Are We Still 1 Player Short?

September 4, 2013

So after the excitement of the victory in the NLD, and the deadline day transfer of a truly world class player that smashed our record and the record for the transfer of any German player, it is maybe time to reflect on whether this current squad has the personnel and resources to win some major silverware.

I personally don’t think it is entirely necessary to have literally covered all areas of the squad, and is possibly not even realistic. There are plenty of examples of teams winning major silverware while still having question-marks about certain areas of the team either in terms of quality or strength in depth in certain departments. Sometimes that deficiency, and lack of cover, bites back at you and you fall short, and sometimes you ride it out and turn out winners anyway. Often the key is having adaptability in the squad where you have 4-5 players with the ability to cover other positions aside from their best one.

Looking at our squad I would break it down as follows :-

Goal-keepers :

I still have Chezzer (or TPIG to many) as our number 1 and am happy with this. I feel he is already a top class keeper and will only improve further. The addition of Viviano and the presence of an improved Fabianski, I personally think makes us strong in this department.

Verdict – Good number 1 and good cover in reserve.

Defence and defensive midfield :

I have paired the DM and defence together because of the potential adaptability factor in certain players. I actually think we are well covered in both these areas now largely due to the acquisition of Flamini. I look at it as having 2 very good right FB’s in Sagna and Jenkinson and 2 very good left FB’s in Gibbs and Monreal. We know Flamini is well capable of covering the left FB role and surely as a right footed player that should translate (if needed in an extreme situation) to being able to cover the right FB position. Central defence sees us with 3 senior and experienced centre backs to rotate in, Mertesacker, Koscielny, and Vermaelen. With Sagna also proving very able in this position how many more players can we accommodate or do we desperately need in the defensive areas?

Defensive midfield has been Arteta’s role in recent times and one he still performs to a high level. His most natural replacement is now Flamini whose acquisition has given us extra squad depth and more importantly added experience here. Beyond those 2, Ramsey and Wilshere playing as a deeper 2 don’t look easy to break down either, and even Rosicky can put in a shift in a deeper role if he is with the right partner.

Verdict – Quality FB’s, CD’s and DM’s as first choice and good adaptability with certain players to provide all round squad depth.

Attacking central midfield :

Probably our highest quality area with the greatest strength in depth. In our most attacking line up we have a maximum of 2 positions up for grabs here and have a choice of Cazorla, Ozil, Wilshere, Ramsey, and Rosicky before we even get to looking at some of the quality youngsters like Eisfeld and Zelalem.

Verdict – Well covered, if not the best in the league in this area.

Attacking wide players / inside forwards :

Having lost Gervinho we are left with 2 players who play mostly in these positions in Walcott and Podolski. At face value this looks like a slightly depleted position, especially considering Podolski’s lengthy lay off, but some of our quality and experienced ACM’s are well able to play in these positions, namely Cazorla, Rosicky, Ozil and Wilshere. I also feel that at least one of the young emerging players will get some increased playing time in this position this season, most likely Gnabry, so although another specialist attacking wide player may have been nice, we are still well covered and I don’t personally feel this will be the area that could potentially cost us this season.

Verdict – One more top attacking wide player would have been nice but we can still cover this area with high quality from within the squad.

Lead striker (number 9) :

This for me, and probably for many of you out there, is the one area that we may be caught short in. Worryingly reading between the lines with some reports that AW made last ditch bids for Rooney, Benteke, Djemba Ba, and Javier Pastore, it appears our esteemed manager recognised this as well. It is possibly the one area in this TW that I could find criticism with. We left it too late, and I think we possibly could have actually got a couple of those players if we had gone for them earlier. There are other potential missed opportunities. For instance how many of you would welcome the addition of David Villa to our squad right now and feel that we would be far more complete and have greater strength in depth up front, and be ready to challenge for the title if he were with us. He went for something around £5M I believe.

AW went big for a world class number 9 and I actually bear him no grudges on this, even if it has slightly backfired. The transfer window at the top end of the market is fraught with difficulties, especially with the addition of 2 new oil backed clubs in France snapping up quality players we may have normally had a chance with. This kind of situation and disappointment is not unique to Arsenal amongst the top clubs, and we just need to adapt and be strong until we have other options.

Ollie Giroud is now our only recognised regular number 9. Podolski had started to play this role a bit more recently, but is now out injured until Christmas. I have championed Walcott for the role in the past but am starting to prefer him as an attacking wide player. He could of course be an option for the role, but I feel it would depend on the type of opposition being faced. We have 2 youngsters that are more ready than some of the other young players to drop into the number 9 role in Sanogo and Akpom, but both have draw-backs with regard to age and experience at this level, and in Sanogo’s case also acclimatisation to the EPL.

The last option is one Mr Bendtner. Now many will laugh this one off but I have had pause for thought. For me NB is not the future of Arsenal or good enough to be a regular first team player, but also I don’t perceive him as a bad player either. He has far more big game experience than either Sanogo or Akpom and if fit he is the closest thing we have to Giroud in terms of a player who can hold the ball up and bring team-mates into play.

