Bolton 2-1 Arsenal

The photo that sums up today and our season. 

Bolton defeated Arsenal 2-1 at the Reebok Stadium in yet another disappointing match this afternoon. Our title hopes are now well and truly over and we are now in a battle for second place along with Chelski. We are now nine points behind United and with only four games remaining. Therefore it is going to be very difficult to catch United but the players shouldn't give up and they should give their all for the fans even if it is just to finish second. We have four games left and finishing the season on a high is crucial for the team. If we lose a couple more games even more people will turn against Wenger and this is the last thing the side needs. We need to stick behind the manger as he has been a brilliant manager over the years. Despite spending hardly any money we have consistently been in the champions league and have recentely moved to a magnificent stadium. Compare this to Tottenham and Liverpool and it's clear how good a manager Arsene Wenger is.

We started today's game with the exact eleven that defeated Barcelona at the Emirates Stadium. Therefore Jack Wilshere returned to the starting eleven replacing Abou Diaby being the only change from the Tottenham game. This was therefore a very strong starting eleven which should of beaten Bolton comfortably. The only first choice player missing was Vermaelen but we missed him a lot today.

We started the game very brightly with Theo Walcott breaking through the Bolton defence on a couple of occasions. On one occasion he was tackled in the penalty area and the replays showed it was a stone wall penalty, however all we got was a corner. Throughout the rest of the first half we created some chances but we wasted much of the possession we had. Cesc Fabregas was finding gaps inbetween the defence and midfield and was linking up well with Van Persie. Nasri and Theo however were struggling to get on the ball and this was where we were struggling. Bolton were also creating lots of chances however and Lee was very unlucky not to have scored two by the half time whistle.

 A goal did eventually come but it was for Bolton and in all honesty they deserved to be in front. However they should never of been able to score such an easy goal. It was a Daniel Sturridge header from a corner kick. Originally Gary Cahill had a header supposedly cleared off the line. He was being marked by Alex Song but it was the worst attempt at marking a player I've seen in a long time. Gary Cahill simply jogged away as the corner was being taken and Song went away even further. This then meant he was jumping against Clichy and he was always going to win the header. This is once again Arsenal getting the basics wrong. It happens so often and it must simply be a lack of concentration. Wenger and his coaching staff aren't stupid and it must just be that Song lost concentration as many other players have done at crucial stages this season.

Another superb goal from the flying Dutchman. 

The second half began and within the first minute Bolton were awarded a penalty. Djourou got the wrong side of Sturridge and there was contact made between the two. Sturridge clearly made a meal of it however and the ref fell for it. For example Rio Ferdinand's 'tackle' on Anichebe yesterday was a far worse tackle but wasn't even awarded a penalty. However after all it was at Old Trafford. Luckily Arsenal's super keeper Wojciech Szczesny came to the rescue and confidently saved Davies's penalty. It was a weak penalty but was still a good save under immense pressure. If there are positives to be found this season Szczesny is definitely one of them as he looks an amazing keeper already and he looks set to be our number one for many years to come. Shortly after the penalty save Arsenal equalised with a brilliant goal. Van Persie was the scorer and this was his 17th goal in his last 17 games and his tenth consecutive goal in away premier league games. He is in unbelievable form and may just be in with a shout of challenging for the golden boot. He's 6 goals behind Berbatov but he is in the form of his life and I'm sure he is aiming to win the golden boot. Fabregas was involved in the build up for the goal and we once again saw how well the duo can play together. We can only imagine how different our season would of been with them playing together in every game. Shortly afterwards Chamakh came on for Song and we switched to a 4-4-2 formation. We were clearly going for the much needed win and we created plenty of opportunities to grab a vital winner. Samir Nasri was especially wasteful and had two fabulous chances to win us the game. However the goal never came for the Arsenal and once again we were punished by a corner kick. Tamir Cohen scored an unstoppable header late in the second half and it was too late for Arsenal to respond. The game was then over and our title chances were over as well.

