Swansea vs Arsenal - Preview
January 14th 2012 11:25
Arsenal travel to Wales this weekend, in what could be a tricky game against Swansea City.
The question that most Arsenal fans will be asking is "Will Arsene Wenger start Thierry Henry?". It's a possibility. The Gunners legend made an instant impact after coming off the bench to score the winner against Leeds on Monday night. That got a lot of fans dreaming about the possibility of Henry being paired with the league's top scorer, Robin Van Persie. The two played together in Henry's first spell at the club, but back then, Van Persie was young and hadn't developed into the player that he is today. Since Henry's departure, Van Persie has become one of the best strikers in the world, and with them two up front, Arsenal wouldn't struggle to find the net.
Wenger suggested that it is possible the two could be paired up front, but said that if he was to do it, he would have to change the shape of the team.
Those words will no doubt get the majority of Arsenal fans drooling at the prospect of a strike force featuring the two. Some will of course argue that Henry may have scored the other night, but it was 'only' against Leeds. That may well be the case, but until the older version of Henry has been tried in the Premier League, nobody should doubt him. One thing that is obvious, is that Henry won't have the legs to last the full 90 minutes anymore. You could see in the post match interviews on Monday night that Henry was sweating like a pig after just over 20 minutes on the pitch. But you could also see that Henry changed the game. As stated in the Leeds match report, without Henry's introduction, Arsenal would be playing a replay at Elland Road for the second year in a row. So the impact Henry has on this team is good, and his presence has provided a boost to the team.
Swansea have an impressive home record this season, with only Manchester United coming home with 3 points from the Liberty Stadium this season. There's no shame in that either. I think this will be a genuinely tough game for Arsenal. They only seem to be able to manage 1 goal in a game right now, so if they're going to win it'll be a tight one, sneaking a 1-0 win. I wouldn't be surprised with a goalless draw to be honest. Arsenal's source of goals has come from Robin Van Persie this season, and if Arsenal are to win, I wouldn't be surprised if it was the Dutchman who provided the winning goal. If not him, then I genuinely believe only one other man can get it. That is of course, Thierry Henry. Don't be shocked if he comes off the bench to net another winner, or if he starts, it wouldn't surprise me if he scored. The man is class.
Swansea have been very impressive this season, and have played a lot better than most expected. Arsenal struggled to overcome Swansea at the Emirates back in September, and a similar scoreline isn't out of the question this time around. Swansea have failed to score in five of their last ten league games, so I am going for a sneaky 1-0 win for the Gunners in this, with either Van Persie or Henry scoring it. As said earlier, Arsenal seem capable of only scoring just the one right now, so 1-0 seems right to me. This team seems a little like the George Graham teams of old, getting scrappy 1-0 wins. The only difference is that George Graham's teams could defend better, and hold onto a lead when they needed to. Although Arsenal have managed to recently in most of the games, as a fan, it's always nervy watching Arsenal with a 1-0 lead. We saw them blow a 4-0 lead at Newcastle last season, so nothing ever surprises me when watching Arsenal, in fact it's more of a shock when they do hold on, something they've managed to do more often than last season. Perhaps a sign of progress defensively?. We'll see.
I'll be posting a review of the Swansea game once it's done, and if I have time, I could post something about transfers too. Of course, if any deals do go through involving Arsenal, I will post about it.
Until then Gooners, let's hope for an Arsenal win to report back on!.
The question that most Arsenal fans will be asking is "Will Arsene Wenger start Thierry Henry?". It's a possibility. The Gunners legend made an instant impact after coming off the bench to score the winner against Leeds on Monday night. That got a lot of fans dreaming about the possibility of Henry being paired with the league's top scorer, Robin Van Persie. The two played together in Henry's first spell at the club, but back then, Van Persie was young and hadn't developed into the player that he is today. Since Henry's departure, Van Persie has become one of the best strikers in the world, and with them two up front, Arsenal wouldn't struggle to find the net.
Wenger suggested that it is possible the two could be paired up front, but said that if he was to do it, he would have to change the shape of the team.
“They can play together as long as the team is balanced. If it is balanced offensively and defensively then they can,” he said.
“But we are in a structure with two wingers so it is difficult to find the balance.”
- Arsene Wenger on the possibility of pairing Thierry Henry and Robin Van Persie up front.“But we are in a structure with two wingers so it is difficult to find the balance.”
Henry and Van Persie: The Perfect Partnership?
Those words will no doubt get the majority of Arsenal fans drooling at the prospect of a strike force featuring the two. Some will of course argue that Henry may have scored the other night, but it was 'only' against Leeds. That may well be the case, but until the older version of Henry has been tried in the Premier League, nobody should doubt him. One thing that is obvious, is that Henry won't have the legs to last the full 90 minutes anymore. You could see in the post match interviews on Monday night that Henry was sweating like a pig after just over 20 minutes on the pitch. But you could also see that Henry changed the game. As stated in the Leeds match report, without Henry's introduction, Arsenal would be playing a replay at Elland Road for the second year in a row. So the impact Henry has on this team is good, and his presence has provided a boost to the team.
Swansea have an impressive home record this season, with only Manchester United coming home with 3 points from the Liberty Stadium this season. There's no shame in that either. I think this will be a genuinely tough game for Arsenal. They only seem to be able to manage 1 goal in a game right now, so if they're going to win it'll be a tight one, sneaking a 1-0 win. I wouldn't be surprised with a goalless draw to be honest. Arsenal's source of goals has come from Robin Van Persie this season, and if Arsenal are to win, I wouldn't be surprised if it was the Dutchman who provided the winning goal. If not him, then I genuinely believe only one other man can get it. That is of course, Thierry Henry. Don't be shocked if he comes off the bench to net another winner, or if he starts, it wouldn't surprise me if he scored. The man is class.
Liberty Stadium: Fortress this season
Swansea have been very impressive this season, and have played a lot better than most expected. Arsenal struggled to overcome Swansea at the Emirates back in September, and a similar scoreline isn't out of the question this time around. Swansea have failed to score in five of their last ten league games, so I am going for a sneaky 1-0 win for the Gunners in this, with either Van Persie or Henry scoring it. As said earlier, Arsenal seem capable of only scoring just the one right now, so 1-0 seems right to me. This team seems a little like the George Graham teams of old, getting scrappy 1-0 wins. The only difference is that George Graham's teams could defend better, and hold onto a lead when they needed to. Although Arsenal have managed to recently in most of the games, as a fan, it's always nervy watching Arsenal with a 1-0 lead. We saw them blow a 4-0 lead at Newcastle last season, so nothing ever surprises me when watching Arsenal, in fact it's more of a shock when they do hold on, something they've managed to do more often than last season. Perhaps a sign of progress defensively?. We'll see.
1-0 to the Arsenal: Arshavin and his team mates celebrate his goal against Swansea in September
I'll be posting a review of the Swansea game once it's done, and if I have time, I could post something about transfers too. Of course, if any deals do go through involving Arsenal, I will post about it.
Until then Gooners, let's hope for an Arsenal win to report back on!.
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