Leyton Orient Preview - "A little bit harder than Barcelona"

Good morning.

I really want to get the Barcelona match behind us, and focus on the current task at hand, Leyton Orient. Unthankfully, Messi has stopped me from doing so. They're at it again, the desperate babies. After Xavi's comments, Messi has now come out to try and snatch Cesc and hide him in his box of Legos:

“I think that in the end Cesc will do what he feels like doing, the same with Barcelona, I am certain he wants to come to Barcelona because he has realised this in the only club where he can win.”

I'm really starting to get sick of this shit. Do they (Barcelona) understand that they look like abominable twats by saying these things every week? And if Barcelona is the only place Cesc can win, then why did Arsenal beat Barca, and still in contention for four trophies? Go cry to your mama now, Leo.

Well then. Glad I got that off my chest. Now let's move onto our more gracious opponents, Leyton Orient.
Despite being a side sitting eleventh in League One, they are not to be taken lightly. They've lost only one in their last twenty matches, and their two previous victims in the FA Cup were Norwich City and Swansea, two sides lying high in the Championship. Since we've had trouble with Huddersfield, and Leyton has beaten sides better than Huddersfield, this match will require a completely focused and determined squad; a squad that creates and finishes it's chances.
Leyton Orients manager Russell Slade watched our match against Barcelona and spoke about us similar to the way Mick McCarthy did:

"It was probably one of my biggest mistakes, going to that game, it scared me to death! There were two fantastic sides and it was a great spectacle, exactly the way the game should be played. If they perform like that then we'd probably have to say adios to the FA Cup, but it's a new day, a different day. It might be a different team, who knows?"

Speaking of a different team, we can expect to see some changes, with Stoke coming up in the mid-week and our Carling Cup final with Brum on Sunday.
I predict our starting eleven should look something, and I stress something, like this:

Almunia

Sagna Miquel Squillaci Gibbs

Denilson Song

Rosicky

Bedntner Chamakh Arshavin

Remember, with the fatigue of Barca still in our squads's legs, we need to rest some players (and we rest them against lower league opposition anyway) for Stoke and Birmingham. The cup final on Sunday is a priority, but so is the league. I expect less than half of our starting XI out tomorrow, a little less than our full XI on Wednesday, and then the full strength squad out on Sunday.

Leyton won't have a full squad tomorrow either, with injuries to Adam Chambers and Matthew Spring.
Despite these injuries, Leyton skipper Ben Chorley had some very, erm... interesting comments:

"It'll definitely be a different style to Barcelona - not that far off though, with the way the gaffer likes us to play.
But we can get the ball down and mix it up a bit and it will be difficult for them. I should say, and you might laugh, that it might be a little bit harder for them than Barcelona.
They might have to work a little bit harder, put their head in some places they wouldn't have to put their head in against Barcelona."

Okay. I don't know about the rest of you, but it almost sounds as if their captain claims that the O's are better than Barcelona. Nor do I know this Ben Chorley personally, but he seems a little thick.
And by the way Ben, I did laugh. Sorry.

In other news, Henri Lansbury, our own defensive midfielder, scored this weekend in a two all draw against Leeds while on loan to Norwich City. That's his third goal in three consecutive matches. Denilson either hasn't been playing well lately, or, he just doesn't have the quality to play for a club like Arsenal. I think both, and perhaps Lansbury will be an important part of our squad next season to replace Denilson, along with Coquelin, and Eastmond. We have a lot of promise in the defensive midfield position, and other positions as well.
I don't think many gooners are aware of just how many promising players this Arsenal side has. Miyiachi is earning great praise at Feyenoord, Benik Afobe is a key part to Huddersfield's League One title hopes, and Jay Emanuel-Thomas has loads of potentional with Cardiff, but needs to sort out his attidtude towards the game. The list of our reserves is here.

Well, I think I'll wrap it up on that note. Tomorrow we travel 5.7 miles to Brisbane Road to face a side that will prove to a tougher test than the Catalan giants, right Ben?

Have a good one.