 It is difficult to see how we lost the game today. In recent weeks we have been criticised for throwing away our leads, but we never even in front today. It was more a case of being wasteful in the final third and not capitalising on our domination of the game especially in the second half. All that is now left to realistically fight for is finishing second in the league and defeating United at the Emirates. The players should still continue to give their best and the fans need to stay behind the players and more importantly the manager. If you remember back to the beginning of the season, the majority of the media were saying we'd struggle to finish in the top four. They have all been proved very wrong as Wenger has guided us to yet another top four finish. I'm sure he will however spend money in the summer as he is also desperate to bring silverware to the club. He has tried to do this in his own way but it hasn't quite worked out and with a few transfers in the Summer we will once again mount a strong challenge for the title next year.

 Im currently working on a major article about transfers in and out of the club in the Summer and hope to have this live on my blog by the end of tomorrow.

Bolton VS Arsenal Match Preview

Arsenal are making the long trip North to the Reebok stadium to take on Bolton Wanderers tomorrow afternoon. It's yet another must win game but with United winning this afternoon it will now be very difficult for us to win the title.We need to win all five games and hope Chelsea beat United and that United slip up in another couple of games. We shouldn't give up all hope yet but in all honesty finishing second should be our main priority now as Chelsea are now ahead of us by three points. The Bolton game is our game in hand but Chelsea still have a superior goal difference in comparison to the Arsenal.

 Once again Arsene Wenger has pretty much his first choice eleven available for tomorrow apart form Vermaelen. Abou Diaby's injury curse has also struck again and he looks like he will miss the next couple of games. This is frustrating as against Spurs, Abou showed how good he actually is and I'm definite if it wasn't for injuries he would be one of the top midfielders in the league. He is clearly very talented and selling him in the summer would be a huge mistake. Hes twice the player of Denilson and I'd much rather see him leave the club.

 Wocjech Szczesny is set to continue in goal for the Arsenal tomorrow and I'm sure he can build on his great performance against Spurs. Despite conceding three goals he had a superb game and if it was Almunia in goal we would of definitely lost. Bacary Sagna, will be at right back and this season he has proved he is the best right back in the league. Laurent Koscielny will partner Johan Djourou and the central defensive duo will need to be at the top of their games against a physical Bolton side. Gael Clichy will start at left back and has recentely reaffirmed his position as the clubs first choice left back ahead of Kieran Gibbs. 


Alex Song will play alongside Jack Wilshere in the centre of the Arsenal midfield. Song will be the more defensive of the duo and Jack will be expected to push on and join Fabregas further up the pitch when we counter attack. Cesc Fabregas will be playing in his apparent new role behind the striker. According to the magnificent Sky pundit, Ray Wilkins, the Tottenham game was the first time Cesc played in this attacking midfield role. Clearly Ray Wilkins hasn't got a clue as Cesc has been playing there for the past two seasons and surely Sky can do better than Wilkins. I can't stand his commentary and it makes you realise how good Andy Gray actually was. 


Theo Walcott, will start on the right hand side of Arsenal's three man attack and once again his pace could be crucial to us winning the match. He will link up with the central forward Robin Van Persie and Samir Nasri who will start on the left hand side. This is our first choice attack and they should be able to dominate the Bolton defence.


 This will be a tough game for the Arsenal, but I believe we showed a return to form on Wednesday, Samir Nasri especially. If we're going to win the title, Nasri will need to continue scoring and so will Van Persie. At the moment the Flying Dutchman can't stop scoring and has been the best striker in the league since the turn of the year. If these two play well we will win with ease but there's no guarantee they will. However I do believe we have enough to win the match and I'm predicting a 3-1 victory for the Arsenal. 

