Stoke City Vs Arsenal - Match Preview

“There is a very little chance the title will happen,” said an earnest Arsène Wenger in his pre-match press conference. “But I do not want to come out of the season and think that if we had won at Stoke, then our last two games, we would have made it.

“I don't leave in dreamland, I live in a realistic world. But we all live in a competitive world and a real competitor fights until the end.”

It is only attitude the Arsenal manager can adopt right now. If his side win at Britannia Stadium on Sunday lunchtime and Chelsea beat Manchester United a little later that day then Wenger’s side will be a win away from the leading pair with two games left. They would be in touch but in need of assistance.

We thought we’d left all the hypotheticals back at Bolton a fortnight ago but the victory over the leaders last weekend allows us a little latitude once more. Some English bookmakers have Arsenal at 100/1 to win the title, Wenger himself says it should be about 20/1. Either way, the challenge this weekend is merely to remain ‘in the mix’.

“There's a little chance, yes,” said Wenger. “At the moment we have a five per cent chance to be in the battle. So the most important thing is for us to give absolutely everything to be in there. After that you never know.

“Of course, we need Chelsea to win and then the two teams involved still to drop points in one game. We need exceptionally positive circumstances and that has not been the case until now this year. But I do not want to have any regrets.”

So first place is a distant dream and second a target. But anything lower than third would be a blow to both Arsenal’s current and upcoming campaign.

“The first step for us was to be in the top four,” said Wenger. “Last Sunday was a decisive move in that because if Tottenham had won at Chelsea and we had lost against Manchester United, they would be six points behind us with a game in hand. Now, we still go step-by-step and the next step is to be in the top three.

“Of course, we want to avoid the Champions League qualifier. We always coped with it in the past. We had to do it a few times and we have done it in a convincing way.

“But we know we are not out of there yet. Many teams will try to be in the top three and we will do absolutely everything to be in there.”

Johan Djourou and Gael Clichy (hamstring) face late fitness tests. Cesc Fabregas (thigh), Samir Nasri (hamstring) and Abou Diaby (calf) are definitely out.

Thomas Vermaelen could be involved in a first-team game for the first time since August last year. Meanwhile Aaron Ramsey will make only his third start for Arsenal since suffering a horrible broken leg at the Britannia Stadium in February 2010.

The Welshman capped a wonderful display with the winning goal against Manchester United last Sunday. It is inevitable that Ramsey and his tackler on that fateful day, Ryan Shawcross, will have a back-page build-up to the game. But, during his media work, Wenger was keen to use football as the ultimate therapy.

“It was an accident that happened,” he said. “You do not want to skip games when you are a football player because of geography.

“The best way to deal with the situation is to focus to play well and win the game.”

Stoke have had a successful season. They secured their Premier League status very early and have reached the FA Cup Final. It will be historic should they beat Manchester City next week at Wembley while a top 10 place would be their best finish for 37 years.

They have lost just one of their last six games but then Arsenal have taken 30 points on the road this season – the best in the Premier League. However it is testament to their tail-off that victory on Sunday would be the first time they had registered back-to-back wins since February.

“Reaching the FA Cup final is a massive achievement for Stoke,” said Wenger. “Especially the way they won the Semi-Final.

“But if you look at the difficulty of staying in the Premier League then the fact they were safe so early is a great credit to them too.”

Last Sunday’s win over Manchester United was probably the best of the season. It was a dominant performance against a top side in fine form. Unlike the victory over Barcelona, Arsenal dominated throughout and when they beat Chelsea late last year the Stamford Bridge were off their game.

However in terms of significance the victory barely ranks in the top six.

Arsenal lost their way for a couple of months before Sunday and are now relying on others to put them back on course.

All they can do is win and hope.

Arsenal set to sell Andrey Arshavin as Arsene Wenger lines up Bojan Krkic or Willian as potential replacement

Arsenal will look to sell Andrey Arshavin in the summer after manager Arsene Wenger lost patience with the Russian's poor form. 

The Gunners have started the process of identifying replacements for the Russian attacker, with Barcelona star Bojan Krkic and Shakhtar Donetsk forward Willian being considered as potential targets.

Arshavin has frustrated Wenger with below-par displays in another season for the north London club that is set to end without a trophy.

The 29-year-old joined Arsenal from Zenit St Petersburg for around £15 million in January 2009 and enjoyed a promising start to his career at the club.

But he has endured a mixed season, scoring just six goals in 34 Premier League appearances and being demoted to the substitutes' bench 11 times as he has struggled to influence games.

Zenit sporting director Igor Korneev has suggested he would be eager to bring Arshavin back to the Russian club, saying: "If his situation at Arsenal does not improve and he's not comfortable in London, we can study this issue in time for next season."

Wenger is a long-term admirer of Bojan, who has failed to establish himself as a regular in the Barcelona side and plays in the wide attacking role currently occupied by Arshavin.

The 20-year-old, who is currently sidelined with a knee injury, will seek talks with the Barcelona hierarchy at the end of the season before making a decision on his future.

The Spain international is under contract until 2015 but wants first-team football to develop his career after making just seven league starts and scoring only three goals for the Catalan giants so far this season.

The striker understands his chances will be limited with Lionel Messi, David Villa and Pedro ahead of him in the pecking order at Camp Nou, while the January arrival of Ibrahim Afellay has nudged Bojan even further down the pecking order.