I think Ollie is a better goal-scorer and all round player, but if you look at the quality of our attacking midfielders behind the number 9 now, then it is maybe more important that our current number 9’s are players that can hold the ball up and bring advancing team-mates into play. I believe a fit NB can do this. His future is maybe not with us but it will not do him any harm to come into games with us and put on a good show and help us win games. We obviously benefit, and he would benefit where would be suitors will suddenly look at him differently. My hope is that if and when Bendtner is called upon, that the Arsenal faithful pay due respect and don’t start muttering. If he pulls on the Arsenal shirt and gives his all he deserves our support, even if his time with us is limited. It will not be too dissimilar to having a loan player in my mind.

Verdict on the number 9 – our weakest area, and needs addressing when we can, but I still feel we can overcome any deficiencies here for a while.

In summary and as I said earlier other teams have historically prevailed and won titles with slightly deficient areas in their squad and we just have to do the same. It is what it is now till the January transfer window and / or players are returning from injury. I actually believe we have a fantastic squad with great strength in depth maybe barring the one position, but I still feel that is a hurdle we can overcome.

Written by GoonerB

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Confounding the Critics : Arsenal 1 Tottenham Hotspur 0

September 2, 2013

This is not a match report, its a bunch of ramblings from a very happy Gooner with no real structure.

Lets start as we mean to go on, with a bloody good laugh. Laugh at the media, laugh at Levy’s £109m investment, laugh at AVB sprinting down the touch line to tell Kyle Walker to launch the ball in to the box because he was too thick to realise it was 30 seconds to go, laugh at all those who say Arsene Wenger doesn’t do tactics.

Yesterday our wily old Frenchman won the tactical battle, and the players executed it perfectly. Looking at the line ups it appeared that Spurs had been set up to create a solid defensive unit and to spring counter attacks using the pace of Townsend and Chadli feeding Soldado (I’m glad at this point the teamsheet is there as it indeed shows that they had a centre forward on the pitch £28m worth apparently).

Wenger had a trick up his sleeve, their midfield three lacked mobility, so Wenger set us up not to push too high, their attacking three were isolated and red and white shirts crowded them out and regained possession with relative ease. And when we won possession we had the pace and numbers to look threatening running at the heart of the Tottenham defence.

Wenger was rewarded by his players with a beautifully fashioned goal, at pace the ball was pinged around and players moved with intent, Theo was set free down the right with Spurs defenders not knowing who to mark, Giroud pulled Dawson this way and that before darting towards the near post to produce a deft finish to the bottom corner from Theo’s accurate cross.

giro goal

After the goal we were content to continue the game plan, sitting deep, defending strongly and maximising use of the football when we had it. We were so comfortable that AVB started to change his team pushing Paulinho further forward, which just gave us more room to play forward when we did have the ball.

Despite having very little possession we continued to look threatening on the break, a better pass or a better touch at the crucial moment and we could have had a second.

Just before half time Jack Wilshere was removed feeling unwell and was replaced by Flamini, it wasn’t long before we got to see why it was a “no brainer” for Arsene. Flamini slotted straight in, for the rest of the half and all of the second he was one of the first to press the ball, organising those around him not used to such a battle. Those around him responded, Ramsey, Santi, Rosicky and Theo all prepared to do the more unpleasant side of the game, winning the ball back, fighting for possession.

I haven’t even moved on to the defence yet, they were simply magnificent, Soldado did not get a touch from Koscielny, Chadli and Townsend were kept relatively quiet by Gibbs and Jenkinson and Mertesacker did what he does best, provides calm assurance to those around him and reading the game inside out. And when they did breach the defensive unit Szczesny produced an absolutely top class save.

With players tiring and Spurs throwing more bodies forward it did get a little tense in the last ten minutes. We struggled to clear our lines and hold onto possession further up the pitch, especially once Rosicky and Theo had been replaced by Monreal and Sagna respectively. Giroud had been able to rely on those two for most of the game to be his outlet when trying to hold the ball up, now off the pitch he was looking more isolated but what I think we are all beginning to love about Oli is his work rate, he does not stop competing for his mates. Anyone watch MotD on Saturday night? A certain Mr Berbatov (that player that Arsene should have signed last summer) was sulking around St James’s Park. I know which of the two I’d rather have in my team.

All in all a very good days work, this wasn’t our most fluent display, but it was the kind of performance many of us have been waiting for. So many of my Spurs supporting clients were quick to text me after our defeat by Villa, I’ve kept my powder dry, when should I text, first thing in the morning, or when we’ve announced three super super quality signings?

Ratings:

Szczesny : 9 comfortable handling all game, good distribution especially under pressure and two cracking saves.

Jenkinson : 8 disciplined at right back, considerably helped by Theo occupying Walker

Gibbs : 7 given a bit of a working over by Townsend early on but ordinary service was resumed for the next 70 minutes, not helped by no one occupying Rose.

