So the final weekend arrives and we’re no nearer to knowing whether we will be playing Champions League football next season.

We all know the equation by now: a win means third and automatic qualification. Anything less and we are at the mercy of Spurs and Newcastle. Finish fourth and we rely on Bayern Munich to beat Chelsea in the Champions League final. Finish fifth and it’s Europa League for the first time in Arsene Wenger’s tenure.

If all of that isn’t enough to scare you I should add that we’re yet to win a game without Mikel Arteta in the starting line-up and haven’t won in the past three games. We’re not in good form and we absolutely need to change that because we have everything to play for.

In complete contrast West Brom have nothing to play for. It is a situation that can just as easily provoke an uncharacteristically creative performance (such as Norwich last weekend) as a disjointed, unmotivated one.

In saying all of this I expect our Arsenal boys to take care of business today.

In terms of squad news only Bacary Sagna has been added to the injury list — a broken leg last week means he will miss Euro 2012 — while Theo Walcott may return. Meanwhile West Brom are missing three of their best attacking players: Peter Odemwingie, Jerome Thomas and captain Chris Brunt.

Given the prize at stake (and the punishment for failure) today’s game is likely to be a tense affair. Goals may be at a premium, particularly if the first half is as scrappy as I foresee, and mental strength is likely to be the deciding factor.

Hopefully Wenger has a word to Alex Song and tells him to curb his attacking intentions. He may have assisted Robin van Persie’s first goal against Norwich but the Cameroonian’s sloppy positional play was a key factor in our poor defensive performance last weekend.

The likes of Szczesny and Vermaelen will be hoping for better games while further forward in Gervinho, Rosicky and Benayoun we have a creative trio that should cause West Brom lots of trouble.

There’s only so much analysing and predicting on a day like this. In the end it comes down to the team getting the job done, getting the result they require to finish the season on an extremely positive note.

Hopefully we’ll all be celebrating a comfortable victory, qualification to the Champions League and the latest (but perhaps sweetest, given the topsy-turvy nature of the season) St Totteringham’s Day in recent memory.

What do you think?

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Please excuse the lack of activity since the last post, you see I’ve only just finished a self-imposed media embargo so I could concentrate without distractions on banging my head against the wall.

Once again in a very short time frame we’ve self-combusted, thrown in the towel in a pathetic fashion and exited two competitions, one I feel we had a realistic chance of winning, the other the Champions League which at a most basic level is just plain nice to be a part of. At least it is when we don’t record our heaviest loss in the competition it is.

Since then the Emirates cogs have been ticking over, providing Gooners with much food for thought both on and off the pitch. Arshavin, Ju Young Park, Yossi Benayoun and Marouane Chamakh all played for the reserves a few days ago against Norwich. The little Russian nabbed a brace, Park and Yossi played excellently by all accounts getting a goal each, and starlet Benik Afobe scored to round off a 5-0 victory.

One of our most expensive ever signings scores against a 'keeper no one's ever heard of in a reserve game.

Looking at the positives here, this was an opportunity for these fringe players to vamp up their confidence with an easy run out. It’s just so hard to believe that a year ago Andrey got the winner against Barcelona, Chamakh’s dip in form was deemed temporary, and Benayoun and Park were names few would have thought would ever be wearing an Arsenal jersey.

Elsewhere deep inside the Arsenal vaults, the fat cats have released a statement regarding ticket prices for next year. Nobody knows if their initial plan was to hike them up further–they have a record of breaking promises–but they haven’t, and they might be cursing the rotten form of the playing staff for effectively backing them into a corner.

There’s just no way they could justify–to what is already a pretty peeved mob–yet another increase in tickets after the recent run of games. So as it is, there’s a freeze on normal tickets for the 2012/13 season, whilst Club Level prices increase by roughly 2%. Let’s see how loyal  the “prawn sandwich brigade” are when it’s FC Klashnikov 74 in the Europa League and not Barcelona coming into town.

Yet we’ll only be playing such ridiculously named Europa League outfits (I made it up by the way) if we finish just outside the top 4, which, yet again, has become a polished turd that Arsene and the board are trying to reward us with  as a sign of a successful season, namely because it’s the best we can hope for.

