Arsenal 0 - 0 Manchester City: Boring, Boring City

"I am going to hit you in the head with my own head!" Pic via Guardian.

Arsenal 0

Manchester City 0 

In yesterday's big title implication showdown at the Emirates, we learned a few things. Mainly, that Arsenal are still a little rusty in the finishing department, to a frustrating level, and that Manchester City has no intention of trying to win big matches. Their strategy to win the league seems to be "steal a point against your title rivals and hope you do better against the rest of the pack than they do." Never before has a team in second place tried to win so little.

As expected, Arsenal started with the same XI that played against Chelsea last week and against Birmingham at the weekend, with Fabianski in goal, Sagna, Koscielny, Djourou, and Clichy on the back line, Father Christmas Song and Wilshere in the holding roles, Fabregas in the middle, van Persie up front, and Nasri and Walcott on the wings. Manchester City started with a goalkeeper, Carlos Tevez, and apparently nine defenders.

The first ten minutes of this match were, quite honestly, ridiculous. Jack Wilshere sent a brilliant cross through the face of the goal that Robin van Persie could not quite reach to tap into the gaping net in the second minute. City went the other way and James Milner had a shot twist just wide in the sixth minute (City's best chance of the game, FYI.) Then van Persie hit the post in the eighth minute and Wilshere had a shot saved by Joe Hart in the ninth.

The, things started settling into nothingness for a while. In the 27th, Arsenal hit the post again about ten million times. Actually, it was three, as they hit both posts and the crossbar. Cesc Fabregas pounded a shot that careened off the same post van Persie had hit twenty minutes earlier and the rebound bounced to Theo Walcott, whose shot ricocheted off the other post and then off the crossbar. You should get a point for hitting all three in quick succession like that! Then again, Walcott was ruled offside. Arsenal then became Arsenal again, in that they began passing the ball too many times in the final third while always neglecting to take shots. The match was still, shockingly, scoreless at halftime.

Arsenal continued in the same pattern of missed opportunities in the second half, and by the hour mark, you could tell it was just one of those nights. Arsenal took almost every corner short, as they had no chance of winning a ball in the air in the box. Generally, that led to more Arsenaling before a misplaced pass and loss of possession.

Walcott was removed in the 67th for Andrei Arshavin and the young Englishman was none too pleased about the move. Tactically, this pushed Samir Nasri to the right wing. Then, the puzzling change. In the 81st, Nicklas Bendtner came on, surprisingly instead of Marouane Chamakh. But, that's not the most puzzling part. Bendtner came on for Jack Wilshere, which also isn't surprising, as Arsene Wenger was bringing on a striker for a midfielder as the team was in need for a goal. And then, inexplicably, Bendtner played on the left wing, which meant Arsenal's formation had changed to a 4-1-Nonsense. Arsenal's best chance in the closing minutes came from a Robin van Persie free kick which he fired over the bar.

Both sides ended on ten men.

Things got nasty in the 88th, as Bacary Sagna and Pablo Zabaleta got into an argument on the touchline, both head-butted each other, and both were sent off. Sagna was clearly the aggressor (as such, Zabaleta has appealed the red card and Sagna will not; I hope the appeal is deemed frivolous.) Sagna now faces a three match ban, against the likes of Leeds, Ipswich, and West Ham, three Championship sides (zing!) After this, City made a substitution to take their only offensive player off in exchange for a defensive midfielder. As such, City were booed off the pitch after the match.

In the end, a dreadful match that only serves to please Manchester United, who are suddenly starting to coast ahead in the title race. Someone needs to beat them, and soon. I think their next league game is at Spurs. Ahh, don't make me root for Spurs... Oh God, I'm getting sick just thinking about that match a week from Saturday. Anyway, Arsenal are now four points out of top spot and United has a game in hand, so you should probably think of it as seven. Now it's time to start thinking about the domestic cups for a little bit, and try to forget about what happened yesterday as quickly as you can.

Hipster Gooner Man of the Match: The woodwork behind Joe Hart

Preview: Arsenal v. Manchester City

I've told you before, I'm using this for every City game until he's gone.
Even though I doubt he'll play tomorrow...

Pic via Guardian. I wish the caption was too.