Koscielny : 9 is he pleased to see us or is that a £28m striker in his pocket.

Mertesacker : 8 leads by example.

Wilshere : 7 not his normal effervescent self but considering illness unsurprising

Ramsey : 9 lead the team in tackles, touches and attempted passes.

Cazorla : 9 the boy is class

Walcott : 8 used his pace to worry Spurs when we had the ball and defended well when we didn’t

Giroud : 9 a great finish, constantly working for his team, goal line block.

Subs:

Flamini : 8 it was indeed a no brainer

Monreal : 7 did what he had to

Sagna : 7 ditto

Wenger : 10 out tacticted the young pretender

Enjoy transfer deadline Gooners bathing in the warm afterglow of a North London Derby win.

Gooner in Exile

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Fulham 1 Arsenal 3 “A thoroughly professional performance.”

August 25, 2013

You have got to love Martin Jol; he sets out his teams in the same attacking formation every time he plays against Arsenal and every time they lose, ok there was the one exception but that, as far as I am concerned, only proves the rule; he certainly was never able to beat an Arsene Wenger team while manager of Tottenham and he was no where near doing so yesterday.

Arsenal carried on from where they left off on Wednesday against Fenerbahce beating Fulham at Craven Cottage in what turned out to be a convincing style. 3-1 to the good guys was just what we needed to get the media off our backs, to stop rogue Arsenal supporters taking swipes at the club and to set us up nicely for the coming game against Tottenham.

poldi v fulham

Wenger rotated his squad (lol) leaving Wilshere on the bench, moving Rosicky further back and adding Podolski to the front. This was a very attacking move that had the much desired effect, in my view, of helping Giroud avoid being isolated which he appeared to for the best part of the game against the Turks.

The tactics seemed to be to play our way past Fulham’s onward rushing attack and pick our way round their defence. This required accurate, pin-ball passing which as the game went on Arsenal were doing with more and more fluency and speed.

The break through came after a long range shot from Ramsey was deftly, yes deftly, controlled by Giroud before poking it past the keeper for his now customary goal per game. I have noticed that since the Frenchman has been scoring so regularly that the priority signing to some is shifting from wanting a striker to wanting a centre back, well not for me; I still feel that Suarez would score twice as many of those kind of goals if he were to come to the home of football. That said, I don’t want to appear to be ungrateful to Ollie, the man works like a Trojan, always putting in a shift; he really is the perfect example of what a team player should be.

Being a goal up forced Fulham to come onto us and that in turn forced the focus onto our back line which I must say I thought put in their best performance to date, there was a real understanding between them: Mertasacker oozed confidence, Sagna got better and better as the game went on, Gibbs was simply very good once again and Jenkinson never seemed to be caught out of position, as he is sometimes prone to doing, with Sagna there watching his back.

During the game I was trying to work out, if I were to write the report, who I would award the MOTM to? For ages I couldn’t see anyone who stood out as every player seemed to be doing his job very well; Ramsey may have been given it by the BT sports and indeed he did play well but no better than Cazorla who seems to have finally digested that massive paella he consumed during the close season; the magic in those boots is back, the twists and turns that takes him past opponents are one of the vital skills that makes us a better than the likes of Fulham. I toyed for ages with the MOTM going to the team but then it became clear, there was one player who produced something over and above what I think we have come to expect – Lucas Podolski is my MOTM, scorer of two goals that gave us the points and put smiles on our faces this Sunday morning.

When we are one up space appears and Theo usually starts to shine, yesterday was no exception and it was one of his runs, combined with a Cazorla shot, parried by the Fulham keeper that fell for our Johnny on the spot, Lucas Pololski to side foot in from 18 yards, no easy task, the man did well and gave us a two goal cushion to go into half time with.

If Theo starts to shine at one-nil up he becomes lethal when we go two up, it was his charging run and the quick feet of Cazorla that brought about the third goal for Pololski who rifled home, low and true.

Wilshere came on and added a bit more steel to the defence, Nacho got a run out and Sanogo got a few minutes, I can see him going on loan when the real deal arrives.

Anyway, we took our foot off the gas a bit and this allowed Fulham to score but that only had the effect of focusing the team again, enough to see the game out and bring the points home.

Happy, happy.

Be afraid spuds; be very afraid, the mighty Arsenal are hitting their stride.

Written by LB

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Champions League, here we come.

August 22, 2013

Firstly, I think the important issue needs to be addressed: dark blue shorts? Daark — Bluuuuue — Shorrrrts……..in all my days, I don’t know?

Ok, onto the game, so it seems that news of Arsenal’s demise was a little premature, a three nil thrashing of Fenerbahce in Istanbul will certainly force the media to do an about face over their suggestions that our season was over before it was even a week old.

There will be many who point to the fact that the Turks were poor and indeed they were but it equally needs to be said that you can only beat who is in front of you and that is exactly what the boys in red, white and, umm, dark blue did and as it turned out they did so quite comfortably.

