Arsenal should look closer to home
There has been a lot of press lately highlighting how Arsenal fans laden the blame for this season’s failings on the departure of Robin van Persie.
Traitor. Deserter. Conspirator. Defector.
Or maybe the reality of the Gunners’ lack of success lays much closer to home than fans and insiders may wish to acknowledge. The Dutchman made his switch to Manchester United from the Emirates ahead of the new season and although he received a hostile reception from Arsenal fans on Saturday his former teammates provided a plethora of evidence to validate his decision. Van Persie opened the scoring in the third minute for his new club at Old Trafford as they moved to the top of the Premier League for the first time this season with a 2-1 victory over his former side. In the build-up to the match boss Arsene Wenger urged fans to refrain from distasteful language against the former favourite but the vile torrent of abuse which was hurled at Van Persie was misguided and leaves many pondering how mislaid the blame is for Arsenal’s recent shortcomings.
From the first whistle Van Persie’s former colleagues produced enough indication to suggest his departure alone is not the major issue.
Arsenals performance could be summarised simply; limp, scattered, motivation-less and powerless. A club with such rich history much be contemplating how it has ended up with so many players who seem unwilling and almost unable to add to their iconic heritage. In the opening minutes it was a mistake by Gunners’ skipper Thomas Vermaelen which opened the door to allow Van Persie to open the tally.
The Arsenal defence of late has appeared to have some kind of over-confident façade despite a clear inability to keep their cool under pressure, or clean sheets for that matter.
Andre Santos. Arsenal fans must cringe or feel a shiver down the spine each time they hear the name. Sir Alex Ferguson probably felt he already had tactical advantage when reading Santos’ name on the team-sheet as Antonio Valencia and Rafael da Silva were granted all the space they could wish for throughout the encounter. It is difficult to come up with a suggestion which would not be better than having Santos in the Arsenal line-up. Possibly the most bizarre moment of the match on Saturday was when Santos approached Van Persie in the tunnel at half-time to ask to swap shirts, to which the Dutchman responded by giving away his shirt but did take the Brazilian’s in return.
Followers of the backstage movements at the Emirates rejoiced in hearing of Steve Bould’s promotion to Wenger’s assistant, responsible for defensive training. Yet the calamitous miskick by Vermaelen which left Van Persie in on goal showed little signs of improvement at the back.
However, not all the culpability can rest on the field as Wenger himself failed to handle situations well during Saturday’s encounter.
Ferguson used a tactical substitution to replace Tom Cleverley after he picked up a yellow card in order to prevent a red card.
But in opposing fashion Wenger left Jack Wilshere on the field with a caution to his name and subsequently suffered the consequences with the England midfielder seeing red and taking an early shower. Few will argue Arsenal would have been in a far superior position if they had contested the final quarter of an hour with 11 men, even it would have meant Francis Coquelin entering into a defensive midfield role.Although the margin of defeat was narrow the deficiency in the Arsenal camp is blatantly obvious.From defensive frailties to tactical faux pas there is a vast array of issues to be resolved, but one thing is for sure, it is time for Arsenal to move on from the time of Robin van Persie and acclimatise to life after their former talisman.
By Ben Hampshire (@BH92)
Traitor. Deserter. Conspirator. Defector.
Or maybe the reality of the Gunners’ lack of success lays much closer to home than fans and insiders may wish to acknowledge. The Dutchman made his switch to Manchester United from the Emirates ahead of the new season and although he received a hostile reception from Arsenal fans on Saturday his former teammates provided a plethora of evidence to validate his decision. Van Persie opened the scoring in the third minute for his new club at Old Trafford as they moved to the top of the Premier League for the first time this season with a 2-1 victory over his former side. In the build-up to the match boss Arsene Wenger urged fans to refrain from distasteful language against the former favourite but the vile torrent of abuse which was hurled at Van Persie was misguided and leaves many pondering how mislaid the blame is for Arsenal’s recent shortcomings.
From the first whistle Van Persie’s former colleagues produced enough indication to suggest his departure alone is not the major issue.
Arsenals performance could be summarised simply; limp, scattered, motivation-less and powerless. A club with such rich history much be contemplating how it has ended up with so many players who seem unwilling and almost unable to add to their iconic heritage. In the opening minutes it was a mistake by Gunners’ skipper Thomas Vermaelen which opened the door to allow Van Persie to open the tally.
The Arsenal defence of late has appeared to have some kind of over-confident façade despite a clear inability to keep their cool under pressure, or clean sheets for that matter.
Andre Santos. Arsenal fans must cringe or feel a shiver down the spine each time they hear the name. Sir Alex Ferguson probably felt he already had tactical advantage when reading Santos’ name on the team-sheet as Antonio Valencia and Rafael da Silva were granted all the space they could wish for throughout the encounter. It is difficult to come up with a suggestion which would not be better than having Santos in the Arsenal line-up. Possibly the most bizarre moment of the match on Saturday was when Santos approached Van Persie in the tunnel at half-time to ask to swap shirts, to which the Dutchman responded by giving away his shirt but did take the Brazilian’s in return.
Followers of the backstage movements at the Emirates rejoiced in hearing of Steve Bould’s promotion to Wenger’s assistant, responsible for defensive training. Yet the calamitous miskick by Vermaelen which left Van Persie in on goal showed little signs of improvement at the back.
However, not all the culpability can rest on the field as Wenger himself failed to handle situations well during Saturday’s encounter.
Ferguson used a tactical substitution to replace Tom Cleverley after he picked up a yellow card in order to prevent a red card.
But in opposing fashion Wenger left Jack Wilshere on the field with a caution to his name and subsequently suffered the consequences with the England midfielder seeing red and taking an early shower. Few will argue Arsenal would have been in a far superior position if they had contested the final quarter of an hour with 11 men, even it would have meant Francis Coquelin entering into a defensive midfield role.Although the margin of defeat was narrow the deficiency in the Arsenal camp is blatantly obvious.From defensive frailties to tactical faux pas there is a vast array of issues to be resolved, but one thing is for sure, it is time for Arsenal to move on from the time of Robin van Persie and acclimatise to life after their former talisman.
By Ben Hampshire (@BH92)
Time Up For Arsene
Arsene Wenger. Outside of a certain Sir Alex Ferguson, the Frenchman has been the most influential and successful manager in Premier League history, with his pinnacle coming in 2004 after leading that famous, and largely awesome, Invincible's team: Played 38 - Won 26, Drew 12, Lost 0. However, that is the point. It was his pinnacle. The time when he was at his best. Since that incredible title winning campaign, Mr. Wenger has only won a single major trophy - The FA Cup in 2005. Following the 03/04 season, The Gunners have been in free-fall. Despite reaching the Champions League Final in 2006 - only to lose to Barcelona - the Gunners have only appeared in two domestic finals: both coming in the arguably insignificant League Cup, and they lost those too. Who could forget Obafemi Martins dramatic last minute winner for Birmingham City?
Here's a thought for you guys to chew on: what has happened to Arsenal? Of course, many will point to the sale of their best players to explain the lack of trophies, but even with a squad riddled with average footballers, Arsenal seem to have changed their tactics. The Arsene philosophy has been Total Football for years - it won the hearts and minds of the Highbury faithful, but more importantly it won silverware on many occasions. So despite no longer having legendary players, why have the tactics that served Arsenal so well over the years changed? At the very least, if you aren't winning trophies, entertain the supporters with some good football!
For those of you who utilise Twitter, you will recognise my next point. Piers Morgan, a lifelong Gooner and controversial media figure, has constantly tweeted his opinions about the Arsenal manager - usually calling for the Frenchman to get the sack. Not only are Arsenal fans annoyed at the slide down the table of ambition, but also at losing some of their better players: Nasri, Fabregas, Henry and a certain Van Persie come to mind. Arsenal aren't just no longer a title-challenging side, but they don't appear to be doing anything to attempt to change it.
Some fans will point to the board, but the fact is that Wenger doesn't ask for big players. The Frenchman instead often opts for younger talent, and while that sometimes comes off, such as Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, inexperienced youth simply cannot form the backbone of a title-challenging side - you need a mix of experienced maturity and young flamboyance to win titles. In the last transfer window, Wenger decided to change his ideas, acquiring the scintillating Santi Cazorla, as well as Oliver Giroud & Lukas Podolski; but those three aren't going to change what is, in my opinion, a very poor team.