Emirates Stadium, London

Wednesday, January 5

7:45 p.m. GMT, 2:45 p.m. EST

• Referee: Mike Jones
• This Match, Last Year: Arsenal 0 - 0 Manchester City
• Reverse Fixture: Manchester City 0 - 3 Arsenal
• All-Time in All Competitions: 92 Arsenal wins, 45 Manchester City wins, 39 draws
• Arsenal's Recent Form: W-W-L-W-D-W
• Manchester City's Recent Form: W-W-L-W-W-W

Predicted Line-Up

guesses in red

Fabianski

Sagna - Koscielny - Djourou - Clichy

Song - Wilshere

Walcott - Fabregas - Nasri

van Persie

Subs from: Szczesny, Squillaci, Eboue, Denilson, Rosicky, Arshavin, Chamakh

Out: Diaby (calf), Gibbs (ankle), Almunia (ankle), Vermaelen (Achilles)

Arsenal News and Notes

• No reason to change the predicted side from the XI that starting against Chelsea last Monday and Birmingham on Saturday; there are no fresh injuries to the team.
• Kieran Gibbs might return to training today; his earliest shot at a return would be Saturday in the FA Cup against Leeds.
• Manuel Almunia: pretty much free to leave.
• Does anybody know why Marouane Chamakh wasn't on the bench on Saturday? I haven't heard a thing.
• Aaron Ramsey has returned from his loan spell at Nottingham Forest. He completed 90 minutes yesterday for the first time since his injury. Forest beat Ipswich Town 1-0.
• Arsenal are unbeaten in their last three matches. Their last unbeaten run of four came at the end of October.
• Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 21 league matches in which Johan Djourou has played and have won 14 straight of those. His last appearance in a league loss, however, was to Manchester City.

Manchester City News and Notes

• Attacking threats David Silva and Mario Balotelli will both miss the match with knee injuries. The former might be out for two weeks. The latter won't get the chance to learn who Jack Wilshere is.
• Emmanuel Adebayor, possibly short for this match with a heel injury, got into a training ground scuffle with fellow former Gunner Kolo Toure. It was Patrick Vieira who broke it up. Isn't that hilarious? You can't make that up.
• City have agreed to a transfer fee for Edin Dzeko from Wolfsburg. All of that paperwork won't go through before this one, though. I also believe they are close to buying the entire planet Earth as well.
• City have won five of their last six matches; only United are on better form in the league, which I honestly hope isn't true after today, though it makes me feel dirty to root for Stoke.

Match Facts

• It might be hard to use as a barometer, thanks to Dedryck Boyata's 5th minute red card, but Arsenal controlled the reverse fixture against 10-man City, winning 3-0 at Eastlands. Samir Nasri had the opener and Cesc Fabregas missed a penalty before half time, then Alex Song and Nicklas Bendtner closed the scoring in the second.
  
• This match last year was a dreadfully uninteresting 0-0 draw. The best part was when Patrick Vieira was subbed off for Emmanuel Adebayor and the chorus of praise turned instantly to boos as they passed each other.
• Manchester City has not actually won at Arsenal since a 3-2 win on October 4, 1975. They have drawn seven matches in North London since. Then again, City's a much different team now.

The Referee

• The referee is Chester-based Mike Jones.
• Jones has taken charge of two Arsenal wins at the Emirates this year: the 6-0 win over Blackpool and the 1-0 win over West Ham.
• He has taken charge of only one Manchester City match, a 0-0 draw with Birmingham at Eastlands in November.
• In his 19 matches this season (15 Premier League, 2 League Cup, 2 Championship,) he has shown 69 yellow cards and 2 red cards, including one to Ian Evatt of Blackpool for a last man foul on Marouane Chamakh at the Emirates.

Around the League

• Today: Blackpool v. Birmingham City; Bloomfield Road, Blackpool
• Today: Fulham v. West Bromwich Albion; Craven Cottage, London
• Today: Manchester United v. Stoke City; Old Trafford, Manchester
• Wednesday: Aston Villa v. Sunderland; Villa Park, Birmingham
• Wednesday: Newcastle United v. West Ham United; St. James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
• Wednesday: Wolverhampton Wanderers v. Chelsea; Molineux, Wolverhampton
• Wednesday: Blackburn Rovers v. Liverpool; Ewood Park, Blackburn
• Wednesday: Bolton Wanderers v. Wigan Athletic; Reebok Stadium, Bolton
• Wednesday: Everton v. Tottenham Hotspur; Goodison Park, Liverpool

Manchester City 0 - 3 Arsenal: Class Over Cash

Roar. Pic via Daily Mail.

