Preview: Leyton Orient v. Arsenal, FA Cup 5th Round

Orient's mascot is a dragon. His name is Theo.
Last year, Theo Walcott's birthday cake had a dragon.
Connection!?!? Pic via Leyton Orient.

Matchroom Stadium, London

Sunday, February 20

4:30 p.m. GMT, 11:30 a.m. EST

• Referee: Kevin Friend
• All-Time in All Competitions: 7 Arsenal wins, 2 Orient wins, 1 draw
• All-Time in FA Cup: 4 Arsenal wins 
• Arsenal's Premier League Form: D-W-W-W-D-W
• Leyton Orient's League One Form: D-D-D-W-W-W

Predicted Line-Up

I usually only get like seven of these in cup ties

Almunia

Eboue - Koscielny - Squillaci - Gibbs

Denilson - Wilshere

Bendtner - Rosicky - Arshavin

Chamakh

Subs from: Szczesny, Sagna, Clichy, Song, Fabregas, Nasri, van Persie
Suspended: Diaby (second of three, violent conduct)
Doubtful: Walcott (hamstring)

Out: Djourou (back), Fabianski (shoulder), Vermaelen (Achilles)

Arsenal News and Notes

• Johan Djourou picked up a back injury on Wednesday and will miss the cup tie. Get well soon (damn it, we need you)!
• Theo Walcott is a doubt with a hamstring knock, though I wouldn't have expected him to start anyway, and certainly hope he wouldn't have been necessary to use. Arsenal has been leaving these cup ties for late, though, haven't they?
• No other new injuries, but a lot of rotation likely.
• Arsenal are unbeaten in nine across all competitions, by far their longest streak of the season. Arsenal last went unbeaten in nine from February 20 to April 3 last year, a streak that was snapped at Camp Nou.
• In 25 tries, Arsenal has never lost an FA Cup tie to a lower tier team under Arsene Wenger.

Leyton Orient News and Notes

• Orient currently sit in 10th place in League One, meaning Arsenal have played progressively lower teams down the table with each passing round (Huddersfield Town is in 3rd.)
• There are three teams currently still alive in the FA Cup that are below Orient in the table: Sheffield Wednesday, Notts County, and non-league Crawley Town.
• I'd give you their injury news, but honestly, I can't seem to find specifics. As of last week, it appears that Adam Chambers and Matthew Spring are injured. I hope that is good enough for you.
• Orient are unbeaten in nine League One fixtures (5 wins, 4 draws) since a New Year's Day loss to top of the table Brighton & Hove Albion. They have won three straight.
• To progress this far in the competition, Leyton Orient has beaten Dagenham & Redbridge (another London derby!) in a replay, Droylsden in a replay in which they scored six goals in extra time, then upset two Championship sides in Norwich and Swansea. Both of those sides sit in Premier League promotion playoff spots right now.

Match Facts

• Arsenal have won all five matches they have played against Leyton Orient since World War I.
• The last meeting came in the 1978 FA Cup. Arsenal won 3-0 at Highbury.
• Leyton Orient has spent only one season in the top flight, 1962/63. Arsenal beat them 2-1 at Brisbane Road and 2-0 at Highbury.
• Orient's last win over Arsenal came in the old second division, on February 13, 1915. Orient won 1-0 at Millfields Road.
• Arsenal have won all four FA Cup ties against Leyton Orient, with three of those coming away from home.

The Referee

• The referee is Leicestershire-based Kevin Friend.
• This is Friend's second Arsenal match in his career. The first was the 3-0 win over Wigan last month, in which Robin van Persie had a hat trick.
• His last Leyton Orient match was on April 13, 2009. Orient won 1-0 at Swindon Town.

Other 5th Round Ties (and 4th Round Replays)

• Saturday: Chelsea v. Everton (4th Round Replay); Stamford Bridge, London
• Saturday: Stoke City v. Brighton & Hove Albion; Britannia Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent
• Saturday: Birmingham City v. Sheffield Wednesday; St. Andrew's, Birmingham
• Saturday: Manchester United v. Crawley Town; Old Trafford, Manchester
• Sunday: Manchester City v. Notts County (4th Round Replay); City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester
• Sunday: Fulham v. Bolton Wanderers; Craven Cottage, London
• Monday: West Ham United v. Burnley; Boleyn Ground, London
• Next Tuesday: Chelsea or Everton v. Reading; London or Liverpool
• Next Wednesday: Manchester City or Notts County v. Aston Villa; Manchester or Nottingham

FA Cup: Arsenal 2 - 1 Huddersfield Town: Way Too Close

Samir Nasri got hurt. EVERYONE PANIC! Pic via Guardian.

