Tag Archives: Manchester City

Arsenal v Swansea set to be re-arranged for FA Cup replay

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The weekends draw against Hull City is bad news for fans of Swansea City, as it is likely that their Premier League game against Arsenal will be re-arranged to allow the FA Cup replay to take place.

Looking at the fixtures list, and taking into account the implications of the Champions League, it is the only mid-week that is available between now the the FA Cup Quarter Final –Untitled

As you can see, there is not much time between now and the FA Cup Quarter Final.

Now some of you will be screaming “Arsenal do not play in the Champions League the weekend before the QF” Well you are right, but also wrong.

UEFA’s dictatorship dictates that national federations may not schedule top level games or cup matches that clash with Champions League or Europa League.

Basically, they do not want an FA Cup, La Liga or Serie A game to take away any of the viewers from their tournament. It is basically greed. They do not want their own TV viewing figures to drop, and therefore reducing the people that see their sponsors adverts. They basically bully national federations with “If you want to play in our competitions, you have to agree to our rules.”

They do the same with governments if they wish to host major tournaments – the IAAF also do it with the Olympics – ensuring little to no tax is paid by either the organisation or their sponsors.

What this leaves the FA, Arsenal & Hull with is three options:

  1. Re-arrange the Arsenal v Swansea and Birmingham v Hull City games, putting the FA Cup replay on either the 3rd or 4th of March. The re-arranged Swansea fixture will then be moved to the week commencing 18th March
  2. Play the FA Cup reply on the same weekend as the QF games. And then re-schedule the QF match for when the QF replays will be (and pray that the QF does not go to replay)
  3. Schedule the game for when the Champions League is, but have it finishing before 7.45pm so that is does not clash with Champions League games – Barcelona recently played a match against Sporting Gijon in La Liga kicking off late afternoon

The Swansea fixture is the most likely, and easiest for all involved, to move.

Looking forward into the future (if Arsenal get through), the Premier League and Arsenal could have some headaches coming up. If Arsenal make the QF of the FA Cup, and are taken once more to a replay, and get through to the semi final, we might see Arsenal having to play a fixture after the season has “ended.”

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If Arsenal make the Semi Final, requiring a replay in the QF, it leaves one free week to play 3 fixtures.

Even if we do not require a QF replay, it still leaves one game having no where to go, as the QF replay week will be used for Swansea, and it would still leave us to have to re-arrange the Swansea and Sunderland game into the same week to ensure all games are completed before the end of the season.

Of course, this is all just speculation at the moment, if Arsenal lose to Hull, the re-arranged Swansea game will take place where the FA Cup QF game is and there will be no need to reschedule any further games.

It could be even worse for Manchester City if today’s game against Chelsea go’s to replay. With next week being the League Cup Final, they already have one game to re-arrange. They could end up having 4 to find space for.

As a travelling fan, it is frustrating to not be able to take advantage of advanced rail tickets. I feel for Swansea fans who will be unable to get refunds. I feel for WBA fans who still await a date to play Arsenal. And I feel for ourselves, who are going to have to potentially wait until the last minute to purchase what will then be a £100 rail ticket to get to Sunderland (via Newcastle).

Sorry Swansea.

Keenos

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Man City, Wenger’s Tic Tac’s, Joel Campbell And now you’d better believe us

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Man City

Well what a win that was.

Yes, we did it the hard way, inviting the pressure, conceding the inevitable goal with less than 10 minutes and holding on at the end. But who cares? It is a brilliant victory which keeps us holding onto Leicester’s coat tales going into the festive period.

I have a headache this morning after the beers last night. But it is well worth it!

Wenger’s Tic Tac’s

For a long time, and quite frustratingly, people have always claimed “Wenger doesn’t tactics”. It infuriated me. And was incorrect.

It was a line that was rolled out every time we lost a game. Easy to blame the manager and his tactics.

As this season has shown, teams lose games. Does Luis van Gaal not tactics when losing to Norwich? Does Manuel Pellegrini not tactics when failing to score against Aston Villa? Does Jose Mourinho not tactics in any of the 9 games Chelsea have lost this season?

And then you look at someone like Barcelona. Is Luis Enrique a tactical genius? Winning 5 trophies. Playing Neymar, Messi & Suarez upfront?

Against City, Wenger got his tactics spot on. Allowing City’s defence and midfield to have the ball, he knew that none of the back 7 had the ability to pick out a killed pass. It was only when the ball went into David Silva, Sergio Aguero or Kevin de Bruyne did Arsenal put pressure on.

And to a large extent, it worked. Whilst in the first half City had a lot of position in Arsenal’s half, they did not have a single shot in target.

On the flip side, it was Arsenal’s lack of pressing that caused us to concede a goal, but it was a glorious strike by Yaya Toure.

Wenger got his game plan right. And should be praised for it.

Joel Campbell

I will happily admit when I am wrong.

I felt we missed a trick after the World Cup by not flogging him whilst his stock is high. And this summer, after another average loan spell, we should have just cashed in. He looked like a headless chicken every time I saw him play. Continually running nowhere with his head down.

And how wrong I was. It shows perhaps that Arsene Wenger does just know what he is doing.

He is still very rough round the edges, but he has ability. Skill, pace and a good work rate.

