Arsenal v Chelsea, Sunday December 16, 4pm.

[mgrealsmooth]

"not training with the team" to me equals "unless they make a miracle recovery in the next 2 days, they arent going to play"...

Yeah, his words are definitely saying they're not gonna play.
I just have a feeling (or maybe a wish) that he's not being overly honest.

 

[awooga83]

See I think of it more not involved in the team training sessions but working alone building up their fitness and they are good enough players for you not to have to worry about them knowing the tactics or our gameplan.

 

[USArsenal]

i guess we will find out on Sunday.. i hope im wrong

 

[awooga83]

Exactly I hope I'm right, just a sense I get from Wenger perhaps I'm being to cynical with his press conferences I just don't believe him on players fitness from time to time.

 

[USArsenal]

i tend to believe the "not ready" comments more than the "almost ready" type of comments...

 

[mgrealsmooth]

Yeah there seems a bit of wiggle room so he can still say he wasn't lying if all three start. Let's just hope

 

[RC8]

I'm convinced it's a giant mindgame too. I remember a few times we'd start against Manure with Henry on the bench, and bring him on when we were 1-0 up as the ultimate joke...

But I honestly think at least one of Hleb or Fabregas will start, and more than likely both will.

Right. Why look at the evidence when you can have wild dreams that in all likeliness won't come true?

 

[mgrealsmooth]

I'm convinced it's a giant mindgame too. I remember a few times we'd start against Manure with Henry on the bench, and bring him on when we were 1-0 up as the ultimate joke...

But I honestly think at least one of Hleb or Fabregas will start, and more than likely both will.

Right. Why look at the evidence when you can have wild dreams that in all likeliness won't come true?

Where's the evidence exactly? That Wenger said so?
Hardly a wild dream, more a reasonable doubt.

 

[RC8]

I'm convinced it's a giant mindgame too. I remember a few times we'd start against Manure with Henry on the bench, and bring him on when we were 1-0 up as the ultimate joke...

But I honestly think at least one of Hleb or Fabregas will start, and more than likely both will.

Right. Why look at the evidence when you can have wild dreams that in all likeliness won't come true?

Where's the evidence exactly? That Wenger said so?
Hardly a wild dream, more a reasonable doubt.

That he said so, in front of only one Spanish speaking reporter. If he is back, it's more likely it will be because of a speedy recovery, rather than because Wenger was playing mind games.

 

[ThaSaltCracka]

Its a ming game either way.

He won't say whats going to happen, so he wants Chelsea on the fence, unsure of the team to pick.

However, I do think one of those three will be back. Why? None of the injuries sounded all that severe, and all three have played tons of games already. Maybe he wanted to give them a break, and felt the past three games were fairly easy ops:

 

[Dez]

All wenger is doing is making preparation more complex for Chelsea, they will have to prepare for Fagbregas playing and not playing, Hleb playing and not playing, RVP playing and not playing. this is all it does, RVP is the only chance.

Ade to get a brace btw.

 

[Lukazan]

I don't think there are any mind games going on here, I think both Hleb and Fabregas are both doubts for Sunday which makes the game a hell of alot tougher.

 

[Anzac]

To be honest the MOST important thing to me is what formation we use - even more so than who is in or out.............

IMO if we are missing our creative players such as Cesc & Hleb & still start with a 4-5-1 we will NOT win!!!! IMO you need to put Chel$ki under pressure by taking the game to them with numbers in attack - for me with the 4-5-1 if you are off your game mentaly / physically you can lose your shape & have too many going forward.

I don't think Chel$ki can win the game, but I do think we can lose it / drop points - just as we did v LFC & MUFC.

 

[banduan]

Why would we start witha 4-5-1?

 

[Anzac]

Why would we start witha 4-5-1?

exactly - I admit I don't get to see a lot of our games, but much of what I have read indicates yet we basically do this any time we play a lone front man............

Away it looks more like a 4-4-1-1 because we play a deeper line in defence, but at Home we push up & it looks as a 4-5-1 because we don't have the space to play someone starting from the hole............


and as I've said before - I hate it anytime we only use 1 recognised goal scorer regardless of the formation..............

 

[Rohit]

We played the Chelsea first team off the park in the Carling Cup final first half, with our second team, although Fabregas started. Why this pessimism? It won't be a walk in the park for sure, but they are handicapped too without two of their best players. Even without Flamini, Cesc and Hleb we can give them a very good game and we are at home.

 

[number_0]

Ashley Cole is fit right? The thought of Sagna wrecking him his quite delighful

On paddypower.com you can get odds on the first player to foul Cole. Sagnas actually quite good odds at 10-1. Eboue is the favourite at 15-2.

You can also get 500-1 on him scoring and lifting his shirt to reveal an arsenal crest underneath.

only 500/1. I may put fiver on Sanga fouling Ashley 1st.

money well spent.

i am putting a tenner that its gonna be van persie with the honour

 

[DOUBLE-YOU]

I am not sure the real status of the "injured" players, but i was wondering would it be wise to play Van Persie, Cesc, Hleb and Flamini against Chelsea. Yes they are our first choice players, but do you think the game is too big to play 4 players who aren't 100% match fit

 

[awooga83]

It really depends on how injured they are none of us here know if they have recovered and its just a case of match fitness then they can play a part.

Wenger would know by now the situation with 3 players its is highly unlikely they would all be possibly in or out and still not known, its to convenient if he had said Hleb is out he won't return until this time then I would have been more inclined to believe it. But because he says i'm not sure they could be back or not just before a big game it speaks to me of a little messing with Chelsea so they don't know exactly what game they will need to play.

 

[Dez]

Why would we start witha 4-5-1?

exactly - I admit I don't get to see a lot of our games, but much of what I have read indicates yet we basically do this any time we play a lone front man............

Away it looks more like a 4-4-1-1 because we play a deeper line in defence, but at Home we push up & it looks as a 4-5-1 because we don't have the space to play someone starting from the hole............


and as I've said before - I hate it anytime we only use 1 recognised goal scorer regardless of the formation..............

the "4-5-1" tactic you talk about is almost identical to the "4-4-2" we used in the undefeated season.

Ljungberg----Bergkamp----Pires
----------------Henry--------------------

Eboue-------Hleb-------Rosicky
-------------Ade----------------------

hleb an DB10 played the same role just one is a "midfielder" and the other is a "forward"