Arsenal 2: P. Clarke 21 (og), Fabregas 86 (pen)

Huddersfield Town 1: Lee 66

So, there we were. Ridiculously early on a Sunday morning. It was the 85th minute, it wasn't even 9:00 a.m. in New York, and Arsenal were five minutes plus added time away from needing a replay against League One Huddersfield Town. The Gunners' B team, on ten men, not only could not put the Terriers away, but at times looked dangerously close to crashing out. And yet again, in the FA Cup at home against lower level competition, Arsenal managed to find a get out of jail free card. And..... exhale.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes were obviously necessary again because of Arsenal's jam packed fixtures list. The Gunners will host Everton at the Emirates tomorrow, making this FA Cup tie the first match of two in about 60 hours. Manuel Almunia returned, thanks to rest for Szczesny and Fabianski's shoulder injury. Sebastien Squillaci returned to center back, playing along with Laurent Koscielny and giving Djourou a rest. Sagna and Clichy dropped to the bench for Emmanuel Eboue and Kieran Gibbs, as expected. Abou Diaby returned from injury to start in a holding role with Denilson. Samir Nasri started in the middle with the captain's armband, joined by Andrei Arshavin, Nicklas Bendtner, and Marouane Chamakh. So, in total, two members of the normal starting XI got the start.

Arsenal had a few chances early to take the lead, but with them being taken by Arshavin and Bendtner, they did not come to anything. Bendtner, in fact, had one absolutely terrible miss when he attempted to one-time a volley shot, but missed the ball completely, much to the delight of the traveling Huddersfield support. He did, however, shut them up a few moments later. He struck a low drive to the corner of the net that would have gone wide, but a favorable deflection and a Huddersfield own goal later, it was 1-0 to the Arsenal.

The problem is, Arsenal got a little too comfortable with that lead immediately afterward. This problem became even worse when Samir Nasri picked up a hamstring injury and had to be replaced by Tomas Rosicky. Nasri will be out for at least two weeks, so everyone hold your breath for the next three league matches. Just before halftime, Arsenal found themselves in even more trouble when Sebastien Squillaci was caught keeping too high of a line and obstructed the path of Huddersfield's Jack Hunt, who was through on goal. Straight red card all the way.

Squillaci's red card meant Alex Song had to come off the bench to play at center half and Arsene Wenger went defensive, pulling off Chamakh. Through the second half, you could tell Huddersfield's equalizer was coming. It arrived in the 66th minute, shortly after a brilliant diving save from Almunia had kept the lead intact. The Terriers won a corner and it was 6'3" Alan Lee who won the header in the box. So, it was time to bring on the big guns, and Cesc Fabregas came off the bench for Diaby.

The tie was in the balance, Arsenal settled a little, but play still went back and forth. Did Arsenal have a winner in them? Turns out, yes they did, thanks to more help from the penalty spot. Nicklas Bendtner was hauled down in the box by Jamie McCombe (who should have been sent off) and Mark Clattenburg pointed to the spot. Cesc Fabregas stepped up, stutter-stepped twice, and sent Ian Bennett the wrong way. Arsenal were back on top with four minutes of regular time to play, then held on for the win.

All in all, another unnecessarily stressful match caused by the apparent lack of cohesion in the back-up squad. They are an individually talented squad that just doesn't get the chance to find form due to a lack of playing time. Their reward for sneaking by Huddersfield is a London derby with Leyton Orient. Let's pray Nasri gets well soon and that Arsenal can back to doing their thing in the league.

Preview: Arsenal v. Huddersfield Town, FA Cup 4th Round

On-loan Benik Afobe has extended his stay with Town for the rest of the season.
Pic via Sky Sports.

Emirates Stadium, London

Sunday, January 30

12:00 p.m. GMT, 7:00 a.m. EST

• Referee: Mark Clattenburg
• Last League Match: Arsenal 1 - 0 Huddersfield Town (January 22, 1972)
• All-Time in All Competitions: 32 Arsenal wins, 16 Huddersfield wins, 25 draws
• All-Time in FA Cup: 2 Arsenal wins, 0 Huddersfield wins, 0 draws
• Arsenal's Premier League Form: W-D-W-D-W-W
• Huddersfield's League One Form: L-D-W-W-W-D

Predicted Line-Up

almost all guesswork

Szczesny

Eboue - Squillaci - Song - Gibbs

Denilson - Diaby

Bendtner - Rosicky - Arshavin

Chamakh

I have no intention of guessing the bench for this one.
Doubts: Almunia (ankle), Rosicky (illness)

Out: Sagna (concussion), Fabianski (shoulder), Vermaelen (Achilles)

Arsenal News and Notes

• Sebastien Squillaci (hamstring) and Abou Diaby (calf) are expected to return to the side.
• Alex Song was rested during the week, meaning his ability to shift to center back in addition to Squillaci's return could finally give a rest to both Koscielny and Djourou.
• Bacary Sagna is out of the hospital and, despite his concussion, will likely start vs. Everton on Tuesday.
• There are possible returns for Tomas Rosicky (illness) and even Manuel Almunia ("ankle".)
• Wow, I included a lot of rotation in that predicted line-up... But, our B Team can surely beat a League One side at home, right? Right?!? Also, Arsenal plays a league match on Tuesday, so there'll be a lot of resting.
• Arsenal have won four straight across all competitions and have scored three goals in each of those matches.
• The Gunners are unbeaten in eight matches at the Emirates, after losing three of their first nine at home.
• Arsenal are on their fourth four match winning streak of the season. They have reached five straight wins just once.

