Arsenal vs Southampton: Match Thread

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Sanj

Sanj

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Jun 1, 2011
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Arsenal face Southampton at the Emirates this weekend as the Gunners go searching for their second win of the season. Arsenal finally got their first win of the new campaign with a 2-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield. It was a brilliant team performance as Arsenal kept yet another clean sheet. They have yet to concede a goal this season. And the last time Arsenal kept three clean sheets in their first three games was way back in 1924. Lukas Podolski gave the Gunners the lead with a left footed strike and Santi Cazorla doubled the lead in the second half with a powerful low drive. Abou Diaby was given the man of the match award and he deserved it. Diaby was a strong and skilful presence in the Arsenal midfield. Alongside Arteta, he helped Arsenal assert their authority on the game and their defensive work was also outstanding. The win at Anfield helped the Gunners move to eighth place in the table. Southampton lost their last game in the league but they were very unlucky against Manchester United. The Sanits took the lead after their talisman, Rickie Lambert struck with a neat header from the far post. United pulled it back via Robin Van Persie’s left boot before half-time. But, Southampton continued to play their football and were rewarded with a second goal through Morgan Schneiderlin. Man Utd are famous for many things, and late goals are very high on that list. Robin Van Persie stole the show with a late brace to give Man Utd all three points and break the hearts of the Southampton fans. Knowing that they were so close to getting their first points of the season must be heart wrenching for the Sanits fans. And now they find themselves in the bottom of the league and knowing just how harsh the premier league can be. But, Southampton fans will also know that they have already faced the top two from last season, so it should get easier, on paper. A trip to the Emirates will be a new experience for the Southampton fans and it gives their team another chance to finally register some points on the table. Arsenal have failed to win in their last four league games at the Emirates, and that will be a stat that should concern Arsene Wenger. Arsenal last faced Southampton back in 2005 and that was a very eventful game. Arsenal could only manage a draw and had Van Persie sent off in a feisty encounter. Arsenal will be looking to now build on that win at Anfield and that task starts against a Southampton side that caused the two Manchester Clubs plenty of problems with their attacking style.

Southampton led by Nigel Adkins have achieved back to back promotion from League one to the Premier League, it’s a very impressive feat considering just how competitive the championship has become these days. Rickie Lambert was the top scorer in the championship last season with 27 goals and his rise from the lower leagues to the premier league has been very similar to that of Grant Holt. He is a classic English centre-forward and he will cause Arsenal problems in the air with his size and power. His prowess in front of goals goes without saying. He has already scored against both the Manchester clubs and if he gets a goal against Arsenal, then he would have netted against all of the top three from last season, which would be an impressive feat for someone who is making his first strides in the top flight. But, the Arsenal defence has shown a more robust side this season and after dealing with Peter Crouch so easily, they will be confident of dealing with Lambert as well. Southampton surprised everyone by becoming the club to finally land the highly rated Uruguayan playmaker, Gaston Ramirez. He was their record signing and will have the pressure of living up to that bill as well as finding his feat in a new league and country. He did impress in the Olympics and his long rage shooting was a key feature of his game. Before getting Ramirez, Southampton’s record signing was actually Jay Rodriguez who they acquired from Burnley. A player who showed plenty of promise in the championship, but has not cemented his place in Southampton’s first team. Nathaniel Clyne was another interesting transfer from Southampton, a player that was linked to clubs like Manchester United, but ended up at Southampton. He is a very talented right back who loved to maraud forward.