Tottenham 3-3 Arsenal

Arsenal drew 3-3 with Tottenham in an enthralling Premier League encounter. Arsenal threw away a two goal lead but the players can't be criticised for throwing the result away. They tried their best and all played well but Tottenham scored two great goals and a draw was a fair result in the end.

 Abou Diaby started the game ahead of Jack Wilshere who was in clear need of a rest after the amount of football he has played this season. Diaby also gave us a physical presence in the midfield sitting deep with Alex Song. Bacary Sagna also came into the side replacing Emmanuel Eboue and the defence looks far more solid with Sagna playing instead of the liability which is Emmanuel Eboue.

 Theo Walcott opened the scoring with a Henry style finish and hopefully it is a sign of things to come from the young Englishman. This goal came in the 5th minute and Van Der Vaart responded with an equaliser in only the 7th minute. The game was level again and both sides were clearly giving it their all and all the players knew how important the game was to their respective fans. Samir Nasri scored a great goal from outside of the box and then Robin Van Persie scored a third giving the Arsenal a two goal lead. Arsenal were in a commanding position and were dominating the game. However as an Arsenal fan I still felt nervous and didn't really have any confidence in the side of seeing out the victory. It was always going to happen and Huddlestone clawed back a goal for Spurs just before the half time whistle. It was an unstoppable shot and Szczesny had no chance of saving it.

 At half time Arsenal were still in the lead but you could tell the game wasn't over and more than likely Tottenham were going to score an a equaliser at some point. Tottenham scored in the 70th minute when Szczesny tripped Aaron Lennon and gave away a clear penalty. Van Der Vaart scored his second with ease, and the game was level and entered a tense final 20 minutes. Neither team created a great opportuunity and the match fizzled out into a draw. This was a bad result for both sides but a great result for both the Manchester sides.

All in all we have blew our chance of winning the title. We now need to win our next 5 games and hope other results go our way as well. However the team needs to keep trying thier best and the fans need to stick with the players as well. We still have a slim chance of winning the title and getting behind both the manager and the players is the only way we will win the league.

Tottenham VS Arsenal Match Preview

Arsenal will take the short trip across North London to Shite Harte Lane to take on Tottenham in a crucial premier league match tonight. It is a very important game for both sides, as we are challenging for the title and Tottenham are still in the race for a Champions League spot. Therefore a victory for the Arsenal this evening would have two positive effects for Arsenal fans. One, it would keep us in the title race and two, it would damage Spurs's chances of a top four finish.

 After the disappointment of the Liverpool game we will need to be back at our best and once again Wenger has a pretty much full strength squad at his disposal. Bacary Sagna has returned from injury and should replace Emmanuel Eboue at right back. This is a huge relief as Eboue, would clearly struggle tonight after his shocking mistake at the weekend. He will need a couple of weeks on the bench so the fan's don't start to get on his back again. Szczesny will continue in goal and finally we have a goalkeeper we can rely on for the big occasion. Almunia would simply crumble under the pressure of a derby match that is so important. Joining Sagna in defence will be Djourou, Koscielny and Clichy. This is nearly our full strength defence, as Vermaelen is still not fully fit. He is however back in training and should play a part towards the end of the season. With such a good defence, there can be no excuses for lapses in concentrations like we all witnessed at the weekend and if we are going to win the league they are going to have to be at their very best for the rest of the season.

 Our first choice midfield trio are all available for the game and they are all likely to start the game. This means Alex Song will partner Jack Wilshere and Cesc Fabregas in the centre of the park. Our first choice forward trio is also available and Theo Walcott is likely to partner Robin Van Persie and Samir Nasri up front. There is a case for Chamakh to play but he is more than likely going to be on the bench this evening.

 This is one of the biggest North London derby's for years and so much is at stake. If we win we are back in the title race if we draw or lose it will ultimately be over and we would just be fighting with Chelski for 2nd place. If the players can't be motivated and perform at their best for such an important match they never will and this is time for some of the players to finally step up to the mark. I have every confidence in the side this evening and I believe we will win the fixture 2-1.