After losing Van Persie, Arsenal have lost, effectively, their only remaining world class player. To replace Fabregas, Nasri and Van Persie is a nigh on impossible task - but Wenger hasn't even attempted to accomplish it. The days of Viera, Bergkamp and Henry destroying teams, and Arsenal being regarded as the best footballing side in Europe, have been replaced by a shaky, uncertain mess of a club, with increasingly frustrated supporters that deserve much better. Arsenal, this season, are going to continue their amazing run. However, it isn't a run to be proud of; in fact it is their run of seven consecutive years without a major trophy. They don't look dangerous in attack, they don't look creative in midfield (with the exception of Cazorla, and we will see how Wilshere is when he gets games under his belt) and they look extremely shaky at the back. The way that Valencia, Rooney, Young and Van Persie tore the Gunners defence apart was truly incredible. You have to say that Arsenal are all at sea in the majority of their games. So, on to the important question: Is it time for change at The Emirates?
Yes, it is. Wenger has had a great run but his days are over. The sooner the Gunners repalce the Frenchman, the sooner they will become the team to beat again. Oh, and I hear that a certain Mr. Redknapp and Mr. Benitez are out of work.
By Sam Braik (@SamBraik96)
Here's a thought for you guys to chew on: what has happened to Arsenal? Of course, many will point to the sale of their best players to explain the lack of trophies, but even with a squad riddled with average footballers, Arsenal seem to have changed their tactics. The Arsene philosophy has been Total Football for years - it won the hearts and minds of the Highbury faithful, but more importantly it won silverware on many occasions. So despite no longer having legendary players, why have the tactics that served Arsenal so well over the years changed? At the very least, if you aren't winning trophies, entertain the supporters with some good football!
For those of you who utilise Twitter, you will recognise my next point. Piers Morgan, a lifelong Gooner and controversial media figure, has constantly tweeted his opinions about the Arsenal manager - usually calling for the Frenchman to get the sack. Not only are Arsenal fans annoyed at the slide down the table of ambition, but also at losing some of their better players: Nasri, Fabregas, Henry and a certain Van Persie come to mind. Arsenal aren't just no longer a title-challenging side, but they don't appear to be doing anything to attempt to change it.
Some fans will point to the board, but the fact is that Wenger doesn't ask for big players. The Frenchman instead often opts for younger talent, and while that sometimes comes off, such as Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, inexperienced youth simply cannot form the backbone of a title-challenging side - you need a mix of experienced maturity and young flamboyance to win titles. In the last transfer window, Wenger decided to change his ideas, acquiring the scintillating Santi Cazorla, as well as Oliver Giroud & Lukas Podolski; but those three aren't going to change what is, in my opinion, a very poor team.
After losing Van Persie, Arsenal have lost, effectively, their only remaining world class player. To replace Fabregas, Nasri and Van Persie is a nigh on impossible task - but Wenger hasn't even attempted to accomplish it. The days of Viera, Bergkamp and Henry destroying teams, and Arsenal being regarded as the best footballing side in Europe, have been replaced by a shaky, uncertain mess of a club, with increasingly frustrated supporters that deserve much better. Arsenal, this season, are going to continue their amazing run. However, it isn't a run to be proud of; in fact it is their run of seven consecutive years without a major trophy. They don't look dangerous in attack, they don't look creative in midfield (with the exception of Cazorla, and we will see how Wilshere is when he gets games under his belt) and they look extremely shaky at the back. The way that Valencia, Rooney, Young and Van Persie tore the Gunners defence apart was truly incredible. You have to say that Arsenal are all at sea in the majority of their games. So, on to the important question: Is it time for change at The Emirates?
Yes, it is. Wenger has had a great run but his days are over. The sooner the Gunners repalce the Frenchman, the sooner they will become the team to beat again. Oh, and I hear that a certain Mr. Redknapp and Mr. Benitez are out of work.
By Sam Braik (@SamBraik96)
So that's it. He's gone.
So that's it. He's gone. Robin van Persie has left Arsenal for Manchester United.
But the deal is one Arsenal quite simply had to do. It was £20m now or lose van Persie on a free transfer in a year's time. It was no longer just because van Persie wouldn't sign a new contract. The Arsenal love affair with the Dutchman had finished. Everyone says it would all have been forgotten the moment he scored a late winner. But I think it runs deeper than that. Fans knew he'd flirted with the (Red) devil, insulted the club with his ridiculous statement and there was no way back. Can you just imagine what his first set of captain's programme notes would have been like? "It's been an interesting summer..."
Or would he have used them to criticise the club's direction again? While the players still like and respect him, as a figurehead van Persie couldn't be seen as captain even if he was well regarded in that role by his team mates. Cesc Fabregas did something similar in 2010, but never went public with his desire to leave. Everyone knew but he kept the armband, stayed another year and then went to Barcelona. Fabregas remains popular. But it's all over for van Persie and the fact that he went to Manchester United rather than abroad will ensure he will never be remembered as an Arsenal legend. Shame. He is 29, had one year left on his contract, has a poor injury record and the only surprise was that Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was willing go above £20m to get his man. At that price, it is good business for Arsenal.
Sadly, van Persie's heroics last season will be instantly forgotten. I liken it to two players from the 80s: Liam Brady remained a hero despite going to Juventus. Frank Stapleton became public enemy number one by going to Manchester United. Stapleton was seen as greedy. Brady was forgiven because Juventus were one of European football's super powers at the time. I've spoken to lots of people about van Persie and many think it's worse him going to Old Trafford than Manchester City. I can't quite get the argument. Arsenal and United have been rivals for longer. Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson have been at loggerheads for much of the past decade or so. But it's not as if van Persie is swapping Arsenal for Tottenham, the real arch enemies. Either way, it's seen as a betrayal and van Persie can forget a hero's return. He's off to try and win some trophies. Samir Nasri blamed everyone but himself for Arsenal failing to win trophies. At least van Persie kept up his end of the bargain. However, Arsenal have shown ambition this summer. They've brought in Santi Cazorla, Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski who are three top quality players: internationals and exciting, forward thinking players.
Lots of people keep telling me that Cazorla may even just be the best Premier League signing this summer. It strikes me that even if Alex Song follows van Persie out of the club to Barcelona, if Arsenal bring in a top quality midfielder to bolster the ranks and do a defensive job, then the club will actually have a stronger overall squad than last season.Arsenal have scouted Yann M'Vila and been after Nuri Sahin. I was also reminded the other day just how much depth they have in midfield. Mikel Arteta and Cazorla must surely start the season as part of the central midfield trio. Arteta was magnificent last year, Cazorla will operate as a playmaker in the ten role. Then you've still got Aaron Ramsey, Tomas Rosicky, Francis Coquelin, Emmanuel Frimpong. Abou Diaby and Jack Wilshere to come back. There's no doubt that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is seen as a central player in the longer term.
If Arsenal sign a direct replacement for Song, then the midfield will be stronger. If also they play two deeper lying players with Cazorla in front, then it may offer more protection and options. Last season, so much emphasis was put on van Persie. This season, if you have Theo Walcott on the right, Podolski on the left and Giroud through the middle then it gives Arsenal a better all round attacking threat.
They have also got Gervinho and Andrey Arshavin, both of whom have been flying in pre-season. Arsenal look stronger.
So, while the sales may be painful, the current team hasn't delivered trophies. So it's time for a change, a new era and Arsenal will be hoping the new players provide a new-look squad which can enjoy success.
By Matt Elam (@MattRElam)
But the deal is one Arsenal quite simply had to do. It was £20m now or lose van Persie on a free transfer in a year's time. It was no longer just because van Persie wouldn't sign a new contract. The Arsenal love affair with the Dutchman had finished. Everyone says it would all have been forgotten the moment he scored a late winner. But I think it runs deeper than that. Fans knew he'd flirted with the (Red) devil, insulted the club with his ridiculous statement and there was no way back. Can you just imagine what his first set of captain's programme notes would have been like? "It's been an interesting summer..."
Or would he have used them to criticise the club's direction again? While the players still like and respect him, as a figurehead van Persie couldn't be seen as captain even if he was well regarded in that role by his team mates. Cesc Fabregas did something similar in 2010, but never went public with his desire to leave. Everyone knew but he kept the armband, stayed another year and then went to Barcelona. Fabregas remains popular. But it's all over for van Persie and the fact that he went to Manchester United rather than abroad will ensure he will never be remembered as an Arsenal legend. Shame. He is 29, had one year left on his contract, has a poor injury record and the only surprise was that Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was willing go above £20m to get his man. At that price, it is good business for Arsenal.
Sadly, van Persie's heroics last season will be instantly forgotten. I liken it to two players from the 80s: Liam Brady remained a hero despite going to Juventus. Frank Stapleton became public enemy number one by going to Manchester United. Stapleton was seen as greedy. Brady was forgiven because Juventus were one of European football's super powers at the time. I've spoken to lots of people about van Persie and many think it's worse him going to Old Trafford than Manchester City. I can't quite get the argument. Arsenal and United have been rivals for longer. Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson have been at loggerheads for much of the past decade or so. But it's not as if van Persie is swapping Arsenal for Tottenham, the real arch enemies. Either way, it's seen as a betrayal and van Persie can forget a hero's return. He's off to try and win some trophies. Samir Nasri blamed everyone but himself for Arsenal failing to win trophies. At least van Persie kept up his end of the bargain. However, Arsenal have shown ambition this summer. They've brought in Santi Cazorla, Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski who are three top quality players: internationals and exciting, forward thinking players.
