Arsenal won 5-7 in their dramatic Capital One Cup spectacular against Reading on Tuesday – an audacious comeback after going 4-0 down in the first half.
New summer signing Giroud has blames lapses in concentration for their poor start to the midweek game, which was, from both sides, a demonstration of woeful defending.
“We have to remember our problems and correct them because while we were able to come back in this game, we might not be able to do so next time.”
The Gunners will be boosted by their midweek comeback – conversely Manchester United might be feeling a hangover from their Capital One Cup clash with Chelsea on Wednesday. United faced the Blues for the second time in a week and lost the game 5-4 in extra-time.
Not only will Arsenal have the advantage in morale but also they have an extra day to prepare for the Premier League title showdown – they currently sit in 6th place, seven points off the leaders Chelsea.
A win on Saturday would see them close the gap considerably on Sir Alex Ferguson’s side who are just 1 point behind the leaders, level on 21 points with archrivals and Premier League champions Manchester City.
But the North Londoners will be the underdogs, despite their midweek glory, they can only hope for a less traumatic experience than their devastating loss at Old Trafford last season.
8-2 was their biggest defeat under Arsene Wenger’s tenure and that was whilst they still had star striker Robin van Persie. With the Dutchman now a United player, the Gunners now face an uphill struggle to atone for last season’s result.
But van Persie’s replacement, Giroud is confident they can do it.
“Although we have a difficult game, I am confident in our quality,” continued the Frenchman.
“At 4-0 down it is difficult to come back, so we have to concentrate better from the start of each game.”
To compound their ‘problems’, Arsenal have now been dealt another blow – top goalscorer Gervinho has been ruled out for at least 4 weeks with an ankle injury.
image: © Ronnie Macdonald
Jenny Leigh
@backpagenewsmore stories from Jenny Leigh
Jennifer is a freelance writer and filmmaker from London with a great passion for football - the game, the business, and the culture. Jennifer hopes to provide readership with a high standard of news, analysis, and opinion over a range of football events, stories, and issues.
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