Arsenal VS Liverpool Match preview

Arsenal are taking on Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium in a very important Premier League fixture. It's a must win game for Arsenal, and if we were to win we would close the gap on Man United to just four points at this crucial stage of the season. This game also marks the return of Andy Carrol to the Emirates, but hopefully he won't be as damaging to our title chances as he was earlier in the season when he came to the Emirates as a Newcastle player. Stopping Carrol and Suarez will be the key to defeating Liverpool later this afternoon and the defence will have to be at their best. For once there has been good news on the injury front for Arsenal with Szczesny, Djourou and Song all likely to return to the starting line up. Having Djourou back is a huge boost for the Arsenal and along with Szczesny and Song, this will be very close to Arsenal's best possible XI.

 Wojciech Szczesny will return in goal today for the Arsenal and is very likely to continue as Arsenal's number one for a very long time. Lehmann was brilliant last weekend but Szczesny is the Arsenal number one and Lehmann may have played his only part of this season already. It was very important he came in and performed well last weekend and this has had a very positive effect on everyone at the club, apart from Manuel Almunia of course.

 Bacary Sagna is a major doubt for this match and Emmanuel Eboue is likely to continue at right back. Johan Djourou is very likely to partner Laurent Koscielny at the heart of the Arsenal defence, with Squillaci dropping to the bench. Gael Clichy will continue at left back for the Arsenal today.

Alex Song has returned from injury and will complete a full strength midfield alongside Jack Wilshere and Cesc Fabregas. Having Fabregas in the Arsenal side makes a huge difference and if he plays like he did last weekend we should win this match quite easily.

Theo Walcott is likely to start on the right wing for Arsenal leaving Andrey Arshavin with a place on the bench. Andrey has been improving recentely but Walcott's pace could be the deciding factor in today's match and he is likely to get the nod ahead of the Russian. Robin Van Persie will lead the Arsenal attacking trio and the Dutchman has been in truly incredible form since then turn of the year. Samir Nasri will start on the left hand side for the Arsenal and can hopefully continue to return to the form he showed in the first half of the season where has was easily the league's best player.

This is going to be a very tough match for Arsenal but if we can keep Suarez and Carrol quiet for the 90 minutes we should win the match. I believe Liverpool will struggle defensively against a full strength Arsenal side including the likes of Fabregas, Walcott and Van Persie. Therefore I'm predicting a 2-1 victory for Arsenal at the Emirates later this afternoon.

Blackpool 1-3 Arsenal: Player Ratings

Jens Lehmann 8/10

Emmanuel Eboue 7/10

Laurent Koscielny 6.5/10

Sebastien Squillaci 7/10

Gael Clichy 7/10

Jack Wilshere 8/10

Cesc Fabregas 8.5/10

Abou Diaby 7.5/10

Robin Van Persie 8.5/10

Andrey Arshavin 6/10

Samir Nasri 7/10

Substitutes

 Kieran Gibbs 6.5/10

Aaron Ramsey 6.5/10

Theo Walcott 7.5/10

Man of the Match: Cesc Fabregas

  The captain was well and truly back at his best and can hopefully continue like this for the rest of the season.

Blackpool 1-3 Arsenal: The Title Race Is Back On

A brilliant game for the German legend.

Arsenal defeated Blackpool 3-1 this afternoon in a brilliant game at Bloomfield Road. The main talking point just before the game was the 'injury' to Manuel Almunia that meant that Jens Lehmann would start his first game since rejoining the club as an emergency loanee. It was only announced about 15 minutes before kick off that Jens would be starting but I have a feeling Wenger knew Jens was going to play a while ago. It just seems far too convenient for Almunia to pick up an injury so close to kick off, you never know maybe Jens was responsible. However I was very pleased Lehmann was starting and I hope he continues to play until Szczesny is back for the team. Arsenal were in control for the majority of the game but Blackpool started both halves brilliantly causing the Arsenal lots of problems. The Arsenal were two goals up at half time through Abou Diaby and Emmanuel Eboue. The second half began with Blackpool on the front foot and Taylor-Fletcher scored in the 52nd minute to make the score 2-1. Robin Van Persie however clinched the victory for the Arsenal with a great goal in the 76th minute. 

