Preview: Arsenal v. Stoke City

On-loan Aaron Ramsey scored for Cardiff last night, as Arsenal 
prepares for the side he was injured against last season. Pic via Daily Mail.

Emirates Stadium, London

Wednesday, February 23

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

• Referee: Peter Walton
• This Match, Last Year: Arsenal 2 - 0 Stoke City
• All-Time in All Competitions: 48 Arsenal wins, 22 Stoke wins, 21 draws
• Arsenal's Recent Form: D-W-W-W-D-W
• Stoke's Recent Form: L-W-L-L-W-L

Predicted Line-Up

guesses in red

Szczesny

Sagna - Squillaci - Djourou - Clichy

Song - Wilshere

Walcott - Fabregas - Nasri

Bendtner

Subs from: Almunia, Eboue, Gibbs, Denilson, Rosicky, Arshavin, Chamakh
Suspended: Diaby (third of three, violent conduct)

Out: van Persie (hamstring), Koscielny (back), Fabianski (shoulder), Vermaelen (Achilles)

Arsenal News and Notes

• Suddenly, Robin van Persie and Laurent Koscielny have slight knocks and are unavailable. Part of me suspects that they could play if this was a huge match, but there is an element of caution with a cup final on Sunday.
• Abou Diaby still has a calf injury, but can't play anyway, serving the final match of his three match ban.
• Johan Djourou will be available following his back injury suffered against Barcelona.
• I suspect Nicklas Bendtner will start over Marouane Chamakh in RVP's place. Bendtner is in "better" form, if you can really say that. This is more to say that Chamakh is in poor form. Also, Arsenal could use Bendtner's height against a rugby team.
• This is the first of five Arsenal matches within a two week span (the others being the Carling Cup final on Sunday, FA Cup replay next Wednesday, Sunderland in the league next Saturday, and Barcelona on the following Tuesday.)
• Arsenal are unbeaten in 10 across all competitions and nine in the league.
• Arsenal have only lost once (the 1-0 at Ipswich Town in the Carling Cup semi-final first leg) in their last 16 competitive fixtures.
• The Gunners are unbeaten in 12 at home and have won six straight at the Emirates since the Leeds draw.

Stoke News and Notes

• Matthew Etherington faces a late fitness test after withdrawing from Stoke's Saturday FA Cup win over Brighton & Hove Albion with a back problem.
• Mamady Sidibe has a long term Achilles injury; Abdoulaye Faye has a hamstring injury.
• Stoke City have not won away from home in the league since Boxing Day (four straight losses), though they have two away wins in that time period in the FA Cup.

Match Facts

• The Gunners won this fixture 2-0 last year. Cesc Fabregas missed a penalty, but Arsenal got goals from Andrei Arshavin and Aaron Ramsey.
• Arsenal have won eight straight home fixtures against Stoke in all competitions; five of those were league matches.
• Stoke's last league result at Arsenal was a 1-0 win in 1981/82.
• Stoke City scored in the opening ten minutes of both matches against Arsenal at the Britannia last season; they have not scored in the opening 15 minutes of any match this year.

The Referee

• The referee is Northamptonshire-based Peter Walton.
• Walton was in charge of Arsenal and Stoke's league meeting at the Britannia last year and was the man who showed red to Ryan Shawcross.
• Walton's only Arsenal match this year was the Gunners' 3-0 win at Birmingham on New Year's Day.
• For Stoke, Walton has taken charge of a 2-1 loss at Bolton and 1-1 draw with Manchester City.

Around England

• Today, Champions League: Copenhagen 0 - 2 Chelsea
• Today, Premier League: Blackpool 3 - 1 Tottenham Hotspur
• Wednesday, Premier League: Marseille v. Manchester United; Stade Velodrome, Marseille
• Thursday, Europa League: Liverpool (0) v. (0) Sparta Prague; Anfield, Liverpool
• Thursday, Europa League: Manchester City (0) v. (0) Aris, City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester

Arsenal v. Stoke Match Off Due to Snow

You mean to tell me they can't play in this? Pic via Arsenal.