But it’s not. Finishing 4th is not a success or a victory. It’s natural to want to finish as high as possible but actually winning something, that’s a real success.

Those voicing concerns that we won’t be able to hold onto our best players nor will be able to keep signing the best players if we exit this entirely made up top 4 power group might need to look back over the last few years to see that ultimately it doesn’t matter, at least where Arsenal are concerned. Our best players have continued to leave us (mostly for the lure of more cash) and the best players have continued to ignore us (mostly for the lure of more cash).

It points to the fact that most modern day footballers follow their wallets. And yes we can and should overhaul our financial dealings but the sad fact is that no matter what we offer there are other clubs that can simply offer more. What can change however, is our football style and mindset, but that’s a job for Arsene right now as he’s the one in charge.

And this really sticks in the throat to admit it but one only need look at Tottenham to see how unimportant 4th place is. Their ascent up the table to media labelled “title challengers” was all achieved with only one previous top four finish. They might have spent cash, but it seems to have spent within their means. The difference is, they’ve bought well and are playing confidently–two things we simply haven’t been doing recently–without needing 4th place to act as some sort of prerequisite.

*washes mouth out with soap*

That all links nicely to the final part of this post: Spurs. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a big deal. For the first time in almost two decades they’re coming to our ground with a swagger that suggests they don’t think they’re going to win. No, they think they’re going to batter us. If we are going to start moving up the league and finishing as high as we can, then we need to erase the last few games from our minds and start playing for the pride in the shirt. There’s not much else left to play for. And there’s no better time to show that then in front of our own fans on Sunday.

That cannon on our chest is there for a reason. It’s there to obliterate little cocks that stand on basketballs.

Come on the Arsenal

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A rare evening for me not spent working on a Saturday night meant I could sit at home and shoot the breeze (albeit alone and in my head) about the state of play down at the Emirates and a few conclusions have been drawn.

Wilshere’s setback has made him anything but “like a new signing” and with only three days left of the open transfer window it looks like we are heading into the business end of the season with the same squad as we’ve had since the madcap close of the last one.

Looking at how that squad has performed and what they seem capable of achieving I can’t help but think that tomorrow is one of the biggest games of our season. To reach that conclusion, we first have to swallow a few bitter pills. Open wide.

The first one is actually quite easy, and won’t be a shock to the system; in case you missed it, we’re out of the Carling Cup already. It’s not a competition that particularly rocks my socks but it would have been nice to have won it last year if only to get that King Kong-sized monkey off our backs: “You haven’t won a trophy in 5 years!”, then, “You haven’t won a trophy in 6 years!” and now, “You haven’t won a trophy in…”.

The point is, we’re out of it and so that’s one cup we can’t lift in 2012.

The second capsule to induce in you Matrix-style revelations about the Arsenal mainframe is that the league is long gone too. Arsene admitted it a while ago, after the Old Trafford mauling I think, and it seems now that a Champions League spot will also be a big test. So a real title is out of reach and a made up one nearly is.

Which begs the question, since when has finishing fourth been deemed an achievement?

The third is that while we are still in the Champions League–I invite you at this junction to pause, face the general direction of Manchester and laugh–and as great as it is to play against Europe’s best (and second and third best) teams, the reality is this squad doesn’t look up to the task of winning it.

Unless Spain’s huge debt means they sell Real Madrid and Barcelona to China to balance the books, our chances are paper-slim. Let’s just enjoy what could be our Champions League swansong.

So, that trio of downers means the FA Cup is our best chance of success this season and it’s one I hope we pull out all the stops for, starting tomorrow. We’ve been on a downward turn for a while now and lifting a trophy could be just what the doctor ordered to get us fighting fit again.

I’m not one for predicting the squad the manager is going to play, I just hope he sends out an eleven to give a signal of intent to the fans that this team are still up for winning something. There’s been a lot of chat online about whether or not we should rest Van Persie and give some fringe players a run out so we can concentrate on the league and Europe. Claptrap.

Winning a cup–especially an esteemed one like the FA Cup–beats merely qualifying for the Champions League any day.

Enjoy the game wherever you watch it tomorrow, and let’s hope we’re still in the cup by the time the match review is being written.