The Arsenal players celebrate Diaby's goal.

 The first half began with Blackpool looking the brighter of the two sides at Bloomfield Road where there was a brilliant atmosphere throughout the game. Blackpool had a great early chance from a Charlie Adam corner but Evatt's header went over the bar. This sparked mad Jens into action, as he shouted at his defence to do better, something we haven't seen from an Arsenal keeper for a while. A leader like Lehmann is exactly what the side lacks and Jens was talking with his defence throughout the game trying to keep them organised. In the 18th minute Arsenal broke through the Blackpool defence with ease as Diaby scored the opener. It was a great move started by the magnificent Fabregas who played an excellent pass to Robin Van Persie. The Dutchman crossed for Diaby who scored a simple tap in to put Arsenal one goal ahead. It was a great move but also very poor defending from Blackpool, as Diaby run all the way from the midfield without being tracked by a Blackpool player and then scored a simple tap in. It was also clear that Blackpool's defensive line was way to far up the pitch and the likes of Fabregas and Van Persie were taking advantage of this with ease. It isn't often that the duo start together for the Arsenal but we are a far better side when they do. They link up with each other superbly and if they had started all of our league games together we'd of won the leauge already.  The Arsenal faithful had barely stopped celebrating when Eboue scored an excellent second for Arsenal. The Ivorian defender played a brilliant one two with Jack Wilshere as he run into the box scoring a powerful left footed finish. Arsenal continued to play out the first half in control and in all honesty should have been 4-0 up by the break. Nasri and Van Persie both missed excellent chances and they were nearly made to pay by Blackpool right at the end of the first half.  However Lehmann came to the rescue blocking a DJ Campbell shot on the line before Fabregas cleared the ball away from Arsenal's goal. It capped off a brilliant half for the Spaniard who showed true leadership qualities throughout and looked to be at his very best. 


Blackpool were clearly fired up for the second half and started it very brightly. I daresay Ian Holloway had a few words with his players at half time and they were the better side at the start of the half. In the 52nd minute Taylor-Fletcher scored an easy tap in to make the score 2-1. Arsenal were hit on the counter by Blackpool and the move started with Wilshere fouling Luke Varney in the centre of the pitch but Blackpool had the advantage and the move continued. Jason Puncheon played in DJ Campbell who was taken out by Jens Lehmann but they had the advantage again and Taylor-Fletcher scored for Blackpool. Lehmann was lucky Blackpool scored because if they hadn't he would have been sent off and Robin Van Persie would have had to take over in the Arsenal goal. According to Lehmann, the Dutchman isn't bad and it made me wonder why he hasn't been playing in goal instead of the useless Almunia. Blackpool were inspired by their first goal and poured forward. They were denied a clear penalty by the referee after Koscielny fouled Taylor-Fletcher. Arsenal were under immense pressure and Squillaci and Koscielny were clearly struggling. Blackpool however didn't manage to score mainly due to the superb performance from Jens Lehmann. Eboue was caught out on a number of occasions and he proved how he is nowhere near as good as Bacary Sagna defensively.  Robin Van Persie clinched the victory for Arsenal in the 76th minute. Theo Walcott had came on as a substitute for Andrey Arshavin and had used his pace to pin back the Blackpool defence. The move for Arsenal's third goal was started by a superb tackle from Sebastien Squillaci. Diaby then picked up the ball, and played a great pass to Fabregas who flicked the ball on superbly for Theo Walcott. He used has pace to great effect and crossed brilliantly for Robin Van Persie to score the winner. The Dutchman is in incredible form and as Arsenal fans we can only imagine how different our season would have been if he had stayed injury free for all of it. He is a world class striker and having him and Fabregas fit and firing at this key stage of the season is vital to our title challenge. 


