PL: Arsenal vs Middlesbrough | 14/01/06

[RocktheCasbah]

Well, two days to go till game time and no thread?

I guess everyone's too f'cked off to think about it. It kind of slipped under my radar until I got offered two tickets to it today- which I snapped up gleefully.

Thoughts on the line up, opposition etc?

 

[Gurgen]

Jens
Gilbert Senderos Sol Lauren
Pires Fabregas Flamini Hleb
Reyes Henry

..is what I want, but no doubt Wenger will go Cygan on our asses again.

 

[Army of Me]

heh, yea, we did kinda forget there was a game this weekend.

i'm guessing we'll be back to 4-4-2 for this one, as i do believe we didnt actually have a single shot on goal the last time we used 4-5-1, so...

lehmann

lauren
senderos
campbell
cygan

pires
gilberto
fabregas
hleb

reyes
henry

and i'm gonna predict a score draw: 1-1

 

[bojed]

cygan's been a good backup recently so if you want to slag him off, do it after he has had a really bad game.

lauren - right, cygan - left.

 

[Army of Me]

..is what I want, but no doubt Wenger will go Cygan on our asses again.

i've actually been quite impressed with cygan recently, he seems to have settled into the left back role and is churning out decent performances. he obviously has his moments, but hopefully whoevers on the left wing can do their job and help out.

 

[Mr. Hotshot]

----------------------------Lemon--------------------------------------------
----------Lauren------Senderos------Campbell------Cygan---------------
---bald oportunity wasting midget---Fabregas---Headless Chicken--Reyes--
---------------------------Bergkamp-------Henry-------------------------

 

[Gurgen]

He hasn't been bad lately but I feel his ****eness is such that he should be on the bench regardless of his performances :wink:

 

[Lukazan]

Is Lauren not suspended for this game or did he serve that against Wigan?

 

[RocktheCasbah]

Cygan's been solid defensively of late, no doubt. But offers absolutely sod all in an attacking sense, I'd quite like to see Flamini and Cesc together as Gilberto needs a breather, or a rocket up his arse, I haven't decided which yet.

Reyes and Henry up front would be good, but I sense after the horror show on Tuesday, Dennis will return to the first XI, Freddie should be dropped but won't because Hleb was just as bad as him and the only other option is the man who isn't a winger- Reyes.

 

[bojed]

He hasn't been bad lately but I feel his ****eness is such that he should be on the bench regardless of his performances :wink:

and playing lauren is a good option? at least cygan didnt do what lauren did against chelsea at highbury.

so i'd stick lauren to the right and cygan to the left. can't afford screwed up positions no more. the same goes to hleb. please Arsène play him in the center.

 

[Lukazan]

I'd like to see Hleb pushed up to just behind Henry.. he's played just about everywhere else, why not give him a try there? That far up the pitch he can dwell and mess about on the ball all he wants and with his quick feet he might be able to turn a last defender and really cause some problems... although even clean through I have doubts whether he'd actually shoot.

My line up would be..

__________________Lehmann

Lauren_______Senderos______Sol_______Cygan

Pires________Fabregas________Flamini_____Reyes

______________Hleb

______________________Henry

It'll never happen though, so realistically I'd like to see that team with Bergkamp just behind Henry.

 

[eddie_wills]

I've seen Boro play a bit recently, and **** me they are utterly awful. Leaking goals for fun, non existant midfield and Viduka up top who doesn't seem to care.

That said, players like Rochemback can win them the game if they actually bother to turn up - although I doubt he'll play that sort of luxury player in a game like this.

Southgate is out for them I'm pretty sure which is good.

It's on a few PPLive channels as well - Guanagjalgjag sports and that Shanghai sports one.

No idea what team we will play, no idea on formation, no idea even what our best team is at the moment.

Is Sol fit? He wasn't on Tuesday.

Plus - I thought Kolo could play in this one?

Prediction is 3-1 to the Arsenal.

 

[Lukazan]

And are you sure Sol wasn't fit? You may have heard something but if you're basing it on him not being in the squad for Wigan that was purely down to choice by Wenger.

 

[yoinkster]

A nice 5-3 from years gone by will do me just fine, but I'm not holding my breath.

I expect the team to basically pick itself,
Jens
Ralph, Sol, Senderos, Cygan
Freddy, Cesc, Berto, Hleb
Reyes, Henry

and I'd expect that team can overcome a bottom of league, struggling for form Boro.

but I see 0-0 written all over it

 

[eddie_wills]

And are you sure Sol wasn't fit? You may have heard something but if you're basing it on him not being in the squad for Wigan that was purely down to choice by Wenger.

Sky sports news the other day before the match it said "Campbell injured" on the match preview. 100% certain of this.

 

[Army of Me]

I just skimmed through the posts there, but did I just see "Rochemback can win the game for them"?

is that a ****ing joke? seriously, that dude is mince, actually thats an insult to mince, he's pure crap.

rochemback, deary me.

good news, quedrue's out (so no 30 yarders this time), southgate's out (so ehiogu in defence) and downing isn't fully fit.

 

[bojed]

i'm predicting 1-0 win to us.

van persie out is quite a huge let down.

 

[YuenBiaoFan]

Leave it out - a score draw to Boro?! At home?!

**** me, people are down :roll:

 

[eddie_wills]

I just skimmed through the posts there, but did I just see "Rochemback can win the game for them"?

is that a f****g joke? seriously, that dude is mince, actually thats an insult to mince, he's pure crap.

haha, okay well I guess I'd better own up.

He was excellent for them against Man Utd and excellent against us at Riverside - won MOTM in all the papers I saw.

Seems to have a habit of turning up in big games.

Brazil international also, has a good pedigree... remember seeing him linked with us quite strongly not so long ago.

Normally he's "mince", very true, but he does have wonderful technical ability and can win games.

 

[eddie_wills]

good news, quedrue's out (so no 30 yarders this time), southgate's out (so ehiogu in defence) and downing isn't fully fit.

Ehiogu's move to WBA is back on as GS's injury isn't as bad as first feared.

They'll probably have Chris Riggott and Matt Bates at centre back.