So it's Judgement Day tomorrow and I'm feeling a bit angry.
"At what?", you might ask.
My simple answer: injuries! How are we supposed to kick the stuffing out of Chelsea without our top three players and one of our most in-form (before his injury) in Theo Walcott?
Fabregas has the slimmest of chances of playing but it does appear unlikely that the boss will risk him. He's obviously a big loss but I think that Nasri and Wilshere can compensate for it. So, in my opinion, the biggest loss of them all is, and has been, Vermaelen.
Where's he gone? The Verminator has literally disappeared off the face of the planet. His small Achilles injury has turned to almost 'Van Persieous' proportions. He makes such a difference when he plays and we missed him badly last weekend (the second West Brom goal wouldn't have happened if he was there).
But enough of injuries, Wenger can't control them. What he can control is the team he picks tomorrow. Fabianski will start in goal and to be honest I don't feel that worried. His confidence is at an all-time high so there isn't really anymore you could hope for, regarding his mental condition going into the game.
Because of the injury situation, the back-four picks itself. None of the recent defensive performances would be good enough against Drogba and co. so there'll have to be a drastic improvement. Either that or Chelsea's attack will have to have a performance similar our's, last Saturday.
The three Wenger picks in midfield are crucial. They'll have to be disciplined and protest the defense. That means that Song will have to 'cop the fuck on' and stop getting ahead of the ball. Diaby will probably play along side him and he also needs to up his game. A lot will be decided on how well Nasri plays at the point of the trio. He could easily give Mikel a roasting if Chelsea don't choke the space.
The front three should be Wilshere, Arshavin and Chamakh. If Jack does play on the wing, he's in for a tough time tracking Ashley Cole. Andrey will do his usual thing: nothing for 90% of the game and probably score. Our big guy up front will put in his usual shift (and a half) and will hopefully cause Terry and Alex enough problems for us to get a goal or two.
I'm really nervous about the game. The players didn't care enough last weekend and I refuse to accept a win against Partizan Belgrade as evidence that their attitudes have changed. If it has, we can win. If it hasn't, we'll be steamrolled.
I'm calling a win because I love Arsenal and hate Chelsea. I really hate Chelsea.
