After lacking a bit of luck a fortnight ago at the Home of Football, last night we definitely had it back on our side. As expected, both teams played chessball in the first half in which all players moved along like chess pieces to deny the other pieces space, and at the same time desperately trying to gain some themselves.
We defended really well as a team, give or take a moment or two. If you watched the simple demolition by Dortmund of Stuttgart on Friday, you will agree with me that our team did really well to deny die Gelb-Schwarzen space and time on the ball in the area where it could hurt us. To see our team play with such discipline and maturity, AND with such sacrifice to ‘our style’, was very satisfying. They still managed to create a few very good chances, but mainly from set-pieces, and it is fair to say we rode our luck at times.
I felt our weakest area was our left side of defence. BD are very dangerous from their right side of attack and they put a lot of pressure on Gibbs, Koz and our ‘DM’s from that area. Cazorla did his best to help out, but defending is not his strongest point and a fit Jack Wilshere would have been the better option last night.
The first part of the second half was more of the same. As in the first half, our attackers did not seem able to hold on to the ball for long in the areas where they could hurt Dortmund. We were not able to play close enough together to play our triangles and move forward with possession and sharp passing, and this tells us all about how good Dortmund are: they forced this on to us with their chasing and excellent positioning, which not many teams are able to do.
However, gradually the game opened up and the chess-positioning lessened, and we started to play some better midfield/attacking football. Arsenal’s first, and directly deadly, chance of the game came out of nothing. Ozil floated in a ball towards Giroud; the Frenchman won the aerial battle and laid the ball off to Rambo – who scores when he wants – and he wanted it badly: 1-0 to the good guys and game on!
And boy did it take the bounce out of Germans – Scheiße! hahaha 🙂
But Dortmund were not allowed back into the game by the collective ‘concordia’ of Arsenal. They did manage to produce a few half-decent chances but so did we, and it could as easily have been 2-0 as 1-1 at that stage of the game. Ramsey had a good opportunity to score a brace, after a perfect cross from our multi-functional CF; and the BFG launched himself in the air towards the ball like a B52 Bomber from an Ozil cross from the sidelines, but just could not reach far enough for what would have been a certain goal.
The team battled on and everyone gave what they had left in them to secure the win. Every single player deserves praise, but I would like to bring to light our CB-pairing and Rosicky’s performances.
No team will ever win something meaningful without a solid CB partnership, and the Koz-BFG partnership is developing into something special with now three clean sheets in a row. They are not fully there yet, and there will be a new test for them at Old Toilet, but boy are we lucky to have them playing together right now.
And then there was Rosicky, of whom I said he seldom performs well two games in a row. Yesterday, he proved me wrong with a MoTM performance against his former club after having played against the Chavs and Pool in an eight day period. TR7 was absolutely brilliant in all areas of the pitch and his defensive play and ‘professional meanness’ were outstanding. He put his body on the line for Arsenal and gave his all, and it is this hunger, passion for the club, talent and experience that make him such a valuable player for Arsenal. I hope he’ll stay fit and at Arsenal for a long time, and develop into our very own Ryan Giggs.
All in all a fantastic, and much needed, win in Europe and TOTT. These boys are making us SO PROUD. Same eleven against the Mancs…
I was so high after the Liverpool result, I was able to take this picture! 🙂
Just a quick one, as I have no time at the moment.
Tonight Arsenal have the sort of opportunity we love football for: a top football encounter with the current nr.2 of Germany playing the nr.1 of England. It does not get much better than that, but if you are not looking forward to tonight’s game, you most definitely are a Spud! 🙂
Formation wise, there is not much to say. The team is likely to be unchanged with a small chance that Gnabry will start instead Rosicky and Monreal for Gibbs.
Tactics wise, there is not much to say either: play the Liverpool game again. Play compact and make the middle watertight; play a high tempo and don’t let them settle where they can hurt us; combine well and penetrate them where it hurts them; switch over quickly from defence to attack, and from attack to defence; be lethal when presented with opportunities.
Outcome wise, I feel good about this game. A draw would not be a bad result, but a win is on the cards. Less pressure now we are away from home and our almost strongest team will start tonight: the defence is in tact, Zorro is back, Cazorla is finally warmed up, Ozil is ready to lift himself to the next level, Giroud and Ramsey are on fire, Rosicky is back in his spiritual birth place, and Wenger deserves a belated birthday party.
