If they can’t beat Norwich today, Arsenal don’t deserve to be in the Champions League next season.
Norwich have lost their last three games, shipping 11 goals.
Some games, like the Manchester United-Everton draw, I don’t have time to write about here. And people write to ask : Why didn’t you say something about the 4-4?
Another game I ignored was the Norwich- Liverpool game last week.
That game stuck in my mind.
Norwich play a wide game and score a lot from headers : 15 this season.
Only Manchester United have more league goals from headers(16).
Norwich cross the ball a lot and cross it very well.
To do that they support the ball indefatigably in wide areas. That particular strategy has a downside because while they stretch you, they stretch themselves.
So Norwich can be very fragile when they lose the ball in centrefield. There’s no cover and we saw clearly when Luis Suarez took them apart.
If they miss an interception, Norwich have no cover.
The hat-trick goal was a perfect example and it came from a 50-yard driven pass by Glen Johnson.
That was not a clearance. That was an aimed pass by a very powerful and skilful right back.
Johnson hit that fantastic pass with his left foot, long and flat and fast.
Luis Suarez snapped up the defender’s error but ran only 10 yards into the Norwich half and chipped keeper John Ruddy with an instant and mercilessly accurate shot.
I hope Liverpool will win the FA Cup but reckon Chelsea will shade it.
RDM will make sure the hot Uruguayan is marked and smothered and suffocated.
Newcastle’s Papiss Cisse is a thrilling two-footed striker.
His goals last week were astounding because Petr Cech had no chance with either of them.
For me, Newcastle is the story of the season.
They’ve over-achieved and played dynamic football by mixing it up. They dribble and interpass and play triangles but they also hit diagonals, knock the ball down for each other, and play with passion in every game.
Newcastle are never dull. Sometimes they’re bad, but they’re never dull.
Alan Pardew signed Demba Ba on a free from West Ham and Cabaye is very creative and Ben Arfa is better than Gervinho will ever be.
A wonderboy at 15 in the Lyon academy, Ben Arfa was the French players Young Player of the year in 2008 before being sold to Marseilles for 12m euros.
A 2m loan deal took him to Newcastle in August 2010.
Two months later he suffered a double leg fracture after a brutal tackle by Nigel de Jong.
Right now, Ben Arfa is fit and sparking.
Two weeks ago he scored Maradona wondergoal in a 3-1 victory over West Brom. He laid on the other two.
All week I’ve had a feeling that Man City will NOT win at Newcastle.
We’ll soon see. I expect it to be an exciting contest, despite the timid tactics of Roberto Mancini.
Vincent Kompany will be busy and stretched to his limits, I reckon.
His limits are considerable, as we know.
If Citeh win, good luck to them.
Leaving Manchester and Maine Road in 1967, I just missed their last title in 1968.