Nervously counting down the hours
NEVER the optimist, my sleep was interrupted five minutes ago to the news we’d just lost 3-1 to Spurs.
Like most dreams it was quite surreal and none of it actually took place today. Instead, it started on next Monday and consisted of a front page Daily Mail article that screamed “Pressure builds on Wenger”, written jointly by Lee Dixon and Martin Keown, obviously.
At the same time a small highlights package on the TV showed the second and third Spurs goals, scored up the Clock End at Highbury, obviously. Kolo was playing, Cesc was there but looked about 17 and the guy doing the voiceover said something about Freddie Ljungberg runs coming to nothing.
Why have I told you that? Well I think it neatly sums up the kind of nervousness you get ahead of one of these derbies. Particularly when you’ve dominated the fixture for so long, fear of losing becomes that much bigger and without trying to be petty, I imagine few Spurs fans enduring the kind of nightmare I’ve just had because frankly, over the years, it’s become a fact of life for them.
I should tell you the weather has turned somewhat in north London overnight. Last night it was warm and enough and dry enough to spend hours standing very comfortably outside enjoying a Halloween barbecue (and no, alcohol was not numbing the cold). This morning it’s grey and damp outside.
So what of the game itself? Well I think our situation at goalkeeper is a worry because neither Almunia nor Mannone appear fully trusted by their manager right now. Elsewhere, I imagine Spurs will try and exploit the lack of protection our full-backs sometimes get in this new system because the men directly ahead of them play so far forward.
For that reason I’d pick Nasri in the position Rosicky had been playing to at least offer us some more defensive nouse. Diaby looks a lot happier centrally so I wouldn’t move him wide, while Eboue going right wing is quite feasible. Playing one of Eduardo or Bendtner with Arshavin on the other wing seems too attacking to me.
Anyway, on we go. Three and a half hours to kick-off at the time of writing.
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