Newspaper lies

All football fans feel it is their duty to check out gossip pages to see who may be moving in and out the club. I personally I always look at the BBC’s gossip page because it collates stories from across the web. Everything on them must be taken with a pinch of salt because everything is just guessed speculation. How many times have the papers reported us signing Podolski? I seem to remember us signing Hazard and Juan Mata during the close season. At least that is what the gossip columns said.

We may ridicule the people who find themselves obsessed with celeb gossip and news but are we any different in the way we approach footballers who are idols for us all. Some players crush under this pressure like Wayne Rooney (How many stories about him have there been?) but some are determined to show how a true professional should act (Frank Lampard for instance).

Two headlines have affected Arsenal today but I find the latter harder to believe. Remember last time I mentioned Mario Gotze and said how was supposed to be in the pipeline for moving to Arsenal during the summer. Well he has signed a new contract with Broussia Dortmund to keep him there until 2016  and claims he is comfortable at Dortmund who are 5 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga. For more information on this check out the report on GOAL.COM

The 2nd headlines is about our squad players. I did an article about squad players which you can see here. According to the daily mail Arsene Wenger is looking to clear out all the fringe players including Arshavin, Chamakh and Denilson. Estimates suggest these players account for 30% of the wage bill even whilst they sit on the bench or play elsewhere in the world. Of course this money could be spent in new contracts for Van Persie, Walcott and Chamberlain it leaves the door open to new top signings that could be useful in trying to convince the captain to stay even if finishing 3rd (touch wood) doesn’t.

We have a squad of 25 over 21s that must be submitted to the FA and UEFA every season and normally every one of them will be used over the season because of the demands and injuries caused by playing on 4 fronts. That’s why I doubt all of those will leave. Besides Bendtner is scoring a few goals for Sunderland this season and I would welcome him back with open arms.

Till next time,
Matt

Onwards and upwards

The victory over Tottenham mid-week moved Arsenal above Tottenham for the first time since September and placed Arsenal in the top-three for the first time this season. It’s amazing to think that during the game against Spurs we were 13 points behind them but now sit just a point above. It could have been more if Rafael Van Der Vaart hadn’t scored late during injury time but Tottenham will consider themselves unlucky to have not finished with all 3 points. Arsenals own victory came against a battling Everton who had a goal wrongly disallowed and missed many great opportunities. But all that matters is we finished with a win.

Arsenal have not won seven league games on the bounce since October 2007 and have also won all their 3 o’clock kick offs so far this season – only conceding 1 in the process. Wenger must be leased with the return to fitness of many key players at this art of the season when other teams are losing their key players for example Villa (who we play later today) are without top goal scorer Darren Bent who is side lined for the rest of the season and may make the Olympics at the earliest. At the end of 2011 and beginning of 2012 Arsenal were playing most of their games with 4 centre-backs as regular fullbacks Sagna, Jenkinson, Gibbs and Santos were all out with long-term injuries. Lately however Arsenal have fielded a familiar back 5 of Szczcesny, Gibbs, Vermaelen, Koscielny and Sagna. As a unit they are yet to concede in the premier league and Vermaelen has so far scored 5 goals this season which is more than Caroll and Torres combined – not bad for a centre-back who cost €10 million from Ajax.

Key players like Diaby and Wilshere look like they will be back during March and April respectively. Wenger had this to say on Wilshere:

“Wilshere is back with the ball and for us that is a huge step, the work we do with the ball is always quite demanding. Today we can say if all goes well now in three weeks he will be back with the squad. Then another two weeks to get fit. I don’t have to hold him back yet because at the moment he suffers a lot for fitness. But after three weeks we’ll have to see”

On his way to Arsenal?

Wilshere was a key feature of Arsenals game last season so it will be interesting to see how he contributes as well as where he fits into the team. Wenger will have to choose four from Arteta; Song; Rosicky; Ramsey; Oxlaide-Chamberlain; Diaby and Wilshere. It’s a hard to choice to make and if we sign a new midfielder like Gotze or Hazard then it is inevitable that one or more of those players will have to leave the club either on loan or permanently. Remember Arshavin and Denilson are still on loan but it seems likely the latter will not play again for Arsenal as his agent claims Arsenal and Sao Paulo are in talks over the midfielders future.

But the key thing for Wengers men is to win today against Aston Villa and with Chelsea and Tottenham playing earlier at Stamford Bridge Arsenal can potentially move clear of both teams depending on what way the result goes there.

