We're heading to Wembley!

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Bacary Sagna: sustained a concussion and will mis FA CUP tie (pic from Arsenal.com)

When i saw a result of Blackpool 2-0 Manchester United, my eyes lit up and my heart stopped for a second. "Finally the gap between us will only be 3 points". What a disappointment to see a result of 2-3 at full time for the red devils. I have to give it to them - they are a very resilient team that does not give up easily, even playing an away game. We are sitting 2nd right now, 5 points behind United and 1 point ahead of City. We still have several games to go and anything could happen, but at this point we know that we are serious title contenders.

Bacary Sagna sustained a concussion and will most likely be out for the FA cup tie. That means we will probably see Eboue playing on the full back position. I am not worried about it too much, Emmanuel proved that he is capable of being a good defender and offers great runs up the flank. Sagna is reported to be in good condition, I wish him a speedy recovery.

Next game is on 30.01.2011 against Huddersfield Town, FA CUP at the Emirates Stadium, followed by games against Everton, Newcastle, Wolverhampton. Finally February 16th sees us playing against Barcelona at home (once again). Anyways, the next month looks packed with games from all kind of competitions, it will nervous and very tough for us. Arsenal used to break down around February or March each year - lets just hope this team has the mental strength and proper attitude to lift some silverwares this season.

Also, Adebayor is reportedly in Madrid to complete his loan from City. Hope the c*nt never gets any game time.

TL;DR: ManUnited won, Sagna injured but not serious, next month will be hell.

Here is a short video of highlights found on footytube (hosted on dailymotion):
Arsenal 3 - 0 Ipswich Town Highlights

Arsenal vs Ipswich: player ratings and analysis

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OK, my predictions were a little bit off. The game ended at 3-0 with Bendtner, Koscielny and Fabregas each scoring a goal. As the game was very easy, just like me most of Arsenal fans were more concerned about how individual players would perform and whether we would pick up any injuries tonight or not. Luckily, nothing happened.

I know that many will criticize Arshavin for his work ethics, but his stats tell a whole different story. He produced two assists for Koscielny and Fabregas respectively. Over the last couple weeks I have even read a couple articles where the authors were calling for his head. I believe that his lack of form is merely a temporary downturn in his Arsenal spell, as we will see a great asset in him once he regains his confidence. He is that type of a player who takes chances and isn't afraid to take a chance on a through pass. His game style is very risky, though. Andrey is that type  of player that will score out of nowhere but will also give the ball away a lot. We need that type of a player, he is different from everyone else - reminding me of Hleb a couple years back.

Anyways, here are the ratings:

Szczesny (6) - not much work, punched the ball a couple times and made a couple relatively easy saves when the opponent decided to shoot from an acute angle.

Djourou (7) - Great sense of positioning, speed and strength. Experience will make him a great asset.

Koscielny (6.5) - Seems to be confused by Arsenal's passing.

Sagna (6) - Played well before sustaining an injury.

Clichy (7) - His lungs are made out of steel as so are his legs when it comes down to crossing.

Wilshere (7) - This lad has a huge heart to fight and a great creative mind but his lack of experience is clearly visible.

Denilson (6.5) - Out-muscled by Ipswich players.

Fabregas (7) - Ran the midfield as usual, great goal.

Arshavin (7) - 2 assists, helped us kill the game and the rest of hope of Ipswich. His run to pull the defender away before making the final pass to Fabregas for the third goal shows that he is an intelligent player.

van Persie (6) - Whenever I see Robin play I always hope he scores a goal or two, pull a trick or contribute an assist. Today, however, that didn't happen. He made a couple smart runs, but was clearly tired from the Wigan game. Rightly substituted

Eboue (7) - replaced Sagna well.

Arsenal vs Ipswich lineups

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Arsenal: Szczesny, Clichy, Sagna, Djourou, Koscielny, Wilshere, Arshavin, Denilson, Fabregas (c), van Persie, Bendtner
Subs: Song, Shea, Walcott, Chamakh, Nasri, Eboue, Gibbs

Ipswich: Fulop, O'Dea, McAuley, Delaney, Edwards, Norris, Healy, Leadbitter, Kennedy, Priskin, Wickman
Subs: Scottland, Hyam, O'Connor, Peters, Lee-Barrett, Civelli, Smith


Arsene virtually sent out his strongest team against Ipswich. Given our recent form against Wigan, we shhould not worry. In contrast to recent years, it seems like we are really trying to win the Carling Cup, and not fuel the team with youths anymore. To a certain degree it worries me that this might be a sign of a team desperate for any trophies. On the other hand, winning silverware might teach the players how to become true winners. It would also be nice to see Arshavin pick up some goals and confirmation of some chemistry between of Koscielny and Djourou in the center back. Hopefully, we win a couple competitions this year, there is too much talent and not enough medals on this team.


Predictions: Arsenal 2 - 0 Ipswich