– Mark

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Hey guys, just opening up a discussion thread for tonight’s game against Wigan.

We should really knock off Martinez’s Wigan, who sit second-from-bottom, and with a good squad available that looks likely.

Enjoy the game and play nice!

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Arsenal travel to Carrow Road to take on Norwich City and if the stats suggest that at 1.7 they are a cracking bet to secure another three points.

The last three Premier League meetings between the two sides have seen the Gunners score at least four times and concede one goal on each occasion.

The Canaries have also won none none of their last 11 matches at Carrow Road in all competitions against Arsene Wenger’s men – drawing 7 and losing 4.

That makes good reading for Arsenal fans, particularly as they are on a roll in the league and have won their last three games in the league impressive style.

Easy to see then why the 1.7 with Paddy Power for a win makes plenty of appeal, particularly when they have a striker in Robin van Persie who is in the form of his life and scoring for fun.

The Dutchman has now scored 29 goals in 28 Premier League matches in 2011, and has done us plenty of favours in the first goal scorer and any time goal scorer markets in recent weeks.

I can’t see any reason why we should desert what has been a winning and profitable tactic, and it’s not hard to think that he will once again be instrumental in what should be a comfortable victory for the Gunners.

Betfred go 5 about him netting the opener and that looks unbelievable value (he is as short as 4.33), as does the 2.1 on offer with the same firm about him scoring any time during the 90 minutes.

In the correct score markets I am going to take a punt and bet on a wide margin Arsenal victory for hopefully a bumper pay out.

I fancy them to put four past their opponents, and there are some massive prices on offer for them to do so.

Betfred go 29 about 4-0, while Boylesports offer 26 about 4-1. Split stakes on both will hopefully see us quids in.

Arsenal’s revival after a slow start to the 2011-12 campaign seems thoroughly underway, as Arsene Wenger’s men have improved in recent weeks. Fixtures against Bolton, Chelsea and Marseille in three different competitions await The Gunners’ next, with a chance to stake a claim in all three tournaments.

Chelsea v Arsenal

The Premier League fixture at Stamford Bridge on Saturday 29th October is one that will test the new look Arsenal side, as Andre Villas Boas’ men are in-form and looking like title contenders. With the passion and intensity of a London derby new to some of the summer additions to the Gunners’ squad, Wenger will count on the likes of Robin van Persie and Aaron Ramsey to lead by example.

The Emirates outfit have the quality to go to The Bridge and get a result, but must start well and defend in a more organised and compact fashion to deny the likes of Juan Mata space.

Tickets for this high profile clash are still available; you can purchase Arsenal tickets online from TicketBis, with the prices for this game starting at £223.60.

Arsenal v Bolton

Bolton travel to the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday 25th October in the Carling Cup, with a 3-0 defeat against Wenger’s men fresh in Owen Coyle’s memory. Despite the comprehensive Arsenal win in the league, the personnel on show in this one will be significantly different as the French coach tries to blood in the stars of tomorrow.

With defeat in the final of the Carling Cup last season and the wait for a trophy expanding by the minute, Arsenal should take the competition seriously in an attempt to secure some silverware this season.

Arsenal v Marseille

A 1-0 win in France could well be the catalyst for a real turn in fortunes, as the players should take confidence and heart from an excellent win at the Stade Velodrome; the return fixture is on Tuesday 1st November in London.

Didier Deschamps’ men will be out for revenge, and will be no pushovers for the Premier League side. A win for Arsenal would all but guarantee progression through to the next stage of the competition, and despite some questionable performances domestically this term, form in Europe so far has been good.

Arsene Wenger stated that Group F was still a difficult proposition after the victory in France, but realistically Arsenal should be looking to top the pool due to the situation they find themselves in and the fixtures remaining.

Arsenal tickets with TicketBis

If you’re looking to buy Arsenal tickets online, you can get them from TicketBis, an online tickets exchange that specializes in helping football fans buy and sell tickets online for just about any game in Europe.

Arsenal have a terrific record against Stoke, and with Robin van Persie in irresistible form can bag three points and continue on their march up the league.