Time for the boys to announce themselves properly in Europe. Let the battle commence.
COME ON YOU RIP ROARING F*CKING BRILLIANT GUNNERS MAKE US PROUD!
Arsenal went to West Brom looking for a win to break their away win record. Arsenal recently met West Brom in the Capital One Cup and therefore knew this fixture would be a tough one.
Arsenal started the game well today; stringing some good passes together, but they were unable to break down West Brom early on.
From the beginning, it was clear that the ref was going to let many things go. Normally I have no problem with a ref letting play go on, if the ref is not biased towards one team. The ref wasn’t awful, but he made some pretty big mistakes, frequently not calling something for Arsenal and then calling it for West Brom later.
Arsenal’s winger injury crisis continued to take its toll as Ramsey (and to a lesser extent, Jack) was once again forced out of position onto the wing. Rosicky would also later sub on out of position, for Ramsey on the wing. Getting Santi, Podolski, Walcott, and the Ox back will help keep players like Ramsey, Wilshere, and Rosicky playing in their proper position.
The first half was rather boring, with some tough tackles put in by both sides. However, in the end West Brom put in the game’s opening goal. In the 42nd minute Yacob put a header in at the near post. The cross came from a rebound from a West Brom corner and no one was marking Yacob who easily tapped the cross past Szczesny.
Our defence was at fault for the goal as no one was marking Yacob. I believe it should’ve been Jenkinson on Yacob, but he was a few yards in front of him trying to intercept the cross. Overall, Jenkinson did not look good today. He seemed to be missing some guidance down the right that Sagna appears to provide when he is playing in the middle, to the left of Jenkinson.
Soon after the break Aaron Ramsey went off with a slight knee injury. Wenger said it was mostly precautionary and that he is fine. Rosicky was his replacement in the 58th minute and was also forced to play out of position on the right wing.
In the 63rd minute Wilshere scored what is now only his second ever premier league goal. Giroud received the ball on the right hand side of the box. He held up the ball well then played Rosicky across the top of the box. Rosicky chipped the ball up, and Wilshere hit the ball into the lower corner off the half volley.
After this it was only Arsenal that looked likely to score. Wilshere played an incredible ball into Giroud in the box. He ran across the face of goal looking for Myhill to go to ground, but he never did, and in the end Myhill managed to hit the ball away. Wilshere was also hacked down in the box towards the end of the game. Mulumbu slid in on Wilshere from behind. After watching this in slow motion many times I have determined that Mulumbu hit Jack and then the ball. The challenge was identical to a challenge Wilshere himself was carded for earlier in the game, and I therefore think that it should have been a penalty.
Bendtner came on towards the end of the game, but could not make a difference and the game ended 1-1. I think Arsenal deserved a win, albeit, a close one. However, in the end we are still in first place and we got a point from the game.
One final thing I was curious about is what people thought of the Arteta and Flamini pivot. Personally, I thought that having those two playing together we were actually shielding our defense less than usual. They seemed to each think the other would cover or go for the tackle and we seemed more indecisive. I would like to give them more of a chance, but I do worry that having both of them playing together could make our defence less efficient.
Overall, the game was a good end-to-end game that was ruined by bad refereeing. Both sides probably could’ve scored more goals, but in the end a point is a point and we are still number one.
For now I’ll leave you with some questions:
What did you think of today’s game?
What do you think of Wilshere, Ramsey, and Rosicky on the wing?
What did you think of the Arteta and Flamini pivot?
Tomorrow’s game against the Baggies is another tough one, but we like them tough, we do.
The Hawthorns where no doubt the away support will do us proud again 🙂
It is a blessing in disguise that West Brom deservedly beat the Mancs last weekend; it will make us focus and not underestimate them one iota. I always feel we are most vulnerable after the team received bags of praise for a fine performance, and we are about to play a so called easy opponent. We know now that West Brom, despite our recent League Cup success against them, are not to be taken lightly.
I like West Brom, and I especially like Steve Clarke who has done a fantastic job since taking over from Hodgson. Beating the multi-million pounds earning stars of MU with the starting eleven of Myhill, Jones, Olsson, McAuley, Ridgewell, Yacob, Mulumbu, Amalfitano, Sessegnon, Sinclair and Anichebe, and that at Old Toilet, is a phenomenal achievement.
