Arsenal were made to wait last night but their patience and persistence finally paid off and they got the breakthrough they deserved to claim their second victory in the Champions League group stage this season.
There are two ways to look at last night's game. You could say we played very well, created loads of chances and were unlucky to not score earlier. Or you could say we were wasteful against a dreadful, negative Olympiacos who came with pretty much no intention of attacking. I am leaning towards the first option even though the second point must not be totally dismissed.
Arsene again surprised with the team selection. Rosicky started his second game of the season ahead of Eduardo but more surprising Eboue started at right back in place of Sagna. I don't know if Sagna is carrying an injury or if there is another reason why Eboue has started both Champions League group games but it's a strange one.
Anyway, Arsenal started the first half brightly and it looked like a matter of time before the goal came. Fabregas rocked the crossbar with a shot from the edge of the box, Rosicky forced a save with the rebound, Arshavin showed quick feet and nearly fooled the goalkeeper at the near post but Olympiacos made it to half time with the score at 0-0.
In the second half, as is often the case in games as one way as this, the team under pressure nearly scored. Olympiacos swung a corner in from the left, Mellberg (remember him) got on the end of it and Mannone carried on where he left off on Saturday with a fantastic save. The ball seemed to be past him but he clawed it back. It would have been a massive injustice.
Eduardo came on for the bright Rosicky, Vela replaced the disappointing Diaby and finally the goal came. Fabregas slipped in Eduardo who cut it back for RvP to notch his second goal in two games. Ramsey came on for RvP to try and tighten things up and a minute later he fed the ball wide to Fabregas who slid it across to the clearly offside Arshavin who produced a lovely back heel to make it 2-0. It was obvious it was offside even for those inside the stadium. The stadium TV failed to show the replay from a side view as that would clearly show he was offside, to avoid upsetting the Greek players and fans. But that is the luck you need sometimes and no less than Arsenal deserved after dominating all night.
It's strange, we used to face teams playing in this way every week when we were at the top of our game a few years ago but it has been a while since i've seen such a negative performance. At one stage they had all 11 men in our half and were pretty much just returning the ball to us whenever they got it. Still, you can only beat what is in front of you and that is what Arsenal did. The (fans and players) remained patient, the team kept playing their game, didn't panic or get frustrated and got their reward in the end. It was satisfying in the end but would have been a very frustrating night had it stayed 0-0.
Fabregas looked bright, Rosicky was full of nice touches and RvP will be pleased to score again. Let's hope he can keep the goals coming. Song was excellent in getting the ball and moving it quickly which is what you want most from a player in that position in a game like this. Get it to the attacking players quickly.
Arshavin seemed to grow as the game went on but I can't shake the feeling that he isn't comfortable in his position. Perhaps he just needs a run of games. Mannone produced a very good save as mentioned above, but he and the rest of the defence had one of the easiest games they are likely to have this season.
Diaby was a little disappointing again. He would follow up one nice piece of skill with a misplaced pass, a nice run followed by a slip. He gives you the impression that he has the potential to be a good player but just never delivers. The expression flatters to deceive comes to mind.
Still the important thing is we won, we are three points clear in our group and one step closer to qualifying. And that is all that is important at this stage.
Tomorrow I will go through Arsenal's financial results that were announced earlier this week.
Wednesday, 30 September 2009
Tuesday, 29 September 2009
Arsenal Vs Olympiacos Preview
Tonight we play our first home Champions League group game of the season in which we face the Greek champions Olympiacos. Hopefully we can follow up the somewhat fortunate victory over Standard Liege in our first group game with a more accomplished performance, but most of all, another win.
First the team news, and unless he is planning to play two games in one day, it seems Theo Walcott is out after 60 minutes here despite hints yesterday he will be on the bench.
Eduardo is likely to be back in the squad after missing the Fulham game and Bendtner is out after his car crash, which you can see pictures of here along with a badly superimposed picture of Bendtner.
I this we will line up with Mannone, the same back four, Song, Cesc, Diaby, Arshavin, RvP and it's a toss up between Rosicky and Eduardo and I fancy he may just go for the slightly more attacking option in Eduardo since we are at home. I guess Rosicky may be a more natural fit on the right with Arshavin on the left but I just have a sneaky feeling he may go for Eduardo.
As I have said in the past though the line up is tough to predict with this formation but the injuries are making it easier.
I hope we don't rely on the young goalkeeper as much as we did on Saturday but his performance against Fulham was pleasing. It's also pleasing to have a regular, settled back four as I feel a defence improves the more they play with each other, but as I say, hopefully they can protect Mannone a bit more than they did against Fulham. Song and Cesc seem to have their place firmly wrapped up in central midfield but I hope they can be a little less wasteful than they have been at times this season. As for Diaby, well if he doesn't use the next two months to really push for a place in the team then he never will.
RvP has looked sharp this season even when he hasn't been scoring but hopefully he can add to Saturday's strike, because first and foremost strikers are on the pitch to score. Arshavin will hopefully recapture some of last season's stunning form but I can't shake the feeling that he isn't happy with his role in the team. I hope I am wrong. Whoever lines up with these two up front out of Rosicky and Eduardo will just be happy to be out there playing again.
I do think Olympiacos will be dangerous opponents but we should really have too much for them. Here's hoping for another three points to take us closer to qualification.
A little side note, Fran Merida got both goals for Spain in the under-20's World Cup.
Come On You Gunners.
First the team news, and unless he is planning to play two games in one day, it seems Theo Walcott is out after 60 minutes here despite hints yesterday he will be on the bench.
Eduardo is likely to be back in the squad after missing the Fulham game and Bendtner is out after his car crash, which you can see pictures of here along with a badly superimposed picture of Bendtner.
I this we will line up with Mannone, the same back four, Song, Cesc, Diaby, Arshavin, RvP and it's a toss up between Rosicky and Eduardo and I fancy he may just go for the slightly more attacking option in Eduardo since we are at home. I guess Rosicky may be a more natural fit on the right with Arshavin on the left but I just have a sneaky feeling he may go for Eduardo.
As I have said in the past though the line up is tough to predict with this formation but the injuries are making it easier.
I hope we don't rely on the young goalkeeper as much as we did on Saturday but his performance against Fulham was pleasing. It's also pleasing to have a regular, settled back four as I feel a defence improves the more they play with each other, but as I say, hopefully they can protect Mannone a bit more than they did against Fulham. Song and Cesc seem to have their place firmly wrapped up in central midfield but I hope they can be a little less wasteful than they have been at times this season. As for Diaby, well if he doesn't use the next two months to really push for a place in the team then he never will.
RvP has looked sharp this season even when he hasn't been scoring but hopefully he can add to Saturday's strike, because first and foremost strikers are on the pitch to score. Arshavin will hopefully recapture some of last season's stunning form but I can't shake the feeling that he isn't happy with his role in the team. I hope I am wrong. Whoever lines up with these two up front out of Rosicky and Eduardo will just be happy to be out there playing again.
I do think Olympiacos will be dangerous opponents but we should really have too much for them. Here's hoping for another three points to take us closer to qualification.
A little side note, Fran Merida got both goals for Spain in the under-20's World Cup.
Come On You Gunners.
Monday, 28 September 2009
Fulham 0-1 Arsenal, Profits Up, Injuries Up Too
Lots of news to get through so let me jump straight into the review of Saturday's game.
As I said on Friday we lost this game last year and after losing two games so far this year we couldn't afford any more defeats this early. We didn't start well on Saturday and young goalkeeper Vito Mannone was tested, producing one great double save in the first half and another which flashed across goal but he managed to keep out.
In the second half a great pass from a very below-par Fabregas set RvP through who controlled and shot excellently to put Arsenal 1-0 up despite not playing very well at all. We continued to face pressure after the goal and Mannone was again tested, this time by Zamora, and later Sagna deflected a shot onto the outside of the post.
Arsenal managed to hang on and I think it says it all about this game that Mannone was a thoroughly deserved man of the match. He was very busy and Arsenal were very lucky to escape with a point, never mind all three.
It's hard to know how to feel about Saturday's game. On the one hand teams need to know how to win when not playing well. It's one of the things Chelsea and Man Utd are praised for and Arsenal are accused of not being able to do. On the other hand we will rarely find our goalkeeper in such good form or the opposition so wasteful as they were on Saturday, so I wouldn't like to see us push our luck against a better team.
A few points to make following on from Saturday. Obviously the goalkeeper was excellent but despite all the chances I do feel the defence are improving. There was a moment when Fulham were attacking and Vermaelen saw Mannone racing off his line and he quickly pointed for him to get back into position. I liked that and it was good to see someone taking charge back there. Vermaelen is a natural leader and a natural defender, something we have lacked for a while.
The other point worth making is that we have 12 points from our first six games and that is exactly the same as our first 6 games last year but is four more points than we managed from the same fixtures last season. Some kind of progress I guess.
Arsenal announced their full year results today and there is a good video here with Gazidis speaking about them, including some interesting news on the Highbury Square development. I hope to go through these results in a bit more depth later in the week.
Finally, some injury news ahead of tomorrow's Champions League game with Olympiacos. Nicklas Bendtner is out after a minor car accident. Doesn't sound serious, just some bruising and the manager says he should be back for Sunday. Walcott is also short of match fitness so will not be in the squad tomorrow but Eduardo is back in the squad after missing out on Saturday.
Also Wenger has revealed today that Denilson is out for another two months after it was discovered he has a small fracture in his back. I don't know how we continue to collect injuries at this rate, and then see these injuries constantly extended in length. Either we are desperately unlucky or we are doing something badly wrong. We still have seven players from the first team squad out, assuming nobody else is added to that list tomorrow. More team news tomorrow, let's hope there is no more bad news.
