Newcastle Preview: No Flam for clash with Fat Sam
Add comment December 5th, 2007
Tonight, Arsenal run into an old enemy: Fat Sam Allardyce. Of course, we’re not actually ‘running into him’. If we did that, the bounce in his enormous belly would send us halfway round the world. But with pressure mounting against his fragile Newcastle side, we have an opporunity to hammer a significantly-sized nail into the coffin of his time on Tyneside.
If we’re to win tonight, we’ll have to manage without Mathieu Flamini, who suffered a reocurrence of his thigh injury at Villa Park. He’s added to a list already including Robin van Persie, Cesc Fabregas, Aleksandr Hleb, and Abou Diaby. That’s an entire midfield and half a strikeforce unavailable. Those players who are selected will have to be at their best if we’re to avoid a) defeat and b) putting a smile on Fergie’s face.
Personally I suspect the team will include the same back four who played at Villa, with a midfield trio of Gilberto, Diarra and Rosicky. I think we’ll then see Eboue and Eduardo playing wide and supporting Emmanuel Adebayor. Despite the many injuries, it’s a side full of quality players who are easily capable of giving Newcastle a hard time.
On a night like tonight, the best form of attack is defence. And when the defence is Newcastle’s defence, you know you’re in with a shout.
Come On You Gunners.
