Hello Arsenal, My Old Friend.
2014 was a massive success for Arsène Wenger.
We signed Mesut Ozil. We won the FA Cup. We’re in the Champions League with a sight line past the first knockout round.
Somehow, Alexis Sanchez is still alive; considering he played over 70 competitive football matches, and is employed by Arsenal Football Club, I really think we’d be asking a little too much of the guy upstairs to ask for a centre back who can run faster than a pregnant koala, on top of it all.
Continuing with good news, Mesut Ozil is fit… to start against Stoke. They can hide behind their new found fluidity and pseudo tiki-taka rebirth all they like, this is still the club that sews hand towels in their jerseys just to have the leg up on long throws. I don’t like Mesut’s chances at emerging from the land of orcs and Rory Delap’s mum unscathed.
No amount of Barcelona rejects will convince me Stoke are in it for the football. Why would it? Steven N’Zonzi is still a starter for that pulsing abomination of an institution. If that doesn’t scream blatant fraudulence, I don’t know what does.
The only thing I hold interest in concerning Sunday’s match is the situation of our little chim-chimney, Wojciech Szczesny.
You’d hope the big lump would start against a side whose average height must still be at the top end of the Premier League. I’m all for giving David Ospina a chance between the sticks, but I don’t want to return to the dark days of fearing concession via set piece every time there’s a free kick within forty yards of our penalty spot.
Other interesting points will be the inclusion of two of these three: Oxlade-Chamberlain, Alexis, and Theo Walcott. If I had to guess, it would be Theo dropping to the bench for Ox. Sanchez not starting a match for us? Not on your life. That man knows no pain.
Aside from that, I’m not interested in tactics. it doesn’t matter. We’ll be dancing around two banks of four for 90 minutes, it doesn’t take a genius to deduce that.
Still, should be a Sunday funday up norf, or something. Shit, it’s at the Emirates. Can’t wait for Lee Cattermole’s 5th minute tap in then.
