Arsenal build-up thread #2

[Exiled_red]

I'd be seriously tempted to rest as many key players as possible (Gerrard Torres Mascherano etc) and give them a high energy game with lots of running as Arsenal will have to put a full strength team out in both games, that way all their players will be knackered for midweek game while ours will be fresh

[Exiled_red]

I forgot Mascherano would be suspended anyway ...

[El Jefecito]

What was the word on Fabio, is he injured and out?

[-V-]

**** saturday. Rest our key players for Tuesday. I want us to win the European Cup

Tire arsenal out completely on saturday and bring back our big guns to take them down on tuesday

[El Jefecito]

Swap the wingers? Crouch in a 4231. Back to 442?

BTW Don't think SG or Kuyt need to be rested so I'd start them.

[-V-]

We should go 442

With Crouch up top and give Voronin his last ever game LOL

Rest Carra, Sami, Gerrard, Torres and Kuyt. Would even give Alonso and Babel 45 mins each
Start the likes of Riise, Pennant and Benayoun too

I dont expect a win on saturday so that game. Tire the *******s out and let our big guns take them at anfield

Another European Cup coming to anfield after we beat Barcelona in the final

[El Jefecito]

We should go 442

With Crouch up top and give Voronin his last ever game LOL

Rest Carra, Sami, Gerrard, Torres and Kuyt. Would even give Alonso and Babel 45 mins each
Start the likes of Riise, Pennant and Benayoun too

I dont expect a win on saturday so that game. Tire the *******s out and let our big guns take them at anfield

Another European Cup coming to anfield after we beat Barcelona in the final

Of the lot you mention, I think only Torres needs the time to recuperate.

Second thougths, Carra was playing RB, so a lot of running, so maybe he could do with a rest as well. As to the others, they are more than capable of playing the 3 games.

[-V-]

Yes they are capable of playing. But it would be a major advantage to us on tuesday if they were fresher. Advantage enough to let us knock them out. Arsenal players will be knackered by then. This is our chance

[Exiled_red]

I would rest as many players for tuesdays game as possible and get the likes of Pennant Crouch Riise Lucas etc to get the Arsenal team running as much as possible then they'll all be knackered for midweek! Arsenal will have to put out a full strength team on saturday if they are to have any chance of the title

[AFII]

Rafa's ready to ring the changes

Rafael Benitez could make wholesale changes when Liverpool return to The Emirates for the second of three clashes with Arsenal in seven days.

With Arsenal still in with a shout of the Premier League crown, the chances of Arsene Wenger making such dramatic changes for this league clash are less likely.

But Liverpool will have looked at the run-in that they and fifth-placed Everton have got and seen that the Toffees must go to the Emirates and they also have to play Chelsea.

So with a five-point lead in the race for the final Champions League spot going into the weekend - and a far superior goal difference - Liverpool have more breathing space than Arsenal and therefore it is likely most of Liverpool's big guns will be left on the sidelines.

Fernando Torres, taken off in the final minutes of Wednesday's 1-1 Champions League draw, is highly unlikely to be risked again if only to make sure that he avoids injury ahead of Tuesday's semi-final second leg against the Gunners at Anfield.

And there is every chance that skipper Steven Gerrard, Sami Hyypia, Jamie Carragher, Dirk Kuyt and Ryan Babel could be rested.

Benitez, who could play Peter Crouch and fit-again Andriy Voronin up front, said: "I will need to think carefully about my team for the league match. Torres and Gerrard will need to be strong for the second leg, and Kuyt ran himself to a standstill on Wednesday.

"Some players recover in two or three days, others need four. Maybe we will need to change some players.

"The age may be the key. Fernando can recover in two days, but Sami could take five. We will have to wait and see.

"I am expecting to make changes, I cannot expect them to play three times like that in seven days, certainly with the very high tempo of the games.

"It is impossible to play these same players three times in a week. Impossible."

Liverpool's fringe players could well find themselves thrown into this Emirates clash, with Alvaro Arbeloa, Steve Finnan, John Arne Riise, Crouch, Lucas, Voronin and Jermaine Pennant all in line for call-ups.

Suspended Javier Mascherano will obviously be out but it is debatable whether he would have played even if the FA had not given him an extra two-game ban for the charge that followed the Argentinian's red card at Old Trafford.

Liverpool's priorities are also clear to Babel, who accepts he may be rested for the match.

"The boss will have to make decisions now on who to start and who to rest," he said. "It will be impossible to play with the same eleven in three games against Arsenal.

"I think, in this situation, rotation is maybe good.

"We flew back from London on Wednesday night after the match, and we will go back today. It's a hard few days, mentally difficult.

"On Thursday we had a light training session, and then we will rest and discuss tactics and how we will play in the league match.

"Rafa will have already seen the first game back a couple of times to tell us what we did good and bad. He will now tell us how we can do better."

http://www.teamtalk.com/football/sto...384002,00.html

[AFII]

Hmmm.....

-----------------Reina
Finnan-----Skrtel-------Arbeloa------Riise
----------Alonso--------Lucas-----------
-----Pennant----Voronin-----Benny------
-----------------Crouch-----------------

[Joe King]

Just listening to 5 Live Sport and my God how bitter are the Arsenal fans still about the penalty shout? ****ing Tony ****ing druggie McCoy was getting involved. I hope his horse falls tomorrow.

[Shaggy]

"druggie McCoy"??????

[Nic83]

Banker home win if we rest Gerrard and Torres. Get your money on Arsenal. We probably won't even score.

[Joe King]

"druggie McCoy"??????

He looks like a ****ing druggie.