Clarke knows his football, knows about systems of football and individual coaching, and how to get the very best out of a set of decent to good footballers. I will always have respect for managers like him; those who can work magic with a limited budget, and I predict the 50 year old Scotsman, and former Chav, Clarke to go places in his carefully build up managerial career.
Tomorrow, we can expect a good game of football as I don’t expect WBA to sit back too much. They will want to play football and their and our 4-2-3-1 systems will fight for dominance in midfield. If we can win that battle, our superior fire power up-front should make the difference. Luckily the team had a relatively long break – from Tuesday till Sunday – and everybody should be fit and up for this one.
Another away win will be a new record: nine straight PL away wins in a row. It would also be a strong statement of intent to go into another inter-lull with two points clear at the top of the PL table. Today, After his team’s win against Everton, Pellegrini said they needed to win in order to try and close the gap of five points with Arsenal: how long has it been since we have been referred to as the one to make up ground on…? Long may it continue! 🙂
Can Arsenal do it? Yes we can, but as always, only with hard work and focus, and taking our chances when they arrive.
Predicted line-up:
I reckon Wenger will not change much to the team that just beat Napoli so emphatically. Sagna has, as 17HT likes to call it, a Wengury and so Jenkinson should get a chance to prove himself; unless Kozzer is moved there and Vermaelen takes up the vacated CB position, which is unlikely.
It could be Jack instead of Rosicky, but I reckon SJW will get a break till the smoke is cleared; and it could be Gnabry instead of Ramsey, although AR16 has simply been too good to be left out. Gnabry is likely to come on later in the game, though.
I am also going for FlamTeta in the double DM tomorrow, but it could well be that either the Flame or Zorro get a break and Ramsey AND Gnabry will start – with the former playing in the double DM again.
Really hope we can win and set a new record tomorrow and the boys will do us proud once more.
We’re only happy when it rains – We’re only happy when it gets complicated! 😉
I was not very confident for our encounter with Jol’s Fulham today. I believed a combination of our fatigue from playing/travelling midweek and Fulham’s good start, as well as an ‘in-your-faces’ approach to the game by them, could prove too much for us. I was hoping for a win but counted on a draw.
My biggest concern were the lack of defensive midfield skills and formational indiscipline, as was so apparent against Villa last weekend. But I did not need to worry, as I had somewhat forgotten that Arsenal play more compact and disciplined in away fixtures compared to our home games, with defence and midfield moving up and down the pitch as a well-drilled double-unit, leaving very little space between the lines. This meant Fulham were given very little chance to penetrate the centre of our midfield and pounce on our potential frailties there.
It also helped that we played with three in midfield, where Fulham tried to play in a more traditional 4-4-1-1 formation; as a result, the Cottagers were often outnumbered, outmanoeuvred and outsmarted by our boys today. It was clear that Arsenal are a team and Fulham are a collection of individual players who still need to get used to each other.
Our team:
First Half
Arsenal started with the right tempo and clearly had the bit between the teeth. After ten minutes, Rosicky produced a fine ball over the Fulham defence to Theo; the Englishman did not hesitate for a moment and shot towards goal from within the box, but Stockdale was equally responsive and made a decent save. Arsenal then put a lot of pressure on Fulham with a number of Walcott corner kicks in quick succession, and it was really good to see that we were a real threat from these set-pieces.
It was also good to see that Szczesny was successful in finding OG on a number of occasions, but unfortunately the Frenchman’s headers did not end up near a fellow Arsenal player in most instances.
We were playing well and dominating early proceedings, but it still needed a bit of fortune to get the ball past the inspired Stockdale. Ramsey tried a shot from well outside the box but OG was in the way, despite him trying to make himself sparse. The Welshman’s drive hit Giroud’s leg, which fortuitously led to the Frenchman assisting himself. He pounced on his gift like a tiger and lifted the ball over the goalie with both style and composure: 1-0 to the good guys!
As can be expected, this early adversity gave Fulham new impetus to have a real go at Arsenal in this game, and we lost a bit of our initial concentration and intensity of play. However, Szczesny was focussed and decisive when he had to be and made two fine, instinctive saves from efforts by Taarabt and Duff in quick succession.
Good link up play by OG then led to a decent shot with the outside of his foot by Santi from outside the box, but it was not hard or precise enough to trouble Stockdale. At this stage, Cazorla was still looking a bit rusty, and he gave away a dangerous free-kick just outside our box. Our wall was poor but somehow we got away with it as Riise’s ball is smothered in the wall, and a relieved Szczesny can make an easy save.
