Tag Archives: Gunners

Gunners face German test

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Arsenal have a huge European test on their hands on Tuesday when they face Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park in their first Champions League group clash of the season (Dortmund 6/5, draw 23/10, Arsenal 12/5).

The Gunners have endured a slow start to their Premier League campaign with just four points from their first four games in the top flight so far.

Arsenal (16/1 Champions League outright) head to Germany with a win under their belts but it was a less than convincing 1-0 victory over newly promoted Swansea City last weekend that will not fill Gunners fans with confidence.

Having finished in fourth place in the Premier League last term, manager Arsene Wenger and his men have already played in the qualifying rounds of this competition and were able to overcome Italian outfit Udinese over two legs.

That success will have been a good experience for a somewhat new look Arsenal side who will need to draw on that when they take on the current Bundesliga champions.

Dortmund have not made the best start to the defence of their domestic crown, as they currently sit in 11th place in the Bundesliga table and this could be a promising sign for the Gunners.

Arsenal’s new signings Per Mertesacker, Mikel Arteta and Yossi Benayoun could all feature for the Gunners but Aaron Ramsey will miss out through injury in what will be a fiery clash.

Wenger’s side will have their work cut out for them but they might just be able to nick a draw to take back to the Emirates.

Tuesday’s other game with British interest sees Chelsea host German opposition of their own in the form of Bayer 04 Leverkusen (Chelsea 2/5, draw 7/2, Leverkusen 15/2).

This will be the first game for manager Andre Villas-Boas with the Blues in the Champions League and the Portuguese coach will be looking to continue his unbeaten record with the London outfit.

Chelsea (8/1 Champions League outright) midfielder Frank Lampard has admitted there is extra pressure on his side to win this lucrative European competition from the club’s owner Roman Abramovich, who has made no secret of his desire to win the tournament.

The Blues have come close in the past, most notably their final appearance against Manchester United back in 2008, but the club are yet to lift the prestigious European Cup.

With Chelsea looking like they are starting to settle under Villas-Boas, they will be full of confidence going into this game, however it won’t be easy against a Leverkusen side who are only two points off the top of the Bundesliga.

Tuesday’s game will see a welcome return for Germany international midfielder Michael Ballack, who helped the Blues secure the first domestic double in their history.

The 34-year-old has plenty of European experience but not even that is likely to stop Chelsea picking up all three points in front of their home fans at Stamford Bridge.

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Gunners set for goals on Sunday

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There are two games in the Premier League on Sunday and there will be repercussions at both ends of the table at Bloomfield Road when Blackpool host Arsenal, while Aston Villa will be hoping to keep their necks above the relegation zone when they entertain Newcastle.

There is plenty to play for in the opening match at 1.30pm with the Tangerines desperate to get back on the winning trail in their bid to avoid the drop but there will not be too many who argue with the fact that Arsenal are the favourites in the match betting – although they are as short as 4/11.

The Gunners are not second in the Premier League table by fluke but there form has dipped since suffering that shock Carling Cup final defeat to Birmingham City at Wembley.

Arsene Wenger’s men have won only one match since then – 5-0 against Leyton Orient in the FA Cup fifth round replay – while they have been knocked out of both domestic competitions, losing to Manchester United in the FA Cup quarter-finals and to Barcelona in the last-16 of the Champions League.

Although there is no disgrace in those defeats, the Premier League form has also suffered with successive draws against struggling sides – Sunderland, West Brom and Blackburn – two of which were at home, which has seen them fall seven points adrift of leaders United, although they do have a game in hand.

Ian Holloway has targeted two more wins to guarantee Premier League football next term and the Tangerines do have home advantage for five of their remaining seven games, with the next four on the bounce taking place at Bloomfield Road.

It sounds like a case is being made for a shock home win on Sunday but with just one win from the last eleven matches, and only two in the calendar year, it is difficult to talk up a side that was also comprehensively beaten 3-0 last time out at Fulham.

Such was the manner of the performance at Craven Cottage that Holloway sent his players out ‘for a beer in midweek’  – sounds like an excuse for another poor performance.

