Arsenal Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread

L'prof · 10-12-2008 09:34AM

Evil_Clown wrote: »

According to todays Independent we seem to have another injury crisis.[/url]

What do you mean another one? It's been going on for 3-4 years now!

keano_afc · 10-12-2008 11:24AM

Seriously, can we not buy players that stay fit for more than 3 games in a row? Nasri is the new Rosicky by the look of things, cant get a run of games at all. I always get nervous when I see "RvP" and "thigh" mentioned in the same sentence.

Frisbee · 10-12-2008 12:31PM

http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/gallas-and-diaby-return-to-face-fc-porto

Yup the website are reporting them as injuries.
Fecking terrible time for Gael to pick up an injury with Traore on loan...

L'prof · 10-12-2008 12:38PM

Frisbee wrote: »

http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/gallas-and-diaby-return-to-face-fc-porto

Yup the website are reporting them as injuries.
Fecking terrible time for Gael to pick up an injury with Traore on loan...

Silvestre can fill in there, much prefer him there than in the middle!

Frisbee · 10-12-2008 12:39PM

jasonorr wrote: »

Silvestre can fill in there, much prefer him there than in the middle!

I'd prefer him on the bench tbh

Galvasean · 10-12-2008 01:31PM

I'd prefer Gibbs at LB to Silvestre.
Looks like a mostly inexperienced team tonight:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/7763245.stm

BBC wrote:

William Gallas and Abou Diaby return but Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri are injured and Emmanuel Adebayor, Robin van Persie and Kolo Toure are rested.

Youngsters Aaron Ramsey, Kieran Gibbs, Gavin Hoyte, Mark Randall, Fran Merida, Jack Wilshere and Jay Simpson may play.

Eboue was booed off against Wigan but boss Arsene Wenger insisted: "He is completely in the right frame of mind."

I'm gonna go with:

Almunia

Eboué---Silvestre---Gallas---Gibbs

Wilshire---Diaby--Ramsey---Merida

Bendtner--Vela

edit: I know we hammered them at the Emirates but I'm not particularly confident tonight with the amount of players we have missing.
Hopefully the inclusion of Diaby will ad some muscle to the midfield. That was a big problem in the Burnley match; the Ramsey / Randall combo were too easily muscled off the ball.

yahoo_moe · 10-12-2008 01:54PM

Galvasean wrote: »

Almunia

Eboué---Silvestre---Gallas---Gibbs

Wilshire---Diaby--Ramsey---Merida
Bendtner--Vela

I agree about the lack of muscle in midfield - but I don't really thinik Diaby & Ramsey would be the answer. Then again, I think Porto will be less physical than Burnley anyway so maybe it won't be a problem. However, I'd only really like Diaby there in a midfield 5, so I'd prefer:

Almunia

Hoyte---Djourou---Gallas---Gibbs

Wilshire---Eboué--Ramsey---Merida

Bendtner--Vela

But overall, apart from centre-back, we're missing dominant players to give the team a really solid 'spine' tonight so whatever team goes out, I think it'll be one of those nervy European nights where we just do enough without being spectacular.

keano_afc · 10-12-2008 02:20PM

yahoo_moe wrote: »

I agree about the lack of muscle in midfield - but I don't really thinik Diaby & Ramsey would be the answer. Then again, I think Porto will be less physical than Burnley anyway so maybe it won't be a problem. However, I'd only really like Diaby there in a midfield 5, so I'd prefer:
Almunia

Hoyte---Djourou---Gallas---Gibbs

Wilshire---Eboué--Ramsey---Merida
Bendtner--Vela

But overall, apart from centre-back, we're missing dominant players to give the team a really solid 'spine' tonight so whatever team goes out, I think it'll be one of those nervy European nights where we just do enough without being spectacular.

Hoyte at right back would be suicide- he had a shocker against Man City only a few weeks back. I reckon he'll start 5 in midfield with Bendtner alone up top. We only need a draw so I cant see AW exposing the midfield with the players that are missing.

cson · 10-12-2008 02:26PM

Hoyte and/or Gibbs will get cleaned at full back at this level if they start.

Galvasean · 10-12-2008 02:28PM

yahoo_moe wrote: »

Djourou

Forgot about him. I'd much rather put in Djourou than Silvestre.

Looking at who has qualified so far finishing 2nd may with a bit of luck (in theory) actually provide an easier draw for the next round:

Group Winners: Roma, Panathinaikos, Barcelona, Liverpool.
Runners Up: Inter, Chelsea, Sporting, Athletico.
English clubs in bold because we can't draw them in next round.

Either way I'd imagine Barce and Inter are the ones to avoid.

Frisbee · 10-12-2008 03:45PM

I wouldn't mind a tie against Sporting.
Seeing Veloso play for 180 minutes might be enough for Arsene to buck his ideas and sign him.
I literally would kill to have him at Arsenal.

well maybe not actually commit a murder, but I have all the best intentions

Evil_Clown · 10-12-2008 03:59PM

jasonorr wrote: »

What do you mean another one? It's been going on for 3-4 years now!

So can we now officially call it an Epidemic?

Frisbee · 10-12-2008 04:16PM

Evil_Clown wrote: »

So can we now officially call it an Epidemic?

A Pandemic? :pac:

DenMan · 10-12-2008 05:18PM

Come on the Gunners. Hope Eboue has a blinder tonight. Go Emmanuel.

yahoo_moe · 10-12-2008 06:02PM

keano_afc wrote: »

Hoyte at right back would be suicide- he had a shocker against Man City only a few weeks back. I reckon he'll start 5 in midfield with Bendtner alone up top. We only need a draw so I cant see AW exposing the midfield with the players that are missing.