During the second part of the first half, Arsenal start to look a bit tired and Fulham find more and more a way through the centre of our midfield. Luckily, Taarabt is desperate to shoot himself from outside the box on a number of occasions when there were better options for him, and all his efforts are wasted or dealt with by our Pole in goal.
Ramsey picks up an unnecessary yellow card which put him in a precarious position for the rest of the game. Luckily, the team played some fine counter football and especially Theo showed great composure and drive at this stage of the game, although his ball to Gibbs, after a run to the Fulham box all the way from midfield, was the wrong option.
Cazorla also started to find his feet and composure in the latter part of the first half. He was more and more enjoying his free role, and when he found himself not far outside the Fulham box with the ball, he had the vision to place a precise ball into Theo’s path. The Englishman takes an instant shot which is parried by Stockdale, albeit towards the outside of the Fulham box. Podolski is at the right place and the right time – after he started the attack in the first place with his ball to Santi – and shoots the ball high and precise into the Cottagers’ net: 2-0! And the fans sang with all their heart: ‘He scores when he wants’ 🙂
The goal was reminiscent of a Bergkamp goal more than a decade ago:
Second Half
Fulham came out with renewed desire and impetus – Jol is good at pep-talk – hoping to score an early goal in the second half, as to get the crowd behind them and start an onslaught on the tired legs and minds of our Gunners. But it is all quite toothless and Jol’s substitutions also do not have much impact, at least initially.
We start to look quite tired after sixty minutes, but once again our attackers come to the rescue. OG collects a ball brilliantly from defence at the half way line with three fine touches. Once again, Theo is there to collect his pass and drive forward towards the Fulham box. Theo plays the ball to Santi who takes it to the by-line, after which he lays it back to the onrushing Podolski. The German is allowed to take a first touch which enables him to trigger his brilliant left cannon of a foot for a well placed, and yet very hard, shot into the keeper’s left corner: 3-0 to the yellow and blues, and game well and truly over! 😀
The fans go crazy and serenade the likes of OG, Ramsey and Podolski with great passion: you can sense the happiness of the away support all the way into our living rooms. As John Lennon sang: Happiness is a warm Gun(ner). 🙂
Bent, apparently a big Arsenal supporter, has now scored against the mighty Red and White with five different clubs. I wonder how he feels about this unenviable record?! 😕
Fulham tried to push for a second goal after that but Arsenal brought on Jack and Nacho to firm up our midfield and defence. There were even further chances for us to score a fourth goal, but especially Theo lacked the killer-instinct of The Pod to take full advantage of his own hard work as well as the opportunities that came his way.
Conclusions:
The Pod announced himself onto the new season with two goals of the highest quality.
Giroud, Rosicky and Theo worked very hard, and often unselfishly, for the team today, and especially the Englishman showed a different side to his game against Fulham.
Santi grew into the game and together with Ramsey he was real class today: both produced a master class in modern midfield football play and made the likes of Sidwell and the former Spud-Smurf look very ordinary.
When Arsenal play away, we are more compact and disciplined in our defensive duties, and as a result, we appear to be less dependent on having a strong DM in our line-up. However, it remains to be seen whether this is the case against the stronger, and more settled teams.
Sagna impressed once again at CB and it looks like he and the BFG could form a very fine partnership if need be.
The FB’s, Jenks and Gibbs, played with good discipline and were full of energy and enthusiasm throughout the game.
Today’s game was ample evidence that we have a number of attackers who can score and produce assists, which makes it hard for the opposition to eliminate our attacking threats. This could become a real strength again this season.
The team already has good fitness levels, the players find each other relatively easily at this stage of the season, and there is a really good togetherness in the team.
More players are required to add strength in depth.
The team would still benefit from a quality attacker: especially a winger who can also play in the middle, or a nr.10 who can also play on the wing, would be very welcome.
A good game to watch, some pride restored and some real pluses to take from today.
Written by: TotalArsenal.
If you would like to be made aware of new posts coming out, you can sign up for email alerts. See right side of blog and enter your details in ‘Follow blog via email’.
Let’s park the bigger discussion about the club’s continuous failure in the TW, and focus for now purely on the CL qualifier against feisty Fenerbahce tomorrow. Nothing is better after a disappointing defeat than to get a chance to make up for it a few days later, and the Fenerbahce game gives the boys a fine opportunity to bounce back.