Lots of people keep telling me that Cazorla may even just be the best Premier League signing this summer. It strikes me that even if Alex Song follows van Persie out of the club to Barcelona, if Arsenal bring in a top quality midfielder to bolster the ranks and do a defensive job, then the club will actually have a stronger overall squad than last season.Arsenal have scouted Yann M'Vila and been after Nuri Sahin. I was also reminded the other day just how much depth they have in midfield. Mikel Arteta and Cazorla must surely start the season as part of the central midfield trio. Arteta was magnificent last year, Cazorla will operate as a playmaker in the ten role. Then you've still got Aaron Ramsey, Tomas Rosicky, Francis Coquelin, Emmanuel Frimpong. Abou Diaby and Jack Wilshere to come back. There's no doubt that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is seen as a central player in the longer term.
If Arsenal sign a direct replacement for Song, then the midfield will be stronger. If also they play two deeper lying players with Cazorla in front, then it may offer more protection and options. Last season, so much emphasis was put on van Persie. This season, if you have Theo Walcott on the right, Podolski on the left and Giroud through the middle then it gives Arsenal a better all round attacking threat.
They have also got Gervinho and Andrey Arshavin, both of whom have been flying in pre-season. Arsenal look stronger.
So, while the sales may be painful, the current team hasn't delivered trophies. So it's time for a change, a new era and Arsenal will be hoping the new players provide a new-look squad which can enjoy success.
By Matt Elam (@MattRElam)
Arsenal Point Of View
Patrick Vieira scored the winning goal the last time Arsenal won a trophy. It was the FA Cup final that went to a penalty shoot out and despite being battered by Manchester United on the day neither team could find a winning goal. The rest, as they say, is history and Vieria stepped up to slot past Roy Carroll (remember him?) to give the North Londoners the trophy. However, no-one at the time would have predicted that it would be the last trophy for what is now 7 years and counting.
In Arsene Wenger’s defence, he’s had to deal with lots of various issues that haven’t always been fairly reported over the years. He’s had the departures of Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, Sol Campbell, Robert Pires, Ashley Cole and latterly Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri to deal with. The first four made up the backbone of the only team in English football history to go unbeaten for a season. If you analyse each departure individually, you could argue that taking the money for Vieria and Henry at the time was good business (certainly their best years were behind them), Sol Campbell left for none footballing reasons, Pires wanted a longer contract at 32. Cole’s situation was widely reported at the time though in reality he chose to back the right horse and go and play under Mourinho.
Arsenal have not been able to compete financially during these years. The move to the Emirates hamstrung Wenger and although he’s never publicly spoken about this or complained it’s very obvious this has held the competitiveness of the team on the field back. For that reason alone, he should be acclaimed – to put out a team that has competed in the top 3 for so many years when the nett spend is so little is remarkable; to do so in the days of Chelsea and Manchester City is astonishing. Wenger’s constant eye for developing talent has ensured that Arsenal have challenged at times despite never looking like they’d win the league.
Working in the City, I talk with lots of Arsenal fans. Many have wanted Wenger gone in recent times, and it’s easy to see why from a “plastic” point of view. But I think people miss the point; he’s not been given the same tools as other clubs to build the team he wanted to build. And long term, Arsenal are a substainable business model not laden down with debt. The Emirates cost them big money but the debt of GBP £400m approx has now been whittled down to around GBP £180m approx (according to latest accounts) and it’s only recently (this summer) that Wenger started to spend money on players again.
Regardless of whether Robin Van Persie leaves, the signings of Lukas Podolski, Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla will strengthen the Arsenal team from last season, with more to follow. There is lots of deadwood at the club for sure (any of Chamakh, Diaby, Squillaci, Diaby, Denilson, Arshavin, Park and Vela and it’s safe to assume Bendtner has no future there either) but with Steve Bould now assistant manager to drill the defence and the younger players a year older, I’d wager that the future is very, very bright for Arsenal.
Bould in particular deserves mention – a scholar of the “famous back five” defence under George Graham, he has been diligently learning his trade behind the scenes at Arsenal with the youth and reserve teams. His true value will be in instilling old fashioned defensive nous to modern, technical footballers.
They have a good young keeper and in Laurent Koscielny the most improved centre half in the league last season. Sagna is arguably the best right back in the league and getting Wilshere fit alongside Arteta and/or Cazorla would arguably be the best midfield unit in England – though obviously the holding player would be Alex Song (whom should realise he should sit and hold as that’s where his strength lies………) and he’d also need to be integrated into that midfield. On the flanks, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is the definition of potential and Theo Walcott is now becoming more consistent. Podolski will play wide left you’d imagine and Gervinho will be better for a season in England.
Van Persie may leave – but it looks more and more unlikely as the start of the season gets nearer – but I’m backing Arsenal to be real contenders for the title this season. They’ve finally got the true strength in depth needed to be title contenders and a manager who has been there, seen it and done it. Do not be surprised if they are still in a situation where they could win the League.
By Matt Elam (@MattRElam)
In Arsene Wenger’s defence, he’s had to deal with lots of various issues that haven’t always been fairly reported over the years. He’s had the departures of Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, Sol Campbell, Robert Pires, Ashley Cole and latterly Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri to deal with. The first four made up the backbone of the only team in English football history to go unbeaten for a season. If you analyse each departure individually, you could argue that taking the money for Vieria and Henry at the time was good business (certainly their best years were behind them), Sol Campbell left for none footballing reasons, Pires wanted a longer contract at 32. Cole’s situation was widely reported at the time though in reality he chose to back the right horse and go and play under Mourinho.
Arsenal have not been able to compete financially during these years. The move to the Emirates hamstrung Wenger and although he’s never publicly spoken about this or complained it’s very obvious this has held the competitiveness of the team on the field back. For that reason alone, he should be acclaimed – to put out a team that has competed in the top 3 for so many years when the nett spend is so little is remarkable; to do so in the days of Chelsea and Manchester City is astonishing. Wenger’s constant eye for developing talent has ensured that Arsenal have challenged at times despite never looking like they’d win the league.
Working in the City, I talk with lots of Arsenal fans. Many have wanted Wenger gone in recent times, and it’s easy to see why from a “plastic” point of view. But I think people miss the point; he’s not been given the same tools as other clubs to build the team he wanted to build. And long term, Arsenal are a substainable business model not laden down with debt. The Emirates cost them big money but the debt of GBP £400m approx has now been whittled down to around GBP £180m approx (according to latest accounts) and it’s only recently (this summer) that Wenger started to spend money on players again.
Regardless of whether Robin Van Persie leaves, the signings of Lukas Podolski, Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla will strengthen the Arsenal team from last season, with more to follow. There is lots of deadwood at the club for sure (any of Chamakh, Diaby, Squillaci, Diaby, Denilson, Arshavin, Park and Vela and it’s safe to assume Bendtner has no future there either) but with Steve Bould now assistant manager to drill the defence and the younger players a year older, I’d wager that the future is very, very bright for Arsenal.
Bould in particular deserves mention – a scholar of the “famous back five” defence under George Graham, he has been diligently learning his trade behind the scenes at Arsenal with the youth and reserve teams. His true value will be in instilling old fashioned defensive nous to modern, technical footballers.
They have a good young keeper and in Laurent Koscielny the most improved centre half in the league last season. Sagna is arguably the best right back in the league and getting Wilshere fit alongside Arteta and/or Cazorla would arguably be the best midfield unit in England – though obviously the holding player would be Alex Song (whom should realise he should sit and hold as that’s where his strength lies………) and he’d also need to be integrated into that midfield. On the flanks, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is the definition of potential and Theo Walcott is now becoming more consistent. Podolski will play wide left you’d imagine and Gervinho will be better for a season in England.
Van Persie may leave – but it looks more and more unlikely as the start of the season gets nearer – but I’m backing Arsenal to be real contenders for the title this season. They’ve finally got the true strength in depth needed to be title contenders and a manager who has been there, seen it and done it. Do not be surprised if they are still in a situation where they could win the League.
By Matt Elam (@MattRElam)
How Cazorla could change everything
A year is a long time in football, a saying that can be perfectly illustrated by the situation at Arsenal. Around this time last year, Arsenal were about to lose their 2 best players, the creativity of Samir Nasri and their talisman Cesc Fabregas. The fans were becoming disillusioned with Arsene Wenger and when Arsenal slumped to an 8-2 defeat at the hands of Manchester United in late August, things were looking catastrophic. However Wenger refused to give in, some panic buying in the transfer market saw the signing of Mikel Arteta who proved extremely influential in the Arsenal midfield and did help compensate for the loss of Fabregas. Arsenal however still looked as though they were going to miss out on top 4 football for a good portion of the season although they did eventually manage to rally and finish 3rd in the table, although they were some way behind Manchester United in 2nd.
