I’d like to see Fabianski play for Arsenal tonight. There, I’ve said it.

Armand Traore joins the injury list

It’s Burnley at Turf Moor tonight in a contest that we really need to win. I really don’t care how we manage it, whether we put five past them or squeak home by the odd goal in seven, but failure to take maximum points would undoubtedly sour the sweet taste still lingering from the fantastic win at Anfield.

Team news going into the game is mixed. Denilson and Armand Traore will be missing with back and hamstring problems respectively, leaving us a little light in midfield and without our first three left-backs. The good news is that Emmanuel Eboue will be back and I expect him to slot back into the side in place of Traore ahead than Mikael Silvestre. Meanwhile Abou Diaby should get a start in Denilson’s spot.

The rest of the team should be the same side that beat Liverpool at the weekend, although Arsene Wenger may look to rotate one or two of the front three and/or give Lukasz Fabianski a start in goals. Manuel Almunia, a player I have backed to the nth degree this season, had a shocker against Liverpool and doesn’t look to have improved on his early showings. Wenger will probably stick with him but I think quite a few people would like to see the Polish pretty-boy get a chance, myself included.

Andrey Arshavin will undoubtedly lead the line after his stunning winner on Sunday, while the manager may look to rotate one or two of Eduardo and Carlos Vela for Theo Walcott and Samir Nasri. I think it’s imperative that Wenger picks one of Vela and Walcott to give us enough pace to get in behind Burnley. Both Eduardo and Nasri are more technical players and it is important the manager gets the balance of technique and pace right as he did against Liverpool.

With Manchester United thumping Wolves and Villa beating Sunderland last night the impetus is on our boys to in again to stay with the leading pack. Burnley are a notoriously threatening side to play at their home ground – winning 5 from 8 and losing just one – and with our tiny forward line will be even more difficult to break down. Time for the boys to dig extra-deep and get the sort of win that the English pundits constantly castigate us for failing to achieve.

To get in you in the mood for the game here is a hilarious article about the recent antics (and there is a lot of them!) of Jens Lehmann. God, how I miss him!

COME ON ARSENAL! COME ON ARSENAL! COME ON ARSENAL!

Have your say on Arsenal’s clash with Burnley by leaving a comment.

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Comments

  1. An Arsenal win tonight is imperative, we can’t afford to drop points after the fine result on Sunday. Arshavin should be used to the cold so come on Arsenal and score a hatful.

  2. i think we can make use of Eboue, as burnley most probably will play defensively and physical game.

  3. Excellent build up article Andy.

    Interesting that you seem to be losing faith in Almunia. Like yourself, I have backed him through thick and thin. Maybe if our sub ‘keepers were confidence instilling then I would join you, but I’m not sure we have better (or worse for that matter).

    I expect to see Walcott too, but also hope that Vela gets another chance; even as a sub. He scored against Burnley earlier in the year and it would be great if our fringe strikers could start chipping in more goals.

    A nerve-wracking game against the best of the ‘small’ teams. Let’s hope we get the win that’s necessary.

  4. any goalkeeper than bundering hulk me almunia will do for. the spaniard is a walking disaster and his fumbles nearly cost us three points against liverpool. aw get rid off him the sooner the better for the team. No team can win titles with a sub-standard goalkeeper.

  5. any goalkeeper than bundering hulk almunia will do for me. the spaniard is a walking disaster and his fumbles nearly cost us three points against liverpool. aw get rid off him the sooner the better for the team. No team can win titles with a sub-standard goalkeeper.

  6. Spot on Andy. I miss Mad Jens, his debacle with Van Nistlerooy was on of the ‘finer’ momments 🙂

  7. Good point Andy, also a good post.
    Nothing much to say,everything that i thought has just been all about being said by your article.

    Sagna-gallas-Verma-Eboue
    ——–Song-Diaby—–
    ———–Cesc——–
    Theo——Arsha—-Nasri

    Id love to see fabianski to start too.

  8. the boss is sticking wit almunia so lets hope he repays
    the faith
    although i like tony attwoods blog and love his take on things,i,as a so called realist/doom trooper, find those 10 things listed yesterday applicable to millions of football fans worldwide and thats why we love it,difference of opinion creates discussion and iv never seen any regular fans here insulting anothers opinion or being close-minded to opposite points of view….the very fact that time was takin to list these ‘negative attributes’ shows an opinion of moral highground and ‘im correct’ on the writers behalf and contradicts some of the points on the list…..am not startin a argument i just feel if we dont hav people to express diverse opinion then wev no fun!!!i dont see spanish gunner or gunnerboss posting much these days,maybe icehammer will back me up!!!!ha ha ha
    nice piece andy and lets hope vela and theo do feature and that we come out on the right side of the result
    just to mention AWs admiration for our ‘tough little russian’ who he says hed feared wudnt make tonis game,its great to see a guy who has such desire to play and help the team do well,it rubs off on others and creates a great atmosphere…..the celebration when he ran over to AW after ‘le halftime rant’ was my favourite moment of the season so far,its shows togetherness and pride
    come on arsenal!!!!!

