Hello all,

A quick update for you on the Champions League. The draw has been done and we are to face Roma in the next round. This is probably better than Barca or Bayern but not easy by any means. Do not forget Roma beat Chelsea 3-1 in Rome, so we must be wary of their challenge. That said I am still glad that we drew them as the only other easier team would have been Panathinaikos. Things have gone well for us concerning the draw of the other teams as well. Utd have been drawn against Inter, so hopefully they will continue the 6-year tradition of the reigning champions being knocked out in the round of 16. Chelsea have been drawn against Juventus, a very strong team at the moment who will hopefully cause problems for them. Liverpool have Real Madrid, which really is brilliant, hopefully all three of the other english teams will be knocked out and we'll be the only team remaining. In other draws, Barca have got Lyon. I support Lyon as well and really would like to see them win, not only because they'd be through to the next round, but it would also eliminate a big threat to Arsenal's chances. Porto have Athletico Madrid, and I have to say I wish we'd finished first now. Also Bayern have drawn Sporting CP so a fairly easy match for the Germans. And finally Villareal takes on Panathinaikos. So it's a pretty good draw especially for the other english clubs. It means some european "heavyweights" have to be knocked out at this stage, so things are looking up for us if we can make it past the round of 16. 

That's all for now, enjoy the troubles of the other English teams and keep the faith,

Asian Arsenal. 

Hello all,

So tomorrow we head off to the Midlands for yet another must-win game. And I think that is how we have to take this season really if we want to have any chance of winning. Just take it one game at a time, one win after the other hopefully. But this game is definitely one that we have to win. We have dropped far too many points against weaker clubs this season and that has to stop. Going by form, this shouldn't be a diufficult match, Boro have picked up just 1 point in their last two games, and we have gathered all 6. Hopefully tomorrow's performance will be slightly more inspired than the one against Wigan, however, in our current position, a win will suffice.

After the loss to Porto in midweek, we should be getting 4 or 5 players back. Hopefully all of them are fit to play because we will still need to play well, even if Boro are just 5 points from relegation. That is the one thing that we must not remind ourselves of. We CANNOT allow ourselves to play complacent football just because we're playing against a weaker team. It must be 100% from the off, and hopefully this is what we'll get. As long as we play motivated, enthusiastic football, we will win, comfortably. So hopefully Fabregas will be fit so he can extend his undefeated run as captain. I expect/hope Wenger will opt for a 4-4-2 formation, it really is our strongest although it is a little risky in an away game. But as I said we have to be focussed and attack-minded, so a 4-4-2 is necessary. So on that, I think the team will look like this: 

                                                      Almunia

          Sagna(if fit)               Silvestre                Djourou                 Clichy

          Ramsey                     Denilson                Cesc                Diaby/Vela

                                           van Persie             Adebayor

I really have no idea what Wenger will do for the wings, because, quite franky, we're fucked in those areas. It looks like we may be lining up 4 central midfielders across the middle of the pitch. Still no news as far as I'm aware on Gallas, so hopefully we Djourou will come in to central defence. Toure is out again unfortunately with his calf. Samir Nasri is also due back in two weeks apparently, so this means we will effectively we without any wingers whatsoever for the Liverpool game. But me may well have Eduardo back for that game after his warm-up with the reserves on the 16th of December. I think though, even with the lack of power on the flanks, we should have too much for Boro and should be looking at a 3rd straight win, something we've been without for a while. I think probably Boro 1 - Arsenal 3.

News from the other camp then, and it looks like they will probably try and push Aliadiere up on the flanks as he is their key player. They are fortunately without both their usual full-backs, which should give our make-shift flanks some chance. Afonso Alves and Stewart Downing are probably the other players to look out for, but I can't really see them posing too much of a threat. While this should be an easily winnable game, both Boro and us have had thorough incosistency in our seasons so there is the chance that this could go either way, and for Arsenal to prove they really have turned the corner, I think we need 6 points out of 6 for the next two games. So hopefully the run of form for both clubs continues and we can look ahead to the game against Liverpool with a 4th straight win in our sights.  

