Arsenal 3 - 0 Wigan Athletic: He Comes from Rotterdam

I wish they threw hats on the field, like in hockey. Pic via Daily Mail.

Arsenal 3: van Persie 21, 58, 85

Wigan Athletic 0

Due to some of the performances we've seen from this team this season, it always feels like it's a question of "which Arsenal team is going to show up this time?" Then again, this is probably the first time all season that the Gunners have a starting XI that are clicking as a unit and are playing a fantastic run of football. It's a run of form that you hope lasts forever, like something you're really careful around so as to not ruin it. On Saturday, Arsenal continued their dominant run of form with a one-sided thrashing of Wigan Athletic that could not have been more satisfying. And thanks to City's loss at Villa, Arsenal slip back up into second place, though they remain still two points back and a game behind.

It was Arsenal's A Team outfield ten that were at it again in this match. Wojciech Szczeny continued his run in goal over the injured Lukasz Fabianski. The outfield ten were the same as they have been for five of the last six Premier League matches, with Sagna and Clichy at full back, Koscielny and Djourou at center back, Song and Wilshere in the middle, Fabregas as the playmaker, Nasri on the left wing, Walcott on the right, and van Persie up top.

For the record, I'd like this side to start Tuesday too, in the League Cup semi-final second leg, because it's a must win. If Arsene Wenger wants to rotate, do it Sunday against Huddersfield Town. That's wishful thinking though, I'm sure there'll be some changes on Tuesday. I just hope it's no more than three or four.

Arsenal were flying from the start and Wigan had no answer for Arsenal's control of the ball in midfield. They did, however, have an answer in goal for all of Arsenal's early pressure in Ali Al-Habsi. The Omani goalkeeper, on loan from Bolton, was brilliant in keeping Arsenal off the board in the early going, making a few world class saves to keep a clean sheet going through twenty minutes. Al-Habsi made save after save against the likes of Fabregas, van Persie, Walcott, and Nasri that it started to feel like the draw with City did earlier this month. Waste too many chances and you could find yourself playing out a frustrating 0-0.

But, in the 21st minute, Arsenal got on the board after the Dutchman broke Wigan's offside trap and proceeded forward one-on-one with Al-Habsi, then pounded a left footed shot through the goalkeeper's legs. Arsenal deserved the goal and it had been coming. They just could not get a second before halftime. The most frustrating moment came with Walcott clear through on goal before he elected to pass it off to Fabregas instead of shooting, giving Wigan's defense just enough time to track back and tackle the Spaniard to win the ball back.

We at the pub talked at halftime about the obviousness of needing that second goal, pretty much deciding that if it didn't come by the 50th or 55th minute, the match would stay a little too nerve wracking. We've seen Wigan pull back goals against us before quite late in matches, and recently to boot. And when Wigan came out for the second half, making two substitutions, it looked like they might have had an equalizer in them. Maybe for about ten minutes... In the 58th, Arsenal scored that second goal, and boy, was it a brilliant one. Cesc Fabregas floated an over the top ball into the box which was met clinically by the left boot of van Persie, who thundered a volley into the roof of the net. Absolute top class goal and Arsenal had their second just before the hour mark.

Now, it was time to start thinking about getting RVP his first hat trick in England. He had scored twice in matches nine times, but the hat trick had always eluded hime. It finally looked like it was coming when Gary Caldwell conceded a penalty by taking down Fabregas in the box in the 69th, being sent off for a professional foul in the process. Wigan claimed the call was harsh and that Fabregas dived; I thought there was contact, but it wasn't a clear cut call. van Persie stepped up for the spot kick, with the perfect chance to pick up the hat trick, then fired it high over the bar and into Row Z.

We then joked, "he just wants to score a fancier goal for the hat trick later." Then, he pretty much did. The hat trick finally came for van Persie in the 85th. Fabregas's through ball found Theo Walcott, who possessed around the goalkeeper for just long enough to allow van Persie the chance to fire it home with his right foot. Hat trick complete. Three-nil to the Arsenal.

Since their loss at Ipswich, Arsenal have scored three goals in each of their last three matches, and Robin van Persie has scored six of those nine goals. Arsenal have kept four straight clean sheets in league play. An in-form van Persie playing in front of an in-form Cesc Fabregas is a dream situation for Arsenal to be in, the type that is starting to look like it can bring glory back to the good, red parts of North London very soon.