Huddersfield Town News and Notes

• Benik Afobe, on loan from Arsenal, is not eligible to play (says Arsenal) or is eligible to play (says Huddersfield.) So, I have no idea. Sanchez Watt was given permission to play for Leeds, so I can't see why Afobe wouldn't as well.
• Top scorer Jordan Rhodes damaged knee ligaments in Town's 0-0 draw with Colchester United at the weekend, and is out for eight weeks.
• Also out are Damien Johnson (knee), Alex Smithies (knee), Liam Ridehalgh (mono), and Gary Naysmith (foot.)
• The Terriers are unbeaten in five league fixtures, but suffered a hard 4-0 loss to Carlisle in the first round of the Northern section Final of the League Trophy on January 18.

The disconcerting image of the Graf Zeppelin
above Wembley in the 1930 final.

Match Facts

• Arsenal beat Huddersfield Town 2-0 in the 1930 FA Cup Final. Arsenal also beat Huddersfield 1-0 in the FA Cup two years later. This is their first FA Cup meeting since.
• Huddersfield Town's last season in the top flight was 1971/72. Arsenal won both fixtures that season 1-0.
• The Gunners and Terriers have played three League Cup ties since their last league meeting. Arsenal won 1-0 in 1982, 3-1 on aggregate in 1986, and 6-1 on aggregate in 1993.
• Huddersfield's last win in North London was in 1954, winning 5-3 at Highbury.

The Referee

• The referee is Tyne & Wear-based Mark Clattenburg.
• Clattenburg has taken charge of three Arsenal matches this year, all big wins for the Gunners: 3-0 at Manchester City, 4-2 at Aston Villa, and 3-1 against Chelsea.
• Clattenburg's last Huddersfield Town match was on April 9, 2007 in League One. Huddersfield lost at home, 2-0 to Blackpool. Blackpool's goalkeeper in that match was on-loan Joe Hart.
• In 25 matches this year (18 Premier League, 2 League Cup, 1 FA Cup, 2 Europa League, 1 Champions League, and 1 Euro qualifier,) Clattenburg has shown 68 yellow cards and 3 red cards.

Other Fourth Round Ties

• Saturday: Everton v. Chelsea; Goodison Park, Liverpool
• Saturday: Swansea City v. Leyton Orient; Liberty Stadium, Swansea
• Saturday: Aston Villa v. Blackburn Rovers; Villa Park, Birmingham
• Saturday: Birmingham City v. Coventry City; St. Andrew's, Birmingham
• Saturday: Bolton Wanderers v. Wigan Athletic; Reebok Stadium, Bolton
• Saturday: Burnley v. Burton Albion; Turf Moor, Burnley
• Saturday: Sheffield Wednesday v. Hereford United; Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield
• Saturday: Stevenage v. Reading; Broadhall Way, Stevenage
• Saturday: Torquay United v. Crawley Town; Plainmoor, Torquay
• Saturday: Watford v. Brighton & Hove Albion; Vicarage Road, Watford
• Saturday: Southampton v. Manchester United; St. Mary's Stadium, Southampton
• Sunday: Wolverhampton Wanderers v. Stoke City; Molineux, Wolverhampton
• Sunday: Notts County v. Manchester City; Meadow Lane, Nottingham
• Sunday: West Ham United v. Nottingham Forest; Boleyn Ground, London
• Sunday: Fulham v. Tottenham Hotspur; Craven Cottage, London

FA Cup: Leeds 1 - 3 Arsenal: Leeds Will March on Together, Just Not in the Cup

So... is Arsenal just not wearing red anymore? Pic via Guardian.

Leeds United 1: Johnson 37

Arsenal 3: Nasri 5, Sagna 35, van Persie 76

Arsenal needed to use a get out of jail free card at the Emirates just to force this replay, but at Elland Road yesterday, they'll be satisfied that they never trailed against a Leeds side that is building momentum for a promotion push back to the top flight. After a difficult 1-1 draw against Leeds was followed by an abysmal performance in Ipswich, there were questions starting to surround some of the side. Arsenal seems to always find answers to those questions; it's just that they always reappear once people have stopped asking them. It's crucial, therefore, for the Gunners to continue their form from the last two matches going forward.

There were not many surprises in the starting XI, though the forward corps was a bit weaker than I would have liked (a moot point now, really.) Wojciech Szczesny continued deputizing for the injured Lukasz Fabianski in goal. Bacary Sagna returned from suspension to start at right back. Laurent Koscielny and Johan Djourou started at center half, despite articles on Tuesday night that Djourou might be rested. Kieran Gibbs got the start at left back. Alex Song and Denilson started in the holding roles as Jack Wilshere dropped to the bench. Samir Nasri started his first cup tie for a while and wore the captain's armband. He started in the forward four with Andrei Arshavin, Nicklas Bendtner, and Marouane Chamakh. The bench was strong, including the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Theo Walcott, and Robin van Persie.