Wenger therefore would have been hoping to have a much more pleasant 2012 summer transfer window. These hopes however were thrown out the window when club captain Robin Van Persie announced that he would not be signing a new contract at the club. This again gave Wenger a headache. Van Persie had struck 30 gaols in the previous season and had been crucial in Arsenal's success. Wenger however reacted quickly making two signings early, bringing in Oliver Giroud of Montpellier and Lukas Podolski of Koln. The big signing that everyone is talking about however is that of Santi Cazorla from Malaga for a fee of around £15 million.
This signing is one that has got the fans excited. Cazorla has over 50 appearances for Spain, a real achievement when one looks at the crop of players to choose from in the Spanish squad. Cazorla also looked extremely lively in his debut season for Malaga scoring 9 goals and assisting in a further 6, good stats that Wenger will hope can be even better when Cazorla pulls on his Arsenal shirt. Wenger will no doubt have brought in Cazorla to fill the void left by Nasri. They are similar players and Cazorla should be able to provide the spark the Arsenal midfield so desperately needs and goals from midfield are something that Arsenal sorely missed last season.
However, the Santi Cazrola signing is one that could have one other huge benefit for Arsenal. There has been a lot of speculation regarding the move of Robin Van Persie in the last week with many papers reporting that the reason that Sir Alex Ferguson missed Manchester United's pre season game on Sunday against Valerenga was because he had stayed in Manchester in an attempt to wrap up the signing of Van Persie. However in the last week we have seen Roberto Mancini the Manchester City manager state that he did not believe City would sign Van Persie and Juventus also seem to be out of the race and are shifting interest towards Liverpool's Luis Suarez. This added to the fact that reports suggest that Van Persie has travelled to Germany with the squad, could surely mean the possibility of an Arsenal stay is on the cards. The club has certainly shown some ambition and it could have been enough to convince Van Persie to stay, especially if the club are still looking to bring in Nuri Sahin of Real Madrid on loan.
Santi Cazorla's transfer therefore could be a win win situation for Arsenal, the attacking creativity he brings to the squad could be linked up with one of the most dangerous strikers in the Premier League. One half of the battle is won, now Arsenal just need to convince Van Persie to stay.
By Ryan McDowell (@dowelly_)
Wenger therefore would have been hoping to have a much more pleasant 2012 summer transfer window. These hopes however were thrown out the window when club captain Robin Van Persie announced that he would not be signing a new contract at the club. This again gave Wenger a headache. Van Persie had struck 30 gaols in the previous season and had been crucial in Arsenal's success. Wenger however reacted quickly making two signings early, bringing in Oliver Giroud of Montpellier and Lukas Podolski of Koln. The big signing that everyone is talking about however is that of Santi Cazorla from Malaga for a fee of around £15 million.
This signing is one that has got the fans excited. Cazorla has over 50 appearances for Spain, a real achievement when one looks at the crop of players to choose from in the Spanish squad. Cazorla also looked extremely lively in his debut season for Malaga scoring 9 goals and assisting in a further 6, good stats that Wenger will hope can be even better when Cazorla pulls on his Arsenal shirt. Wenger will no doubt have brought in Cazorla to fill the void left by Nasri. They are similar players and Cazorla should be able to provide the spark the Arsenal midfield so desperately needs and goals from midfield are something that Arsenal sorely missed last season.
However, the Santi Cazrola signing is one that could have one other huge benefit for Arsenal. There has been a lot of speculation regarding the move of Robin Van Persie in the last week with many papers reporting that the reason that Sir Alex Ferguson missed Manchester United's pre season game on Sunday against Valerenga was because he had stayed in Manchester in an attempt to wrap up the signing of Van Persie. However in the last week we have seen Roberto Mancini the Manchester City manager state that he did not believe City would sign Van Persie and Juventus also seem to be out of the race and are shifting interest towards Liverpool's Luis Suarez. This added to the fact that reports suggest that Van Persie has travelled to Germany with the squad, could surely mean the possibility of an Arsenal stay is on the cards. The club has certainly shown some ambition and it could have been enough to convince Van Persie to stay, especially if the club are still looking to bring in Nuri Sahin of Real Madrid on loan.
Santi Cazorla's transfer therefore could be a win win situation for Arsenal, the attacking creativity he brings to the squad could be linked up with one of the most dangerous strikers in the Premier League. One half of the battle is won, now Arsenal just need to convince Van Persie to stay.
By Ryan McDowell (@dowelly_)
What could be Arsenal starting team be against Sunderland?
It began some time before the transfer window had even opened; even before the 2011/12 campaign drew to a close.
The first new arrival was Lukas Podolski; made official in April, the deal had been all but completed at least a month earlier, despite Arsene Wenger’s protestations otherwise.
Olivier Giroud followed soon after and things were looking rosy at the Emirates Stadium until Robin van Persie dropped a bombshell.
The Dutchman’s statement on his website revealing that he would not be signing a new deal to keep him in north London beyond next summer prompted what has now become the biggest transfer saga of the summer.
Unfortunately for the Gunners, Van Persie is not the only one who could be off if the papers are to be believed. Theo Walcott and Alex Song are targets for some of Europe’s biggest clubs this summer – Song in particular is said to be attracted interest from Barcelona, something that will cause real worry amongst Gunners fans.
But while there may be some players leaving there should be a handful of arrivals soon, with Santi Cazorla and Nuri Sahin closing in on signing for the north London club.
Whether the arrival of Podolski and Giroud were attempts to make Van Persie stay or the north London club planning for life without the 28-year-old – the fact Podolski has yet to be allocated a squad number perhaps answers that one – remains to be seen, as does Arsenal’s line up next season.
The impending arrival of Santi Cazorla next season certainly puts a few cats amongst the pigeons. While he was deployed out wide for Malaga for the majority of last season, the Spaniard’s passing stats for 2011/12 bear an uncanny similarity to those of another player soon to leave north London, Luka Modric.
He is just as adept through the middle as he is out wide and has been touted as a long-term replacement for Cesc Fabregas, so Wenger may opt to deploy him through the middle.
With Van Persie on the cusp of leaving Wenger will need to identify a new man to lead the line, and unless Fernando Llorente, a potential target, arrives at the Emirates, Giroud will be charged with spearheading the Arsenal attack.
The big Frenchman is a lot more deft than his hulking frame suggests so Arsenal fans need not worry about long ball becoming the norm at the Emirates, although his size makes him the perfect foil for Cazorla to bounce off, although he is not the most mobile.
Wenger has experimented with Gervinho through the middle in pre-season, but its unlikely the Ivorian will be deployed there this season; Wenger has better options at his disposal while the former Lille man proved himself unreliable in front of goal last time round.
Another interesting move by Wenger is the potential signing of Nuri Sahin. The Turkish midfielder has struggled at Madrid but has a remarkable range of passing – his ability to ping balls from deep to spark counter-attacks is remarkable.
The move for Sahin looks to be quite shrewd, especially as it should be a season-long loan agreement, thus covering for the absence of Jack Wilshere without exposing the club financially. He is likely to push slightly further forward than Mikel Arteta who was deployed much deeper last season, although Sahin’s fine defensive abilities means the two should be fairly interchangeable.
At the back, full-back looks an area in which Arsenal could be vulnerable yet again, especially with Bacary Sagna injured for the start of the season (there have been suggestions we could be about to bring in Gregory Van Der Wiel at a cut price fee.) Carl Jenkinson and Keiran Gibbs will likely get the nod out-wide, while the trusty partnership of Thomas Vermaelen and Laurent Koscielny will be relied upon once again. Arsenal face plenty of upheaval but there should also be reasons to smile; their attacking line up next season, if all their potential deals come off should be explosive - even if they remain vulnerable at the back.
Im expecting a big season, and although it's very difficult not to read the papers and all the gossip, don't believe a thing until it comes out on the official website.
My Potential starting XI v Sunderland (4-2-3-1): Szczesny, Gibbs, Jenkinson, Vermaelen, Koscielny, Arteta, Sahin, Podolski, Cazorla, Gervinho, Giroud
By Matthew Elam (@Mattrelam)
The first new arrival was Lukas Podolski; made official in April, the deal had been all but completed at least a month earlier, despite Arsene Wenger’s protestations otherwise.
Olivier Giroud followed soon after and things were looking rosy at the Emirates Stadium until Robin van Persie dropped a bombshell.