Preview: Arsenal v. Stoke City

Last time at Stoke... Pic via Daily Mail.

Emirates Stadium, London

Saturday, December 18

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

• Referee: Lee Mason
• This Match Last Year: Arsenal 2 - 0 Stoke City
• All-Time in All Competitions: 48 Arsenal wins, 22 Stoke wins, 21 draws
• Arsenal's Recent Form: W-W-L-W-W-L
• Stoke's Recent Form: W-W-W-D-D-L

Predicted Line-Up

guesses in red

Fabianski

Sagna - Koscielny - Squillaci - Clichy

Song - Wilshere

Walcott - Nasri - Arshavin

Chamakh

Subs from: Szczesny, Eboue, Djourou, Denilson, Rosicky, Fabregas, Van Persie
Doubts: Fabianski (hip), Djourou (thigh), Fabregas (hamstring)

Out: Bendtner (personal), Almunia (ankle), Gibbs (ankle), Diaby (ankle), Vermaelen (Achilles)

Tony Pulis rekindled a rivalry with Arsenal by noting that
Arsenal has picked up more bookings than Stoke this year.
To illustrate that point, Guardian used this photo of a
yellow card that was shown for dissent and not violence.

Match Thoughts

Arsenal's offensively frustrated performance on Monday in their 1-0 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford has made the month of December a little more difficult, but I must insist to you again that the season is not even half over yet, and there's a lot of football left to be played.

But, I won't kid you either. This is a crucial stretch of fixtures. Before their FA Cup date with Leeds in January, Arsenal will get to entertain Chelsea (December 27) and Manchester City (January 5) at home, while also traveling to Birmingham City (January 1) which is often a tricky road match.

With that in mind, coupled with what we've seen Arsenal do at the Emirates against certain teams this year, that makes this a must-win game. Arsenal have already dropped points at home to two newly promoted sides and a fierce rival this season, they cannot afford to do it again. Falling down in the table on Monday with Manchester United having a game in hand makes it essential to win the games you're supposed to win. So far this season, Arsenal haven't always done that.

But if there's any game that Arsenal should be capable of rallying themselves for, it's this one. We all remember what happened at Stoke in February and that should be all the reason in the world for the Gunners to come out tomorrow and give this side a proper thrashing. Quite honestly, the complacency we've seen from Arsenal at times this season cannot be tolerated against a team that is very much the anti-Arsenal. Rory Delap won't have the benefit of all of those ridiculous towels to wipe off the balls for his preposterous cannon throw-ins while at the Emirates, which should help. We'll see how Ryan Shawcross handles the atmosphere...

This should be a pretty enthralling encounter. Let's hope we see Dominant Arsenal for 90 minutes, something that has been a lot to ask for at home, for some reason.

Arsenal News and Notes

• There are no fresh injury concerns after Arsenal's Monday night loss at Old Trafford.
• Lukasz Fabianski will face a late fitness test, meaning Wojciech Szczesny could make his second consecutive and second career Premier League start in goal.
• Both Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie are progressing. I think Fabregas could start Saturday, but would be shocked if van Persie started.
• Abou Diaby is back in training, but is still far too short for this week.
• Nicklas Bendtner's partner is having a child, so the Dane's availability is questionable.
• Manuel Almunia has mysteriously picked up a completely different injury.
• Kieran Gibbs and Thomas Vermaelen are still out for a while. I wouldn't expect either back until January.
• Arsenal's loss on Monday meant they could not stretch their winning streak to five matches across all competitions, which would have been their longest such streak of the season.
• The Gunners have failed on two straight attempts to stretch a two match winning streak to three in the league.

