What: English Premier League
Who: Fulham vs Arsenal
When: Monday 2nd January, 2012, at 17:30 UK Time
Where: Craven Cottage, London, England
Falling Out With Forwards
Fulham have always been a team who like to play through the middle of the pitch and Martin Jol has continued in that tradition since taking over at Craven Cottage; but the Dutchman has made his presence felt.
Jol seems to have fallen out with strikers Andy Johnson and Bobby Zamora, neither of whom has featured in the Cottagers’ last two games, whilst Aaron Hughes has found himself shunted out of the team more often with Philippe Senderos partnering Brede Hangeland at the back. That can have the effect of taking away mobility in the centre of the defence and that was shown up against Manchester United recently when Fulham were hit for five.
Despite that defeat, Fulham remain a team with an obdurate defence. The Manchester United result aside, only the two Manchester clubs and Liverpool have conceded fewer goals this season. And with Moussa Dembele and Danny Murphy’s passing ability, Fulham are able to keep the ball from their opponents impressively when on form.
The main problem for the London outfit is that they have not been prolific scorers this season. With both Johnson and Zamora out of favour, the team are reliant on Bryan Ruiz, who has yet to truly find his form, and Clint Dempsey to fire in the goals.
Return of a Legend
Record goalscorer Thierry Henry could make an unlikely return at Craven Cottage if the paperwork on his loan move back to Arsenal is completed in time, though it would seem more likely that it will be a few more days until the Frenchman’s comeback. Either way, Henry’s arrival is likely to provide a psychological boost to a team who have moved on emphatically following their worst start to a season in decades.
Of the players likely to be playing at Craven Cottage, Robin van Persie is the standout performer for Arsenal this season by some distance. His goals have dragged the club off their feet after a disastrous August and into contention for the Champions League. Van Persie notched an incredible 35 Premier League goals in 2011.
As well as the Dutchman, the increased experience in the Arsenal ranks has helped, with players such as Per Mertesacker and Yossi Benayoun bringing in big match know-how that the team has lacked so much of in recent times.
The emergence of Laurent Koscielny and Wojciech Szczesny, as well as the return of Thomas Vermaelen, has also given Arsenal an uncharacteristically solid look at the back in recent weeks, though the Belgian limped out of the weekend win over QPR. And with that victory, Arsenal are now in the top four and looking to build momentum ahead of a new year push.
Recent form
Fulham:
Norwich 1-1 Fulham (31/12; Premier League)
Chelsea 1-1 Fulham (26/12; Premier League)
Fulham 0-5 Manchester United (21/12; League Cup)
Arsenal:
Arsenal 1-0 QPR (31/12; Premier League)
Arsenal 1-1 Norwich (27/12; Premier League)
Aston Villa 1-2 Arsenal (21/12; Premier League)
Key absences
Fulham: Damien Duff (doubt); Zdenek Grygera; Simon Davies; Mark Schwarzer; Andy Johnson (doubt); Bobby Zamora
Arsenal: Lukasz Fabianski; Kieran Gibbs; Thomas Vermaelen (doubt); Andre Santos; Jack Wilshere; Carl Jenkinson; Bacary Sagna; Abou Diaby
Players to watch
Fulham – Danny Murphy: Murphy has been focal to much of Fulham’s play over the years, the hub through which their passing movements are made. The playmaker’s passing is top quality still despite his advancing years and Fulham will look to get the ball into the ex-Liverpool man as much as possible. His ability to create will be key if Fulham are to get anything from this game.
Arsenal – Theo Walcott: A key feature of Arsenal’s play this season has been the change from passing the ball persistently through the middle to looking to play it out wide to Gervinho and Theo Walcott. A number of Van Persie’s goals have come from wide players pulling the ball back into his path; Gervinho in particular.
Walcott has had a decent campaign, but been quiet in recent weeks. He tends to struggle against defences which play deep and give him little space, but Fulham are likely to try and come on to Arsenal and attack, which will make it a game in which the young Englishman will look to assert himself and get back on the goalscoring trail.
Match Prediction
Fulham were excellent at the Emirates earlier this season and frustrated Arsenal well. Not only did they defend impressively, but they kept the ball well for long periods and even late on tried to attack in search of the three points. Jol is likely to send his troops out to attack and they are sure to pose Arsenal problems defensively.
Arsenal though look less brittle, if also a bit less imaginative, than in previous seasons, and will expect to come away with three points. Much will depend on how well Alex Song and Mikel Arteta can dominate in midfield, with their defensive work being a lesser noticed aspect of the Arsenal play this season. Fulham may expect to breach the Arsenal backline at some point, and should once again prove a match for the visitors, but they could be hit on the break. Fulham 1-2 Arsenal.
Who will start the new year with a win in Fulham v Arsenal? Will you bet on the Gunners? Make sure you visit OLBG for tips and to compare the current odds and betting markets available at all the important bookmakers.
