It's the crack of noon, time to get up and do my rock squats.
Looking out the window to see dark angry skies roll past the palm trees seems a little surreal here in the City of Angels. My sole thought over a nice cupper was that today wasn't a top down day. It's hard living here, let me tell you.
Having thus performed this spectacular physical repertoire and thorough meteorological analysis I discard the paper and think of the morn, the Toffees and all that brings. For the first time this year our recent form has us looking back at our rivals. with much being made of the Chavs and Tiny Tots, hardly a word has been published about the blue sleeper from Liverpool. On something of a blue streak themselves (I know, I know I can't resist at least one pun a post) the stats tell me its been all Arsenal in these encounters since 2007 I still have to take a crafty look at their team and thanks to the wonders of the intraweb am now aux fait with their current setup, and thanks to some wonderfully written and passionate blogs; up to speed with the expectancy of the blue half of Liverpool.
So everyone expects us to win a close game. That all being said anything can happen in football and usually does. Save for Everton taking it upon themselves to score 4 own goals ala Catania vs, Inter Milan, we'll need to both turn up and play well.
Tactically I don't think this will be destroy the bus.
We have some forced absences through injury with the main one to Łukasz Fabiański meaning a possible return from wherever AW has banished Wojciech Szczęsny. Not even making the last two benches has not gone unnoticed. Still, like the two Huskies at my feet, good things can come from Siberia! Maybe it's all these clouds above my head making me see the silver lining.
The real question is given Lukas Josef Podolski a deserved start or sticking with the God of Chaos, the enigma that is Gervinho. Now a few may have had the pleasure of spending many hours over a gaming table playing Warhammer and if so may have faced the ball and chain wielding Goblin. I almost hear Gervais saying Wheeeee! every time he gets the ball and instantly pings off on another chaotic rampage, seeming to follow the ball rather than the other way around, this ball remarkably tethered to his toes as he pirouettes and whirls at the opposition.
One remarkable turn of play last outing saw him dance, shimmy and take the ball from inside mid to outside left and turn in the best cross of the season... to no-one. It's all good being a complete mystery to the opposition, it's another when it's to your own team as well. It's easy to say he brings something that the likes of the Ox and Theo don't, that his meandering runs pull teams all over the chip shop and make space for our creatives and tire the opposition. Giving our super subs, speed merchants and fusileer in OX, Theo and Poldi greater chance at success. That's the silver lining talking. However I think it's time we started Poldi and left Captain Chaos on the bench for once.
Everton have some quality, but in Marouane Fellaini-Bakkioui they have themselves someone who can be mercurial as well as petulant. I'm not a fan of his temperament but one cannot argue he has the ability to ram raid with the best of them. His physical presence needs dealing with, so I hope for a return for Per and Kos, our dynamic duo. Limiting the bash and crash might prove highly important in the opening 30 which will no doubt see the Toffees mix it up and pile most of their play through the air aimed at our center. To wit I think bringing back Naxto would help as defensively he has the edge over Gibs and with Poldi on the left we have enough threat to warrant a more defensive player. Both Thomas Vermaelen and Gibs have a tendency to be caught out of position having rampaged aggressively in the other half, so a more conservative choice would help to nullify the few options Everton have and a more physical presence in defence beats pace.
So due to poor planning and the lifestyle of the not so rich and infamous I'll be watching this titanic clash live on the telly and not at the Em. 11.45am kickoff means 3.45am here and an all nighter ahead... good God, it's a going to be a long day.
Cue Matchbox 20...
Postscript . Clearly the news from Boston scrambled my cognitive processors as the 11.45am was indeed LA time and I have no idea why I thought we'd be playing that early on a week day back home. Thoughts, hearts and minds go out to everyone touched by the bombings. It's scant comfort I know, but we had the same thing happen to us on a weekly basis back in the 90's in London. We managed, I put that down to the tea. No stiff upper lips necessary. Just keep calm and carry on that way they can never win. Ever.
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