Two losses are a sobering experience so I doubt our chaps will have piled into the beers and port over Yule. My guess is that they are really raring to go and make the end of the year a positive.
West Brom and Pulis are not exactly the opponents Mr Wenger would have chosen, my guess is that he would have liked to play a Top 4 side but instead we play a team who are punching above their weight, sitting in 8th.
A few stats: We have only lost to WBA once in our last 11 meetings. They have only beaten us once at The Emirates (2010). The last time we played WBA on Boxing day was in 2002, we won 2-1.
The papers seem to be indicating that if we can stop Matt Phillips, we will be OK as he has been involved in 7 goals in 7 games.
Pulis. I have written extensively about this fellow over the years. I am too mellowed out to start again now 🙂 Suffice to say, I don’t like him, his tactics or his cap.
Arsenal: I expect to see the same team start which started at The Etihad. They have to show their poor second half was an isolated occurrence. I am sure there have been post-mortems aplenty.
Given the number of games over the next days there is sure to be rotation but I expect this to happen vs Palace and beyond.
My Team:
Cech
Bellerin Gabriel Koscielny Monreal
Xhaka Coquelin Iwobi
Walcott Sanchez Ozil
We have to win. Not just because we need the points. Such is the Arsenal fanbase that any faltering in our title bid is greeted with angst and opprobrium. Goodness knows how the “supporters” will react to losing at The Emirates. No doubt a chorus of booing and Wenger Outs.
But that won’t happen because we are going to win.
COYRRG
Written by Big Raddy
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
Cheers, BR.
Yep the season is hanging on a knife edge.
Let’s hope the knife is sharp enough to emasculate Poolis. 🙂
Great stuff Erik
Interesting you select the same XI. Assuming Arsene was pissed off with their lack of fight, he had two options. As you reckon, fire a rocket then stick with the First XI, or drop the worst offenders as an example.
I think the Arsene way is your way.
Fact is, shove four back to back wins together, and we’ll be right back in with a shout.
Most defo a must win game, and that suits me. Love that kind of thing. I reckon we’ll thrash them
Excellent, thank you Raddy.
I agree we have to start with the same eleven. I have no idea why the last 2 game developed in the way they did, but I do know that as individuals and as a team we are better than that. I hope our guys have had a rest and recharged physically and mentally. 2017 can still be our year …. but one game at a time eh? 🙂
Personally, I don’t think we need both Coq and Xhak at home to WBA, I’d like to see a more dynamic player linking Coq to Mesut, so I’d try Iwobi there, with Ox left.
Rasp
I reckon the tryers in the team get really pissed off with the part-timers and resentment sets in.
We need to see a tougher, more ruthless, Arsene.
Isn’t Ox injured? Same with Ramsey otherwise I would squeeze AR in somehow.
I would like to see Perez start instead of Iwobi and have a serious attack minded team but AW will be looking for more security.
And what of TFFP?
Don’t know about the Ox, Erik
I expect Gibbs and Elneny to start
Always get nervous for these games
Fred
Arsenal players do not like Boxing Day games. That’s the bit that worries me.
Ok, outside stuff to do.
Great post again BR. And I agree with you on wanting to see a serious attack minded team start. I’d like to see the team that finished against Everton, start against WBA.
Chas, I really liked your last couple of posts on George M.
Good stuff BR
I agree that Wenger will go for the same team to give them and opportunity to put things right.
Who would have thought after the last home game against Stoke that our season would be hanging on a knife edge against West Brom?
Hi Micky, I don’t think Arsene will be changing his approach after all this time 🙂 I’m hoping professional pride will be what drives our players. I like Raddy’s idea of playing Perez. Caution or trying to protect a slim lead would be the wrong way to go. We need to find the precision and fluidity – and for that we need movement – players showing for the ball and getting into positions to give the player in possession options.
That’s quite funny, Allardyce first game and look who starts for pretty much the first time this season —– Flamini
I suppose if it works, it works.
Hi all
Thank you BR as always for the pre-match. I’m having to miss the trip to THOF due to family commitments 😦 😦 😦 Hope the boys remember what they get paid handsomely to do and bag three points. Have to watch later on sky hopefully.
Have a great day all xx
Gibbs and Ollie start
Oh shit
Team to play West Brom: Cech, Bellerin, Gabriel, Koscielny, Gibbs, Coquelin, Xhaka, Sanchez, Ozil, Iwobi, Giroud.
Subs: Ramsey, Lucas Perez, Ospina, Holding, Monreal, Reine-Adelaide, Elneny.
Apologies Ollie. Love ya, but… 😦
Ok, team selection aside, really hope we get a goal inside the first 20 for the sake of those watching.
Nice to see Gibbs start at left back, I prefer his attacking style and I also feel that Monreal leaves far too much space for other teams wingers.
I hope we get two goals early on as we have proved that we are useless at protecting a one goal lead.
Theo:
Been on baby duty?
Sent to Grimsby?
Hung over?
Two goals, yes GN5, much better idea
Sensible for the reason you give, and in fact one may not be enough to draw WBA out and make an entertaining game as at 1-0 they’ll know sneaking an eighty-something minute equalizer might do it
thanks Raddy, good read before the kick off. I wish I elaborated about your feelings towards Pullis, always a joy to savour 🙂
Glad you think we will defo win, I am no longer sure of anything. I bet the players didn’t give a damn about the 2 recent loses and had double helpings of Christmas pudding. I expect to see some fat bastards struggling to run box to box.
Giroud starting is an interesting one, how long will he last on the pitch?
seems like I have time to wash some windows before the game
Have we sold Walcott?
Lets hope so LB, I think we’ve waited long enough for him to come of age.