On that note, this team is a goal down, but 90 minutes away from a Wembley final. Ipswich may want to park the bus in front of the goal and sit on that lead, but there's a difference between Ipswich parking the bus and a side like Manchester City parking the bus. With the right, in-form line-up on the pitch Tuesday, Arsenal should have the creativity, quality, and skill to force that bus into a number of defensive errors. This team is so close to getting somewhere, they just can't start to falter again. I can't wait until the day I'm finally capable of setting those doubts aside in my mind.

Hipster Gooner Man of the Match: Robin van Persie

Preview: Arsenal v. Wigan Athletic

Arsenal has played Wigan so much in the past two months, I've exhausted the pictures to use.
So, here's Gunnersaurus. Enjoy! Free use image via Wikipedia.

Emirates Stadium, London

Saturday, January 22

3:00 p.m. GMT, 10:00 a.m. EST

• Referee: Kevin Friend
• This Match, Last Year: Arsenal 4 - 0 Wigan
• Reverse Fixture: Wigan 2 - 2 Arsenal
• All-Time in All Competitions: 11 Arsenal wins, 2 Wigan wins, 2 draws
• Arsenal's Recent Form: L-W-D-W-D-W
• Wigan's Recent Form: D-W-D-L-D-D

Predicted Line-Up

guesses in red

Szczesny

Sagna - Koscielny - Djourou - Clichy

Song - Wilshere

Walcott - Fabregas - Nasri

van Persie

Subs from: Shea, Gibbs, Eboue, Denilson, Arshavin, Bendtner, Chamakh

Out: Fabianski (shoulder), Squillaci (hamstring), Diaby (calf), Almunia (ankle), Vermaelen (Achilles)

Arsenal News and Notes

• With no new injuries to the main starting XI, why assume there'll be changes? Though, I'm not positive how many times Arsene Wenger will keep starting Johan Djourou consecutively.
• Denilson (hip) and Marouane Chamakh (knee) picked up knocks in the midweek win at Leeds, but are expected to recover for Saturday.
• Abou Diaby and Sebastien Squillaci remain a week away from returning from their respective injuries.
• Apparently, Lukasz Fabianski's shoulder injury now "requires patience." I'm thus far quite satisfied with Wojciech Szczesny's deputizing, aren't you?
• Thomas Vermaelen will return in six weeks, after a procedure to remove an injured tendon that apparently some people don't even have, or something.
• Manuel Almunia? Anybody?
• Arsenal have won two straight and have lost once in their last eight across all competitions; they are unbeaten in five in the league, with two draws.
• Arsenal have not lost at home since that early morning we're not going to speak about again.

Wigan News and Notes

• Victor Moses has returned to training as of yesterday, but will not be back until next month. Moses injured his shoulder in the Carling Cup against Arsenal.
• Wigan will likely be without Tom Cleverley (hamstring) and Franco Di Santo (ankle) as well.
• Despite facing a battle against relegation, Wigan Athletic under Roberto Martinez is not the type of side that plays negative football. Wigan tends to play a strict 4-5-1 formation with Hugo Rodallega as the center forward.
• Wigan, like Arsenal have only lost once in their last eight competitive fixtures, but they have drawn five of them. Their only loss in this stretch was a 1-0 home defeat to Newcastle.
• Wigan is even on points with Aston Villa, but sit in 18th place, and thus, the drop zone, because the Latics have scored five fewer goals. They are even on points and goal difference.

Match Facts

• Wigan have never picked up a point at the Emirates, but they did knock Arsenal out of the Carling Cup in 2006 on away goals, despite losing the match itself.
• In late November, Arsenal beat Wigan 2-0 at the Emirates to knock the Latics out of the Carling Cup. Antolin Alcaraz gave Arsenal an own goal before Nicklas Bendtner sealed the win.
• Wigan used a late equalizer from a Squillaci own goal to steal a point from Arsenal at the DW Stadium in late December. Arshavin and Bendtner had Arsenal's goals.
• Last year, Arsenal beat Wigan 4-0 in league play at home. Vermaelen had a brace; Eduardo and Cesc Fabregas scored the others.

The Referee

• The referee is Leicestershire-based Kevin Friend.
• Last season was Friend's first in the top flight. He has split his time between the Premier League and Championship this year.
• This is the first time Friend will take charge of an Arsenal match. He is the third official to work his first Arsenal match this year after Stuart Atwell (4-1 win vs. Bolton) and Michael Oliver (3-2 loss to West Brom.)
• For Wigan, Friend has taken charge of their 2-0 win over Swansea in the League Cup, and their 2-1 loss at Blackburn in the league.
• In 19 games this year (8 Premier League, 8 Championship, 2 FA Cup, 1 League Cup,) Friend has shown 61 yellow cards and 3 red cards.