Manchester City 0

Arsenal 3: Nasri 21, Song 66, Bendtner 88

Well, that was satisfying, wasn't it? There's been a lot of talk from the pundits about Arsenal's recent inability to pick up three points in big games. Against the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, and Manchester United, the Gunners picked up just one point from a possible eighteen last year. After the loss at Stamford Bridge earlier this month, the questions of whether this team is ready to challenge for a title came up yet again. Did yesterday answer that question? Read on...

Arsenal made two changes from the side that beat Shakhtar Donetsk in midweek: Andrei Arshavin returned to his usual spot on the wing as Tomas Rosicky dropped back to the bench and Denilson started in midfield, replacing the banned Jack Wilshere, serving the first game of his three match ban.

Things started nervously for Arsenal as Carlos Tevez sent a cross into the box in the second minute that found the backheel of David Silva and appeared to be destined for the corner of the goal, but Lukasz Fabianski made a diving reflex save to prevent a fast City start. Then, things went south for City, as in the fifth minute, a through ball sent Marouane Chamakh ahead of the defense and the young defender Dedryck Boyata hauled him down. Boyata was the last defender and that's a red card every day. City would be on ten men for 85 minutes. Arsenal, perhaps unsurprisingly, did nothing with the free kick.

The man advantage gave Arsenal the lion's share of possession, but they had nothing for it until the 21st minute except a handful of yellow cards, as the game was getting a bit chippy and out of hand. Then, a one-two between Andrei Arshavin and Samir Nasri sent the Frenchman clear in on goal and Joe Hart was left helpless as Nasri fired a brilliant shot into the top of the net, to put the Gunners up 1-0.

Arsenal led through the first half, but it never felt comfortable, as it always seemed City could draw level on any given rush. An opportunity was presented for Arsenal to score a second goal late in the half, as Vincent Kompany took down Cesc Fabregas in the area, giving the Gunners a penalty. Hart, however, saved the penalty to keep it a one goal match, and while it was great save, it was also a poorly taken penalty in that Fabregas telegraphed where his shot was going with the way his body was turned. Arsenal's lead was still just one at halftime.

A lot of credit has to go to Manchester City for not rolling over into a defensive shell once they were on ten men, especially considering this is a side that has played three defensive midfielders in a 4-5-1 against big clubs in the past. Instead of dropping back into a 4-4-1, City actually played more of a 4-3-2 for the duration of the match. As a result, as mentioned above, City's attack always looked like it could still be lethal at any given moment, especially at the start of the second half. The game was, therefore, to hang on until City fatigued, then pull away.

After twenty nervy minutes of chances, which also saw the introduction of Emmanuel Adebayor for a knackered Carlos Tevez (by the way, who didn't love it when Alex Song pulled Ade's hat off and tossed it to the ground?), Arsenal finally got the breathing room they needed. A Fabegas pass intended for Chamakh was blocked by halftime substitute/left back/cuckold Wayne Bridge, but not cleared, and it ended on the toe of the aforementioned Song, who fired it into the corner of the goal. 2-0, twenty minutes to play, against ten men, and everything was looking rosy.

Rosicky, Theo Walcott, and Nicklas Bendtner got in the action during the later stages of the game and the big Dane got his first goal of the season as well in the 88th. Samir Nasri did a brilliant job keeping the ball from rolling into touch for a throw-in and City stopped for just a second, thinking the ball was out, allowing Nasri to send the through ball to Bendtner, just onside, who powered a low shot past the outrushing Hart. Three-nil to the good.

City tried desperately to get on the score sheet, but Adebayor missed a simple header from six yards out in the 90th, then Fabianski brilliantly saved a hard shot from Jerome Boateng in the 91st. Fabianski had yet another solid game in goal, made a number of critical saves at crucial times, and earned his second straight clean sheet against Manchester City, and Arsenal's first away from home in nine months.

So, did this match answer the question of Arsenal's preparedness to challenge for the title. I'd say yes, though plenty will likely say no based on the red card. The biggest reason I say yes is because the confidence is starting to return and build. The monkey of not winning big games is finally coming off the Gunners' backs. The talent is there and working together as a well oiled machine; just think of Arsenal's depth in that they could bring players like Rosicky, Walcott, and Bendtner off the bench even with Wilshere suspended. The defense is a little shaky, but they're still the part of the squad hardest hit by injuries.

Three huge points; this team could really springboard from a win like that.

Preview: Manchester City v. Arsenal

I'm using this every time Arsenal plays City.