  9. Eve all, lets hope the boys can grab the 3 points and give a display of confidence and entertainment. Carlos and Theo need to show some of the good form we feel they have for im beginning to run out of patience. Radads i cant help noticing how light weight the front line looks. Though i hope the skill and pace it provides is enough. Good luck to all and no added injuries please.

  10. Shambo, iv actually just sent a comment on the game at hand and would like you to know ive got your back, as the yanks would say. What do you think of the chances of the ammers going down, it looking quite cert to me. Hopefully with a change of owners before x/mas we can purchase some players to help steady the ship. Hopefully we can hold onto Parker.

  11. i dont think youl go down mate altho its worrying at the moment the teams around you and the supposed favs for the drop are all pickin up points where the hammers are struggling with injuries to key men and conceding needlessly at times….are you in favour of gols approach???somethings got to happen to lift spirits,only positive at the mo is zola and clark are good men to hav on board and hav the clubs best interests at heart

  12. Gooners, why didn’t someone tell me that Jay Thomas is back from his loan spell. Other than having the same sir name as me he is a fantastic prospect. E is on the bench.Wenger must be hearing about the icehammer. Ha haa. Im so exciteddddddddddddd,,,,,.

  13. Shambo, at the moment i think the Portmth could knock 3 past us. We are shocking at the back. Zola and Clark have no idea how to plug the wholes with the players they have. We let in 2.95 goals per game so far this season. That says it all. Do you think Parker and Cole could cut it at the Emirates.

  14. dude i love parker,you know that!cole or kenwyn jones wud be the ideal men for me and wud cut it in any side…jones at the mo wud be better value as cole wud be in demand and maybe wudnt be as good value price wise….u cud get jones for 12mil whereas id say cole wud be significantly more expensive,i see jones as the new ade without the drama or ego and i think hes unsettled at the stadium of light…we need a power house with aerial ability whos proven at PL league level and i think this guy cud be a great option at AWs price range and hes also open to huge improvement as hes still only 24

  15. When if ever do u think Wenger will play Theo as a striker cause im beginning to think he is not cutting it. With most very young players you withess very good spells and later on a dip in form. I know his had more than his share of injuries but his good spells are still to far apart. Its difficult to see any real progress. E showed it for a while after the hatrick for England and the great run against liverpool in champ league but what else since…. Something is amiss somewhere, i just cant put a finger on it. I dont even think he believes in himself enough. Chelsea 1 up already.

  16. I know it’s only 1-1 with half the game to go but the team doesn’t look balanced. Theo is not getting on the ball and has gone missing. As usual Song has to much to do. Wenger looks peed off and will dish out the hairdryer again. Whats up with Fabs. COME ON BOYS

  17. things not looking good, hanging on a bit. End to end. The Spurs winning 2-0 now Defoe. Goal machine. Burnley have let in so many goals this season and are looking comfortable.
    So so so so lucky.

  18. Burnley starting to dominate, looking very physical and too strong for the boys. Arsenal lots of possession but no goals. Need more strength from the boys. Who is on the bench to change it.

  19. Arsenal will never be consistent!!!! how can you go and win at Anfield and then drop points with this team?…this is not fair!

  20. NOT GOOD ENOUGH IM SORRY TO SAY. Liverpool, Spurs, Chelsea all win. How can you expect to win title with such inconsistancy. Andy@Arsenal the Anfield win is but a memory. Unlucky boys back to the drawing board.

  21. wel dudes missed the game was playin 5 aside….wot happened for the pen?its very dissapointing to drop two points havin been ahead,no point dwelling on it,chelsea extend their lead again thanks to a pen and our momemtum is halted…wer going to hav to go on a good sequence of wins now…and the villa game becomes massive
    looking at palacious right now wondering how the boss cud hav overlooked him when he was on trials at the club????him and song would hav been some combo….but now hes steadying the scums ship and puttin in great performances every week makin them tick and ‘look’ like a football team….am sick
    ice as far as theo goes i really dont know mate…i genuinely think AW cud offload him if the price wer right…hes so hit and miss and has never been consistent in his time at the club….hes got talent but he seems half hearted in everything he does that you hav to wonder…hes better than lennon and young yet doesnt go at people or track back the way they do and his end product is often found wanting
    i hope cesc isnt badly injured

  22. A very tough game and one that we struggled to assert ourselves in once Fabregas went off. Burnley have only lost one game at home all season for a reason – they were superb. Given the nature of the game this was a point gained rather than two dropped, we now need to regroup and win at home to Hull. No use dwelling, although the lack of flow was disappointing.

  23. theicehammer: was not fair because you can’t expect a team, to win a massive game at anfield and then drop 2 points with a performance like this, not fair with the fans, well I think maybe it’s because my bad english that I can’t express myself correctly XD

  24. andy,granted burnley hav a great record at turfmoor…we know this,so shud our approach hav been different maybe??i missed the game but from wot iv gathered on tele it sounds like another one of those ‘impotent’ performances that we sometimes conjure up,like when we over pass and lack any pentration or ideas..i know uv said that burnley played very well and iv heard they struck the woodwork twice,but do you find that all too often lesser teams excel against us?are we short on big characters if cesc and arsha and rvp are off????i mean song has been shouldering alot of the work in mid this season,i think we lack balance and fellas concentration is poor when we concede possession- some just seem to drop their intensity when we dont hav the ball.
    andy how did theo do toni and did diaby and vela play?