Around the League

• These are the reverse fixtures of those played December 28-29.
• Saturday: Wolverhampton Wanderers v. Liverpool; Molineux, Wolverhampton
• Saturday: Blackpool v. Sunderland; Bloomfield Road, Blackpool
• Saturday: Everton v. West Ham United; Goodison Park, Liverpool
• Saturday: Fulham v. Stoke City; Craven Cottage, London
• Saturday: Manchester United v. Birmingham City; Old Trafford, Manchester
• Saturday: Newcastle United v. Tottenham Hotspur; St. James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
• Saturday: Aston Villa v. Manchester City; Villa Park, Birmingham
• Sunday: Blackburn Rovers v. West Bromwich Albion; Ewood Park, Blackburn
• Monday: Bolton Wanderers v. Chelsea; Reebok Stadium, Bolton

What Is Your Starting XI at Ipswich on Wednesday?

In for the banned Sagna, Emmanuel Eboue is one of the only obvious selections.

Pic via This is Futbol.

Rotation, rotation, rotation. We've talked about it a lot lately and with Arsenal competing on three domestic fronts in the month of January, we're going to be talking about it a lot more this week. Arsenal's 1-1 draw with Leeds on Saturday added one more match to the fixture list, with very little break in between each match.

We've also noticed since the festive period a clear line between Arsenal's usual starting squad and the squad of bench players who start when Arsene Wenger determines the need to rotate. The A Team started three of the four league fixtures during the holiday period, while the B Team started at Wigan and against Leeds (both draws.)

The A Team has established itself as: Fabianski; Sagna, Koscielny, Djourou, Clichy; Song, Wilshere; Fabregas, Nasri, Walcott; and van Persie.

The B Team isn't quite a full XI on its own and usually requires about two players from the A Team to overlap, thanks to injuries to Diaby and Vermaelen. Reports indicate that Squillaci picked up a hamstring injury on Saturday, which will force Wenger's hand to buy in the transfer market. The B Team list, therefore, includes Szczesny, Eboue, Gibbs, Denilson, Rosicky, Bendtner, Arshavin, and Chamakh, plus Aaron Ramsey close to a return and the occasional smattering of reserves like Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, Craig Eastmond, and Ignasi Miquel. And it took me a reread of the article after posting it to realize I had completely forgotten Carlos Vela, who is likely going to be loaned somewhere anyway.

In the coming weeks, the fixture list is a little complicated. Arsenal plays the first leg of the Carling Cup Semi-Final at Ipswich Town on Wednesday night. Then, three days later, it's back to league play against West Ham United, at Upton Park. Three to four days later, depending on the not yet determined replay date, they'll travel to Elland Road for the replay against Leeds. Three or four days later, it's back to the Emirates again to host Wigan in the league, then three days after that, they host Ipswich in the second leg of the Carling Cup Semi.

Five matches in thirteen days.

My question to you: in which matches do you start the A Team, in which matches do you start the B Team, do you mix-and-match the squads at any point, and who do you send out at Ipswich on Wednesday?

Remember, if you play the B Team on Wednesday, then it will be ten days since the A Team's last start by the time Arsenal plays West Ham at the weekend.

Tricky, isn't it?

Wigan Athletic 2 - 2 Arsenal: House of Horrors

Wrong net, Sebastien. Pic via Daily Mail.

Wigan Athletic 2: Watson 18 (pen), Squillaci 81 (og)

Arsenal 2: Arshavin 39, Bendtner 44

Monday's psychologically crucial win over Chelsea would mean nothing if Arsenal could not keep the winning ways going; dropping points on Wednesday at Wigan Athletic would likely undo many of the positive strides this team made at the Emirates this week. The 2-2 draw didn't undo everything Arsenal accomplished on Monday, but it certainly has taken the luster off. Perhaps more importantly, it raises, again, many of the same questions about this team.

First and foremost, Arsenal made a stunning eight changes to the side that started on Monday, which isn't entirely surprising given this match took place only 48 hours later. I was expecting maybe five changes at most and I think eight was a bit much. However, unlike what I may have drunkenly thought at the pub yesterday, rotation is not the reason Arsenal dropped points in this match (FYI, I just typed "lost this match" before correcting myself, because that's how it feels.) Of the eight players who entered the squad that did not start on Monday, seven are internationals. Even if it wasn't our top choice side, these are players who still should get the job done at Wigan.

