Blackburn will push Roonieless Manchester United all the way

By 1970’s Gooner

Every team has a player who is the driving force behind it. A player who with his drive and footballing ability energises the rest of his team mates.

Thierry Henry used to do it for Arsenal and now Cesc Fabregas seems to have taken over this role. Steven Gerrard is the heart of Liverpool who on many occasions changed the course of games and Didier Drogba and John Terry have a similar impact for Chelsea.

It is in this esteemed list of players that I would place Wayne Roonie and his undoubted contribution to the way Manchester United play their football.

He is positioned just behind the front striker and in this way is the link between the midfield and attack. And from here he has the platform to energise the rest of his team mates.

It is for this reason that I consider the absence of Wayne Roonie from Manchester United’s line up next Sunday against Blackburn a significant loss.

However for some this may be a blessing in disguise.

Ferguson may now have to play Saha, a traditional centre forward, that so many have been arguing is missing from this team.

It was missing last week against Arsenal until he was brought on to great effect.

Balance, so important in football formations, will now be restored. And I would agree with this logic.

Also Roonie’s loss and Saha’s inclusion means that Tevez will assume his role of support striker; a position he is more accustomed with. However I doubt whether he can be as effective as Roonie or as energizing.

And if he repeats his tame performance at the Emirates then United will not find it easy against Blackburn.

Ferguson may of course keep Saha on the bench and play Giggs or Ronaldo with Tevez up front. A viable combination but not as effective as the Saha option. However I doubt whether anyone of these players can effectively replace Roonie.

Rovers are enjoying a strong run of form and travel to Old Trafford on Sunday unbeaten away and only five points behind United with a game in hand.

They are one of the toughest sides to play outside of the 'big four' and head into this in fantastic form, with seven wins in their last eight.

More significantly they have gone up against three out of the big four and come out of them unbeaten and they have kept eight clean sheets in all competitions, including scoreless draws against Chelsea and more recently Liverpool.

I expect them to push Roonieless United all the way.


Manchester United are running scared and Liverpool are lacking in quality

Arsenal pursuing the next Tony Adams but so are Manchester United!

Arsenal’s Formula One Car Cannot Run With The Handbreak On. A Critique

Arsenal can storm to victory by exploiting Liverpool’s weaknesses

By Eros, Arsenal Analysis resident season ticket holder at the Emirates (North Upper Stand Row Q)

There is this culture brewing in the British media that Arsenal players go down very easily and that Cesc has a nasty streak that he needs to curb.

A specific sky sports commentator even accused Hleb of making a meal of a challenge from behind, since the foul committed “has not put him out of commission for a couple of months” God help us!

However, all football experts seem to blatantly ignore Steve “diving master” Gerard, going to ground at Goodison Park as soon as he saw the white line, well before any tackle was made. He then had the audacity to ask for a red card!

Why am I having a rant about inept refereeing?

I am only mentioning the above as I feel that a similar scenario could occur on Sunday.

Liverpool are likely to add a physical element to their game, fly into every challenge and try and take Arsenal out of their tempo.

Benitez is a good tactician and he knows Arsenal is less effective when Cesc is not controlling the tempo of the game.

The easiest way to get to Cesk is to make him get involved, as Lampard does very well every single time, as well as some Bolton and Blackburn players.

They try and cloud his judgement, make him loose concentration and make rushed decisions.

Other than that I expect Liverpool to stick to the plan they implemented last season with great success humiliating Arsenal 4-1 at Anfield.

Expect a number of long diagonal balls from midfield aimed at the Arsenal fullbacks to Crouch and Kuyt with Torres trying to get at the end of them.

An additional threat Arsenal need to be worried about is Torres’s speed and trickery. Something Liverpool did not have last year and we have not yet faced this season.

Torres likes to drift on the left and make runs in the ‘Henry channel’ with Mascherano and Gerrard feeding balls in to him. Give him space and he can be deadly.

I think with Van Persie out Wenger will be tempted by a 4-5-1 formation with Hleb and Rosicky on the wings and possibly Gilberto, Flamini and Cesc completing the midfield. The only alternative I consider viable is Diaby instead of Gilberto.

