Have That Tony Pubis!

Evening,

Last night we picked up what could be a crucial three points in the hunt for the title. We played nowhere near our best but the attitude was spot on and that's all that matters as far as I'm concerned. Stoke came with a plan to frustrate us which was clear from the start. That plan didn't pan out as they would have liked as they were 1-0 down less than ten minutes into the game. Bendtner did brilliantly to win a corner off Huth, Wilshere took it and found Bendtner who dinked it across the face of the goal for Squillaci to head in. A rare Premier League start and goal for the Frenchman.

It had been a flying start from our men. Squillaci's goal came just after Walcott had hit the post. Unfortunately there was bad news to follow. Only fifteen minutes into the game Cesc pulled up with a hamstring injury and was taken off. He wasn't limping but it is still thought to be serious. More on that later. Cesc's departure seemed to take the sting out of our attacking play. We no longer looked dangerous going forward, the play was flat and you just had to be grateful that we went 1-0 up before Cesc went off.

The loss of Cesc seemed to spurn Stoke on a bit and I mean only a bit because they had been pretty rubbish apart from their defence. John Carew took advantage of a loose ball and forced Szezesny into a brilliant save. Despite their mini revival we still looked comfortable at the back, any worries about Squillaci were quickly fading, the goal seemed to do him the world of good. A Samir Nasri free-kick was just about the only other moment that got the crowd slightly excited in a pretty dull half.

Even though the majority of us were fairly satisfied with the 1-0 lead, the lack of chances after Cesc's substitutions was rather worrying. We needed to rekindle that fire that had seen us destroy so many teams. The absence of our captain and Van Persie would not help our cause however. In the second half the Potters seemed intent on getting our faces and not enjoying as much possession as we did in the first half. They even had a rare goalscoring opportunity when Shawcross' header was blocked by the head of Johan Djourou. What a tragedy it would have been had that moron scored.

Robert Huth probably should have drawn the visitors level when he headed over from close range after another long Delap throw in. Infairness it was the first one we failed to clear, Djourou in particular was attacking every ball that came into the box. Theo Walcott perhaps should have eased our nerves when Arshavin superby flicked the ball past Shawcross and pulled it back to Theo but he sliced his effort well wide of goal. It wasn't the most entertaining of night and we were given a further blow when Walcott went down clutching his ankle. He looked in a lot of discomfort and was stretchered off with just over twenty minutes remaining. I'll come back to the latest on him and Cesc.

I expected to see Chamakh replace him but Arsene opted for Denilson instead, clearly taking no risks. Nicklas Bendtner had a chance to kill the game but he headed Jack Wilshere's corner well over the bar. Shortly afterwards he was replaced by Chamakh who is looking to recapture some of the early season form that saw plenty of praise heaped on him. The players kept the ball well for the remainder of the game despite a late scare when Jermaine Pennant when close with a free-kick but it hit the side netting which was about as good as it got for Stoke. We had to work for our three points but you have to give credit to the players for sticking at it for ninety minutes. In recent times we may have lost focus and dropped points under similar circumstances.

The player ratings are as follows:
Szezesny: 8 - Dealt with every throw in brilliantly and made a terrific save from Carew.
Sagna: 7 - As solid as ever and won some key battles in the air.
Squillaci: 8 - Best game for a long time and scored a crucial goal.
Djourou: 7 - Commanding in the air and never looked threatened.
Clichy: 7 - Quiet but solid game.
Song: 7 - Sat in front of the defence and did his job.
Wilshere: 8 - Ran the show once more. Such a good role model for any other young player out there.
Fabregas: 5 - Played only a quarter of the game before going off injured. Looked lively up until then.
Nasri: 7 - At the heart of nearly every attack but failed to create much due to resiliant defending.
Walcott: 6 - Unlucky not to score inside the first minutes. Stretchered off injured in the end unfortunately.
Bendtner: 7 - Worked his socks off and played a key role in the goal. Won corner and then set up Squillaci.
Subs:
Arshavin: 7 - Very lively and flashes of his old brilliance.
Denilson: 6 - Retained possession well.
Chamakh: 6 - Not much time to make an impact but some nice touches.

We've now moved to within a point of United. They have a game in hand which is Wigan at the DW Stadium this weekend in a game you'd think they should win but we also thought they would easily beat Wolves. Wigan are the most unpredictable side in the Premier League in my opinion and they could either frighten the life out of United or roll over and get hammered. We won't get our hopes up that's for sure.

Now as I've been writing this blog I've just learned of the news that Cesc Fabregas will miss Sunday's cup final. I can't explain how big a blow this is on so many levels. First of all for the player himself, he's been waiting for this moment for so long now and for it to be ruined by a stupid hamstring injury just about sums up his and our own luck over the past five or so years. I'm still think he will lift the trophy should we win it but this missing the game itself will be killing him even if he dosen't show it. Now think of the boost this will give the Birmingham City players. They would have been dreading the thought of a full strenght Arsenal team going at them but now that we're missing our most influential player they'll certainly fancy their chances of causing a major upset. Aswell as Cesc we'll be without Theo Walcott. Two massive players have just been taken out of this Arsenal team. Cesc has incredible vision and can split any team apart with his fantastic passing ability while Theo gives us width and can stretch any defence and out run any player. The next question is will they be out for the Barcelona game? The boss says Theo could be out for a few weeks so that obviously throws his involvement into serious doubt while nobody knows the exact extent of Cesc's injury but it is thought to be short-term. If I hear anything else I'll inform you via my Twitter account @ArsenesArmy.

On the bright side Van Persie, Koscielny and Diaby will all return. I doubt Diaby will start but its no harm having him in the squad. Van Persie and Koscielny are two massive players for us as I explained in yesterday's blog. When Van Persie is out we don't score as much, when Koscielny is out we concede a lot more, enough said. Anyway, I'm trying not to let recent injuries to key players dampen my mood going into Sunday's game. No doubt we won't be as confident as we were yesterday but that's football for you, just never know what is around the corner. We've still got a squad full of players more than capable of putting the Blues to the sword. More on the cup final in the coming todays, I think I've said for one day.
Till next time.