So, in terms of what those changes were, Emmanuel Eboue started out of position at left back for Gael Clichy and Sebastien Squillaci returned in place of Johan Djourou. Abou Diaby and Denilson started in the holding roles for Alex Song and Jack Wilshere (Denilson is the one change that's not an international.) The front four changed entirely as well, with Marouane Chamakh starting up front, Tomas Rosicky starting for the suspended Cesc Fabregas, and Andrei Arshavin playing left wing with Nicklas Bendtner on the right.

Wigan started the match strong and really took it to Arsenal right off the bat. The Latics, in fact, should have gone ahead 1-0 as early as the third minute when Hugo Rodallega dispossesed Laurent Koscielny, found Tom Cleverley, whose cross back for Rodallega just missed the Colombian's head. Poor piece of defending from Koscielny to let Rodallega get in that position.

Wigan would, however, go up 1-0 in the 18th minute from the penalty spot. Just centimeters inside the area, Koscielny was caught with his leg out and Charles N'Zogbia took the opportunity to go down to draw the call. From the live action, I thought it was the correct call, but on replays saw that there was almost no contact and N'Zogbia went down easily. Ben Watson took the spot kick and scored, despite Lukasz Fabianski guessing right.

From there, every Gooner in the world was wondering which Arsenal team would respond. Would they capitulate or respond? By the half hour mark, Arsenal started to respond, thanks to the play of Arshavin and Bendtner, and after a six minute span near the end of the half, Arsenal turned their deficit into a 2-1 lead. The turning point started with a calf injury suffered by Abou Diaby. Reports are that he'll be out for a few weeks ago. This meant the introduction of Jack Wilshere, and therefore, a bit more creative spark in the midfield.

Bendtner puts Arsenal up 2-1 at halftime.

Arsenal drew level in the 39th minute. A Bendtner shot was only parried away by Wigan goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi and the rebound bounced to Arshavin, who thundered in an acrobatic volley shot. Five minutes later, Arsenal had the lead. Arshavin's through ball was not the best and there was an element of luck in Bendtner getting through two Wigan defenders but his finish was superb. Suddenly, things were looking up.

The second half brought some problems; Arsenal seemed content to coast with their lead. They nearly had a third in the 59th off a corner, but Chamakh's header whistled just wide of an unattended post. They didn't completely take their foot off the accelerator, as they did at Wigan in April, but they still did not do enough to put this match to bed.

It looked like they wouldn't need to for a while, especially when Wigan was reduced to 10 men in the 79th minute, when N'Zogbia foolishly headbutted Wilshere. Yet, three minutes later, Wigan were level, and it came from a common Arsenal problem, that is, poor defending on set pieces. Gary Caldwell positioned himself goal-side of defender Sebastien Squillaci, which meant then when the ball was delivered, there was absolutely nothing Squillaci could do to save the situation, taking an own goal in the process.

Arsenal's knee jerk reaction was to bring on Samir Nasri and Theo Walcott, giving them all of seven minutes plus injury time to pick up a winner. Walcott was invisible, but Nasri came close and Arsenal should have had a penalty in the 89th, when Nasri's free kick struck a Wigan arm in the box. It's exactly what Fabregas did to get booked and concede a penalty against Spurs in November. Arsenal should have had the chance to win the game from the spot, but Lee Probert did not give them the chance.

That said, you can't blame Probert for the draw based on that decision. You can't entirely blame Arsene Wenger for making so many changes either, this is still a squad of quality substitutes that should still be expected to pick up three points at Wigan. You can blame the lack of vocal leadership on the pitch (which, I guess is a byproduct of so many changes) and you can also blame the continuously poor defending on set pieces (how has this not yet been fixed in training?)

Well, four points from two matches in the festive period so far, which I think we all would have taken at the start (though we would have assumed the draw and win would have been in different fixtures.) Now, a huge road trip to Birmingham on Saturday and another crucial chance to get back on the right track that needs to be taken.

Hipster Gooner Man of the Match: Andrei Arshavin, though really, there were no standouts for this choice.

Preview: Wigan Athletic v. Arsenal

Arsenal beat Wigan a month ago to advance in the Carling Cup. Pic via Daily Mail.