The Gunners know that they cannot afford any more slip-ups in the run-in if they are to end their barren spell in terms of silverware and are fancied to make the running against a defence that has leaked 63 goals this season – and 27 at home – and should be backed in the Half Time/Full Time market at 10/11.

Arsenal beat Blackpool 6-0 in the reverse fixture early in the season and another convincing scoreline is expected with the visitors available at 10/11 in the handicap betting (-1).

The other game sees the home side anxiously looking over their shoulder and Aston Villa have that and a revenge mission on their minds and can justify 5/6 favouritism against Newcastle, who are available at 16/5.

Gerard Houllier has endured a difficult time since taking the hotseat at Villa Park but has home advantage (six of the last seven matches between the two has ended with a home win, while the other was drawn) and a fully-fit squad to choose from – a luxury that opposite number Alan Pardew does not have.

Newcastle of course lost Andy Carroll in the transfer window but now Leon Best has been ruled out for the rest of the season, Stephen Ireland is ineligible and there are suspensions for Kevin Nolan, James Perch and Cheik Tiote.

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Gunners ready to run gauntlet

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Those who have ever visited Camp Nou will know it is an awe-inspiring venue, fit for the best football on offer. Over the years Barcelona have delighted the 90,000-plus supports inside their coliseum and Tuesday night is shaping up to be another classic (Barcelona v Arsenal).

Last year Arsenal were taught a lesson by Lionel Messi as he scored all four of Barca’s goals in a 4-1 win for the home side. The Catalan giants will be looking towards the Argentinean magician to help overturn the 2-1 advantage Arsenal take to Spain as the Gunners prepare to batten down the hatches for the inevitable storm. We take a look at whether Arsenal can survive to keep their Champions League dream alive and which team might be going through from Shakhtar Donestk and Roma in Tuesday’s other last-16 clash.

Last year’s last-16 tie with Barcelona was a reality check for Arsenal fans who might have considered their team to have been on a par with the Spaniards. As it was the Gunners looked a long way off being anywhere near good enough to get the better of Barcelona and some feared it would be a case of déjà vu when the two went head-to-head this year.

However, Arsenal were magnificent at Emirates Stadium three weeks ago and while they rode their luck at times the Gunners deserved their 2-1 win. The victory broke the record of having never beaten Barcelona in European competition and went someway to ease the pain of last year’s defeat. They must now finish the job at Camp Nou. The Gunners are 7/1 to beat Barcelona in 90 minutes, while the home side are 2/7 and the draw is available at 9/2.

Even the most optimistic Arsenal fans will think that a win is probably beyond them given their current injury problems. In the three weeks since the two teams last played Arsenal have lost Robin van Persie, Theo Walcott and Alex Song to injury. Cesc Fabregas’ participation is touch and go, although manager Arsene Wenger is confident the Spaniard will play against the club who are desperate to sign him. Wenger has also hinted he will make changes to the team in order to have some fresh legs involved so expect a few surprise selections.

Barcelona have a few concerns of their own with first choice central defenders Carlos Puyol and Gerard Pique absent, although with Xavi, Andreas Iniesta, David Villa, Messi and Pedro all fit that might be little consolation. Those who have watched Barcelona recently will know they aren’t at their flowing best but it just takes one or two great performances from those names previously mentioned and Arsenal could be out of Europe again.

The safest bet of the night looks to be for both teams to score at 8/11 given their respective attacking talents and lack of defensive skills. Arsenal will concede at some point and as such will have to score themselves to avoid going out on the away goals rule. With that in mind over 2.5 goals at 2/5 is probably going to be another safe bet based on the last three meetings.

Given Arsenal’s injury problems and their defensive naivety you fear another thrashing could be on the cards. However, a bit of luck and another performance like the one they produced in the first leg could give Wenger one of his greatest nights in charge of the Gunners.

Elsewhere in the Champions League, Roma head to Ukraine looking to become the first team in years to beat Shakhtar Donestk at home.  Having lost the first leg at the Stadio Olimpico 3-2 caretaker manager Vincenzo Mentella looks to have a huge job on his hands to keep the Italians European dream alive. For those who aren’t interested in matters at the Nou Camp or fancy a double Shakhtar are 10/11 to win at home, which doesn’t seem a bad price when you consider they are unbeaten in 11 matches at the Donbass Arena.

