To be or not to be. Should Arsenal fail to beat Liverpool tonight a gloom would be corking up Wenger's work this season, and emphasise even more their supposed lack of form in the last couple of months. The EPL title is like lost, no more real chances for them to overtake high-flying United, so having said that this CL qualification remains their only concern as far as their plans this year go. On the other hand, would be a shame to lose for the third time in a row against the same rivals. They had to settle in a draw with the Reds twice within a week, which mainly was a victory for the Reds rather than a draw, because Benitez' men have got the edge now, mathematicaly, and psychologicaly.

I'm not blind. I've watched both those matches, very different by the way. Their CL clash was clearly dominated by Arsenal who should have won by all means, their missed chances and the clear penalty not given by a slipshod referee have made them tie a game they were by far the better side. The pressure was on them a few days later. They were suppposed to succeed in what they couldn't get done in midweek. Liverpool were without Torres and Gerrard, Arsenal without Adebayor, yet the Reds commanded respect at the Emirates Stadium. Their counter-attacks looked really dangerous, the Gunners were somehow under big big pressure, and it's ended up in a 1-1 draw, which was fair and square in my view.

I've been watching Arsenal many times this season, and I can tell that match does not reveal their true potential. I know people are rather labelled by the recent past, the odds suggest that, but I do rate Arsenal better. If the Red Devils are undoubtly the best side in league, then Arsenal certainly deserve a second spot in this rating, I doubt Liverpool deserve to be third. Let's not judge a team after one match. I'm a firm believer a team can show completely different football in two weeks. We're talking about concentration, preparation, mood, and all the other factors that do affect a football match.Some of you will probably come with reasons like Arsenal couldn't win a match for several weeks, personally I think it was a mixture of bad luck and "uncomfortable" fixtures let's say, which anyways, will have no role tonight. The Reds are not a steady team. They vary from a day to another more often than other teams, that's why their results are most of the time surprising, like playing great one match and then being awful. They play short, adventitiously, where Torres plays the main role, but should he have a bad day they are done. Arsenal suffer from lack of quality up front instead. They have a great middle, great support from the back, but they miss too much. Adebayor is not a player for Arsenal, and Bendtner should rather be playing for Boro or Bolton, his style looks perfect for those clubs. All in all, they still score. They still got Van Persie, and due to their great middle I rate them better than Liverpool.

Off topic. Have you seen Wenger's eyes at the end of the Arsenal v Liverpool match at the weekend? He was bloating, I've never seen him like this. I wish I wasn't any of his players.



Pick : Arsenal to qualify
Odds : 2.50
Stake : 8 / 10
Bookmaker : Pinnacle
Date : 2008-04-08
Match Result :
Tipster Personal Link/Sponsor: http://www.brainbetting.com

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