Would it not be nice to see a repeat today of the score line almost five years ago, when we beat Fenerbahce 2-5 in Istanbul. This was the team that played for us back then: Almunia, Eboue, Song, Silvestre, Clichy, Walcott (Djourou 84), Fabregas, Diaby (Ramsey 73), Denilson, Nasri, Adebayor (Vela 86).
Subs Not Used: Fabianski, Van Persie, Bendtner, Gibbs.
Only Ramsey, Walcott, Gibbs, Fabianski and Diaby are left from that squad, and especially Ramsey (late substitute), Diaby (played 70+ minutes) and Walcott (was unstoppable on the night) will have good memories from that game with all scoring a goal (Song and Adebayor were the other scorers).
Fenerbahce were recently banned from playing European football for match fixing, but as they appealed the decision they are still allowed to play pending the outcome of the hearing, which will take place a day after the return fixture. But of course, we cannot take much notice of this and just have to focus on beating the Turks over the two legs fair and square.
I am not too worried about tomorrow’s game, as I expect Arsene to use his European experience to get the best out of the team and a positive result to take back home. However, Fenerbahce should not be underestimated as a hostile atmosphere combined with an early Turkish goal could lead to considerable trouble, if we do not keep our cool.
Therefore, Wenger will have to select his best and most experienced team for this encounter, and he will have to get his players to totally focus on tomorrow’s game and nothing else. We need a calm and well organised defence/GK, we need a well organised, solid and multi-disciplined midfield, and an energetic, continuously pressing, and lethal attack tomorrow. So, that means a step improvement of all three lines from Saturday’s under-par performances against the shitty Villains.
I reckon Arsene will have to make one big change and that is in midfield. The Rambo-Wilshere combo did not work as we were left far too exposed in the centre of midfield throughout most of the game. I am a huge fan of Wilshere but I reckon he will start on the bench tomorrow, and Frimpong will replace him. He is our best defensive midfielder at the moment – which says a hell of a lot – and I reckon he will play in front of our defence and shield it with his life. I expect Ramsey to play in the more box-to-box like position and Rosicky, because of his experience and his truly fantastic performance on Saturday, will be back in the hole again.
Up-front it is likely to be Cazorla, Giroud and Theo, with a second half cameo by Podolski.
At the back, we have had some fantastic news that Sagna somehow has got over his horrific fall on his neck and that Gibbs can play too, so they are likely to play; although both Jenkinson and Monreal (appears to have recovered from his pre-season injury) are also available tomorrow.
My predicted line-up looks like this:
Enjoy the game fellow Gooners and let’s get behind the boys with all that we have tomorrow night.
Here are my thoughts on today’s pre-season friendly against Nagoya Grampus.
In today’s match, Arsenal came up against much tougher competition than we have faced so far this Asia Tour. We had another quick start with another good goal from Giroud, but the Japanese side showed their class and held us for a while after that.
Our first goal was an excellent cross from Rosicky to an unmarked Giroud, who headed it calmly past the near post. I have to say, the unsung hero of this pre-season has been Rosicky. His most memorable moments being his assist to Olsson, his assist for Giroud’s first in the Vietnam game, and this cross today among other things. If he can stay fit all season, he will be big for us. He seems to be someone in the squad who connects well with everyone, and I hope when he decides to retire he will go and get his coaching badges and stay with Arsenal.
It took until the 25th minute for Arsenal to break through again. Theo picked up the ball and brought it down, slipping it past the defender to Giroud with the outside of his foot. Giroud saw he had no space and as he was slid, tried to lay the ball back for Ryo.
Many people are saying it wasn’t a penalty as Giroud was never really hit by the tackle. They are correct, BUT the penalty was NOT called for a foul. It was called for a handball by the player who slid at Giroud, therefore the call was correct. Arteta stepped up like a real leader and let our young Japanese winger take the penalty in his home country. Ryo stepped up and put a powerful penalty just inside the left post. It was a fantastic penalty and he, the crowd, and the Arsenal players were thrilled for him to score in his home country.
At halftime Arsene made only a few changes. Wilshere came on for Rosicky; Zelalem came on for Mikel; Podolski on for Giroud; and Gnabry came on for Ryo. It was after these changes that Arsenal picked up the pace. Gnabry made a few good runs on and off the ball, and had a couple of chances. Theo also had a few shots and the team looked far better. I will put this down to Zelalem.