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Gunners have United in sight

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It’s another jam packed Saturday of Premier League football, with title hopefuls Arsenal looking to close the gap at the top on the potentially stuttering Manchester United.

The Gunners have the opportunity to close the gap to just a single point if they can beat Sunderland at the Emirates after United were beaten by Chelsea in the week (Arsenal 2/5, draw 16/5, Sunderland 13/2).

United do not play until Sunday, when they face a tough trip to north-west rivals Liverpool, so this is the perfect chance for Arsene Wenger’s side to put pressure on at the top of the table.

Sunderland will be no pushovers, though, as Steve Bruce has turned the Black Cats into a good footballing team that can be very hard to beat.

Bruce’s side have already picked up an away win over Chelsea and draws at Anfield and White Hart Lane this season, but the Gunners should still prove to be too strong for them this weekend.

Saturday also throws up a West Midlands derby between Birmingham and West Brom.

This is a massive game for these two rivals in their bids for Premier League survival, as both sides sit just above the relegation zone.

With Birmingham boosted by their Carling Cup win over Arsenal, they will be full of confidence going into this game and could just grab a victory in this relegation six-pointer (Birmingham 11/8, draw 21/10, West Brom 2/1).

Owen Coyle has done a great job with Bolton this year and, after suffering a slight blip in form, the Trotters have started to put in some decent performances.

Boosted by Chelsea loan-ace Daniel Sturridge ,they will be a challenge for any side and it’s Aston Villa’s turn on Saturday (Bolton 6/5, draw 12/5, Villa 2/1).

Last time out in the league, Villa finally looked like the team everyone expected to be before the start of the season, as they took apart Blackburn Rovers 4-1 at Villa Park last weekend. Gerard Houllier’s players have started to settle under the Frenchman’s leadership and they may just bag all three points at the Reebok.

Rovers, who looked so poor against Villa, travel to the capital to take on a Fulham side who are starting to edge their way to safety in the Premier League.

Now four points clear of the relegation zone, Mark Hughes’ side have only lost one of their last eight outings in the top flight and should pick another valuable three points at Craven Cottage (Fulham 4/6, draw 13/5, Rovers 4/1).

Newcastle United host Everton at St James’ Park, in what should be a close contest as both club’s push for a place in the top half of the table (Newcastle 6/4, draw 23/10, Everton 13/8).

Jermaine Beckford is starting to show the Premier League what he is all about after he bagged a brace against Sunderland last weekend.

Newcastle will be without Joey Barton through injury but Stephen Ireland is set to come into the side to make his debut for the Magpies.

This game is too close to call and both teams would probably settle with a point each from this one.

West Ham United welcome Stoke City to Upton Park with the Hammers looking to see off the Potters.

Avram Grant’s men are just a point away from safety and will be desperate for back-to-back victories after they impressively took Liverpool apart 3-1 last Sunday.

Stoke are six points off the relegation zone and they would love to keep the chasing back at bay with another three points. With the Potters being tough to beat they will probably play out a draw against a resurgent West Ham (West Ham 11/10, draw 23/10, Stoke 23/10).

In Saturday’s late kick-off, bottom-of-the-table Wigan take on top-four chasing Manchester City at Eastlands (City 4/11, draw 7/2, Wigan 7/1).

Italian striker Maro Balotelli has found a rich vein of form and will be looking to get on the scoresheet against the Latics.

It’s hard to see anything but a home win in this game, which City should cruise against a struggling Wigan outfit.

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Barca ready to thwart Gunners

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Wednesday’s Champions League action sees the tie of the round as Arsenal take on 19/10 outright favourites Barcelona at the Emirates in the first leg of their last-16 clash with the Gunners on a revenge mission following their quarter-final exit last year. Perhaps not necessarily the choice of the neutral but there is also Roma’s match against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Italian capital and here is a look at the betting for both games.

Arsenal v Barcelona

The Gunners are considered by many to be the best footballing side in England but unfortunately for them, they face the best footballing side in the world on Wednesday and it is not hard to see why the Catalan giants are the 5/6 favourites in the match betting.