As I said on Friday we lost this game last year and after losing two games so far this year we couldn't afford any more defeats this early. We didn't start well on Saturday and young goalkeeper Vito Mannone was tested, producing one great double save in the first half and another which flashed across goal but he managed to keep out.
In the second half a great pass from a very below-par Fabregas set RvP through who controlled and shot excellently to put Arsenal 1-0 up despite not playing very well at all. We continued to face pressure after the goal and Mannone was again tested, this time by Zamora, and later Sagna deflected a shot onto the outside of the post.
Arsenal managed to hang on and I think it says it all about this game that Mannone was a thoroughly deserved man of the match. He was very busy and Arsenal were very lucky to escape with a point, never mind all three.
It's hard to know how to feel about Saturday's game. On the one hand teams need to know how to win when not playing well. It's one of the things Chelsea and Man Utd are praised for and Arsenal are accused of not being able to do. On the other hand we will rarely find our goalkeeper in such good form or the opposition so wasteful as they were on Saturday, so I wouldn't like to see us push our luck against a better team.
A few points to make following on from Saturday. Obviously the goalkeeper was excellent but despite all the chances I do feel the defence are improving. There was a moment when Fulham were attacking and Vermaelen saw Mannone racing off his line and he quickly pointed for him to get back into position. I liked that and it was good to see someone taking charge back there. Vermaelen is a natural leader and a natural defender, something we have lacked for a while.
The other point worth making is that we have 12 points from our first six games and that is exactly the same as our first 6 games last year but is four more points than we managed from the same fixtures last season. Some kind of progress I guess.
Arsenal announced their full year results today and there is a good video here with Gazidis speaking about them, including some interesting news on the Highbury Square development. I hope to go through these results in a bit more depth later in the week.
Finally, some injury news ahead of tomorrow's Champions League game with Olympiacos. Nicklas Bendtner is out after a minor car accident. Doesn't sound serious, just some bruising and the manager says he should be back for Sunday. Walcott is also short of match fitness so will not be in the squad tomorrow but Eduardo is back in the squad after missing out on Saturday.
Also Wenger has revealed today that Denilson is out for another two months after it was discovered he has a small fracture in his back. I don't know how we continue to collect injuries at this rate, and then see these injuries constantly extended in length. Either we are desperately unlucky or we are doing something badly wrong. We still have seven players from the first team squad out, assuming nobody else is added to that list tomorrow. More team news tomorrow, let's hope there is no more bad news.
Friday, 25 September 2009
Fulham Vs Arsenal Preview
It's back to the Premier League tomorrow as Arsenal take on Fulham after the nice distraction of the Carling Cup in midweek. It's pleasing what Arsenal have done with the Carling Cup in recent years. Using it to give the youngsters experience and reducing ticket prices has turned it into a really positive PR exercise for the club. We find out tomorrow who Arsenal will face in the next round, with the draw taking place at midday.
Anyway, as I say it's back to Premier League action with a visit to Craven Cottage, where Arsenal lost 1-0 last year. Thinking back, that was a real toothless display and I remember at the time being concerned that not only did Arsenal lose but rarely threatened to score and that is very unlike Arsene Wenger's Arsenal. Defending has never been their strong point at times but one thing you can count on is that Arsenal will create chances.
One man who should help in this department is Andrey Arshavin who is back from injury and likely to play. He has had a quietish start to the season, apart from the rocket against United, but I think just his presence on the pitch makes a difference. He is versatile and has bags of creativity and is just the player to make this new formation work. I am hoping he comes back and looks as deadly as he did last season.
Theo Walcott is also back in training but it looks like it may be too soon for him to start so he may have to be content with a spot on the bench. Manuel Almunia is still out, that must have been some virus, so Mannone is likely to continue in goal. RvP faces a late fitness test but it sounds like he may be fit.
It will be interesting to see how the team takes shape as (when? if?) the injuries clear up. While Almunia, the current defence, Song and Cesc are certain to start, the other 4 spots are still possibly up for grabs. You would fancy RvP and Arshavin to be favourites, but then Diaby, Eboue, Bendtner, Walcott, Rosicky and Eduardo are all fighting for two spots without even mentioning the players who are still injured and the younger members of the squad.
Wenger had a word to say here about money he has to spend and the strength of the squad. I know he sometimes says these things to make the players believe in themselves but I don't think our squad is desperately short, it just needs tweaking. With regards to money to spend, and all the rubbish flying back and forth about Chamakh, well that isn't going to really make a difference until January so it's not even worth discussing.
As I say I think RvP and Arshavin will line up in attack tomorrow, with either Bendtner or Eduardo. I fancy Bendtner to start tomorrow, who had something to say this week about playing out wide:
"I think it is a short-term decision. I have spoken to the manager, obviously, and he explained why he's playing me there at the moment.
"He knows as well though that my position is to play up front as a striker. That's where I prefer personally, but if I have to do a job for the team and play on the right or the left sometimes then I'm happy to do that as well."
"I like to think that the reason I scored against Standard Liege has something to do with the fact I played more centrally.
"Obviously you are closer to the goal and because of my pace I can make those runs. You can use that more up front than you can on the right."
I have to agree. It just makes sense to have Bendtner up front and Arshavin and RvP either side doing all the creative stuff. Plus Bendtner looks a handful when he gets in the box and gives us a real physical presence.
That only really leaves one spot in the team for tomorrow and that's probably between Eboue and Diaby. It's been hard to predict the team so far this season but I wonder if he might just pick Eboue to try and keep things a little tighter than they would be with Diaby.
Hopefully we can pick up three points and get the season back on track.
Anyway, as I say it's back to Premier League action with a visit to Craven Cottage, where Arsenal lost 1-0 last year. Thinking back, that was a real toothless display and I remember at the time being concerned that not only did Arsenal lose but rarely threatened to score and that is very unlike Arsene Wenger's Arsenal. Defending has never been their strong point at times but one thing you can count on is that Arsenal will create chances.
One man who should help in this department is Andrey Arshavin who is back from injury and likely to play. He has had a quietish start to the season, apart from the rocket against United, but I think just his presence on the pitch makes a difference. He is versatile and has bags of creativity and is just the player to make this new formation work. I am hoping he comes back and looks as deadly as he did last season.
Theo Walcott is also back in training but it looks like it may be too soon for him to start so he may have to be content with a spot on the bench. Manuel Almunia is still out, that must have been some virus, so Mannone is likely to continue in goal. RvP faces a late fitness test but it sounds like he may be fit.
It will be interesting to see how the team takes shape as (when? if?) the injuries clear up. While Almunia, the current defence, Song and Cesc are certain to start, the other 4 spots are still possibly up for grabs. You would fancy RvP and Arshavin to be favourites, but then Diaby, Eboue, Bendtner, Walcott, Rosicky and Eduardo are all fighting for two spots without even mentioning the players who are still injured and the younger members of the squad.
Wenger had a word to say here about money he has to spend and the strength of the squad. I know he sometimes says these things to make the players believe in themselves but I don't think our squad is desperately short, it just needs tweaking. With regards to money to spend, and all the rubbish flying back and forth about Chamakh, well that isn't going to really make a difference until January so it's not even worth discussing.
As I say I think RvP and Arshavin will line up in attack tomorrow, with either Bendtner or Eduardo. I fancy Bendtner to start tomorrow, who had something to say this week about playing out wide:
"I think it is a short-term decision. I have spoken to the manager, obviously, and he explained why he's playing me there at the moment.
"He knows as well though that my position is to play up front as a striker. That's where I prefer personally, but if I have to do a job for the team and play on the right or the left sometimes then I'm happy to do that as well."
"I like to think that the reason I scored against Standard Liege has something to do with the fact I played more centrally.
"Obviously you are closer to the goal and because of my pace I can make those runs. You can use that more up front than you can on the right."
I have to agree. It just makes sense to have Bendtner up front and Arshavin and RvP either side doing all the creative stuff. Plus Bendtner looks a handful when he gets in the box and gives us a real physical presence.
That only really leaves one spot in the team for tomorrow and that's probably between Eboue and Diaby. It's been hard to predict the team so far this season but I wonder if he might just pick Eboue to try and keep things a little tighter than they would be with Diaby.
Hopefully we can pick up three points and get the season back on track.
Thursday, 24 September 2009
While on the subject of the kids...
It's Carling Cup week and that is when Arsenal's youngsters take centre stage so it's no suprise to see these comments from Arsene Wenger about the new rules regarding signing young players in which he says:
"If you cannot add any players under 18, and you have the home-grown rule, and on top of that English clubs are limited to bringing in young players who live less than 90 minutes from the training ground, how can we produce home-grown players?
"Personally, I don't know. So it's vital that this under-18 transfer rule is not implemented because English clubs would have a domestic limitation and a foreign limitation, making it harder to produce home-grown players.
"In England we accumulate disadvantages. We cannot buy [an academy player] outside our 90-minute radius.
"So already we cannot take a player from Manchester or Southampton. We cannot take a player from Asia, North or South America, Africa.
"What can we do? We can only pray that somebody next to London Colney is as gifted as Maradona and says, 'Please can I play for you'.
Love that last bit, Wenger always has a way of coming out with a catchy little quote like his comment about Mark Hughes last week.
It's a fair point he makes, and seems to put English clubs at a disadvantage compared to their European rivals.
If all these rules come into effect Englich clubs will not be able to sign players from abroad if they are under 18 or if they live more than 90 minutes away but will still have to include 8 home grown players in their squad.
So on the one hand the authorities are limiting the players clubs can sign while at the same time telling clubs they must use more home grown players. Seems like the rules are moving in two opposite directions.
I agree that young players should not be taken from the club which has developed him without any compensation being paid to them so perhaps the age at which players can be signed on a professional contract needs to be harmonised across Europe.
