Arsenal v Sunderland – the Untold match preview (it seems ages since we did this!) « Untold Arsenal: Arsenal News, supporting the club, the players and the manager
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The Great History of Arsenal Competition – complete with prizes and now with hints
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Editorial note: With Phil Gregory now entering the real world of work (its a bugger isn’t it Phil) we now have a new matchday previewer in Miles, who has been covering the pre-season games.
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So, off we go…
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Arsenal v Sunderland
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By Miles Rackham
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Every Arsenal fan knows what I am going to start this preview with. Van Persie. The Manchester United player. After a long and horrible saga, he has departed from the team that made him. Stuck with him through seven injury plagued years. Thanks for repaying us, good riddance. He will crash and burn, he proved that in the Euros.
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Apart from Van P€r$i€ (who wanted over £250,000 a week I hear), we have seemingly admitted to defeat in keeping Song. Do we need him? Maybe. I personally can’t see him going. Again a player we made showing no loyalty.
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We have also been told that Vermaelen will be our new captain, with Arteta the vice captain. Verm has been a major assets to the squad and deserves the captaincy, he did before Van Persie got it. Arteta is also a worthy captain.
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Wilshere has also been handed the number 10 shirt. If anyone deserves it, it is Jacky. He was amazing in the 2009/2010 season, playing over 40 games for us at the age of 19. He was injured badly in the Emirates cup last season and didn’t play a game, a major loss to us, I can not wait until he is back. We need more midfielders right now. Also a player who I was excited to join the first team, Kyle Bartley, has unfortunately gone to Swansea. Good luck to him.
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So our last game, our last pre-season game against Koln. An easy four nil win. Vermaelen the captain, scoring for us. A penalty and also a slick move meant Podolski scores twice against his old club. Gervinho with a great run scored a fantastic goal from the left. Cazorla had a great début as well.
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Podolski wore number 9, and he now has that as his number, taking it off Park, a player who hasn’t had the best time at Arsenal. He (Podolski) played well against his old club, something that is difficult to do. He didn’t celebrate; much to his credit.
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Podolski is one of the certain starters against Sunderland. Arteta wasn’t played against Cologne due to an injury scare, but he is fit according the reports. Koscielny is injured apparently, so the defence may have a different look from that which we expected.
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Sunderland have a new look team as well though. They have added Saha to their ranks, and may have Fletcher from Wolves soon after having three bids rejected, we know what it is like when a player is being followed by a team and that player wants to leave. They have played six pre-season games, losing four, while they won one and drew another one.
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Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma was their first pre-season game, and they lost 1 nil to them. They then played Groningen and won 3-2. After these two games they went on to play Hartlepool, who beat them 1-0, then Helsingborg beat them 2-0. They drew with Derby with McClean scoring and then finally losing to Leicester City again 1-0. A poor pre-season, I’d say.
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They will be looking to win immediately this time around, after not having the best start last season, and they may even be looking for a Europa League place, which O’Neil got with Aston Villa almost, could he do it with Sunderland? They beat us last year at the Stadium of Light and they were the first team to beat Man City after they steam-rolled over almost every team early on.
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So maybe they could do it, although they are going to have to buy more strikers, with Bendtner returning to us (although if he was still on loan to them he couldn’t play against us anyway) and Gyan leaving after having a strange time at Sunderland. I can’t see a new arrival playing against Arsenal so we don’t need to worry.
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Sunderland look like they are going to be playing a 4-5-1 system, which may be tough for the Arsenal team. We may be playing a 4-2-1-2-1, with Podolski moving up with Giroud upfront to make a more 4-2-1-1-2 formation, leaving who ever is next to Podolski behind Giroud, Walcott, and Gervinho (with the Ox being out injured). Arteta and Song (if he is still an Arsenal player) will have to dominate the midfield and try and slot Podolski and Giroud in. I think we could win this one, we certainly should do it.
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So the first match preview of the Premier League 2012 / 2013 Season. The team have some injuries so the starting line up may look like this –
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Szczesny
Jenkinson Mertesaker Vermaelen Gibbs
Arteta Song
Cazorla
Walcott Podolski
Giroud
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Jenkinson wouldn’t play at right back if Koscielny was fit, but Djourou and Mertesaker aren’t versatile enough to play at right back. The only other option would be Coquelin, who played at right back during periods last season. Maybe Gibbs or Santos could play on the right? You never know.
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Cazorla is going to have to track back during the games (although he’s been to Puerto Rico with Spain, so maybe he might have jet lag so maybe Diaby might get a game with Cazorla coming on later) while Mertesacker is going to have to step up his performance to try and fight for a place in the first team.
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I really hope we can win this. The preseason game against Koln was great, and Wenger must be happy with his starting line up, even though Van Persie has gone. I predict a 3-1 win, hopefully one of the new boys gets a goal or two.
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For Podolski, Giroud and Cazorla, it is going to be a first taste of life in the English Premier League, the best league in the world. Lets not judge if we can challenge for the title on the performance tomorrow though, the players may not all be fit and may need to mix together as a unit more. Good luck to the team though, lets do it for the fans Arsenal, we will all be huddled around our little computer screens if we aren’t lucky to have a ticket for the match.
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Forever a gooner…
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