The force of SaKai is upon us. Each a goal and an assist is a great start to the season for both. Do we need a more clinical CF than Kai or Jesus? Always welcome of course, but only if they also work as hard as our two boys do and are as multi-skilled as they are. Finding such a gem ain’t easy.
Saliba and Rice looked a bit rusty to me. Hopefully they can step it up when we face Emery’s Villans.
So good to have Thomas Partry fit at the start of the season. If we can get 30+ games out of him this season we will have a great chance to win the title. Unfortunately this is unlikely, hence Merino is likely to join us imminently.
Raya was rightly celebrated for his incredible reflex-safe, but I also was impressed with his calm distribution and presence in the box. What a bargain signing he is.
Other than cover for Partey, the left side is an area in need of improvement this season. Calafiori is an exciting signing and of course Timber is also rearing to go. The link with Rice and Martinelli will be key, and looking at Saturday’s performance, there is still work to do.
Martinelli needs to break through this season. I don’t think he will ever be as balanced and deadly as Bukayo is on the right, but he should do better in his decision making, producing more assists and forming an integral unit with his left-side colleagues. Sadly, I am not sure whether he is capable of this.
Martin Odegaard is one of us. Hallelujah.
So glad football is back and what a season lays ahead of us. 😃
It was a joy to be at the Grove yesterday evening. I remember my first visit to the new stadium after years of my love affair with Highbury. I felt underwhelmed and disappointed, (in hindsight it was probably due to grieving the move). But steadily over the years my biannual pilgrimages from New Zealand to North London have seen a shift in me. Yesterday I felt the magic, the stadium felt like a home from home, the atmosphere was, though lacking the delicious angsty tension of a competitive match, warmly loving. It cascaded down the terraces (first time I’d been in the middle tier, what a great view) wrapped itself around our boys (and Granit, too) and they responded with some beautiful flowing football, mostly in the first half, a display of real intent.
I know Kev is going up on Sunday to watch the Lyon game, he has a real treat in store. As do we all with this coming season. I so look forward to the interaction on this blog before and after every game.
The match itself: Jesus looks up for it, he likely senses he is on notice with all the kerfuffle about Arsenal needing a new striker. He buzzed and pestered the Leverkusen defenders like a blue arsed fly, along with our outstanding Norse skipper, harrying the German champions defence (meanest in last seasons Bundesliga (24 goals conceded)) into mistake after mistake. His goal was a snooker shot, as was Zinchenko’s. In fact, the pitch reminded me of a green baize perfectly manicured in a very pleasing plaid. Kudos to Alan Russell and his team.
Kai (forgive the pun if you know Te Reo Maori) looked tasty. “Stroller” Graham came to mind as he languidly bossed the midfield along with MO8 and Jorginho. Granite sat at the base of the Germans midfield trying his best (he was warmly received, getting two standing ovations, one as he was welcomed back and secondly when he was substituted in the second half), to penetrate the screen, and whenever a ball did get through it was dealt with by the very tight unit of Big Will and Gab.
Fabio still has a point to prove, tho’ he did produce the pass of the game with a forty metre cross field ball into the path and immaculate touch of Leandro, who himself had some lovely moments wide on the left bamboozling the German fullback.
It was grand to see Bukayu, Declan and the two youngsters get a run out (Myles quickness and determination offered shades of a young Ashley Cole), even if the second half petered out a bit with the plethora of changes. We finished with a defence of three academy boys and Jacob. No sign of Justin or our Italian lad, but there will be reasons for that.
On the way to the stadium I paused beside the ESR mural and gave thanks for that truly lovely lad. I shall miss him in the red and white. What price we sometimes pay for progress.
Managed to catch the late train from Paddington and got to bed at 2am buzzing with expectancy for all that lays before us.
I don’t know about you but I have been enjoying the Euros until now. Some good footie on display even though mamy of the big nations still have to find their groove.
