Will we have what it takes to bounce back? Has the last two days been enough to recover? Only tonight will tell. Porto just beat Fenerbahçe, and are in good form. We’re home (yeah, yeah… I know) and probably looking to do some damage to someone for the loss to Hull. So, the Scurvy Prognostication of The Match is:

Arsenal 2-1 Porto

I really hope I’m wrong about leaking a goal, but I just feel like the back four have been shaken. Perhaps Wenger’s shaking things up back there for tonight? We’ll see.

Fabregas 49, Geovanni 62, Cousin 66 – Divers: Eboue

Bipolar. That’s only word I can think of to describe this team sometimes. Some games, you just don’t know which Arsenal are going to show up. Luckily for us, it’s usually the good, benign, happy Arsenal, who help old ladies cross the street, fight crime and on their off days… play beautiful and flowing football. When that Arsenal shows up, they can beat any side in the world. Any. But then… there’s that other Arsenal. The dirty one, with the thousand-yard stare and a tendency to mutter and drool. It’s the Arsenal we saw at Fulham… and the one we saw last night. That Arsenal cannot be trusted. That Arsenal does bad things. That Arsenal will hurt you when you’re not looking.

I was recently heard to have said:

“If our A-Game is in evidence, though… they’re fucked.”

Well, our A-Game was no where to be seen. In fact, I think our A-Game may have missed a memo and hopped a bus up to KC Stadium thinking this were an away fixture. We started out looking like we were going to dominate. We managed to bumble a goal somehow in the second half that was I believe credited to Cesc Fabregas. I think he slid up and caused a Hull defender to knock it in, but a goal is a goal. From there on, it all went to shit. I don’t know if it was complacency or what… but we just got caught napping.

And this needs to be said… Hull came to play, and play they did. We underestimated them and they put the stones to us. In our own backyard. They started their charge with a wicked goal from Geovanni from about 25 or so yards out. Nailed the top right corner and a fully stretched Almunia was nowhere near getting a hand on it. Then at 65′ they did something that’s been done several tiems to us this season: exposed our weakness to defend from the corners. I think Gallas may have let yet another mark get away and they simply headed one in while we all stood and watched. So, while we certainly sucked, all credit has to go to Hull. They came out and played hard and took a well-deserved three points away from The Emirates, which doesn’t happen often.

I don’t like that Arsenal. I really hope I don’t see it again this year, or ever.

Another match I just don’t have the foggiest clue how it might go. I’d like to think we have the stuff needed to dispatch a side just up via promotion, but Hull’s been doing alright this season so far.

The Tigers currently sit at 7th place, just 4 points behind the current *cough* league leaders. I do know they’re having to deal with a similar situation that we went through last year with Eduardo, when their striker had his leg broken by some lackwit over at Newcastle. Unlike us though, they were able to keep their shit together and win the match. Nevertheless… I’m sure having a taste of going straight up to the top half of the table (as high as fourth at one point), they’ll be up for the match at Arsenal and look to take it straight to us. If our A-Game is in evidence, though… they’re fucked. They’ll be lucky to get 30% posession and we should run away with it.

So, the Scurvy Prognostication of The Match for this week is as follows:

Arsenal 4-0 Hull City

I think we’ll see one or more from Manu, one from Cesc and one from Walcott. Sounds about right, no?

Bendtner 31 & 42, Vela 44, 49 & 86, Wilshere 57 – Divers: None

Wow… I’ll just go ahead and echo what pretty much every other Arsenal blog is saying today: If there were any concern, trepidation, or fear about Arsenal’s future yesterday… there is none today.

The Blades took themselves a good old fashioned thumping at the hands of Arsene’s Kids, who played one and all like seasoned men, not boys… despite averaging only 19 years of age. They made it seem like a decent Prem side playing a pub team… but this was no pub team. Sheffield United may not be in the Premier league anymore, but they’re still no pushovers. They were just outplayed.

Niklas Bendtner opened up the scoring with a brace, with Carlos Vela getting his own shortly thereafter. 16 year old Jack Wilshere got his first Arsenal goal and then Carlos completed his hat trick. Discussion over.

I really wish I could get these matches here live. I hear almost no one got to see it live, even in the UK, unless you were at Ashburton grove. Oh well…

Davies 14, Eboue 26, Bendtner 27, Denilson 87 – Divers: none

After Wanderers went up 1-0, I wasn’t worried. Not even a little. I remember thinking, “Shit, another mediocre side exposing our weakness to defend from the corners… but no big deal.” And I was right. The Arsenal went on to simply dominate the rest of the match and had themselves a fine old time whacking in goals.

Who cares if he was a little offsides? HE IS EBOUE! Mortal men worry about the offsides rule, not Eboue. So, he gets himself on the scoresheet for Arsenal for the first time in, I don’t know… forever maybe. The enigma that is Emmanuel Eboue this season rolls ever onward. A minute after the Eboue Show at 27′, Denilson put a lovely little cross in front of Niklas Bendtner who put us up 2-1. Not to be left out of the scoring party, Denilson put home our third on a cross from Emmanuel Adebayor only a few minutes from time. Done. Let’s go home.

It has to be said, Manuel Almunia had himself a good time as well, putting in some highlight reel efforts to keep the opposition at only one goal. World class shot stopping, Al. Overall, it was a concerted effort, and as is typical Arsenal form, they never gave up. Bring on those Hull City fellows.

Also, things lined up quite nicely on Sunday when some foul smelling side drew 1-1 with another equally decrepit bunch of wanks to allow Arsenal to take their rightful place atop the English Premier League. I forget their names. I won’t be surprised if we’re in and out of that position all season long with the points being as tight as they are right now. But it only matters where we are when the season comes to a close.