  25. ha ha ha-iv only just realised i wrote impotence and penetration in the one sentence…..priceless

  26. This was never going to be an easy fixture. Burnley don’t let anyone push them around especially at home. We looked flat and Burnley brought their best. Definitely a point gained but I’d be lying if I said we didn’t see it coming.

    Hull fixture is now massive and they’re going to throw everything they have at us and get stuck in. No time to be frustrated. Just put them in the back of the net lads.

  27. Drop 2 precious points at Turf Moor and now chelsea are 8 points clear above Arsenal. Burnley, had an home advantage.Arsenal’s away record is a bit frustrating.In away, Arsenal have already lost to Man City,Man Utd and sunderland. So Arsenal, you’ll have to win all games to be title contenders.

  28. Arsenal need players like :

    1. Carlton Cole / Ruud Van Nistelrooy
    ( Striker)

    2. Sol Campbell ( Defender )

    3. Sorensen ( Goalkeeper )

  29. Spurs trashed Man City 3-0. Aston Villa are looking vicious for Top four finish. After already beating defending Champions Man Utd and FA Cup holders Chelsea and rotten Liverpool. So Arsenal, be ready to face villa on Dec 26 at The Emirates.

  30. @ shambo – What’s on your mind, heh?

    The performance was very much like Sunderland. A few too many passengers but Burnley made life difficult. We struggled after Cesc went off, perhaps because the midfield roles were not made clear. Not a great night, but we got a point from a game that many others haven’t.

  31. @ Rocking Guns – Relax, relax. No need to talk about signings etc, let’s talk about the game and what we could have done with the players we have. Otherwise it gets very, very boring. And Chelsea aren’t clear by 8 points, we have a game in hand.

  32. yeah hav just seen extended highlights of the game and andy ur spot on,defo a point gained.burnley wer sharper and had a seemingly legitimate goal chalked off for offside and a sylvestre handball that looked inside our box that resulted in a free,we wer very lucky,sylvestre got owned and i hav to ask wot the hell almunia was doing for the dissalowed fletcher effort where it seemed he withdrew his hands and allowed the ball to roll across the 6yard box at 3mph…..very very lucky…this is gonna sound crazy after beatin liverpool on sunday but some of the lads looked very short on confidence.cesc out now for sat wel need some1 other than arsha to stand up and be counted in front of goal…edu is not himself while it appears the manager has little faith in walcott or vela…we need bendtner back and even his haters must admit that,also i think deni was missed toni

  33. Walcott was a major disappointment again.. he shud’ve been taken off earlier, he just didnt show any drive or motivation and he wasnt concentrating at all. I would like to see arsene gamble on some of the youngsters like merida and wilshere, some fresh blood could be good for the team, especially against the smaller teams where we struggle so often against. Almunia also had a nightmare match and the result couldve been a lot worst if burnley kept pressure on him.
    I think we shud sign Luca Toni on loan to fill the RvP void. He’s got the world cup as motivation and is a big strong lad who can bang em in.

  34. No thanks to Luca Toni. Does anyone think Balotelli could be a loan move instead of a buy??? 2 HUGE points lost. I feel horrible about it. Arshavin hit the post that one time… Hope we can stay alive/ they drop some points soon. Chelsea onconvincing again but seems they always get the 3 points even when unconvincing…

  35. We all knew this was going to be a tough away game against a team that has rather a very good home record. We will take a point. This league is really getting to be tougher and tougher every year. Any team can beat any team at any given day. Unless off course you’re Wolves when you go to Old Trafford. How can a guy throws a game and give away 3 points without a fight like that after he went and got a result at White Hart Lane? If this is not luck for ManU, what is?

  36. Andy,that is what Arsenal always do! Why to cheap ah Arsenal? Relax2,cheap2 that is the reason why Arsenal are struggling to win a title.

    Rocking Guns: Carlton Cole?

    Arsenal: No

    Rocking Guns: Sol Campbell?

    Arsenal: No

    Rocking Guns : Why?

    Arsenal : Experiment to players?

    Rocking Guns : For how long?

    Arsenal : I dunno

    Rocking Guns : Anyone?

    Arsenal : I dunno

  37. Iam happy for that resualt.
    and id like see man u in #2position .Asernal is #1 Baclays league

    WE ARE HAPPY AND ASERNAL

  38. Let’s face it, we’re never going to win the league this season, lads. We just haven’t got what it takes. Even Arsene admits it as he said ‘To win the league you have to go to Burnley and win.’ However we’ll be thereabouts and we can enjoy the ride along the way – have fun seeing who we can keep out of the top 4!
    Having said that I think it’s worth noting that manure and the chavs were both playing at home. Next weekend we’re at home and maybe they’re away and have the tougher games.
    I didn’t get to see the game – any signs of improvement from Diaby or were we playing with 10 men again!

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