Pic via Guardian; caption mine, naturally.

City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester

Sunday, October 24

16:00 BST, 11:00 a.m. EDT

• Referee: Mark Clattenburg
• This Match, Last Year: Manchester City 4 - 2 Arsenal
• All-Time in All Competitions: 91 Arsenal wins, 45 Manchester City wins, 39 draws
• Arsenal's League Form: W-W-D-L-L-W
• Manchester City's League Form: L-D-W-W-W-W

Predicted Line-Up

guesses in red

Fabianski

Sagna - Djourou - Squillaci - Clichy

Song - Diaby

Walcott - Fabregas - Nasri

Chamakh

Subs from: Szczesny, Eboue, Gibbs, Denilson, Rosicky, Arshavin, Bendtner
Suspended: Wilshere (first of three, violent conduct)
Out: Koscielny (back), Almunia (elbow), Vermaelen (Achilles), Van Persie (ankle), Ramsey (broken leg)


Arsenal News and Notes

• Bacary Sagna will return from a thigh injury; while Arsene Wenger doesn't usually like to start players coming off injury, Arsenal are a bit light at the back, so it would not be a surprise to see the blond braids starting at right back.
• Laurent Koscielny is probably still out with his mysterious back injury, which he picked up in training. Arsene Wenger puts him at 20%.
• Manuel Almunia is still out with his elbow injury and probably won't return until Fabianski's next blunder. Then again, arm injuries need to be fully healed for a goalkeeper to return.
• Thomas Vermaelen seems like he'll never play again given his rate of recovery. Van Persie and Ramsey will be back next month.
• January 17th's 2-0 win at Bolton: The last time Arsenal won while keeping a clean sheet on the road AND the last time Arsenal won a fixture that was moved to Sunday for British television.
• Their 0-0 draw at Aston Villa two weeks later was the last time Arsenal didn't concede in any match on the road. They have conceded goals in 15 consecutive away fixtures across all competitions. 
• In terms of matches moved to Sunday, Arsenal have lost five and drawn one of out the six since the Bolton away win. The 4-0 win against Fulham doesn't count here since all matches were played simultaneously and the match wasn't moved to be televised (i.e. a big game.)

Manchester City News and Notes

• Former Gunner Kolo Toure has been out of the last two matches with a persistent hamstring injury.
• Jo picked up an ankle injury in training, but came off the bench anyway today...
• City won its Europa League group match against Lech Poznan today 3-1. A former Arsenal player who shall remain nameless had a hat trick.
• Mario Balotelli (knee) and Aleksandar Kolarov (ankle) might be fit to play, both huge surprises.
• City did not lose a league fixture at home until March of last year, but their loss to Spurs in their final home game of the season denied them Champions League qualification.
• Blackburn Rovers are the only league team to take a point from Eastlands this year. Juventus took a point there in the Europa League.
• City have lost only two of 14 competitive fixtures this year. Then again, Arsenal have only lost two of 12. The difference is that one of City's losses was in the Carling Cup and the other came only through a late penalty at Sunderland.
• Joe Hart has only conceded two goals at home in league play this year, in four matches.

Match Facts

• Arsenal have lost three straight trips to Eastlands; twice in the league and once in the Carling Cup last year. Then again, City played their entire line-up against Arsenal's reserves in that one.
• The Gunners last win at Eastlands was 3-1 on February 2, 2008. The aforementioned player who shall remain nameless had a brace for the correct team in that one.
• This fixture last year was a 4-2 Arsenal loss in early September. The reverse fixture was a dreadful scoreless draw in late April.

The Referee

• The referee is Mark Clattenburg.
• Clattenburg was the referee for this fixture last year. How did Adebayor not get sent off for both running the length of the pitch like an attention AND kicking van Persie in the face?
• Also, he officiated both North London derbies last year. I remember one of those going well.
• Hey, remember that 36 match streak when Arsenal was only awarded one penalty because Eduardo destroyed the sanctity of football by diving, or something? Well, Mark Clattenburg was the only referee to award Arsenal a penalty during that streak. Cesc Fabregas took the shot and it was saved. Arsenal beat Stoke 2-0 at the Emirates anyway.
• Why do I have so much to say about this guy? He also worked Arsenal's FA Cup over West Ham.
• For City, he worked a 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers earlier this year.
• Last year, in addition to the win over Arsenal, Clattenburg refereed a 3-3 draw with Bolton, a 1-1 draw with Stoke, and a 3-1 win over Aston Villa for City.