Zelalem came on and looked even better than before. His normal composure and desire to do well was there, but coupled with good movement from Walcott and Chuba, he had a few defense splitting balls that left the opposition’s defense standing in awe.
One of these through balls led to our third and final goal. Zelalem picked up the ball, saw Theo, and placed a pass with pace, on the ground, between three or four defender, and Theo took a good touch and chipped the keeper from close range.
A few more changes were made throughout the game with Miquel coming on for Gibbs, Aneke on for Ramsey, and Akpom on for Theo. After Miquel came on for Gibbs we must note that there were no defenders on the bench. Wenger really ought to think about buying a new defender, preferably one that plays centre back, but can play as a right back as well. This would mean we have two full defensive lines, as well as a CB who can play left back and a CB who could play right back. Two defensive injuries and an absence should not leave us with only four first team defenders, especially when one is playing out of position.
Nagoya Grampus’ goal was poor marking by our defenders, but Fabianksi really should’ve had the relatively weak header Kisho Yano put in.
Overall, the team played well today, but we need to test ourselves against an EPL strength team to make sure we’re truly ready for the season.
For now I’ll leave you with a few questions;
What did you think of today’s friendly?
Does Arsene need to bring in a new defender? If so, what position/positions should they play?
No need to worry about defence or attack, the key area in need of progress lays in midfield!
It is only early days, but those first two friendlies are showing us we might be okay with scoring goals this season. I have argued in a recent post it is quite likely that Giroud, Podolski and Theo will score significantly more goals next season. The first two have now settled in the PL and are entering their very best years, and our young English winger/striker is getting better and more productive every season.
If Cazorla can equal his PL goal scoring tally of last season, then between the four of him, Pod, Giroud and Theo they could score in excess of 60 goals next season (compared to 48 last season). I am going to make a statement by saying we will be fine up-front next season and there is no need to buy a superstar striker.
If we can get a top, top established striker who is PASSIONATE to come and join Arsenal this season then let’s go for him. But I don’t get the feeling Higuain, Rooney or Suarez have Arsenal on top of their wish lists, and if so, I don’t want them; they can sod off.
However, we DO need back up: one or two players who can come off the bench, or start the occasional game, and can hit the ground running. AÂ Michu, Demba Ba or Benteke would do fine for us.
I am also happy with our defence now, although I would welcome a fourth CB as, unfortunately, Miquel does not look ready yet.
The key really lays in midfield. We have fantastic footballers, and if one day they all manage to be fit, we’ll have one of the best midfields in the country.
I have little doubt that Arsene will continue with his double-DM pivot of Arteta and Ramsey. I really want us to buy a ‘beast’/classical DM who can play a bit of footie too, and this might still happen, but it is more likely we will get somebody who can be back up to the Spaniard and Welshman.
With Le Coq out on loan, Diaby out injured and Frimpong’s future uncertain we are light in this area. Wilshere can play in the double-DM pivot, but other than him, Arsenal have no quality defence-minded midfielders available. Unless, of course, Arsene will move Vermaelen or Sagna in midfield if and when required.
But let’s say we will be a bit lucky with injuries next season and even see one of the youngsters step up from time to time; let’s say we will be fine in midfield from a defensive point of view so we can focus on another key requirement for our midfield.
The bigger question is who is going to score goals from midfield next season?
If we take out Arteta’s penalty goals, Wilshere, Ramsey, Rosicky and Arteta scored less than 5 PL goals between them last season! Luckily, Cazorla scored plenty – 12 PL goals in total – but he was often deployed more as an attacker than a midfielder.
We need more goals from our central midfielders and it is hard to tell whether we’ll see progress next season.
Arteta and Rosicky are not getting any younger and the former is deployed too deep to get himself in scoring positions often enough, whilst the latter lacks consistency in terms of finishing chances.
Will we get more goals from Wilshere and Ramsey next season? Well, if they are going to make it at Arsenal, we will need to see goals from both of them more regularly now.
I reckon, if Arteta, Rosicky, Ramsey and Wilshere (and maybe Diaby in the second part of the season, and Eisfeld if given a proper chance now) can score twenty goals between them, Arsenal will win the PL next season.
Our defence and attack will continue and further improve from last season’s performances; I have little doubt about that.
But will our midfield be able to deliver 20 PL goals without us buying one or two experienced, quality mid-twenties midfield players who can hit the ground running and score goals regularly?
That my Gooner friends, is the question I am putting to you tonight! 🙂
Written by Total Arsenal.
Please note, I am considering Ox as an attacker rather than a central midfielder, but this could change next season.
Rosicky’s drive and experiences have been invaluable at times this season
It’s been a while since I delivered a post, partly due to the fact that the season is over but mostly due to my ever increasingly hectic schedule. So I felt I should write about what’s been on my mind lately.
Like all Gooners worldwide, it’s going to be a very long month and a half before I get to see my beloved Arsenal play. This is because I can feel that a wind of change will blow our way, and 2013-14 is going to be a season when the respect we have lost over the years will be taken back. For now, though, the transfer season is here and rumours have been flying left, right and centre regarding potential arrivals and departures. Nothing new there.
I have to admit the suspense which comes with waiting to see what moves Le boss will make in the market, is killing me. On a positive note, though, the preseason trip to Asia, the emirates cup and the friendly against city, will afford us a chance to see what the new faces will bring to the squad – and against proper opposition, I might add (the latter competitions more so).
A few days ago, phase one of getting rid of the dead wood in the squad commenced with the confirmation that the contracts of Arshavin, Denilson and Squillaci have ran out, and they have been released by the club. There are still a quite a few names missing from this list, but I digress from my subject matter.
It is becoming obvious that this is going to be a summer where the squad will be virtually overhauled, where more than 5 players will leave and roughly the same number brought in. Call it my 6th sense but I think that’s why the club has packed our preseason like that. Wenger has the ins and outs in mind and wants the new faces to have proper preparation before our new campaign begins. And people wonder why they call him Le Prof.
The main reason for this post though lies more with the outs than the ins. Like I said earlier, the rumour mill is going wild as expected with TV5, Poldi, Rosicky, Gervinho, Koscielny, Wilshere and Sagna all being linked with exits from the clubs. Some of the names on here are ridiculous, or rather, are unacceptable to the Gunners faithful. Wilshere, Poldi and Kos being the three. With some, the fans smile inside and hope that the predictions and links by the media come to fruition: a certain Ivorian comes to mind. Finally there are those who split opinion and this is my reason for writing this post. Obviously I am referring to TV5, Rosicky and Sagna.
It is of no debate that, by their standards, these three had less than stellar seasons. With Rosicky and Sagna injury was to blame and weirdly enough, these two were able to pick themselves up and finish strongly. With TV5, I can’t really tell you why. Some say it is the pressure of being made skipper but ultimately, only he can tell us what changed to cause this loss of form. I won’t dwell on that, however.
As is expected, there is a section of fans AND media which is calling for their heads. More so because they know that in this transfer window, Wenger has the financial capability to replace them. I am here to prove to you that this would be a mistake. A massive one at that.
Axing these three players would not only be insanely myopic, but would have an effect on the team that these critics don’t seem to see. These three are the longest serving Gunners we have. Not only that, they are the most experienced, and at their best are undoubtedly world class.
If you don’t believe me, ask yourself why despite the poor season Vermaelen has had, he is still being linked to the likes of Barcelona. These players have not only football but Arsenal football experience, which is part of a balance that would see us win a trophy next season, if Wenger played his cards right. There is always talk of Wilshere, Walcott, the Ox as the spine of the team, but take away the three mentioned and see the adverse effect it would have on the team.
Their experience is what guides us. These are players who are leaders on the field. How many times has TV5, a defender, scored a winning goal that awarded us 3 crucial points? When we are under pressure, which three players are you assured will remain calm and pull us across the finish line? With the exception of Jack, it is these three. They are also mentors to the younger players and even Jack in all his glory I’m sure would attest to the guidance he has received from Rosicky. In the away tie vs Bayern, Rosicky ran our midfield. Sagna was part of that incredible back four. This is a game that many would have choked. Just ask Barca players.
I am going to come out and make a very bold statement that is sure to cause some debate.
If we sell these three, no matter who we replace them with, there is an 70% chance that we will not win anything next season. At least not yet.
I say this because you cannot replace their experience at Arsenal, the EPL and as footballers in general. They know the workings of the club and league in and out and are core of experience that we need to build around in order to achieve success. Thankfully, Le boss seems to agree with me and is working to ensure that they stay firmly put as we prepare to mount a serious title challenge next term.
I will leave you with something to ponder on. Form is temporary, but class is permanent.
Written by: Marcus.