 

DW Stadium, Wigan

Wednesday, December 29

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

• Referee: Lee Probert
• This Match, Last Year: You know, I don't remember playing there last year.....
• All-Time in All Competitions: 11 Arsenal wins, 2 Wigan wins, 1 draw
• Arsenal's Recent Form: W-L-W-W-L-W
• Wigan's Recent Form: W-L-L-D-D-W

Predicted Line-Up

this is almost all guesswork

Fabianski

Sagna - Koscielny - Djourou - Clichy

Song - Wilshere

Walcott - Nasri - Arshavin

Chamakh

Subs from: Szczesny, Squillaci, Eboue, Diaby, Denilson, Van Persie, Bendtner

Suspended: Fabregas (one match, accumulation)

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

Arsenal News and Notes

• Arsenal will be wearing their yellow change kit, for reasons I can't figure out. Against Everton, I'm pretty sure it was because of the Remembrance Day poppies also being red. This time, I don't know. Could they not do the laundry in time for the trip?
• Arsenal are in the middle of a stretch of 4 matches in 10 days, meaning that this seems like a logical time for Arsene Wenger to rotate the squad. This is why our predicted line-up is such guesswork.
• Cesc Fabregas, finally back to 100% fitness, will serve a one match ban; he picked up his fifth yellow card of the year yesterday against Chelsea.
• The injured list remains the same: Almunia may never be back at this rate, Gibbs is back in early January, and Vermaelen might be back later in the month.
• Arsenal have not drawn a match since September, a string of 21 straight matches with a result.
• Arsenal have won five matches away from home. Only Manchester City has won more away from home, six, though they have the benefit of having played an extra road fixture.

Wigan News and Notes

• Wigan's most key injury is Victor Moses, who dislocated his shoulder in the League Cup at Arsenal, after twenty minutes of running circles around Emmanuel Eboue.
• Emmerson Boyce is a doubt with a hamstring gash.
• Franco Di Santo (ankle) is out until around New Year's; James McCarthy (ankle) is out until later in January.
• Wigan are coming off a huge 2-1 win over Wolves on Boxing Day in a relegation six-pointer. The Latics have removed themselves from the drop zone and sat in 16th place entering this round of fixtures.
• Wigan are unbeaten in three, with two draws coming before that win over Wolves. Their last loss in all competitions was the 2-0 League Cup loss at Arsenal in late November.

Match Facts

• Arsenal have beaten Wigan 11 times in 14 meetings, a history that only dates back to 2005.
• Both of Wigan's wins against Arsenal and their one draw came at home.
• Last year, Arsenal beat Wigan 4-0 at the Emirates, but collapsed late in Wigan, blowing a 2-0 lead at 80 minutes only to lose 3-2.
• Arsenal did defeat Wigan a month ago, 2-0 in the League Cup, at the Emirates.
• Last year, Wigan beat Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool at home.

The Referee

• The referee is Gloucestershire-based Lee Probert.
• The only Arsenal match Probert has taken charge of this season was their 4-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup. Probert correctly awarded Arsenal two penalties, converted by Samir Nasri, in the opening ten minutes of extra time.
• Two days before that match was the only Wigan match Probert has taken charge of this year, a 2-0 home loss to Manchester City.
• In 15 matches this season (12 Premier League, 1 League Cup, and 2 Championship), Probert has shown 46 yellow cards and 4 red cards.
• The away side has only won three of those 15 matches: Manchester City twice and the aforementioned Arsenal win.

Around the League

• Today: Manchester City 4 - 0 Aston Villa
• Today: Stoke City 0 - 2 Fulham
• Today: Sunderland 0 - 2 Blackpool
• Today: Tottenham Hotspur 2 - 0 Newcastle United
• Today: West Bromwich Albion 1 - 3 Blackburn Rovers
• Today: West Ham United 1 - 1 Everton
• Today: Birmingham City 1 -1 Manchester United
• Wednesday: Chelsea v. Bolton Wanderers; Stamford Bridge, London
• Wednesday: Liverpool v. Wolverhampton Wanderers; Anfield, Liverpool

Carling Cup: Arsenal 2 - 0 Wigan Athletic: Just Enough

Wigan scores Arsenal's first goal. Pic via Daily Mail.

Arsenal 2: Alcaraz 42 (og), Bendtner 67

Wigan Athletic 0

Arsenal's weakest position this season thus far has been in positions of power. They've lost some head scratching home fixtures and capitulated whenever things seemed to be going well. So, now that United, City, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Spurs have all been knocked out of the Carling Cup, it would appear that most major obstacles are out of Arsenal's way. So, let's all knock on as much wood as possible.

For all of the talk of the "strength" of Arsene Wenger's Carling Cup sides this season, he made nine changes to the side that beat Aston Villa on Saturday. Emmanuel Eboue, Johan Djourou, and Kieran Gibbs slipped into the back four, Denilson started in the holding role, Robin van Persie, Nicklas Bendtner, Carlos Vela, and Theo Walcott all started toward the front, and Wojciech Szczesny started in goal.

