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English Premier League
11th Feb 2012
KO: 15:00
Stadium Of Light
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Arsenal travel to the Stadium of Light this weekend to face Sunderland in this premier league clash. Sunderland are the form team in the league and under Martin O'Neill they have been nothing but a revelation. They go into this game after a hard fought win at the Britannia against Stoke in last weekend’s round of League fixtures. James McClean scored the only goal in what was a tough looking game. Arsenal also come into this game with a league win, they recorded their first league win of 2012 against Blackburn at home. Arsenal not only got the three points but they managed to improve the goal difference thanks to a demolition job on Blackburn. Van Persie got three goals and two assists in the big win. That win moved Arsenal two points closer to Chelsea in fourth. A top four spot is all Arsenal have left to achieve in the league so it was vital that they started closing the gap on Chelsea sooner rather than later. Sunderland sit in 8th place and have earned a possible 23 points out of 30 since Martin O'Neill took over from Steve Bruce back in December. Arsenal came out on top in the early season encounter between these two. Robin Van Persie scored twice as Arsenal edged out Sunderland by a single goal at the Emirates.
Steve Bruce became the first man to get sacked in the 2011-12 season and he was in charge of Sunderland 98 times, he won 29 matches, drew 28 and lost 41. He got Sunderland into the top half of the table last season but was not matching that standard in the first half of this season. Having lost forwards such as Darren Bent, Danny Welbeck and Asamoah Gyan for different reasons, it was always going to be a difficult ask for Bruce. Getting beat by Wigan was the low and breaking point chairman Ellis Short and he decided enough was enough and it was time for a change. Martin O'Neill, a boyhood Sunderland fan seemed like the perfect fit and Ellis short felt he was the man needed to change the plight of Sunderland. O'Neill's last job also started really well and he took Villa into Europe and pushed Arsenal for fourth spot in the 08-09 season. But his time at Villa came to an end after he felt like Villa did not match his ambitions.
After arriving at Sunderland, Martin O'Neill gave younger winger, James McClean his chance in the first team. And the youngster has not looked back since. A fast and powerful winger who plays on the left and can beat his man with ease before crossing and finding his target. McClean has shown the ability to chip in with goals. With Bacary Sagna back in the Arsenal side its going to be an interesting battle between an experienced international defender and a raw but supremely talented youngster. Stéphane Sessègnon has been Sunderland's star man this season and he has gone onto another level since the arrival of O'Neill. Sessegnon has always been a highly rated player but he did not catch the attention of many in the early part of his career at Sunderland. But now he has become a fast and highly technical winger who has an end product but can also play upfront. His pace will be a worry to the Arsenal defence and his left foot is capable of scoring stunning goals. In defence, Sunderland have a few experienced players like John O’Shea and Wes Brown. Sunderland’s defence has been pretty solid all season, they have only conceded 24 goals home and away. Arsenal on the other hand have let in 25 goals away from home alone. Arsenal have found trips to the Stadium of Light difficult in recent times, the last they managed to get the three points at the SOL was back in 2008.
Arsenal finally secured their first league win of 2012 in the win against Blackburn and that win was much needed. Robin Van Persie added to his goal tally in the league with another three goals. That means he has already scored a total of 22 goals in the league this season. The most goals scored in a premier league season was by Andy Cole back in the 93-94 season. He ended the season with 34 goals and Van Persie could match or beat that record if he can carry on this sort of form. Thomas Rosicky is starting to find some of the form that made him highly valued at Arsenal before the serious injuries. His quick passing and dribbling speeds up the Arsenal play and if can carry on his good form then it will make the team sustain the sort of play that was witnessed against Blackburn. In defence, Bacary Sagna should start after he was given a rest against Blackburn. Kieran Gibbs could also feature after returning from a long layoff. Alex Oxlade Chamberlain got his first and second league goals against Blackburn last weekend and he showed everyone a glimpse of what Arsenal fans can look forward to in the future. A fast yet highly technical player that can link up with world class players such as Robin Van Persie. If Arsenal are to get the three points at the SOL then these two have to link up like they did against the Rovers. After getting their first league win of 2012, its vital that Arsenal build on that result in order to get back into the top four. Arsenal under Wenger have never finished outside the top four and if they sustain the momentum started from the Blackburn game then that record has good chance of not being broken for another year.
Teams News:
Wenger:
Form Guide:
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Three Key Match-ups:
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Overall Record vs: Sunderland
Played: 138
Wins: 53
Draws: 38
Losses: 47
For: 221
Against: 193
GD: 28
Last 6 Meetings:
Arsenal 2 - 1 Sunderland
Arsenal 0 - 0 Sunderland
Sunderland 1 - 1 Arsenal
Arsenal 2 - 0 Sunderland
Sunderland 1 - 0 Arsenal
Arsenal 0 - 0 Sunderland
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Mangers Views:
Wenger on O'Neill:
My Team:
Final Score:
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Final Score:
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