Stoke News and Notes

• Stoke has only two players with injury concerns, and one, Salif Diao (calf) might return to the squad.
• The other injured player, Mamady Sidibe, is out until February with an Achilles problem.
• Stoke City has only received one red card this year. Surprise! It was Ryan Shawcross! He was sent off for two yellows, but they were on ridiculous challenges, four minutes apart, both on Danny Walbeck, in a 2-0 loss at Sunderland.
• Stoke were unbeaten in five before losing 1-0 to Blackpool last week. They have now not won in their last three league matches.

Match Facts

• Arsenal won this fixture last year 2-0. Cesc Fabregas was stopped on a penalty, but Arsenal got goals from Andrei Arshavin and Aaron Ramsey.
• Arsenal have had some rough trips to the Britannia Stadium in the past, but this game is at the Emirates, so we'll worry about that fact in May (or the FA Cup.)
• Stoke City have played twice at Arsenal in their most recent spell in the top flight and have lost 4-1 and 2-0.
• Stoke's last league result at Arsenal was a 1-0 win in 1981/82.

The Referee

• The referee is Lancashire-based Lee Mason.
• This is his first Arsenal match of this season; he previously worked Stoke's 1-1 draw with West Ham at the Britannia.
• The last time Mason took charge of an Arsenal match, it was last April at Wigan, which I have conveniently blocked out of my memory.

Around the League

• Saturday: Sunderland v. Bolton Wanderers; Stadium of Light, Sunderland
• Saturday: Birmingham City v. Newcastle United; St. Andrew's, Birmingham
• Saturday: Blackburn Rovers v. West Ham United; Ewood Park, Blackburn
• Saturday: Wigan Athletic v. Aston Villa; DW Stadium, Wigan
• Saturday: Liverpool v. Fulham; Anfield, Liverpool
• Sunday: West Bromwich Albion v. Wolverhampton Wanderers; The Hawthorns, West Bromwich
• Sunday: Blackpool v. Tottenham Hotspur; Bloomfield Road, Blackpool
• Sunday: Chelsea v. Manchester United; Stamford Bridge, London
• Monday: Manchester City v. Everton; City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester

News Roundup 12/15/10 - The Slippery Pitch Edition

The first result on a Google Image search for "slippery pitch" is the Emirates... Pic via Flickr.

• So, the answer to the "What will Arsene Wenger blame the loss on that isn't the players?" game we played outside of the bar after Monday's match is "the pitch," which we did notice was fairly poor. I had thought United were wearing special boots specifically to handle the grease they added to the pitch before the match. But also, seriously, that doesn't explain why they didn't know what to do with the ball in the final third. [BBC, Guardian, Daily Telegraph]
• A snood-wearing Frenchman thinks Arsenal plays too flashy sometimes. [Sky Sports, Daily Telegraph]
• That same snood-wearer was named France's Player of the Year. Bear in mind that everyone that was with that team in South Africa was probably disqualified. [Sky Sports]
• Wojciech Szczesny is determined to make the fact that I learned how to spell his name months ago worthwhile by staying in the side. Yes, I tripled checked that sentence to avoid ironic typos. [Guardian]
• Speaking of goalkeepers, Arsenal and Manchester City are apparently keen on Blackpool keeper Matthew Gilks, who wants out of the seaside. Doesn't City have like eight goalkeepers? [Daily Mail]
• Surprise! Arsenal might be interested in a French center back! I am flabbergasted at that news. The man in question is Mamadou Sakho, who plays for PSG. But, apparently Barcelona are interested too. Shouldn't they, you know, finally pay us for Henry first?[Daily Mail]
• Stoke City fancies their chances at picking up a win at the Emirates on Saturday, since Newcastle and West Brom have done it this year. Well, obviously they would say that. The headline should read "Stoke Thinks They Can Win, Says Stoke Player." [The Sun]
• FA Youth Cup: Arsenal thrashed Darlington 6-1 yesterday, setting up a next round match with either Sunderland or Chelsea. Chuks Aneke had a hat trick. Benik Afobe had a brace. Defender Daniel Boateng scored a rare goal for Arsenal's sixth. [Arsenal.com]

News Roundup 8/30/10 - The Fracas Edition

Since there are very few official details about this incident, how about we just all jump to ridiculous conclusions? Pic via Guardian.