The Dutchman’s statement on his website revealing that he would not be signing a new deal to keep him in north London beyond next summer prompted what has now become the biggest transfer saga of the summer.
Unfortunately for the Gunners, Van Persie is not the only one who could be off if the papers are to be believed. Theo Walcott and Alex Song are targets for some of Europe’s biggest clubs this summer – Song in particular is said to be attracted interest from Barcelona, something that will cause real worry amongst Gunners fans.
But while there may be some players leaving there should be a handful of arrivals soon, with Santi Cazorla and Nuri Sahin closing in on signing for the north London club.
Whether the arrival of Podolski and Giroud were attempts to make Van Persie stay or the north London club planning for life without the 28-year-old – the fact Podolski has yet to be allocated a squad number perhaps answers that one – remains to be seen, as does Arsenal’s line up next season.
The impending arrival of Santi Cazorla next season certainly puts a few cats amongst the pigeons. While he was deployed out wide for Malaga for the majority of last season, the Spaniard’s passing stats for 2011/12 bear an uncanny similarity to those of another player soon to leave north London, Luka Modric.
He is just as adept through the middle as he is out wide and has been touted as a long-term replacement for Cesc Fabregas, so Wenger may opt to deploy him through the middle.
With Van Persie on the cusp of leaving Wenger will need to identify a new man to lead the line, and unless Fernando Llorente, a potential target, arrives at the Emirates, Giroud will be charged with spearheading the Arsenal attack.
The big Frenchman is a lot more deft than his hulking frame suggests so Arsenal fans need not worry about long ball becoming the norm at the Emirates, although his size makes him the perfect foil for Cazorla to bounce off, although he is not the most mobile.
Wenger has experimented with Gervinho through the middle in pre-season, but its unlikely the Ivorian will be deployed there this season; Wenger has better options at his disposal while the former Lille man proved himself unreliable in front of goal last time round.
Another interesting move by Wenger is the potential signing of Nuri Sahin. The Turkish midfielder has struggled at Madrid but has a remarkable range of passing – his ability to ping balls from deep to spark counter-attacks is remarkable.
The move for Sahin looks to be quite shrewd, especially as it should be a season-long loan agreement, thus covering for the absence of Jack Wilshere without exposing the club financially. He is likely to push slightly further forward than Mikel Arteta who was deployed much deeper last season, although Sahin’s fine defensive abilities means the two should be fairly interchangeable.
At the back, full-back looks an area in which Arsenal could be vulnerable yet again, especially with Bacary Sagna injured for the start of the season (there have been suggestions we could be about to bring in Gregory Van Der Wiel at a cut price fee.) Carl Jenkinson and Keiran Gibbs will likely get the nod out-wide, while the trusty partnership of Thomas Vermaelen and Laurent Koscielny will be relied upon once again. Arsenal face plenty of upheaval but there should also be reasons to smile; their attacking line up next season, if all their potential deals come off should be explosive - even if they remain vulnerable at the back.
Im expecting a big season, and although it's very difficult not to read the papers and all the gossip, don't believe a thing until it comes out on the official website.
My Potential starting XI v Sunderland (4-2-3-1): Szczesny, Gibbs, Jenkinson, Vermaelen, Koscielny, Arteta, Sahin, Podolski, Cazorla, Gervinho, Giroud
By Matthew Elam (@Mattrelam)
Arsenal Football Club - The Season Ahead
Where do I start? After another disappointing campaign trophy wise last season, our Gunners finished 3rd with an automatic Champions League place, although looking at the start of our season we did very well to get there! of course it goes without saying that without the hugely impressive season of Robin Van Persie, we arguably wouldn't of finished were we did. The cup competitions we participated in, well, The less said about them the better, losing 4-0 to AC Milan was an embarrassing performance and although we beat them 3-0 at the Emirates, it did little to soften the blow that we had failed to live up to expectations in Europe once again. Our FA Cup elimination to Sunderland was a complete shock and quite a lot of our fans did expect at least a semi final spot, but on the day we got outplayed, and in the Carling cup we produced a very brave performance against Manchester Citys strength in depth but like we have come to find out in the 7 years without a trophy, despite our flowing and sometimes beautiful footballing style it is not guaranteed to win us accolades.
However, that is last season. The 2012/2013 brings a new start and fresh expectation. Of course our first challenge was to tie our Captain 'Vantastic' down to a new contract and Arsene Wenger showed his intentions very swiftly, bringing in the vast experience of Lukas Podolski, who is proven at International and club level. Me, like the vast majority of Arsenal fans were licking their lips at the prospect of the Dutchman and the German leading the line for Arsenal next season. But then came a potential blow, which was the announcement that Robin would not be extending his stay at Arsenal, which lead to a mixed reaction from us Gooners, some calling Van Persie ungrateful whereas some agreeing with the reported reasons of his possible departure, I fell into the category of agreeing with Piers Morgan and for those who do not follow the controversial figure of Piers on Twitter, he demanded an explanation of what had been discussed in the meeting of Gazidis, Wenger and Van Persie, and it did become blatantly obvious that during this meeting, Van Persie had not been convinced of Arsenals' direction, Van Persie is aged 29 today and he wants to be challenging for silverware in the prime of his career, some believe that this was a signal for Mr Wenger to stick his finger out and invest heavily in this window, however Arsenal and Arsene are firm believers that no single man is bigger than the club and with this in mind Wenger has done something quite cunning in this wake of this announcement, he has invested a reported £12.5 million on the French leagues top scorer of 2011/12 in Olivier Giroud, arguably a ready made replacement for Van Persie, should he eventually leave.
Now Giroud stands at 6'3 and helped Montpellier to a shock league triumph, also the Frenchman has broken into the France national team who have huge amounts of talent in his department already, so personally I'm expecting a steady season from Giroud. However, recent reports have left Arsenal fans not knowing what to believe, he was never seriously going to City surely? and its been reported today that Mancini has gone on record to say that he doesn't believe Van Persie will be a City player (Of course this is the man who said City were out of the title race with 5 games remaining!). Juventus were suggested as a favoured and odds on destination, however with the apparant match fixing scandal once again being linked with the Turin based clubs manager it has been reported that Van Persie will not be heading to Italy. Which leaves Manchester United as the only possible destination, Myself personally I don't think Van Persie will go to United, I will even go as far as to say that Van Persie will not be going anywhere this summer, in my opinion the best option for both parties would be to keep the situation as it is at the moment, until January, then sit down have a look at the clubs season and go from there, we need to prove to Robin that we will once again be a force this season and Wenger is doing his best to show Van persie that the club can compete, with the current two signings who I have already mentioned and of course with the two Inpending signings of Santi Cazorla and Nuri Sahin.
The first of these (Cazorla) is getting me particulary excited, I have seen this guy play for a number of years and he has the lot, and he will hit top gear at Arsenal. He has speed, vision, a huge arrange of passing and he can score. And he is the big name all of us Arsenal fans have been crying out for, for the past 3 seasons. and Nuri Sahin is a top talent he is a holding player which is what we so desperately need, whether he is simply a back up for my player of the season for last year Alex Song or if he will be playing alongside him, he will bring a different dimension to our play, now he'll only be on loan but I can most definately see him being a hit and Wenger spending the reported 10 Million he is worth.
Now I should mention the reports suggesting that Theo Walcott and Alex Song could be on their way out, Walcott has a year left on his contract whereas Song has 2. I'll start with Song, he will be a HUGE loss should he go, from defensive midfield he bagged 11 assists, which was the 4th highest in the Premier League last season and that statistic is so impressive considering his position, he is the anchor man in our team and him and Arteta completemented each other beautifully last season, I wouldn't get worried personally, he loves the club and we have no reason to sell him, so you can put your house on seeing him in Arsenal colours next season. Theo Walcotts' possible departure won't concern that many Arsenal fans, but in my opinion it should, yes we have so much strength in his position, and yes he can be labelled as 'inconsistent' and sometimes he lacks that final ball, but with 11 assists and being our 2nd highest scorer last season we simply cannot afford to lose someone with his quality, personally I desperately want Theo to sign a new contract, we need as many quality players as we can get for next season, look at the teams like City and United they have quality players on their bench bursting for their opportunities and we need that, and when we finally seal the signings of Cazorla and Sahin then we will look tasty, and reports close to me suggest that we are in for Ibrahim Afellay and Gregory Van Der Wiel, A Left Winger and a Right Back respectively, both Dutchman and will also give Van Persie added insentive to stay.
My thoughts on where Arsenal will finish? expect us to be up there at the top of the Premier league fighting to be Champions again, I am an optimist, I can see us roaring into the Champions League semi finals, and grabbing FA Cup glory. Our team next season (to quote Paul Merson) will be an absolute worldy and believe me, Arsenal are destined for greatness once again, and will be realise that greatness in the 12/13 campaign, Premier League Champions and FA Cup winners 2012/2013 WILL be Arsenal Football Club.