Please note: posts on BK tend to come out in the evenings, but sometimes at different times of the day. If you would like to be made aware of a new post coming out, you can sign up for email alerts. See right side of blog and enter your details in ‘Follow blog via email’. TotalArsenal.
Ten days without an injection of Gunners footie, whilst having to watch the rest in action, is not easy.
We know the results this weekend did not go our way, but we should not forget that the most important result was achieved a week ago, when the Spuds failed to beat the Chavs, and as a result, our destiny was left in our own hands, or should that be, twenty-two feet and eleven heads.
Wigan have sometimes been brilliant over the last few months: one of the very few shining lights in what has been relatively a dull PL season, especially in 2013. And it all reached an almost unthinkable crescendo last Saturday, when they claimed their first ever serious title in their history, and against all odds. An unbelievable achievement, and one of which the Wigan fans will live for a long time.
Despite Wigan’s considerable gap with those above them, and just two games left to play for them now, the Latics have also still their faith in their own hands. A win against us and then against Villa at home, and they will play PL footie again next season. Benteke moments of madness could yet cost the Villans dearly and see Wigan survive.
Of all the teams who are not entirely safe at the moment, there is no doubt I would prefer Wigan to survive. But faith has it that we need to beat them in order to have the best possible chance of securing CL footie next season, and we cannot afford to indulge ourselves in sentimentality.
We need to win, and ideally with a large margin – five goals would be nice! –Â in order to have a better chance to finish third (a win against NU and a Chelsea draw against Everton would then see us finish above the Chavs). Before the visiting Latics fans start biting my neck off, let me state that I do not expect us to win with such a margin, and that I am more hoping for, then simply expecting, a win tomorrow.
Both teams like to play football but the Latics like to absorb pressure and pounce on the counter: something they are very good at.
Wigan’s strengths are predominantly in midfield. In the away fixture they made life very hard for us in the middle of the pitch. They kept it narrow and stopped us from passing the ball around; as a result, we often lost the ball and found it hard to get it back again. During that game it became painfully obvious we were missing a beast of a DM to help us contain and regain the ball better in midfield. We won the game after being rewarded a softish penalty – which Arteta put away with great composure – and Wigan wasting a number of good chances which were mainly created through sharp counter-attacking football.
So the script for this game is straightforward: both teams need  to win and it will simply be another cup-final tomorrow. Great for the neutral spectator, nerve-racking for Gooners and Latics!
How will we line-up:
I reckon it will be Szczesny, Sagna, BFG and Koz in defence. The only big question is: who will Arsene play at LB: Nacho or Gibbs?
This will depend on how much he wants to attack from the left wing. If he wants to attack a lot from there, I reckon he’ll combine Gibbs and Podolski: our best partnership if both are fully fit. However, if Arsene wants to remain less adventurous, and there is a very good reason for this against Wigan, he is likely to go with Nacho (and Cazorla on the left wing); and I believe that’s what he will do.
In midfield, I believe Arsene will stick with our Welsh-Spanish double DM-pivot and the big question is once again: who will play in the hole? Will it be Rosicky, Cazorla or Wilshere. I am going to choose Rosicky, as his experience, and Jack potentially still not being fully fit/ in form, would make him the safest bet.
In our attack, I am going to go for the usual suspects. I would love to see us play a bit of wing-football again, but I reckon that our most capable players for the wing, Ox and Gervinho, will start on the bench, and that Arsene will go for a ‘fluid-three’ of Cazorla, Podolski and Theo. All three have scored a lot of goals this season, and so it makes sense to have them start against Wigan tomorrow.
Let’s hope Podolski is fully fit, or at least fit enough for this crucial game, and that the team will have been practicing a lot over the last ten days to get the best value out of him in the central position. A lot will depend on it. Let’s also hope Theo will continue to get back to his best and Cazorla’s ambidextrous shooting boots will find the net tomorrow.
Predicted Line-Up:
Arsenal are likely to start with the same eleven as ten days ago against QPR
We all know what this game means and what needs to be done. Nobody can say they are not warned about Wigan’s ability to cause a major upset. Let’s hope the boys are focussed, fully fit, start strong and never look back.
We need a passionate and yet professional performance by our boys: time to play for the shirt and for the future once more. And let’s hope the crowd will reflect that passion with their levels of support tomorrow.
Let’s get the three points and move above the Spuds again: Let’s give them a sniff of the mighty red and white Arse!
Bergkampesque 
