Arsenal v Manchester United: Opportunity to prove Liverpool result a one-off

Has it sunk in yet?

I was unable to get out a post after the Anfield demolishing, though I think I'd have struggled to find the words following that game.

It's a result the players need to quickly put behind them and I am sure it is simply a one-off. As much as we were far from a decent team on Saturday we did at least do a little better in the second half which in itself ended 1-1.

Looking at the month, the Liverpool match was seen as the start of a difficult period and the way in which we fell at their feet does not bode well for the forthcoming fixtures, but with Manchester United rocking this season, we have a great opportunity tonight to respond.

We have been playing good football on the whole this season and have done well to be in with a real chance of winning the Premier League for the first time in a while. Saturday lunchtime however showed why we may end up behind the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea though as collectively we just never looked up for it.

With Flamini missing through suspension there was no cover or communication at the back while our back four were unable to cope with Liverpool's attacking threat. The midfield were undone and closed down at every opportunity by the hosts, Ozil looked particularly poor, and Giroud had no service to do any potential danger in their half.

For me Arteta proved exactly why he should not be a defensive midfielder but as I said, it was not an individual performance that let us down here - apart from Wilshere and Oxlade Chamberlain, nobody looked up for this and even with the lack of service for Giroud, as a Premier League forward he still isn't good enough to be a leading striker for our club. Ozil has continued recently to show he isn't worthy of the £42m price tag - is he missing the winter break he became accustomed to Spain? He looked to have settled in straight away when he moved to Arsenal on transfer deadline day but we've seen nothing of the player as we did then.

Fortunately, Flamini is set for his return against United tonight where our defence will be up against Rooney and Van Persie; no easy task after being undone against the attacking force of Liverpool just days before! Still, I believe that was a one-off, as for however good Liverpool were, we certainly played a part in their demolition job.

Still we have the chance to prove this as a one-off when Brendan Rodgers' side travel down to the Emirates Stadium for the F.A Cup on Sunday. But before then we have the big match tonight and a chance to gear ourselves up, and make the Emirates a real fortress this month!

Sturridge was one of the scorers in Liverpool's 5-1 win at Anfield.

All eyes on Manchester City tonight as we enter our crucial month

Tonight hosts a massive game in the Premier League with Manchester City playing Chelsea; a game coined as the most expensive in English football. Manchester City are contesting with us at the moment for top spot, while Chelsea are only five points behind us, so a draw will certainly be Arsenal's best bet.

We returned to top the table with our 2-0 home win against Crystal Palace yesterday, as our slip up a couple of weeks ago against Southampton meant we would finally give up top spot with Manchester City breathing down our necks. Oxlade-Chamberlain was on form to grab two well taken goals yesterday and it's great to see him return to the squad in such good form following the months he spent injured.

So now with City just two behind us, a draw will maintain our oh so sight advantage.

One thing which worries me though, with the season's end coming into sight, is the number of midfielders we have at Wenger's command. Wilshere, Ramsey, an now new signing Kim Kallstrom are all sidelined (not forgetting Abou Diaby I suppose?) and Flamini is serving a suspension. Flamini and Diaby disregarded, we are looking at around six weeks (seven to nine for full match fitness) for our other injured players to return; players we really need at this time of the season.    

Chambo in action last season.

The January transfer window is a great opportunity for managers to bring in extra numbers for the crucial final third of the season and Wenger recruited the injured Kallstrom from Spartak Moscow on loan. Since his arrival on Friday, Wenger has been forced to explain his decision in bringing the player in, who injured himself while falling on his back just days before his agreed move.

Wenger has now said the Swedish international may never feature for Arsenal will questions certainly why this deal went ahead. Wenger states if he knew the extent of his injury (Kallstrom could be sidelined for six weeks) then he would have looked elsewhere, though there was no time for that. Again, Wenger leaves things to the last minute so he can only blame himself for this one, especially after we had a great opportunity to sign Julian Draxler.