 All in all this was a vital victory for the Gunners. We didn't play superbly but we managed to grind out a result as Manchester United have been doing for the majority of the season. This is a key aspect to a title winning side and something we will need to show for the rest of the season if we are to win the league. If this turns out to be Lehmann's only game of the season he will have made a huge difference and can be very proud of his contribution. He was excellent today and if Szczesny isn't back for the Liverpool game I hope Wenger sticks with the crazy German. We are back in the title race now but will need to pretty much win all of our games to win the title. It's unlikely we will but I feel we are in with a great chance especially if Fabregas and Van Persie continue to play like they did today. It also looks like Cesc is set to stay next season after saying on Twitter that "300 games for Arsenal today with a very important victory. I look back and i see so many great things. But i look at the future and i see...Even greater things. Thank you very much for making me feel so special all those years. Now i want more. Let's fight untill the end!". 

 In other news Arsenal are set to be taken over by Stan Kroenke and I will be writing about the takeover in my blog soon. 

Blackpool VS Arsenal Match Preview

Arsenal face Blackpool on Sunday in a very important game for both sides. This is a must win game for the Arsenal, and against an attacking Blackpool side we should be able to win comfortably like we did at the Emirates back in August. We scored 6 against Blackpool at the Emirates but I’m not expecting such a comprehensive result this time. It will be a tough game but we have to win to keep alive our slim chance in the title race. After all we are seven points behind but if we win our game in hand and beat United the gap will be reduced to just a single point.

  As is typical for the Arsenal we have three new injury problems with Bacary Sagna, Alex Song and Theo Walcott all major doubts for Sunday’s match. In other injury news Denilson and Ramsey are very likely to miss out as well as our other long term absentees including Szczesny and Djourou.

Last weekend against Blackburn the team never got out of first gear and we failed to defeat a Blackburn side we are very capable of beating. It is bound to have had a negative effect on the side but the players need to bounce back and if they play close to their best we will beat Blackpool on Sunday.  There were some promising signs last weekend with Andrey Arshavin especially appearing to be returning to the form we all know he is capable of. He shouldn’t have been substituted as he was one of our best players against Blackburn.

 Wenger has confirmed in his press conference today that he will stick with Manuel Almunia in goal. This is a brave decision by Arsene and one that could very easily backfire.  The Spaniard clearly has no confidence and against an attacking Blackpool side he could be found out once again. It is clear he has the talent to be a top class goalkeeper but as an Arsenal fan every time the ball gets near him you fear the worst.  Hopefully Manuel can perform to his best ability at the weekend.

Bacary Sagna has today been confirmed as doubtful for the match, but Koscielny, Squillaci and Clichy will make up the rest of the back four. Arsenal’s forgotten defender Emmanuel Eboue will start at right back if Sagna doesn’t pass his late fitness test.  Cesc Fabregas has been confirmed as fit to start the game and will hopefully be joined by Alex Song and Jack Wilshere. Song however has a knee problem and is facing a late fitness test. If he isn’t fit Abou Diaby will be his likely replacement alongside Wilshere in the heart of the Arsenal midfield.

 Theo Walcott is a doubt for the game and Andrey Arshavin is likely to start on the right hand side in his absence. Robin Van Persie will start through the middle and Samir Nasri will start on the left of Arsenal’s forward trio. Bendtner and Chamakh will both feel hard done by as they’ve hardly got a game recently but Van Persie is in red hot form and is the key to us challenging for the title.