Bojan has previously revealed his admiration for the Premier League and has been linked with a £15m move to Liverpool as well as Italian side Napoli.

An alternative target for Arsenal could be Brazilian star Willian, who is being monitored by top clubs across Europe including Chelsea and Barcelona.

After four seasons with the Ukrainian champions he is desperate to move to a major European league but Shakhtar would have to lower their £20m price tag to tempt Wenger into a summer bid.

The Gunners believe they could land the 22-year-old with a £15m offer and fellow Brazilian Denilson has encouraged the club to bring his countryman to the Emirates Stadium.

"Willian would be perfect for Arsenal,” Denilson told Goal.com last month.

“I know him well from the national youth team and he had a real winning mentality even then.



“I've heard Chelsea are interested in him but I think his character could really improve our team. We need match-winners at Arsenal and knowing what he does I know he could do the same in England.



“I believe his style would fit much better at Arsenal because of the way we play football. He's definitely one of the best creative players I have played with.

“I've spoken to him and told him that he could be a success with us. I think he would definitely make our team stronger."

Arsenal Reveal 125th Anniversary Kit

The Gunners reveal their new home kit, available to pre-order today, Monday 2nd May 2011. Capturing the spirit and history of Arsenal Football Club, the new home shirt features a bespoke crest to highlight the proud origins of the Club 125 years ago.

Founded in Woolwich in 1886 and called The Royal Arsenal, the celebratory design features 15 laurel leaves to the left side of the Club's crest to reflect the detail on the reverse of the six pence pieces paid by 15 men to establish the Club – the laurel leaves also represent strength. The 15 oak leaves to the right of the crest acknowledge the founders who would meet in the local Royal Oak pub.

Underneath the crest is one of the first recorded mottos related to the armament and battle - 'Forward' - with the anniversary dates of 1886 and 2011 either side of the heart of the shirt.

The classic design is inspired by the 1970’s strips and boasts a clean, refined look with a block red body and white sleeves with red speed stripe detail.

The shorts are white with a red speed stripe. On the back of the shirt below the neck reads ‘Arsenal’, while inside the front, on the back of the crest, reads ‘Victoria Concordia Crescit’, (‘Victory Through Harmony’), Arsenal’s Latin motto, which was previously featured on earlier versions of their club crest between 1949 and 2002.

The new home kit is made from Nike’s ground-breaking recycled polyester – which for the first time includes both the shirt and shorts. Each complete kit is made up of up to thirteen reclaimed plastic water bottles.  The improved Nike Dri-Fit fabric, now 13% lighter than previous kits, helps to quickly evaporate moisture by drawing through the fabric to the surface and keep players dry.


The kit is available for pre-order from Monday 2nd May and will be available in stores from 9th June 2011.  Anyone pre-ordering the kit through Arsenal.com will receive a free Arsenal 125 Anniversary beach towel while stocks last.

Those who pre-order in one of the Arsenal stores (The Armoury, All Arsenal or Arsenal Finsbury Park) will get a free limited edition Arsenal cannon shell casing while stocks last.

Szczesny - We've beaten the best at Emirates

Wojciech Szczesny believes Arsenal have proved their pedigree with the results attained against “the big boys” at Emirates Stadium this season.

Sunday’s victory completed a hat-trick of wins over both probable Champions League finalists, Manchester United and Barcelona, while Chelsea were put to the sword on a frenzied night in December.

Arsène Wenger’s side were heavily critisised earlier in the season for their record against direct title rivals but Szczesny feels the aforementioned trio of fixtures proves Arsenal can mix it with the best.

“When the big boys come to Emirates Stadium we can show that we are a good side,” he said. “I think we have shown in the big games at home that we can produce terrific performances.

“It was a great result, a terrific performance and was exactly what we needed after last week’s disappointment. We played with the handbrake off because there was less pressure on us and the fans were fantastic.

“Realistically, our title chances were over but we wanted to play for our pride and show that we are good enough to challenge Manchester United. We were the better side and deserved to win.”

In all probability, Aaron Ramsey’s second-half strike will not claw Arsenal back into the title race and Szczesny says inconsistency has proved to be the difference over the course of the season.

“[Manchester United] have been more consistent. They didn’t drop any silly points like we did in the last couple of weeks, which made a difference. I think they have been the most consistent side and that’s why they are top of the table.”

Szczesny - Wenger flak is 'ridiculous'

Wojciech Szczesny has described recent criticism of Arsène Wenger as “ridiculous”.

The Arsenal manager has been underfire in the past month or so after his side dropped out of the title race. However the team restored some pride with a 1-0 win over Manchester United at Emirates Stadium on Sunday. Afterwards, his keeper leapt to Wenger's defence.

“It’s ridiculous really,” he said. “If you ask any of the players they will stand by the manager. He built this team from nothing and I believe he is the best manager in the world.

“We are a young team, we still believe we have a lot of years ahead of us and a lot of trophies to win. Let’s be patient and show that we are good enough.

“We all take individual responsibilities for our mistakes. Everyone has played their part in this season’s disappointment and I think we have to take it as a team. You can’t blame the boss because he stood by the team the whole season and supported us.

“Next season, we need to prove that we can step up. I believe we are good enough to step up and win the league. Let’s show everyone that we are capable of doing it.”