Strange formation, this. Denilson was in the holding role, Vela was on the left wing, Walcott was on the right, Bendtner was up front, but Wilshere and van Persie seemed to be just roaming around the middle. You couldn't really say it was the 4-2-3-1 that Arsenal usually plays, but it was more like a 4-1-4-1 to me.

Since the game was not televised, I waited until 5:00 to watch the game on ATVO, entering media lockdown mode lest I accidentally find out the score. Now, given the nature of Internet streaming matches, it will be hard for me to be too specific about the events of the match, so instead, here are a few bullet-pointed thoughts:

• Carlos Vela had a rough game, missing a number of chances that should have been sure fire goals...
• ...but with that being said, Arsenal's first goal came off his corner (which was ridiculously headed in by the Wigan defense) and the second was from his cross on the byline.
• Szczesny had less work to do yesterday than he had at Newcastle and that rustiness showed with a few little adventures in the box. It was that situation we've seen too many times this season, where the opposition takes advantage of their first goal scoring opportunity after about 35 minutes because the goalkeeper hasn't really been warmed up for the game. Arsenal escaped a scary goal line situation shortly after taking the lead off a Wigan corner, but that was really about it.
• I have my doubts that Eboue is truly fit after his knee injury; he was dreadful at times yesterday.
• I am becoming more and more impressed by Johan Djourou with each game he plays. His positioning has been excellent and he has done well at the little things. He might be the currently fit defender I trust the second most on this squad, behind the always consistent Bacary Sagna.
• Kieran Gibbs was excellent as well, probably the best player on the pitch.
• Robin van Persie was stellar in a more creative role yesterday; the problem is, all of his absolutely sick back heel passes were to players that completely botched the finish.
• Theo Walcott's pace is still there, but his finishing is not, likely due to the injury layoff. He really needs games.
• And, speaking of the Englishmen, Jack Wilshere was excellent at times, as well.

There you have it. It was by no means a convincing win. Arsenal never seemed to get out of second gear, but they didn't have to. But there have been so many times this season where second gear has not been enough. And second gear will not be enough in the semi-final if they run into a side that wants this trophy more than anything (many of the remaining sides in the cup likely see this as their best/only shot at silverware.)

Preview: Arsenal v. Wigan Athletic, Carling Cup Quarter-Final

It was not a good day at Wigan in April. Pic via Daily Mail.

Emirates Stadium, London

Tuesday, November 30

19:45 GMT, 2:45 p.m. EST

• Referee: Martin Atkinson
• Last League Match: Wigan Athletic 3 - 2 Arsenal
• All-Time in All Competitions: 10 Arsenal wins, 2 Wigan wins, 1 draw
• All-Time in League Cup: 2 Arsenal wins, 1 Wigan win, 0 draws
• Arsenal's League Form: W-L-W-W-L-W
• Wigan's League Form: L-L-D-W-L-L

Predicted Line-Up

guesses in red

Szczesny

Eboue - Djourou - Koscielny - Gibbs

Denilson - Wilshere

Walcott - Rosicky - Vela

Van Persie

Subs from: Fabianski, Sagna, Clichy, Song, Nasri, Arshavin, Bendtner

Out: Squillaci (knee), Fabregas (hamstring), Diaby (ankle), Almunia (elbow), Vermaelen (Achilles)

News and Notes

• Emmanuel Eboue's six-to-eight week knee injury has only kept him out for one and the Ivorian is expected to return to the squad tomorrow.
• Sebastian Squillaci picked up a back injury at Aston Villa on Saturday, which means the center backs essentially pick themselves again for this match.
• I understand that Arsene Wenger is going with fairly strong sides in the Carling Cup this year, but I'd guess Alex Song and Samir Nasri will be rested. That'll bring Denilson into the holding role and Tomas Rosicky into the central role.
• Keep in mind when thinking about the strength of this line-up that Aaron Ramsey and Henri Lansbury are out on loan.
• For Wigan, midfielder Tom Cleverley is unavailable (cup tied? he's on loan from United,) and Antolin Alcaraz returns from a one match ban, but Gary Caldwell has two more matches to serve.
• Gary Caldwell (thigh), Emmerson Boyce (hamstring), and James McCarthy (ankle) are all out for the Latics.

Match Facts

• Arsenal have beaten Wigan 10 times in 13 meetings, a history that only dates back to 2005.
• Wigan knocked Arsenal out of the League Cup in the semi-final in 2005/06 on away goals.
• Arsenal has lost at this stage of the League Cup in the last two seasons, but it's the eighth straight year they've gone this far.
• Wigan have not won away from home in their last six matches in all competitions.
• This is Wigan's 100th League Cup match.