Anyone who has seen Barca play over the course of the season is sure to have been impressed and they have forged a five-point lead at the top of La Liga, despite the vast amounts of money spent at arch-rivals Real Madrid and the summer signing of Jose Mourinho as manager.

At times, Barca have not quite lived up to their billing but are more than capable of playing when the pressure is one, demonstrated by the 5-0 hammering of Real in El Clasico.

The 2009 champions come into this match on the back of a surprise 1-1 draw at Sporting Gijon on Saturday, which ended a 16-match winning streak in Spain.

However, excuses can be made for the result ahead of a big Champions League match and with Lionel Messi (7/2 to score the first goal) in red-hot form for the Blaugrana – has scored 24 goals in 23 league games and another six in the Champions League – it looks a case of whether Arsenal can keep pace.

Arsenal, who have top scorer Samir Nasri available after a hamstring injury, are certainly capable of scoring against anyone so goals look a certainty with Both Teams To Score and Over 2.5 Goals priced at 4/7.

The Gunners defence though is not the strongest – recently surrendering a 4-0 lead against Newcastle – particularly with Thomas Vermaelen out, and it may be a case that they need to outscore a side that not includes the World Player of the Year, but David Villa, Andres Iniesta and rising star Pedro.

The Catalans have never lost to Arsenal as well drawing 2-2 at the Emirates last season before destroying Arsene Wenger’s men 4-1 at the Nou Camp, while they also came from behind to win 2-1 in the 2006 Champions League final.

The clubs also met in the group stages in 1999/2000 which saw a 1-1 draw played out in Spain before Barcelona won 4-2 in the reverse fixture – at Wembley.

Arsenal also contrived to finish second in their group, despite winning their first three games with an aggregate 14-2 – and, despite winning four of the last five domestically, they haven’t played any side of the quality of Barcelona.

Roma v Shakhtar Donetsk

Roma’s campaign started slowly as they suffered defeats to Bayern and Basle (at home) but won two and drew one of their last three games to make it through to the last-16, despite finishing with a negative goal difference.

They are 20/21 favourites to make home advantage count on Wednesday and although they won 4-0 the last time they played the Ukrainians at home in 2006/07, recent domestic form does not make pretty reading and a Shakhtar surprise looks good value at 3/1.

Much may depend on their sharpness having not played since December 28 because of the winter break in Ukraine but they have won 25 of 28 matches played this season, and won two out of their three away games in the group stages.

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Gunners can add to Toon fears

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There’s another busy day of Premier League action on Saturday, with Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City all looking for big results in the title race, while the Gunners could also put more pressure on Newcastle at St James’ Park.

Newcastle v Arsenal (Sat 3pm)

The Gunners have already won 4-0 on Tyneside this season, with a crushing Carling Cup victory, and Arsene Wenger’s men can torment the Magpies again on Saturday. Newcastle, just six points outside the drop zone, may have won at the Emirates earlier in the season, but the now-departed Andy Carroll scored that day and, with a lack of striking options, Arsenal’s normally shaky backline could have a trouble-free afternoon.

Match Bet – Arsenal to score in both halves @ 7/4.

Wolves v Man Utd (Sat 5:30pm)

Mick McCarthy’s men have beaten Manchester City and Chelsea at Molineux and will pose a real threat to United’s unbeaten league run. There has been only one goal in it when the two teams have gone head-to-head at Molineux in the Premier League, with Utd 1-0 winners last season and Wolves victorious by the same margin in 2004. Individual mistakes have cost the home side recently, but a solid display can see them earn a point, against a United team who have been less than impressive on the road.

Match Bet – Draw @ 10/3.

Man City v West Brom (Sat 3pm)

City have slipped off the pace in recent weeks and desperately need a big win to show their rivals and fans that they can still claim the title. A stuttering Baggies outfit may prove the type of opponents that City will relish, as they look to collect their eighth home win of the season. Carlos Tevez has already bagged five goals since the turn of the year – West Brom defenders beware!

Match Bet – Tevez to score 2 or more @ 11/4.

