Time To Go To Work.

On Sunday, Arsenal need to clock in for work and get a job done, it doesn't matter how, they simply HAVE TO WIN. This is where we can really judge if we are ready to box with the top teams for a domestic championship.


Last season, the players never went to work and were destroyed 4-1 at home, in most instances, such a result should lead to questions on the trainer, especially as the team sucked all season. I called it '11 employees contracted for 90mins', this time round, all 18 members of the matchday squad need to stick together and be ready to bleed, or as Gallas said in 2007 after the Man Utd 2-2 home match where he scored a last minute equaliser, "We had to fight. We said if we had to die we would die together on that field."


The players need to understand, allowing Chelsea to extend their current 8 point lead at our expense is out of the question, as seen by other teams losing 9-1 in the league, we cannot rely on others to do the job for us, if you want something done, do it yourself. This means we need to chase goals, and unlike last season where Wenger elected to use 1 striker and have 2 on the bench, this time, use Vela and Eduardo together from the start, where else do you expect the goals to come from if they don't start?


Tactically, Wenger needs to change some things. This Ancelotti side is very narrow, but they can also change instantly to become a more wider team because Ancelotti has done a lot of tactical work with the players. We need to pressure who ever is at the base of their midfield and stop the ball coming out, and by doing this, we also leave ourselves open for Chelsea to run at our defence or shoot from range. As a keen watcher of Serie A, the way to beat Milan under Ancelotti was not stifle Kaka or Pirlo, but ensure Gattuso and Ambrosini never made the primary pass to them, Wenger needs to do this and whoever does it must be fit and concentrated for 90mins.


Silvestre has been a common denominator when we have lost heavily, and he seriously needs to have a good game, it is matches like this where we need him most, and if he doesn't have a good game, I expect the other 9 out field players to help him out and not leave him in the cold to freeze, if they do, we will lose.


I won't predict a result, but I'm certain we will lose if we don't force the issue and tell Chelsea we are willing to die, Chelsea have nothing to prove, nothing to lose, only everything to win, a loss and they won't lose top spot for another fortnight, a win and they have daylight over an opponent allowing them more room for error. We lose, we have no room for error, and are fighting for nothing for the rest of the season.