I don't see him playing just Bendtner up top:

http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/wenger-vela-will-get-his-chance-to-shine

And I don't see him playing just Vela up there, hence the 4-4-2. A more solid version could be:

Almunia

Eboue---Djourou---Gallas---Silvestre

Wilshire---Song---Ramsey---Merida

Bendtner--Vela

10-12-2008 06:32PM

Would Song play?

Frisbee · 10-12-2008 06:37PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Would Song play?

I cant see why not

TheNorthBank · 10-12-2008 09:35PM

Bendtner played a blinder again tonight as usual! He really is a useless lazy f*ck.

Frisbee · 10-12-2008 09:40PM

So....

Roll on Barca

btw if Darragh Maloney, Ray Houghton or Ronnie Whelan turn up dead I was with all you guys between 11p.m. and 4a.m.....

Royale with Cheese · 10-12-2008 09:41PM

I do be hoping Arse draw Panathanaikos and United or Pool get Inter. That would be most good.

L'prof · 10-12-2008 11:05PM

1. Panathinaikos
2. Roma
3. Bayern Munich
4. Juventus
5. Barcelona

I think that's my preference!

Helix · 10-12-2008 11:09PM

i think arsenal would have a better chance of going through against the better teams in that list than the ones youd think they should get past easily

seems to be very much the arsenal way of late

Galvasean · 10-12-2008 11:18PM

jasonorr wrote: »

1. Panathinaikos
2. Roma
3. Bayern Munich
4. Juventus
5. Barcelona

I think that's my preference!

For me it's:

1. Roma
2. Bayern
3. Panathinaikos
4. Juventus
5. Barcelona

From a purely self preservation POV. However, the feast of football that is Arsenal v Barcelona is just too tantalizing! :cool:

Frisbee · 10-12-2008 11:50PM

Galvasean wrote: »

From a purely self preservation POV. However, the feast of football that is Arsenal v Barcelona is just too tantalizing! :cool:

Aye, but we're gonna save that for the final

tony1kenobi · 11-12-2008 01:48AM

Frisbee wrote: »

btw if Darragh Maloney, Ray Houghton or Ronnie Whelan turn up dead I was with all you guys between 11p.m. and 4a.m.....

I wouldn't mind Ronnie Whelan. The silly arsehole said Wayne Rooney could've been sent off twice tonight.....I'll brush up on the rules but I am 99% certain a player can only be sent off once in a game. Whelan scored a useful goal in 1988. After that he endorsed pies. Don't pass any remarks on what he has to say(and if you do, just remeber that close up of him in the 91st minute on May 26th 1989.......then the 92nd minute).
Ray Houghton is enjoying those complimentary pizzas too.

cson · 11-12-2008 02:54AM

I really hope we get Barca.

They're prolly the best team we could draw because they'd actually play against us from the first minute of the first leg. Plus we owe them one, they really shouldn't have beaten us in 2006, Eboués dive aside...(Thierry..... you had the pen for the legend book...)

The way I look at it is; we're gonna get tough games in the CL knockout stages regardless, why have any fear? We're more than good enough to match anyone at CL level and the tastier the game, the happier I'll be!

I'd rather go out to Barca than PSV

L'prof · 11-12-2008 10:09AM

cson wrote: »

I really hope we get Barca.

They're prolly the best team we could draw because they'd actually play against us from the first minute of the first leg. Plus we owe them one, they really shouldn't have beaten us in 2006, Eboués dive aside...(Thierry..... you had the pen for the legend book...)

The way I look at it is; we're gonna get tough games in the CL knockout stages regardless, why have any fear? We're more than good enough to match anyone at CL level and the tastier the game, the happier I'll be!

I'd rather go out to Barca than PSV

Only if we're virtually injury free, which we never are!

yahoo_moe · 11-12-2008 10:35AM

cson wrote: »

The way I look at it is; we're gonna get tough games in the CL knockout stages regardless, why have any fear?

I felt exactly this way last year... and I still agree. It'd be highly unlikely to get a Panathinaikos - Bayern - Roma - Villareal run anyway so it really doesn't matter to me that much whether we draw a Barca or a Juve in the next round or in the semis.

Obviously Panathinaikos or Bayern would do nicely in terms of trying to get us further but going an extra round isn't really what it's about for me. Plus I still say bigger teams seem to help this Arsenal team focus more - I could easily see Roma, say, 'pulling a PSV'.

Galvasean · 11-12-2008 12:03PM

I'm optimistic about Arsenal's chances for the champions league. Now that most of the 'riff-raff' is gone we stand a much better chance against footballing sides.
I'd be quite wary about getting Panathanaikos to that extent. On paper they are probably the easiest draw, but they are the kind of team who could cause us big problems.

L'prof · 11-12-2008 12:17PM

Galvasean wrote: »

I'm optimistic about Arsenal's chances for the champions league. Now that most of the 'riff-raff' is gone we stand a much better chance against footballing sides.
I'd be quite wary about getting Panathanaikos to that extent. On paper they are probably the easiest draw, but they are the kind of team who could cause us big problems.

I was optimistic, but I no longer will, we don't have a strong enough squad, Wenger probably won't strengthen in January and so, we're not good enough to win anything and probably won't...again!

Arsenal Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread

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