Arsenal needed a strong start to cast away any doubts that could spring into their heads. A strong start on Saturday, with van Persie scoring in the 13th minute at West Ham meant Arsenal controlled the play from there, and this time around, the goal came even earlier. In the 5th minute, Arshavin's pass to the center caught a little flick from Chamakh into the path of Nasri, who was through on goal and coolly finished past Kasper Schmeichel to put Arsene Wenger's gold and redcurrant army ahead 1-0. The Gunners almost grabbed a second around five minutes later, as a free kick from Nasri found Chamakh's head in the box, but Schmeichel made a fantastic save. Ten minutes later, Arshavin had a total miss from in close after a set-up from the Moroccan.

Na-na Na-na Na-na Na-na Na Na-na! Pic via Daily Mail.

But, Arsenal would find their second goal in the 35th. Bendtner, in the box, opted to pass back into open space to find Sagna. Sagna dribbled the ball in closer, then pounded a shot off Schmeichel's hands and in for his second goal of the year. Seriously, Sagna has two goals this year, three if you count a similar goal he scored in a friendly (you shouldn't.) Also, I love how Sagna celebrates his goals, as they're such a rare occasion. He tends to just sprint away, just running and yelling. It's awesome.

If you thought Sagna's goal was a laser beam of a shot, then Leeds's Bradley Johnson won the game of one-upmanship two minutes later. Johnson fired an absolutely unstoppable rocket shot into the roof of the net from 25 yards out. Szczesny had no chance, Leeds had pulled one back, and the tie was in the balance again. It was a truly beautiful goal, which I can say now, since Arsenal won.

So, Arsenal needed another to feel a little more comfortable. A handful of seconds after the restart, Alex Song had a chance for Arsenal's third, but his shot was a bit off the mark and Schmeichel saved. Ten minutes later, Robert Snodgrass, Leeds's goal scorer at the Emirates, had a goal saving tackle on an Arshavin chance. With twenty minutes to play, Arsenal upped the ante, bringing on Fabregas and van Persie.

14 minutes from time, Arsenal finally had their third, and it was the Dutchman off the bench who provided it. Bendtner found van Persie with a cross from the right wing at the back post and, with the Leeds defense slightly asleep, RVP headed the ball in comfortably to make it 3-1 to the good. From this point on, it was a coasting effort from Arsenal. Gael Clichy relieved Nasri about six minutes from time, pushing Gibbs up the pitch a bit. Leeds had a chance for a second from a corner just around the start of injury time and could not convert, even with all eleven men in the box. In the end, a thoroughly satisfying win for the side that continues to baffle me by wearing yellow against non-red opponents.

The Gunners escaped from jail at the Emirates a week and a half ago, then deserved to win this one at Elland Road, and their reward is a fourth round tie at home with League One Huddersfield Town, another side that currently has an Arsenal player there on loan; this time, Benik Afobe (I think his loan has been extended for the season, otherwise it would have ended January 8.) Arsenal remains the only English team still alive in all four of their competitions. But, with that in mind, another league fixture is coming up just around the bend, with Wigan coming to the Emirates on Saturday. This has seemed to be a team all year that crumbles when the title challenge talk returns. So, do me a favor and shut up about it, okay media?

Hipster Gooner Man of the Match: Samir Nasri

Preview: Leeds United v. Arsenal, FA Cup 3rd Round Replay

Wojciech Szczesny will make his fourth straight start. Pic via Daily Mail.

Elland Road, Leeds

Wednesday, January 19

8:00 p.m. GMT, 3:00 p.m. EST

• Referee: Mike Dean
• Original Tie: Arsenal 1 - 1 Leeds United
• All-Time in All Competitions: 44 Arsenal wins, 41 Leeds wins, 32 draws
• All-Time in FA Cup: 5 Arsenal wins, 2 Leeds wins, 7 draws
• Arsenal's Premier League Form: L-W-D-W-D-W
• Leeds's Championship Form: W-D-D-D-L-W
• Winner in 4th Rd.: v. Huddersfield Town on Sunday, January 30 (Noon GMT, 7:00 a.m. Eastern)

Rotation?

There's such potential for changes in Arsenal's side for this match, that I'm going to tackle this position-by-position, instead of going with the normal predicted line-up format:

Goalkeeper: Lukasz Fabianski suffered a set back in recovery from his shoulder injury, so Wojciech Szczesny will continue to deputize. Fabianski is not expected to be back until after the Carling Cup second leg with Ipswich, so he'll be back for the fourth round of the FA Cup at the earliest (should Arsenal win this match.) With Manuel Almunia still out, James Shea will remain on the bench. There's been a lot of media talk about how Szczesny will handle a sell-out crowd at Elland Road, which is only of concern if you forget that he was fine at Old Trafford last month.

