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DEEP IN MY HEART
Middlesbrough vs. Arsenal, 9th December 2007, Riverside Stadium, Premier League
James Keen
Hello there campers.
What can I say about this week's opponent that hasn't already been said? I could say that they're disorganised, slow and poor passers with no goal threat. But then I'd be lying through my teeth.
Arsenal are a consummately well organised team. They have pace, power, accuracy and are the League's leading scorers.
What a team to come face to face with when you've not won a game in over two months.
In spite of Arsenal's dominance over us in recent years, I've always held a sense of respect for them. They are an outstanding side. They play football in the correct way. And more so, they have strength in depth unrivalled in the League.
We've seen Boro beaten 7-0, 6-1, 5-3, 4-1, 4-0 by Arsene Wenger's side and so, baring in mind recent form, do we really have any reason to be hopeful going into this game?
Of course we do.
Most of the nation has already decided the result - we will lose. So, in effect this is a free game for Boro. We are expected to lose by fans and non-fans alike.
We can play the game with a bit of freedom and spirit because we know that anything that we can get out of the game is a bonus.
Southgate needs to set his stall out to play this way. He should put an attacking side together and really go for the jugular. If we lose, who cares? We expected it anyway.
Let's not upset people by playing a defensive formation which never lets us leave our half before we inevitably lose 2-0. That type of performance is soul destroying.
What we have seen recently is a bit more steel in the side. The draws with Reading, Tottenham and Bolton, although they're not the best teams in the land, gives us reason to believe that we can grind out results.
What we need to do now is to turn those battling draws into narrow wins. And a few of those will push us onwards and upwards with a bit of confidence.
I'm hoping we will see the return of O'Neil, Arca and Rochemback to our midfield. All are attack minded and all have ability to burn.
If we can properly utilise our wide men, Downing and Johnson, then we should be a threat to the Arsenal backline. These were areas that Arsenal struggled with against Newcastle.
A positive 4-3-3 would make Arsenal worry. Aliadiere isn't the ideal middle man, so perhaps shove Lee or even Huth down the middle to cause a bit of bother. We could then use Aliadiere in his natural position - right wing.
It would give us balance, it would give us purpose and it would give us threat.
We have tried too much in the way of personnel because we have been forced to. What we haven't tried is to play a formation so attacking that we cannot help but create chances.
Newcastle made the Gunners look very average on Wednesday night by playing a big man through the middle and two pacey wide men.
It kept Arsenal's full-backs pinned back and it meant that they couldn't overlap and provide the kind of attacking threat that Arsenal has become famous for.
Ever wondered why Arsenal used to struggle against Bolton? Well, there's your answer. It was the only thing that Allardyce ever got right.
We should replicate it. If anything it may earn us a point we didn't expect and ease a bit of pressure going into the Derby game. Which, might I add, is a must win game.
It's true that we've been severely hampered by injuries and by the loss of Mido until January but, let's be honest, you cannot survive in the Premier League with only one goalscoring threat. We need another striker.
Aliadiere is a good winger, Tuncay is a good attacking midfielder, Dong-Gook is a good door stop and Hutchinson and Craddock are good prospects. But none of them will score fifteen to twenty Premier League goals in a season. Possibly in a decade, but not in a season.
We need to struggle on by with what we have for now and when the time comes we must flash the cash. Although the Ronaldinho rumour seems a bizarre, sick joke, if we have £10 million to spend then we should spend it on one top striker.
The Outcome: My heart tells me we may be able to equal last seasons 1-1 but my head is saying we'll lose 3-1.
Last Season: Middlesbrough 1-1 Arsenal, (Yakubu 63, Henry 74) 3/2/07, Premier League
Boro Form (most recent result first): DLDDLL
Arsenal Form: DWLWWD
Probable Teams:
Boro: Turnbull, Young, Pogatetz, Woodgate, Huth, Rochemback, Arca, Downing, Johnson, Tuncay, Aliadiere.
Arsenal: Almunia, Eboue, Clichy, Gallas, Toure, Diarra, Gilberto, Rosicky, Denilson, Adebayor, Da Silva
Man to Watch: Emmanuel Adebayor
RETURN TO DEEP IN MY HEART INDEX HERE
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