As I've said before, and as we all know all too well, this is a big month for us - probably season-defining. Liverpool are our next opponents in the Premier League up at Anfield, before we play four home matches in a row against Manchester United, Liverpool again (F.A Cup), Bayern Munich (UEFA Champions League) and Sunderland.

This month will prove whether we have the mental attitude and skill to continue maintaining our form against big sides, Bayern Munich particularly, and prove whether or not Wenger should have acted sooner when he had the chance in January.

Back to live football though, City v Chelsea tonight (20:00 k/o GMT) should be a great one and all eyes at the Emirates will be firmly locked on that one!

Kim Kallstrom on international duty for Sweden.

F.A Cup fifth round draw: Arsenal to play Liverpool next month

The next round of the F.A Cup has a couple of truly exciting ties, including ours, and there certainly won't be any love lost between Arsenal and Liverpool, when they play each other at the Emirates Stadium over the weekend of 15/16th February.

Podolski's brace aided by second half goals from Giroud and Cazorla saw off Coventry's challenge on Friday night in the fourth round, keeping us in contention of three potential trophies this year.

The draw for the fifth round of the F.A Cup was made tonight which also sees Manchester City take on Chelsea. An Aguero hat-trick helped City on their way to overcoming Wigan 4-2, while Oscar's stunning free kick this afternoon was enough to edge birthday boy Mourinho's side past Stoke.

Youngster Gedion Zelalem (pictured central) made his Arsenal debut against Coventry. 

So February looks to be our toughest month of the season yet. We are now scheduled to play Crystal Palace (h), Liverpool (a), and then four home ties in a row against Manchester United, Liverpool (F.A Cup), Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League, and Sunderland. It is hard to say which will be our sternest test but hopefully we'll be out to prove everyone wrong who doubts us, and not let this time of the year crush our season - if history is anything to go by!

It's good to be in next round of the F.A Cup but we face a busy month in February as the business end of the season appears on the horizon. We do, however, have a great opportunity to make the Emirates Stadium a real fortress, and of course, playing at home should give us a certain edge during this difficult period.

Liverpool have had a strange winter period and have been scoring goals for fun at times but they could only muster one win in November. They also suffered defeats against the big sides of Chelsea and City last month, ultimately dropping away from us and they currently lie in fourth in the Barclays Premier League table. Of course this is still a great position to be in, but not so good considering they were in a battle with us for top spot and are now eight points behind.

They also haven't lost since the the turn of the new year but then neither have we. Our last loss came against City which was very annoying considering we still scored three goals in that game! We'll do well again though to stop the duo of Suarez and Sturridge, but we look to have strong-enough defensive capabilities to deal with them. They can still find goals however, even when having the quietest of games which we will need to be wary of.

Cazorla and Ramsey were on target at the Emirates last time we played each other back at the start of November. Let's hope we get behind the team again back on home soil again and get ourselves through to the quarter finals.

The complete F.A Cup fifth round draw:

Manchester City v Chelsea
Sheffield United or Fulham v Nottingham Forest or Preston North End
Arsenal v Liverpool
Brighton & Hove Albion v Hull City

Cardiff City v Wigan AthleticSheffield Wednesday v Charlton AthleticSunderland v SouthamptonEverton v Swansea City

Arsenal will play Southampton, away at St Mary's on Tuesday night (7:45pm GMT) as we turn attentions back to the Premier League. 

Cazorla and Podolski pre-match.

Wenger sticking to his guns with any January transfers unlikely

With no done deals for Arsenal so far this January, it appears Arsene Wenger is happy to carry out the remainder of the season with the current squad, regardless of injury concerns.

Ahead of our F.A Cup fourth round tie against Coventry City tomorrow night (7:45pm k/o GMT), Wenger told journalists at his press conference, "I feel a bit guilty always going to a press conference during the transfer market and having nobody to announce, but I don't want to lie.

"It looks very unlikely. At the moment we are not close to doing anything. Overall we have a very strong squad. If something exceptional turns up we will do it, but not everyone will strengthen - they buy, but that does not always mean strengthen" (BBC Sport).

I've said it before though and that is, with Arsene Wenger, you really can't ever be sure about what he says. He often appears to frustrate fans, before unveiling a new face. But in some ways, maybe he has learned from his past mistakes as I'll come onto shortly.

Arsene Wenger

Former Arsenal target Juan Mata is due to sign for Man Utd later today, upon completing his medical this afternoon for a fee believed to be around £37m. This will be a major boost to Moyes' title hopes as the Red Devils have looked a little out of place this season, not that any of us need reminding. We've been having a right laugh at them all season. Still Mata's signature is exactly what Wenger is talking about. There is no denying that this is an example of an exceptional player becoming available and so United are strengthening. All too often Wenger has dipped his toes in the water and fished out players like Park or Chamakh and look how that turned out for us.

I am a great admirer of Mata's talents and, as much as I wish to see United continue falling in dramatic decline this year, I wish Mata all the best at his new club in this World Cup year.

In terms of keeping players however, Wenger will talk to Thomas Vermaelen about extending his contract in the summer. I think he lost his way a little last season and it is hard separating the pairing of Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker this year. They have been exceptional, solid rocks at the back, in what is a much tougher and more hard working back-four. Vermalen was rumoured to be wanting a move away which you can understand knowing his defensive skills and with the World Cup approaching, he won't want to be missing a place in the Belgium defence. It would be a sad miss to see him leave however as he is still a very good defender to have, particularly with the injuries our defences have seen in seasons gone by. We'll keep track of this one as the summer approaches. 

I would still love to see United's Hernandez, who scored last night to take Manchester United to penalties against Sunderland, step in up front at Arsenal as we need a proven goalscorer from the Premier League. Maybe with Mata's attacking force, and considering when Van Persie, Rooney and Welbeck are all in the side, Hernandez may be that exceptional player Wenger might need.

Hernandez in action for Man Utd.

Abou Diaby: Where next for the injury struck midfielder?

Yes that's right. Abou Diaby. Remember him?

You'd be forgiven not to include him in your Arsenal midfield considering his last Arsenal performance came in March of last year. The French midfielder suffered another injury in his career after damaging his crucial knee ligaments. There had been talk of his return by this coming March but Wenger has now suggested he may not feature for us at all this season.

This begs the question...will her ever put on an Arsenal shirt again? And what does this mean for the 27-year-old?

His physique had him described as our next Patrick Vieira. There was certainly no denying the pace and strength Diaby possessed and he always looked a threat against sides when in midfield and pushing forward in attacks.

Diaby in action.

But I don't think he will make it in the first team squad when he does eventually return to full fitness again (whenever that may be), considering the current crop of talent Wenger has at his disposal. It is a shame for a player who is as good a footballer as Diaby is, but I don't think Wenger will be able to back him any further when his contract expires in summer 2015.

Will he try to move on then perhaps? However even if he wants to try elsewhere after signing for us from Auxerre in 2006, who would want to risk signing a player as injury prone as Diaby? It's a sorry state for a player who, on his day, can grace any side's midfield but will not even be in contention for France's World Cup team in Brazil later this year.

I am sure however, that I write and speak on behalf of all Arsenal fans in wishing Abou Diaby as fast a recovery as possible, and that he suffers no more setbacks.

Yep, that's Gael Clichy in the background!

Lukas Podolski: winger or striker?

Arsenal had to up their game yesterday against Fulham and they grabbed two second half goals, thanks to Santi Cazorla's strikes, to maintain their slender lead at the top of the Premier League table.

It's great to know we have the attacking force in the likes of Cazorla, but as I have mentioned before, it is our options actually up-front that lack the quality to put teams behind. Lukas Podolski came on in the second half yesterday and his presence on the field instantly gave us a new dimension going forward.

The German international has only recently come back into the team following a four-and-a-half-month injury lay off so I can understand Wenger easing him back into the first team, but he openly revealed he sees Podolski more of a left winger.

