Last season's 7-3 trouncing will undoubtedly be fresh in the minds of the players and Pardew, in particular, but he must resist the temptation set up his side to contain Arsenal and instead play them at their own game. We've been starved of goals this calendar year, feasting on a measly two in the last seven games and just seven in the 13 games since the 3-1 win at West Ham in mid-January, and have become a shadow of the side that attacked with devastating precision in the first-half of the season. Loic Remy's absence at various stages in 2014 hasn't helped the cause, nor did Mike Ashley's failure to provide a creative outlet to replace Yohan Cabaye, with the pair contributing 20 goals between them before the midfielder absconded to Paris Saint Germain. But with Remy, along with Mathieu Debuchy and Moussa Sissoko, returning to fitness Pardew has near-enough a full strength roster to choose from and can't afford to play safe, put men behind the ball and admire the Gunners' neat passing while hoping to pinch the ball and punish them on the break. The need to adopt a progressive, expansive approach has never been greater, especially with our position in the top-10 now under threat.
