Club Focus – Arsenal – Stoke City will provide a stern test of the Gunners’ title credentials
Wednesday 23 February 2011
A week on from the historic victory over Barcelona and Arsenal face an altogether different proposition at the Emirates. Whilst Stoke City may lack the glamour of the Catalan giants, the match represents an equally important test of the Gunners’ credentials.
After the euphoria of last week’s win over Barcelona, Arsenal came back to earth with a bump as a shock Leyton Orient equaliser pencilled in a fifth-round FA Cup replay. The extra cup tie immediately gave rise to concerns over fixture congestion, and it is worth noting that today’s encounter is re-scheduled from December. Whilst causing a headache for the manager now, Arsenal’s current position may owe a lot to December’s heavy snowfall reducing the festive fixture schedule. Today’s home tie against Stoke was originally scheduled for December 18, but its postponement meant the Gunners had a full fortnight to turn around the disappointing defeat against Manchester United.
Following the extended break, the Gunners consummately dispatched Chelsea at the Emirates, a result that galvanised their hitherto fragile confidence in crunch encounters. The belief this result instilled within the squad was key to both building the momentum towards and actually securing the dramatic comeback against Barça. Similarly, the availability of key players, or alternatively, the comparative lack of injuries within the squad is another aspect of the campaign that has benefited from fixture postponement. In the build up to the Barça clash, Wenger identified: “I can say we are in an ideal condition to face them. We cannot complain, we have the belief, the confidence, the players available: 90% in February…That was not the case last year.”
Tempting fate with his observations, Wenger will now be without midweek heroes Robin van Persie and Laurent Koscielny for the visit of Stoke. Whilst the Dutchman, in such predatory form is a huge loss, Koscielny’s presence within the side should not be underestimated. Having injured his back, seemingly in dealing with pocket-size playmakers Xavi and Lionel Messi, Koscielny’s astute positioning will be missed.
The Frenchman has adapted well to the Premier League, and his commanding Champions League performance capped a meteoric rise from the depths of France’s Ligue 2. Upon his arrival in England, Koscielny evidently read the game well as he marshalled Fernando Torres on his full debut, yet openly admitted that he needed to build on his physical strength to cope with the demands of the world’s most punishing league. As such, the timing of his injury could have been worse, with the muscular presence of Johan Djourou likely to be of benefit in dealing with one of the league’s more imposing sides.
Arsenal know the Potters will pose a robust challenge and a stern test of their title credentials, and must shake off fatigue and sluggishness to match the intensity shown against Barcelona and Wolverhampton Wanderers in previous outings. Yet the Gunners are in good form and will take comfort in the knowledge a win would put them within a point of league leaders Manchester United and heap pressure on their title rivals.
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