Till then,

Matt

Mes que un juego

A familiar sight at Barca

We have all seen the famous slogan at Barcelona. “Mes que un club” means more than a club and that sums up how the club represents the Catalan culture. Our former captain Fabregas was born and grew up in Catalonia so the only club he could rejoin was Barcelona because for the fans and players it is a way of life. But this post is not about Barcelona just a variant on the motto. “Mes que un juego” means more than a game and after the events of yesterday it could hardly be more relevant.

A top player

Like many Arsenal fans yesterday I was hoping for Bolton to knock Tottenham out of the FA Cup and I was delighted to see that Bale had scored an early own goal. The events that were to follow would sober any sport fan regardless of rivalry. It’s always serious when a player falls to the floor with no-one around him but normally it is just for cramp or a pulled muscle. But when Fabrice Muamba didn’t move the medics ran on to the pitch with all their equipment. Muamba had suffered a heart attack mid-game and medics tried to resuscitate him with CPR and a defibrillator.  He was carried off to hospital in a critical condition and according to ambulance staff his heart stopped 4 times in the ambulance.

This morning Bolton Wanderers manager Owen Coyle has said that the next 24 hours are crucial for Muamba and everyone is praying for his swift recovery. These moments make football seem irrelevant in a world where rivalry and following your club seem to be a key part of life.

Get well soon Muamba,

Matt

Every little helps

After the 8-2 humiliation at Old Trafford many fans and football writers called on Wenger to make instant signings. It had been a very negative summer with key players Nasri and Fabregas leaving the club and only Gervinho coming in. Wenger responded and signed Mikel Arteta, Andres Santos, Per Mertersacker , Yossi Benayoun and Park. These players suited what was required. We had lost two experienced midfielders and two came in, two defenders to help the notoriously leaky Arsenal defence and a striker then destined for military service next year.

Today we have heard that Ju-Young Park has been able to delay his military service for another 10 years untill 2022 because he has had a residency visa outside of South Korea for 10 years. His potential departure was not something any Arsenal fan was losing sleep over with such a free-scoring striker that we can rely on. Lets face it Park only has one goal in 6 appearances, 3 of which came in the Carling Cup. He has been more prolific in the reserves but for a national team captain at the age of 27 that isn’t where he should be playing.

Stand up please

It has been a big worry for Arsenal fans when Van Persie is seen at the edge of a screen limping slightly or doesn’t stand back up after a tackle as quickly as we would like him too. In fact in the game against Newcastle I was hoping he would run away from Tim Krul because the thought of him with a 3-match ban for Violent Conduct doesn’t bear thinking about. Fortunately he has stayed injury-free so far this season (touch wood) and has led the line brilliantly bringing up a team that look to shy away in front of goal. That’s not really a criticism you could have had over them in the past few seasons.

Injuries are part and parcel of modern top-level football and every team must deal with them. This season we have had many defenders injured and natural centre backs have been playing as full-backs. Midfielders such as Francis Coquelin have had to step back to fill the vacant roles. Talk about fitting round pegs into square holes. Every time a defender has come back to fitness he has soon picked up an injury that has sidelined him yet again.

Santos injured in a game where he was not needed?

The biggest frustration was the injury Andres Santos sustained when Arsenal played Olympiakos after Arsenal had assured top-place in the Champions League group. Kieran Gibbs was already ruled out due to a stomach hernia and this was the perfect opportunity to try out a player like Ignasi Miguel. In Santos’s 14 appearances this season he has scored two goals (as many as Gael Clichy scored in his 7 years at Arsenal) which isn’t bad for a left-back.

Squad players are vital for the team especially during the run-in at the moment. Any player injured now is unlikely to be back or playing at their best for the remainder of the season. Mertesacker has been ruled out for the rest of the season but thankfully this coincided with a return to form for Vermaelan but what if him or Koscielny are injured? Then there would be a need for a squad player like Miquel or Coquelin.

It is easy for us to fall out of favour with a play not playing well. Take Chamakh last season, he started the season so brightly and scored 11 goals before January but as Van Persie returned from his injury Chamakh moved back into the sidelines only to return as a substitute who appears lacking of confidence and ability. Another player is Arshavin who scored 4 goals at Anfield but we are very quick to get on the back of him when he is playing well and even criticise him after a man-of-the-match deserving game.

So next time he misses that golden opportunity or makes that fatal mistake think about what would happen if he wasn’t here.

Till next time,

Matt

Goals Galore!