• Jack Wilshere was arrested in the early morning hours on Sunday for being involved in a "fracas" during which a woman suffered a broken and dislocated elbow. He was released on bail and is "unlikely to face charges." It appears he was attempting to be a peacemaker but remains an important witness. [Guardian, Daily Telegraph, Sky Sports]
• Arsene Wenger invoked the name Ryan Shawcross in a press conference on Thursday, not in reference to last year's Aaron Ramsey incident, but in reference to Stoke City's tactics of bumping the goalkeeper, saying it was turning the game into rugby... [Arsenal.com]
• ...and in a preposterous overreaction, Stoke manager Tony Pulis has decided to lodge a formal complaint to the FA, in a statement which for absolutely no reason contains references to World Wars I and II. [Sky Sports]
• Wait? Let me get this straight... Inter Milan submitted a transfer bid for Cesc Fabregas that was less than the first insulting bid Arsenal turned down from Barcelona? This story doesn't even make sense. Tabloid fodder? [Daily Mail, Daily Mirror]
• Armand Traore might be loaned to Birmingham or Juventus. [Sky Sports, Daily Mail]
• Arsenal has drawn Tottenham away in the third round of the Carling Cup, to be played the week of September 20. Arsenal will likely play reserves, as they do in this competition. I expect Tottenham to play their standard line-up. This means Tottenham will probably win, brag about it until the first league meeting in November, and release a special edition DVD of the match the following morning. Poor predictable Spurs. [Guardian]

News Roundup 3/24/10 - The Doubt Edition

Arsenal needs more clockwork bunnies, says Arshavin. Pic via Guardian.

• Andrei Arshavin is pretty sure Arsenal doesn't have enough players and depth to win the league. His web site, however, quotes him as saying "we should win all remaining games." Make up your mind, Andrei. He then finally offered an exhaustive explanation of ideological anarchism. [Guardian]
• Denilson, however, believes that the team's past experiences have left them in a stronger position than ever before. Yes, this is the kind of thing you expect to hear from your players. None of that Arshavin doubt crap. [Sky Sports]
• The Telegraph has an article about Wenger's selection problem at center back for this Saturday's match at Birmingham, which I talked about a bit yesterday. Somehow, they arrive at the conclusion that it would be Campbell Saturday, then likely Silvestre against Barcelona. No. That is not okay. No. No. No. [Telegraph]
• Manchester United's Paul Scholes keeps saying they're going to win the rest of their games too. Like this is the third time he's said that this month. You know, Paul, too much hubris can result in bad karma, like a loss at Bolton on Saturday, or something. [ESPN Soccernet]
• Stoke manager Tony Pulis said "moaners like Wenger just want to shoot us down." Hmmm, I wonder why a team like Arsenal would think Stoke City is a bunch of bullies... Pulis's comments came after yet another Stoke player was sent off at the weekend. [Daily Mirror]
• Arsenal have made some progress in contract talks with William Gallas. How about some progress on that calf injury, okay? [Daily Mirror]
• Nice striker (the team in France, though I'm sure he's a wonderful guy too) Loic Remy has revealed that he still wants to come to Arsenal, despite a January deal failing due to Nice's high asking price, which wasn't very nice of them. I'm sorry for that. [Daily Mail]
• Internazionale is preparing a £36m offer for Cesc Fabregas, offering U-21 star Mario Balotelli in the exchange. Sky Sport Italia has reported that Inter has even placed Fabregas under their insurance already, suggesting a deal is done. Cesc's representatives have stated that there is no contact with Inter, let alone a deal in place. [Daily Mail]

See you at the pub: The Nags Head

When you’re in New York, you’re at Nevada Smith’s. When you’ve got money, you’re at Emirates. But where to go while in London? We’re spoilt for choice when it comes to Arsenal pubs in North London, so we’ll try to take you though some of our experiences in our search for the perfect pub.