But then what if a young player hits 18 and wants to leave the club he has been trained at? Let's say you are Cesc Fabregas and you don't fancy your chances of breaking into the first team at Barcelona and Arsenal want you and are offering first team football. Should you be forced to sign with the team that developed you?
The other point, and one that Wenger is keen to stress, is that why shouldn't the best young players be signed by the best teams and trained by the best coaches with the best facilities at their disposal, surrounded by the best players in the world? If you were the best in any other field, you would be pushed to develop your talent so why not football?
One area of concern would be if the top clubs signed all the best young players around just to stop others having them. One simple way to stop this would be to impose a limit on the number of young players a club could sign in each age group.
And if anyone is in any doubt about the benefit of having a young player training with the top players here is what Sanchez Watt said about being at the same club as Thierry Henry, and the advice he got from the great man:
"I didn't get to play with him but I still asked him questions off the pitch when he was free about how it was and things like that.
"He said ‘be calm in front of goal and when the ball is moving, you don't have to keep making long runs. Make it short and sharp and just take it from there'.
"I was about 14. But it's about my career and not many people get the chance to talk to players like him, so I just took it as a good opportunity.
"I wasn't nervous because when we were growing up, our manager told us you can ask the senior players questions."
Nice to see that the younger players are encouraged by the manager to make the most of the top players around them. This issue is one that is going to keep cropping up.
Tomorrow i'll look forward to Saturday's game against Fulham.
"If you cannot add any players under 18, and you have the home-grown rule, and on top of that English clubs are limited to bringing in young players who live less than 90 minutes from the training ground, how can we produce home-grown players?
"Personally, I don't know. So it's vital that this under-18 transfer rule is not implemented because English clubs would have a domestic limitation and a foreign limitation, making it harder to produce home-grown players.
"In England we accumulate disadvantages. We cannot buy [an academy player] outside our 90-minute radius.
"So already we cannot take a player from Manchester or Southampton. We cannot take a player from Asia, North or South America, Africa.
"What can we do? We can only pray that somebody next to London Colney is as gifted as Maradona and says, 'Please can I play for you'.
Love that last bit, Wenger always has a way of coming out with a catchy little quote like his comment about Mark Hughes last week.
It's a fair point he makes, and seems to put English clubs at a disadvantage compared to their European rivals.
If all these rules come into effect Englich clubs will not be able to sign players from abroad if they are under 18 or if they live more than 90 minutes away but will still have to include 8 home grown players in their squad.
So on the one hand the authorities are limiting the players clubs can sign while at the same time telling clubs they must use more home grown players. Seems like the rules are moving in two opposite directions.
I agree that young players should not be taken from the club which has developed him without any compensation being paid to them so perhaps the age at which players can be signed on a professional contract needs to be harmonised across Europe.
But then what if a young player hits 18 and wants to leave the club he has been trained at? Let's say you are Cesc Fabregas and you don't fancy your chances of breaking into the first team at Barcelona and Arsenal want you and are offering first team football. Should you be forced to sign with the team that developed you?
The other point, and one that Wenger is keen to stress, is that why shouldn't the best young players be signed by the best teams and trained by the best coaches with the best facilities at their disposal, surrounded by the best players in the world? If you were the best in any other field, you would be pushed to develop your talent so why not football?
One area of concern would be if the top clubs signed all the best young players around just to stop others having them. One simple way to stop this would be to impose a limit on the number of young players a club could sign in each age group.
And if anyone is in any doubt about the benefit of having a young player training with the top players here is what Sanchez Watt said about being at the same club as Thierry Henry, and the advice he got from the great man:
"I didn't get to play with him but I still asked him questions off the pitch when he was free about how it was and things like that.
"He said ‘be calm in front of goal and when the ball is moving, you don't have to keep making long runs. Make it short and sharp and just take it from there'.
"I was about 14. But it's about my career and not many people get the chance to talk to players like him, so I just took it as a good opportunity.
"I wasn't nervous because when we were growing up, our manager told us you can ask the senior players questions."
Nice to see that the younger players are encouraged by the manager to make the most of the top players around them. This issue is one that is going to keep cropping up.
Tomorrow i'll look forward to Saturday's game against Fulham.
Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Arsenal 2-0 W.B.A, The Kids Are Alright
It was a strange feeling last night for there to be an Arsenal game taking place and it not being possible to watch it. It's such a rare occurunce as I attend all other home games and usually away games are live one way or another. The important thing is that Arsenal's kids won 2-0 to progress to the fourth round of the Carling Cup.
The goals were all that was shown on Sky Sports News and it looked like Vela had a good return to the (sort of) first team after being involved in the first and scoring the second to take Arsenal through. Former Arsenal player Jerome Thomas was sent off for a push on Wilshere, which somehow was Wilshere's own fault, according to West Brom's manager.
It sounded like quite an even game and it's no surprise really considering West Brom are a strong side and lead the Championship. I'm glad the kids managed to make it through as it gives them further chances to impress in the next round.
A co-worker who attended the game informed me that it seemed to be more like a 4-5-1 formation for Arsenal last night and it got me thinking about some of the goals we have conceded in the last few games, particularly the Man City game.
In the 4-3-3 formation we have been playing, the full backs have been far too exposed and it's no surprise that pretty much all four goals stemmed from mistakes or loose marking down the flanks against City.
The key to making this formation work is hard work and tracking back. Now that may sound like stating the obvious, but I think in a 4-4-2 it is easier to cover than this formation. If Clichy loses the ball going forward here there is no natural wide cover for him, same for Sagna, with all our play focused through the middle, and no wingers.
Barcelona, who as I have said before provide the inspiration for this formation, work so hard at making it work, and it is surprising to see players like Henry and Messi covering so much ground. But they realise that there can be no passengers in this formation. Perhaps the only player who doesn't have to provide some sort of cover is the central striker, in Arsenal's case Van Persie.
I don't want to get too bogged down in details with regards to the new formation as I believe it is still a work in progress, as is our first choice 11 to play in this formation. But players need to be very fit to play in this formation and they also need to be willing to work hard. These are things that will be tested as they become evident as the season goes on. I just hope Arsene has the players to perform in his new formation.
The goals were all that was shown on Sky Sports News and it looked like Vela had a good return to the (sort of) first team after being involved in the first and scoring the second to take Arsenal through. Former Arsenal player Jerome Thomas was sent off for a push on Wilshere, which somehow was Wilshere's own fault, according to West Brom's manager.
It sounded like quite an even game and it's no surprise really considering West Brom are a strong side and lead the Championship. I'm glad the kids managed to make it through as it gives them further chances to impress in the next round.
A co-worker who attended the game informed me that it seemed to be more like a 4-5-1 formation for Arsenal last night and it got me thinking about some of the goals we have conceded in the last few games, particularly the Man City game.
In the 4-3-3 formation we have been playing, the full backs have been far too exposed and it's no surprise that pretty much all four goals stemmed from mistakes or loose marking down the flanks against City.
The key to making this formation work is hard work and tracking back. Now that may sound like stating the obvious, but I think in a 4-4-2 it is easier to cover than this formation. If Clichy loses the ball going forward here there is no natural wide cover for him, same for Sagna, with all our play focused through the middle, and no wingers.
Barcelona, who as I have said before provide the inspiration for this formation, work so hard at making it work, and it is surprising to see players like Henry and Messi covering so much ground. But they realise that there can be no passengers in this formation. Perhaps the only player who doesn't have to provide some sort of cover is the central striker, in Arsenal's case Van Persie.
I don't want to get too bogged down in details with regards to the new formation as I believe it is still a work in progress, as is our first choice 11 to play in this formation. But players need to be very fit to play in this formation and they also need to be willing to work hard. These are things that will be tested as they become evident as the season goes on. I just hope Arsene has the players to perform in his new formation.
Tuesday, 22 September 2009
Arsenal Vs W.B.A. Preview, Class Of 2009
Tonight Arsenal take on West Brom in the Carling Cup third round and we get our first glimpse of Arsene Wenger's new batch of youngsters. Of course there will be some familiar faces in there too.
Arsena Wenger has already revealed six of the players that will start. The squad of 18 has just been announced here and from them 19 year old Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny will start in goal, Philippe Senderos and Mikael Silvestre will make up an experienced centre back pairing. Kieran Gibbs is set to play left back while Aaron Ramsey is set to continue his solid progress this season in midfield. Jack Wilshere is likely to play right with Traore left, either side of the returning Carlos Vela who will get his first action of the season.
It's good to see Vela back in action and hopefully he can recapture some of the form he showed in this competition last season.
The rest of the squad is made up of less familiar names although Kerrea Gilbert will probably play right back and it seems a long time since he created a goal for Thierry Henry in this competition. The opposition on that day escapes me but he has had a tough time since then with some not so successful loan spells.
The thing I find interesting about this squad is that many of these players, as with previous Carling Cup squads, will one day, if they make the grade, meet the rules on the home grown quota system when it is introduced next season. The rules on the quota state that "To qualify as home grown, a player will have had to be registered for at least three seasons at an English or Welsh club between the ages of 16 and 21." So for example Cesc Fabregas qualifies as home grown, as does Gael Clichy.
It seems Arsenal will be better equiped than some to cope with the new quota system.
Let's hope the class of 2009 can carry on the fine tradition of a good showing in this tournament in what will be a tough game against a very decent West Brom side.
Arsena Wenger has already revealed six of the players that will start. The squad of 18 has just been announced here and from them 19 year old Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny will start in goal, Philippe Senderos and Mikael Silvestre will make up an experienced centre back pairing. Kieran Gibbs is set to play left back while Aaron Ramsey is set to continue his solid progress this season in midfield. Jack Wilshere is likely to play right with Traore left, either side of the returning Carlos Vela who will get his first action of the season.
It's good to see Vela back in action and hopefully he can recapture some of the form he showed in this competition last season.
The rest of the squad is made up of less familiar names although Kerrea Gilbert will probably play right back and it seems a long time since he created a goal for Thierry Henry in this competition. The opposition on that day escapes me but he has had a tough time since then with some not so successful loan spells.
The thing I find interesting about this squad is that many of these players, as with previous Carling Cup squads, will one day, if they make the grade, meet the rules on the home grown quota system when it is introduced next season. The rules on the quota state that "To qualify as home grown, a player will have had to be registered for at least three seasons at an English or Welsh club between the ages of 16 and 21." So for example Cesc Fabregas qualifies as home grown, as does Gael Clichy.
It seems Arsenal will be better equiped than some to cope with the new quota system.
Let's hope the class of 2009 can carry on the fine tradition of a good showing in this tournament in what will be a tough game against a very decent West Brom side.
Monday, 21 September 2009
Arsenal 4 Wigan 0, Henry says it best
Arsenal got just what was needed on Saturday, 4 goals, a clean sheet, 3 points and as a bonus, no new injuries.
The first thing to say about Saturday is the starting line up again took me by suprise. I think the new formation is so versatile, with so many different combinations that it is hard to know who Wenger is going to start with. I expect he is still working his best 11 out himself but it has caught a few people out, not just me. I was expecting Bendtner to start in attack but he went with Diaby again with Eboue in midfield. As I say I suspect it's partly the formation being so versatile and partly Wenger still finding his best 11.
Mannone didn't have much to do. Pushed a header from a corner out as he was moving back towards his line and was a little lucky to have a defender there to clear. Also made a decent save from Jason Scotland in the second half and again was lucky to have the follow up ruled offside. But as I keep saying, luck can often play a big part in football.
Clichy was much improved but after his last few games, which were terrible, that's not saying much. Let's hope he can keep up this level of performance. Sagna and Gallas were solid but it was all about Vermaelen on Saturday. A good, old-fashioned centre back's headed goal from a corner for the first and a not in any way old-fashioned centre back finish for the second. A one-two with Eboue before he swept the ball first time into the top corner.
I think I am not alone in saying Vermaelen is much better than most expected him to be. He is very positive and aggresive in defence. He doesn't just stand off and wait for the attacker to make his move, he wins the ball and puts his man under constant pressure. His touch and passing is first class and he is a threat going forward, as can be seen from the fact that he is now our top scorer with 4 goals in eight games.
Eduardo volleyed a nice cross from Clichy on to the post before following up on the rebound which went in off Eboue's leg for the third. It looked like it was hitting Kirkland so Eboue has been given the goal. A nice turnaround from last December when he was booed off by the Arsenal fans.
Song was busy but will have to do better to not give the ball away sloppily as he did a couple of times on Saturday. Fabregas had a bit of a quiet one despite scoring the fourth after a low cross by Bendnter who came on with Ramsey and Rosicky late on.
Diaby was also quiet but it's nice to have him fit for a while. Hopefully he can up his game as his fitness improves.
RvP had a couple of chances, one in the first half he really should have scored when he was through with his back to goal and rushed his turn and shot.
So all in all a pretty decent performance and an excellent result and finally a clean sheet in the league. I like clean sheets. They breed good habits and defenders and goalkeepers, and the whole team in fact, should be determined to keep a clean sheet every game but we all know that is not really the Wenger way.
Thierry Henry has some great quotes here about Adebayor.
“You have to remember, no matter where you end up, the people who helped make you along the way and gave you the chance.
“I won the treble with Barcelona last year, but I know if it wasn’t for Arsene Wenger and Arsenal I would not be the player I am today.
“I think the same has to be true of Adebayor. He might be one of the world’s top strikers today, but he wasn’t before Arsene got hold of him and gave him that chance.
“When he came from Monaco he wasn’t even getting games back in France and then within two seasons he was a player who was wanted by a lot of top clubs in Europe.
“Arsene puts a lot of investment in you when he sees talent and I don’t think it would hurt for Adebayor to show him, the club and the fans a little more respect.”
He always did have a way with words.
Jay Simpson, on loan at QPR got both goals in their 2-0 away victory at Cardiff. The goals are here, the second was a very nice finish.
Tomorrow we get a first look at the latest batch of Wenger's kids with the first game in the Carling Cup, the home game against West Brom.
The first thing to say about Saturday is the starting line up again took me by suprise. I think the new formation is so versatile, with so many different combinations that it is hard to know who Wenger is going to start with. I expect he is still working his best 11 out himself but it has caught a few people out, not just me. I was expecting Bendtner to start in attack but he went with Diaby again with Eboue in midfield. As I say I suspect it's partly the formation being so versatile and partly Wenger still finding his best 11.
Mannone didn't have much to do. Pushed a header from a corner out as he was moving back towards his line and was a little lucky to have a defender there to clear. Also made a decent save from Jason Scotland in the second half and again was lucky to have the follow up ruled offside. But as I keep saying, luck can often play a big part in football.
Clichy was much improved but after his last few games, which were terrible, that's not saying much. Let's hope he can keep up this level of performance. Sagna and Gallas were solid but it was all about Vermaelen on Saturday. A good, old-fashioned centre back's headed goal from a corner for the first and a not in any way old-fashioned centre back finish for the second. A one-two with Eboue before he swept the ball first time into the top corner.
I think I am not alone in saying Vermaelen is much better than most expected him to be. He is very positive and aggresive in defence. He doesn't just stand off and wait for the attacker to make his move, he wins the ball and puts his man under constant pressure. His touch and passing is first class and he is a threat going forward, as can be seen from the fact that he is now our top scorer with 4 goals in eight games.
Eduardo volleyed a nice cross from Clichy on to the post before following up on the rebound which went in off Eboue's leg for the third. It looked like it was hitting Kirkland so Eboue has been given the goal. A nice turnaround from last December when he was booed off by the Arsenal fans.
Song was busy but will have to do better to not give the ball away sloppily as he did a couple of times on Saturday. Fabregas had a bit of a quiet one despite scoring the fourth after a low cross by Bendnter who came on with Ramsey and Rosicky late on.
Diaby was also quiet but it's nice to have him fit for a while. Hopefully he can up his game as his fitness improves.
RvP had a couple of chances, one in the first half he really should have scored when he was through with his back to goal and rushed his turn and shot.
So all in all a pretty decent performance and an excellent result and finally a clean sheet in the league. I like clean sheets. They breed good habits and defenders and goalkeepers, and the whole team in fact, should be determined to keep a clean sheet every game but we all know that is not really the Wenger way.
Thierry Henry has some great quotes here about Adebayor.
“You have to remember, no matter where you end up, the people who helped make you along the way and gave you the chance.
“I won the treble with Barcelona last year, but I know if it wasn’t for Arsene Wenger and Arsenal I would not be the player I am today.
“I think the same has to be true of Adebayor. He might be one of the world’s top strikers today, but he wasn’t before Arsene got hold of him and gave him that chance.
“When he came from Monaco he wasn’t even getting games back in France and then within two seasons he was a player who was wanted by a lot of top clubs in Europe.
“Arsene puts a lot of investment in you when he sees talent and I don’t think it would hurt for Adebayor to show him, the club and the fans a little more respect.”
He always did have a way with words.
Jay Simpson, on loan at QPR got both goals in their 2-0 away victory at Cardiff. The goals are here, the second was a very nice finish.
Tomorrow we get a first look at the latest batch of Wenger's kids with the first game in the Carling Cup, the home game against West Brom.
Friday, 18 September 2009
Arsenal Vs Wigan Preview
It's back to domestic football tomorrow after Wednesday's bizarre Champions League victory over Liege. Let us hope we can get our domestic campaign back on track after two successive league defeats in Manchester.
The latest team news is that RvP has been passed fit for tomorrow but everyone else is still out. Arshavin hasn't made it and Almunia is, according to Arsenal.com, not match fit. Strange to say that about a player who has played four games already and missed only one due to an illness. I wonder if there is any truth to the rumours he has been dropped because of his poor early season form.
That means Mannone will continue in goal, with hopefully the first choice back four of Clichy, Gallas, Vermaelen and Sagna in place of Eboue from the team that started on Wednesday. In midfield I imagine Cesc and Song will be partnered by Diaby again. I can't see Rosicky starting again but I didn't expect him to start the other day so who knows. There is a chance that Diaby won't start, he has played quite a bit of football recently and with his injury record perhaps Wenger will decide it's time he had a rest. If Diaby doesn't start I can see Eboue joining the midfield two and RvP joining Eduardo and Bendtner in attck.
I was optimistic about the new formation early in the season but suddenly without Arshavin it looks a little unbalanced. I guess it is still early to decide if it is working or not.
It will be a tough game and coming after two defeats in the league and Wednesday's shaky victory it is important Arsenal try and get back to the early season form that brought four victories. The thing I found interesting in those games was that even though Arsenal won them and played well, we only kept one clean sheet, away to Celtic.
Yesterday I mentioned leadership and leaders at Arsenal. I'm reading Patrick Vieira's autobiography, and in it he talks about Tony Adams and his role at Arsenal. He talks about his own role at the club. He mentions that he and other senior players would sometimes approach Wenger with ideas and concerns about the team. He also said they did this for the French national team with Vieira and Henry on occasion raising concerns to the coach.
It got me thinking, especially after Eduardo's backheel, is there anyone who would do this at Arsenal? Is there anyone who would challenge Wenger? Raise concerns about the slack attitude to defending? Arshavin strikes me as the type maybe, perhaps Cesc in his role as captain. Gallas is clearly outspoken. But there seems to be very little evidence of it on the pitch. The other day when Liege came out all guns blazing nobody seemed to have the desire to try and slow the game down and take the sting out of their play. It was one speed, one way to play.
Perhaps I have judged things wrong and there are inquests after defeats and fingers pointed and lessons learnt. It just doesn't seem that way from what is witnessed on the pitch, with the same mistakes made over and over again. Perhaps that is just the consequence of having so many young players.
I'm looking forward to going to a game again after what seems like ages since the Celtic game.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS!!!
The latest team news is that RvP has been passed fit for tomorrow but everyone else is still out. Arshavin hasn't made it and Almunia is, according to Arsenal.com, not match fit. Strange to say that about a player who has played four games already and missed only one due to an illness. I wonder if there is any truth to the rumours he has been dropped because of his poor early season form.
That means Mannone will continue in goal, with hopefully the first choice back four of Clichy, Gallas, Vermaelen and Sagna in place of Eboue from the team that started on Wednesday. In midfield I imagine Cesc and Song will be partnered by Diaby again. I can't see Rosicky starting again but I didn't expect him to start the other day so who knows. There is a chance that Diaby won't start, he has played quite a bit of football recently and with his injury record perhaps Wenger will decide it's time he had a rest. If Diaby doesn't start I can see Eboue joining the midfield two and RvP joining Eduardo and Bendtner in attck.
I was optimistic about the new formation early in the season but suddenly without Arshavin it looks a little unbalanced. I guess it is still early to decide if it is working or not.
It will be a tough game and coming after two defeats in the league and Wednesday's shaky victory it is important Arsenal try and get back to the early season form that brought four victories. The thing I found interesting in those games was that even though Arsenal won them and played well, we only kept one clean sheet, away to Celtic.
Yesterday I mentioned leadership and leaders at Arsenal. I'm reading Patrick Vieira's autobiography, and in it he talks about Tony Adams and his role at Arsenal. He talks about his own role at the club. He mentions that he and other senior players would sometimes approach Wenger with ideas and concerns about the team. He also said they did this for the French national team with Vieira and Henry on occasion raising concerns to the coach.
It got me thinking, especially after Eduardo's backheel, is there anyone who would do this at Arsenal? Is there anyone who would challenge Wenger? Raise concerns about the slack attitude to defending? Arshavin strikes me as the type maybe, perhaps Cesc in his role as captain. Gallas is clearly outspoken. But there seems to be very little evidence of it on the pitch. The other day when Liege came out all guns blazing nobody seemed to have the desire to try and slow the game down and take the sting out of their play. It was one speed, one way to play.
Perhaps I have judged things wrong and there are inquests after defeats and fingers pointed and lessons learnt. It just doesn't seem that way from what is witnessed on the pitch, with the same mistakes made over and over again. Perhaps that is just the consequence of having so many young players.
I'm looking forward to going to a game again after what seems like ages since the Celtic game.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS!!!
Thursday, 17 September 2009
Standard Liege 2-3 Arsenal: Positives and Negatives
With Arsenal two goals down after four minutes I don’t mind admitting that I feared it was all over last night in Belgium. Quite how we managed to win this game is a bit of a mystery to me.
The first goal came after just two minutes when Eduardo tried to backheel the ball to Cesc on the edge of the Arsenal box with Arsenal defending a corner, which was picked up and smashed home as Mangala brushed off Cesc’s attempted challenge. Mannone didn’t really have a chance.
Three minutes later Eboue, for some reason starting ahead of Sagna (“rested” according to Arsenal.com), gave the ball away on the half way line, Liege went on the attack and Gallas clipped the forward’s foot, who probably made the most of it as all forwards do, and a penalty was given. Jovanovic put it away. Again Mannone had no chance. Poor lad had conceded two in five minutes without really doing anything wrong.
What followed in the first half was among the worst Arsenal performances I have ever witnessed under Wenger. Every pass seemed to be too long or short or high. I don’t really remember them having any more chances to score but neither do I remember us having any.
Then Diaby, having one of his “quiet” games shall we call it, on the stroke of half time picked the ball up on the half way line turned his marker and sprinted away from him before feeding Bendtner a lovely pass which he put through the keeper’s legs to pull one back for Arsenal. Worst possible time for them to concede, and best possible time for us.
Surely Arsenal would come out all guns blazing to find an equaliser? Wrong. Song gave the ball away straight from the kick off and they almost scored in the first minute of the second half. After that we played reasonably well, with Tomas Rosicky especially looking good, but it wasn’t until the 77th minute that we managed to draw level. Fabregas swung in a free-kick, one of few decent set pieces we managed last night, which was curling towards the back post. I’m still not sure if Eduardo got a touch but if he did you can add offside to the handball that Song then committed before Vermaelen put it away to level things up. There was definitely a huge slice of luck with this goal but I think we have been due a bit.
Despite Arsenal still not really having played that well, Liege looked there for the taking and Eduardo could have scored after a neat move and in the 81st minute Eduardo (who else after all the diving fuss?) got our third. He turned a Cesc corner in with his knee and while it’s not the greatest goal he will ever score he showed his goalscoring instinct to just get anything on the ball and turn it goalwards. Having started the week banned for this game he ends it having scored the winner. Football has a way of throwing up funny situations like this.
While it is nice to win having not played well, the start to this game shocked me. Too many players are playing poorly at the moment. The only bright spots were Rosicky, a surprise starter, who passed it neatly until he was taken off and Bendtner who worked hard and took his goal well. While injuries are a factor with six probable first team players missing through injury, the players who took their place aren’t exactly new to the first team. Also, established first team players are playing well below their best. Things will have to improve as others teams will not be so generous if we let them take a two goal lead.
What worried me most of all was the lack of leadership once again. We know Wenger trusts his players and treats them like adults and that was fine when the team was made up of Adams and Vieira and experienced top-class internationals. Now we have a young, and more importantly very casual, cavalier team and they need to be told not to try backheels on the edge of your own box when defending a corner. They need to be told not to lose the ball when you have just one man behind you, as Eboue did. Are mistakes learnt from? Are questions asked in the changing room after the game and at training the next day?
This is what I will talk about tomorrow, leadership at Arsenal.
The first goal came after just two minutes when Eduardo tried to backheel the ball to Cesc on the edge of the Arsenal box with Arsenal defending a corner, which was picked up and smashed home as Mangala brushed off Cesc’s attempted challenge. Mannone didn’t really have a chance.
Three minutes later Eboue, for some reason starting ahead of Sagna (“rested” according to Arsenal.com), gave the ball away on the half way line, Liege went on the attack and Gallas clipped the forward’s foot, who probably made the most of it as all forwards do, and a penalty was given. Jovanovic put it away. Again Mannone had no chance. Poor lad had conceded two in five minutes without really doing anything wrong.
What followed in the first half was among the worst Arsenal performances I have ever witnessed under Wenger. Every pass seemed to be too long or short or high. I don’t really remember them having any more chances to score but neither do I remember us having any.
Then Diaby, having one of his “quiet” games shall we call it, on the stroke of half time picked the ball up on the half way line turned his marker and sprinted away from him before feeding Bendtner a lovely pass which he put through the keeper’s legs to pull one back for Arsenal. Worst possible time for them to concede, and best possible time for us.
Surely Arsenal would come out all guns blazing to find an equaliser? Wrong. Song gave the ball away straight from the kick off and they almost scored in the first minute of the second half. After that we played reasonably well, with Tomas Rosicky especially looking good, but it wasn’t until the 77th minute that we managed to draw level. Fabregas swung in a free-kick, one of few decent set pieces we managed last night, which was curling towards the back post. I’m still not sure if Eduardo got a touch but if he did you can add offside to the handball that Song then committed before Vermaelen put it away to level things up. There was definitely a huge slice of luck with this goal but I think we have been due a bit.
Despite Arsenal still not really having played that well, Liege looked there for the taking and Eduardo could have scored after a neat move and in the 81st minute Eduardo (who else after all the diving fuss?) got our third. He turned a Cesc corner in with his knee and while it’s not the greatest goal he will ever score he showed his goalscoring instinct to just get anything on the ball and turn it goalwards. Having started the week banned for this game he ends it having scored the winner. Football has a way of throwing up funny situations like this.
While it is nice to win having not played well, the start to this game shocked me. Too many players are playing poorly at the moment. The only bright spots were Rosicky, a surprise starter, who passed it neatly until he was taken off and Bendtner who worked hard and took his goal well. While injuries are a factor with six probable first team players missing through injury, the players who took their place aren’t exactly new to the first team. Also, established first team players are playing well below their best. Things will have to improve as others teams will not be so generous if we let them take a two goal lead.
What worried me most of all was the lack of leadership once again. We know Wenger trusts his players and treats them like adults and that was fine when the team was made up of Adams and Vieira and experienced top-class internationals. Now we have a young, and more importantly very casual, cavalier team and they need to be told not to try backheels on the edge of your own box when defending a corner. They need to be told not to lose the ball when you have just one man behind you, as Eboue did. Are mistakes learnt from? Are questions asked in the changing room after the game and at training the next day?
This is what I will talk about tomorrow, leadership at Arsenal.
Wednesday, 16 September 2009
Standard Liege Vs Arsenal preview
It’s almost easy to forget, with all the other news flying around at the moment, that we begin our Champions League campaign tonight.
The big team news is that Manuel Almunia is to miss out due to a chest infection. Vito Mannone looks set to fill in, and anyone who saw his rather shaky performances in the Emirates Cup in pre-season will realise this is potentially a big problem. Just two weeks ago I said regarding our goalkeeping situation: “As for back up I feel we could do slightly better, with perhaps a more experienced reserve goalie, but success can come down to luck and how often we need to call on our back up in this position.” Not a good start on that front then. Let’s hope the young Italian is not tested too much.
There are suggestions (completely without substance) that Almunia has been dropped but surely Wenger wouldn’t do this and throw such an inexperienced goalkeeper into action. Then again he did drop Lehmann a few years ago and if you are hoping to give your number 1 a kick up the bum and take a chance in a Champions League group game then the first one is probably the best time to do it. Regardless there is nothing to suggest this is the case.