I say as it turned out because although for the first 20 minutes we looked the better side there was still more than a hint of caution in Arsenal’s play, the hang over from the Villa game lingered on; we had plenty of possession but a goal seemed a way off.

Probably the most significant incident of the first half was Koscielny getting kicked in the head, according to the telly the cut is one of the worst the doctor had seen suffered during a football match. Mah, he’s of Polish stock, they make em tough in that part of the world, I am sure he will be fine for the spud game.

Anyway, the loss of Koscielny had a useful side affect, it forced Sagna into the middle and Jenkinson onto the right. Let’s be honest, Jenkinson is far better at going forward and Sagna is a better defender, the result is that Jenkinson was able to add to the attack that had about as much cutting edge as a knife blade that had been dragged along a concrete floor.

Unsurprisingly, we went in at half time, not having scored; we were not playing badly but a little bit of magic was missing.

Queue the second half and queue the bit of magic the game was crying out for; I thought Theo’s passing had been pants for the whole of the first half but he does seem to have a knack of more and more often doing something very special in a game and that pass to Gibbs for the first goal was special, very special, not as good as the pass that Ramsey made to Theo in the first place, that was brilliant but a very good goal all round I thought and a great relief.

gibbs scores

One nil up and Fenerbahce had to come out a bit more which in turn created more space for Theo and from that point onwards he just got better and better.

Enter the scorer of the second goal and enter the man of the match: Aaron Ramsey’s low pile driver into the corner is the thing that heroes are made of. Wenger said at the beginning of the game: look at our first eleven and show me the players that are available who would improve that. He does seem to have a point, doesn’t he? Never mind all those new spuds, as far as the midfield is concerned Ramsey, Wilshere, Cazorla are all better.

rambo scores

On the subject of the midfield they grew in confidence as the game went on and as the goals went in, Rosicky ran, seemingly tirelessly, showing as much energy if not more than Wilshere, ten years his junior. But that is not to knock Jack; he played well but he is still not fully match fit although this should improve week on week.

Penalty? Yes, Theo brought down in the box allowing Giroud to have his confidence massaged for another game, good pen actually. Three nil, job done.

giroud pen kick

All that is left for me to say is that I thought Szczesny was excellent, the back line were fine, midfield very good, the attack?

Ahhhhhhh, spend some money lol.

Written with a huge smile on his face by LB

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Blimey — We look really good.

August 11, 2013

When you think about it, playing City one week before the start of the season was a very smart move, some very clever scheduling must have gone on behind the scenes, clearly designed to give us a stern test before the real football starts next week against Villa.

If this was indeed the intention and indeed meant as a test then Arsene Wenger’s men passed it with flying colours.

But I must admit I didn’t expect it. City started as positively as you would expect. A collection of players brought for around five hundred million seemed to be effortlessly moving the ball around us. I feared the worst and started wondering how I would write a report, if required, and found myself thinking that if we lose I might have to trot out the chestnut that you can’t hide the difference in quality that five hundred million buys you.

But I was wrong, there was no need, this was one of those precious moments when the hearts of Wengerites, of which I am one, soar.

We stuffed City.

Arsene’s team, put together with a fraction of the opposition’s budget, showed a far greater level of skill and clinical finishing. In short, we were treated to some pre-season Wengerball of the highest calibre.

Ramsey was for me our Man of the Match a cross between S Gerrard’s ability to move powerfully throughout the midfield, R Keane’s determination and C Fabregas’s finesse.

Because — that pass — to set up Walcott for the first goal was class; with slide rule precision it carved the City defence open, finished off with some aplomb by the man who had a hand in every goal today. Well, done Theo, you really have been giving doubters like me a good kicking recently.

I was a bit surprised to see Podolski starting at number 9; the first thought that ran through my head was this is in response to John Henry’s blunder bus of a statement that Liverpool would not be selling Suarez; it seemed like Arsene Wenger’s more subtle way of saying, we have options and our negotiating position is better than you think.

Excluding Podolski, I got the impression that both teams started with their strongest possible line up, but, where City were struggling to find a new format, Arsenal simply picked up from where they effectively left off last season.

There weren’t too many other chances for the good guys in the first half that I can recall but I do want you to share the pleasure in remembering Bacary Sagna’s left foot pile driver that hit the post – damn, did that man play well.

Second half started, changes were made and I thought here we go; we are all well aware how Arsenal are capable of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory but once again – none of it.

We got stronger and stronger, scoring a second goal and then a third. The second was a deftly weighted pass from Theo who I think Cazorla stepped over allowing the ball to roll to Ramsey who, in turn, rounded the goal keeper before slotting home. The ease with which Ramsey rounded England’s number one was Messiesque and made all the better by the look of embarrassment on Joe Hart’s face.

When there is goal scoring going on Oliie does not seem to be the kind of striker who likes to be left out. A pass from Walcott some thirty yards made fools of the City defence allowing Giroud to control and lob over the oncoming and even more foolish looking Joe Hart.