Gilberto is fresh as he only played international football over the last few weeks. I also think his experience will be invaluable over the next few games.

He is going to slot into midfield and protect the back four.

His job will be to deny Gerard space to operate and cover the Arsenal full backs when they bomb forward.

He is also going to pick Torres up whenever he falls back in midfield.

Flamini’s task will be to press the ball when coming out of the defence and deny Mascherano the space and time to dictate the tempo of the game.

Offensively Arsenal will try and exploit Liverpool’s weaknesses.

One way is to use Adebayor to pull Carragher out of position. Once they manage that Fabregas, Hleb and Rosicky will have a significant advantage over Hyppia who is the weak link in the Liverpool defence.

They should have significant success with runs from the midfield. Last year Rosicky and Hleb created chaos in the Liverpool backline by cutting inside and using the full backs for width. And if Walcott starts then Hyppia’s problems will be even more exacerbated!

Wenger will look to isolate Finnan, especially if Pennant starts the game – he is not the best defender although improved at tracking back - and have Clichy and Rosicky 2 against 1 on the left hand side.

In this way Carragher will be forced out of position again with space created for the midfielders to run into.

Liverpool are the home side and they will try and force the issue early on and this will suit Arsenal to the ground.

Quick counter attacking football will therefore give Arsenal a great chance to take the lead, make life a lot easier for themselves and silence the crowd.

Liverpool’s best chance is from set pieces not because they cannot score any other way but because Arsenal are sloppy defending them.

We need to be very careful and make sure we limit the times they can deliver the ball from free kicks to an absolute minimum.

This is the first big test for this young team; Arsenal can win only if they stick to what they do best. And that is to play the beautiful game.

Prediction: Arsenal stake a claim to the title with emphatic display.
Away win 0-2


Wenger's dilemma:Who should partner Adebayor against Liverpool?

Wenger’s selection dilemmas coming up for the Liverpool and Manchester United games

Blackburn Vs Arsenal. Predictions and betting suggestions

By Aries (Arsenal Analysis odds analyser) and 1970’s Gooner

Trying to arrive at a reasonable prediction for this game is a tough task. This is because there are still unknowns about both teams.

Arsenal’s line up is still to be decided with a doubt about Eduardo’s fitness and the pending decision by Wenger whether he should start him even if he is fit. This is because Eduardo’s inclusion is likely to mean a shift for Hleb to one of the wide positions.

Wenger may be loath to do that as it will mean changing a winning formula. Also he may not want to give Eduardo his first Premiership game at such a difficult away encounter especially coming after injury without proper training behind him.

Blackburn have a doubt about McCarthy but if he is unfit they still have Roberts to pair with new boy Santa Cruz. The real question however is what strategy and formation will Hughes deploy for this game. This decision will dictate whether he plays with one man up front or with two.

The fact that they got hammered last season home and away by playing the rather brave more attacking approach suggests to me that he will approach this game the same way in that FA Cup victory last season at Ewood Park. Conservatively.

Although Arsenal are a superior side, they had a relatively hard game away in Prague. They will be the more technical side on the day but Blackburn are a tough side.


Prediction by Aries:

Draw, 1-1

I fancy half time : draw, full time: draw

I also fancy Arsenal to score a penalty which is good value at 5/1.

This is because Blackburn will be defending a lot and with Arsenal’s intricate passing in the penalty area mistimed challenges are more than likely. Remember Arsenal were awarded a penalty against Fulham and had a clear penalty decision not given.


Prediction by 1970’s Gooner:

If Wenger sticks to the same formation Away win,0-1. Flamini could ghost through.


Best Odds at time of writing

Arsenal to win : 14/11 Pinnacle
Draw: 23/10 Paddy Power
Blackburn to win : 5/2 Coral

Score: 1-1 6/1 Blue Square
Away win 0-1 7/1 Stan James, Ladbrokes
Half time: Draw and full time: Draw 4/1 Extrabet, Stan James

Flamini to score first or last goal : 28/1 Bet 365
Arsenal to score a penalty: 5/1 Bet 365

Good luck!


Underrated Flamini can do a job at Blackburn

Walcott and Clichy should be the wide players against Blackburn