Defense: Bacary Sagna returns from his three match ban, so I expect he'll start as Emmanuel Eboue will need a break. Sebastien Squillaci's return won't be until February and Thomas Vermaelen is undergoing a procedure on his Achilles that has put a 4-6 week timetable on his return, so Arsene Wenger's hands are tied at center back again: Laurent Koscielny and Johan Djourou will start. Maybe there'll be some rotation at left back as we could see Kieran Gibbs start over Gael Clichy.

Holding Midfield: Aaron Ramsey will return to the bench for this match, but I again don't think he'll start. Ramsey would likely have seen some amount of time against Leeds or against Ipswich if Arsenal were winning at any point. Since I'd expect one of either Alex Song or Jack Wilshere to be rested (more likely Wilshere, who started both matches last week,) that unfortunately will mean a start from Denilson. Abou Diaby maintained in a French interview that he'll be fit by this weekend, but Arsene Wenger said in his press conference that he's likely out for as long as Fabianski (that is, until the end of this month.)

Attacking Midfield: Here is where the most questions about rotation lie, as all three starters (Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri, and Theo Walcott) could drop to the bench for rest. Tomas Rosicky could return; according to the BBC, he's been out with a virus that I don't seem to recall anybody mentioning before. Nicklas Bendtner and Andrei Arshavin could get starts as well; I'd be totally shocked should Carlos Vela enter the starting XI. Since this match is must-win to advance, the more changes that are made here, the less comfortable I'm going to feel. All three usuals won't start, but I'd prefer there only be one change at most (which, if I had to choose, would be Walcott dropping since he, like Wilshere, started both matches last week.)

Forward: Robin van Persie is finding his form, but Marouane Chamakh has not started since the original tie with Leeds last Saturday. The Moroccan came off the bench at Ipswich and did not feature at West Ham. My gut instinct is to start RVP for the must-win cup ties and maybe give Chamakh a run-out at the weekend.

Other Arsenal Notes

• Jay Emmanuel-Thomas has been loaned to Cardiff City for the remainder of the season.
• Arsenal's win at West Ham on Saturday was their first win in four, however, the Gunners have only lost one of their last seven in all competitions.
• Arsene Wenger has never been bounced from the 3rd Round of the FA Cup in his career at Arsenal. Sheffield United were the last side to knock out Arsenal from this round, in 1995/96.

Leeds News and Notes

• Luciano Becchio is a doubt, after suffering a back injury against Scunthorpe this weekend.
• Defender George McCartney has joined Leeds on loan after the initial match, and as such, is cup tied.
• Sanchez Watt has again been granted permission to play against his parent club.
• Leeds's 4-0 win over Scunthorpe at the weekend was their first win in six.
• Leeds have not lost at Elland Road since late October and are unbeaten in seven home matches.

Match Facts

• Arsenal has required at least one replay at some point during their path to each of their 10 FA Cup titles.
• Arsenal had won three straight against Leeds before the 1-1 draw at the Emirates. Leeds's last win over Arsenal was 3-2 at Highbury in 2003.
• This is the eighth FA Cup tie between the two sides; Arsenal has won five of them.

The Referee

• The referee is Wirral-based Mike Dean.
• Over this season and last season, Arsenal has not won any of the six matches of which Dean has taken charge.
• Arsenal have not scored in a match worked by Dean since Cesc Fabregas's 7th minute goal at Burnley in what was eventually a 1-1 draw. Their opposition has kept a clean sheet in the last four. Excluding injury time, Arsenal has not scored in 443 minutes of playing time while Mike Dean is the head official.
• This is Dean's first Leeds match since a 1-1 draw with Luton Town in 2007/08.

Other Third Round Replays

• Tuesday: Wolverhampton Wanderers v. Doncaster Rovers; Molineux, Wolverhampton
• Tuesday: Manchester City v. Leicester City; City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester
• Tuesday: Cardiff City v. Stoke City; Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff

FA Cup: Arsenal 1 - 1 Leeds: To Elland Road We Go...

Damn you, Schmeichel Two! Pic via Guardian.

Arsenal 1: Fabregas 90 (pen)

Leeds United 1: Snodgrass 54 (pen)

There was a lot to ponder at way too early of an hour in the morning yesterday, following Arsenal's last gasp equalizer to force a replay with Leeds United. I have to say, Arsenal, these 7:45 in New York matches are way too early for you to keep putting me through the wringer.

That being said, we learned a lot about Arsenal's "B team" against Leeds. I think the main lesson is that, while full of great individual talents, the B team does not work well enough as a unit to win anything. While they kept Leeds's chances to a minimum, the Championship side took advantage of the chance they did receive, while Arsenal B did not, and it required the introduction of Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott just to force a replay. And should Arsenal get past that replay at Elland Road in about nine or ten days, they'll have a date with League One's Huddersfield Town at the Emirates in the fourth round. Not a bad draw at all.