The game as a competition was over, Arsene had the luxury of bringing on more young hopefuls and Carl Jenkinson’s family and army of friends had a chance to shout his name.

City, of course, did score; Koscielny got bundled off the ball a bit too easily but I am not convinced that would have happened in any circumstance other than being three up.

So, a great warm up, a great result, a great boost for the collective confidence and all is looking well for next week.

Have a great Sunday.

Written by LB

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Emirates Cup – Arsenal 2 – Napoli 2

August 3, 2013

Yesterday saw the return of the Emirates Cup after a years absence to accommodate the Olympics, due to the pessimism amongst fans this was seen as a cop out, because:

A) they know no one will turn up
B) we can’t even win our own pre season tournament anymore
C) some other conspiracy theory

star man kozzer

Anyway the club has re introduced the tournament this season and it was our first chance to look at the progress of the team and more importantly for me the progress of the youth team against slightly more robust opposition than the Indonesian Dream Team.

The Emirates Cup has introduced us to many of our youngsters in the past, having watched Jack conduct the FA Youth Cup final the following season he was electrifying those watching at the Emirates Cup, capping it with a wrong foot (hit with his left peg on the right side of the goal and the ball coming from his left) half volleyed goal.

Yesterday we got to see more of Serge Gnabry while the highly rated Gedion Zelalem sat waiting on the bench alongside Chuba Akpom.

Joining Gnabry on the right flank was the eager Jenkinson, playing alongside the more experienced Mertesacker, Koscielny and Gibbs in front of Fabianski. In midfield the untested combination of Wilshere and Ramsey as the two deeper players with Rosicky in front. Podolski and Giroud completed the line up.

To be honest we started very slowly, either heavy legged from our trips to Asia or had it too easy whilst in Asia and therefore not ready for the sterner test provided by Napoli.

It has been known for some time that we are susceptible to counter attacks as we commit too many men forward, Napoli are probably the best European exponents of counterattacking football, they defend in numbers as all good Italian teams do, but they are very quick on the break, and know how to use the ball in those situations.

Having said that the first goal went to Napoli but not from a counter attack, we were pretty well set Jenkinson showed his inexperience by following his runner beyond the defensive line this gave the Napoli defender with the ball the opportunity to lift the ball over the rest of the defence and create a 50:50 between Jenkinson and the winger, Jenkinson won the header but the contact was unconvincing, Fabianski realised the danger too late and was not out quickly enough to collect whilst airborne leaving the young Napoli winger the relatively simple task of tapping home for the goal. Most goals are a result of a series of errors, the first one is most crucial, and the first error was not pressuring the defender with the ball, which was then compounded by the following errors and misjudgements.

The second goal conceded was more like what we are used to, too many men committed forward, Mertesacker’s man appeared to have him beat for pace but that said he was heading wide of goal and we had enough numbers tracking back, however Fabianski made it so much easier for Napoli by coming off his line which then forced other defenders to back away. I hope in a PL game we would have seen a little more commitment to blocking the shot but in a pre season friendly unnecessary risks such as throwing yourself full length at a shot should not be taken for fear of injury.

Arsenal struggled to find a shape that worked and Wilshere and Ramsey struggled to find a way to control the midfield they are both still too young to do it together. Although in time with guidance they showed enough understanding and ball movement to feel that they could become quite a force together….however they are both still learning the ropes when it comes to experienced opponents.

Gnabry failed to offer the required width on the right and most of our good work came from Gibbs and Podolski linking on the left, unfortunately their crosses did not result in meaningful shooting opportunities.

Gibbs did win a very soft penalty only for Podolski to use his left foot hammer as a feather duster and tickle the ball harmlessly at Reina.

We created other opportunities but a combination of the linesman, errant shooting and altruism (Podolski) we went in 2-0 down to unfortunately a few boos from the Emirates crowd.

One of those missed opportunities was perhaps indicative of why we were two goals down, Jack lifting a ball from the edge of the area to Ramsey in an offside position. Whilst the bit of play between the two was good, one has to question who they were expecting to be providing cover if the attack broke down.

The other problem in our attacks as well as a lack of width was the fact that all our attacking players appeared to be bunched on their eighteen yard box when attacking, so there was only one passing option and it was very congested, we had no depth to our attack.

From the start of the second half we appeared to have a better shape. Soon the substitutions were made, Jenkinson and Gnabry off, Sagna and Theo on. Later came the more telling substitution, Ramsey and Wilshere replaced by Oxlade-Chamberlain and Arteta. Immediately our shape seemed better, we retained possession in their half better and were not as susceptible to counter attacks. With a more solid presence in midfield in Arteta, Mertesacker and Koscielny began to make lighter work of dealing with Napoli attacks.

Rosicky was still the man providing most inspiration going forward, helped by Oxlade-Chamberlain, and the outlet Sagna and Theo provided.

giroud over-head

The start of the comeback came from a corner, Theo floated the ball onto the penalty spot, Giroud held off his marker and performed a bicycle kick which was heading wide, but clipped Bacary Sagna and went in the bottom corner.

