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Today I have a very special guest in Yogis Warrior from A Cultured Left Foot tackling some questions on the big game come this weekend.
How confident are Arsenal fans ahead of the weekend tie?
Quietly confident. The thrashing of Tottenham came at just the right time. Mind you, is there ever a wrong time to hand over an absolute gubbing to your local rivals.
What do you think of Arsenal’s recent form?
If this were a cup match, I would probably write it off as a home banker but it’s the Premier League which has taken a turn for the better following an awful start to 2012. Unbeaten in February with a draw at Bolton and three wins on the spin following January where we failed to muster a point.
We need to keep the run going; the gap to third could, with favourable results, be just four points having stood at ten a week ago. That would be a huge psychological boost for us and hopefully damaging for Tottenham.
Who’s the man to watch for Arsenal?
The obvious is van Persie but equally Arteta is key to keeping possession and passing movements going. On the wings, it rather depends on which Walcott and Gervinho turn up. If it is the ones who are on fire, Liverpool’s full backs will have a busy afternoon. If they aren’t, Reina won’t have a busy afternoon at all. Then there is Oxlade-Chamberlain to come off the bench, his performances hint that he might live up to expectations.
Tomas Rosicky was outstanding against Spurs, just rolled back the years. If he can reproduce that form on a consistent basis, we are in good shape.
How do you stop the Gunners?
Milan and Sunderland found that packing midfield works. Failing that, pray to whichever God you believe in that Robin van Persie doesn’t score.
What’s your prediction for this match?
As long as Arsenal win, I won’t mind the outcome…
