3pm. You don't get too many of those times for this fixture now.

 

I think we'll win on Sunday. We have a new coach, we're at home, and we have a lot of players looking to impress. Add a passionate crowd to that, and it can create a great occasion to help the players, overcome the obstacles in front of them. I'm going for a 2 or 3-0 win.

[tenner]

I think we will win 2-0.

[Mojo]

Chamakh is going to give our centre halves a terrible time.

 

he'll score, after snubbing Rafa...

[Code]

Chamakh is going to give our centre halves a terrible time.

 

Why?

 

He is average at best.

[Mark M]

Were going into this season again with ngog as our backup to Torres, Jesus wept!

[RedEagle]

I think this will be interesting because of us snapping up of their former players as our new defensive coach.

[Squabblefest]

Hopefully we'll score more than Arshavin.

[Pidge]

Hopefully we'll score more than Arshavin.

 

This.

[Delmar]

Why?

 

He is average at best.

 

Lately our CBs have had a tendency of being quite average, as well. That might explain it...

[RobbieOR]

Will Nando be fit?

[Unrighteous]

ARSENAL TO SET NEW INJURY RECORD?

Posted 10/08/10 08:23

 

Arsenal are facing up to an injury crisis remarkable even by their standards with two 18-year-olds set to make their Premier League debut for the club in the centre of midfield at Liverpool on Sunday.

 

Having begun last season with six players ruled out with injury, the Gunners are set to register what might well be a new record by kicking off the 2010/11 campaign with between seven and nine first-team regulars deemed unavailable.

 

A full injury bulletin will only be provided on Friday, but it is increasingly likely that both Jack Wilshere and Emmanuel Frimpong will both start against Liverpool. In addition to long-term injury casualty Aaron Ramsey, Arsene Wenger is expected to be deprived of four other central midfielders in Cesc Fabregas, Abou Diaby, Alex Song and Denilson.

 

Wenger confirmed on Monday that he expects Fabregas, as well as Robin van Persie, to be 'short' for the trip to Anfield, while Song, Denilson and Diaby failed to appear for a single minute of Arsenal's final three pre-season fixtures.

 

Nicklas Bendtner will be out of action until October after undergoing groin surgery, while there are also fitness doubts against Johan Djourou and Andrei Arshavin. Neither player featured in the 6-5 win over Legia Warsaw, with Wenger confirming afterwards that "We played 100 per cent of what was available".

 

Wenger does at least have no injury concerns over any of his goalkeepers, with Manuel Almunia, Lukasz Fabianski and Wojciech Szczesny all in contention to start in goal. Following Fabianski's latest horror show in Warsaw, there has been growing speculation that the 20-year-old Szczesny will be selected at Anfield, although with two teenage debutants in midfield Wenger might look more favourably on the experience of Almunia

[Red Mist]

Even with their reserves they'll still get something this weekend. If Arshavin is playing for them and Torres is out for us, we are doomed.

[Iantn]

Arsenal are facing up to an injury crisis

 

Surely it can't still be classed as a crisis given it's pretty much last for about 3 fuckin' years!

[Guest TK-421]

Had an awesome dream about this game last night. Gerrard picked up the ball on the left wing halfway inside arse's half. He approached the arse penalty area and fed a nice little ball down the inside left channel, which ngog latched on to. Ngog got to the byeline and floated a decent ball to the back post where aquilani was lurking. The ball was slightly behind him so he spun, while it was in the air, and pulled out an amazing overhead kick sending the ball back across goal and it nestled in the bottom corner. 1-0 (aquilani).

[Pidge]

Had an awesome dream about this game last night. Gerrard picked up the ball on the left wing halfway inside arse's half. He approached the arse penalty area and fed a nice little ball down the inside left channel, which ngog latched on to. Ngog got to the byeline and floated a decent ball to the back post where aquilani was lurking. The ball was slightly behind him so he spun, while it was in the air, and pulled out an amazing overhead kick sending the ball back across goal and it nestled in the bottom corner. 1-0 (aquilani).

 

Bet: placed.

[Pidge]

Bet not placed but a 15 game accy is on with potential winnings of 15 grand...

[mypost]

Had an awesome dream about this game last night. Gerrard picked up the ball on the left wing halfway inside arse's half. He approached the arse penalty area and fed a nice little ball down the inside left channel, which ngog latched on to. Ngog got to the byeline and floated a decent ball.......

 

.........and then you woke up. ;)

 

Really think it's best to play at the Kop End first half on Sunday, just to gee the players up a bit more. We all like leaving the Kop until the second half, but when the players need to get stuck in from the off, it's sometimes better to play there first half I think.

[captainobvious]

Spent a little time on an Arsenal forum last night (just feeling them out) and the general consensus is that they are shitting themselves.

 

The whole flavour amongst the Arsenal fans at the moment is very negative ie. having a go at the players, the manager, spending policy.

[captainobvious]

With injuries and WC I believe the lineup will look like this..

 

Reina

GJ Cara Greek Aurelio

Cole Gerrard Lucas Javo

Aqua

Ngog

 

Subs:

Subs:

Cavalieri

Wilson

Agger (injured?)

Kuyt

Torres

Babel

Maxi

Skrtel (injured?)

 

1-1 Draw Cole and Nasri

 

BTW does anyone know if Fabregas and Robben Van Pussy are starting this game?

 

RVP is defo out. Fabregas may start on the bench. Wenger has been banging on about having 8 players out but its just bollocks, trying to keep Roy guessing.

[captainobvious]

Game finished 0-0 in 1998, it was Game 2 of the season, having being away to Southampton the week before.

 

I still have a little residual fury left over from that Southampton game.

Didn't we throw away a 3-0 lead to finish at 3-3?

 

Ah well, its only been 12 years, give it time.

[mypost]

I still have a little residual fury left over from that Southampton game.

Didn't we throw away a 3-0 lead to finish at 3-3?

 

Ah well, its only been 12 years, give it time.

 

We won 2-1 at Southampton in 98, it was Sky's first live Sunday game of the season. Owen got the winner.

 

The 3-3 was two years later, on our last visit to The Dump.

[captainobvious]

We won 2-1 at Southampton in 98, it was Sky's first live Sunday game of the season. Owen got the winner.

 

The 3-3 was two years later, on our last visit to The Dump.

 

Nice one. I shouldn't be annoyed at a result from 12 years ago.

Ten is much better.

Probably.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

I can't see Torres starting the game and their midfield looks like it could be very weak. I'd perhaps shape up something like this:

 

-----------------Reina------------------

 

Magic----Carra------Skrtel----Aurelio

 

---------Poulson----Gerrard

--Maxi---------Cole--------Jovanovic

 

----------------Kuyt

 

 

It's quite hard to guess at the moment, because it'll be the first time we can pick from a near full strength team. Torres likely won't start and Poulson is new, so Aquilani or Lucas might be in there. There are also doubts over where Cole is likely to play.

 

I think it's going to take a while for us to get a picture of what Roy Hodgson is likely to do.