View from the opposition – The Shed Ender interviews Gunnersphere
Here is what he had to say:
The title race seems wide open at the moment and some would suggest it is Arsenal’s best chance to win it, do you agree?
Arsenal always has a chance of winning the title as they are one of the best teams in the Premier League. I think this season is probably our best chance in a long time. A lot of our rivals have dropped points, as have we, but we are still in the mix. We have come out of our ‘nightmare’ month (November) in good fashion for once and look to be in good shape in regards to injury problems. I’m confident we can win the title this season, but we need to acquire some reinforcements in the back-line. Is it our best chance to win it since 2003? I would say so.
However, some cite your form against the bigger teams as a potential stumbling block, why do you think you’ve struggled in high profile clashes in recent years?
You’re right we always seem to struggle against the bigger teams in the league. I think this is occurs due to our players not stepping up. Some of our top players like Cesc Fabregas, Robin Van Perise and Samir Nasri seem to go missing on the bigger occasions, I don’t know why, but they do. I also think some players should focus on the match rather than stir the pot in the press. Some fans may say we are not good enough to compete with the likes of Chelsea’s and Manchester United’s, but I don’t see it that way. We usually play all the football, but evidently, come out short against the big boys which is frustrating.
Do you think you can turn it around against Chelsea?
Yeah of course we can. At Stamford Bridge this season we played really well, but lost to a lucky flick goal from Didier Drogba, and a superb free-kick from Alex. Fortunately for us, it was early in the season, so it didn’t have much impact in terms of winning the title. I feel we have the quality to beat Chelsea, especially at the Emirates this Monday.
Is your squad good enough to continue a title charge for the remainder of the season, or do you think you need to strengthen in January?
Our attack force is second to none and possibly the best in the Premier League, but this can’t be said about our back-line. It’s obvious to fans and pundits that our defence has let us down this season and is no doubt the weakness in our team. I think we have done well up to this point considering we lost Cesc Fabregas, Robin Van Persie and Thomas Vermaelen for long periods already this season. We have a great squad, but do lack a dominant centre-back and goalkeeper within our ranks. I would like to see Wenger strengthen the back-line this January, but doubt very much he will.
Thomas Vermaelen, arguably your best defender, has suffered yet another injury setback and will be absent on Monday, how big of a miss will he be?
This is a massive lost to us, which in turn, is a big gain for Chelsea. Unquestionably, Thomas Vermaelen is our best defender and without him our defence has looked shaky over the past couple of months. I feel Vermaelen is our only defender that is capable of containing Drogba, so to lose him is detrimental to our back-line and hopes of keeping a clean sheet.
Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas could be back for the clash against us, how important could they be for this game?
Very important. Fabregas is our talisman, whilst Robin Van Persie, on his day, has to be considered one of the best strikers in the world. It will be a huge boost to the fans and team to see these two in the line-up against Chelsea. I just hope they are back to their best and can deliver what they are capable of on the day.
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Samir Nasri is the name on everybody’s lips at the moment. The 23-year-old has had a great start to the season and I’m hoping he can continue his fine form this Monday against the Blues. Although he has just come back from injury, I also feel Cesc Fabregas is another player Chelsea will have to be wary of. The Spaniard’s awareness and passing ability can certainly cause a few problems to their back-line, and Arsenal fans will be hoping he can stamp his authority in this match. There are other players in our line-up who can inflict damage, but I think these two would have to be our major threats.
Who will you be looking out for from Chelsea’s team?
Didier Drogba. The Ivorian loves to play against the Gunners because of the lack of strength we possess in our back-line. The striker is without a doubt the main man Arsenal fans fear. On a personal level, I also think Florent Malouda can cause us a few problems during the match. Our full-backs (especially Clichy) have been very poor this season, which Malouda could take advantage of with his pace and power. In addition, I strongly feel that Arsenal can’t allow Michael Essien to boss the midfield (if he plays of course). Essien will no doubt get stuck in, and should he control the middle of the park, then Arsenal will have problems from the get-go.
Do you see any other key battles developing on the field?
The main ones will be Drogba against our centre-backs (probably Laurent Koscielny if I had to pick one of them). Malouda and Bacary Sagna will no doubt be an interesting one to see, as both players know how one another plays. I also think Samir Nasri and Ashley Cole would be good to see. Supposedly the best left-back in the world, against arguably one of the Premierships finest midfielders at present. There will be battles everywhere on the pitch as it is a London derby. I for one am expecting both teams to get stuck in and hope Arsenal can overcome Chelsea this time round.
Finally, can we get a prediction on the result?
This is a tough one to call. Arsenal are bound to score at least one goal at home, although I can also see them conceding. Chelsea will want to win this match as much as the Gunners and I for one am hoping for another entertaining clash. With that being said, I will predict an Arsenal 2-1 win, or a 1-1 draw.
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