By Matthew Elam (@Mattrelam)
However, that is last season. The 2012/2013 brings a new start and fresh expectation. Of course our first challenge was to tie our Captain 'Vantastic' down to a new contract and Arsene Wenger showed his intentions very swiftly, bringing in the vast experience of Lukas Podolski, who is proven at International and club level. Me, like the vast majority of Arsenal fans were licking their lips at the prospect of the Dutchman and the German leading the line for Arsenal next season. But then came a potential blow, which was the announcement that Robin would not be extending his stay at Arsenal, which lead to a mixed reaction from us Gooners, some calling Van Persie ungrateful whereas some agreeing with the reported reasons of his possible departure, I fell into the category of agreeing with Piers Morgan and for those who do not follow the controversial figure of Piers on Twitter, he demanded an explanation of what had been discussed in the meeting of Gazidis, Wenger and Van Persie, and it did become blatantly obvious that during this meeting, Van Persie had not been convinced of Arsenals' direction, Van Persie is aged 29 today and he wants to be challenging for silverware in the prime of his career, some believe that this was a signal for Mr Wenger to stick his finger out and invest heavily in this window, however Arsenal and Arsene are firm believers that no single man is bigger than the club and with this in mind Wenger has done something quite cunning in this wake of this announcement, he has invested a reported £12.5 million on the French leagues top scorer of 2011/12 in Olivier Giroud, arguably a ready made replacement for Van Persie, should he eventually leave.
Now Giroud stands at 6'3 and helped Montpellier to a shock league triumph, also the Frenchman has broken into the France national team who have huge amounts of talent in his department already, so personally I'm expecting a steady season from Giroud. However, recent reports have left Arsenal fans not knowing what to believe, he was never seriously going to City surely? and its been reported today that Mancini has gone on record to say that he doesn't believe Van Persie will be a City player (Of course this is the man who said City were out of the title race with 5 games remaining!). Juventus were suggested as a favoured and odds on destination, however with the apparant match fixing scandal once again being linked with the Turin based clubs manager it has been reported that Van Persie will not be heading to Italy. Which leaves Manchester United as the only possible destination, Myself personally I don't think Van Persie will go to United, I will even go as far as to say that Van Persie will not be going anywhere this summer, in my opinion the best option for both parties would be to keep the situation as it is at the moment, until January, then sit down have a look at the clubs season and go from there, we need to prove to Robin that we will once again be a force this season and Wenger is doing his best to show Van persie that the club can compete, with the current two signings who I have already mentioned and of course with the two Inpending signings of Santi Cazorla and Nuri Sahin.
The first of these (Cazorla) is getting me particulary excited, I have seen this guy play for a number of years and he has the lot, and he will hit top gear at Arsenal. He has speed, vision, a huge arrange of passing and he can score. And he is the big name all of us Arsenal fans have been crying out for, for the past 3 seasons. and Nuri Sahin is a top talent he is a holding player which is what we so desperately need, whether he is simply a back up for my player of the season for last year Alex Song or if he will be playing alongside him, he will bring a different dimension to our play, now he'll only be on loan but I can most definately see him being a hit and Wenger spending the reported 10 Million he is worth.
Now I should mention the reports suggesting that Theo Walcott and Alex Song could be on their way out, Walcott has a year left on his contract whereas Song has 2. I'll start with Song, he will be a HUGE loss should he go, from defensive midfield he bagged 11 assists, which was the 4th highest in the Premier League last season and that statistic is so impressive considering his position, he is the anchor man in our team and him and Arteta completemented each other beautifully last season, I wouldn't get worried personally, he loves the club and we have no reason to sell him, so you can put your house on seeing him in Arsenal colours next season. Theo Walcotts' possible departure won't concern that many Arsenal fans, but in my opinion it should, yes we have so much strength in his position, and yes he can be labelled as 'inconsistent' and sometimes he lacks that final ball, but with 11 assists and being our 2nd highest scorer last season we simply cannot afford to lose someone with his quality, personally I desperately want Theo to sign a new contract, we need as many quality players as we can get for next season, look at the teams like City and United they have quality players on their bench bursting for their opportunities and we need that, and when we finally seal the signings of Cazorla and Sahin then we will look tasty, and reports close to me suggest that we are in for Ibrahim Afellay and Gregory Van Der Wiel, A Left Winger and a Right Back respectively, both Dutchman and will also give Van Persie added insentive to stay.
My thoughts on where Arsenal will finish? expect us to be up there at the top of the Premier league fighting to be Champions again, I am an optimist, I can see us roaring into the Champions League semi finals, and grabbing FA Cup glory. Our team next season (to quote Paul Merson) will be an absolute worldy and believe me, Arsenal are destined for greatness once again, and will be realise that greatness in the 12/13 campaign, Premier League Champions and FA Cup winners 2012/2013 WILL be Arsenal Football Club.
By Matthew Elam (@Mattrelam)
Arsenal Season Preview 2012/2013
7 years. 7 years since Arsenal last won a trophy, not through lack of trying. Many already predict Arsenal to increase this period to 8 years due to our very bad start to the summer. Arsenal lost Pat Rice, their first team coach, to retirement. Also their captain and talisman Robin Van Persie stated he wouldn’t be signing a new contract, which then lead to unrest in the boardroom, mainly due to comments from .Alisher Usmanov. However, it would be foolish to believe that Arsenal have done nothing to remedy this.
The main talking point is Robin Van Persie. Undoubtly he carried Arsenal kicking and screaming through last season with his immense goal scoring abilities, and it would always be a struggle to persuade him Arsenal are trying to improve. Like Gazidis has mentioned, they ‘disagreed’ in which direction Arsenal should be taken, which is frankly ridiculous as surely both would like Arsenal to return to the very top. However as I write this Van Persie still hasn’t left, and there are many conflicting reports, one minute he’s signing for Manchester United and then the next he’s made a U-turn and is negotiating a new deal with the Gunners. Reports also state there’s a possibility of Van Persie staying until January, allowing our two (maybe three) strikers settle. Be it Juventus, either Manchester clubs or even with Arsenal, it’ll be interesting to see Van Persie take to the field again.
This leads to usually the quietest part of the Arsenal pre-season, transfers. So far Arsenal has released the calamitous goalkeeper Almunia, now at Watford, and have sold Mexican whiz-kid Carlos Vela to Real Sociedad. It’s also likely the forgotten man Park Chu Young will move on, along with Squillaci, Bendtner, Arshavin and Chamakh also likely to move on, which is what Arsenal need to do, remove the dead wood. The most amazing thing is that Arsenal have already signed two arguably world class strikers! The Ligue 1 top scorer and champion Olivier Giroud and the German stalwart Lukas Podolski. Giroud is strong in the air and good on his feet, and like Arsenal’ chief scout Giles Grimandi has stated, he was signed in case Van Persie did in fact not want to stay at Arsenal, so already there’s a replacement. Also Lukas Podolski is a very adaptable striker, able to play on the flanks or through the middle, and create goals or score them himself. The duo are undoubtedly talented, and wil add to the already magnificent strike force Arsenal hold, so there should be no chance of a lack of goals for the upcoming season. Rumours persist more signing will be coming in, with strong reports the Euro winner Santi Cazorla having already signed a four year contract, a midfielder which is known as the best midfielder in Spain not playing for Real Madrid or Barcelona. Nuri Sahin is also expected to join on loan from Real Madrid, as well as the young striker M’baye Niang currently choosing between Arsenal, Man City and AC Milan. There’s still a call for defenders to make sure Arsenal are solid for the upcoming season, however Wenger seems more than happy with his defence.
Arsenal are known for integrating their youth players with the first team, and this year it seems that Kyle Bartley, Thomas Eisfeld and Nico Yenarris’ turn. Bartley provides the new center back which pundits have been screaming for, and adds a commanding calm presence to the Arsenal defence, and seems more than ready to provide cover. Eisfeld is a tricky midfielder, with many resemblances to Rosicky and should appear more than once or twice this year, whilst Yennaris offers cover in defence or even in midfield, which is also what Arsenal have lacked.
This season will be interesting for Arsenal fans, there’s no reason why a trophy won’t be heading Arsenal’s way, with the new signings and the ever improving players. Koscielny, Song, Rosicky, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Arteta will be looking to keep up their amazing form last season. Also a significant member of the team will return the midfield terrier that is Jack Wilshere. An undeniably talented young midfielder with bags of potential, which will track back, pick out amazing passes and bust a gut for his team. There is also another midfielder re-appearing after another lay-off, Abou Diaby, a midfield powerhouse with a wonderful attacking flair and great ball control. These two will add to the Arsenal midfield and add to Wenger’s considerably talented wealth of midfield.