The Gunners have won all three of their home matches against the Potters in the PL, and come into the game having won six of their last seven games at the Emirates in all competitions.

Stoke, on the other hand, have never excelled in away games against London clubs, winning three and losing 12 of their visits to the capital.

They have lost 4-0 away to Sunderland and 2-0 away at Swansea and seem unable to reproduce their best form when on the road.

No surprise then that Arsenal are general 1.57 chances to make it three premier League wins on the bounce.

That price looks about right, but there could be some better value to be had in markets involving van Persie.

The Dutchman did us a massive favour last week when scoring both goals in Arsenal’s victory over Sunderland to land our first goal scorer and anytime goal scorer bets and a repeat dose could be on the cards.

He has now scored 23 goals in 25 Premier League games in 2011, and it’s not hard to see him adding to that tally.

The red-hot striker is a 4.5 chance with Betfred, Boylesports, Paddy Power and Stan James to net the opener and that makes plenty of appeal.

However even better value surely has to be the even money (2) about him scoring anytime in the 90 minutes.

He is generally odds-on to do so and as short as 1.73 in a place. That makes the 2 on offer with Boylesports and Stan James look an absolute steal.

Given that Stoke have become something of a soft touch on their travels and have have fired in fewer shots on target (21) than any other team in the Premier League there must be every chance of Arsenal keeping a clean sheet.

They are around 2.55 chances to win to nil, but rather than play at those odds I would suggest having a go at a couple of correct scores for a bigger payout.

Arsenal to win 1-0 or 2-0 is my idea of the outcome. The former can be backed at 7 with bet365 and Victor Chandler while the latter is available at 7.5 with bet365 and Paddy Power.

Just setting up an open thread for today’s game.

Hopefully we can grab a much-needed three points and kick-start the chase for a top four spot.

A match report will follow as soon as I can get something posted.

Cheers and enjoy!

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The Gunners have a good record against Sunderland and with Robin van Persie on fire should have little difficulty of bagging three points and landing odds of 1.5.

They have won seven and drawn three of their 10 home Premier League matches against Steve Bruce’s men and the Black Cats have failed to score in their last three visit to the Emirates.

However don’t expect a goal fest as there have only been 8 goals in the last seven Premiership games between the two sides.

Both sides need to win this at all costs having made a bad start to the campaign, and despite the fact that Arsenal have won just 4 of their last 18 PL matches they should have too much firepower for their rivals.

The key to success obviously lies with van Persie who is finding the net with regularity.

The Dutchman has scored 21 goals in 24 Premier League games in 2011 and three in home appearances against Sunderland.

No surprise then that he is the bookies favourite to net the opener and as short as 3.75 in places.

However you can get a top priced 4.33 with bet365 and that surely has to be value given his current hot streak.

Normally I would have suggested backing him to score anytime during the 90 minutes as a safer bet, but he is odds on across the board to do and at a best priced 1.91 the 4.33 on offer with bet365 in the first goal scorer market is much more appealing.

Given that Sunderland are not exactly a goal scoring outfit and Arsenal have managed to keep clean sheets in 9 of their last 13 games at the Emirates the 2.4 on offer with bet365 about the Gunners winning to nil has to be worth an interest.

Also, given the fact that we have now established that the game is unlikely to be high scoring but Arsenal should hopefully win to nil, a small play in the correct score market could pay handsome dividends.

Arsenal to win 2-0 is my idea of the most likely outcome, and I would be happy to play on that score line at the 7 on offer with bet365 and Paddy Power.

Eddie Griffin from Soccerlens.com looks at Arsenal’s trip to White Hart Lane and the challenges facing the Gunners.

It’s only the seventh match of the Premier League season, but as many ups and downs as there have been in just the first month and a half for Arsenal, it’s not unreasonable to look at Sunday’s visit to Tottenham as a potentially pivotal point in the Gunners’ campaign.

Last season’s three meetings were a perfect example of why things like football betting trends, recent form, and predictability can be forcefully drop-kicked out of the window when Arsenal and Tottenham meet. And while Arsenal need to be a little forgetful when they head to White Hart Lane, they can’t be at the same time, as contradictory as that might seem.