Robin van Persie and Denilson are also out, but could be back for Saturday.
So we are likely to line up with the same back four of Sagna, Gallas, Vermaelen and Clichy, who will be looking to put Saturday’s horror show behind him.
In midfield Cesc and Song are certainties, most probably joined by either Diaby or Eboue, with the odd one out of those two joining Eduardo and Bendtner in attack. Rosicky, despite looking sharp on Saturday, is likely to be on the bench as Wenger eases him back in. Good to see Wilshere and Sanchez Watty Watt on the bench.
Anyone who saw Liege’s games against Liverpool last year, in which they were narrowly beaten 1-0 on aggregate, will know this will be far from easy. Add our goalkeeping issue and general shaky defensive performances so far and we could be in for a tough night.
In my squad overview, that I quoted from above, I made numerous references to injuries and luck with injuries playing a big part in our season. With an injury list comprising Robin van Persie, Denilson, Almunia, Theo Walcott, Samir Nasri, Andrey Arshavin, Lukasz Fabianski, Johan Djourou and Carlos Vela, things have not started well on that front at all. Quite possibly the first six of those would be in the team if fit so we will do very well to get a result tonight. We shall see…
The big team news is that Manuel Almunia is to miss out due to a chest infection. Vito Mannone looks set to fill in, and anyone who saw his rather shaky performances in the Emirates Cup in pre-season will realise this is potentially a big problem. Just two weeks ago I said regarding our goalkeeping situation: “As for back up I feel we could do slightly better, with perhaps a more experienced reserve goalie, but success can come down to luck and how often we need to call on our back up in this position.” Not a good start on that front then. Let’s hope the young Italian is not tested too much.
There are suggestions (completely without substance) that Almunia has been dropped but surely Wenger wouldn’t do this and throw such an inexperienced goalkeeper into action. Then again he did drop Lehmann a few years ago and if you are hoping to give your number 1 a kick up the bum and take a chance in a Champions League group game then the first one is probably the best time to do it. Regardless there is nothing to suggest this is the case.
Robin van Persie and Denilson are also out, but could be back for Saturday.
So we are likely to line up with the same back four of Sagna, Gallas, Vermaelen and Clichy, who will be looking to put Saturday’s horror show behind him.
In midfield Cesc and Song are certainties, most probably joined by either Diaby or Eboue, with the odd one out of those two joining Eduardo and Bendtner in attack. Rosicky, despite looking sharp on Saturday, is likely to be on the bench as Wenger eases him back in. Good to see Wilshere and Sanchez Watty Watt on the bench.
Anyone who saw Liege’s games against Liverpool last year, in which they were narrowly beaten 1-0 on aggregate, will know this will be far from easy. Add our goalkeeping issue and general shaky defensive performances so far and we could be in for a tough night.
In my squad overview, that I quoted from above, I made numerous references to injuries and luck with injuries playing a big part in our season. With an injury list comprising Robin van Persie, Denilson, Almunia, Theo Walcott, Samir Nasri, Andrey Arshavin, Lukasz Fabianski, Johan Djourou and Carlos Vela, things have not started well on that front at all. Quite possibly the first six of those would be in the team if fit so we will do very well to get a result tonight. We shall see…
Tuesday, 15 September 2009
Man City 4 Arsenal 2, Adebayor, Eduardo
Loads to get through today, but then I have been a bit slack recently so let me get straight into it.
First let me tackle the actual football match that took place on Saturday. After playing reasonably well, without forcing a save from Shay Given despite Gallas coming close, Arsenal fell behind to a comical own goal.
Gareth Barry's free kick was floated in to Richards who nodded it across goal where it struck the post, bounced back and hit the diving Almunia on his back and fell into the goal. While there was some rotten luck, Almunia looked like he was struggling to get across his line, Sagna gave away a silly free kick which led to the goal and Vermaelen won't be pleased at being outjumped so easily be Richards.
Arsenal equalised after a nice turn and shot from Van Persie. Then all hell broke loose. Adebayor, who earlier had stamped on Cesc's ankle appeared to rake his studs on Van Persie's face. This appears to show a stamp. Clichy then lost the ball while storming forward, the covering Song put in a weak attempt at a tackle before the ball was cut back for Bellamy. Then, again down Clichy's side, the ball was crossed for you know who to score. Arsenal by this time were all over the place and conceeded a fourth to Wright-Philips. A smart move earned Arsenal a consolation through Rosicky, who also made Arsenal's first, and it ended 4-2.
The defending was "shaky" by Wenger's own admission but Clichy was especially poor, with three goals coming from his side. If he is going to attack he needs to be provided with proper cover. Also what he does when he gets in the opposition half is another valid question. I struggle to remember a recent goal or assist from Clichy.
Now on to what became the main talking point of the game, the behaviour of Adebayor. As the link above shows, it seems he went out with an agenda on Saturday and while nobody knows if he went out to hurt people he clearly went out with the intention to get stuck in and more. The stamps on Cesc, and especially the one on Van Persie, have no place on a football pitch, people could have been seriosuly injured. As for him running 90 yards to taunt the Arsenal fans, that just about sums him up. In his mind he has been wronged, he was the one who was betrayed. He has forgetten statements he made last year, trying to drum up interest by any club that wanted him. Arsenal fans supported him and more before that. The saddest/funniest thing about this is that history will repeat himself. In a year or 18 months or maybe even a bit more, he will do to Man City what he has done to Arsenal. He has had rows at previous clubs and with his international team. Quite simply he is trouble and we are well rid of him.
Lastly is the news that Eduardo's ban has been overturned by UEFA. After the ridiculous decision to charge him, this was the only sane thing to do. Either they look at all incidents of diving or none at all. They can't pick one at random, ban a player and think that is fair. It has nothing to do with whether or not Eduardo dived and everything to do with consistency.
Tomorrow we have our first Champions League game of the season, away to Standard Liege. More on that tomorrow.
First let me tackle the actual football match that took place on Saturday. After playing reasonably well, without forcing a save from Shay Given despite Gallas coming close, Arsenal fell behind to a comical own goal.
Gareth Barry's free kick was floated in to Richards who nodded it across goal where it struck the post, bounced back and hit the diving Almunia on his back and fell into the goal. While there was some rotten luck, Almunia looked like he was struggling to get across his line, Sagna gave away a silly free kick which led to the goal and Vermaelen won't be pleased at being outjumped so easily be Richards.
Arsenal equalised after a nice turn and shot from Van Persie. Then all hell broke loose. Adebayor, who earlier had stamped on Cesc's ankle appeared to rake his studs on Van Persie's face. This appears to show a stamp. Clichy then lost the ball while storming forward, the covering Song put in a weak attempt at a tackle before the ball was cut back for Bellamy. Then, again down Clichy's side, the ball was crossed for you know who to score. Arsenal by this time were all over the place and conceeded a fourth to Wright-Philips. A smart move earned Arsenal a consolation through Rosicky, who also made Arsenal's first, and it ended 4-2.
The defending was "shaky" by Wenger's own admission but Clichy was especially poor, with three goals coming from his side. If he is going to attack he needs to be provided with proper cover. Also what he does when he gets in the opposition half is another valid question. I struggle to remember a recent goal or assist from Clichy.
Now on to what became the main talking point of the game, the behaviour of Adebayor. As the link above shows, it seems he went out with an agenda on Saturday and while nobody knows if he went out to hurt people he clearly went out with the intention to get stuck in and more. The stamps on Cesc, and especially the one on Van Persie, have no place on a football pitch, people could have been seriosuly injured. As for him running 90 yards to taunt the Arsenal fans, that just about sums him up. In his mind he has been wronged, he was the one who was betrayed. He has forgetten statements he made last year, trying to drum up interest by any club that wanted him. Arsenal fans supported him and more before that. The saddest/funniest thing about this is that history will repeat himself. In a year or 18 months or maybe even a bit more, he will do to Man City what he has done to Arsenal. He has had rows at previous clubs and with his international team. Quite simply he is trouble and we are well rid of him.
Lastly is the news that Eduardo's ban has been overturned by UEFA. After the ridiculous decision to charge him, this was the only sane thing to do. Either they look at all incidents of diving or none at all. They can't pick one at random, ban a player and think that is fair. It has nothing to do with whether or not Eduardo dived and everything to do with consistency.
Tomorrow we have our first Champions League game of the season, away to Standard Liege. More on that tomorrow.
Tuesday, 8 September 2009
Child Catching
It seems the media have got bored with the diving fuss already and moved on to the next big storm; child catching.
This all kicked off following Chelsea’s transfer ban for signing Gael Kakuta from Lens. Since the announcement Man Utd have been accused by Le Harve over Paul Pogba and today Manchester City have denied any wrongdoing after Rennes reported them to Fifa for “unlawfully signing a young player”.
The problem seems to be that, it is claimed, Chelsea induced Kakuta to break his contract with Lens. Le Harve are claiming Man Utd offered financial inducements to Pogba's family and Rennes say the 17-year-old Jeremy Helan was bound to a pre-contract agreement.
Signing young players from abroad is nothing new and Arsenal fans know this better than anyone. In fact you might argue that it was Arsenal who started this trend off. Far better, and cheaper, to sign a player at 16 or 17 and develop him yourself than wait until he is a superstar and will cost millions.
However, without the player himself making the first team for the club that develops him or the club being paid, what is the incentive for them to continue with youth development? Why should Lens spend millions of pounds to develop young players if big teams will steal them?
Arsenal has courted similar controversy over the years and obviously the most high profile of these captures was Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona. While Arsenal hasn’t faced any punishment (as far as I can remember) Fran Merida was fined £2.1m back in October 2007 for infringing his contract, although this is under appeal.
The problem arises because players in the UK can sign professional contracts at 16, a year or two earlier than they can on the continent. The only way to stop this is to harmonise the rules. Clubs are desperate to get any advantage they can. So if they can sign young stars for peanuts they will do it. This also happens with teams signing players from English clubs further down the leagues, but they are usually entitled to compensation if there is a complaint.
While we are on the subject of Fabregas, he had some interesting things to say in this interview.
This all kicked off following Chelsea’s transfer ban for signing Gael Kakuta from Lens. Since the announcement Man Utd have been accused by Le Harve over Paul Pogba and today Manchester City have denied any wrongdoing after Rennes reported them to Fifa for “unlawfully signing a young player”.
The problem seems to be that, it is claimed, Chelsea induced Kakuta to break his contract with Lens. Le Harve are claiming Man Utd offered financial inducements to Pogba's family and Rennes say the 17-year-old Jeremy Helan was bound to a pre-contract agreement.
Signing young players from abroad is nothing new and Arsenal fans know this better than anyone. In fact you might argue that it was Arsenal who started this trend off. Far better, and cheaper, to sign a player at 16 or 17 and develop him yourself than wait until he is a superstar and will cost millions.
However, without the player himself making the first team for the club that develops him or the club being paid, what is the incentive for them to continue with youth development? Why should Lens spend millions of pounds to develop young players if big teams will steal them?
Arsenal has courted similar controversy over the years and obviously the most high profile of these captures was Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona. While Arsenal hasn’t faced any punishment (as far as I can remember) Fran Merida was fined £2.1m back in October 2007 for infringing his contract, although this is under appeal.
The problem arises because players in the UK can sign professional contracts at 16, a year or two earlier than they can on the continent. The only way to stop this is to harmonise the rules. Clubs are desperate to get any advantage they can. So if they can sign young stars for peanuts they will do it. This also happens with teams signing players from English clubs further down the leagues, but they are usually entitled to compensation if there is a complaint.
While we are on the subject of Fabregas, he had some interesting things to say in this interview.
Monday, 7 September 2009
Diving
With the absence of any real football over the weekend, I thought I’d give my two pence worth on all the diving talk that has been going around since the Eduardo incident against Celtic.
This diving story keeps circulating, I suspect, simply because the media (and those whiny blogs etc.) have decided this is a subject that can fill the sports pages until they find the next thing to moan about. Also England have a big game on Wednesday. Against Croatia. Which happens to be who Eduardo plays for. And the English newspapers love a villain, and its Eduardo’s turn. Cue Eduardo being jeered every time he touches the ball on Wednesday.
The truth is that diving is something that any player from any country may be guilty of. It’s something John Terry and Wayne Rooney would do well to remember after their recent comments. Terry says those pesky foreigners are to blame and Rooney saying he is an “honest” pro. A quick search of Youtube for “Rooney dive” will bring up quite a few results, and he is not alone, as F365’s Mediawatch helpfully demonstrates.
Perhaps the foreign players realised earlier than their English counterparts that conning the ref by diving was a neat trick, but Gerrard, Owen, Rooney and the rest have shown that they are not to be left behind and are now stride for stride with the overseas players when it comes to diving. But this “diving foreigners” tag seems to have stuck. Still, it was nice of Rooney to keep the debate going with his not-a-dive-in-anyway-penalty on Saturday. Look on the bright side, only 5 more days until Arsenal play again.
On the Arsenal front, Johan Djourou is our for six months after undergoing knee surgery. As I said last week our success this season could come down to how lucky we are with injuries, Add this to Cesc, Nasri and Rosicky and it’s not been a good start on that front. Let's hope we are getting them out of the way early.
This leaves us with just Silvestre and Senderos (and Song I guess) as cover for Gallas and Vermaelen. Let’s just hope the first choice pair remains fit.
Nicklas Bendtner scored a very good goal for Denmark, showing what he can do if he gets in the box.
And that's about it. A quiet day on the Arsenal front then.
This diving story keeps circulating, I suspect, simply because the media (and those whiny blogs etc.) have decided this is a subject that can fill the sports pages until they find the next thing to moan about. Also England have a big game on Wednesday. Against Croatia. Which happens to be who Eduardo plays for. And the English newspapers love a villain, and its Eduardo’s turn. Cue Eduardo being jeered every time he touches the ball on Wednesday.
The truth is that diving is something that any player from any country may be guilty of. It’s something John Terry and Wayne Rooney would do well to remember after their recent comments. Terry says those pesky foreigners are to blame and Rooney saying he is an “honest” pro. A quick search of Youtube for “Rooney dive” will bring up quite a few results, and he is not alone, as F365’s Mediawatch helpfully demonstrates.
Perhaps the foreign players realised earlier than their English counterparts that conning the ref by diving was a neat trick, but Gerrard, Owen, Rooney and the rest have shown that they are not to be left behind and are now stride for stride with the overseas players when it comes to diving. But this “diving foreigners” tag seems to have stuck. Still, it was nice of Rooney to keep the debate going with his not-a-dive-in-anyway-penalty on Saturday. Look on the bright side, only 5 more days until Arsenal play again.
On the Arsenal front, Johan Djourou is our for six months after undergoing knee surgery. As I said last week our success this season could come down to how lucky we are with injuries, Add this to Cesc, Nasri and Rosicky and it’s not been a good start on that front. Let's hope we are getting them out of the way early.
This leaves us with just Silvestre and Senderos (and Song I guess) as cover for Gallas and Vermaelen. Let’s just hope the first choice pair remains fit.
Nicklas Bendtner scored a very good goal for Denmark, showing what he can do if he gets in the box.
And that's about it. A quiet day on the Arsenal front then.
Friday, 4 September 2009
Attack
Concluding my look at Arsenal’s squad going into season 2009/10 is the review of the strikers.
Robin van Persie seems to have graduated to the role of first choice striker after a fine season in 2008/09 and the departure of Adebayor. He probably had his best season in an Arsenal shirt and this coincided with a spell without a serious injury, which have often blighted the Dutchman. 20 goals last season finally proved that he can be prolific in front of goal as well as providing for others, which seemed to be his strength. Has started this season well and despite not getting off the mark has looked good in front of goal and was unlucky not to score against Portsmouth and Man Utd. My biggest concern, with the exception of the aforementioned injuries is that he has started the season as the central striker when I think he would be better suited further out left or right in the front three we play with now.
This brings me on to our next striker, Nicklas Bendtner. Bendtner has started in a wide role and should probably play through the middle. It’s a strange one, to look at Bendtner you would say he is a typical big centre forward but the way he plays suggest that he or Wenger fancy him as something else. Often used on the left last season, he has started this season on the right of our front three. I can’t understand why he doesn’t swap with van Persie, after all this is a very similar role to the one van Persie plays for his national side. Having signed a new contract this week it’s a big season for Nicklas, especially as he is the main big man in the squad now his old friend Adebayor has left.
Eduardo is the best finisher in the squad and has looked sharp so far this season. Also has the benefit of being versatile enough to play anywhere across the front three. I hope all this rubbish about his dive doesn’t affect his confidence too much. Hopefully he can stay clear of the niggly injuries that he picked up at the end of last season and get back to his pre-injury form.
Theo Walcott has a big year ahead of him. A hat-trick away in Croatia for England looked like the moment when he may finally begin to regularly produce what his potential has hinted at for so long. Unfortunately an injury has delayed his start to the season but may be back after the international break. Another who could probably play anywhere in the front three, and also offers the most pace out of the strikers, Theo will be hoping to finally deliver this year and cement his place in the England squad, this time deservedly and not some bizarre experiment as it seemed to be in 2006.
Carlos Vela picked up an ankle injury while away with Mexico last month so he’s another one who has had his start to the season delayed. Also one who will benefit from the new formation as I think he looks a better bet in a more central role, if not as the main striker. Looked decent in spells last year, here’s hoping he can transfer some of his League Cup form over to the bigger games.
So there we have it, assuming nobody else emerges from the youth ranks, that is our squad until January. Going through it in this way has made me think we are stronger than I would have first thought. Perhaps a bit more strength in depth at centre back and a defensive central midfielder to cover Song (and maybe one of those world class goalkeepers I mentioned) would be a priority I guess but as far as first eleven goes we look in pretty good shape. Let us hope we have some luck with injuries, which we have lacked in each of the last two years, and perhaps we can achieve something this season with this squad.
Robin van Persie seems to have graduated to the role of first choice striker after a fine season in 2008/09 and the departure of Adebayor. He probably had his best season in an Arsenal shirt and this coincided with a spell without a serious injury, which have often blighted the Dutchman. 20 goals last season finally proved that he can be prolific in front of goal as well as providing for others, which seemed to be his strength. Has started this season well and despite not getting off the mark has looked good in front of goal and was unlucky not to score against Portsmouth and Man Utd. My biggest concern, with the exception of the aforementioned injuries is that he has started the season as the central striker when I think he would be better suited further out left or right in the front three we play with now.
This brings me on to our next striker, Nicklas Bendtner. Bendtner has started in a wide role and should probably play through the middle. It’s a strange one, to look at Bendtner you would say he is a typical big centre forward but the way he plays suggest that he or Wenger fancy him as something else. Often used on the left last season, he has started this season on the right of our front three. I can’t understand why he doesn’t swap with van Persie, after all this is a very similar role to the one van Persie plays for his national side. Having signed a new contract this week it’s a big season for Nicklas, especially as he is the main big man in the squad now his old friend Adebayor has left.
Eduardo is the best finisher in the squad and has looked sharp so far this season. Also has the benefit of being versatile enough to play anywhere across the front three. I hope all this rubbish about his dive doesn’t affect his confidence too much. Hopefully he can stay clear of the niggly injuries that he picked up at the end of last season and get back to his pre-injury form.