With new coach Steve Bould in place, and a solid pre season in which they’ve only lost the once, Arsenal are looking relatively comfortable. Two great new signing, with a possibility of 3 or more still to come in, and players maturing, the expectations remain the same. Compete for the league, or at least qualify for the Champions League, and who knows, there’s a very real chance a trophy may be heading to the Emirates Stadium very soon.
By Will Thomas (@WillJTee)
The main talking point is Robin Van Persie. Undoubtly he carried Arsenal kicking and screaming through last season with his immense goal scoring abilities, and it would always be a struggle to persuade him Arsenal are trying to improve. Like Gazidis has mentioned, they ‘disagreed’ in which direction Arsenal should be taken, which is frankly ridiculous as surely both would like Arsenal to return to the very top. However as I write this Van Persie still hasn’t left, and there are many conflicting reports, one minute he’s signing for Manchester United and then the next he’s made a U-turn and is negotiating a new deal with the Gunners. Reports also state there’s a possibility of Van Persie staying until January, allowing our two (maybe three) strikers settle. Be it Juventus, either Manchester clubs or even with Arsenal, it’ll be interesting to see Van Persie take to the field again.
This leads to usually the quietest part of the Arsenal pre-season, transfers. So far Arsenal has released the calamitous goalkeeper Almunia, now at Watford, and have sold Mexican whiz-kid Carlos Vela to Real Sociedad. It’s also likely the forgotten man Park Chu Young will move on, along with Squillaci, Bendtner, Arshavin and Chamakh also likely to move on, which is what Arsenal need to do, remove the dead wood. The most amazing thing is that Arsenal have already signed two arguably world class strikers! The Ligue 1 top scorer and champion Olivier Giroud and the German stalwart Lukas Podolski. Giroud is strong in the air and good on his feet, and like Arsenal’ chief scout Giles Grimandi has stated, he was signed in case Van Persie did in fact not want to stay at Arsenal, so already there’s a replacement. Also Lukas Podolski is a very adaptable striker, able to play on the flanks or through the middle, and create goals or score them himself. The duo are undoubtedly talented, and wil add to the already magnificent strike force Arsenal hold, so there should be no chance of a lack of goals for the upcoming season. Rumours persist more signing will be coming in, with strong reports the Euro winner Santi Cazorla having already signed a four year contract, a midfielder which is known as the best midfielder in Spain not playing for Real Madrid or Barcelona. Nuri Sahin is also expected to join on loan from Real Madrid, as well as the young striker M’baye Niang currently choosing between Arsenal, Man City and AC Milan. There’s still a call for defenders to make sure Arsenal are solid for the upcoming season, however Wenger seems more than happy with his defence.
Arsenal are known for integrating their youth players with the first team, and this year it seems that Kyle Bartley, Thomas Eisfeld and Nico Yenarris’ turn. Bartley provides the new center back which pundits have been screaming for, and adds a commanding calm presence to the Arsenal defence, and seems more than ready to provide cover. Eisfeld is a tricky midfielder, with many resemblances to Rosicky and should appear more than once or twice this year, whilst Yennaris offers cover in defence or even in midfield, which is also what Arsenal have lacked.
This season will be interesting for Arsenal fans, there’s no reason why a trophy won’t be heading Arsenal’s way, with the new signings and the ever improving players. Koscielny, Song, Rosicky, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Arteta will be looking to keep up their amazing form last season. Also a significant member of the team will return the midfield terrier that is Jack Wilshere. An undeniably talented young midfielder with bags of potential, which will track back, pick out amazing passes and bust a gut for his team. There is also another midfielder re-appearing after another lay-off, Abou Diaby, a midfield powerhouse with a wonderful attacking flair and great ball control. These two will add to the Arsenal midfield and add to Wenger’s considerably talented wealth of midfield.
With new coach Steve Bould in place, and a solid pre season in which they’ve only lost the once, Arsenal are looking relatively comfortable. Two great new signing, with a possibility of 3 or more still to come in, and players maturing, the expectations remain the same. Compete for the league, or at least qualify for the Champions League, and who knows, there’s a very real chance a trophy may be heading to the Emirates Stadium very soon.
By Will Thomas (@WillJTee)
Oxlade-Chamberlain or Walcott?
As an arsenal fan, i always compare the two players and their different ability's. From just watching the Euro 2012 this year, us England fans have seen what the two have to offer. Even though England's tournament turned into a disappointing one, we saw a lot of promise from the two.
Firstly, Theo Walcott, 23 years of age. Signed from championship side Southampton to top premier league side Arsenal for a fee of which began at £5 million, but was raised to £9.1 million due to appearances for country and club. Many fans had doubts about the youngster signing for Arsenal, as he was still a not very known footballer. However, Arsenal fans had a lot more belief for the youngster when he was called up to the England squad for the 2006 World cup. Walcott made his debut for the club on 19th August, coming on as a substitute against Aston Villa. This was the chance for the footballing world to see the talent of the youngster. Within quick succession, Walcott proved his talent, assisting Gilberto Silva. Now the whole world of football had Walcott on their mind, as his potential was world class.
It was clear to every fan that Walcott's strong point was his acceleration and pace. He was quickly named fastest footballer in the premier league, or maybe even the world. With this pace came sponsors such as Nike. Yet, as the seasons progressed, Walcott's ability was starting to be doubted. His consistent - ency was not good enough for the likes of the premier league. Arsenal fans resulted in actually 'booing' when they knew that Walcott was playing. Walcott also picked up nicknames whilst in bad form such as 'Theo run with the ball Walcott' as all he seemed to do was sprint with the ball, with no final product.
Despite all of this, in Euro 2012 we saw what Walcott is really capable of producing on the pitch. As a substitute for England vs. Sweden, Walcott dramatically changed the game. Walcott was bought on when England were 2-1 down. He came on and made an instant impact to the team. Scoring to make England level, but also assisting Danny Welbeck to give England the lead.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, 18 years of age. Also signed from Southampton to Arsenal at the age of 17 for a fee of £15 million. This confused many fans across the premier league as £15 million for a 17 year old seems crazy money unless he turned out to be world class. But the 'ox' instantly got the fans on his side from sensational performances at such a young age. Fans all over the country knew Oxlade-Chamberlain for a good reason now. Then came more good performances from the 'wonderkid' where he scored, assisted and greatly helped Arsenal get crucial victories. There's one game that stands out more than the rest though, that game is where Chamberlain started center midfield against top side AC Milan, in the champions league second leg. In the first leg, Chamberlain wasn't started which made fans angry as they believe he's a game changer in the Arsenal jersey and this was a crucial game. Arsenal were hammered 4-0 at the San Siro. This made the second leg almost impossible to come back for Arsenal. They ended up winning the match 3-0 but that wasn't good enough. However, it was easily noticed how well Chamberlain played that match, covering the whole pitch, his work rate is clearly much higher than Walcott's as he defends as well as attacks.
With all this good reputation, the pressure comes piling onto the youngster as his expectations are now so high at a young age. The fans of both Arsenal and England are now expecting the youngster to produce amazing quality when on the pitch and similar to how Walcott was, he is heavily criticized when making mistakes on the pitch. It's almost like since he's gotten the good reputation, he cannot handle the pressure at such a young age but it is clear that he has what it takes to survive in the premier league, the best league in the world. He has the attributes you want in a player, speed, agility, finesse, ball control and brilliant passing.
Walcott was equally as good as Chamberlain at the age of 17, but Walcott seemed to flop when he got to an age that people wouldn't recongise him as a youngster anymore. Will this be the same with Oxlade-Chamberlain? You decide.
By Josh Keen (@Joshkeeno)
Firstly, Theo Walcott, 23 years of age. Signed from championship side Southampton to top premier league side Arsenal for a fee of which began at £5 million, but was raised to £9.1 million due to appearances for country and club. Many fans had doubts about the youngster signing for Arsenal, as he was still a not very known footballer. However, Arsenal fans had a lot more belief for the youngster when he was called up to the England squad for the 2006 World cup. Walcott made his debut for the club on 19th August, coming on as a substitute against Aston Villa. This was the chance for the footballing world to see the talent of the youngster. Within quick succession, Walcott proved his talent, assisting Gilberto Silva. Now the whole world of football had Walcott on their mind, as his potential was world class.
It was clear to every fan that Walcott's strong point was his acceleration and pace. He was quickly named fastest footballer in the premier league, or maybe even the world. With this pace came sponsors such as Nike. Yet, as the seasons progressed, Walcott's ability was starting to be doubted. His consistent - ency was not good enough for the likes of the premier league. Arsenal fans resulted in actually 'booing' when they knew that Walcott was playing. Walcott also picked up nicknames whilst in bad form such as 'Theo run with the ball Walcott' as all he seemed to do was sprint with the ball, with no final product.