There aren't many players who can boast as strong a left foot as Podolski and he is a proven goalscorer, with 120 club career goals for Cologne, Bayern Munich and Arsenal (www.soccerbase.com).

And following our 2-0 win at Emirates Stadium, Wenger, speaking to the media in his post match press conference, said: "Lukas has a fantastic spirit and attitude and he showed that when he came on. When he comes in he gives us something...if he is in front of goal and you give him once chance, you score with him. He doesn't hit it into the stand" (www.arsenal.com). Surely he is describing the attitude and abilities of a striker!

Our number 9 looked fit, sharp and strong, and proved he knows where the goal is, forcing Maarten Stekelenburg into a fine save, before hitting the post with a fierce strike. Giroud who started on the other hand, continues to show his incompetence as a leading striker.

Should Giroud's place be up for grabs?

A tall player who likes to use his head yes, but he's all too often unable to hit the target. He had one opportunity yesterday which lingers in my memory when attempting a curling effort into the corner of the goal - the type of shot graced by the likes of Bergkamp, Henry and Van Persie - definitely not Giroud. He can score, but being inconsistent and frustrating is not the requirements of a striker in the Premier League.

I wish Wenger would consider Podolski for the central striker role from now on in. Giroud has lost the kind of form he had at the start of the season, though even then he still needed chance after chance. Podolski will take his chance with both feet knowing Walcott is out for the season, and with Bendtner sidelined too. There are no words for Park who occasionally warms up the bench and Yaya Sanogo appears to be sidelined still and definitely not ready for the ability of the Premier League.

Of course we are still in the January transfer window and rumours are circulating of a bid for Schalke's wonder-kid Julian Draxler, who can play both as an attacking midfielder and striker. Wenger continues to keep his lips sealed on any move in the transfer market so we'll just have to wait and see what happens there. 

Podolski will be keen to add to his goals tally for the remainder of the current campaign.

Mesut Ozil: A player seeking form

Mesut Ozil's somewhat dip in performance rate of late has been picked up in the Metro newspaper, something which I have noted in the last few weeks.

Reading Gavin Brown's article on the train this morning, he isn't particularly downgrading or calling Ozil a bad player (that would be absurd) but he is maybe missing the winter break he became accustomed to back in Spain. He is 'missing in action', as Brown puts it.

As I said in a previous post, perhaps he is feeling the pressure of his high price tag, while his slight injury picked up in the last couple of months will have hindered him after his fine start since joining from Read Madrid in August.

But yes I agree with Brown's point regarding the winter break also, and he suggests Ozil is perhaps in a winter-break mindset. If that is the case, let's hope he picks up form shortly. In contrast however, Ozil recently revealed how he is enjoying playing in England without the winter break he has become accustomed to. He revealed he wants to continue improving, which he may have to based on his recent form, and puts a lot of that down to playing more regular games which happens during the winter period. Maybe he is putting too much pressure on himself?

I think a lot of fans are choosing to ignore Ozil's dip in form, perhaps not wanting to come to terms with our expensive talisman being in need of finding his way again.  Of course there is no doubting his talents; he has proven himself in English football as he showed to us all when joining on transfer deadline day.

We take on Fulham tomorrow afternoon (3pm GMT kick off) in what should be a relatively straight forward task. René Meulensteen's side are battling to stay in the Barclays Premier League, with only two points separating them and the drop, with all three teams in the relegation zone sharing seventeen points.

Rosicky and Monreal are expected to return for tomorrow's game. Rosicky could feature with a mask after braking his nose against Aston Villa which forced him to be a substituted sub. Monreal meanwhile should be available despite a twisted ligament in his foot.

Despite Olivier Giroud's well taken and somewhat fortuitous goal last Monday, he still needs to do a lot more upfront to prove he is our main man up-front. Arsene believes in him to prove why we won't be delving into the January transfer market for a striker, but I think I still need persuading.

Enjoy the game tomorrow. For the Metro's feature on Mesut Ozil, click here.

Ozil: the centre of attention after signing from Real Madrid in August