A happy first of the month to you all.
As part of my mid-morning -OH group detox routine, I have just
re-watched Arsene Wenger’s presser on ArsenalTV online; you just have to love
the man. Sitting behind this blog sifting and shifting words through my cranium
then sending them down my fingers, it remains a dream to have that kind of
access that mainstream journalists have. The man “Le professor” is a class act.
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| Ozil is back |
You’ve got to give it to the man. I mean outside Mourinho,
who takes the liberty to troll whenever there’s a camera, and/or when a bunch
of guys with iPads and microphones bustle to gather in front of him, there is
little else that can pass for an engaging press conference.
I dream of that day when, with his discerning look towards
my direction and his French accented English, he lets out another philosophical
gem. We are allowed to dream, aren’t we? All the same, there are whispers about
a possible bow- out by the boss given that he’s uncharacteristically stalling
on his new deal.
I don’t buy into that train of thought. Look at the man people;
he looks to relish every challenge coming his way. He actually is enjoying
himself at this moment in time. I wouldn’t label him bullish as it would be a
lazy word to use, but there is some blatant arrogance in his actions: Like
throwing Sanogo into the deep against Bayern and Liverpool.
Yes, some might argue that the Sanogo trick is typically
Wenger, but the juice lies in his responses to queries on his decisions: the
man speaks as if he has his own oracle, “mganga kutoka Tanga”, looking into
some crystal ball, perched on his shoulder and whispering wisdom into his ears.
The demeanor of le boss right now can only be compared to
that of I-am-the-greatest-ever-F*ck- Messi- you-can-ignore-me-but-I-will-show-
you-why-I won-the-ballon d’or-Ronaldo. Moving on swiftly to the away game
against Stoke, the pundits build it up as the make or break tie for Arsenal. It
is the tie that will set the momentum for the killer fixture schedule that
March is.
The game that is winnable of ahead of Tottenham, Chelsea and
City away, albeit that the Gunners have failed to win in their last three
visits to the Brittania, a ground that has seen Chelsea, Manchester United and
City shed blood. So who will we see today? With Ozil back from his short
sabbatical, you expect The Ox to be handed a start so as to make most of the
German’s eye for the pass and running player.
More than any player, the Ox needs to be an absolute monster
tonight. I watched a premier league magazine show where they traced the Portsmouth
roots of Alex Chamberlain, and his father cum childhood coach (a celebrated
former England International), put forth his scions decision making attributes
as his greatest attributes.
I would like to see The Ox call upon all his faculties if we
are to emerge from windy, cold Stoke with a valuable three points. The England
has to be available for that pass from Ozil/ lay off from Giroud when called
for, has to read the game well to know if runs from deep or off the shoulders
of the Stoke defenders would do the trick, depending on how Stoke set up and
our control of the game.
Additionally, he and Jenkinson(meaning Sagna fills in at left
back) have to provide those quality
crosses that will make the best of a rejuvenated Giroud. The onus falls on him
more, the reason being that traditionally, Giroud has been at his best whenever
paired up with a menacing Theo on the right. This is not to mean that The Ox ought
to be his old Southampton mate, but rather try emulating his influence.
In the middle of the pack, Flamini is better placed to match
the industry of Stoke rugby club. There have been suggestions that Flambo
should deputize at left back given that Gibbs and Monreal might be short for
the match, but I would prefer him and Arteta at the base of midfield.
Such a set-up leaves the improved Jack Wilshere on the bench.
Am not so sure about Wilshere in this match, the future Arsenal captain loves
sticking it in (which is good), but he also likes to play the referee a lot, a
thing that could back fire given that the referee expects this of Stoke and may
let some half challenges pass to get the game flowing.
This doesn’t augur well when coupled with Ozil, who is
likely to be targeted a lot, leaving us with the unpalatable option of losing
the ball in midfield on 50-50 challenges. Cazorla should start on the left to provide
that creative spark and aid a likely to be shackled Ozil. The rest of the team
picks itself.
I pray for an early goal to settle things down, preferably within
the first ten minutes as this would pile the pressure on Mourinho’s Chelsea,
who if am not mistaken, kick off ten minutes after us. Today is world
#Zerodiscrimination day; do some good all you Arsenal Damu! Hug a brother, kumbatia a sister, embrace a stranger. Discrimination remains a key obstacle in the fight against HIV/AIDs
Wishing you gooners a prosperous month. And oh! Did the good news reach you? Theo is walking again! Thanks for tuning in
#COYG
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