The Euro-Gunners have been playing very well and are gaining great experience this summer. Saliba has been solid, Saka made the best of not playing with a Ben White and an Odegaard, and thus starved of ingenuity and those necessary triangles to release him. Kai is being played in the Arteta-Arsenal role and has been pivotal for Die Mannschaft. And Ricey has been solid in perhaps too deep a midfield role.
The best, most organised football, other than from Spain, has come from the Alpine countries, Austria and Switzerland. But in a tournament anything can happen, especially when entering the play-off games, when (lack of) luck can play a cruel role. The quarter finals are all exciting prospects, and it will be now or never for the older stars of those nations.
To re-engage on the blog, here are some questions for you:
Which teams will get through to the semi-finals?
Who would you like Arteta to add to Arsenal and why?
Best defender in the Euros?
Best midfielder in the Euros?
Best attacker in the Euros?
Why is England playing so slow and struggle to break through the lines?
Dear Bergkampesquers and all those who knew this fine gentleman-Gooner from other blogs,
On 13 May Cyril, better known as GunnerN5 (GN5), sadly passed away.
Cyril had been posting on the blog for many years and his contributions have been immense. He was a prolific Arsenal-researcher and writer, and we have issued many of his posts here on Bergkampesque over the years. GN5 did a number of series of Arsenal posts, many of them also issued on the fine blog ArsenalArsenal. The highlight for me was without any doubt the series about the Arsenal 100-goal scorers posts (20 in total). These were well researched, full of facts and interesting bits, and the passion for Arsenal and football in general shone through in them. Cyril also promoted and then coordinated the football prediction competition over the last few years, and what a lot of fun and banter this has brought to the regulars on Bergkampesque!
GN5 was always keen to help and contribute to the blog, and there was no calculation or self-promotion in any of it. From the start, I wanted this blog to function as a digital pub where likeminded Gooners from the UK and around the world could meet and discuss anything Arsenal, football and anything else enriching our lives. A digital pub only works if it’s cosy with a good atmosphere of respect, banter and support for each other. Cyril for me was the wise, calm and warm older guy at the centre of the pub, always there to greet and crack a joke, always willing to contribute and support others, and with that fiery passion for the Arsenal right till the end. I don’t know anybody who supported Arsenal longer and had more knowledge of the club’s history and achievement than Cyril. Yet, what I truly loved about him was his humbleness and willingness to learn right till the end. He was forever curious and willing to listen to new opinions. Erasmus of Rotterdam once wrote: “Live as if you were to die tomorrow, study as if you were to live forever”; for me, Cyril epitomised this. He knew how to enjoy life and not grumble and he was always keen to learn more, allowing a healthy amount of doubt and humility to accompany him right till the end. He was also a family man, speaking warmly about his dear wife, daughter and son whenever he could.
In short, he was a great human being and Gooner and I will miss him dearly. Cyril loved a good wine, so let’s all raise a glass of red to him today.
TotalArsenal.
The post below has been published before, but in one of Cyril’s last emails he asked me to republish it. It is a great post about a great man by a great man.
Denis Bergkamp: 1995-2006.
Denis appeared in 423 games over an 11 year period and scored 120 goals.
Born in Amsterdam, Denis was the fourth of four sons. He was brought up in a working-class suburb; his father who was an electrician played amateur footballer in the lower leagues. He was named in honour of Scottish striker Denis Law but in order to comply with Dutch given name customs, an extra “n” was inserted into his first name, by his father, after it was not accepted by the registrar.
He was spotted by Ajax and was brought up through their famous youth system, joining the club at age 11 and making his professional debut on 14 December 1986. He scored his first senior goal for the club against HFC Haarlem on 22 February 1987 in a match Ajax won 6–0. He went on to make 23 appearances in the 1986–87 season, including a European debut against Malmö FF in the 1986–87 European Cup Winners’ Cup, Ajax won the competition, beating Lokomotive Leipzig 1–0. In later seasons he established himself as a first-team player for Ajax. This culminated in a period of success for the club, which won the Eredivisie title in the 1989–90 season for the first time in five years. Denis scored 29 goals in 36 games the following season and became the joint top goal scorer in the league. Ajax won the 1992 UEFA Cup Final, beating Torino through the away goals ruling. He was the top scorer in the Eredivisie from 1991 to 1993, and was voted Dutch Footballer of the Year in 1992 and 1993. In total, he scored 122 goals in 239 games for his hometown club.
