Reading Vs Arsenal Preview : Another 12 goal Thriller On The Card?

The last time Arsenal met Reading was in the Capital One Cup a month ago when the teams played in a 7-5 goal-fest, in which Arsenal managed to prevail. It was a remarkable turnaround from Arsenal's point of view, given that they were 4-0 down at one stage. Given how poorly Arsenal have been playing, if anyone could replicate the scoreline again, the bet would be on Arsenal!

Arsenal are currently eighth in the league while Reading are rock bottom. However, by no means will it be a walk in the park for Arsenal. Reading are decent at home and their only problem has been that they have failed to score enough goals which has also been the Achilles's heel for Arsenal. It will also be interesting to see how Arsenal's players react especially after the demoralizing mid-week defeat at the hands of Bradford City in the Capital One Cup Quarterfinals.

Santi Cazorla has claimed that Arsenal's inexperience has cost them this season while Jack Wilshere has called everyone to be united in these tough times. It shows the players too are concerned about the club like the fans, unlike reports in the media that they do not care. There are still doubts whether Arsenl will deliver, not only in this match but the upcoming fixtures, consistently, because only consistency can give them the a top four finish and respect from all corners. 

PAPERING OVER THE CRACKS

The 7-5 win against Reading yesterday night in the Capital One cup was a delight for the neutrals and I dare say it pleased most Arsenal fans at the end of the day.To come back from 4-0 down was really some achievement.But, for me,it was a game one of those games that once again proved that Arsenal are not "there" yet,and sadly, for the 8th season in a row!My view on how Arsenal will perform this season is now more clear and it points at another trophy-less season,sadly.

As I have mentioned so many times in my posts,better defense equals more chances of winning trophies.How did our defense perform yesterday?The less said about it,the better.All the experts,pundits and fans were excited about how well our defense was organized in the first three games of the season which was credited to Steve Bould. We have conceded in every match after those games(except against QPR on Saturday). The "Steve Bould effect" was thrown out of the window yesterday.You might argue it was a reshuffled defense or a reshuffled team but infact,it is more worrying as it proves that defensive frailties resides to the core of Arsenal FC.The club must be built on a solid foundation of defense from the root-level, only then can it lay claim to titles as history has so clearly proven in the past in any league or at international level(or you have to be Brazil or Barcelona who can outscore any opponent and evidently,we cannot do that). Of course out manager wants us to play an attacking brand of football but that does not mean neglecting the defense completely.

If I am to be honest, I actually wanted Arsenal to concede more after it was 4-0 so that it would make the manager realize that we were having problems.But we did the "papering over the cracks" act and came out 7-5 winners.We have ruled ourselves out of being genuine title challengers from yesterday's match in my opinion.Sure Portsmouth won the FA cup and Birmingham  won the Carling Cup a few years ago but if Arsenal win a trophy this season, it would be hailed,as in the case of the aforementioned teams,a miracle!
  
 

THE BUSINESS END

So, the international break is over and we are back to some club football. We are in for some cracking matches this weekend and the weekends to follow.It is now what is described by many as "The Business End" of matches when games come thick and fast.

Points gathered during this time of the season often decides where a team finishes in the table. Arsene described this in his own words recently:

"In October the moment of truth starts for the team.The league establishes itself a little bit and the Champions League goes to decisive moments."


Especially after an International break, matches are often very difficult for teams to cope with as players are fatigued and not in ideal condition for matches.Added to it is the fact that international breaks are always accompanied by injuries to some players(Kos and Wallcot are out for at least the next game!).This makes the matches even more important.

Our next 4 matches read Norwich(A),Shalke(H),QPR(H),Reading(A).The very next match is against Manchester United(A) before we head to Shalke(A) and then host Fulham(H).Only then will we get a 7 day break before we host the North London Derby against Tottenham.It will be breathless football before that!
So, hold on to your seats, because we are in for some treat!

CHIT-CHAT

Today is a very important day for Arsenal FC. An important player of our squad,Jack Wilshere is playing tonight for the Arsenal reserves after a 14 month injury layoff that saw him miss the entire season last year.

It will be some time before he makes the first team.But non the less, it is an important step towards making it to the first squad.His return is good news for Arsenal who could benefit from the return of the outstanding player.His return is now more important as Diaby is out injured and we need that "assured" type of player in our midfield like Wilshere who can dictate the pace of the came while also creating countless scoring opportunities.

Midfield however is not at the top list of my concerns because it is a position where we have surplus replacements, also rightly claimed by Le Boss.My main concern is the striker's position. I do not(sadly) see any player in that position at Arsenal who is capable of scoring 20+ goals this season.Even more worrying is the fact that there are 20+ goal scoring talents at clubs that have traditionally been labelled as clubs below Arsenal. Everton have Anichebe and Jelavich (maybe Fellaini too),Sunderland(Fletcher),Aston Villa(Darren Bent),Tottenham(Jermain Defoe,Adebayor and maybe GarethBale), Southampton(RickieLambert), Reading (Shane Long).A club like Arsenal must have a world class striker,I don't see one at the moment. Gervinho could surprise me and score 20+ but he seems to be scared too many times to score especially when it matters(misses against Man City and Chelsea this season).Giroud too seems totally lost at Arsenal.He is already a flop to me.He missed  two chances that could have given us 4 points.Although, I will add that this is his first season and he will take time to settle.Maybe next season he will do better.But I would suggest Arsenal fans not to expect many goals from him this season. Podolski is a great finisher no doubt, but the manager is playing him at the left where he will not get many opportunities to score.And who is our other option?Chamakh? I think the manager knows how "good" Chamakh is.So he would prefer to use a false striker maybe like Barcelona and more recently by Spain.This could be a good option but what we must realize is that WE ARE NO BARCELONA or SPAIN.Our other option,Wallcott is pacey but too "lean" to be a striker in the Premier League.

The way I see it, I think Arsene should mix the "false striker" and the traditional number 9 kind of play with Gervinho upfront and maybe Giroud once in a while.It will be more likely for us to get goals then....ofcourse, from one of our midfielder!