The Referee

• The referee is Martin Atkinson.
• Atkinson took charge of Arsenal's 1-1 draw at Liverpool (where he sent off Laurent Koscielny) and their 3-1 win over Birmingham (where he sent off Jack Wilshere.) He's shown 7 red cards this season, tied for most among all English referees who work top flight games.
• He also worked Wigan's 2-0 loss at Manchester United on November 20. At the hour mark, Wigan was down to nine men.

Other Quarter-Final Ties
(P = Premier League, C = Championship)

• Tuesday: West Ham United (P) v. Manchester United (P); Boleyn Ground, London
• Wednesday: Birmingham City (P) v. Aston Villa (P); St. Andrew's, Birmingham
• Wednesday: Ipswich Town (C) v. West Bromwich Albion (P); Portman Road, Ipswich

Wigan Athletic 3 - 2 Arsenal: Watch Me Make Three Points Disappear

This means we get revenge next year, right? Pic via Guardian.

Wigan Athletic 3: Watson 80, Bramble 89, N'Zogbia 90+1

Arsenal 2: Walcott 41, Silvestre 48

For significant periods of today's match, your beloved Gunners played like a team comfortably sitting mid-table; not necessarily playing for anything in particular, without a care in the world. They took a 2-0 lead against a team toward the bottom of said table and looked to walk away with three points. Then, the opposition remembered they're fighting against relegation and pulled a goal back. Suddenly, your heroes were shell-shocked and incapable of defending the major offensive powerhouse that is Wigan Athletic (no disrespect meant to N'Zogbia, Rodallega, and Moses, by the way.) A crucial error and some more lacakadaisical defending later, it's Arsenal walking out of Greater Manchester with nothing to show for the trip but a bloodied ego.

With the line-up Arsene Wenger selected, what did you expect from this game? For me, I expected a nil-nil game at halftime despite mostly comfortable possession and a 1-0 win thanks to a cameo appearance from Robin van Persie off the bench in the 70th minute.

Lukasz Fabianksi, of picking-the-ball-up-at-Porto fame, got the start in place of Manuel Almunia, who has an injured wrist (likely due to the amount of activity on his probably fake Twitter account.) Denilson, who suffered a groin injury at Spurs on Wednesday did not feature either, and was replaced by the young Craig Eastmond, making his second start of the year (the first was at Bolton in January.) Campbell and Silvestre started in the central defense, as expected after Vermaelen's injury on Wednesday. Robin van Persie started on the bench, still not at 100% match fitness after his five month layoff. 18-year-old midfielder Conor Henderson was named to the bench as well (meaning Eduardo was conspicuously absent) and he doesn't even have a Wikipedia article about him yet.

My first half prediction was completely wrong: Arsenal lead 1-0, thanks to a Theo Walcott goal after breaking through the defense and pushing a shot just under the keeper's arm as he hit the ground, but Arsenal never really had control of the play. At times, it feels like with Fabregas and van Persie on the pitch, the Gunnres appear allergic to both touching the ball in the box and shooting. The defense was solid, but found themselves under pressure far more often than they should have.

Arsenal extended the lead to 2-0 early in the second half after a Mikael Silvestre header coming from a corner (no, seriously, stop laughing, it happened.)  That is about when it appeared that the Gunners assumed that the three points were theirs and they started coasting. Arsenal was unfocused and Wigan started to command more of a territorial advantage. With ten minutes to play, Wigan pulled a goal back, when Arsenal's defense allowed Watson to take an uncontested sidefooted strike to the corner of the goal, a solid shot, I must say.

Then, Arsenal was stunned, and off a corner with a minute to play before injury time, Fabianski's attempt to catch the ball was fumbled directly into the head of Titus Bramble three years in front of the net. Wigan will never score an easier equalizer.

Suddenly, a subsitution to use Robin van Persie was necessary, but the Gunners had already stopped playing. N'Zogbia picked up possession 20 yards out from Rodallega and pounded a beautiful shot off the post and in. That's about when I couldn't feel my legs and face and had to sit down motionless for ten minutes on a bar stool.

If I hadn't pulled myself out of bed at 7 a.m. this morning to make it to the bar and see it for myself, I would not believe what happened. One day after Chelsea faltered once again to open up another glimmer of hope for the title race, Arsenal threw the chance away. This is now four times Arsenal's title hopes have ended this year; this time, it's for good.

Preview: Wigan Athletic v. Arsenal

Vermaelen scored twice against Wigan in September. He is now out for the season. Pic via Guardian.