via fancyapint.com
The Nags Head
12 Upper Street
London N1 0PQ
Match attended: Stoke v Arsenal, 27 February 2010

Angel is dead in the heart of Islington, so you’d think that it would be the easiest task in the world to find a pub showing an Arsenal match. Apparently untrue when the England-Ireland Six Nations game overlaps with the start of the football. It took us a while, but fifteen minutes into the start of the match, we settled in this narrow, wood-lined pub in the center of Angel. We all know how traumatizing the match was, but did the location make up for it?

Drink selection: Good. Nearly the same drink selection as the Twelve Pins, with the added bonus of a Riesling-Gewurtztraminer as one of the house wines.

Drink price: Fair. Still cheaper by the gold standard of Nevada Smith’s, but not stunningly so.

Screen size and visibility: Good. A large projection screen was pulled down in the back of the pub, and there were several smaller television screens throughout the pub. The size and layout of the pub meant that most people were squished together at tables, meaning that height, thankfully, wasn’t an issue.

Crowd: Fair. Despite the fact that we were the only patrons in full Arsenal regalia, the crowd erupted during the Ramsey tackle and the two subsequent goals. Heartwarming in a way. Also, an old man came by and complimented me on my shirt, so bonus points for that.

Singing: Nope, none.

Location: Fair. Incredibly centrally located, especially for still being solidly in Arsenal turf, but a bit too far from Emirates for our tastes.

Overall rating: Fair. A charming pub, usually really satisfactory for afternoon freelance work (where I am now, in fact), that provides a better Saturday-evening-out ambiance than a Gooner-til-I-die atmosphere, probably due to its just-a-Tube-ride-away proximity from Highbury. Certainly not the worst option in a city full of non-Arsenal pubs.

Stoke City 1 - 3 Arsenal: Reacting to Adversity

 

The Gunners gather together following a 3-1 win, rallying to support the injured Aaron Ramsey. Pic via Sky Sports.

Stoke City 1: Pugh 8

Arsenal 3: Bendtner 32, Fabregas 90+1 (pen), Vermaelen 90+4

Before diving into the recap, I want to take the time to wish Aaron Ramsey a quick recovery. Our thoughts and prayers are with the young Welshman. Ramsey fractured both his tibia and fibula, and it goes without saying, he's out for the season.

Earlier in the morning, Chelsea had lost 4-2 at home to Manchester City, so Arsenal could pull to within three points of first place with a win. I told Max upon his arrival at Nevada Smiths yesterday that I expected this match to be "an exercise in frustration," thanks to Stoke's style of physical play, wasting time drying the ball on throw-ins, and being terrified of Rory Delap's throws in general. We were also, bizarrely, surrounded by Newcastle fans for much of the start, despite the Magpies game clearly not being shown on any of the upstairs televisions (must've been downstairs.)

Eight minutes in, Stoke struck first, pretty much in "I told you so" fashion. How obvious it was. Delap fires a long throw into the box, a quick little flick of the head from Shawcross, nobody guarding the back post for Arsenal (surprise!), and an easy put away from Pugh. Max was buying beer at the moment and completely missed the goal.

At this point, despite dominating possession up to that point, Stoke had a lead a decided to drop back and let Arsenal do their thing, instead of keeping up the pressure that they had sustained throughout the start. Eventually, Arsenal pulled level on a lovely little header from Nicklas Bendtner. 1-1 at the break.

Arsenal had a few looks at taking the lead after the restart; a possible penalty for a foul on Ramsey went uncalled and just shy of the hour mark, a great strike from Emmanuel Eboue brought on a great save from Sorensen. Alex Song was booked shortly after for a push that I didn't even think should have been a foul. To make matters worse, that's 10 bookings for Song, and a two match domestic ban. That means he'll miss Burnley and Hull City, but will be available for Porto in between.