 Sunday’s game is by no means going to be a walkover but the Arsenal faithful should be confident of victory. Blackpool have been struggling recently and are well and truly in a relegation battle. They won’t be expecting to win on Sunday but due to their attacking philosophy they will still attack and this could play into Arsenal’s hands. They will leave plenty of space in the midfield for the likes of Fabregas to exploit. I’m predicting a 3-1 victory for the Arsenal that would keep us in with a chance of winning the title.

Arsenal 0-0 Blackburn Rovers Player Ratings

Arsenal failed to beat Blackburn at the weekend and many of the players were far from their best. If the players continue to play like this we will never win the league but if they can get back to their best we may still have a chance of winning the Premiership.

Manuel Almunia 5/10
Despite keeping a clean sheet he looked incredibly nervous and made a couple of mistakes that nearly lost us the match.

Bacary Sagna 7/10
A good display from the reliable right back. Crossed the ball well on a number of occasions

Laurent Koscielny 7/10
A solid performance from the French Centre-Half.

Sebastien Squillaci 7/10
An improved performance from the Frenchman

Gael Clichy 6/10
Played well but got caught out on a number of occasions

Alex Song 7.5/10
An energetic display from the midfielder. Attacked and defended well, one of our better players on the day.

Jack Wilshere 7/10
A good performance from the Englishman but didn't have the spark to drive the team forward.

Samir Nasri 7/10
Played well and did well to carry on after a nasty head injury.

Theo Walcott 6.5/10
Got forward well but lacked the final pass.

Robin Van Persie 6.5/10
A good threat but wasted many chances.

Andrey Arshavin 7.5/10
Worked hard throughout the game and didn't deserve to be substituted.

Substitutes 
Marouane Chamakh 6/10
Missed a golden opportunity at the end.

Cesc Fabregas 5.5/10
Had very little impact on the game.

Nicklas Bendtner 6/10
Also failed to make an impact but had a couple of good chances to win the game.

Man of the match: Alex Song
Nobody really deserves the MOTM award but Song put in a good performance and seemed to actually care about the result unlike some of the players.

Arsenal 0-0 Blackburn Rovers: Two valuable points dropped at the Emirates

A memorable tribute for Rocky before the game.

I'm not going to write in detail about the match itself today. This is because no matter how disappointing yesterday's result was there was no need to boo the side at the end and now some so called 'fans' are organising a 'Wenger Out' Protest when we take on Fulham at Craven Cottage. Some fans seem to believe that Wenger needs to be sacked but I couldn't disagree more. What Arsene has done for this historic club is outstanding, without hardly spending any money we are going to finish in the top two above the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea. At the beginning of the season 99% of Arsenal fans would have taken where we are straight away but now it's apparently not good enough. I agree that it's now unlikely we will win the league but 2nd would still be a great achievement and there is no way at all Arsene should be sacked in the summer.

Now to briefly talk about the 90 minutes of football that were played out at the Emirates yesterday. Arsenal drew 0-0 with Blackburn yesterday in an uninspiring display at the Emirates Stadium. This is clearly a huge blow to our titles chances as the title is no longer in our hands and even winning our next 8 games wouldn't guarantee us the title. The team created plenty of chances but failed to take a single chance and as a result Manchester United extended their lead at the top to seven points. Manuel Almunia continued in goal and Theo Walcott started for the first time since he was injured. The side also contained Nasri,Arshavin and Van Persie but we couldn't score a goal against Blackburn who have a very poor defensive record. At points in the game some of the players didn't seem to care if we scored or not and didn't seem to understand how important a trophy would be to the fans who have gone without a trophy for 6 years.

Andrey actually tried his best against Blackburn.