We were pretty much camped in their half for the remainder of the game, but without providing the finishing touch to equalise.

It eventually came from a free kick in the final third, Arteta put a great delivery into the box which Mertesacker rose to meet, Reina could only party the ball upwards and Koscielny was first to react and raced to bundle the ball in at the far post.

As pre season friendlies go I think it was a very helpful game, some harsh lessons learned for the younger players in the squad, and a step up in quality opposition with only two weeks to go to the season opener.

For me the standout performer was Koscielny, the way he dealt with Higuain you would think that he had a personal vendetta against him. It’s almost like he couldn’t let the Emirates crowd see what they might be missing out on so he wouldn’t give them a sniff.

Arteta showed once again why he is so crucial to our chances of competing, the knowledge and calmness his presence brings to the side are invaluable. Rosicky continued from where he left off at the end of last season, as did Ramsey, although the latter was hampered by being partnered with Wilshere.

Jack will prevent a real problem this season, the English media will be happy to see him rested, the Arsenal crowd will want him to play, Jack himself will be desperate to make up for lost time. For me he is about moving with the ball from somewhere in the opponents half and attacking from there, but with Santi and Rosicky in the squad is that where he can be used?

All in all more questions than answers yesterday, lets hope for a few more answers today.

Written by Gooner in Exile

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St Totteringham’s Day – Report & Player Ratings

May 20, 2013

That was a very, very nervous experience made all the more intense by the fact that we were expected to win. Some how being the underdog in crucial games makes it just that little more bearable when a loss is inevitably considered before and during the game. But win we did and by doing so we secured the chance to play Champions League football next season which I believe makes it sixteen seasons on the trot, no mean feat when you consider just how desperate and disappointed those around us were at missing out again.

Does that introduction work? Nah, it was nail biting hell, ninety four minutes of torture before the release of the final whistle and the opportunity to laugh at the pained faces of those left wondering “if only” at White Hart Lane. That’s better, that’s more like the introduction that this game deserves.

kozzer scores 2 v toons

It was in fact a very professional win, every player followed the game plan, nobody panicked, all of which lead to our just desserts safely being locked away at the home of football.

As I sit hear in the afterglow, looking back at the season I think it has to be said that the single most important decision made was that to drop Vermaelen. This is not meant as a poke at the Belgian, I am convinced he remains a very popular player amongst Arsenal supporters; it’s just that everything points to him being put on the bench as the spark that galvanised the defence.

Do any of you remember the debate that divided us over which centre back paring would be the most successful? Half the people said Vermaelen and Mertesacker and the other half said Vermalen and Koscielny, I was one of those arguing that the later combination would be more mobile. But I think it is fair to say no one argued for Mertesacker and Koscielny.

kozzer celebrates v newcastle

Well there you go, those two flanked by Gibbs, Nacho and Sagna have proved to be a very solid defensive unit indeed.

Did you notice how much more controlled Sagna was in his attacking play today, no wild crosses and solid as ever in his defensive duties.

I can’t finish the defence without giving Koscielny special attention; he was the standout player of the day and the Man of the Match by some distance. Koz, you have no idea how much happier you have made all of our summers; for you, your performance and your goal we salute you.

The midfield worked well together. Ramsey was immense and will rightly pick up the AA award for the most improved player. He started the season coming on as a sub on the right wing and did very well; he then got his chance to start in the middle and was poor, poor to the point of serious abuse. From there he disappeared back to the bench, reappearing after the spud loss to progress to being undroppable which is where he is today.

Sadly for our Spanish Captain couldn’t lead us to the end of the game but the Ox came on and added fire to the midfield belly. Have you noticed how well he and Walcott work together? Theo is the senior player and is able to tell the Ox exactly what he wants to happen, the upshot is that Theo plays with a greater confidence.

If I have one minor moan it would be that Rosicky was a bit sloppy by his usual high standards. Many will not like me saying this but I think we were a bit fortunate that Wilshere got injured when he did because if we had carried on playing the same way we did against spuds I believe we would not be in this happy position today. Rosicky is an attacking midfielder who interacts well with the most talented player we have at the club and Wilshere is nowhere near that yet.

And on the subject of the most talented player at the club I am sure we are all agreed that the AA award for best player of the season goes to Cazorla, he ran his socks off again and boy what a great buy he turned out to be.

Podolski, not being so brilliant in the air, forces Sagna and Gibbs to send the ball into the box along the ground rather than hoofing it high which is one of my pet hates; his tally of assists this season is very impressive. As to whether he is the answer to our number nine issues I neither know nor care today, I am just pleased with our not quite so BFG.

It was a good day to be an Arsenal supporter, we need to push on from here with some quality summer signings but I will leave you with my favourite image of the day. Remember the end of the game when the Sky cameras went over to White  Hart Lane? Well think of despair of their faces and chuckle.

Have a great day.