Arsene Wenger made nine changes to the side that was frustrated at home by Manchester City; of the two players who started both, one was surprising (Alex Song) and the other was not (Johan Djourou.) Wojciech Szczesny started in goal, Emmanuel Eboue slipped in for the banned Bacary Sagna, Kieran Gibbs deputized for Gael Clichy, and Sebastien Squillaci did the same for Laurent Koscielny. Denilson joined Song as the second holding midfielder, Tomas Rosicky wore the armband and started in the middle, Marouane Chamakh started as the center forward and the the wingers were Andrei Arshavin and Nicklas Bendtner. That front four were the same four from the 2-2 draw at Wigan.

Right off the bat, a few thoughts about that line-up:

• Andrei Arshavin is as enigmatic as ever. He's clearly lost his touch and confidence, but is the type that could surge into a huge run of form if he just wants it enough. The problem is, it just doesn't look like he does want it enough. I mean, he started jogging off the pitch when Theo Walcott came on, even though Marouane Chamakh was the man whose number was in red on the board.
• Nicklas Bendtner has been fairly useless as a center forward this season, despite all of his talk. However, it's quite possible that he's even more useless as a winger. Seriously, Wenger, stop trying this. Then again, Bendtner's two huge misses came from the center (the header in the 80th and the left footed shot wide in the 92nd.)
• The emergence of Jack Wilshere this season has essentially played Denilson off this team. Denilson appears uncreative and flat footed and has a habit of conceding bad penalties. He was serviceable last year, but with Wilshere to compare him to this year, he now seems expendable.
• Marouane Chamakh cannot create his own chances. If the midfield is not creative enough or technical enough to work him into dangerous situations, he does not work up front. He hasn't scored since November 27th at Aston Villa.
• Tomas Rosicky, while a good leader, is past his prime enough that he seems incapable of handling the play-maker role. Aside from Fabregas and Samir Nasri, I don't really know who else on the bench can handle that role in a "B team" situation, though. Abou Diaby played it a bit in October before getting hurt. Then he got hurt again.
• Positives: Wojciech Szczesny will be #1 at some point soon. Johan Djourou has settled into the center back role incredibly well, especially after a year off through injury. Really, the back four as a whole were fine enough, save some adventures with Squillaci. No major complaints there.

Anyway, on to the match itself. It was a shaky start from Arsenal, as you'd expect from the B team that doesn't play as a group often, and largely hadn't in a week and a half. Eventually, throughout the first half, Arsenal was able to pick up where they left off on Wednesday, that is to say, they frustratingly wasted away chances. Arshavin was through on goal in the 11th, but Kasper Schmeichel came off his line well, and the Russian's shot was straight at the Danish son of Peter. Arshavin had a volley stopped with a diving save about fifteen minutes later. Right after this, off two corners, Arsenal had two shots cleared off the line.

Robert Snodgrass put Leeds ahead 1-0 from the spot in
the 54th minute. Pic via Daily Mail.

Leeds had to be happy about how the situation had played out in the first half. They were still hanging tight at 0-0, knowing that Arsenal's defense is porous enough to snatch a goal against the run of play. And, in the 54th, that goal came and it was against the run of play, but the defense was not to blame. Max Gradel poked the ball past Denilson in the area, and the Brazilian stuck his leg out to impede the Irish midfielder's progress. Stone cold penalty. Szczesny guessed right on Robert Snodgrass's spot kick, but the ball slipped just under the diving keeper. And with 36 minutes to play, Arsenal were up against it.

Aaron Ramsey had returned to the bench for Arsenal in this match, and you have to think that if the Gunners were winning comfortably, he could have made an appearance. However, at the hour mark, the necessary substitution was to bring on Cesc Fabregas. The captain came on for Alex Song, however, which meant once again, I had no idea how the substitution was supposed to work tactically.

Going back to something I said earlier in this post, Chamakh's best chance came about two or three minutes after Fabregas's introduction, but his header glanced wide after a last second defensive deflection. Szczensy made two big saves in the following ten minutes to keep Arsenal in the tie, first on a header in the 64th and later on a dipping free kick in the 71st. In the 80th minute, Nicklas Bendtner had a golden chance to head in the equalizer, but his attempt, from a central location, was over the crossbar.

Cesc Fabregas equalizes from the penalty spot in the 90th.

Then, the major twist. In the 88th minute, Theo Walcott went down in the area, then the ball squirted to Bendtner, who was offside. Phil Dowd pointed to the spot but the linseman's flag was up. Considering the foul came before the ball slipped to an offside player, the penalty should not have been negated. But, strangely, it was. I guess that's for the best, as after the match, Walcott apologized for diving on that challenge. Something tells me we won't see an embargo on Arsenal penalties like we did after the Eduardo incident last year, largely because Walcott isn't foreign.

