Arsenal Vs Newcastle United |
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Date:
Sunday 23rd January 2004
Kick Off: 4.05pm BST
Venue: Highbury
Ref: Steve Dunn
Comp: Premiership |
| Match Preview
In Association With Toon
Ale |
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By
Ally Campbell
After Saturday's home win against struggling Southampton, we head
to Highbury on Sunday to face the Champions live on Sky Sports. The
2-1 win was good enough in the fact that we got 3 points at home to
a struggling team, but as usual we made it harder than it should have
been! The 2nd home game in a row where we've gone 2-0 up and looked
like comfortably winning resulted in a nervous 2-1 win. The reason?
We simply don't convert our chances.
I wrote last week that I felt the return of Shearer would give us
the cutting edge we've been badly lacking, but even he couldn't score
in open play. Opposition keepers have a habit of playing well against
us this season, even a young Football League keeper kept us out for
most of Saturday, and unfortunately I expect more of the same from
the usually erratic Almunia. The return to fitness of Kluivert and
Shearer is a massive boost for the team, and in theory we should now
start scoring – but when have things ever been straightforward with
NUFC?!
Again, Souness played Bellamy out of position. This time on the left
flank but with a license to roam, and although he is still effective
there, he isn't half the player he is when played up front. However,
we're playing Arsenal away so I fully expect Souness to pick the same
4-3-3/4-5-1 formation again. I'm not a fan of Shola, but he's playing
well of late, however I'd play Shearer in the central role, with Bellamy
and Robert (if fit) either side of him. The midfield three of Dyer,
Jenas and Bowyer continue to huff and puff through the second half
of games.
This has to stop, and a team like Arsenal will punish us. We can beat
them if we're at the top of our game, but we need 90 minutes from
everyone, not just 45. I've thought it for a while that Jenas never
looks the same player when Dyer is in the team with him, and I persist
with this. Its nothing obvious, but he just seems a more effective
player without Dyer alongside him. Sadly Nicky Butt has been ruled
out for a while, at the start of the week he was expected to return
this Sunday but a reoccurrence of his hamstring injury which makes
Dyer and JJ pretty much automatic choices.
Saturday saw home debuts for Boumsong and Babayaro, who both played
well. Babayaro looks like he's played here for years, he's settled
in very quickly. Boumsong still doesn't look quite right, but he certainly
showed some signs of class. I'm hoping for a repeat performance against
Henry that some of us saw in the Champions League when he was at Auxerre.
He was sensational that game and never gave Henry a look.
Arsenal played a very disappointing 1-0 defeat to Bolton at the weekend.
From what I saw, the defence was awful and Campbell was playing like
Bramble on a bad day. Whilst that was great news for Chelsea, I fear
its bad news for Newcastle. It could go two ways, either Arsenal will
have their heads down in a similar way to in the past when they've
lost, or they'll come out with all guns blazing and we'll get a hammering.
I hope for the former, fear for the latter. They've got injuries but
they're still a brilliant team who will beat us if we give them half
a chance, as we saw at St. James' so cruelly.
Given |
Taylor |
Boumsong |
Bramble |
Babayaro |
Alan Shearer vs. Sol Campbell
Blimey, that's two strong lads against each other! I rate Campbell
very highly, and although he had a shocker at Bolton I expect him
to be at his best against Shearer. We need Shearer to hold the ball
up like we know he can and allow Bellamy/Robert/Jenas etc to receive
the ball and punish them. Campbell will more than likely stay tight
to Shearer, freeing up a bit of space for us to capitalise on. Their
defence isn't as good as the attack, that's for sure. Unfortunately
I can see Campbell coming out on top.
Jermaine Jenas vs. Patrick Vieira
The apprentice against the master? I rate Jenas very highly but I
feel that the comparisons with Vieira are a bit far fetched. They're
both quick, leggy, box to box players who when on form can create
something out of nothing, but Vieira certainly has more strength and
better defensive attributes. I'd feel more confident if Butt was facing
him, but in the past JJ has performed superbly when up against the
very best. If he avoids his habit of fading out of games I think this
one is for Jenas to grab at. If he plays to his potential, (a word
which is used too much with NUFC) there's a possibility he may come
out on top. He needs the constant support of Bowyer and Dyer though.
Graeme Souness vs. Arsene Wenger
I can't be the only one sick to death of the Wenger/Ferguson dispute,
its very childish and has shown me a side of the managers that I don't
wish to see. If he was a poor manager, I could see it affecting Wenger
in the build-up to the game, but its highly unlikely. He pretty much
conceded the title to Chelsea on Saturday, but he'll accept nothing
less than 100% from his players. I'm sure he'll be reminding his players
that an 11 point lead can be caught up, with the unfortunate example
of our beloved club!
Souness on the other hand is slowly getting in my good books. He's
doing all the right things at the moment with the players available
and the teams we've played, our problem has been putting the ball
in the back of the net, something that he can do very little about.
He can tell them how to play and where to play, but he doesn't kick
the ball!
| NUFC Squad News &
Pre-Match Reaction |
Manager Graeme Souness on the match:
"Arsenal are still one of the best footballing sides
in the world.
