It's Right There

This is the perfect time for Arsenal to blow it, isn't it? It's right there. Despite just three points out of a possible twelve, we are somehow still the masters of our own destiny. And yet, and yet...
Our record in cup finals over the last few years has been poor. Last year's Carling Cup debacle has done little to falsify the claim that Arsenal lack "bottle". We have our midfield maestro, Arteta, sitting on the sidelines, watching us make defensive error after error, with his hair still startlingly perfect. We can't win without him - it's as simple as that, really! His composed passing is what we always hoped for from Denilson. He gives Song the license to venture forward so Alexandre can take all the time he wants to complain to the referee while he silently covers.
Our defense has been found lacking in the last couple of weeks, and not surprisingly, it has come right when Thomas the Verminator is struggling to put a foot right. The old Vermaelen (the Vermaelen of old?) and of course, Arteta, have been missed. And with Sagna injured, Walcott will have little support on the right hand side. What's that? Coquelin, you say? Well, he's good, but he's not nearly as brilliant as Bacman.
Wow. I really don't give us a chance, do I?
I confess - I am nervous about Sunday. I wish I could be sure that we will win, that everything will be alright with the world. But with this team, you never really know what to expect! Sometimes they are magnificent, playing like their lives depend on winning the game, and then other times we are just not interested (as I write this, I realize that this is a point I've made multiple times before. So, it's obviously very true)! It is impossible to predict which side will decide to show up.
On paper, we have a lethal attack. Gervinho was (apparently) great in the Norwich game, and Walcott's return will give us that added sting going forward. Perhaps van Persie won't be as isolated as he has been recently. Rosicky is playing like he's in his prime (he is just 29 because of all the injuries, remember?), which is obviously great. I won't even attempt to put in a line on what Robin adds to our team.
Alexandre "Songinho" Song. He is a bit of an enigma, is he not? Some of his passes are magnificent, magical, exquisite. They remind me of this guy called Cesc Fabregas. But in his quest for the "killer" pass, he often forgets that his primary role is still to guard the back four. That worked okay when we had Arteta, but without him, well...
Ramsey does not quite have the same positioning intelligence. His natural instinct is to move forward as well, and he does not quite have the maturity to take over the Arteta role. He is also having a nightmare second half of the season. Ramsey has talent. That much is undoubted, I feel. He just needs to get this season done with, relax over the break, and come back and see what he can do next season. There have been cries to send him out on loan, but I don't think that's a real possibility. He has learnt to play and doesn't need match experience. He is going through some very difficult times, as Wenger himself said, and needs a break.
For that reason, I sincerely hope he doesn't start tomorrow. There were whispers that the Ox that is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain might start in midfield on Sunday. That is very positive news, but it means that Song will have to curtail his forward runs. The Ox will give us a push in midfield, and his pace will certainly unsettle the WBA defense.
Speaking of West Brom, they're going to be missing a few players themselves. Odemwingie is a "doubt", although not a very serious one I gather. Him missing out will boost our chances - his pace has troubled us in the past, and I wouldn't be surprised if he did that again tomorrow. Jerome Thomas is a doubt as well, and so is Chris Brunt - their captain. It seems like West Brom are a little light in terms of attacking options.
It is their defense, though, that is worth applauding. Like any Roy (or is it Woy?) Hodgson side, they are a well organized unit at the back and will be hard to break down, especially at the Hawthorns. They have won four and drawn one of their last six at home, keeping three straight clean-sheets in the process. That is pretty respectable, to say the least.
On the balance, though, we should have enough arsenal to overcome the Baggies.
The importance of this match cannot possibly be stressed enough. This match is not only worth the 25 million pounds that come with Champion's League qualification, but is also key in keeping hold of our captain. Rest assured, it will be goodbye Robin if we don't finish top 3. We have to assume Chelsea will win the final in Munich, no matter how much pain that thought brings.
But I think the players know this. Add to that, this will be Pat Rice's last match with us, and everyone wants him to sign off in stye. There can be no excuses on Sunday. The referee doesn't give us a penalty, fine. They have ten men behind the ball, fine. They have a pathetic pitch, fine. We just need to go there and play our football, and have the will to win.
Losing is simply not an option, and the consequences of that are too excruciating to get into. The club is attempting to rebuild itself in terms of personnel - both on and off the field. But it all starts with this one match - it's a classic everything-or-nothing situation.
I look back at the beginning of the season, and it fills me with hope. Amidst all the drama, and all the negativity, we still managed to pull off that two-legged win against a good Udinese side. Sure, Szczesny had to save a penalty to keep us in it, but we did it. We found that will to win. And I'm confident that we can do so again.
It's the perfect time for Arsenal to show what they're are made of. It's right there. Let's grab that third spot!