Tottenham v Bolton (Sat 3pm)

Spurs have struggled for goals in recent weeks and they strike force will be put to the test against a stubborn Bolton defence. Tottenham have won five of the last six meetings between the sides at White Hart Lane and now they need a win to keep in touch with the top four.

Match Bet – Under 2.5 goals @ 10/11.

Everton v Blackpool (Sat 3pm)

The Tagerines appear to be on a slippery slope with four consecutive defeats and Ian Holloway admits they need to stop the rot soon. They may well do that at Goodison Park this weekend, as they look to take advantage of Everton’s poor home form. David Moyes’ men have won just three of their 11 home games this term and the pressure from the home fans will make it a tense affair.

Match Bet -  Blackpool to win @ 6/1.

Stoke v Sunderland (Sat 12:45pm)

Both of these teams have aspirations of a top-six finish this season, with Sunderland looking to more likely to challenge for Europe. They will find it tough at though at fortress Britannia, with Tony Pulis describing Saturday’s match as a game his side “need to win”. The Black Cats lack of strike power is a concern against a strong Stoke backline as the Potters look to make it four games unbeaten at home.

Match Bet – Stoke to win 2-0 @ 8/1.

Aston Villa v Fulham (Sat 3pm)

Villa appear to have turned the corner since the arrival of Darren Bent, although that theory will be put to the test against an in-form Fulham outfit. Mark Hughes’ men have lost just one of their last seven games and are slowly pulling clear of trouble. On paper these two teams look evenly matched, although Villa’s attacking threat may just give them the edge.

Match Bet – Darren Bent to score first @ 7/2.

Wigan v Blackburn (Sat 3pm)

A Lancashire derby at the DW Stadium is another tough one to call, with both sides suffering from erratic form. Blackburn on paper look the paper side, but Wigan have the attacking flair that can break down any team in the league. Hugo Rodallega is the key man for Latics, a good performance from him and the points will go Wigan’s way.

Match Bet – Wigan to win @ 7/5.

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Town looking to upset Gunners

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Bet on the FA CupHuddersfield Town are the next West Yorkshire club set for an FA Cup clash with Arsenal as the League One side head to the Emirates on Sunday (Arsenal 1/7, draw 13/2, Huddersfield 18/1).

Local rivals Leeds United were seconds away from pulling off a famous victory in north London in the third round of the competition but had to settle for a 1-1 draw.

However, the Gunners were clinical in the replay at Elland Road and showed the reason why they are challenging at the top of the Premier League as they ran out 3-1 winners.

Huddersfield are currently third in League One and will be looking to cause an upset at the Emirates.

Like most sides who travel to face the Gunners, they will have to ride their luck but if they can keep out Arsenal for the first half they may be able to frustrate them.

Arsene Wenger’s side have been in a rich vein of form and look like they are enjoying the cup competitions this season.

The Gunners have already booked a date at Wembley as they beat Ipswich Town to secure a place in the Carling Cup final in midweek.

Arsenal should come out on top in this one as their strength in depth is likely to be too strong for Town.

In an all Premier League affair, Tottenham Hotspur make the short trip across the capital to take on Fulham at Craven Cottage (Fulham 2/1, draw 12/5, Spurs 13/10).

Mark Hughes’s side have managed to create a four point gap between themselves and the teams in the relegation zone as the Cottagers have picked up recent wins against Stoke City and West Brom.

However, Spurs are 10 places higher than Fulham in the Premier League and will be confident of progressing through to the fifth round of the FA Cup.

The north London club have beaten Fulham in their last three meetings and they should come out on top once again in this meeting.

In Sunday’s other all Premier League clash, Wolves host Stoke City in a West Midlands derby.

Wolves have welcomed the distraction of the FA Cup as they have struggled to pick up points in the Premier League.

Mick McCarthy’s side are level on points with bottom club West Ham United as they have only picked up one win in their last four outings in the top flight.

Stoke are enjoying arguably their best season in the Premier League as they look comfortable in 10th place.

Tony Pulis and his Potters players should be able to take advantage of the fact that Wolves will have their priorities set on avoiding relegation from the top flight this season.

