Match Preview: Stoke City Vs Arsenal (A win needed to strengthen our title belief)

Morning everyone... really great to be back on the beat after a short hiatus from this forum. Not that i planned to stay silent on the blog all this while until now, but sometimes our other life concerns take preeminence over some things. Not a lot has happened anyway at Arsenal since last weekend when we were in action but with the Stoke game upon us, there's activity everywhere.

Why is there always a sense of trepidation before we play Stoke at their place? I cant help but sense a palpable fear among gooner analysts and fans alike that see this game as a proper candidate for dropped points. Against any of the Big 4 you may be pardoned that fear, but Stoke?? I'm not sure a historical Synopsis is necessary to find out why that is, but perhaps this Stats table might help; (culled from soccerpunter.com)

DateCompetitionHomeScoreAwayHT 

2014-03-01	Premier League 2013/2014	Stoke City	16:00	Arsenal
2013-09-22	Premier League 2013/2014	Arsenal	3 - 1	Stoke City	2-1	+
2013-02-02	Premier League 2012/2013	Arsenal	1 - 0	Stoke City	0-0	+
2012-08-26	Premier League 2012/2013	Stoke City	0 - 0	Arsenal	0-0	+
2012-04-28	Premier League 2011/2012	Stoke City	1 - 1	Arsenal	1-1	+
2011-10-23	Premier League 2011/2012	Arsenal	3 - 1	Stoke City	1-1	+
2011-05-08	Premier League 2010/2011	Stoke City	3 - 1	Arsenal	2-0	+
2011-02-23	Premier League 2010/2011	Arsenal	1 - 0	Stoke City	1-0	+
2010-02-27	Premier League 2009/2010	Stoke City	1 - 3	Arsenal	1-1	+
2010-01-24	FA Cup 2009/2010	Stoke City	3 - 1	Arsenal	1-1	+
2009-12-05	Premier League 2009/2010	Arsenal	2 - 0	Stoke City	1-0	+
2009-05-24	Premier League 2008/2009	Arsenal	4 - 1	Stoke City	4-1	+
2008-11-01	Premier League 2008/2009	Stoke City	2 - 1	Arsenal	1-0	+
2005-01-09	FA Cup 2004/2005	Arsenal	2 - 1	Stoke City

above, you can see that in the last 3-4 seasons, we have only won just once in the Brittania. And that was on that fateful day on the 27th of February when then 19 year-old Ramsey had his leg snapped nearly in half. Since then, its been two draws and a defeat. I don't know about you, but these stats aren't in my opinion enough to engender the kind of fear surrounding this tie in the Arsenal media. Yes, the numbers aren't great, but Stoke aren't world beaters themselves and will not become one overnight just for Arsenal. I do however know that their players will be up for this, as already seen in their wins over Chelsea and Man Utd. Their fans as well, no doubt will be ready to make the atmosphere hell for us due to their well known hatred for everything that has to do with Arsenal. Just take a look at this Hate blog they erected in our name and see the nature of their comments. 

So how has the Hughes revolution worked out for them since last summer? Not as good as they would have liked, if their position on the table is anything to go by. Tony Pulis, the erstwhile Manager was widely seen to have taken the club as far as he could. After overseeing their promotion to the Premiership in 2008, and enjoying one very short  Europa stint in his tenure,  it had been largely down hill ever since for him and so their Board decided it was time to part ways. Hughes has come in with his more Aesthetic/beautiful style of play and has made them less of a Rugby team (as Wenger famously described them). But being easy on the eye and being an effective/efficient unit on the other hand are two entirely different things. They haven't completely managed to bed-in with the New manager's style and therefore they seem a team as unsure of itself as you would ever find. Under Pulis, at least Stoke were known for their direct ROUTE-1 style of play. Get the big Midfielders and Center-backs into the box at Set-pieces, hoof the ball in there and allow them cause havoc with their brute size and strength. Yes, it made them the butt of Jokes in the division, but at least it worked for them and kept the Points coming in. With only 6 wins out of the 27 games they have played, its clear they are finding life tough this season but with us on a title chase and them on a relegation scare..we must not take liberties and toy with this fixture. It must be one we go in with the mindset to win. This game is of course the first of a brutal set of games in March that will shape our destiny this season trophy-wise.. Everton, Bayern,Spurs,Chelsea, Mancity are coming up and that is exactly what makes me bemused regarding why we are quaking in our boots for the  *cough* ''Mighty'' Stoke-city. 

No matter the revolution they are presently undergoing play-wise, they will never be able to keep the ball on the ground better than us. So i expect our Midfeild of Ozil, Wilshere, Flamini and Rosicky to monopolize possession. As Wenger would say, the best way to keep opponents danger men quiet is to starve them of service. Adams, Palacious and Ireland are not the most mobile of players so if we can start as well as we did last weekend and take our chances early, we can make life very difficult for them. Team news sate that Ramsey is not yet fit to play, while Gibbs and Monreal face late tests. Vermaelen is fit and can be drafted in if both men fail to get the nod. I'm looking for a convincing performance and 3 points to heap pressure on our rivals who also have tricky games. Not much else to say but here's wishing the Boys the best of Luck...C'mon Arsenal!