Despite all of this, in Euro 2012 we saw what Walcott is really capable of producing on the pitch. As a substitute for England vs. Sweden, Walcott dramatically changed the game. Walcott was bought on when England were 2-1 down. He came on and made an instant impact to the team. Scoring to make England level, but also assisting Danny Welbeck to give England the lead.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, 18 years of age. Also signed from Southampton to Arsenal at the age of 17 for a fee of £15 million. This confused many fans across the premier league as £15 million for a 17 year old seems crazy money unless he turned out to be world class. But the 'ox' instantly got the fans on his side from sensational performances at such a young age. Fans all over the country knew Oxlade-Chamberlain for a good reason now. Then came more good performances from the 'wonderkid' where he scored, assisted and greatly helped Arsenal get crucial victories. There's one game that stands out more than the rest though, that game is where Chamberlain started center midfield against top side AC Milan, in the champions league second leg. In the first leg, Chamberlain wasn't started which made fans angry as they believe he's a game changer in the Arsenal jersey and this was a crucial game. Arsenal were hammered 4-0 at the San Siro. This made the second leg almost impossible to come back for Arsenal. They ended up winning the match 3-0 but that wasn't good enough. However, it was easily noticed how well Chamberlain played that match, covering the whole pitch, his work rate is clearly much higher than Walcott's as he defends as well as attacks.
With all this good reputation, the pressure comes piling onto the youngster as his expectations are now so high at a young age. The fans of both Arsenal and England are now expecting the youngster to produce amazing quality when on the pitch and similar to how Walcott was, he is heavily criticized when making mistakes on the pitch. It's almost like since he's gotten the good reputation, he cannot handle the pressure at such a young age but it is clear that he has what it takes to survive in the premier league, the best league in the world. He has the attributes you want in a player, speed, agility, finesse, ball control and brilliant passing.
Walcott was equally as good as Chamberlain at the age of 17, but Walcott seemed to flop when he got to an age that people wouldn't recongise him as a youngster anymore. Will this be the same with Oxlade-Chamberlain? You decide.
By Josh Keen (@Joshkeeno)
Wenger's biggest summer ever?
As nearly all football fans know, Arsenal haven’t won a trophy since beating Manchester United 5-4 on Penalties in the 2005 FA cup final. It has been a very frustrating period for all us Arsenal fans, losing in the Champions league final to Barcelona and a shock defeat to Birmingham in the Carling Cup final 2 years ago have been two of the most notable failures. However, showing promise in the league so many times before falling away at the back end of the season and seeing Chelsea become the first London club to win the UCL was equally as painful for many.
Arsene Wenger now faces, in my view, his most crucial summer so far as manager of Arsenal. He didn’t do his business early enough last year which saw us lose 8-2 to Manchester United days before the transfer window ended and left us with a shocking start to the season. This led Wenger into a buying spree on the final day of the summer transfer window. Despite this, we managed to qualify for the UCL for an amazing 16th year in a row, and once again finish above the small club down the road even though this was ‘their best season in 50years’. Wenger has started early with his business this summer, learning from last year’s antics it seems. He has captured Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud for less than £25million, both very good deals.
Lukas Podolski has now got 100caps for Germany scoring 44goals, and in my opinion is made for the BPL. Strong, quick and with a very powerful left foot which saw him score 18 goals in 29 games for relegated Koln will hopefully see him settle quickly and make a difference to the team. His ‘fear no-one’ attitude and the ability to change a match will certainly benefit the team; and for a little less than £11million this is a bargain and a magical piece of work by Wenger.
Then there is Olivier Giroud, a player I must admit , like many others, I know little about. He has certainly had an amazingly successful season for shock French Champions Montpellier, scoring 21 goals which made him top scorer in ligue 1 and lead to him receiving his international debut for France. He has been likened to Arsenal flop Marouane Chamakh, but he comes with more goals and more assists than Chamakh had at his final season at Bordeaux, as well as leading a relatively average team to a ligue1 title. The respected French journalist Phillipe Auclair said ‘in terms of value for money, I don’t think there is much better in Europe at the moment’. The fact that we fought off interest from Chelsea, among others, for his signature is impressive; and I do not think he is a replacement for RVP, he is there to provide depth, which is crucial as Arsenal cannot rely on Robin like we did last season.
There are also some very strong rumours that we are on the brink of signing Yann M’Villa. For me, he was one of the few impressive players in the French side at the euros, he wasn’t amazing – but he certainly didn’t do much wrong. He has been tipped as the next Viera, and despite Song being a world class player, defensively he can be lazy at times. M’villa would provide much needed protection in the midfield but whether that transfer materialises we will have to wait and see. I believe Wenger may also try and bring in a new, experienced keeper to play back up and maybe a defender as an extra squad player.
Arsenal will also be majorly boosted by the return of Jack Wilshere who is on his way to being back in time for pre-season, and while he may take time to come back to his best, he will certainly make a major difference being one of the best young players in England, if not the world. There is also, as always fresh talent coming through the academy who may make an impact by the end of the season, and young players coming back from loan who may fight for a place in the first team such as Joel Campbell.
One thing is for certain, Arsenal are certainly showing some ambition; so far everything has been done right. But keeping RVP and getting rid of deadwood players will be as crucial. We are starting to get a very strong squad together and it is looking as though it has some depth. When RVP isn’t firing next year, instead of Chamakh and Park to come on, there will be the likes of Gervinho and Girioud. The team will certainly become less reliant on Van Persie, thats if he stays, which is crucial. Hopefully the long wait for a trophy could be nearing an end – I for one, am excited to be an Arsenal fan at the moment.
By Luke Cottell (@Lukei96)
Arsene Wenger now faces, in my view, his most crucial summer so far as manager of Arsenal. He didn’t do his business early enough last year which saw us lose 8-2 to Manchester United days before the transfer window ended and left us with a shocking start to the season. This led Wenger into a buying spree on the final day of the summer transfer window. Despite this, we managed to qualify for the UCL for an amazing 16th year in a row, and once again finish above the small club down the road even though this was ‘their best season in 50years’. Wenger has started early with his business this summer, learning from last year’s antics it seems. He has captured Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud for less than £25million, both very good deals.
Lukas Podolski has now got 100caps for Germany scoring 44goals, and in my opinion is made for the BPL. Strong, quick and with a very powerful left foot which saw him score 18 goals in 29 games for relegated Koln will hopefully see him settle quickly and make a difference to the team. His ‘fear no-one’ attitude and the ability to change a match will certainly benefit the team; and for a little less than £11million this is a bargain and a magical piece of work by Wenger.
Then there is Olivier Giroud, a player I must admit , like many others, I know little about. He has certainly had an amazingly successful season for shock French Champions Montpellier, scoring 21 goals which made him top scorer in ligue 1 and lead to him receiving his international debut for France. He has been likened to Arsenal flop Marouane Chamakh, but he comes with more goals and more assists than Chamakh had at his final season at Bordeaux, as well as leading a relatively average team to a ligue1 title. The respected French journalist Phillipe Auclair said ‘in terms of value for money, I don’t think there is much better in Europe at the moment’. The fact that we fought off interest from Chelsea, among others, for his signature is impressive; and I do not think he is a replacement for RVP, he is there to provide depth, which is crucial as Arsenal cannot rely on Robin like we did last season.
There are also some very strong rumours that we are on the brink of signing Yann M’Villa. For me, he was one of the few impressive players in the French side at the euros, he wasn’t amazing – but he certainly didn’t do much wrong. He has been tipped as the next Viera, and despite Song being a world class player, defensively he can be lazy at times. M’villa would provide much needed protection in the midfield but whether that transfer materialises we will have to wait and see. I believe Wenger may also try and bring in a new, experienced keeper to play back up and maybe a defender as an extra squad player.
Arsenal will also be majorly boosted by the return of Jack Wilshere who is on his way to being back in time for pre-season, and while he may take time to come back to his best, he will certainly make a major difference being one of the best young players in England, if not the world. There is also, as always fresh talent coming through the academy who may make an impact by the end of the season, and young players coming back from loan who may fight for a place in the first team such as Joel Campbell.
One thing is for certain, Arsenal are certainly showing some ambition; so far everything has been done right. But keeping RVP and getting rid of deadwood players will be as crucial. We are starting to get a very strong squad together and it is looking as though it has some depth. When RVP isn’t firing next year, instead of Chamakh and Park to come on, there will be the likes of Gervinho and Girioud. The team will certainly become less reliant on Van Persie, thats if he stays, which is crucial. Hopefully the long wait for a trophy could be nearing an end – I for one, am excited to be an Arsenal fan at the moment.
By Luke Cottell (@Lukei96)