The first half began with Arsenal in control and creating quite a lot of chances. Theo Walcott had an early chance as did Alex Song but Paul Robinson was in top form and Arsenal were very wasteful. Samir Nasri also nearly scored a header and picked up a nasty head injury as a result. I was very impressed with how Samir carried on for the rest of the game, showing that he is a player who actually cares about the future of the Arsenal. He tried his best and this is what we need to see more of from the Arsenal players. Later in the first half Almunia was back to his best spilling an Olsson shot nearly into his own goal. Due to Manuel again Nzonzi nearly scored a header but it narrowly missed. Jack Wilshere also missed an easy chance which he would normally score with ease but unlike some of the other players he had a good game and was putting in a 110% for the side. Later on in the second half Fabregas,Chamakh and Bendtner all came on from the bench. Bendtner especially had a couple of chances but he wasted one and one was cleared off the line. Van Persie also had a great late chance but his header missed the goal.

 Therefore Manchester United now hold the upper hand in the title race and should now go on to win the Title. Arsenal aren't completely out of the title race and if we win our next 8 games we would have a great chance of winning the league. However if some of the fans continue to boo the team and organise protest marches against Arsene Wenger we will struggle to win any of the next 8 games and that is why everyone needs to get behind the team. If some of these so called fans continue to boo the side, it's not going to inspire them to try any harder is it? If everyone can get behind the Arsenal we still have a chance of winning the league and ending the 6 year trophy drought.

Arsenal VS Blackburn Rovers Match Preview

Arsenal are taking on Blackburn in a key game at the Emirates Stadium tomorrow evening. It is a very important fixture and one the side need to win to stay in the title race. For the first time in a while we have good news on the injury front with Song,Fabregas,Diaby and Walcott all returning from injury for the fixture. Robin Van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner are also both expected to be fit for the game. This gives us a full strength midfield and attack and I can't remember the last time this happened for the Arsenal. Unfortunately Szczesny,Djourou and Vermaelen are still out due to injury and as a result Almunia and Squillaci will be starting the game. Neither are loved by the Arsenal faithful but the fans need to get behind them and hope they can play at their best for the rest of the season. The XI Wenger picks for the game should be good enough to beat a struggling Blackburn side and if some of the players can't give their best at this stage of the season they simply shouldn't be at the club. We are in a great position with the majority of our key players fit and if we win our next 9 games we will win the league, it's that simple... I'm now going to look at the starting XI I believe Wenger will pick for the game tomorrow.

Goalkeeper
 Manuel Almunia will be starting in goal. I would have personally picked Lehmann no matter how bad he was for the reserves as Manuel has had too many chances and I can see him losing us the title.  However it looks like he is going to play for the rest of the season and he will need the fans behind him every step of the way.

Right Back
 Bacary Sagna will continue at right back and is a very reliable member of the Arsenal backline.

Centre Back's
Laurent Koscielny will partner Sebastien Squillaci at the back for Arsenal. They haven't formed a strong partnership so far this season but they will need to if we are going to win the league.

Left Back
Gael Clichy will start again at left back and hopefully can continue playing as he has been recentely.

Holding Midfield
Alex Song has returned from injury and I can guarantee he will hold the midfield together unlike Denilson in recent games.

Central Midfield
Jack Wilshere will get the nod ahead of Abou Diaby in the Arsenal midfield. He has been in excellent form and along with Song and Fabregas he completes our first choice midfield. I can't see Jack playing for more than 60 minutes though as he featured in both of England's games as well.

Attacking Midfield
The Captain Cesc Fabregas will return from injury and this is a huge boost for the Arsenal.

Right Wing
Theo Walcott will also return from injury to add much needed pace to the Arsenal front line. Arshavin may start as Theo's only just back from injury but I'm sure Theo will get the nod to start if he is fully fit.

Striker
Robin Van Persie faces a late fitness test but going by Wenger's interview the flying Dutchman is likely to be fit for the game. If not Chamakh will start and Robin will feature from the bench.

Left Wing
Samir Nasri will start on the left for the Arsenal and completes our first choice attacking trio.

This will not be an easy game for the Arsenal as the pressure is now well and truly on. However this is a very strong Arsenal XI and one which should be capable of beating Blackburn especially at the Emirates. Therefore I'm predicting a 3-1 victory for the Gunners.