Written by LB

Following on from LB’s excellent report Rocky would like to offer these player ratings:

Szczesny: little to do but exuded confidence. 7

Sagna: very solid performance. He still seems a fraction slower than before his leg breaks but he defended well against Newcastle. 7

Gibbs: got pulled out of position a bit in the first 20, but played very well thereafter. 7.5

Mertesacker: typically good showing from the BFG. He is one of the best CB’s in the EPL. 8

Koscielny: a perfect performance at the back, augmented by as coring the all-important winning goal. 9 (MOTM)

Arteta: it was clearly a risk starting him, but he played with his usual efficiency before having to retire with injury early doors. 7

Rosicky: not everything came off for TR7 but he was involved in some of our best moves and his work rate was incredible. 7.5

Ramsey: phenomenal effort as we’ve come to expect. Some of his best work is unspectacular and, therefore, is missed by many. An invaluable player on the day. 8

Cazorla: drifted out at times but was a persistent threat to Newcastle and fought very hard for the cause. 8

Walcott: plenty of effort and skill from Theo, who was double- or triple-teamed throughout. It was a relief that his late effort that hit the post after great solo play did not turn out costly. 8

Podolski: Lukas was up for this one and fought hard in both attack and defence. Got a head on the ball to set up Koscielny’s winner. 7.5

Subs

Oxlade- Chamberlain: it was a surprise when Oxo slotted in to the holding midfield role vacated boyar teat, but hE did well. 7.5

Giroud: his hold-up play was good and his presence helped see us through to kids debating. 7

Wilshere: not time enough to do anything special. 7

 

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Posted by LB

More to come from Theo Walcott …….

May 17, 2013

I am a straight talking person and I don’t beat around the bush, so let me get this one out of the way – I love Theo Walcott and I think that he is Arsenal’s player of the year. I expect many readers will be leaving this page now – good bye!

This has been a long and nerve wrecking season. Seldom did we go to games confident that the team would perform and that we would bag 3 fat points. And what was worse was the fact that we lost several games we were sure we’d win.

The first part of the season was a real rollercoaster and we needed to dig deep to rescue the season and at least finish in the top four. Many ardent supporters doubted that we could climb back from the mid table, and the real doomers predicted relegation battle for the Club; they went as far as to suggest that both Wenger and Walcott should leave the Arsenal.

Yes, Arsene Wenger and Theo Walcott are the two top names that have divided opinions amongst us for more than one season now.

Theo in the rain

Theo entered the season with knowledge that not only has he lost his captain and mentor, but that he is expected to fill the gap left by the departure of the Judas. His contract negotiations were underway; the process with all its conundrums can put strain on even much more mature professional. As all of the above wasn’t enough, Theo had to learn to play alongside 3 new key teammates. This season must have been the turning point in Theo’s footballing career.

So how did he perform given the extreme circumstances weighing on his young shoulders? He was Arsenal’s top goal scorer and had the highest number of assists (17). He signed a new contract pledging his immediate future to the Club, which given the number of high profile Arsenal players leaving for pastures new is in itself a welcome event at the Emirates. He worked hard and succeeded in forming good working partnership with Cazorla, Podolski and Giroud. And above all he showed great character strength by being completely unfased by all the shenanigans going on around him.

His speed is legendary, he can run faster than any other EPL player. Yes, it can be frustrating when his spectacular runs amount to nothing much, but in the past months we saw his technique and accuracy greatly improving and his individual and team performances growing from strength to strength. He led the way against Wigan, has scored the fastest league goal this season and had a memorable hat trick against our next opponents.

But that’s not all – he is a young gentleman with both professional and personal integrity, well spoken, polite, immaculately groomed, a shining example to all young footballers. What is there not to like about Walcott? Not much from where I am standing! And I firmly believe that he is not a finished product yet. Wenger has a knack of turning wingers/midfielders into strikers, and it would not surprise me if Theo became an outright striker soon.

theo strong

Which is your favourite Theo moment? The winner at QPR, or the opener against Manchester United or perhaps the way he led the way against Wigan on Tuesday?

Written by evonne

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Cazorla Conducts : Arsenal 4 Wigan 1

May 15, 2013

Last night was the next in a long line of must win matches, must win if staying ahead of that lot down the road is important, which it is.

This will be a slightly more sketchy report than I usually do because:

a) I was there so did not have benefit of copious replays
b) I’d met other AAers in the Tavern prematch.

Everywhere you looked every conversation you caught was tense and nervy, the Dean effect was discussed, the ability to throw away good work with a defensive lapse, the lack of a much needed finisher.

Come full time we were happy Gunners wondering why we were so worried.

The early goal a poachers header by Podolski from Cazorla’s corner took some fingernails away from teeth, the ball had gone over Mertesacker’s head and Wigan defenders failed to clear the danger, the story of their season.

poldi and per wigan

Unfortunately the team then found the handbrake as they have done so often during this run in and seemed to decide one was enough.