Denis attracted the attention of several European clubs as a result of his performances for Ajax. He was insistent on playing in Italy. as he considered Serie A “the biggest league at the time” and preferred a move to either Juventus or Internazionale, on 16 February 1993, he agreed a £7.1 million move to Internazionale and made his debut against Reggiana on 29 August 1993. In his first two seasons at Internazionale, the club changed managers twice and Denis had a difficult time, troubled with stress injuries and fatigue from the 1994 World Cup, he only scored five goals in 26 appearances. Off the field, his relationship with the Italian press and fans became uncomfortable. His shy persona and his propensity to go home after matches was interpreted as apathy. Because of his poor performance on the pitch, one Italian publication renamed their award given to the worst performance of the week, L’asino della settimana (Donkey of the Week) to Bergkamp della settimana.
Denis left Internazionale and signed with Arsenal in June 1995 for a transfer fee estimated at £7.5 million. He became manager Bruce Rioch’s first signing at Arsenal and broke the club’s transfer fee record of £2.5 million. On the opening day of the 1995–96 league season, he made his full debut against Middlesbrough. He struggled to adapt to the English game and failed to score in the club’s next six league matches, prompting ridicule by the national press, he ended his first season with 33 appearances and a goal tally of 11.
The appointment of Arsène Wenger as Arsenal manager in September 1996 marked a turning point in his career. Wenger, who had moderate success coaching in France and Japan, recognised his talent and wanted to use him as a fulcrum of the team’s forward play. Both were advocates of a continental style of attacking football, and Denis was happy with Arsene’s decision to impose a strict fitness and health regime. Despite making fewer appearances in the 1996–97 season, he was more influential in the first team, creating 13 assists. The following season he was instrumental in helping Arsenal complete a domestic league and cup double. He became the club’s top scorer with 22 goals and recorded a strike rate of 0.57. In 1997/8 he was the recipient of the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award, becoming only the second foreign player to be recognised by his fellow professionals as the outstanding performer in English football.
After 3 seasons of finishing second more success finally came in the 2001–02 season. Arsenal regained the league, beating Manchester United at Old Trafford in the penultimate game of the season to complete the club’s second double under Wenger; Arsenal defeated Chelsea 2–0 to win the FA Cup four days prior. Denis played in 33 league matches, setting up 15 goals. After a 3 game red card suspension he made his return against Newcastle United on 3 March 2002. Early in the match, Arsenal midfielder Robert Pirès played a low pass from the left flank to Denis in the edge of the opponent area with his back to goal. Under pressure from his marker Nikos Dabizas, he controlled the ball with one flick and went around the other side before placing the ball precisely into the bottom right-hand corner to score. Arsene described the goal as “unbelievable”, adding “It was not only a magnificent goal but a very important one – I enjoyed it a lot”
Denis reached a personal landmark during the 2002–03 season, scoring his 100th goal for Arsenal against Oxford United in a FA Cup third-round tie. On 20 July 2003, he signed a one-year extension at the club. The 2003–04 season ended on a high point as Arsenal reclaimed the league title, becoming the first English team in more than a century to go through the entire domestic league season unbeaten Champions League over two legs. He committed himself to Arsenal at the end of the season, signing a further extension to his contract.