But, one minute later, Walcott was hauled down again, this time his shirt having been tugged by Ben Parker. At the time, in the pub, I thought this call was weaker than the first, and we all chalked it up as a make-up call for what had happened a minute earlier. Cesc Fabregas stepped up to the spot and coolly fired the ball straight down the middle, as Schmeichel dove to his right. Arsenal was level in the 90th.

Arsenal then had two great chances for a winner in injury time. Again, Bendtner had a golden opportunity, breaking in down the left wing on Schmeichel, but Arsenal's Dane fired completely wide with a left footed shot. Walcott had a chance for a winner one minute later, but his shot found the side netting on the right side, and that was it. Arsenal had drawn level but could not find a dramatic winner and the Gunners now have themselves a replay scheduled at Elland Road coming on the 18th or 19th.

The Gunners by no means deserved to win this game and going to a replay is not as bad as crashing out in the third round. But, with a two-legged semi-final tie in the Carling Cup, suddenly Arsenal has a fixture congestion problem in January. The good news in this respect is that Arsenal has three cup ties against Championship sides, two league games against the bottom two teams in the table, and a fourth round tie with a League One side should they win at Leeds. It could all be a lot worse, no?

Hipster Gooner Man of the Match: Kasper Schmeichel

Preview: Arsenal v. Leeds United, FA Cup 3rd Round

Thierry Henry hit four past Leeds in their last meeting. Pic via BBC.

Emirates Stadium, London

Saturday, January 8

12:45 p.m. GMT, 7:45 a.m. EST

• Referee: Chris Foy
• Last League Match: Arsenal 5 - 0 Leeds (April 16, 2004)
• All-Time in All Competitions: 44 Arsenal wins, 41 Leeds wins, 31 draws
• All-Time in FA Cup: 5 Arsenal wins, 2 Leeds wins, 6 draws
• Arsenal's Premier League Form: W-L-W-D-W-D
• Leeds's Championship Form: W-W-D-D-D-L
• Potential Replay Date: January 18 or 19

Predicted Line-Up

all guesswork

Szczesny

Eboue - Djourou - Squillaci - Gibbs

Eastmond - Denilson

Bendtner - Rosicky - Vela

Chamakh

Subs from: Fabianski, Koscielny, Clichy, Ramsey, Wilshere, Arshavin, Emmanuel-Thomas

Suspended: Sagna (first of three, violent conduct)

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

Arsenal News and Notes

• Emmanuel Eboue will certainly return to the squad, with Bacary Sagna serving a three match ban.
• Kieran Gibbs appears ready to start as well, at left back.
• I imagine Sebastien Squillaci will return as well, but don't know which other center back will drop to the bench. I guessed Johan Djourou to start.
• Wojciech Szczesny will likely start in goal, but with Vito Mannone still out on loan until January 31 (and hurt,) Fabianski will be on the bench.
• The midfielders and forwards, though? I have no clue.
• Aaron Ramsey probably won't start, but it'd be great to see him on the bench, maybe coming on as a substitute.
• Since losing consecutive matches to Tottenham and Braga at the end of November, Arsenal have lost only one of their last nine fixtures across all competitions. They are currently unbeaten in four.
• Arsenal have not gone unbeaten in five straight fixtures since October.

Leeds News and Notes

• Sanchez Watt, on loan from Arsenal, has been granted permission to feature. However, he picked up a head injury against Cardiff City on Tuesday which required stitches.
• Defender Ben Parker, who had been a long term absence after hip surgery, played his first 90 minutes since August of 2009 on Tuesday.
• Leeds-born-but-grew-up-in-London-and-is-an-Arsenal-supporting winger Lloyd Sam came on as a substitute Tuesday, but picked up a thigh injury after six minutes, and is now a doubt.
• Defender Andy O'Brien is also a doubt with a dead leg.
• Leeds was unbeaten in 12 before losing to Cardiff on Tuesday. Their last loss before that was also to Cardiff.
• During the streak, Leeds rose from 16th in the Championship to as high as 2nd. They currently sit 5th.

Match Facts

• The last time Arsenal played a non-Premier League side in a domestic cup tie was the third round of last year's Carling Cup, against then-Championship side West Bromwich Albion. Since then, they've played Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, and Wigan Athletic in the Carling Cup and West Ham United and Stoke City in the FA Cup.
• Arsenal won all three meetings with Leeds in their most recent top flight season, 2003/04. Then again, Arsenal didn't lose that year, which you might recall. Arsenal won the league meetings 5-0 at Highbury (Henry scored four) and 4-1 at Elland Road. Arsenal also won an FA Cup tie 4-1 at Elland Road.
• Leeds's last win against Arsenal was a year before that, by a 3-2 score at Highbury. Mark Viduka had the 88th minute winner.
• Leeds United has only won one FA Cup in their history. It was in 1972 and they beat Arsenal 1-0 in the final.

The Referee

• The referee is Merseyside-based Chris Foy, who took charge of last year's FA Cup Final.
• Arsenal have won both matches worked by Foy in which they've played this year by 2-1 scores, first at Blackburn then at home against Fulham.
• Foy has taken charge of one Championship match this year and it was Leeds's 2-1 win at Middlesbrough.

