Interesting.

Rosicky's fit and starts:

Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Arteta, Rosicky, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Cazorla, Podolski, Giroud

and Kallstrom's made the bench:

Fabianski, Vermaelen, Jenkinson, Flamini, Kallstrom, Sanogo, Gnabry

Edited by gooner4life_8: 22/3/2014 10:52:21 PM

Same starting XI as the derby with Kallstrom on the bench.

I still don't understand why Wenger signed Kallstrom.

Still can't believe the ref gave the red card to the wrong player :lol: :lol:

Edited by socceroofan4life: 23/3/2014 12:38:24 AM

Ref: "Gibbs, you're off!"
Ox: "But ref, it was me!"
Ref: "Shut up Walcott, get on with the game"

Inb4'd

Own goals
March 23, 2014 - 12:52AM
Henry Winter
Football columnist, The London Telegraph

It has always been the pursuit of perfection that drives Arsene Wenger – that has been his guiding light on a voyage to 1000 games at Arsenal. It has not always been possible, certainly not in the past nine years, but Wenger will never compromise his purist principles. At times since his arrival in 1996, the Frenchman has seemed more willing to lose beautifully than win ugly.

He still has three titles and four FA Cups to his name. A competitive animal, Wenger craves the nirvana of trophies lifted through uplifting football. The balance has not been right in recent times, a point he attributes to the resources-draining move to the Emirates. "Today we can fight with the top clubs financially again," he warned.

"The ambition of every great club must be to win and to win with style, and to think of the people who pay a lot of money to come to watch the matches," Wenger reflected. "You always have to have it in your mind that people wake up in the morning with a love of going to the stadium and for them to go home having enjoyed themselves. The real goal of professional football entails not just winning but also enabling people to discover the pleasure of watching something beautiful.

"I run on the idea of making the players perfect, having the perfect game. I run after that happiness week after week. Sometimes you touch it but it goes and you fight to get it again. Every defeat is a scar in your heart that you never forget. There is a lot of suffering as well in 1000 games and what you want is the next moment of happiness."

All sorts of accolades are being bestowed on Wenger. Most pleasing are the paeans from his managerial peers, particularly from Sir Alex Ferguson. "I always enjoy watching Arsene's sides – Arsenal play the right way," said the former Manchester United manager.

Wenger particularly appreciated that. "Yes of course because they know how difficult it is," said Wenger, speaking on the eve of Arsenal's "most important game of the season" against Jose Mourinho's Chelsea. He is innately competitive with the likes of Mourinho and Ferguson.

The acclaim is all very well but what Wenger really needs is a trophy. Saturday will be billed as the Special One versus the "specialist in failure", the dismissive label from Mourinho. Chelsea's coach would love to ruin Wenger's party on Saturday. For all the tension between the pair, Stamford Bridge forms a fitting backdrop for Wenger's 1000th match.

It was in a nearby Italian restaurant that Wenger met Arsenal's then powerbrokers, David Dein and Peter Hill-Wood, to discuss the managerial vacancy in 1996.

Amid all the fanfare for his milestone, it needs acknowledging that Wenger was fortunate to inherit one of the most redoubtable defences in the history of English football, a formidable esprit de corps embodied by Tony Adams and attacking talents of the virtuosity of Dennis Bergkamp and Ian Wright.

It also needs remembering the fragile early days on his arrival, the "Arsene Who?" and "Clouseau" scepticism. "I was a complete unknown. And there was no history of a foreign manager succeeding in England. So I was in a situation where no one knew me and history was against me."

He has been marvellous for English football, raising the level of debate, fighting "financial doping" in an era of debt, encouraging young players as he always says "to try skills without fear of failure", and the irresistible football of the Invincibles.

"When you no longer have problems with defeats, the real luxury is to sit on the bench and just enjoy watching your team play," Wenger said of the remarkable team of 2003-04. "That's when you discover the beauty of this job.

"The difference between that Invincibles team and today's one is not enormous. One difference is that the competition is higher now, with Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and teams like Tottenham, who invested over £100 million ($1.82 million). So maybe it's more difficult to do now. We still have some weaknesses that we will try to address in the summer."