Van Persie’s two goals against Liverpool at the weekend were his 30th and 31st of the season and firmly assured his position at the top of the league goalscorers leaderboard (as if it were ever in doubt). It really has been the story of the season for Arsenal as our so often injury prone striker has racked up the goals and assists this season. He is now the 8th top scorer of Arsenal history. He has scored 126 goals in 266 appearances during his 8 years at Arsenal and leads this years scoring charts. This season he has scored 31 goals in 36 appearances 10 of which have been winners.

The problem with this reliance on the Dutchman is if he doesn’t play. Arsenal have only won 8 of the games he has not scored in which has led to some cause for concern. What if he is injured? What if he is having a bad day? What if he is suspended? These questions must surely haunt Wenger because our other forwards have not done enough this season. Walcott has 8 goals in all competitions and our 3rd top scorer is Arteta with only 4.

He can't score when he wants

During the last transfer window fans called for another striker because reserves Chamakh and Park have not done enough when they are given a rare chance. Henry was signed as a replacement to Gervinho and Marouane when they went to the Africa Cup Of Nations but he returned to New York Red Bulls after a 6 week loan spell. He scored 3 goals in 117 minutes prior to the AC Milan game (more than Torres has managed all season) which delighted Arsenal fans – not least because of the euphoria surrounding him. This fix was only temporary and our returning forwards really have not shown up.

Late last month german newspaper Bild reported that Lukas Podolski had agreed personal terms with Arsenal over a proposed move in the summer. The Cologne striker has scored 16 goals in 20 appearances this season in the Bundesliga and has proven his ability in the german national team where he has 43 goals. He has always said he would love to play in the EPL and it would appear Arsenal have decided to give him a chance. We can only speculate at the moment and this only official when he has signed on the dotted line but this would be a massive signing for Arsene and the team.

It is these big signings that will hopefully entice Van Persie to sign a new contract with Arsenal as it could be argued he would be a bigger loss than Fabregas and Nasri whose form declined in the latter parts of last season. RVP urns 29 during the off-season and will probably be thinking he only has another 5 or 6 year contract left in him when he will be useful for the team.

Arsenal will need these goals when they take on AC Milan tomorrow as they try to overturn a 4-0 deficit. It is possible (especially at the emirates) and we have shown our metal with 5 goals against Tottenham and 3 against Aston Villa in big comebacks for the Gunners. The problem is if AC Milan score then we need 6 because of the Away Goals Rule that complicates the matter further. If everybody turns up then Arsenal can do it just as AC Milan did, especially if they think the tie is over.

But I will believe it when I see it,

Matt

A question of leadership

After Vieira left the club in 2005(his final kick being the one which won the 2005 FA Cup) it seems the media have constantly argued that Arsenal need a leader who could lead the team to success and motivate them like in the days of Tony Adams. In the past 7 years we have had 4 different full-time captains with one only lasting 15 months.

It was Thierry Henry who took over the captains armband after Vieira left. Henry was probably Wenger’s biggest signing as he took an erratic left winger and turned him into Arsenals record goalscorer with 229 goals in 377 appearances (stats accurate after loan stint in 2012). His future was always talked about with numerous reports linking him to Real Madrid and Barcelona which must be slightly unsettling for the entire team with constant talk of your captain leaving the club he says to hold closest to his heart. Henry left for Barcelona in 2007 and passed the armband on to a player who was to make all Arsenal fans know his name for the wrong reasons.

William Gallas was a controversial player who spoke out over his unhappiness about the manager and his policy so when he was given the captaincy a fair few eyebrows were raised. Wenger claimed that he had a preference for centre-halves as captains but whether Gallas was making demands behind the scenes will never be known (he probably was). Gallas made 147 appearances for Arsenal (all starts) and scored 17 goals – not bad for a centre-back but maybe he wasn’t good at getting back – so he was not inexperienced at all and had a good career before.  Sadly he is remembered for the game vs Birmingham in February 2008 when Eduardo broke his leg after a bad challenge. Arsenal were 2-1 up untill the final minute when  Gallas brought down a player inside the box and conceded the penalty that cost Arsenal their title hopes. He stayed behind after the game but not to help the stewards clean up. He walked around the pitch kicking advertisement boards and lying there thinking of what could have been. He didn’t lose the captaincy for that though. He reported news of disagreements and arguments in the training camp to the media and was best known for claiming that Robin Van Persie and Theo Walcott had a fight over poor match form. In September 2010 Gallas’s contact ran out and he made the North London switch to Tottenham.

Wenger was quick to appoint an exciting Spaniard in November 2008 going by the name of Cesc Fabregas. He was released by Barcelona before joining Arsenal in 2003 and instantly showed his potential that made him one of the best midfielders in the world. He made 303 appearances scoring 57 goals during his 8 year spell and became a true talisman for Arsenal in their search for silverware. Fabregas represented the Wenger philosophy with his youth,agility and ability to play a pass from anywhere to anywhere with exact precision. He became one of the most sought after players but the only club that could tempt him was Barcelona. He rejoined his hometown club in Summer 2011 for £35 million but Arsenal fans don’t have anything bad to say about him because of what he gave for Arsenal. My best memory of him is the game in 2008 against AC Milan when he scored from 40 yards.

Our current captain really has excelled on all fronts. His goalscoring prowess has been something that script writers couldn’t dream of. Without his goals we would be 15th in the premier league but we did put Tottenham to the sword last weekend where he only scored one goal so we will still would have won probably. But what of his leadership skills. Last season we allowed too many comebacks against us such as the 4-4 draw at Newcastle but this season we have been the comeback team. Chelsea, Aston Villa and Tottenham will all be the first to admit they were destroyed by our togetherness and desire to get back into a game from what looked like an impossible position.

So players come and go but hopefully this current captain is here to stay but that is a debate for another day.

Till next time,

Matt

Arsenal vs Spurs – Review

On the anniversary of the Carling cup final that cost Arsenal their season and was probably the turning point which saw us lose key players like Nasri and Cesc Arsenal were able to put noisy neighbours Spurs to the sword as they hammered them 5-2. The result was made all the sweeter by it being on the birthday of Adebayor who left the club in pursuit of higher wages and who will be remembered for celebrating in front of the Arsenal fans shortly after he signed for Man City.

With back to back loses against AC Milan and Sunderland we were written off by the media who couldn’t stop with the superlatives to describe Tottenham. Well they seemed to have their point proven come the 34th minute.

Tottenham started the brighter and in the 4th minute referee Mike Dean played advantage from an Arsenal side and Kyle Walker played in Adebayor who skipped past Koscielny and passed to Louis Saha whose shot bounced off the foot of Vermaelen and looped over Szczesny. It went from bad to worse when Bale dived over Szczesny and the ref gave a penalty that replays suggested should never have been. It was Adebayor who stepped up to score his 9th North London Derby goal.

It was the last time Szczesny had to make a move.

Arsenal laid siege to the Spurs goal and their patience was rewarded in the 40th minute. Van Persie’s snapshot hit the post and came out to Gibbs who passed to Arteta at the edge of the area and he crossed in towards Sagna whose powerful header sent the ball spinning into Friedels net. 3 minutes later a world-class strike from Van Persie outside the area levelled the score and completely changed both sides half-time team talk.

It was Arsene who gave the better talk.

Arsenal were in the ascendancy, Friedel saving well from Yossi Benayoun before Rosicky was quicker than Ledley King to react to Sagna’s cross and score at the near post after 50 minutes.

With Spurs reeling, Walcott struck twice inside three minutes to transform that early anxiety into a carnival atmosphere inside Emirates Stadium.

Walcott recovered from a poor first touch to send a neat finish past Friedel and was swiftly on target again, with Sagna once more the creator, as he scored with a low shot before being submerged by jubilant team-mates.

A late sending off for Scott Parker summed up the second half for Tottenham after he received a second booking for a late tackle on Vermaelen.

5 goals in 27 minutes showed that North London still belongs to Arsenal and leaves us in 4th place just 7 points behind Tottenham and they travel to United next week whilst we play Liverpool who have just won the Carling Cup.

Come on you gunners,

Matt

Arsenal	Tottenham Hotspur
13 Szczesny	24 Friedel
03 Sagna	04 Kaboul
05 Vermaelen	26 King
06 Koscielny	28 Walker
28 Gibbs	32 Assou-Ekotto
07 Rosicky	03 Bale
08 Arteta	08 Parker
14 Walcott	14 Modric
17 Song	21 Kranjcar
30 Benayoun	10 Adebayor
10 Van Persie	15 Saha
Substitutes	Substitutes
21 Fabianski	23 Cudicini
25 Jenkinson	20 Dawson
49 Miquel	07 Lennon
15 Oxlade-Chamberlain	11 Van der Vaart
09 Park	25 Rose
27 Chu-Young	30 Sandro
29 Gervinho	18 Defoe