Arsenal need to fix up, immediately

Match Preview: Arsenal vs. Swansea – Premier League 02.03.2016

Arsenal's abysmal performance at United was the straw that broke the camel's back for a lot of fans. United were dreadful yet somehow we inexplicably made them look like world-beaters. Everything we did, we did wrong and that pretty much sums up Arsenal at the moment.

Naive is often used to describe Arsenal but there comes a point when naive is just plain stupid. Ray Parlour said at the weekend that a manager's job is Monday to Friday and it's up to the players to deliver at the weekend. He was explaining that in game management is mostly down to the players and they have to share the blame fairly when things go wrong. I cannot presume to know if Wenger is doing his job properly Monday to Friday but, despite my issues with him over the last few years, he is a deservedly respected manager with great experience so it would be stupid to assume that he isn't doing his job. The only reason for him to be doing it properly is if he has suffered some sort of head trauma but even that would not be his fault as it would be down to the management team to notice he's off colour.

The long and short of it is the players are letting themselves and the manager down. Possibly his tactics aren't getting the best out of them but they are professionals and should be able to change things up if one approach isn't working. They have freewill.

Arsenal at the moment are playing all kinds of wrong and the right time and right at the wrong time. We look confused, disjointed and puzzled. We set up with a great system to counter-attack with pace with Walcott or Welbeck leading the line yet play a possession game and push the ball wide. When that doesn't work we send on Giroud and instantly start playing the counter and try to put everything through the middle and on the floor. We have range but we're just applying it incorrectly.

Our fullbacks and defensive midfielder push up when Mertesacker is playing which leaves him exposed to the counter yet they all fall deep when Gabriel is playing which puts him under pressure as his reactions in tight spaces seem slow. He's a quick defender but he doesn't seem to be quick at reading the game so is better suited to playing on the recovery. We've got all the right moves just at the wrong time and that surely has to come from the players. It's stupid to keep doing the same thing over and over when you know it doesn't work but then change it up after the manager has decided to help you out with a substitution that would work with the way you have insisted on playing.

It's this kind of stuff that has led Arsenal to have a shocking start to 2016. We're lucky to still be in with a shout and the title is definitely there for the taking but we need to fix up immediately. The players need to focus on getting the ball wide and into the box for Giroud or ceding possession when Walcott or Welbeck are up front and hitting the opposition fast on the counter. Ramsey needs to keep on doing what he is doing but we aware that Coquelin will need him to help build play so he can't always be making runs to receive the ball.

Alexis needs to stop forcing everything and keep it simple. He's playing like Ox at the moment and that's not good for anyone. Stop trying to score every time you get the ball and just focus on helping get it near the box.

Most of all we need to just shoot or kick it long once in a while. We're too predictable. United caused all us sorts of trouble just by kicking the ball long. 8/10 they were getting to the second ball and we couldn't cope with it. When we got near their box they would just kick it long again. When we had the ball in our box we would try to play it out and it hurt us.

Swansea will pass the ball better than United did so kicking it long all the time won't help much if we aren't getting to the second ball so we have to keep mobile and show some hunger. It's a cliche but this is a must win game. There is hope for Arsenal in this title race but they can't afford to drop more than 6 more points. Ideally we'd finish the season with 11 wins like when we won the title in 2002 (it was 13 then) and possibly claim the title at the Etihad. Keep your heads straight tonight lads and it will be 1 win with 10 more to go.

LAST 3 meetings

• Swansea 0-3 Arsenal (31.10.2015)
• Arsenal 0-1 Swansea (11.05.2015)
• Swansea 2-1 Arsenal (09.11.2014)

FACTFILE

• Swansea are unbeaten on their last three league trips to the Emirates, with two wins and one draw.
• Arsenal have lost their last two competitive matches – they haven’t lost three in a row in all competitions since April 2010.
• The Swan’s current points tally of 27 is their worst in a Premier League season after 27 games.
• Swansea have gone four league games without a victory (D2, L2).
• Arsene Wenger’s side have won eight and lost just one of their last 12 league matches at home.
• Mesut Ozil has 18 assists this season in the Premier League – only two behind Thierry Henry’s competition record, set in 2002-03.

INJURIES

Rosický, Wilshere, Ox, and Cazorla have all been ruled out.

POSSIBLE STARTING XI

Čech; Monreal, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Bellerín; Coquelin, Ramsey; Alexis, Özil, Walcott; Giroud.

Van Gaal's threadbare squad will struggle to stave off a hungry Arsenal attack.

GOONERSPHERE PREDICTION

Arsenal 2-1 Swansea

• Swansea are unbeaten on their last three league trips to the Emirates, with two wins and one draw.
• Arsenal have lost their last two competitive matches – they haven’t lost three in a row in all competitions since April 2010.
• The Swan’s current points tally of 27 is their worst in a Premier League season after 27 games.
• Swansea have gone four league games without a victory (D2, L2).
• Arsene Wenger’s side have won eight and lost just one of their last 12 league matches at home.
• Mesut Ozil has 18 assists this season in the Premier League – only two behind Thierry Henry’s competition record, set in 2002-03.