This affected the crowd, tension grew as we sat deeper allowing Wigan to play their patterns, I really like the way Wigan play forward, they always seemed to have an extra man even when we were well set defensively, we got pulled about left and right. But with a bit more quality when we were in possession we should have been able to punish them on the counter, however we didn’t appear to want to leave our half.

Everyone put in a shift, then Dean started to try and influence the game, allowing some robust challenges on red and white shirts to go unpunished, one particularly memorable one was on Santi which led to a Wigan attack while Dean surprisingly to everyone but the conspiracy theorists waved play on.

Not so long after Dean awarded what appeared to be a very soft free kick on the edge of our area. Maloney stepped up and looped it over our wall into the corner of the net, it was a well taken free kick, but Pod could have been a little braver in the wall.

The boos at half time were reserved for Mike Dean as he left the pitch.

The second half started and we were still a little nervy but at least we were now on the attack a bit more, and trying to use the ball better in possession.

It wasn’t until the 63rd minute that we could breathe a little easier, Santi released down the right flank produced the best cross of the game, Theo had taken a good position in the centre and met the ball to finish. Theo Theo reverberated around the Emirates, but the real difference was Santi’s cross, we had put in many a poor cross from the right before that or chose the wrong options, Santi just looked up saw his target and put it on a plate.

Moments later we were on our feet again, Santi helping the ball through to Podolski who flicked it over the approaching Wigan keeper.

Ramsey then rounded off a very productive 10 minutes and another high energy display from himself with a much deserved goal, you could see the relief in his celebration. It was a very good goal, finding himself on the left wing he was released by Santi again, he ran with purpose towards the area, and without many options he decided he would have one for himself, cutting onto his right foot and finishing high into the net.

ramsey v wigan

“Are you watching Tottenham?” Asked the Emirates faithful, I’m pretty sure they were, and the thought of them crying in their beer was very heartwarming.

The only worrying development towards the end of the game was Arteta limping off with a calf pull, which leaves us a selection dilemma come Sunday, Podolski’s goals also give Arsene another decision to make with Giroud available for the final game.

At the final whistle celebration in the home end quickly turned to respect for Wigan players, manager and fans, with most around us applauding Wigan players as they came over to commiserate with their fans. The Premier League will be a less entertaining place without them.

The team then went on its traditional lap of appreciation, BFG walking closest to the fans, fist pumping his way round, the crowd sang to the players, after this troubled season it was as if some of the wounds have healed, we can see they care, they know we care, and in unity we can only grow stronger.

Player ratings

Szczesny 7 could have done better with goal

Sagna 7 solid at back, crossing poor

Koscielny 7.5 solid

BFG 7.5 solid

Gibbs 6.5 not his attacking self in the run in

Arteta 7.5 keeps us ticking

Ramsey 8 Another high energy display wrapped up with a goal

Rosicky 7.5 took up good positions, moved the ball on

Cazorla 9 Genius

Theo 8 worked hard tonight, good finish

Podolski 8 two good goals

Written by Gooner in Exile

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Posted by Gööner In Exile

Was Theo re-signed for the wrong reasons?

May 7, 2013

Something has been worrying me lately, I take a look at our squad and I look at our formation and I scratch my head…..why the desperation to sign Theo earlier in the season.

theo runningTheo more than any other player divides opinion between fans, his goal tally this year of 20 in all competitions is a good return, assists of 17 equally impressive.

All this is good stuff…..but I’m still scratching my head. Arsene signed Podolski in January 2012 to arrive in summer.

It appears he knew BSR was two steps out the door already, so he signed Giroud in the summer transfer window as well, two centre forwards / strikers (whether Pod can actually play there for us is another issue) to replace one sold and one so devoid of confidence that he can’t be picked.

Then I look at our current formation, with everyone fit and available Wenger picks the following:

Theo Rosicky/Wilshere Cazorla

Giroud

Spot the odd one out (no not him LB), Theo cannot play anywhere across the midfield, as the others can, the more logical pick is Gervinho, and in the games where he started we carried much more attacking threat and won the ball back consistently higher up the pitch.

Now I’m not advocating Gervinho starts in place of Theo but I am wondering if Theo can actually contribute more than goals or assists, and if his inclusion in the side is preventing us from scoring more by the lack of variety it brings. Move the ball to Theo pass back to Bacary, back to Theo back to Bacary, and then a hopeful cross.

He is now our highest paid player, he and his agent engineered the situation perfectly, there was such a clamour around the club about the situation following the loss of more players through the summer that to let his contract run down would have been PR suicide.

Clearly he is never going to be big enough to play up front on his own in the PL, but is he actually good enough in all aspects of the game to play in midfield for this Arsenal side?

I don’t believe Wenger wants us to be so rigid across the front of midfield I think we have to be if Theo starts, and his new contract presents an obstacle to us moving forward with the likes of Oxlade-Chamberlain more suited to the midfield three role.

Yes his goals have been helpful this season, but can anyone see a future for Theo given our current formation? Is he going to become a luxury we can ill afford?

Gooner In Exile

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Posted by Gööner In Exile

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