Erm ... I'd rather have three teams doomed and isolated below us to be honest as quickly as possible. Would take a huge chip off our shoulder and stop Hiddink from having to talk about relegation as "realistic." 

You think the best we can hope for is to avoid relegation and you're not a pessimist?

You think the best we can hope for is to avoid relegation and you're not a pessimist?

 

He he ... fair enough, but yes I do actually. You have your sights on top four perhaps? 

Well, top half of the table at least. 6th is probably the best we can get but we have to improve for that.

I'd take tpo 10 if you offered it to me now. We're only 4 points of relegation, and we've played over half the season.

I agree with you Zeta.

Sadly some of our players attitude and to some of the plastic type fans think they have a God given right to win every week without putting in much effort.

The whole club needs a massive big kick up the arse ( the management, the people who sign players, the players, the whole lot of em, including the supporters) and start rolling up their sleeves, cos make no mistake about it, we are in a relegation fight.

I have been going to watch Chelsea since 1962, and have experienced all this type of crap before ( our top players falling out with the manager, Dave sexton, Ossie & Hudson etc) when we went down hill after we lost against Stoke city in the 1972 League cup final. ( that's the only cup that Stoke have ever won in the whole of their history) lol

I see no one is predicting the lineup, guess we are know by now Guss will just pick the same old 11. I think a draw will do both sides good, Wenger knows we have a good game within us so he won't go gun-ho either. It will be a cagey match with safety first. 

 

This season is a huge write off, I think we will be lucky to be in the top half. Once we get to 45 points ( just to be safe), we should just give the young players game time, we may even discover a few gems within the team.

Courtois

Baba

Terry

Zouma

Azpilicueta

Mikel

Fabregas

Kenedy

Hazard

Willian

Costa

Ivanovic over Baba for me. Ivan is bad defensively but Baba is worse.

There must be a reason why Jose, Holland and now Guss don't trust Baba!

If we beat them, their title chances will suffer quite a blow. This is a real test for them. We may be languishing a few points off relegation but remember, we are still CHAMPIONS OF ENGLAND. You have to beat the champions if you have any chance of becoming them. 

 

We WILL win. Believe. 

seems a bit like the good\bad old days, going to goonsville as the under dogs

Thing is we only remotely look any good when we go for it and play a more attacking style as last weekend showed.

Anyone think we will set up like that against the goons? I would say it's highly unlikely and we will go into our shell and try to hang on for a draw.

they will sit back and hope to hit on the break and probably get over whelmed, would love to see them just go for the jugular

Guus said Hazard could be available.

 

Let's All Pray....!!

 

I am not as pessimistic as I would have been as I think we have improved and Arsenal still have injuries and haven't looked that great of late. BUT I think having a fit Hazard back would make all the difference. Gooner fans have been having a w**k-fest over Ozil this season but he doesn't come close to Hazard when he is on top of his game and a fit and rejuvenated Hazard could destroy Arsenal's defence - as he has done before.

 

I'd take a draw now, but If Hazard and Costa are fit and we leave the likes of Pedro and Matic out of the side, we could even nick all 3 points.

Pre-match view from Arsenal fans forum, for anyone that's interested. I like to go and check out what other club's fans have to say about us pre-match. Can make for some entertaining reading:

 

"In light of past two results this one becomes a must win one."

 

"Chelsea's midfield is going to rape us. They will control the match."

 

"This was always a must win simply for morale purposes. We need to actually beat this Chelsea team"

 

"Agreed. We could have 22 wins and this would still be a must win."

 

"Chelsea has very good players. But they are low on confidence and lack creativity. Teams have packed the midfield against them and made it really hard for them. If there is one match they will get space and time its in this match. I would play 2 central midfielders in flamini and elnenny here. sadly we wont and I can see us lose here. tactics....what tactics. Same teams as usual"

 

"we have to win this one f**k chelsea"

 

"True, they've been imperious this season. They didn't even need you to make the difference for them away. Thank God you made the right choice and f***ked us up anyway."

 

"Gabriel to stab Costa with a prison shank in the tunnel."

 

"I really f***ing hate Chelsea. I need this win. The team needs this win. I don't wanna be the 1 team this season that couldn't beat this terrible Chelsea side."