Such words confirm he will sign a new contract. He is in tune, even in love with Arsenal's DNA, the dignity and respect for others.

He is obsessed with football, once fending off questions over why he was spending a 60th birthday sitting at home, watching a Bundesliga game, with the promise to "put candles on top of the television".


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/own-goals-20140322-35afc.html#ixzz2whSxjAPI


P.S 6 - 0 to Chelsea. ](*,)

Edited by Damo Baresi: 23/3/2014 01:42:31 AM

Red card aside the tactics for the first 15?

Suicidally high line against Chelsea. Didn't you guys watch what Chelsea did to us?

Imo Giroud shouldn't play for the rest of the season and I'm at the stage where id be happy for him to not be in another matchday squad for the rest of the season. Sell the cunt in the summer, obviously doesn't want to be here.

Scapegoating Giroud when the defence and midfield was the whole problem, good work :lol:

Yep blame giri for our woeful showing . Wow sc

I can see where he's coming from in the sense that Giroud was sitting down after challenges, walking around, didn't put in the effort. Having a shit game is one thing but not trying is worse.

He always looks like that though, yet he's still one of our most hard working players, the same as Ozil.

This is gold :lol:

Honestly, at the moment I'd feel more confident going into a game with Sanogo or Bendtner upfront

Blaming Giroud when he got no support for a showing where your defence leaked six goals is pretty absurd.

Kieran Gibbs has just been found guilty in the Oscar Pistorius trial.

I could be a dick right now like some of you guys were in our beltings but I kind of feel bad for you guys (in a horrible sickening way). It reeks of what happened to us, so much hope at the start of the season then WHACK! 6-0!

Oi - raped 5 -1 at Anfield before - 11 - 1 just 2 games v's chelski/Pool ! :p

I do feel for Arsene - one of the nicest managers in the game didn't deserve it at all.
TBH I don't understand a few pages back of the content regards the resignings, need a decent sharp shooter up front, a beast of a mid and at least 3new backs imo, oh who's your back up keeper, should be given a go the last games.

Don't forget the 6-3 loss to City.

Doesn't get any better with a good nights sleep. Fucking cunts.

Stand by what I said about Giroud, but I should clarify, I didn't mean for it to come across as if I was putting all the blame on him. Obviously he isn't the only one to blame, and if anything he shoulders almost the least amount of blame for yesterday, but it's a culmination with him. He's been absolutely fucking horrible recently and doesn't look interested at all. As far as I'm concerned if he doesn't want to be on the pitch, which it clearly looks like he doesn't, then don't play him.

Why exactly do we need 3 new backs? Unless Sagna leaves I wouldn't be replacing any of the starting back 4 and just maybe buying another CB or 2 depending on what happens with Vermaelen.

That's the worst thing about these losses to City, Liverpool and Chelsea. It gives the illusion that we have this really horrible defence when we just don't. Even with those losses we still have the 4th best defence in the league and we've conceded 50% of those goals in 3 matches. In the other 27 matches we've conceded 17 goals which is a fucking outstanding record ruined by 3 horrible games.

No, while it wasn't his fault we conceded those goals, but the balance of play is on him. If he had buried that early chance (which he should have, it was a shot so lacking in power), then who knows what would have happened? I don't want to go through all the what ifs of the game because it's irrelevant, the just naivety in midfield to get countered for the first two goals was just..... ridiculous. I'm so angry at the players for letting down Arsene on his big day.

A lot of hate for Wenger saying he should be fired after this display, blaming the board for persisting etc. Gosh there are some fickle fans out there.

Arsene let himself down as well, blame doesn't rest solely on the players.

This. If it were just one game we could just chalk it up to freak accident, but this is now 3 games away from home against direct rivals in which we've been completely destroyed. It's nothing to do with quality of the players because much much worse teams than us can go to City, Liverpool and Chelsea and not concede 5 or 6. There has to be some serious work done on how we approach these games away from home. It's just so disappointing because these 3 performances are imo what's cost us any chance at the title.

That being said you can't really blame Arsene for the way we gave the ball away at times, especially for the first 2 goals.

Edited by sydneycroatia58: 23/3/2014 01:12:12 PM

:lol: Just wait and see what happens if we don't win the cup.

:lol: