Swansea City
vs. Arsenal F.C. – K/O 17:30pm 28/09/13
Match Preview by Greg Cross
Good morning Gooners, as you read this guest post, please
take into account my understandable anxiety about writing for such a
well-renowned Arsenal site. My young Arsenal blog, born just over two weeks
ago, is the internet equivalent of having an Arsenal fan shouting opinions from
Finsbury Park station and hoping to be heard at The Emirates…but writing for
Gunners Town is an entirely different matter…it is like shouting at someone
sitting next to you…whilst in The
Emirates. So it is an honour, thanks!
The evening’s Premier League game in the south of Wales today sees
Arsenal arrive in Swansea riding high on the back of a superb out-Stoke-ing of
Stoke City, a recent away record that reads simply: eleven games won in a row
(including that nervy penalty shoot-out win at West Bromwich Albion on
Wednesday) and a calendar year win percentage of 66.7%, which is as good as the
best year Arsenal have ever had under Arsene Wenger; 2002, when of course
Arsenal won their second ‘Double’ in four years. Arsenal fans know, of course, that a visit to the Liberty
Stadium is never an easy place to come away from with a point, let alone a win.
Previous
Arsenal results vs. Swansea City :
I certainly won’t forget the 3-2 humbling in handed out to The Gunners
in Swansea City’s Premier League debut season, when a Scott Sinclair inspired
Swansea City tore Arsenal apart, and the final result actually flattered that
Arsenal side on that Sunday. My general feeling is that Swansea are yet to hit
top gear in the league this season, currently sitting ninth in the table after five games;
winning seven points. Arsenal, of course, are first with twelve points. Last year’s breakout player, the Spanish
striker Michu, has yet to hit the heights of his previous campaign, but in
Wilfried Bony, The Swans have a player that caught more eyes in Europe with his
goal scoring exploits in the Dutch Eredivisie
than Penelope Cruz does when she’s skinny-dipping. Bony is just the type of
athletic, pacy forward that Arsenal often struggle with containing, and Michu
is of course a gifted playmaker and poacher, who really shouldn’t be given an
inch.
In Michael Laudrup (who in his day was a player that could legitimately be
mentioned in the same breath as Johan Cruyff and Diego Maradona), Swansea City
have an inspiring figurehead and his delving in the transfer market have been
exceptional. I recently had a dream about Michael Laudrup; now I know reading
about other people’s dreams is as boring as it is hearing about them, but in
it, Michael Laudrup was a model in a Hummel
catalogue that I happened to be flicking through and such was his sub-conscious impact upon
me that when I awoke, I spent an entire morning extremely confused about my
entire being. And I am a sucker
for vintage chevron-adorned sportswear at the best of times. His younger
brother, Brian, was a sublime player whom I longed to see play for Arsenal,
during the 1990s when he inspired a dangerous Glasgow Rangers team. I recall
from the back of my mind that he helped destroy Arsenal a couple of times in
preseason friendlies for Glasgow Rangers…ah, the Laudrup brothers. Glorious.
Arsenal, however, come into the game with supreme confidence in their
own abilities. Aaron Ramsey, who I am sure will be looking forward to a clash
against his old club Cardiff City’s Welsh rivals, is in the form of his senior
career. His haul of seven goals
from midfield speaks for itself, as does his ninty-minute-long-grin! Mesut Özil is also demonstrating just
how unique a talent he is and the defence look calm and composed, no doubt due
to the influence a re-born Per Mertesacker brings to the backline. Whilst Theo
Walcott’s absence through injury will rob Arsenal of a particularly effective
weapon, the team will be looking to leave Wales over the Severn Bridge with at
least a point. Recalling family holidays to The Mumbles and also to see friends
in Cardiff, I remember the travelling to South Wales from the east of England,
so I hope the team have really stocked up on travel-sized board games and those
tins of travel sweets your dear old Nan has in constant supply. Just think of
the ‘epic bantz’ the guys could have with Travel
Scrabble…
Good luck you Gunners and I hope you give our superlative travelling
Gooners three points to cheer for! Thanks for reading!
@GregCross82.
Team News:
Swansea City
Subs from the folllowing: Tremmel, Tiendalli, Monk, Britton, Vázquez,
Shelvey, Williams, Taylor, Lamah, Pozuelo, Richards, Obeng.
Doubtful: Williams (ankle)
Injured: Hernández (hamstring, 5 Oct)
Suspended: None
Form (last five games, all competitions): WDWWL
Discipline: Yellow cards – 12 Red cards – 0
Leading league goalscorer: Michu: 2
Arsenal
Subs from the following: Fabianski,
Viviano, Akpom, Jenkinson, Vermaelen, Arteta, Gnabry, Frimpong, Miyaichi,
Bendtner, Park.
Doubtful: Flamini (shoulder), Ramsey (thigh)
Injured: Rosicky (hamstring, 5 Oct), Sanogo (back, 12 Oct), Cazorla (ankle, 19
Oct), Ox-Chamberlain (knee, Nov), Podolski (hamstring, Nov), Walcott (abdomen,
Nov), Diaby (knee, Mar)
Suspended: None
Form (last five games, all competitions): WWWWW(P)
Discipline: Yellow cards -10, Red cards -1 (Laurent Koscielny)
Leading league goalscorer: Olivier Giroud: 4
(With thanks to The Guardian)
I don’t know a lot about betting, so…
Put a tenner (or is that too much?) on Arsenal to win 0-1 would be my
suggestion, maybe with Giroud netting?
About Greg Cross
I am a husband and father, a lecturer
in Sussex by trade and I have been proud to call myself a Gooner since 1990/91. I am also a
Saboteur for ‘Sabotage Times’, writer of ‘GregCross82’s Arsenal Blog’ and I
can also be found on Twitter (please say ‘hi’ – @GregCross82) where I mostly
tweet irreverent Arsenal based musings.
I have been an Arsenal supporter since the 1990/91 season after being introduced to football, aged eight, during the Italia 90 World Cup. My favourite player as a young Gooner was Stefan Schwarz and I have a soft spot now for Theo Walcott.
I am a father and husband and lecturer in a Sussex college. I have written for Sabotage Times and am also a Real Oviedo shareholder.
I try to blog daily too – ‘GregCross82’s Arsenal Blog’ http://arsenalramble.wordpress.com/
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