Czech Republic star Tomas Rosicky has stated that Arsenal need to match the aggression of Stoke City if they are to come away from the Britannia stadium with three points. Arsenal will be under pressure to get a win at this ground where they have struggled in recent years. They have managed just one win in the last seven visits to this ground. Since they are in the midst of a title race, Arsenal cannot afford to drop any more points between now and the end of the season. Poor form in February has already cost the team heavily, as they have slipped to third in the table.
Rosicky has been an important player for Arsenal this season, as he has finally managed to overcome his injury problems of recent years. He recently extended his spell at Arsenal with the new one-year contract, which appears to have put down rumours surrounding his future. He only had a few months left on his contract before signing this new deal. He may have scored only two goals throughout the season, but his overall play has helped his teammates find the back of the net on a regular basis. Rosicky will not be going to the World Cup after this Czech Republic national team failed to qualify for the tournament.
He will now be looking to get to the national team back on track by qualifying for Euro 2016.
“[I‘m expecting] a typical game when you go to Stoke. It’s always very similar – they are a very physical side, very aggressive and it’s a very tough place to go. All the away games are pretty similar so we need to be really well prepared [for a] physical and aggressive style of play. We need to match them in those attributes,” said the 33-year-old ahead of the match.