Around the League

• Saturday: Tottenham Hotspur v. Everton; White Hart Lane, London
• Saturday: Birmingham City v. Blackpool; St. Andrew's, Birmingham
• Saturday: Chelsea v. Wolverhampton Wanderers; Stamford Bridge, London
• Saturday: Sunderland v. Aston Villa; Stadium of Light, Sunderland
• Saturday: West Bromwich Albion v. Fulham; The Hawthorns, West Bromwich
• Saturday: Wigan Athletic v. Bolton Wanderers; DW Stadium, Wigan
• Saturday: West Ham United v. Newcastle United; Boleyn Ground, London
• Sunday: Stoke City v. Manchester United; Britannia Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent
• Sunday: Liverpool v. Blackburn Rovers; Anfield, Liverpool

News Roundup 8/9/10 - The Idiots Keep Talking Edition

Twitchy, one of his forwards, and some a-hole from Barça all have things to say today. Pic via The Sun.

• We'll start with news though: A Daily Mirror exclusive links the Gunners with a possible loan move for Manchester City's Shay Given, since the Irishman is about to lose the #1 job at Eastlands to Joe Hart. While amazing if it happens, and slightly more plausible than the Pepe Reina rumor on Saturday, I honestly don't think City is stupid enough to give a rival one of their two talented keepers. But who knows, they could be... [Daily Mirror]
• Jermain Defoe honestly thinks Tottenham Hotspur can do better than Arsenal in European competition. Look, I don't want to get into the whole UEFA coefficient thing in detail, but Spurs are pretty much guaranteed to have a more difficult path to get out of the group stage than Arsenal will. [ESPN Soccernet]
• Harry Redknapp is totally flabbergasted that Fabio Capello called up three Arsenal players for England's friendly with Hungary on Wednesday who were not originally chosen for South Africa. He jokes that since Jack Wilshere was called up without a Premier League start in his career, Arsenal must be better than the English team. Despite his intentions, he's right. [Daily Mail]
• Did you think that the Cesc Fabregas saga was over? You're wrong! Because the media is still talking to Xavi! Today's gem: "Maybe he'll come in January when Arsenal are out of the Premier League title race. Their team is just not competitive." Hilarious delusion: appearing daily out of the Nou Camp. [The Sun]
• Blond-braided right back Bacary Sagna likes the idea of signing Emir Spahic for cover at center back. At least someone does. [Daily Mail]
• Reports are that Hull City has won the race to sign "excess to requirements" forward Jay Simpson. I'll never forget that brace he had against Barnet last month. [Daily Mirror]
• Did you like all of those goals on Saturday? Well, the Arsenal Ladies won their friendly yesterday 14-0. No mercy! [Arsenal.com]
• An idiotic round of useless international friendlies which is sure to set back Arsenal's training about three weeks or so begins tomorrow.
• Programming notes: We'll talk about those friendlies a bit tomorrow, have a last look back at last season on Wednesday, a look forward to this season as a whole on Thursday, and our preview of the first match at Liverpool on Friday.

Arsenal 0 - 0 Manchester City: Pippi Longstocking

Emmanuel Adebayor was all smiles quite often in his return to the Emirates. Pic via City Newspaper.

Arsenal 0

Manchester City 0

Everybody had the feeling that this was going to be a tumultuous affair. Emmanuel Adebayor was probably going to do something stupid, especially if he, God forbid, scored a goal, and emotions would be running high as Arsenal looked to lock up third place and City looked to move back into fourth. Likely, this would be a high scoring encounter, as both sides are a bit shaky on defense.

And then absolutely none of that happened.

The most interesting thing to talk about in this match was, of course, Emmanuel Adebayor's pigtailed hair and orange boots. As for the rest, here are the highlights:

• There were six shots on target combined between the teams. I remember one of them, Nasri's in the first half.
• Van Persie's free kick that just went wide was kind of crushing. Watching the instant replay was depressing, seeing how close it was to 1-0.
• City did nothing offensively all game. Like, at all. Which was great, given Fabianski's track record in goal.
• I thought Silvestre played really well. No, seriously.
• You know, if you're not going to even try to utilize his height in the box, why even use Bendtner as a lone striker and drop Van Persie back?
• It was definitely a lot more comfortable to watch this match knowing Alex Song was back and in control of the holding role.
• Shay Given's injury is really bad news for City. I enjoyed that the back-up keeper was named Gunnar. I thought that would help us. It didn't, really.