The team finished fourth in the league in his final season at Arsenal. After much campaigning from Arsenal supporters, the club designated one of its Highbury match day themes, organised to commemorate the stadium’s final season as home of Arsenal, to Dennis Bergkamp. “Bergkamp Day” took place on 15 April 2006 It celebrated his contribution to Arsenal; fans were given commemorative orange ‘DB10’ T-shirts – the colour of his national team, his initials and his squad number. Denis came on as a second-half substitute and set up the winning Pirès goal moments after Nigel Quashie had levelled the score. Fittingly, his 89th-minute goal proved to be his last for Arsenal in competitive football.
He was the focus of the first match at Arsenal’s new ground, the Emirates Stadium. On 22 July 2006, a testimonial was played in his honour at the new stadium as Arsenal played his old club Ajax.
Denis made his international debut for the Netherlands national team against Italy on 26 September 1990. He was selected for Euro 1992, where his national team were the defending champions. Although he impressed, scoring three goals in the tournament, the team lost on penalties to eventual champions Denmark. In the qualification for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, hep scored five goals and was selected for the finals, staged in the United States. He featured in every game for the national team, getting goals against Morocco in the group stages and the Republic of Ireland in the round of 16.
Against Wales in the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification on 9 November 1996, he scored his first hat-trick for the national team. The Netherlands finished first in their group and qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, held in France. Denis scored three times in the competition, including a memorable winning goal in the final minute of the quarterfinal against Argentina. He took one touch to control a long 60-yard aerial pass from Frank de Boer, brought the ball down through Argentine defender Roberto Ayala’s legs, and finally finished by firing a volley with the outside of his right foot, past the keeper at a tight angle from the right, he described the goal as his personal favourite in his career. His international career ended with 37 goals in 77 appearances.
In April of 2007, he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame by viewers of BBC’s Football Focus. A year later, he was voted second by Arsenal fans behind Thierry Henry in a list of the 50 Gunners Greatest Players.
This is a summary of his achievements in chronological order:
Dutch Football Talent of the Year (1): 1990
Dutch Footballer of the Year (2): 1991, 1992
Eredivisie Top Scorer (3): 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93
UEFA European Football Championship Top Scorer (1): 1992
UEFA European Football Championship Team of the Tournament (1): 1992
World’s Top Goal Scorer of the Year (1): 1992
UEFA Cup Top Scorer (1): 1994
Premier League Player of the Month (4): August 1997, September 1997, March 2002, February 2004
PFA Team of the Year (1): 1997–98
FWA Footballer of the Year (1): 1997–98
PFA Players’ Player of the Year (1): 1997–98
Premier League Goal of the Season (2): 1997–98, 2001–02
FIFA World Cup All-Star Team (1): 1998
FIFA 100
English Football Hall of Fame
His statue now stands outside Emirates Stadium honouring him as one of Arsenal’s legends.
What a fab season Arsenal are having. After the painful losses against Fulham and West Ham mid-season, it really looked like this team was not going to be able to fight for the title anymore. Then came sun, sand and Mikel-cuddles in Dubai, and a rejuvenated team fought itself back to the top. Having a good season can happen to any team, but staying near the top is the real sign of progress and excellent management, and Arteta really deserves to be named manager of the season IMHO.
I am quite chilled about winning the League this time round. Arsenal are a bit like Red Bull and Verstappen a few years ago: we are getting stronger every season and we look like an unstoppable force. Man City’s hegemony, just like Mercedes’ did in Formula One a few seasons ago, is about to change; and if we don’t do them this season, we will have an even better chance next season.
I have felt for months that if Arsenal were able to beat both Spuds and Old Toilet’s finest away at the end of the season, we would become champions.
The boys have done the former, and I am so proud of them. Citeh know they have to win twice and we can sit back till Sunday. The pressure is now all on them, and they have it all to lose. It so good that this psychological pressure is not on us but on them.
A Pool win v Villa tonight would help to make the Spuddies wanting to win v Citeh tomorrow. But even if the Spuds don’t help us, which I guess we have to expect, the Hammers can still cause an upset on the last days. They are the sort of team to do something like that now and again.
