Alan Hansen’s Premier League Preview: Arsenal v Portsmouth
They may have been written off as serious title contenders this summer but Arsenal have started the season in superb form. Arsene Wenger’s young side began with the biggest opening day away win in Premier League history at Goodison and swiftly followed that up with a convincing display at Celtic Park in the Champions League. Both these fixtures on paper looked like real tough away trips but such has been the Gunners form, that they made them look easy. Now they face a beleaguered Portsmouth side at the Emirates in a match that screams Premier 10 ‘home banker’.
Arsene has not been that active in the transfer market but after two games he seems to have signed another gem in Belgian centre-half Thomas Vermaelen. The big defender has added a strong physical and aerial presence to the Arsenal backline and a calmness that was not so evident in previous seasons. I’d be very surprised if that defence was breached by a Pompey side that will seriously struggle for goals this season.
Paul Hart faces a tough task keeping the club up this season after selling most of their main players leaving them without any real goal threat illustrated by failing to score against both Fulham and Birmingham. History suggests a clean-sheet for Arsenal this weekend as Pompey have failed to score in four of their last five Premier League meetings with the North Londoners while the Gunners have kept 8 clean-sheets in their last 10 home league games.
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Portsmouth are relying on a 30-year old French journeyman striker to score their goals and that’s a big ask. After all, last season he scored just two league goals in 19 appearances for Lyon. If you can’t score goals in France then I doubt you will be a major success here in what is a far superior league. Unfortunately for Pompey, the Gunners are not suffering from the same problems as five different players have already got off the mark and that doesn’t include the likes of Andrei Arshavin or Nicklas Bendtner.
Portsmouth have never managed to beat Arsenal in the Premier League home or away. In fact, the South Coast side haven’t even celebrated an away league win against the Gunners in 54 years! There’s been one major shock result this week but I cannot see another taking place in North London. Therefore, this is my most confident, nailed on Premier 10 ‘home banker’ of the weekend.
Tags: Alan Hansen, Arsenal, Portsmouth, Premier 10, Premier League
August 20th, 2009 at 16:18
Funny that!
You intimate that we are now title contenders after saying we were written off at the start of the season, but last night said that Spu*s would win the league!
Ha ha ha, quality!! Ever considered an alternative career with Billy Smart?
Fool!
August 20th, 2009 at 16:36
You are wrong in stating that Pompey have never beaten Arsenal away in 54 years! They beat Arsenal during the so-called
`record undefeated run` but were cheated out of their win by a blatant dive by Pires (and a gullible referee) that it still referred to by some commentators even now as a classic case for punishing `divers`. OK the stats support your story but not the truth.
August 20th, 2009 at 17:01
I want result against man utd b4 i relax
August 20th, 2009 at 19:55
yeah, so, what’s new?
oh yes, you forgot to mention Liverpool is gonna win the league.
is someone paying you for this?
August 20th, 2009 at 23:34
Ha ha, there was contact, so why no penalty? Incident was in the middle of the box, where there is a scoring opportunity, not edge of the box.
August 20th, 2009 at 23:40
Its good to see that Liverpool and ManU have lost so early in the season. If ManCity beat ManU in the next game, it will be very interesting this season. Arsenal are not favourites to win the league but the talking will be done on the pitch. We shall see.
August 21st, 2009 at 06:34
I think there is a little mistake in this article, given that Mr Hansen said just a little while earlier, Hansen told the Telegraph: “Fourth place is a genuine target for City, though, because of the situation at Arsenal.”
“They are the club most at risk of dropping out of the top four.”
“They have lost Toure and Adebayor to City, but Wenger is saying that they might not need to strengthen.”
He added: “I disagree because Arsenal can improve every department of their team, but maybe they don’t have the funds to do so.”
“If you are a top team, you can never stand still, but Arsenal have lost important players and they might not replace them.”
“They really are under threat from City this season.”
So shouldn’t this piece start - “just before the season started I said Arsenal were likely to finish fifth, but I can see after two results this was a thoroughly foolish thing to say, and I backtrack.”
August 21st, 2009 at 07:27
Tony,
Take everything Hansen says with a pinch of salt, he is a typical BBC pundit with anti-Arsenal views!
A leopard can’t change it’s spots, so just laugh at his naivety!
‘You never win anyting with kids!’
My 8 year old could do a better job than him!!
Shambolic!!