Morning all,
And what a fine morning it is; FA Cup final morning. It
seems a long time since I have felt the excitement of FA Cup final day and god
damn have I missed it. There is nothing quite like it; the sunny day, the cold
beer and most importantly the sense of hope.
Today is quite like any other day I can remember in the past
few years. We have had some near misses in finals and some calamitous
performances as well, but on each of these occasions I have gone into the final
with a feeling of dread. I was fearful of failure.
To some extent that is true today. I cannot fathom the
possibility of losing to a Hull team who we so comprehensively we recently
beat. Yet this feeling of dread is not quite the same. I on previous occasions
felt we were a team capable of being beaten by anyone due to serious flaws.
Today I truly believe we *should* win. No disrespect to Hull City but if we don’t
win with our team and the experience we have, it would be an utter disaster.
I therefore feel slightly strange today because for the
first time in a long time I expect us to win. Don’t get me wrong I am also just
as worried that we will find a way to truly fuck this up in a fashion only an
Arsenal team can muster, but I am confident. I am almost expectant and that
fucking scares me.
The nerves are kicking in for me so I am just as sure that
feeling is amplified emphatically in the players. There is a worry that the
pressure of the occasion will get to us but lest not forget, surely our players
are better suited to dealing with pressure than our opponents.
In terms of team news, nothing is certain but a huge talking
point is the selection of the keeper. For me it is a no-brainer; Szczesny has
to take the spot. I strongly believe the player who is likely to be our number
one, for what could very possibly be the long term future, needs to play in
this occasion. Whether it be to get that winners medal and mentality that
hopefully comes with it, or to put to bed some unwanted skeletons in his closet
from the Carling Cup. It is essential for me he plays over someone who is going
to play for a team, in all likelihood, a competitor.
I expect the rest of the team to pick itself:
Szczesny
Sagna Mertesacker Koscienly Gibbs
Arteta
Ramsey
Cazorla Ozil Podolski
Giroud
The Hull team will be depleted certainly without their two
best forwards in Long and Jelavic but one mustn’t forget that they got this far
without them as well. They are going to approach the game without the intention
of taking risks but putting a lot of pressure to dissuade us from playing our
natural game.
I expect us to remain solid defensively and use the movement
of Ramsey and the passing of Ozil to open them up. This is a game, all going
well, we should go and win. I certainly hope so as I feel the consequences,
from a fan perspective, will be incomprehensible.
Come on The Arsenal!
GoonerVerse.
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