Arsenal v. Fulham

Fulham can do well on Sunday....I am quite sure of that. Lawrie must come up with some solid tactics that can keep Arsenal out of the middle of the field which is where they always do there damage.

Can I ask everyone this....when was the last time you saw Arsenal cross a ball into the box and score on a header or something along those lines? The answer....probably when Henry did it against Manchester United last January to beat them in the last few minutes.

The point being, Arsenal packs the center of the park and has no wide options. The players played on the flanks are NOT true wingers like Rosicky and Hleb. Both of these players are natural central midfielders who are playing out of position. But as you will watch on Sunday, these two will tend to float into the middle of the field and congest the area.

If Fulham can keep Arsenal from getting their proper spacing by closing down quickly and playing this new "in your face" brand of football Lawrie has talked about, Fulham will do well on Sunday.

I think we will get a goal. The question will be whether we can keep goals out of our own net. Remember this too....the defense is NOT just the back four and keeper. The midfielders have to do a good job getting back and really helping out against what can be a potent Arsenal attack.

I have faith. I am hoping for a draw.

 

I am the Optimizer...I AM THE OPTIMISM!!!

Fulham wins 4-0, McBride hat trick, Emeritis Stadium is in stunned silence, and then we all wake up from such a dream.

 

Maybe it's just preseason optimism, but I just don't see Fulham getting blown out 4-0, 5-0, 5-1 etc at all this season. Unless Zat Knight plays 90 full minutes a game.

 

i agree with Don -- the key is to be aggressive and take the game TO your opponents, instead of sitting back and letting it come to you. that is one point i always made when coaching youth soccer - if you take the aggressive stance early and make the other team start on their heals you have a much better chance of winning than you do if you let them dance around the park.

another important thing for the sake of the club's confidence is not to do anything to LOSE the game. if you come out and play solid and the other team is better that day, so be it -- as long as you don't do anything silly to "gift" them the game. which is, of course, different than playing not to lose - it is just playing smart soccer.


oh yeah - a prediction. i say that Fulham either wins 1-0 or it ends in a 1-1 draw.

COYW!

 

Can't see a cleansheet, even with Superhero standing on his head. Late Healy goal for a 2-2 draw.

 

hate to say it, but 2-1 gooners. this team just doesnt lose at home.


...unless you're fielding an illegal player (read: west ham last year, manu this year).

 

I watched the Arsenal-Inter friendly and Arsenal completely dominated possession. It was the Wenger kiddie brigade but they play some nice football. They're going to kill us on possession just like last spring.

 

on the Starting 11 thread for this match, you'll notice i had 3 mids...right in the center: ....Diop....Davis...Smertin....


The reason I had put that was exactly for the points Tom has made. We need to close down anyone in thier midfield as soon as the ball comes their way. With all the creativity they have, it's best that they not be given loads of time on the ball. I completely and wholeheartedly agree with Tom on this. My prediction is 0-0 with a possibility of a late Fulham goal by either Healy or Kamara.

 

I'll be surprised if we don't play 4-4-2. Maybe Lawrie Sanchez and Les Reed have something up their sleaves.

 

I prefer to wear mine and then throw it across the room when we concede and yell expletives at Zat Knight, Sanchez, the computer, the dog, etc.

 

Fulham draw the Gunners 1 - 1 CAPTAIN Brian scores with his face in the 1st half... I love the sound of Captain Brian McBride!!!!

 

I hope the team concentrates on this match and doesn't worry that we have a very winnable game, at home, on Wednesday.

I'm not all that confident with the team yet and I'm being slightly pessimistic but this is because I haven't see the team play yet, minus the drivel I saw against QPR.

Come on Fulham.

 

Is Kamara healthy for this game?

 

Not on the injury list so should be good to go.

 

From everything I have read and heard, Kamara is fit and ready to play tomorrow.

 

have some pride.

 

I think we'll lose 3-1. I'm hoping we play well and gain some valuable experience for later in the season. With all these new players, though, I think it will be tough to put together a strong, coherent team performance in the first match of the season, especially against one of the big 4.

The thing that can help us is attitude. We need to come out and play to win instead of playing not to lose. That's an old coach's cliche but I think it's relevant here.

Come on you whites!

 

Starting Lineups

Jens Lehmann : Antti Niemi 29

3 Bacary Sagna : Chris Baird 34

5 Kolo Toure : Carlos Bocanegra 3

10 William Gallas : Zat Knight 6

22 Gael Clichy : Paul Konchesky 4

27 Emmanuel Adebayor : Simon Davies 25

4 Francesc Fabregas : Alexey Smertin 8

16 Mathieu Flamini : Steven Davis 10

7 Tomas Rosicky : Hameur Bouazza 24

13 Alexander Hleb : David Healy 9

11 Robin Van Persie : Brian McBride 20



6 Philippe Senderos : Moritz Volz 2

24 Manuel Almunia : Diomansy Kamara 11

17 Alexandre Song Billong : Tony Warner 12

26 Nicklas Bendtner : Clinton Dempsey 23

32 Theo Walcott : Papa Bouba Diop 14

 

I bet Clint is really happy he's not starting. Sanchez did say that 2 out of the 3 Americans on the team would be starting this morning. I figured it was Bocanegra who would be the one though.

Adebayor IS starting though!!! Wenger must have been trying to pull one over on Fulham by saying that Adebayor was going to be out this match.

... and good morning everyone. It's like Christmas morning.