Now, to what this match will always be known for: 66th minute, Aaron Ramsey and Ryan Shawcross run at each other at full speed, chasing down a 50/50 ball. Ramsey wins the ball as Shawcross arrives late. So, instead of getting the ball in the challenge, Shawcross catches Ramsey's legs, and a horrific injury is suffered. It was terrible. Unlike Eduardo's break in 2008, Ramsey was actually facing the television camera, showing an obvious leg break immediately.

We didn't see the challenge at the time, it seemed kind of innocuous. We weren't sure at the time who the man down was, for a second (the guy next to me said it was Fabregas, giving me a minor heart attack; not to say this is any better, Ramsey is one of my personal favorites.)

There's really not much more I can say because I haven't seen the challenge close-up or in slow motion. I've only seen it replayed on YouTube, at regular speed, in semi-poor quality. It's hard to tell how high Shawcross caught Ramsey, or whether his studs were up. Didn't seem like a two-footed challenge.

Now, here is the key to this match: Arsenal's reaction. The Gunners crumbled against Birmingham two years ago after Eduardo's broken leg (which was also in the last week of February.) Arsenal went down, took a 2-1 lead thanks to a Theo Walcott brace, then conceded a questionable penalty in injury time, and captain William Gallas threw a minor temper tantrum. The league title slipped out of Arsenal's grasps that afternoon in the Midlands. A draw yesterday, on a day where Chelsea opened a door to walk right back into the race, would have been hard to swallow.

But with the game 1-1 with twenty minutes to play and a horrific injury to overcome, this match had "disappointing, title-challenge ending draw" written all over it. Arsenal did not have much time to put the injury behind them and score to take the three points. But just in the start of injury time, a Nicklas Bendtner through-ball into the area struck Pugh's hand. Definite penalty.

In December, Arsenal had a penalty against Stoke at the Emirates. Fabregas took the show, low to Sorensen's left. Sorensen saved it. With the game on the line, Fabregas's shot yesterday went to the same exact spot. Sorensen guessed right again and got his fingertips on it. But it was not enough, it was in. It was 2-1 Arsenal. A team that could've buckled over the cirumstances and collapsed like they did two years ago instead overcame that adversity, and was well on their way to three more points...

...and then scored again. After playing a short corner, the ball came to Rosicky (who was on as Ramsey's substitute) who fired from 25 yards out, sparking a save from Sorensen. But the rebound came straight to Fabregas, who flicked it perfectly to Thomas Vermaelen for the tap-in, the 3-1 win, and the three points in the standings.

Arsenal's reaction to adversity, rallying for the win, and coming together in the center circle after the match to honor Ramsey (picture above) are the keys here, and the reasons why the Gunners are now a serious contender for the league title.

Dear God, take us, not Aaron Ramsey

As I appear to be the first Hipster Gooner back from drinking the pain away, I must note the single most important/traumatizing event of the Stoke-Arsenal match this evening: the horrifying tackle on Aaron Ramsey that has led to a serious leg injury. We at Hipster Gooner have always had a massive soft spot for the Welshman, and send prayers, hopes, and long-distance cuddles his way.

More on this from Zorro Cat and the rest of the Hipster Gooner crew as the story develops.

This Weekend in the Premier League

First, some final notes on Stoke City v. Arsenal:

• Stoke City are unbeaten in 11 matches across all competitions.
• Rory Delap terrifies me.
• If I weren't a Gooner, this would actually be an incredibly intriguing match-up. Instead, I'll just be bouncing nervously.
• I say this as it pits Stoke's sheer physicality against Arsenal's precision, angles, and finesse.

Around the League, times Eastern because I said so:

7:45 am: Chelsea v. Manchester City; Stamford Bridge, London

• One of Chelsea's biggest opportunities to drop three points comes tomorrow morning.
• Chelsea will be without Petr Cech for 3-4 weeks with a calf injury...
• ...but, always willing to help Arsenal, striker Emmanuel Adebayor will be unavailable, as he begins serving a four-match ban for picking up a red card Wednesday at Stoke in an FA Cup replay.
• Also, there's the whole John Terry-Wayne Bridge thing...

