Arsenal vs Norwich: Preview and Lineups - Rotation and Form

Another Saturday has arrived, and things seem very quiet at the moment. There was, of course, plenty of action throughout the week, and with Arsenal not involved, there wasn’t much really to talk about or dissect.

Manchester City reduced the gap at the top with Manchester United by a meagre 12 points, and on Tuesday, we had a football extravaganza, with Malaga and Real Madrid narrowly losing out to Borussia Dortmund and Galatasaray. Barcelona sneaked past Paris Saint German, while Bayern Munich stamped their authority over a subdued Italian champions Juventus, to win the tie by 4 unanswered goals.

Oh, and not too long ago, Sp*rs were slogged on to a penalty shootout loss in Basel. Which will of course do us no harm. Chelsea managed to sneak past Russian side Rubin Kazan, despite losing 3-2. Oh, and they still have Manchester City to contend with on Sunday in the FA Cup. So, that would, of course, mean a fixture pile-up.

What this doesn’t mean, however, is that we can take a bit of a rest. There are just 7 games to go this season, and time for the team to buck up and put in that final shift to confirm 3rd or 4th spot, to ensure Champions League football next season.

Norwich come visiting today, and although they look safe from relegation, they wouldn’t be taking this game lightly at all. Take last season for example. Norwich came to the Emirates with nothing to play for, went behind early, but then gave Arsenal a torrid time, taking a 2-1 lead. The traitor managed to put two past the Canaries to make it 3-2, but some disastrous midfield passing from Alex Song, and Norwich left with a point.

Of course, they aren’t entirely safe, just 4 points above the drop zone, and manager Chris Houghton will have them well drilled and well prepared for the game. Norwich have already beaten us this season, and also table toppers Manchester United, although they were both home games for them.

Recent form has been patchy for the men in yellow, with just 1 win in their last 15 Premier League games, a 2-1 home win against Everton. This run included 7 losses, 7 draws, and also an FA Cup exit at the hands of non-leaugue Luton Town.

Arsenal’s Premier League form has seen some semblance of improvement recently, with 6 wins in the last 7 games, including hard earned wins over Stoke, Sunderland, Aston Villa, Swansea and West Bromwich Albion. The only loss came away at White Hart Lane, against Sp*rs.

The recent run brings memories of last season, when Arsenal had nothing but a top 4 finish to play for, and went on a 7 game winning streak, to eventually stuttering, before finishing in 3rd place. Sp*rs were eventually unable to play in the Champions League, owing to Chelsea’s win in the competition. Nothing of that sort this season, as it has come down to a showdown between the finest of Germany and Spain.

Last week’s win over West Brom was a typical Arsenal display. They were on top of the game, with two well-taken goals from Tomas Rosicky and then pressed the self-destruct button with the sending off of Per Mertesacker and the concession of a penalty. Arsenal eventually battled to hold on, but they almost nearly lost the match, as the Baggies missed a host of chances.

With Mertesacker suspended, the logical choice would be to start Thomas Vermaelen in the centre of defence, alongside Laurent Koscielny. The Belgian has been on the sidelines ever since he was dropped for the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 tie against Munich, and this should provide the perfect stage for him to make a return to the squad, and prove his abilities.

It has been strange that a tough-tackling, aggressive, goal-scoring defender, who quickly became a fan favorite, became a pale shadow of himself since he was handed over the captain’s armband. His performances this season have been mixed, with little consistency, as he has struggled with confidence and the burden of leading out the team.

Hopefully, the stint on the sidelines would have done him some good. Same goes with Wojciech Szczesny, who was dropped for the away Munich game as well, and lost his place to fellow Pole Lukasz Fabianski, who I should say, was back to his usual self, against West Brom. Flapping at every ball, punching poor opposition players in the face in an attempt to retrieve the ball, and inaccurate distribution.

I personally would like to see Szczesny in goal, as I feel he is the better of the two. Of course, he needs some competition but Fabianski is not that. A new goalkeeper in the transfer window please.

The boss spoke about the position of the captain, and was in full support of the Belgian, who he claims will stay at the club. Apart from that, rumours are strife that Andrei Arshavin could leave the club after his contract expires. Oh, what he could have been. Let’s talk about it some other time, shall we.

Team news, then. Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott are back in the squad. Gervinho’s recent form should suggest that the Ivorian get a chance. Elsewhere, Tomas Rosicky is a big doubt for Norwich, with a hamstring problem. And, it seems like a case of two steps forward, one step back for the Czech. I would like to see Lukas Podolski play. I haven’t seen much of him this season, and I do not understand the manager’s reluctance to play him all the time.

For Norwich, goalkeepers John Ruddy and Mark Bunn are injured, so Lee Camp should deputize. Anthony Pilkington is back in the squad.

Here is how I expect the two sides to line up.

The most interesting battle of the day could be fought out between Olivier Giroud and Sebastien Bassong. Elsewhere, Norwich will look to keep it tight in midfield, hoping to stifle Arsenal, and playing a lone man up front would also help them in holding up play.

It is again upto Arsenal to take the game to the opposition, and secure 3 points to move one point ahead of both Chelsea and Sp*rs, who aren’t playing this weekend!

Enjoy the game wherever you are!