Final Push

So here we are. Four games to go, and everything still up in the air. Our noisy neighbors languish in fourth, while we sit nervously in third, and Chelsea have somehow pulled off a win against Barcelona. I have never quite been part of such a close season, never mind the roller coaster ride that has brought us to this point.
When last season was reaching its conclusion, there was huge disappointment, but also relief that it was finally coming to an end. Summer would bring about changes. It did. Obviously, not very good ones. However, the way the team has grown together is something that has been pleasant to watch, and in the last two months or so, we went on a run that saw us convert a 10 point deficit into a 5 point lead over Spurs. We seemed unbeatable, and even showed the Oil Sheikhs that money, indeed, cannot buy you class. However, a direct consequence of reaching such dizzy heights is that the success often gets to your head. That is exactly what happened against Wigan.
The Emirates has become something of a fortress in the second half of the season, and to be outplayed by a team fighting for relegation really isn't something we can dismiss as a "blip". To use a (very) old expression, there's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip, and since top four is our trophy, we cannot take any opponent for granted.
We have tough games ahead, starting tomorrow - Chelsea at home, followed by Stoke away. These are obviously key games in the scramble for third/fourth. Win these two, and I think we're home. Lose, and this could be exactly like the end of last season, merely condensed into four weeks.
The Chelsea game, as I see it, is a must win. And there should be no reason why we can't. Chelsea fought like their lives depended on it when Barcelona came to visit on Wednesday. Credit to them, they came away with a win. The good thing for us is that they were knackered, chasing Catalonian shadows for much of the game. Roberto Di Matteo has said that he will rest a few players on Saturday. On top of that, David Luiz is injured and Ivanovic is suspended.
Chelsea now believe that they can protect their first leg lead at the Camp Nou, and so maybe, just maybe, they won't attach as much importance to the game as we do. We need our key players to perform, and I hope to God that van Persie overcomes his minor goal-drought. One goal in five games is definitely poor, especially when you consider that that one goal was a penalty. Of course, this is not to criticize Robin, for he is quite clearly the player of the season, and I can wax lyrical about his importance for hours. My point is, he needs to step up.
Theo Walcott is another big game player who needs to produce on Saturday. He is someone who relishes big occasions, and is at his best when he has something to prove. His battle against Cashley Cole will be key not only to our attacks, but also in keeping Juan Mata quiet (if he starts).
A player who will be missed more than anyone else, though, is Mikel Arteta. He has come to define consistency for us this season, and has been exceptional. He adds a certain composure to the midfield that was missing last season. Well, as the footballing Gods would have it, he's out for the rest of the season. He's been the ideal partner for Song in the double pivot in midfield. He allowed Song his forays forward and covered brilliantly. If that was not enough, he produces the occasional screamer, like the winner against City. Much like his hair, his possession stats are as close to perfect as you can possibly get. He's attempted over 2000 passes this season, with a success rate of over 90%!
His absence, then, certainly leaves us with a bit of a crisis in midfield. Personally I doubt that the boss likes Benayoun to play in the center. Song and Rosicky are certain to start, but what of the missing third player? Ramsey has come under immense criticism for his lackluster performances in the last couple of months. He has been abused both on the pitch and off it, and obviously that cannot be good for his confidence. However, I feel he has a lot of talent, and that will never go away. He's only 21, and has gone through a lot in the last year or so. If coming back from a horrific leg break wasn't enough, he lost his national team coach and has had to deal with the pressures of captaining his country. Not very easy, all that. And even then, he never shirks responsibility in a match, always asking for the ball when he thinks he can contribute. Perhaps he's trying too hard. He needs to relax on the pitch, and let the game flow naturally. I expect him to start on Saturday.
The other question mark is on the left wing. Who starts? Gervinho, Chambo, or Yossi? This is a tough one. Gervinho, for some reason (maybe fitness? confidence?) hasn't started for a while now. The Ox hasn't started in a while too, for whatever reason. The only player who has started with some regularity is Yossi Benayoun. He has developed a good understanding with Rosicky, and they offer a dynamism in attack that we don't have with Gervinho. Gervinho is a direct player - an out and out winger. Yossi constantly cuts inside and switches positions with Rosicky, giving variation to our play down the middle. However, he is ineligible to play against his parent club. So, given how cautious Arsene is being with AOC, Gervinho seems to be the one who'll start on the left wing.
At the back, we certainly welcome back Laurent Koscielny from a two match suspension, and how we need him! He adds so much to our defense, and has been one of the stand out players for us. One of the best defenders in the Premier League this season, maybe even Europe, we need him to keep Torres quiet.
Whatever the team, we will have to come out all guns blazing. We cannot afford a weak start, and certainly not an early goal (an early Chelsea goal, that is). If there's one thing Chelsea can do, it is to defend. This will definitely not be an open game like the one at Stamford Bridge was. Chelsea were a different creature under Villas-Boas, but have reverted to their old, boring, defensive, effective selves under Di Matteo.
The crowd has a major part to play, and it seems the Emirates has finally found a voice this season. Adversity brings out the best in us, doesn't it! It's been a crazy season, and as it heads into its final stage, we need to be behind the team one hundred percent.
No matter what, it'll certainly be an interesting match, but a lot depends on which Arsenal side decides to grace the Emirates pitch - the complacent, defensively frail one that lost to Wigan and QPR, or the determined, resolute, creative one that won against City?
Here's hoping that it is the latter, and here's to three points!