Pre Match: Arsenal V Liverpool (Premier League) Sat 4 April @ 12.45pm

(Arsenal fan)
We will be favourites for this game and rightly so given the form we are in, but we don't perform well with the favourites tag. If you press us hard in midfield this will be a great game that could easily go either way, but if you sit back as you did against Utd there will be only one result as far as I can see. Coquelin at DM has turned us into a different machine altogether and we are far less vulnerable on the counter.

Hope Sturridge and the rest are back fit soon, you always want to face a full strength opponent and I'm praying for a Liverpool/Arsenal FA cup final. This match could have a big psychological impact in that regard.

Great post. You did see where our weaknesses are as well as yours. Yeah, if we had a quality DM we will match Arsenal anyday, sadly we don't have one at the moment. Can't argue much with what were your observations,

It's good to have 2 full squad of first team players facing off each other and may the best team wins, of course I'll be bias for this time for an obvious reason.

Thanks for a short and constructive post.

Great post. You did see where our weaknesses are as well as yours. Yeah, if we had a quality DM we will match Arsenal anyday, sadly we don't have one at the moment. Can't argue much with what were your observations,

It's good to have 2 full squad of first team players facing off each other and may the best team wins, of course I'll be bias for this time for an obvious reason.

Thanks for a short and constructive post.

We don't have a quality DM?

Never seen Lucas Leiva play then!

We don't have a quality DM?

Never seen Lucas Leiva play then!

Sorry I don't know who is Lucas Leiva, is he as good as Souness or Jimmy Case?

Sorry I don't know who is Lucas Leiva, is he as good as Souness or Jimmy Case?

You living in some sort of parallel universe?
Comparing players from the 70's and 80's or maybe you think Coquelin is better than Lucas!

Everyone to their own........ 

Not even about having a top, top quality DM, it's far simpler than that, It's about having a competent player who knows his role and has the discipline to stick to it. Take Coquelin for us as an example. He had it in his head for years that he was a box to box midfielder, Wenger knew he wasn't, but the player himself wouldn't accept it. It cost him his Arsenal career. It got so bad that as recently as October Coquelin couldn't get a regular game for Charlton. Our injury crisis forced us to recall him, he finally got it into his head to do what he was actually told and play in a diciplined manner and look what happens, He is the single biggest reason we turned over City, and after Cazorla, Ozil and Giroud he is first on the team sheet for me. Is he a top, top quality player? Not at all, but what he does, he does brilliantly.

So much about the DM position is about discipline. You give your attacking players so much more freedom to express themselves when they know they have someone protecting that back four properly. Now that he doesn't have to track back as much Ozil is FINALLY starting to become the player we bought and Cazorla is having the season of his life.

How much might Coutinho etc improve if you bought a Carvalho type this summer? Food for thought.

Fearing the worst for this unfortunately, poor record at the Emirates of late. Lucas will be huge for us in this

So, Sturridge, Sterling AND Lallana are doubts for this?

Any update on their availability?

So, Sturridge, Sterling AND Lallana are doubts for this?

Any update on their availability?

Sterling should be fine, Studge possible but Lallana definitely out mate.

Sterling should be fine, Studge possible but Lallana definitely out mate.

So I guess it'll be a front-3 of Sterling, Markovic and Coutinho. Will be interesting to see who plays RWB. Johnson or Ibe, if fit. Of course, we know the no-brainer scenario.

So I guess it'll be a front-3 of Sterling, Markovic and Coutinho. Will be interesting to see who plays RWB. Johnson or Ibe, if fit. Of course, we know the no-brainer scenario.

Ibe's not fit yet so possibly Johnson but who knows Brendan might surprise us and bring in one of the Academy lads to play alongside Cou and put Marko at RWB.

How much might Coutinho etc improve if you bought a Carvalho type this summer? Food for thought.

May I just say, when fit and played this season, Lucas has probably been just as good, if not better than Coquelin, Matic & Schneiderlin. Coutinho's form before Lucas got injured had been scintillating and consistent.

When Lucas plays, the team functions a lot better which in turn, brings out the best in a lot of our players. Without Lucas, it's like using an old gfx card to run a high end game. It'll work, but wouldn't run as well as a new gfx card

If we do buy a DM in the summer, be it Carvalho, Schneiderlin, Illara etc, they'd have a hard time pushing a fit Lucas out of the team in my opinion.

You living in some sort of parallel universe?
Comparing players from the 70's and 80's or maybe you think Coquelin is better than Lucas!

Everyone to their own........ 

Hmm ... we have different standards and expectations here. Better say no more.

With all of the injuries and suspensions we could see this:

Mignolet
Lovren     Can     Sakho
Lucas
Markovic   Hendo       Allen       Moreno
Coutinho
Sterling

What with sterlings mistimed but revealing comments in regard to the supposed Arse interest, this really is a tough selection issue for the boss.
I would go with:
Mig
Can, Lovren, Sakho
Marko, Hendo, Allen, Moreno
Coutinho, Sterling, Balo.

Just makes you clearly see how we are about 4 top quality players away from a proper team.
Have some faith that if we pressure from the off and Balo is somewhat arsed to perform, then we have a chance.
Predict a hopeful 1-1. Expect a 2-0 loss.

Treat this game like a cup final.

Go for their throats from the first minute and crunch into the tackles. It's a game we can definitely win, and I am expecting a strong performance.

Was expecting more from our game against Utd than this one. Lost the last two PL games away to them. And in our last 3 games we've not performed as well as in games previous. Add into that injuries, suspensions, I think we might struggle to come away with a result.

Obviously hope we bag all 3 pts, but we'd need the guys coming in to play really well, and have a general rise in performance over what we've seen recently. The game against Utd rocked us back, will take huge effort and resolve by the lads to come away with all 3 pts at the Emirates.

After the disappointment of the last outing, this is a must win game to realistically still have a chance for champions league. Stevie and Skrtel banned, Giroud on a bit of a run, this is going to be a tough ask. Personally feel if we don't get 3 points, we don't deserve a place in Europe's elite. Yes we have an easy run in after this, but the other challengers are grinding out results week after week and we're already 2 games behind them.

Shitting myself for this.

Could not have played them at a worst time they are the leagues form team and we have a woeful record at the Emirates. Not to mention they would be baying for blood after last years 5-1 hammering.

Shitting myself for this.

Could not have played them at a worst time they are the leagues form team and we have a woeful record at the Emirates. Not to mention they would be baying for blood after last years 5-1 hammering.

Of all of our remaining games this is the one gunners are least looking forward to. Funny how perceptions differ!

It's lucas time !!!   .

In all seriousness, lucas coming back is a big bonus with gerrard suspended, and also sahko is fit again, so we just have to rely on can, lovren & sakho.

I suspect he will play johnson as well for his experience.

Mad what a game of football can do for confidence. If we had beaten the mancs Id be confident of beating Arsenal on Saturday too or at least coming away with a draw. But now I can only see us losing.

Hope Sterling doesn't start. Hope he isn't on the bench for that matter.

Come on reds please. 3 points is vital.

All this garbage from Sterling has put me in a bad mood about this game. I can see us laying a giant egg and bowing out of the race for top 4 for all intensive purposes.