10 am: Burnley v. Portsmouth; Turf Moor, Burnley

• With a nine point deduction on its way for entering administration, Portsmouth will begin preparing for next season in the Championship by playing a side currently sitting in the relegation zone as well. This would've been a "six-pointer" if it weren't so obvious now that Pompey's going down.

10 am: Birmingham City v. Wigan Athletic; St. Andrew's Stadium, Birmingham

• Birmingham went 12 matches unbeaten in the league earlier this year, but have won once in their last five as their form is slipping.
• Wigan sits two points clear of the drop zone.

10 am: Bolton Wanderers v. Wolverhampton Wanderers; Reebok Stadium, Bolton

• Another relegation six-pointer on the docket. Bolton sits in 18th, clear of Burnley on goal difference. Wolves are one point ahead of them, in 16th.

8 am Sunday: Tottenham Hotspur v. Everton; White Hart Lane, London

• Everton is the in-form team of the moment, coming off wins over Chelsea and Manchester United, but were just blasted out of the Europa League after losing 3-0 in Lisbon.
• Fortunately for them, everyone on Tottenham is sick!

10 am Sunday: Sunderland v. Fulham; Stadium of Light, Sunderland

• Sunderland may never win again. Seriously, it's been three months now.
• If Fulham puts a run together, they could challenge for European qualification. They're probably the lowest team in the table right now capable of saying that, sitting in 9th. It's a very long shot, their nine points out of 4th.

10 am Sunday: Liverpool v. Blackburn Rovers; Anfield, London

• Liverpool made quick work of some team from Romania that nobody has ever heard of in the Europa League after their exile from the Champions League. 4th place is still up for grabs.

10 am Sunday: CARLING CUP FINAL - Manchester United v. Aston Villa; Wembley Stadium, London

• Come on you Villans!

Not playing this weekend: West Ham United and Hull City, because of the Carling Cup Final. West Ham lost 3-0 at Old Trafford on Tuesday. Hull City had their match with Villa postponed.

Preview: Stoke City v. Arsenal

Arsenal's last league trip to Stoke did not go very well. Neither did that FA Cup trip. You know what? I hate the Britannia. Pic via Daily Telegraph.


Britannia Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent
Saturday, February 27
1730 GMT, 12:30 pm EST

• Referee: Peter Walton
  
• This Match, Last Year: Stoke City 2 - 1 Arsenal
• All-Time in All Competitions: 47 Arsenal wins, 22 Stoke City, 21 draws
  
• Arsenal's Recent Form: W-D-L-L-W-W
• Stoke City's Recent Form: D-D-W-D-D-W
  

Predicted Line-Up
guesses italicized

Almunia
Sagna - Campbell - Vermaelen - Clichy
Fabregas - Song - Ramsey
Nasri - Bendtner - Eduardo

Subs from: Fabianski, Traore, Silvestre, Eboue, Denilson, Rosicky, Walcott
Out: Diaby (knee), Gallas (calf), Arshavin (hamstring), Merida (ankle), Gibbs (foot), Van Persie (ankle), Djourou (knee)

