alexf Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 A win in this match would be massive. Obviously away at Arsenal is a fixture most (including me) expect to lose, but it's been too long since we won a match and there are form teams approaching fast. sadly i fear a hammering, Spurs defeat to Everton has just given Arsenal an extra incentive to win as the 3 points puts them a point behind Spurs. When we are in this situation where we have all the incentives to get the win we often don't. So hopefully the same happens to arsenal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Optimistic Nut Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 A win in this match would be massive. Obviously away at Arsenal is a fixture most (including me) expect to lose, but it's been too long since we won a match and there are form teams approaching fast. 3 games, in which we only lost 1? We'd just won 4 out of 5 before that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Yeah. Two bad draws, one of which was fucking embarrassingly bad tbh. The game we lost was pitiful. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Optimistic Nut Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Spurs was terrible, but that wouldn't have been anything like a 5-0 with Cabaye & Tiote in for Perch & Guthrie. I still think we'd have lost soundly mind. Wolves was a shocker, and we should have beaten Sunderland. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiresias Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Arsenal are on a good run, could beat us, I'm more anxious tbh that we play well and don't start hoofing it again, really getting sick of it. A win is certainly not out of the question, would be amazing, but kind of feel we start two goals down automatically because of van persie...If Ba gets back on form though we can be similar. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parky Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 This is the problem with dropping points against rubbish sides, you go into games against the better sides with less confidence. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikky Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 4-4-1-1 for me: Krul, Simpson, Williamson, Colocinni, Santon, Obertan, Cabaye, Tiote, Jonas, HBA and Ba Wouldn't necessarily play HBA as a #10: I'd play him in between Sagna and Koscienly but a bit deeper: like a 2nd left winger and have Jonas slighly infield: basically narrowing the space for Arsenal Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Optimistic Nut Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Obertan for Cisse man. I know everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but yours is wrong. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wormy Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Obertan for Cisse man. I know everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but yours is wrong. Agree with keeping Cisse in there. The rest of the formation looks sound. I'm starting to sway towards the opinion of trying Santon down the right, and Raylor down the left, but it's a matter of do we want to risk that in a match like this? If it doesn't work, could go horribly wrong. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wullie Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Obertan for Cisse man. I know everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but yours is wrong. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikky Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Obertan for Cisse man. I know everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but yours is wrong. Fair enough: I just think we will get beat up like we did against Spurs if we play with 2 up top: having said that, we will have Tiote and Cabaye back. We could in theory play Ba as the #10 and HBA to exploit the weakness of Gibbs You happy now Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beren Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 I see where Mikky is coming from - our latest humping in London will influence Pardew's team selection/tactics. 'Park the bus' prediction. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Optimistic Nut Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 I see where Mikky is coming from - our latest humping in London will influence Pardew's team selection/tactics. 'Park the bus' prediction. Said it a few times, but I'd like to think he'll realise that'll not happen with Cabaye, Tiote & Ben Arfa replacing Guthrie, Perch & Obertan. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beren Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 I agree with that, just understood Mikky's thinking behind Pardew's possible thinking. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiresias Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Gonna go for a slightly odd formation myself Krul Simmo Willo Collo Santo Tiote Jonas HBA Cabaye Ba Cisse Was going to put Guthrie back centrally but think Jonas's game is reasonably suited to being more central and could naturally cover the left more than Ba is going to. The three in front are fairly fluid. (never going to happen) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeloEmre Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Jonas as a defensiv midfielder Maradonna is that you? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiresias Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Park does it for Man U from time for time Tiote would be main anchor man, Jonas can defend well and threat on counter. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronaldo Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Quite like the look of that. But the priority in the final third has to be getting the best out of our best player there - Ba. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beren Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Good post Tiresias. See the merit of using Gutierrez there to support Tiote. Utilising his key strengths for the team - stamina, defensive cover and transitioning/squeezing defence to attack. [Finishing/completing attacks being his weakest area, obviously]. My only concern would be how well we could hold that shape - especially as it's unfamiliar and we're unlikely to dominate possession. I can see all but Cisse dropping back into a confused flat five-man midfield... with our usual monstrous chasm between midfield and attack. Although maybe the inclusion of Ben Arfa in the side may mitigate that somewhat. It's interesting. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BlacknWhiteArmy Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Don't think it's that crazy putting Jonas there, to be honest. I'd prefer him to Guthrie for this one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikky Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 I agree with that, just understood Mikky's thinking behind Pardew's possible thinking. I don't want us to be overrun in midfield: by my reckoning it'll be Song, Arteta and Ramsey in mid with Oxlade-Chamberlain and Walcott providing the width with Van Persie up top: If we can somehow nulify the midfield 3 with Jonas, Tiote and Cabaye, and counter with HBA, Ba and Obertan we may have a chance of a point or so. Think I have been watching Mourinho's teams too much Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiresias Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 I want to see Cabaye playing further up and think it would be up to him to demand the ball in the middle in the final third. Ba drops deep anyway so not sure would be much of an issue. Would be a concern if it ended up that dreaded 4-5-1. I worry it would end up very narrow still but it seems to fit the styles of Ba, Cisse and HBA more than a 4-4-2. Agree need to work Ba threatening, but he always plays deep anyway, if he got lost out wide would be a problem. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parky Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Gonna go for a slightly odd formation myself Krul Simmo Willo Collo Santo Tiote Jonas HBA Cabaye Ba Cisse Was going to put Guthrie back centrally but think Jonas's game is reasonably suited to being more central and could naturally cover the left more than Ba is going to. The three in front are fairly fluid. (never going to happen) More tactical nous than Pards tho. edit He's too concerned with positional awareness when we don't have the ball. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eliassenfredrik Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Cissé should never be dropped for this. He deserves at least 10 starts before anyone suggests otherwise. Look at f***ing Obertan and his crazy run of starts. And look at Ba, he needed a few games before he started banging them in. ----------------------------Krul--------------------------- Simpson -------- Willi -------- Colo -------- Santon ------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------- Tiote -------- Cabaye ---------------- Ben Arfa ------------------------------------------Jonas ------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------- Cissé -------- Ba ---------------------- Of course in actual game play players like Cabaye, Ben Arfa, Jonas and Ba would wander a lot out of position, hopefully creating some movement -> creating some actual football. Regarding Ben Arfa/Raylor I don't know what to make of it. Pardew's been hailing both of them in recent quotes. Although if he uses his brain he knows who to start. Impact in games > Whatevs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sifu Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 One thing we should do is to try and keep Van Persie quiet (goes without saying actually) and I really think that the best way to do that is to set Tiote on him, in a man-marking type role. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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