Oh and one last thing. The champions league draw for the next round will be held on December 19, and I am actually happy now that we finished 2nd. We can be drawn against Roma, Panathinaikos, Barcelona, Bayern or Juventus. And if we had finished first we could be facing Inter, Sporting Lisbon, Athletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Villareal or Lyon. So as long as don't draw Barca we should be fine.

Enjoy the game and keep the faith, 

Asian Arsenal. 

Hello all,

This evening we take on Porto for top spot in Group G. A draw will see us top the group, and it looks as though that's what we'll be playing for. Wenger has decided to field pretty much a carling cup side against Porto and is really looking to play for the draw for once. Not that it would really make much difference anyway. If we finish top, we run the risk of being drawn against the likes of Chelsea, Inter, probably Real Madrid and possibly Manchester United, so no great reprieve for first place. On the other hand, a second place finish could seeus drawn against Barcelona, Roma or Liverpool. So either way there's no real difference, which is part of the reason I think that Wenger has decided to play a Carling Cup tinged side at Porto. As qulification is assured, and our position in the premier league is not, it gives Wenger a good chance to be able to rest some of our key players for the game against Boro, and we will need them to keep our momentum going. Anyway, a win would be good, a draw still alright, and a loss indifferent. Nethertheless I feel our youngsters may have enough about them to hold off Porto, so I think probably 1-1, and top spot for the Arsenal. I know it makes little difference on paper, but it will give us a bit more confidence, and a little extra confidence can't possibly go astray currently. 

Anyway, that's it for today, a longer post tomorrow maybe, enjoy the game and keep the faith, 

Asian Arsenal. 

Hello all,

A good win then in the Champions League qualifies us for the knockout round with one game to spare against Porto. Should we beat them we will finish top of the group and thus better seeded for the next round. All-in-all not a great game but a good three points and I think that this may be how we have to tough it out at the moment with the current injury crisis and a lack of creativity. The game was fairly even throughout and Cesc had a good first game as captain, giving a great assist to allow Bendtner to score a late winner. Not exactly vintage Arsenal but still a win's a win. It gears us up also for this weekend's clash at the bridge. And maybe THIS will be the beginning of a new page in Arsenal's book. I know we have been saying this all season, but maybe just maybe. Anyway, now that we're qualified we should be able to give the youngsters some first team experience in Europe and concentrate more on the league and maybe build up a title challenge. Unlikely again, but possible.

Any, that's it for today, have a nice day and keep the faith, 

Asian Arsenal.

Hello all,

Today a look forward to the Champions League match against Dynamo Kiev. In our previous encounter we grabbed a late point, but I feel the home match should be a little simpler. Also, just moments after my post yesterday, Arsenal released this headline. And so it would seem that we will not be pouring all of our players into Europe and Wenger still believes, at least superficially, that we have a chance at the title. Anyway, Kyiv sit just 3 points behind us in the group and a win for them and Porto could compromise our qualification, although we would still probably be ahead on goal difference. A win on the other hand would see us qualify and then we could possibly start playing some youngsters and give them some good first team experience against Porto. 

We would normally go with our 4-5-1 in Europe, but now Diaby and Nasri are both out so I'd expect to see something like this:

                                      Almunia

Traore                   Gallas         Silvestre               Clichy

Ramsey                 Cesc          Denilson             Wilshere

                          Adebayor       van Persie

Sorry, I have absolutely no idea who will be playing on the wings with the vast majority of our wingers out, maybe we will see van Persi slot in on the left and Bendtner come in up the front. It will be interesting to see how Cesc handles his first game as Captain, and while it is a big ask of the young lad with so much else to do already, I think he will step up to the challenge. His motivation and enthusiasm will hopefully breathe life into the rest of the team and we may well see a much more spirited performance than under the horror days of Gallas. Unfortunately Wenger has decided to play Gallas in the squad, and it's understandable, however it would have been nice if were able to not play him and just offload him in the new year, hopefully we'll still be able to do the latter. Personally i would like to see Djourou playing ahead of Gallas, as he is just the kind of defender that we need. So we might see maybe 15-25 minutes of him against Kyiv and let's hope that there's much more to come. So all-in-all it should be a fairly comfortable win and a great place for Cesc to start his captaincy ahead of the tricky fixture against Chelski. 

Anyway have a good match and keep the faith,

Asian Arsenal.