That's really about it. Every recap you will see of this match will use the word "boring." Anyway, two matches to play and the odds of not finishing in third are, I believe, less than 1%. It would be nice to lock it up next Monday at Blackburn, but it really does seem like they're just coasting to the finish line now.

Preview: Arsenal v. Manchester City

Pic via Guardian. Caption mine, naturally.

Emirates Stadium, London

Saturday, April 24

17:30 BST, 12:30 p.m. EDT

• Referee: Mike Dean
• This Match, Last Year: Arsenal 2 - 0 Manchester City
• All-Time in All Competitions: 91 Arsenal wins, 45 Manchester City wins, 38 draws
• Arsenal's Recent Form: W-W-D-W-L-L
• Manchester City's Recent Form: W-L-W-W-W-L

Predicted Line-Up

guesses italicized

Fabianski

Sagna - Campbell - Silvestre - Clichy

Rosicky - Song - Diaby

Nasri - Bendtner - Van Persie

Subs from: Mannone, Traore, Eastmond, Merida, Eboue, Eduardo, Walcott

Out: Denilson (groin), Almunia (wrist), Arshavin (calf), Vermaelen (calf), Fabregas (leg), Gallas (calf), Ramsey (leg), Gibbs (foot), Djourou (knee)

Arsenal News and Notes

• Andrei Arshavin expected to return from his calf injury for this match, but Wednesday suffered a setback in training and has now been ruled out.
• Alex Song could return to the line-up, but that's it. Manuel Almunia is still out with a wrist injury and Denilson is still out with a tight groin.
• In terms of long term injuries, Vermaelen, Fabregas, Gallas, Ramsey, and Gibbs all remain out for the year. Johan Djourou has a slim chance of returning before season's end.
• An Arsenal win, coupled with a Spurs loss at Old Trafford earlier in the day, will clinch at least a third place finish for the Gunners, and automatic qualification to the group stage of the 2010-11 Champions League.
• Arsenal have now picked up four points out of a possible 12 in their last four Premier League matches, including a draw at Birmingham and losses at Tottenham and Wigan.
• Across all competitions, Arsenal have won one match over their last six. They have lost three straight.

Manchester City News and Notes

• Micah Richards could return from a knee injury, while former Gunner Sylvinho could return from a calf problem as well.
• Joleon Lescott likely remains out with a hamstring injury while Michael Johnson and Martin Petrov are both out for the season with knee injuries.
• Before their 1-0 derby loss to Manchester United last weekend, City had won three straight matches by the combined score of 14-2.
• City are unbeaten in their last five away fixtures in the league. Their last loss away from home came in shocking fashion at Hull City, 2-1, in February. They did lose in extra time at Stoke in the FA Cup since then.

Match Facts

• Manchester City has won both prior meetings with Arsenal this season, both matches in Manchester. City won 4-2 in league play in September and 3-0 against a weakened Arsenal side in the League Cup quarterfinal in December.
• Arsenal defeated City 2-0 at the Emirates last season, but it was Emmanuel Adebayor who had the brace.
• Manchester City has not actually won at Arsenal since a 3-2 win on October 4, 1975. They have drawn six matches in North London since.
• The referee is Mike Dean, who has worked nothing but disastrous games for Arsenal this season, including the 2-1 loss at Old Trafford, the 1-1 draw at Burnley's Turf Moor, and the 2-0 loss at Stamford Bridge.
• City, however, has not lost a match officiated by Dean this year, winning against Blackburn, Chelsea, and Manchester United in the home leg of the League Cup semifinal. They've also drawn against Aston Villa and Birmingham City with Mike Dean as the referee.

Around the League

• Saturday: Manchester United v. Tottenham Hotspur; Old Trafford, Manchester 
• Saturday: Bolton Wanderers v. Portsmouth; Reebok Stadium, Bolton
• Saturday: Hull City v. Sunderland; KC Stadium, Kingston-upon-Hull
• Saturday: West Ham United v. Wigan Athletic; Boleyn Ground at Upton Park, London
• Saturday: Wolverhampton Wanderers v. Blackburn Rovers; Molineux, Wolverhampton
• Sunday: Aston Villa v. Birmingham City; Villa Park, Birmingham
• Sunday: Burnley v. Liverpool; Turf Moor, Burnley
• Sunday: Everton v. Fulham; Goodison Park, Liverpool
• Sunday: Chelsea v. Stoke City; Stamford Bridge, London 

News Roundup 3/25/10 - The Arsene Wenger Is Very Disappointed in the Media Edition

Sol Campbell is a fan of Hipster Gooner, says the Hipster Gooner staff interpretation of this photo. Pic via Arsenal.com.