Despite winning three matches on the trot in all competitions for the first time since a six-match run from mid-January to the start of February, there are still just as many questions as there are answers for the Gunners. And though this season’s first installment of the North London derby is extremely important for both sides, is it even more important for Arsenal?

With their recent away form, their position in the Premier League, how they let two wins against Tottenham get away last season, and lingering questions about their mettle in games such as these, yes.

The numbers don’t really bear repeating, but to sum it up, Arsenal have found the going tough away from the Emirates for a while now. Dating back to last season, the Gunners are winless in their last seven away league matches, losing four and drawing three. In that span, they’ve been outscored 22-10 and have conceded two or more goals six times, with the lone exception being the season-opening goalless draw at Newcastle. Overall, Arsenal have only two wins in their last 15 away matches in all competitions, a run that started with ‘that’ draw at St. James’ Park in February.

Among the matches in this stretch was April’s 3-3 draw at White Hart Lane, in which Arsenal led 3-1 late in the first half, only to see Tottenham rally to land a draw via Rafael van der Vaart’s penalty with 20 minutes remaining. As if missing a golden opportunity to close the gap on Manchester United wasn’t painful enough, it was something Arsenal supporters had seen before. When the two sides met at the Emirates last November, the Gunners led 2-0 inside the opening half hour, but Spurs scored three without reply in the second half, the final blow coming courtesy of Younes Kaboul’s 85th-minute header, to record their first away win against Arsenal since 1993 in stunning fashion.

To put last season’s disasters behind them, break their away hoodoo, and notch win that could serve as a serious boost for their season, Arsenal need to find a way past a Tottenham side that has found their form after being outscored 8-1 by Manchester United and Manchester City in consecutive losses to start the season. Since those two thumpings, Spurs have won their last three Premier League matches in a row, including a 4-0 battering of Liverpool two weeks ago. They’re also unbeaten in the Europa League, following up a draw at PAOK with Thursday’s 3-1 win over Shamrock Rovers. Against their Irish opposition, Harry Redknapp opted to rest some key players, and it could have proved costly, as they fell behind 1-0 early in the second half. But they scored three quick-fire goals over a six-minute stretch to take control of the match and ward off a potential shock result.

Tottenham’s resurgence has come about thanks in no small part to instant production by none other than Emmanuel Adebayor, who has gone from scoring against them to scoring for them. Adebayor, who notched eight goals in nine games against Tottenham while with Arsenal, has three goals and an assist in his first three games with Spurs since signing on loan from Manchester City late in the summer transfer window, and he’s sure to start on Sunday.

He’s not the only reason for their upswing, as Luka Modric’s recommitment and return to form after spending much of the summer attempting to engineer a move to Chelsea has also provided a boost, deadline-day acquisition Scott Parker made an instant impression, and they’ve been far sharper defensively, allowing only one goal in their runs of wins. Rafael van der Vaart, arguably ‘the‘ key figure of both league meetings between Arsenal and Tottenham last season, and Gareth Bale haven‘t yet had the same impact they had last season, but both scored their first goals of the season in a win at Wigan last Saturday.

So, Arsenal don’t face an easy task in the least. But after all of the early bumps and lumps, there’s positive momentum from the wins over Shrewsbury, Bolton, and Olympiakos, and Arsene Wenger must find a way to translate that momentum into a much better away performance than has been seen in some time.

More than getting performances from the likes of Mikel Arteta, Gervinho, Robin van Persie, and Theo Walcott, Arsenal need to be stand tall defensively against Tottenham’s multiple threats, but more importantly, they need to stand tall mentally. Failing to do so on both counts cost them two wins against Spurs last season, and it’s cost them numerous times over the last several months both home and away.

Given recent history, the odds are in favor of a draw on Sunday, as that’s been the result eight of the last 11 league encounters between the two sides at White Hart Lane. But if the Gunners can step up and produce a win on Sunday, they’ll not only move up the Premier League table, but it’ll also be a massive mental stride forward. Sometimes all it takes is one win to really get things going, and the opportunity is there to do just that.

But if they come up short or fail to make the most of a lead yet again, the same old tired questions will persist, and rightfully so.

Eddie Griffin writes for Soccerlens.com.