⚽ City vs Arsenal | FA Cup 4th Round | Friday, 8pm: Page 3 - The Arsenal discussion community: One More in the Tolly

⚽ City vs Arsenal | FA Cup 4th Round | Friday, 8pm

RowJimmy

I think that projecting our psychology as supporters onto the team makes no sense. Most of this stuff about statement games has little effect on them.

goon

Burnwinter hey I offered one up with the modest ambition of boosting confidence of players with limited mins and silencing some pundits. Not virtually guaranteeing we do the league double over City.

Burnwinter

We learn faster than City for the time being, but we learn more if the strong side that'll compete in the league also competes here, in the cup. Put them out there, see how they go, refine the approach based on that. Makes sense. I would protect Partey though—but that's just basic risk management.

mohan

I think we should play our strong team. Get to the next round.
If players are in red zone, then do the risk management. Otherwise it should be straight forward with our next game on feb 4th and plenty of time.

Jed

We’ll go unchanged apart from Turner, Tomiyasu and possibly Trossard I reckon.

HomeSteak

Rumors around that ESR will miss this one

est

HomeSteak Oh ffs.

Clrnc

He hasn't travelled with the squad.

James

That’s disappointing, perfect opportunity to get him some minutes under his belt.

QuincyAbeyie

Other rumours say that he'll be playing in the u21 match.

Edit: Nah, seems like it's a thigh injury unrelated to his surgery.

goon

Precautionary apparently but it's a big blow because he needs to be playing football to get his body used to it again.

Means one of Saka and Martinelli have to play, I'd go with the latter.

Big Willie

goon they were both probably gonna play in any case.

Bring Back Kerrea Gilbert

Unbelievable.

Burnwinter

Don't care that much if we win, strangely, but I'd love us to scare them a bit.

Would very happily take a loss here for 4 points off them in the league.

RocktheCasbah

Would be nice to give them a bloody nose on their own turf, wouldn't it?

I don't think we can read too much into it either way though. Our 2002 double team went up to Old Trafford the following winter, won 2-0 and still managed to blow the title. Conversely, whilst I'm pretty sure getting gubbed 4-0 at Old Trafford in 2008 wasn't very healthy for the title challenge, the injuries we ended up with that year undoubtedly played a much bigger part in us collapsing like a badly baked souffle.

Big Willie

RocktheCasbah we were only a Hargreaves freekick and whoever scored against us goal away from winning the title that season. IIRC we were 1-0 up to them and lost 2-1 in the second half. A result which, if it went our way, we'd have won the title by a point with United finishing 3rd 2 points behind if all other results remained the same.

Burnwinter

RocktheCasbah Would be nice to give them a bloody nose on their own turf, wouldn't it?

I'd love us to go a goal up and see the whites of their eyes for half an hour.

Would be very sweet if Saliba could pocket Haaland. This'll be the first time they've played each other right? Could be one of the great league rivalries.

RocktheCasbah

Big Willie I know, I know - they got a penalty because Gallas did something stupid (I think) as well... a proper six pointer

But look at these results from 23 Feb - 15 March

Birmingham City 2–2 Arsenal
Arsenal 1–1 Aston Villa
Wigan Athletic 0–0 Arsenal
Arsenal 1–1 Middlesbrough

4 points from those 4, very winnable, games killed us. I was at the Villa one, which saw Bendtner score in the last minute to equalise (a Senderos own goal) in a half empty stadium..

I think I am also right in saying the Middlesbrough game saw Jeremie Aliadiere score like his only ever goal for the Boro' and despite a mad amount of pressure from us, we couldn't get the winning goal. Absolute pisstake.

Tam

Big Willie Yep, Adebayor had put us ahead and I remember Gallas somehow being culpable. Not sure if he was involved in their first or gave away the freekick from which Hargreaves scored, but my abiding memory of that game is that loss and the resultant point swing cost us the league. I don't particularly remember individual games even within the season, but that one always sticks out.

I'm looking forward to tonight's game, though I don't generally like Friday or Monday games. It's a strange and still somewhat novelty feeling after so long that we're now going into games against the big teams from a position of strength where we've got a good chance of winning and are most likely going to put on a good showing even if we lose.

Burnwinter

RocktheCasbah 23 Feb - 15 March

This exact date range is like the "Late Wenger Era Seasonal Bermuda Triangle" though, we probably averaged 1PPG between those dates for a decade.

Don Pacifico

RocktheCasbah I think I am also right in saying the Middlesbrough game saw Jeremie Aliadiere score like his only ever goal for the Boro' and despite a mad amount of pressure from us, we couldn't get the winning goal. Absolute pisstake.

Ugh...I remember that game now. Was such a bleak period for us, think I blocked it all out post St. Andrews.

RocktheCasbah

Burnwinter Hahaha, yeah 2011 springs to mind - as well as the - mentioned elsewhere - 2016 season!

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