• First of all, that thing about Andrei Arshavin yesterday, where he said Arsenal did not have enough players to win the title, was apparently from an interview in November, shortly after van Persie's injury. Good job, media for screwing with us. [Arsenal.com]
• Yesterday, The Mirror said Arsenal was making progress on William Gallas's contract situation. Arsene Wenger says the contract talks are actually on hold. Wow. Not even close, Mirror. [Arsenal.com]
• Arsene Wenger answers that question that has been bothering me all week about the center back position on Satuday. It will be Sol Campbell, because why prepare for the Barcelona on Wednesday when we play Birmingham on Saturday? Arsene Wenger is very disappointed in me. At least the site calls the suggestion of holding Campbell "a valid proposal," now I feel a little better. [Arsenal.com]
• Speaking of Sol Campbell, he's doing exactly what a veteran leader should do, rallying around the younger players on the squad to make sure they deliver silverware and not just pretty football. And if they don't, he will kick their asses. [Guardian]
• Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger is preparing to be cautious over the returns from injury of Robin van Persie and William Gallas. Seriously, just having them on the pitch again would be wonderful. [ESPN Soccernet]
• The Daily Mirror says that Nicklas Bendtner is highly doubtful for Saturday's trip to Birmingham with a twisted ankle... [Daily Mirror]
• ...but Arsene Wenger says no, he "should be OK." Once again media, stop jerking us around here. [Arsenal.com]
• If you haven't heard yet, Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini shoved Everton manager David Moyes during second half stoppage time of the Toffees 2-0 win at Eastlands yesterday. Arsene Wenger believed the incident proves that managers are "human – and that we care." This disproves my "Arsene Wenger is a kick-ass robot from the future" theory... or does it? [Guardian]

LIVEBLOG: Will Wayne Bridge shake John Terry's hand?

While most of you New York-based Gooners are sleeping, Jack and I skipped a Saturday lie-in and brunch to race to the pub and bring you the big news first:

WILL WAYNE BRIDGE SHAKE JOHN TERRY'S HAND?!?!

That's right, straight from the pages of the Sun and the Guardian liveblog, it's the question of the day. In one corner, Wayne Bridge, Man City player and former teammate of Terry, whose ex-girlfriend and baby mama very nearly made babies with Terry, and who has given up a very likely chance to play for England over the whole debacle. In the other corner, sneering John Terry, Chelsea player who cheated on his wife with Terry's ex and reportedly refused to apologize; members of his camp have been calling Bridge a "bottler" for quitting England after Terry's captaincy had already been rescinded by Capello.

The teams are warming up now (aka rolling around on the pitch.) WHAT WILL HAPPEN?

UPDATE: NO!!!!

THE BEST BLANKING IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND!!!

Video to come, of course, to brighten your snowy Saturday.

VIDEO UPDATE:

News Roundup 1/11/10 - The Tom Vermaelen Will Destroy You Edition

Oh, he was still with Ajax then. That makes more sense. Pic via Gunnerblog.

• After yesterday's "Optimist Twist," Arsenal center-back and bad ass Tom Vermaelen gives us the pessimist twist, telling the BBC, "We are still there [in the title race]. We remain in the top three and we have to be confident in our next few games. ... OK, we were not so good in the first half, we could not play our game and we conceded two stupid goals." Basically, he means, "if we play like that again, it's all over, and I will personally punch you all in the face." [Guardian]
• From that same Guardian article: No news on Denilson yet, though he insists he'll be ready for Bolton on Sunday. Fabregas is set to return from his hamstring problem as well.
• Arsene Wenger is very disappointed in the lack of progress on Fran Merida's contract negotiations. Oh, and you, of course. [Arsenal.com]
• Africa Cup of Nations Update: Despite a few opportunities, Emmanuel Eboue and the rest of the Ivory Coast squad were held scoreless in a frustrating match against Burkina Faso. [FIFA]
• No 700-year-old former Gunner Patrick Vieira for Manchester City as they host Blackburn Rovers in like 10 minutes. He's out with a calf injury. His mobility scooter is also broken. [Guardian]