 

"Costa a doubt for this. Genuine injury or running scared?"

 

"They are far from terrible - they stopped being professonal and stopped playing for their manager. Now they are in a position that their league matches no longer matter and are up against teams who need the points more than they do. The real Chelsea will be seen knocking around the Cups."

 

"I really want us to humiliate these ****"

 

"So want to destroy these **** but probably be a loss and i will have to hear about it over and over."

 

"inb4 1-1"

 

"More like 0 - 0. So infuriating how we always become timid against this lot."

 

Whilst on there, I also found this article on which clubs have the most UEFA Team of the Year awards which interested me: https://www.footballticketpad.com/news/who-has-produced-the-most-world-class-players-in-the-21st-century

Draw for me I'm sorry to say

If we don't win then I think it will be hilarious if we drew 0-0. The amount of fume coming from that stadium and that particular fan on ArsenalFanTV who cannot stand us would be fantastic, he's an absolute cretin.

Those Arsenal fan comments are quite interesting.... on the most part they seem nervous.

 

The one about Costa "running scared" though. Lol. Has there ever been a less intimidating place to go for players and fans alike than the Emirates stadium? I don't think so.

Edited January 19, 201610 yr by mclovin83

Those Arsenal fan comments are quite interesting.... on the most part they seem nervous.

 

The one about Costa "running scared" though. Lol. Has there ever been a less intimidating place to go for players and fans alike than the Emirates stadium? I don't think so.

yeah that one is a classic deluded gooner comment !!

Who is Gabriel?

Pre-match view from Arsenal fans forum, for anyone that's interested. I like to go and check out what other club's fans have to say about us pre-match. Can make for some entertaining reading:

"In light of past two results this one becomes a must win one."

"Chelsea's midfield is going to rape us. They will control the match."

"This was always a must win simply for morale purposes. We need to actually beat this Chelsea team"

"Agreed. We could have 22 wins and this would still be a must win."

"Chelsea has very good players. But they are low on confidence and lack creativity. Teams have packed the midfield against them and made it really hard for them. If there is one match they will get space and time its in this match. I would play 2 central midfielders in flamini and elnenny here. sadly we wont and I can see us lose here. tactics....what tactics. Same teams as usual"

"we have to win this one f**k chelsea"

"True, they've been imperious this season. They didn't even need you to make the difference for them away. Thank God you made the right choice and f***ked us up anyway."

"Gabriel to stab Costa with a prison shank in the tunnel."

"I really f***ing hate Chelsea. I need this win. The team needs this win. I don't wanna be the 1 team this season that couldn't beat this terrible Chelsea side."

"Costa a doubt for this. Genuine injury or running scared?"

"They are far from terrible - they stopped being professonal and stopped playing for their manager. Now they are in a position that their league matches no longer matter and are up against teams who need the points more than they do. The real Chelsea will be seen knocking around the Cups."

"I really want us to humiliate these ****"

"So want to destroy these **** but probably be a loss and i will have to hear about it over and over."

"inb4 1-1"

"More like 0 - 0. So infuriating how we always become timid against this lot."

Whilst on there, I also found this article on which clubs have the most UEFA Team of the Year awards which interested me: https://www.footballticketpad.com/news/who-has-produced-the-most-world-class-players-in-the-21st-century

More of this

They're gonna smash the granny out of us

I think matic's career as a top player is possibly facing an almost existential threat- because there have been no physical injuries it has become one of the most inexplicable cases I've ever seen.

 

but I think, unfortunately, he has to play. we need him for this game more than any other player in the squad IMO. mikel against the quickness of that midfield as the sole defensive player worries me a lot. ramires as the sole defensive player simply won't work. both of them together... MAY work. 

 

I think the only way we come away with a good result here (and I think a draw would be good) is with matic alongside one of the above. I didn't like that even in home games when we were in form jose was sometimes happy to play on the back foot, but in this case I can't see us doing well playing anything other than deep and compact with fabregas long passes over the top to costa and out wide.

what the f**k has happened to matic?? the way he performed last season i thought we had it made

what the f**k has happened to matic?? the way he performed last season i thought we had it made

 

Mourinho destroyed him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

does make you wonder