Theo Walcott has a big year ahead of him. A hat-trick away in Croatia for England looked like the moment when he may finally begin to regularly produce what his potential has hinted at for so long. Unfortunately an injury has delayed his start to the season but may be back after the international break. Another who could probably play anywhere in the front three, and also offers the most pace out of the strikers, Theo will be hoping to finally deliver this year and cement his place in the England squad, this time deservedly and not some bizarre experiment as it seemed to be in 2006.
Carlos Vela picked up an ankle injury while away with Mexico last month so he’s another one who has had his start to the season delayed. Also one who will benefit from the new formation as I think he looks a better bet in a more central role, if not as the main striker. Looked decent in spells last year, here’s hoping he can transfer some of his League Cup form over to the bigger games.
So there we have it, assuming nobody else emerges from the youth ranks, that is our squad until January. Going through it in this way has made me think we are stronger than I would have first thought. Perhaps a bit more strength in depth at centre back and a defensive central midfielder to cover Song (and maybe one of those world class goalkeepers I mentioned) would be a priority I guess but as far as first eleven goes we look in pretty good shape. Let us hope we have some luck with injuries, which we have lacked in each of the last two years, and perhaps we can achieve something this season with this squad.
Thursday, 3 September 2009
Midfield
Continuing my look at our squad for the 2009/10 season, today I will be going through Arsenal’s midfield.
First up the man who wrapped up yesterday’s review of the defence, Alex Song. One of Arsenal’s most improved players of recent years, I don’t think anyone anticipated him developing into the player he has become, and threatens to develop into. Well, with the possible exception of Mr Wenger. It’s a massive season for Song and his role in the squad is huge. As Arsenal’s only natural defensive midfielder, much will depend on his form and his luck with injuries. Also he may be disappearing for a month if Cameroon qualify for the African Cup of Nations. While he can cover at the back, as our main defensive midfielder and with 5 centre backs in the squad, it’s unlikely he will be asked to. I have a suspicion however that Wenger sees him as a defender in the long term.
Denilson seems to be one of those players who doesn’t excel in any major way but ticks lots of boxes. He gets through loads of running and is a decent tackler and passer, although he gives it away a little too much. He also has a pretty good shot on him at times and scores the odd goal. But he doesn’t really set the world alight in any one area and is the kind of player who you may fail to see in a game despite the work he does. Probably closest to being able to replace Song in a defensive midfielder role but really must cut out giving it away cheaply to really improve his game.
I don’t think there is much I can say about Fabregas that hasn’t already been said. Let’s just hope he stays fit and away from Barcelona’s clutches.
Abou Diaby must be the most frustrating player in Arsenal’s current squad. He can look both amazingly talented and completely clueless in the same game, as the game on Saturday against Man Utd demonstrated. The most ridiculous own goal followed by a great run which almost ended in a goal at the other end. If he can stay injury free, a big if, we will hopefully get to see the real Diaby.
Samir Nasri had a good first season and is unlucky to start this season with an injury. I think he is one who could be helped by our new 4-3-3 formation as he seems to have more joy through the middle than out wide.
Andrey Arshavin showed last season, and again against Man Utd, what Wenger was referring to when he said he was only looking to buy super quality players last season. The little Russian has looked a class act and hopefully he can have a big impact in his first full season.
Tomas Rosicky just needs to get fit. Nothing else needs to be said at the moment.
Jack Wilshire, Fran Merida and Aaron Ramsey will all be hoping to get as much playing time as possible and hopefully a bit more time to show what they can do in the Carling Cup. I don’t think its right to put too much pressure on these young lads just yet so anything from them at the moment is a bonus.
The biggest change this season has been the formation. Pretty much exclusively a 4-4-2 man, Wenger has begun this season with a 4-3-3 system with the team playing a high pressing game. I’m sure Barcelona will agree that imitation is the sincerest from of flattery. I think this formation suits us best with the players we have. Without any real wingers in the squad this seems to be a good fit. Also without a really dominant defensive midfielder, playing three in the middle makes sense. Much will depend on luck with injuries but so far, even taking the defeat at Old Trafford into account, the first signs are positive.
Friday I’ll analyse the front men.
First up the man who wrapped up yesterday’s review of the defence, Alex Song. One of Arsenal’s most improved players of recent years, I don’t think anyone anticipated him developing into the player he has become, and threatens to develop into. Well, with the possible exception of Mr Wenger. It’s a massive season for Song and his role in the squad is huge. As Arsenal’s only natural defensive midfielder, much will depend on his form and his luck with injuries. Also he may be disappearing for a month if Cameroon qualify for the African Cup of Nations. While he can cover at the back, as our main defensive midfielder and with 5 centre backs in the squad, it’s unlikely he will be asked to. I have a suspicion however that Wenger sees him as a defender in the long term.
Denilson seems to be one of those players who doesn’t excel in any major way but ticks lots of boxes. He gets through loads of running and is a decent tackler and passer, although he gives it away a little too much. He also has a pretty good shot on him at times and scores the odd goal. But he doesn’t really set the world alight in any one area and is the kind of player who you may fail to see in a game despite the work he does. Probably closest to being able to replace Song in a defensive midfielder role but really must cut out giving it away cheaply to really improve his game.
I don’t think there is much I can say about Fabregas that hasn’t already been said. Let’s just hope he stays fit and away from Barcelona’s clutches.
Abou Diaby must be the most frustrating player in Arsenal’s current squad. He can look both amazingly talented and completely clueless in the same game, as the game on Saturday against Man Utd demonstrated. The most ridiculous own goal followed by a great run which almost ended in a goal at the other end. If he can stay injury free, a big if, we will hopefully get to see the real Diaby.
Samir Nasri had a good first season and is unlucky to start this season with an injury. I think he is one who could be helped by our new 4-3-3 formation as he seems to have more joy through the middle than out wide.
Andrey Arshavin showed last season, and again against Man Utd, what Wenger was referring to when he said he was only looking to buy super quality players last season. The little Russian has looked a class act and hopefully he can have a big impact in his first full season.
Tomas Rosicky just needs to get fit. Nothing else needs to be said at the moment.
Jack Wilshire, Fran Merida and Aaron Ramsey will all be hoping to get as much playing time as possible and hopefully a bit more time to show what they can do in the Carling Cup. I don’t think its right to put too much pressure on these young lads just yet so anything from them at the moment is a bonus.
The biggest change this season has been the formation. Pretty much exclusively a 4-4-2 man, Wenger has begun this season with a 4-3-3 system with the team playing a high pressing game. I’m sure Barcelona will agree that imitation is the sincerest from of flattery. I think this formation suits us best with the players we have. Without any real wingers in the squad this seems to be a good fit. Also without a really dominant defensive midfielder, playing three in the middle makes sense. Much will depend on luck with injuries but so far, even taking the defeat at Old Trafford into account, the first signs are positive.
Friday I’ll analyse the front men.
Wednesday, 2 September 2009
Squad
The transfer window closed yesterday and, as expected, there weren’t any more signings by Arsenal. So this is the squad we are stuck with, until January at least. Since Arsenal news is likely to be thin over the next week due to the international games, it might be a good time to have a look at our squad and see how it is shaping up for the season ahead.
First up, the goalkeepers and defence.
I don’t think anyone would argue that Manuel Almunia hasn’t improved vastly since being promoted to number one. However there were many over the summer who felt that this was an area that could have been improved but I’m not so sure. Don’t get me wrong, there are better goalkeepers in the world than Manuel but to buy a real top class goalkeeper would have cost a fortune and as this isn’t a priority for Wenger we are stuck with Manuel for another season. I feel he’s a good shot stopper but my only concern is in big games, as we saw over the weekend against Man Utd, Manuel has a tendency to make the wrong decision about coming off his line. Still, he continues to improve and I feel reasonably confident about another season with Manuel as our number one. As for back up I feel we could do slightly better, with perhaps a more experienced reserve goalie, but success can come down to luck and how often we need to call on our back up in this position. Fabianski showed last season that he still has a lot to learn so let’s hope Manuel stays fit.
Bacary Sagna was going to have a hard time replicating his excellent first season form and I think it’s fair to say last season was slightly below his best. Despite this he remains one of the best in the league but I would like to see him improve his crossing to go with his solid defensive play. Emmanuel Eboue, if used as 2nd choice right back is more than capable cover and I feel this is his best position.
Gael Clichy also slightly dipped below his best last year. A few mistakes seem to stay with him and he struggled to recapture his best form. Despite this, he also remains among the best in his position in the league, and hopefully he can get back to his best this season. We seem spoilt in this department with Kieran Gibbs and Armand Traore providing decent cover for
William Gallas has started this season as he ended the last; in great form. Since his outburst and subsequently losing the captaincy he seems to have a point to prove. As a result his form has been tremendous and long may it continue. At this rate perhaps even a new contract may be on the cards.
His new central defensive partner Thomas Vermaelen has started his Arsenal career well and looks a great buy. He seems to compliment Gallas well and while is not the tallest he seems to make up for it with his positioning. He had a good game against Man Utd, which was his first big test, and hopefully he can keep it up.
We have three, maybe four, who can cover here. Johan Djourou, injured at the start of the season, really needs a good season if he is to make the grade at Arsenal but may find chances limited.
Philippe Senderos looked like he was on his way to Everton about a month ago and it is not clear if we were unable to line up a replacement or Everton got cold feet but Philippe remains an Arsenal player for now. I like Senderos and it would be great if he could push for a first team spot but can’t help thinking he is more suited to a slower league such as Serie A.
Mikael Silvestre also provides cover here, and at left back if needed, but I think the less said about him the better.
Alex Song, interestingly listed under defenders on Arsenal.com, can also provide cover here but with our lack of defensive midfielders I wouldn’t expect to see him play many games at centre back, despite looking comfortable on most occasions when asked to play here.
Tomorrow I’ll go through the midfield.
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