Other Third Round Ties

• Saturday: Burnley v. Port Vale; Turf Moor, Burnley
• Saturday: Coventry City v. Crystal Palace; Ricoh Arena, Coventry
• Saturday: Bristol City v. Sheffield Wednesday; Ashton Gate, Bristol
• Saturday: Fulham v. Peterborough United; Craven Cottage, London
• Saturday: Doncaster Rovers v. Wolverhampton Wanderers; Keepmoat Stadium, Doncaster
• Saturday: Brighton & Hove Albion v. Portsmouth; Withdean Stadium, Brighton
• Saturday: Huddersfield Town v. Dover Athletic; Galpharm Stadium, Huddersfield
• Saturday: West Ham United v. Barnsley; Boleyn Ground, London
• Saturday: Reading v. West Bromwich Albion; Madejski Stadium, Reading
• Saturday: Sheffield United v. Aston Villa; Bramall Lane, Sheffield
• Saturday: Bolton Wanderers v. York City; Reebok Stadium, Bolton
• Saturday: Blackburn Rovers v. Queens Park Rangers; Ewood Park, Blackburn
• Saturday: Swansea City v. Colchester United; Liberty Stadium, Swansea
• Saturday: Stevenage v. Newcastle United; Broadhall Way, Stevenage
• Saturday: Burton Albion v. Middlesbrough; Pirelli Stadium, Burton upon Trent
• Saturday: Millwall v. Birmingham City; The Den, London
• Saturday: Southampton v. Blackpool; St. Mary's, Southampton
• Saturday: Watford v. Hartlepool United; Vicarage Road, Watford
• Saturday: Sunderland v. Notts County; Stadium of Light, Sunderland
• Saturday: Scunthorpe United v. Everton; Glanford Park, Scunthorpe
• Saturday: Hull City v. Wigan Athletic; KC Stadium, Kingston upon Hull
• Saturday: Stoke City v. Cardiff City; Britannia Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent
• Saturday: Preston North End v. Nottingham Forest; Deepdale, Preston
• Saturday: Norwich City v. Leyton Orient; Carrow Road, Norwich
• Saturday: Torquay United v. Carlisle United; Plainmoor, Torquay
• Sunday: Leicester City v. Manchester City; Walkers Stadium, Leicester
• Sunday: Chelsea v. Ipswich Town; Stamford Bridge, London
• Sunday: Manchester United v. Liverpool; Old Trafford, Manchester
• Sunday: Tottenham Hotspur v. Charlton Athletic; White Hart Lane, London
• Monday: Crawley Town v. Derby County; Broadfield Stadium, Crawley
• Tuesday: Wycombe Wanderers v. Hereford United or Lincoln City; Adams Park, High Wycombe

FA Cup: Stoke City 3 - 1 Arsenal: Who Wants to Write a Better Recap?!

After enough people yelled at me last night for trying to stay up until 8:30 a.m. to watch the game with a first date approaching on Sunday evening, I gave in and skipped this one. Looks like I picked a good one to miss.

So, let me make sure I have this straight: Stoke scores in 70 seconds, dominates much of the first half, but Arsenal is level at halftime thanks to a fortunate Denilson goal. Wanting to avoid a replay at all costs during Hell Month in the fixtures, Arsene Wenger substitutes to go for the win, Stoke scores twice anyway and wins 3-1.

At least that's one fewer game the Gunners have to play this month.

Preview: Stoke City v. Arsenal, FA Cup 4th Round

Britannia Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent
Sunday, January 24
1330 GMT, 8:30 am EST

• Referee: Martin Atkinson
  
• Last League Match: Arsenal 2 - 0 Stoke; December 5, 2009
• Head-to-Head: 47 Arsenal wins, 21 Stoke wins, 21 draws
  

Predicted Line-Up

Fabianksi
((Reserve?)) - Silvestre - Campbell - Clichy
Denilson - Eastmond - Wilshere
Walcott - Vela - Rosicky

Subs from: Alumnia, Gallas, Senderos, Vermaelen, Traore, Fabregas, Arshavin, Merida, Eduardo
Out: Diaby (calf), Sagna (shoulder), Nasri (hamstring), Ramsey (thigh), Bendtner (groin), Song and Eboue (Africa Cup), Gibbs (foot), Van Persie (ankle), Djourou (knee)

• Arsenal has not won at Stoke since the FA Cup of 1990.
• This means nothing, as Stoke was not a top flight team from 1985 to 2008.
• The Gunners have won all 7 FA Cup ties with Stoke all-time.
• As expected, Arsene Wenger will field a slightly youtful line-up, given that Arsenal Hell Month is approaching. Post about that tomorrow. I even made a pretty graphic!
• No idea who will fill that reserve spot. Emmanuel-Thomas? Coquelin?
  
• As such, one wonders if and when Wenger will throw the FA Cup entirely to the bench players, with the league title race and Champions League up for grabs.