• In injury updates for the Gunners: Eduardo could feature as he will resume full training Friday and will make the trip to Stoke. I've listed him to start, but it's more likely that Walcott or Rosicky will start there. Gallas, Diaby, and Arshavin remain out. Judgment call on whether Sagna or Eboue starts at right back, after Eboue had a superb performance there last week.
• Arsenal has not won a league match at Stoke City since a 1-0 win at Victoria Ground on January 20, 1982. Stoke City was not a top tier side from 1985/1986 to 2008/2009.
• Arsenal lost to Stoke City 3-1 on January 24, sending the Gunners crashing out of the 2010 FA Cup.
• Arsenal did defeat Stoke 2-0 at the Emirates on December 5.
• In this league match last season, a 2-1 loss, both Emmanuel Adebayor and Theo Walcott had to be stretchered off the pitch and Robin van Persie was sent off after being provoked by Stoke goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen.
• Arsenal and Stoke City have both picked up 10 points in their last six Premier League matches, though Stoke is arguably in better form, as...
• Stoke's last league loss was December 28, home to Birmingham City.
• Stoke City played midweek, defeating Manchester City 3-1 after extra time in their fifth round FA Cup replay.
• You know what's a disaster for a team with a shaky defense, indecisive goalkeeper, and general height disadvantage? The opposition having a guy that can heave a throw-in practically on goal. That guy is Rory Delap.
• Stoke City have scored 17 goals with assists from Delap throw-ins in his career. Three of those have come against Arsenal, including both goals of last year's 2-1 match at the Britannia and Stoke's first goal in the FA Cup tie this year. Stoke's winning goal in extra time against Manchester City on Wednesday also came from a Delap throw-in.
• This is the third time Peter Walton will referee an Arsenal match this year, previously working a 6-2 win over Blackburn Rovers and a 2-2 draw with Everton, both at the Emirates.

My Lucky Hat, Or, An Existential Crisis.

Jay-Z, the ultimate Yankee Gooner.

Before I started following the Arsenal, I’d always read articles about obsessive fans touting lucky talismans (talismen?) as the reason for their team’s victory. I found them a bit ridiculous, of course -- how could the fact that you wore the same pair of underpants for every game be anything besides rather unhygienic? That was, of course, in the era of B. A.

Since our love for the Red & White began, we’ve all begun accumulating habits, starting with wearing red on match days, followed by NYC Gooner pins, and more recently with shirts and scarves. Jack and I used to go to the Park Slope Dunkin’ Donuts every morning before matches (more a necessity when leaving the house at 8.30am), and there was a run of matches with goals scored while Max was putting money in the parking meter outside, but nothing had taken on any truly obsessive veneer until The Hat.

In the past month, we’ve moved to Brixton (South London for those keeping track), land of hoodies and baseball caps, so I’ve taken to wearing my Yankees cap when the weather permits. This, combined with my fond memories of Yankee-Arsenal fans at Nevada Smith’s, is why I found myself on the afternoon of the first Bolton match in the Arsenal Tavern wearing red, white, and blue.

That match, I had the hat on from the start, and we all know how that turned out (2-0 to the Arsenal.) The following week’s Bolton rematch, we went to the Twelve Pins and I removed my cap for the first half. We went two down. Hat came on, we won 4-2 and went top of the league.

It seemed obvious really, almost too perfect. We couldn’t score goals without the hat; we couldn’t stop scoring goals with it.

Then came the night that tested my faith. Although be-hatted for the whole match, we went down 3-1 to Stoke. Just like all irrational obsessives, I quickly found an excuse: it was a FA Cup match, so clearly the hat only worked for the Premiership.

My hat wasn’t my only totem, though. The two matches where I wore my new Rosicky shirt and he played, he made major contributions: the injury-time equaliser that salvaged a draw from the Everton match in January, and the first goal in that stunning comeback against Bolton.

Then came Aston Villa. The hat and the shirt were both on to provide the maximum amount of luck clothing could provide for the beginning of a wretched stretch of fixtures. The unhappy end is fresh in all of our minds -- not even a flicker of hope illuminated what was just a stunningly unlucky match. To add insult to injury, Rosicky played poorly, with his two chances denied by cruel fate, the bar, and Aaron Ramsey. By the end of the match, I threw the hat to the floor and stomped on it for good measure. The dream was no more. The lucky hat had lost its luck.

And it couldn’t have come at a worse time, with Manchester United less than twenty-four hours away and Liverpool and Chelsea looming on the horizon. A new strategy is needed…but what?

Let us know if you have any surefire lucky rituals (and if you do, please, please do them extra for tomorrow.)

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.