Finally, Premier League big spenders Manchester City travel to take on Notts County at Meadow Lane (County 13/2, draw 18/5 City 2/5).

County have made headlines in recent years with talk of takeovers and big money signings, much like their opponents on Sunday.

However, the Magpies have not seen much of an improvement on the pitch as they sit four points above the relegation zone in League One.

With City’s star studded squad, which is blessed with riches, they should comfortably beat County.

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Leeds upbeat on Gunners task

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Andy O’Brien and Simon Grayson have joined forces to insist Leeds United can pull off another FA Cup shock against Arsenal at Elland Road on Wednesday (Leeds 21/5 draw 3/1 Arsenal 8/13 – FA Cup match betting).

Players and fans alike could be forgiven for keeping an eye firmly fixed on the principal aim of returning to the Premier League, but seasoned Leeds followers will know the famous old domestic cup competition evokes fond memories (10/3 Leeds – npower Championship Promotion 2010/11).

The Whites took the prize scalp of cross-Pennines rivals Manchester United last season and held Tottenham to a 2-2 draw at White Hart Lane before finally bowing out at the hands of the north Londoners.

This time around they have the chance to send Tottenham’s capital rivals out of the FA Cup in front of what is again expected to be a white-hot atmosphere in West Yorkshire.

Arsene Wenger’s Premier League title-chasers needed a dramatic late penalty from captain and talisman Cesc Fabregas to spare their blushes at Emirates Stadium and O’Brien has warned the Gunners they can expect more of the same.

O’Brien said: “I don’t think we have missed our chance. To a certain extent, the Cup games take care of themselves. We were the underdogs but now we are playing at home with a massive support behind us.”

The winners tomorrow will be at home to in-form League One promotion-hopefuls Huddersfield Town in the fourth round, and O’Brien added: “I don’t think an FA Cup run is a hindrance. As a professional footballer, you want to stay in as many competitions as possible for as long as possible and if we’ve got a lot of games it means we are doing something right.”

Grayson added: “We have got to be underdogs because Arsenal have some fantastic players. We will look to try and get through and we will go out with the attitude that we can win it and give them a tough night, but we have to be aware of what Arsenal can do because they are a fantastic team.”

Leeds won their most important FA meeting with Arsenal in 1972 when a diving header by Allan Clarke from a Mick Jones cross was the only goal of the centenary final at Wembley.

However, Arsene Wenger has never experienced third-round defeat during his Arsenal managerial career and it is difficult to ancticipate the Gunners flopping (6/1 Arsenal – FA Cup outright).

Defender Sebastien Squillaci (hamstring), midfielder Abou Diaby (calf), goalkeeper Manuel Almunia (ankle) and centre-back Thomas Vermaelen (Achilles) remain on the sidelines, so Wenger will have to shuffle his pack.

Leeds are unbeaten in seven games in all competitions at Elland Road so the advice here is to take the 4/6 on both teams to score and cover yourself with the 2-1 (7/1) and 3-1 (10/1) Arsenal win correct scores.

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Gunners look to change mindset

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Earlier this week Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas said that he felt his team get “too scared” when they take on the other top teams in the Premier League. Well once again the Gunners will lock horns with London rivals Chelsea in a massive game at the top of the table (Arsenal 6/4, draw 23/10, Chelsea 9/5).

You can see where Fabregas is coming from just by looking at their results this season.

A 1-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester United which followed a 2-0 beating by Chelsea earlier in the season says it all.

Granted these were away ties, but judging by some of the excellent performances that the Gunners have produced this season, there was great expectation that they could get something out of those games.

It has been Arsenal’s inability to get consistent results against the top team which has meant they have been out of the running for the Premier League title in past seasons.

But this campaign, with so many of the top teams dropping points against side’s that many would expect them to beat, the Gunners are right in the middle of the chase for the championship.

In the past Arsenal relied on a bit of steal in the middle of the park that helped them in the big games.

The likes of Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit, who were clearly unafraid to make tough tackles, were the foundations of victories in the past.

Jack Wilshere, for all his outstanding talent on the ball, must try and fill that role for the side despite not having all that much experience in these big games.