Arsenal will of course have to beat the Toffees in our final game, and I am certainly not taking anything for granted. It’s just so good that it will go to the wire and that Arsenal have achieved this from within themselves. The latter is the big gain this season and it’s invaluable for the near future, come what may on Sunday.
I’ve always liked the name, Kai. It is of Welsh origin but has its roots in many languages. In Swahili it means “loveable”, in Te reo Maori it means “food”, in Hawaii and Japan it means “the sea”. In North London it means “we have quite some player on our hands”.
Chelsea FC have a habit of letting go young players who they don’t think can cut it at the Bridge, think Salah and DeBruyne. Just like Liverpool and City have done, I think we are starting to see a reject mature into a genius.
Football history tells us there has only ever been one Kaiser, and that is the great Franz Beckenbauer. What a talent he exhibited, calm, graceful, fabulous movement and positional sense, a prince among footballers, up there with Pele, Cruyff, Eusebio, Best and Charlton in that 60’s -70’s era. I see some of those traits in our Kai. While he has some way to go to be included in the pantheon above, let’s look forward to seeing him as he enters his prime years as a footballer. He’s contracted with us until he is 29.
Sir Alf Ramsey is reported to have said, “I like genius in a player, but it must wear sweat on it brow”. Kai’s talent is soaked in sweat, his work rate is exceptional, (PB might give us the stats) his role as a false 9 seems uninhibited. We see him defending like a centre back, chasing, intercepting, tackling and linking like a midfielder, he gets out wide and is proving a fine centre forward. Perhaps The Arsenal doesn’t need to fork out 100 million for a striker in the summer?
Volz, Mendez, Eisfeld, Malz, Gnabry, Mustafi, Leno, Podolski, Ozil, Mertesacker, Lehmann… We’ve had some good ‘uns (pun incidental) but our Kai may prove to be the Kaiser of them all.
So here we go Gooners. A big game that could decide who will become the hunter or the hunted. A win for us would be a big statement and a boost to our confidence, no doubt, but I don’t think it will be a ‘title decider’.
The lineup is strong, very strong, and the bench is bursting with talent and game changers/stabilisers.
I am hoping the boys will be relaxed enough to play their game and believe in themselves. Anyway, enough said: let the ball do the talking.
A cheeky question to help us while away the time before we resume in earnest at City. It’s always a little unfair to compare teams of different generations but do consider that the Invincible team was ahead of its time.
Size: The Invincibles were big boys who were physically imposing. Our current team have an average height of 6′ 1″, look at our defensive unit: Saliba 6′ 4″ 204 lbs, Gabriel 6′ 3″ 173 lbs, White 6′ 1″ 168 lbs, Kiwior 6′ 2″ 163 lbs, Tomiyasu 6′ 2″ 183 lbs. Add to that Rice at 6′ 1″ 183 lbs, Partey 6′ 1″ 170lbs and Havertz 6′ 4″ 183 lbs and we have some serious tall and powerful players, all of whom know how to use their considerable frames.
Raya is 6 ‘ whereas Lehmann was over 6’ 3″, but Raya has distribution skills better than the German. And Raya isn’t mad. He wouldn’t grab Robbie Keane’s head, and he wouldn’t get sent off in the Stade de France. (Still simmering after all these years).
Arsene Wenger’s early teams from 1996 to the Invincibles were all imposing in terms of size and had a commensurate level of success. His thinking changed as he started to collect talented but smaller players, looking to emulate the Barca model of mobile tiki taka. We saw some magnificent football but were often frustratingly bullied by physically bigger opponents, and our successes were limited to three FA cup wins over the next decade and a half.
Mikel and Edu have 180’ed building a team of warriors which compare well with Arsene’s early teams.
Skill: Look at my composite team below and notice it is all Invincibles down the left and present team down the right. Skill levels, much like physicality seem to improve year by year and have we not been blessed over the years with the likes of Santi, Hleb, Rosicky, Cesc, Wilshere, Ramsey, Eduardo, Robin, Ozil and Sanchez demonstrating astonishing skills, but has anyone approached the level set by Bergkamp as much as our present pass master, Martin O? He’d be the first name on my bench.