I still do not feel he has the talent to be a regular long term starter for The Arsenal, but as a squad player, he could be key.

The fine run of form he has been in since breaking into the team has forced him ahead of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the reckoning.

I am more than happy to be wrong when something positive is happening at Arsenal. I am honest enough to swallow my pride and admit that I was wrong. Now if only some people were the same with Mesut Ozil.

And now you better believe us

In what has been an unpredictable season so far, you would be stupid to predict that Arsenal will be top by New Years Day. But I am stupid.

Leicester next two games are at Liverpool before hosting Manchester City. Whilst Arsenal travel to Southampton before a home game against Bournemouth. It would not be a surprise if Leicester lost both, with Arsenal winning both. Then again, I am probably setting myself up for a fall and a lot of mocking.

What is for certain is that Arsenal are competing. Over the years it has been what we as fans have been calling for. We do not expect to win the title every year. No one has that divine right. But we do expect to be competing.

2 points off top going into the festive period is certainly competing. It still grates a lot that our lack of transfer movement has probably cost us a few points this season. For every point Petr Cech has won us, you have to wonder how many we have dropped by not having the options and squad depth. But that is over. For now.

With January coming up, we need to get the signings right to help us push on. We are still a defensive midfielder short with Francis Coquelin out – although Flamini has performed well. And with last nights news that Alexis Sanchez is out until mid January, coupled with Danny Welbeck’s extended absence, we still need a striker to ease the burden on Olivier Giroud.

We make the right January signings, and continue the great run of form we have had over the last 14 months, and we will be crowned Champions.

Weekend of unpredictable results brings perspective to Arsenal fans

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Stoke City 2 – 0 Manchester City
Manchester United 0-0 West Ham
West Brom 1-1 Tottenham
Chelsea 0-1 Bournemouth
Newcastle 2 – 0 Liverpool

What a set of results. Anyone who says the have predicted that 5 of England’s premier sides would fail to win their game would be a liar. Even more unbelievable when 4 of the 5 opponents started Saturday in the bottom half of the table.

The Premier League this year is so unpredictable. From day one with West Ham beating Arsenal at away (and also going on to beat Liverpool, Man City & Chelsea), it has been a gamblers nightmare.

What this weekends results should do for Arsenal fans is bring in a little bit of perspective.

Two awful results against Norwich and WBA looked to have derailed our season. Yet we sit here, in December, 2 points off top behind Leicester. Who themselves are showing how unpredictable the league is. Favourites to be relegated, now in the title race.

So Arsenal failed to beat Norwich and WBA, taking just 1 point from the two away games, despite taking the lead. It was not good enough. Made even worse by the injuries we sustained – Arsenal suffering an injury crisis perhaps the only thing predictable this season.

The reaction by many to these results was way over the top. And this weekends results show just why.

“A game they should win”. To an extent, this statement is often true. Norwich and WBA away are games Arsenal should win. But as they say, football is not won on paper (or more recently, on computer screens). And whilst there are games certain teams really should win, that does not mean that they will win it.

In recent weeks, Manchester City have lost to Stoke and drawn with Aston Villa. Games that they really should win. They did not.

Spurs whilst on their longest unbeaten run in their history (14 games) have failed to beat Leicester, Swansea and the aforementioned WBA. Games they really should win.

And Manchester United have only won 2 of their last 6 games. Dropping points against the likes of Leicester, West Ham and Crystal Palace. Games they really should win.

And do not even get me started on Chelsea…As much as Leicester rise was unpredictable, Chelsea demise is equally so.

It seems every time Arsenal fail to win, the whif of crisis comes across the club. It is on Twitter. In the media. In the crowd. And it is a massive overreaction.

The fact is, the mid table teams, the likes of West Ham, Crystal Palace, Swansea, Leicester and Stoke have massively closed the gap between themselves and the top sides.

The likes of Shaqiri, Payet, Mahrez, Cabaye and Ayew. Who would have thought a few years ago that these talents would be playing for Premier League sides, who would settle for mid table mediocrity?

Of course, this is all to do with the money floating about in the game right now. These clubs can offer salaries that the likes of Sevilla, Wolfsburg & Marseille can only dream of.

These players coming into the Premier League has created the unpredictability of results we now see.

Even as I write this, Georginio Wijnaldum has just scored Newcastle’s second as they take apart Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool. Newcastle able to sign the captain of PSV, who at one stage was one of the brightest young players in Holland. Newcastle scored 2 with just 1 shot on target. Where has we heard that before recently?

Football games are not won on paper. If you want predictability, go and support PSG in Ligue 1. Currently 15 points clear. Or Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. Who only just lost their first league game this season. And have scored 48 league goals already. 14 points ahead of 3rd.

Whilst you are right to want Arsenal to win every game. It is incorrect to expect us to win every game.

Arsenal will drop more points this season. They will fail to win more games that they really should win. But so will other teams.

So let’s use this weekends run of results as a bit of perspective. Calling for Gary Monk every time Arsenal fail to get 3 points. OK. Tweeting things like “Klopp wouldn’t have lost that game”. These will only make you look an idiot in the long wrong.

Mourinho, Pellegrini, Pochettino, van Gaal & Klopp all failed to win this weekend. Do they not tactics?

Teams will win games they should not win. Lose games they should not lose.

Get over it.

Keenos