Wenger and Vermaelen both worried about facing Andy Carroll
Arsene Wenger and Arsenal have always faced a tough match when they have come up against any team managed by Sam Allardyce, and today is not expected to be any different. One piece of good business that Big Sam did in the summer was to get the giant Andy Carroll on loan from Liverpool and both Wenger and his captain Thomas Vermaelen expect the England striker to cause problems in the air today.
Vermaelen said: “I played against Andy Carroll when he played for Liverpool,”
“He suits their way of playing at the moment. At West Ham they play some long balls and with Carroll up front, he’s a tall guy. He’s good with his head so he will be a big challenge.
“But we always want to play our own game as Arsenal. First we have to match them in the fight. If there’s a long ball, we want to fight for that ball and bring the ball down as quickly as possible and play our own game.”
Wenger himself thinks that Carroll has now returned to his best now that he is faced with less pressure at West Ham, after losing confidence following his 35 million move to Liverpool.
“Carroll has the quality and that will come out with time. We expect Carroll to be at his best – it is down to us to deal with that. We can only focus on our own performance and be at our best,”
“He started very well, then he had to deal with a high level of expectation with a massive transfer on his shoulders going to an historic club where a lot was expected of him. Maybe it was a bit too early for him.
“Since I have seen him at West Ham, he looks back to the Carroll we have seen at Newcastle, that means with less pressure.”
I reckon that most Arsenal fans will be hoping that the Big F. German Per Mertesacker will have recovered enough from his virus to be able to charge off those high balls into the box, but his participation is not certain just yet.
Wenger said: “He is better. He came in on Thursday and had a little session. He’ll have a test. It is not certain that he will play.”
Wenger may also be worried about dropping Laurent Koscielny after he has taken some stick in the last couple of games. If Mertesacker is fit, Wenger will have a dilemma…..
You need Mertesacker for this kind of game in my opinion, we have not kept a clean sheet in our last six games. With Mertesacker back in the team I think we will regain some of the defensive solidity we showed at the start of season. If Koscielny wants his place back he has to EARN it!
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
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I agree that they should be worried but the are other players they should be worried about too like Vaz te and Nolan so all we need to do is too stop these players and stop their pattern of football and of course play our type of football as we all like it which will give all 3 points
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Where you get the idea that Wenger, Vermaelen and anybody
else at Arsenal is worried I do not know.
If Liverpool have loaned out Carroll he can’t be that important to them.
Arsenal are not worried about ANY rival player. Wenger only concerns himself about HIS team.
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
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Mertesacker can handle him
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
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i think we were a bit unlucky to loose diaby prior to this fixture. the 6’3ft frenchman wuld help us so much like he did in the game against Stoke.
Although we have Carl jenk, Mert, Verm and grioud to header the ball away. i really think we need at least five tall men.
Hence why i said before aresenal needs to buy a DM like a song or another diaby… M’ Villa would do nicley.
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i reallly wannna see frimpong play vs west ham, i think he can have a diaby-like impact his a very strong, tough tackling, nonsense player andd his a gunner through and through and B4 his injury he was breaking legs on the regular at Wolves and what’s even more awesome is he can PASS THE BALL VERY, VERY well. Once frimpong starts playing NO ONE IS GONNA BULLY ARSENAL MIDFIELD ANYMORE!!! DENCH!!!
off topic but y doesn’t arsene seriously bid 4 one of the newcastle striker’s they’re both top class strikers playing in a team smaller than Arsenal IN THE SAME LEAGUE(no need 4 adaptation period), POACH ONE OF BA/CISS’E ARSENE PLEASE!!!
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put the ball on the ground play metersecker and vermerleen and giroud upfront we will win
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It doesn’t Merter how good Carroll is in the air Thomas will Ex-Verminate him! UP GINNERS!!!
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We should be the leaast worried. The giant German, meterseker has to play!
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If we allow players to have a run up into the box as we did against Chelsea, we’ll have problems dealing with Carroll. Verms will be assigned to guarding him, but I’ll like to see Giroud come in and help double team him. If Giroud can manage to keep him out of the box, then Verms can clean up.
It’ll be a grinding game. I’m expecting a low scoring game, but Wenger’s substitutions could make all the difference with the pace and fire power he has at his disposal. Ox, Walcott and Gervinho will be a handful for West Ham.
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Bring it on… Giroud and Mert will take us to win.. And i want to see Kosc play the game.. He s more active than verminator.. with the lanky mert to guard him kosc can play his natural game with which arsenal will get d benefit.. COYG:P
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Remember the opening game vs Liverpool last season? Granted, we lost it, but VERMAELEN had Carroll in his pocket!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOTfUnmofAE
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per done a good job on peter crouch at stoke.im hoping we can do a good job on andy carrol.we must first stop his feed by stopping all high balls comming into our box.but over all i think we will win the game just by playing the arsenal way.
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Last week we were saying that westham would be an easy game. Maybe we forgot we that they have Carroll.
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Per would dominate Carroll. Particularly when he’s in such good form.
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This story baffles me because the opposite is the case. Andy Carroll is not worrying anybody at Arsenal.
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