Arsenal vs Blackburn Preview

I never thought so much would be at stake for an Arsenal vs Blackburn match. But here we are, on the back of a 4 game winless streak and still yet to win a Premier League game in 2012. We've got to go on one hell of a run of form if we want to finish in the top four and maybe even above the Scums, so there's no better place to start that run than playing 19th placed Blackburn at the Emirates.

People are starting to say that if the opposition stops Van Persie, they'll stop Arsenal. But at the same time they say that if Van Persie is on his game—and he usually is—Arsenal will be difficult to stop. Now, as true as that seems, I've got to disagree with it. If you look at our best performances, like beating Wigan 4-0, West Brom 3-0, and even Chelsea 5-3, they were matches where Van Persie was brilliant but at the same time players like Arteta, Vermaelen, and Walcott were all contributing and being efficient on attack.

Now, do we need one of those rare but golden performances? Of course, but what we need most is a win, three points, and getting ourselves the hell out of 7th place. I don't think any Arsenal supporter cares if it's 3-0, 1-0 or 10-9, we just need to get points on the board and hopefully climb back up the table.

Now, I'll first adress the fact that Arsene Wenger is thinking about resting Van Persie. It's either a really smart idea, or an incredibly stupid idea. While we need to rest our best player before the most important month of the season, we also need to win before the most important month of the season, and unfortunately those two things conflict. My take is that Arsene should rest Van Persie for the first half, starting Walcott in order to improve his confidence and maybe even get the bloke to score a goal, and then bring in Van Persie in the second half if there's a clear lack of cutting edge.

That's my opinion, and I believe, like Arsene, that every match from now on is a cup final. That means every match is a must-win—especially a home game against what's arguably been the worst team in the Premier League so far. I think we'll get all three points, and if we don't then it's officially a crisis.

Matthew's (my) Prediction: Arsenal 3-1 Blackburn
Lucien's Prediction: Arsenal 4-0 Blackburn
Henri's Prediction: Arsenal 2-0 Blackburn


Thanks for reading, and come on you Gunners...

Matthew