However of all the times to face Chelsea this is probably the best.

The Blues have not picked up a victory in their last five Premier League outings and have seemed low on confidence since the departure of Ray Wilkins from Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea are currently in fourth spot in the top flight after making an outstanding start to the campaign, winning their first six games.

Fans of the Blues will be pleased to hear that Frank Lampard is back in the starting line-up and he will be a major boost for his side (Lampard 15/2 to be first goalscorer).

The England midfielder has been out with a hernia and groin muscle injuries and they will need his influence in and around the box if they are to get anything out of their visit across the capital.

This game will really boil down, as it does in many games, to confidence.

If Arsenal can use the confidence that they show in games against lesser sides they should come out on top in front of their home fans.

However if Chelsea can regain their confidence with the boost of a Lampard return they could make Carlo Ancelotti’s position at Stamford Bridge a lot safer going into the New Year.

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Old frailties will cost Gunners

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Monday night saw Manchester United arguably strike a serious psychological blow to Arsenal’s title hope as Sir Alex Ferguson’s men reclaimed top spot. We examine how United’s 1-0 win, plus the other Premier League results, have affected the title race (outright and match prices on totesport.com).

The cry of ’same old Arsenal, always cheating’ rang around Old Trafford on several occasions on Monday night as the Gunners tried to get stuck in against their title rivals. Perhaps a more apt chant would have been ’same old Arsenal, always failing’ as Arsene Wenger’s side once again faltered when faced with some serious opposition.

The north London outfit started the match as huge underdogs to come away with three points and anyone who wondered why they were such a big price only had to look at their limp-wristed display to find the answer. Monday’s defeat has seen Arsenal go to 9/2 to win the Premier League and even that seems generous when you consider all their flaws.

Arsenal started the match as top dogs in the Premier League and with Wenger having told his team to use the match as an opportunity to make a statement to the rest of the league. However, after 90 minutes the only statement the Gunners had made was to show they still aren’t good enough to win the league.

Monday was supposed to be the night when Samir Nasri, Marouane Chamakh and Jack Wilshere announced themselves on the big stage. Instead the only positive Arsenal fans will take out of the game is that they may have finally found a goalkeeper good enough to wear the number one shirt in Wojciech Szczesny.

The 1-0 defeat means Arsenal have won just three out of their last 23 matches against either United or Chelsea in all competitions. Their record against the big two speaks for its self and surely now Wenger must realise that some of his youngsters aren’t good enough and he needs to spend to be considered serious title challengers again.

Whereas Arsenal fans had to endure 90 minutes of horror United supporters will be a very content bunch, especially with the re-emergence of a certain Wayne Rooney (25/1 top Premier League goalscorer).

The England striker looked as fit as ever and was showing signs of getting back to his menacing best. While his penalty miss could have been costly it turned out to be just a blot on fine night for the 24-year-old.

Overall it was a good night’s work for Sir Alex Ferguson’s men, who showed that even when they aren’t at their best they still have enough to overcome one of their supposed title rivals.

United are 7/5 to reclaim the Premier League and with Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City stuttering along who would bet against them. Watching the three others title rivals they all have problems right now and if United can get a positive result at Stamford Bridge on Sunday you can see them going on to walk away with the crown, again.

United will travel to west London full of vim and vigour as they prepare to face a struggling Blues side. Had Didier Drogba scored that last minute penalty against Tottenham on Sunday you could make a strong case for a resurgent Chelsea side. Instead United’s price of 23/10 to bet the Blues in the football betting looks too good to turn down based on what we saw on Monday.

While Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea face a tough December schedule their big-spending rivals City should be licking their lips at the opportunity to keep pace, or even overtake, the trio. City’s next four matches will see them face Everton, Newcastle, Aston Villa and Blackpool, all games they will feel confident of winning.

However, nothing is ever simple at City (11/2 Premier League outright) and with Carlos Tevez having thrown his toys out of the pram Roberto Mancini can be forgiven for being distracted by his band of spoilt brats.

So what have we learned about the title race this weekend? Based on the past three days it seems the title will only be heading in one direction come May and that is back to Old Trafford.

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