Southampton’s defence has already shipped in eight goals in the first three games and the step up to the premier league has not been an easy one for the Saints defence. Arsenal will be looking to inflict further damage to that defence. In midfield, Southampton have a couple of very talented young players. Adam Lallana, who is also the club captain will pose a threat from midfield and can get goals from timing his runs into the box. Morgan Schneiderlin caught the eye in Southampton’s defeat to Manchester United. But he will come up against an Arsenal midfield that has shown a lot of early promise. Arteta,Diaby and Cazorla have formed a new midfield for Arsenal and if their performance at Anfield was anything to go by, then the Arsenal fans can feel very confident about their team. The midfield trio stood out against Liverpool and they looked to have a very good understanding. Santi Cazorla has so far been Arsenal’s most impressive player this season and the way he has settled into the premier league has been remarkable. Always looking for the ball and finding his targets with either his left or right foot. Even though it was a year later then it should have been, Arsenal have found their replacement for Cesc Fabregas. Also in midfield, Abou Diaby has shown signs of finally fulfilling his talent after having his career halted through numerous injuries. Didier Deschamps called Diaby the ‘complete midfielder’ and that is such high praise. After selling Alex Song and not replacing him, Wenger has shown a lot of faith in Diaby and if he can stay fit then that faith will be rewarded because Diaby’s technical ability and talent is not in question.

Olivier Giroud has yet to score for the Gunners and the pressure on him is considerable to the say the least. Having replaced Van Persie, the spot light is very much on Giroud. He has a few clear cut chances but he has yet to hit the target with any of them. Two former Arsenal legends got their first goals against Southampton, and Giroud will be looking to follow in their footsteps. Lukas Podolski, unlike Giroud has already got his first goal for the Gunners and his general play was very good against Liverpool. As well as his goal, Podolski provided an assist in the win at Anfield. For Alex Oxlade Chamberlain and Theo Walcott, the fixture against Southampton is a special one. Playing against the club that developed them from a very young age will be a new experience for both. Both arrived at Arsenal from Southampton and they both cost a lot of money and arrived with a lot of hype. Theo Walcott is on a cross-road in his Arsenal career, he has yet to sign a new contract and with only one year left on his contract, this could well be his last season for the Arsenal. Walcott has started on the bench in the last two games and did not even come on against Liverpool. If he starts, Walcott will hoping that a match his former club will kick start his season. Alex Oxlade Chamberlain goes from strength to strength for club and country. Arsenal will be hoping that that both the ex-Southampton boys can give them edge this Saturday as the Gunners look to get their second win of the season.


Team News:

Arsene Wenger:
[on Diaby] He will have a test on Friday morning and we will go from there. At the moment he is 50:50. It is a small muscular problem that is very minor. But of course we are in the situation that, because we play so many games now, should we take a gamble or not with him? We are playing on Saturday, on Tuesday and then we go to Manchester City. [on the goalkeepers] Lukasz Fabianski is out with a shoulder problem. He has come back from Poland with a shoulder problem and Wojciech is perfectly fit and ready. He will be in the squad. [on other injuries] There are none from the international games. The only problem we have at the moment is that Theo Walcott is in bed with a virus. He missed the England game with a virus. He should be back today, so we will have to see how well he has recovered from that.
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Form Guide:

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Three Key Match-ups:


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Overall Record vs: Southampton:

Played: 79
Wins: 41
Draws: 22
Losses: 16
For: 131
Against: 79
GD: 52

Last 6 Meetings:

Southampton 1 - 1 Arsenal
Arsenal 2 - 2 Southampton
Arsenal 2 - 0 Southampton
Southampton 0 - 1 Arsenal
Arsenal 1 - 0 Southampton (FA Cup Final)
Arsenal 6 - 1 Southampton

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Managers View:

Arsene Wenger on Southampton's positive approach and the threat they pose:
It pays off, overall, I think the in the last three, four years, that the teams that come up have a much more positive approach. We had Blackpool, Norwich, for example.

Many teams who come up then show they are not scared to play in the Premier League and they don’t just defend. Most of the time it, I must say, it paid off. They were impressive in the two games I’ve seen. The one against Man City and the one against Man United.

In the end you wondered how they lost both games, so we are on alert because we know it is a team who plays with a positive attitude and can score goals.
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My Team:

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Final Score:

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Nice match thread, just got to say though - Adkins* not Atkins and Lambert really is a class apart from Holt. Good and powerful in the air yes but is far more comfortable with the ball at his feet and a better finisher also. General thought is Ramirez probably won't start after just playing 90 minutes for Uruguay last night in a WCQ so we're likely to be unchanged from the team that played United.