DW Stadium, Wigan

Sunday, April 18

13:30 BST, 8:30 a.m. EDT

• Referee: Lee Mason
• This Match, Last Year: Wigan 1 - 4 Arsenal
• All-Time in All Competitions: 10 Arsenal wins, 1 Wigan win, 1 draw
• Arsenal's Recent Form: W-W-W-D-W-L
• Wigan's Recent Form: L-L-W-L-L-D

Predicted Line-Up

Almunia

Sagna - Campbell - Silvestre - Clichy

Eboue - Nasri - Diaby

Rosicky - Bendtner - Van Persie

Subs from: Fabianski, Traore, Eastmond, Merida, Eduardo, Vela, Walcott

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

Arsenal News and Notes

• Alex Song is expected to miss one match with inflamed cartilege in his knee, while Denilson is doubtful with a tight groin. Andrei Arshavin remains sidelined with a calf injury.
• Thomas Vermaelen suffered a calf injury of his own in the first half on Wednesday and is now the sixth Arsenal player deemed out for the remainder of the season. That means that of those six, four are defenders and three are center backs.
• Arsenal have only picked up four points out of a possible nine in their last three league games and have won one of their last five across all competitions. This has come after a six match winning streak in league play.
• Arsenal have lost their last two matches after going unbeaten in nine across all competitions.

Wigan News and Notes

• Gary Caldwell is unavailable, serving the third game of a three match ban after being sent off at Manchester City.
• Wigan drew 0-0 at home with Portsmouth on Wednesday. In terms of injuries, Emmanuel Boyce returned from back/hip problem, but Hendry Thomas was not picked in the side with a quadricep injury. Richard Kingson remains a long-term injury with a groin problem.
• In terms of results, the Latics were booed off the pitch by their own supporters are the scoreless draw. A win could've been Wigan seven points outside of the drop zone; they instead sit five points above peril.
• Wigan have won twice in their last 16 matches across all competitions, a stretch which included a crash out of the FA Cup at home to League Two Notts County in a replay.
• Wigan have not scored more than once in each of their last 14 league matches, dating back to a 2-0 win at Wolves on January 16.

Match Facts

• Wigan Athletic has never defeated Arsenal in league play (Wigan's first top flight year was 2005/06.) Arsenal has won 8 of the 9 league meetings; the other was a 0-0 draw in March of 2008, part of Arsenal's post-Eduardo season collapse.
• Wigan defeated Arsenal in the League Cup semi-final first leg at home 1-0 in 2006, their only victory against the Gunners. Their 2-1 loss in North London in the second leg meant the Latics advanced on away goals. Arsenal trailed the tie 2-0 and needed three goals in the final ten minutes to advance; they only got two; a Fitz Hall own goal in the 81st and a Tomas Rosicky goal in the 85th.
• Arsenal have outscored Wigan 8-3 in league matches at Wigan, and 13-3 in league matches at home.
• The referee is Lee Mason. The only Arsenal match he has officiated this year was a 2-0 home win over West Bromwich Albion in the League Cup. He's officiated three for Wigan: a 3-1 win at Burnley, a 5-0 loss at Manchester United, and a 2-1 loss at Blackburn Rovers. He's shown 105 cards this season in 33 matches, 100 of them yellow, 5 red.

News Roundup 1/29/10 - The Is It Sunday Yet? Edition

Here's Jack Wilshere, running for his life from a bleached blond lunatic. Pic via Daily Mirror.

• Despite a last minute bid from Wigan, Jack Wilshere's transfer to Bolton Wanderers has been made official, as expected. [Daily Mirror]
• Start gearing up for Sunday's clash with Manchester United with this photo gallery of past matches from Guardian.
• March 13 match at Hull City has been tabbed for live television and has been moved up to 5:30 pm in England. Hull is quickly becoming Arsenal's ninth most heated rival! [Arsenal.com]
• Pressure is growing on Arsene Wenger to make a move in the final three days of the transfer window... [Daily Mirror]
• ...but he admits it's unlikely. [Daily Mirror, Arsenal.com]
  
• There's still a slim chance Tom Vermaelen will be fit for Sunday. That would be amazing. [Daily Mirror]
• But, if he's not, Arsene Wenger is confident in Sol Campbell's ability to contain Wayne Rooney. [Arsenal.com]
• Sir Alex Ferguson kindly asks his supporters not to call Arsene Wenger a pedophile. [Daily Telegraph]
• And, in one last bit of news I didn't want to hear, Bacary Sagna's agent has linked the blond dreadlocks to a possible summer transfer to Internazionale. [Sky Sports]