"We couldn't have a harder test.
"Some people might think it is a good time to go to Highbury, but
I choose to see it that we're going there to play a team who have
big players with big egos whose egos were damaged last week.
"That will be a difficult test for us, as it would be for anyone going
there. But if we defend properly, I'm sure we can cause them some
problems as well."
United squad:
Given, Harper, Taylor, Hughes, Bernard, Babayaro, Boumsong, Bramble,
O'Brien, Dyer, Jenas, Bowyer, Milner, Ambrose, N'Zogbia, Robert, Shearer,
Kluivert, Bellamy, Ameobi.
| Arsenal Squad News &
Pre-Match Reaction |
Manager Arsene Wenger on the match:
Coming soon...
Arsenal squad:
Almunia, Lehmann, Lauren, Eboue, Cole, Clichy, Campbell, Toure, Cygan,
Senderos, Vieira, Fabregas, Flamini, Pires, Ljungberg, Pennant, Reyes,
van Persie, Bergkamp, Henry.
 Steve
Dunn
Dunn was in charge of our 4-3 win over Man City at St. James' Park
back in October. The Gloucestershire official awarded two penalties
in that game, one for Alan Shearer and one for Robbie Fowler. Kevin
Keegan wasn't best pleased with his performance that day...
Arsenal 3-2 NUFC
Another Sky game, this time on a Friday, saw the Toon leave North
London with no points despite an impressive fighting display agains't
the team that would remain unbeaten through the season. Thierry
Henry put the Gunners 1-0 up after just 18 minutes after
a lively start but Laurent Robert equalised 9 minutes
later after a sweeping move. No more goals in the first-half but there
was 3 in the second with Gilberto Silva putting Arsenal
2-1 up on 67 minutes, against the run of play. Olivier Bernard
quickly equalised with a thunderous left-footed strike 5 minutes later
as the game ebbed and flawed and as the game wore on it looked as
if both teams had settled for the point with Pascal Cygan and Robert
Pires both limping out to follow Patrick Vieira's first-half injury
forcing the home team to sit back. With 10 minutes remaining however
Jermaine Jenas inexplicably handled in the area from a corner, literally
handing Arsenal all 3 points as Henry stepped up
to smash home his second. This game will be best remembered for the
weekend events that lead to several Toon players being accused of
a serious crime in a London Hotel.
The teams that day:
Arsenal: Lehmann, Lauren, Toure, Keown, Cole (Cygan
52), Parlour (Pires 62), Silva, Vieira (Edu 25), Ljungberg, Henry,
Wiltord. Subs not used: Aliadiere, Stack.
NUFC: Given, O'Brien, Bramble, Hughes, Bernard,
Jenas (Ameobi 89), Bowyer (Speed 72), Dyer, Robert (Ambrose 81), Bellamy,
Shearer. Subs not used: Griffin, Caig.
Attendance: 38,112
Ref: Mike Riley
| Last 5 Meetings (at Highbury
- all competitions) |
| Date |
Score |
Comp |
Toon Scorers |
| 26/9/2003 |
Lost 3-2 |
Premiership |
Robert, Bernard |
| 9/11/2002 |
Lost 1-0 |
Premiership |
|
| 23/3/2002 |
Lost 3-0 |
FA Cup R3 R |
|
| 18/12/2001 |
Won 3-1 |
Premiership |
O'Brien, Shearer, Robert |
| 19/12/2000 |
Lost 5-0 |
Premiership |
|
| |
Arsenal
Wins |
Draws |
Newcastle
Wins |
| League |
52 |
31 |
60 |
| FA Cup |
3 |
2 |
4 |
| League Cup |
2 |
0 |
0 |
| Total |
57 |
33 |
64 |
| Form Guide (League &
Cups) |
| Arsenal |
Newcastle |
| Opposition |
V |
Result |
Opposition |
V |
Result |
| Bolton Wanderers |
A |
L 1-0 |
Southampton |
H |
W 2-1 |
| Stoke City |
H |
W 2-1 |
Yeading |
A |
W 2-0 |
| Manchester City |
H |
D 1-1 |
West Bromwich Albion |
A |
D 0-0 |
| Charlton Athletic |
A |
W 3-1 |
Birmingham City |
H |
W 2-1 |
| Newcastle United |
A |
W 1-0 |
Arsenal |
H |
L 1-0 |
| Fulham |
H |
W 2-0 |
Blackburn Rovers |
A |
D 2-2 |
| Portsmouth |
A |
W 1-0 |
Liverpool |
A |
L 3-1 |
| Chelsea |
H |
D 2-2 |
Sporting Lisbon |
H |
D 1-1 |
| Rosenborg |
H |
W 5-1 |
Portsmouth |
H |
D 1-1 |
| Birmingham City |
H |
W 3-0 |
Chelsea |
A |
L 4-0 |
| *Last
10 matches in all competitions. Keys: V
= Venue L = Loss W
= Win D = Draw |
I can see a very similar game to the one we recently saw at St. James'
Park, defences on top and very few chances. I'm going for a 1-1
draw, with goals from Shearer and Pires. Howay the lads! |
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