ITK <ok>

EDIT - Nicely pointed out the battle between Cazorla and Morgan Schneiderlin. Morgan has been with us since League 1, an U21 international in league 1 pretty impressive on it's own and is a quality act really taking the Prem by storm so far this season, however quietly under the radar he's doing it. Look forward to this head to head.
 
Oxo's been poor in his last 2 games, hopefully this should be a good one for him to pick up some form
 
The midfield battle should prove pivital. I believe that Diaby will not be fit and will be a huge loss, really impressive against Pool. On Saints side the trio of Schneiderlin, Davis and Ward-Prowse really dominated the United midfield until Scholes came on and turned it around. Schneiderlin was a target for Arsenal when he was 18 but he chose Southampton so he could play first team football and he is now turning into the complete midfielder, good tackler and a great passing and also tops the averages of ground covered. Ward-Prowse is 17 and made his debut against Man City and has surpassed all expectations with his short passing game but also with a good engine. Davis N.Ireland captain was one of the few players we have with premiership experience. We should score, if we take our chances but our defence and keeper are abit dodgy. The 3 internationals that we bought will all probably be on the bench, with Ramirez and Mayuka looking really exciting to Saints fans
 
Itchen North Matt said:
Man U and Man City probably thought the same. Both ended up having to call on every bit of quality they had. If Saints go for a compact and tidy lineup, we'll press you guys very hard.
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Not every game is the same. I'm extremely confident of an easy win.
 
Without wishing to sound arrogant, if we don't soundly thrash them i'll be disappointed. Whilst we finally sorted our defence out, they didn't bother with theirs and just signed loads of attackers.

Their defence is League 1 standard (aside from Clyne, who's half decent).
 
Kyle? said:
Without wishing to sound arrogant, if we don't soundly thrash them i'll be disappointed. Whilst we finally sorted our defence out, they didn't bother with theirs and just signed loads of attackers.

Their defence is League 1 standard (aside from Clyne, who's half decent).
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Agreed about their defence. But our attacking unit has yet to fully click and our main CF has yet to score, so I can't see a demolition job.
 
A famous Arsenal vs Southampton game. Loved the Millenium stadium.

[video=youtube;oRGiMoRforg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRGiMoRforg[/video]
 
I don't think we should get complacent and start underestimating opposition teams. In the last few years we've been beaten by Hull and Wigan at the Emirates, so it's not a given that we'll win, we have to go out and earn a win.

Southampton were close to scoring a third against Utd the other week and if they had of it might have been curtains for Utd. I think it's a dangerous game coming out with comments saying it will be an easy victory.

Of course if it is I will eat my words <whistle>
 
I think they can be dangerous. 3 decent games they had, and they have 0 points to show for it. Their team should be highly motivated to get something out of it.
 
gent said:
I think they can be dangerous. 3 decent games they had, and they have 0 points to show for it. Their team should be highly motivated to get something out of it.
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We are going to win, whether they're motivated or not.

Santi Cazorla vs League 1 defenders.

The prosecution rests.
 
Kyle? said:
Without wishing to sound arrogant, if we don't soundly thrash them i'll be disappointed. Whilst we finally sorted our defence out, they didn't bother with theirs and just signed loads of attackers.

Their defence is League 1 standard (aside from Clyne, who's half decent).
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So Fox who has been in the Championship Team of the Year, Fonte who has been wanted by Newcastle, Hooiveld who's played in the Europa League and Clyne who was in the Team of the Year last year and has had Man Utd sniffing at him are League One standard? Clyne's Premiership, other three our top Championship but we bought a CB who looks like he could cut it at this level. We had the third best defence last year in the Championship. We will score against you, that I am confident of. Will you score against us? Probably, but I'd much rather have Giroud and Podolski up against us than RVP! 3-1 to the Gunners, one of our extremely talented youth products will score for you-probably Chamberlain. Good luck for the season, I reckon you'll come 4th. <ok>
 
Kyle? said:
We are going to win, whether they're motivated or not.

Santi Cazorla vs League 1 defenders.

The prosecution rests.
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If we don't win by a Rugby score, I'm going to come round your house and smoke all of your sensi <ok>
 
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