So, if you were tasked to pick a composite team, would it look much like mine?
Raya
White Saliba Campbell Cole
Saka Rice Viera Pires
Bergkamp Henry
To answer my own question, with a nod to the 2008/9 team, I think this present iteration is the finest Arsenal team since the Invincibles. What do you think?
Well that was the sort of performance in March that a future champion will look back on as vital to the whole campaign. Arsenal had entered the state of almost unbearable lightness of being with huge wins in the last seven games. But what goes up must come down, and Brentford did us a huge favour by giving us a proper game. Heart, sweat and passion drove us to a win, and only with this experience and attitude will we have a good chance of beating the whily Portuguese this Tuesday, an equally important game.
Eight Quick Observations:
Aaron Ramsdale is my man of the match. Yes he made a big mistake, but he responded like a champion. There is no doubt in my mind that his two key saves kept us in the game. Especially denying Toni, from what certainly would have become the goal of the season, with the claw-like stop was vital for our eventual victory.
Not one but two headed goals from open play! It felt like watching football in the eighties. Is it coincidence? No, not much is with Arteta; we have a ‘new’ weapon.
Attacking from the right is our strongest weapon. Saka, Odegaard and gradually also White are almost unstoppable. Opponents try to crowd them out by sheer numbers, but that leaves space on the left and also centrally. Jorginho was the master of finding players in those spaces, and what a joy to watch he was yesterday.
The focus was on Saka and Ode, and that left Ben White in space to cross a couple of beauties. Every time he did so we had giants in the box to head the ball like old school CFs. I didn’t see this coming, did you?!
Kai got the winner and it was totally deserved. The King of Unpredictability was everywhere and showed all his skills yesterday. There is nobody like him, and it’s hard to think of him as not in the team now.
Kiwior is really growing on me. He had it tough defensively against a very strong opponent, but he fought hard. What I liked most are his forward runs and crisp passing.
Iva Toni at Arsenal next season? The boy has presence, is technically gifted and made our CBs work as hard as they have ever done this season. It’s a yes from me. Saliba was a quiet giant again, BTW.
The support was phenomenal again. What a bastion of passion and support Ashburton Grove has become.
Misquoting the great Ray LaMontagne is not something I do lightly, however the anguished longing he conveys in his voice and lyrics captures my mood as I settle into the lull between games. A lengthier lull than is the norm at this stage of a season.
Here’s four things to help the time slip away…
I watched “The greatest night in pop” last night and was struck with the sheer determination and forensic commitment displayed by Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie to make the project happen. That collection of voices may never again be gathered in one room this side of Heaven.
Consider the three transfers in Arsenal history that have most excited you at the time of signing. For me…
1. Alan Ball. 26 years old, at the peak of his powers, a World Cup winner, part of the magnificent Everton midfield triumvirate of Kendal, Ball and Harvey, white booted, red headed, fiery and, latterly a magnificent speech maker. We had just won the double under Bertie Mee and when my six week old copy of Shoot Magazine landed in our Tauranga newsagent announcing his signing for a record 220k quid I pedalled home furiously to call my mates with the news. https://youtu.be/wDHNHJ_gPqs
2. Tomas Rosicky. Having lived in the Czech Republic for three and a half years, I was familiar with the rising reputation of “The little Mozart” first at Sparta then at Dortmund. He loved Arsenal and he made music in our midfield… :https://youtu.be/8vKsXrwoGdo
3. Sol Campbell. Sulzeer Jeremiah Campbell, just his name does it for me. But that unveiling, O that unveiling… https://youtu.be/R4CrPsI0rxw
Watch this greatest Football after dinner speech in history. I’ve posted it before but it is so raw, funny and brilliant. https://youtu.be/l-3nGYY9gro
Watch the first half of the Newcastle game on loop until 8pm Monday March 4th rolls about.
Bergkampesque 