Blimey, the cash sloshing about in China would make me rethink our transfer policy 🙂
Chas will be having kittens, he hates time wasters. From the opposition of course
Football to slash your wrists too.
Nice summary LB
They need to rethink the rules.
Zero points for a draw
In fact, points for goals only, yeah, one point per goal should sort it out 🙂
With every minute, the sofa here appears to get longer and softer. Yawn
Nothing we haven’t seen before. WBA playing non-football, AFC not finding the key.
Hope for better in the second half
Points for goals is the way forward with a point bias for away goals.
Come on you gunnners
hate these bastards
Ollie darling, score and I’ll….err, be very very nice 🙂
Sanchez takes on 6 baggies
Kison impossible I’m afraid
What’s Kison ☺ mission
Foster playing brilliantly 😦
Yeah, foster made 2 brilliant saves
3 saves.
No, still 2
OGgggggggggggg Get in.
I love the French
Didit!,!! Be nice now
Just checking in and Olly scores, should have checked in earlier I know 😉
Now let’s see WBA waste some time
Utterly gorgeous 🙂
Steady Erik 🙂
Keep passing back and give WBA a dose of their own medicine
Yessss
We deserved the 3 points. Really good in 2nd half.
True Erik, they are a tough nut to crack
Phew, I might go as far as to say that goal kept us in the title race – well done for not giving up. According to the stats we had 79% possession and made 780 passes against their 227
Not trying to cause trouble, but is Theo injured?
Just very unusual for him to not even make the bench
why are you obsessing with feo when we have Ollie??
I was sure they won’t let us score, what shite team that was, bloody Pullis doesn’t improve his style, does he? It was hilarious Foster rushing in the end 🙂 ha bloody ha 🙂
There isn’t much we can say about the game – we tried to play, they tried to stop us playing. The better team won by a superb header from the most handsome footballer in EPL. End of really
didit – now you can tell us what you got/demanded for xmas.
Well, Eddie, it goes like this. January window is close. He’s not listed on AFC as injured and the Oscar move to China left my jaw slack.
When you can now flog a 28+ yr old for £50M and get an impossibly high wage earners off the books, the transfer game changes completely.
Oscar and that bloke from Southampton are earning 300k a bloody week.
Eddie, I am not sure I can tell someone who got window cleaning gear what I got for Christmas. I am only ever unkind to the French, and today, even that stance is softened
I am still curious about Walcott, not being a Twitter person but isn’t it as easy as going onto his Twit and read his latest Tweet which I would imagine explain what the issue was today.
He’s probably got manflu – I can’t see this being about a move away, he’s started more games than ever this season.
LB
Get tweeting. If he’s going out for a Chinese tonight, then we can start the rumours from a solid base 🙂
LB
Just to add flames to my already enormous fire on this rumour of mine, I believe Theo did break the code of silence after the City game
Rasp
It may be like the friends you have that you don’t like. Perhaps Arsene has been wanting to shift him but his wages are the obstacle
ps he would not be top of my to sell list
Just thinking aloud
Okedoke, people coming. Nose to powder
Wishful thinking I reckon Micky, but I agree Theo could be replaced with a player who possesses a more complete skill set 🙂
A little worried about Ozil today. He looked frustrated. I think he needs Ramsey in the team if he can’t have Cazorla.
On the stream I was watching the idiot co-commentator said Arsenal are a one-man team (meaning Sanchez). How can they pay these imbeciles?
Frustrating game but VERY acceptable three points.
The Baggies executed their game plan pretty well but second half they were riding their luck. It would have been an injustice had we not taken the spoils.
I was watching with my (grown up) son who is adamant that the style we play with Ollie in the team renders us toothless against defensively minded opposition. (His theory is basically that OG plays high up the pitch, allowing the opposition to sit back and defend very deep with two banks of four, requiring us to produce something incredible to pick the lock).
Bit too tactical bollixy for a tiny mind like mine, but there you go…
Thanks for the pre-match BR
BR
Regarding Ozil, don’t fall for the pundits’ nonsense about his body language. To me he looked well up for it – made lots of gut-bursting runs and, of course, made the winner.
He’s never going to go crunching into tackles, but I can live with that.
Rocky. I am certainly not saying that Ozil is not up for it, quite the contrary. He was frustrated thanks to his efforts not being rewarded and some players not reading where he wanted to place the ball.
I love the bloke (in a heterosexual way 🙂 )
RL. Perhaps your son should apply for the next AFC manager’s job.
BR
The confidence of youth…
I think both Ozil and Alexis seem frustrated at times in most games when other players are not quite on their wavelength. But they’ve probably experienced that through most of their careers.
I’m bored of not joining in the match chat.
Hi Rocky
I couldn’t agree with your son more and you will see I say the the same thing as yourself about Ozil.
Typical, now everyone disappears.
Oh well of to dinner.
LB. I have removed you comment for tomorrow’s post.
Or perhaps you had other plans for a match report?
Micky, before today’s game the commentator said that Theo had a calf injury.
The referee and linesman did OK today unlike at MC. Makes a difference
micky, you can tell me anything, come on – what did you get for xmas?
Morning All,
I know it is early but we have a post from LB, even though it was not written as such. I will publish soon.
I am working today and have no time to add any pics. Could someone oblige?
Well played Erik.
Does it say the reason we won was down to the introduction of Ramsey? 🙂
It’s funny you should say that Micky. Ramsey was clean through in the 18 yard box and should of scored, he didn’t but the fact was that he was there to miss. On a slightly more serious tone I think those kind of runs would have made a huge difference against Everton and City; he did make a difference when he came on yesterday and should now send Xhaka back to making Swiss cookoo clocks.
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