Supporting Arsenal – Page 5

Enough Gunners at World Cup to make a team, but who’ll make the finals?

June 9, 2014TotalArsenal

Four years ago we had two Gunners competing in the World Cup finals. Both have left Arsenal a few years ago, but only one of them will hold the fondest of memories. Van Persie was not able to make a difference for the Dutch, but Fabregas immortalised himself with an extra-time assist for Iniesta that proofed to be enough to win the World Cup. In hindsight, it happened for the right guy, although at the time I felt quite differently about it.

Thinking back about that final, I started to wonder whether we will see any Gunners in this year’s final in about five weeks from now. The big favourites are the South-American giants of Brazil and Argentina. It appears hard for European countries to win in South-America, although the Dutch came very close in 1978 when Rob Rensenbrink hit the post in the very last minute of the game…. Pure agony for any Dutchman…

I go along with the favourites tag for those two countries, but I have a feeling that it will also suit the likes of Germany, Spain, France, Holland, and even England, a lot to be regarded as underdogs. We have Gunners in the German (Pod, Ozil, Mertesacker), Spanish (Cazorla) and French (Koscielny, Sagna[theoretically] and Giroud) teams, and of course Jack and Ox in the English team. There is also Tommy V in the Belgium squad and Joel Campbell at Costa Rica. I hope I have not forgotten anybody.

We have actually enough Gunners out there to make a team:

Unfortunately, we do not have a goalie out there, but the Pod will do. 🙂

Now, of all these fine Gunners – and what a nice team it is! – who will get furthest, and who might make it to the final? Could it be Germany v France with six Gunners on display? Could it be Jack v Ozil, or Tommy V v Giroud?

Let’s do some predictions, just for a bit of fun:

Which countries will make it to the semi-finals?
Which teams will make it to the final?
Who will win it?
Who will be top scorer (all players)?
Which Gunner(s) will make it furthest in the tournament?
Which Gunner will score the most goals?
Who will be picked in the tournament’s top eleven team?
How will England do?
Who will score most goals for England?
And finally, not a prediction: Who would you like to win the World Cup and why?

Written by: TotalArsenal.

Have Arsenal finally broken the jinx?

May 27, 2014TotalArsenal

Reliving the FA Cup Final again.

In the lead up the FA Cup Final, my Arsenal life sort of flashed before my eyes. I was in Faisalabad, the third biggest city in Pakistan, on a business trip. I hated being away from Karachi, where other fans had set up shop at a cinema where the match was being screened live. But I was in my hotel room, and sitting there with the match on it seemed as if this was destiny: the nearly 9 year hoodoo ending at new Wembley. I began to remember all the years that had gone by with me following Arsenal.

I started watching Arsenal play way back in 1998/99, after I fell in love with Dennis Bergkamp in the World Cup. I saw them lose the title again and again to United, till we won the double in 2001/2 (Wiltord getting us the goal at Old Trafford), and then the invincible season of 2003/4 (2-2 away to Spurs to win the league). I saw the FA Cup final when Giggs missed an open goal and that miss was compounded when eventually we triumphed on penalties. At the time, it seemed like a given that we would keep winning something or the other. I recall the Arsenal website would have a banner every year proclaiming us champions of one thing or another.

And then followed a period in which we flattered to deceive, and disappointments that seemed short lived (losing arguably one of our two best chances at the UCL to a Wayne Bridge goal at Highbury in the quarterfinals in 2004) began to feel more long term. There are memories a plenty post that period, and most of which are of disappointment. Losing a good chance at the Premiership when Eduardo’s leg broke, losing the final of the League Cup to Chelsea after Walcott had scored his first goal (what a free kick), there was a League Cup semi-final loss in the second leg after Van Persie had put us ahead and we let in a goal (was it against Birmingham?), the UCL final against Barcelona which we all but won (barring 11 minutes, Pires off the pitch and Thierry missing a one-on-one with the goalie with us 1-0 up – not sure I ever got over that), and of course the wonderful League Cup final against Birmingham which was to be our destiny. Kos and Scez, two of the first names on the sheet in the current team sort of cost us that one, as did a collective fear to win. Between and around all of that were losses to United in the UCL and the league, and an 8-2 that shook everything up.

I’ve always been a big Wenger fan and it hurt me to see him reduced to this, being booed by our own fans. Hunted by the press and having an inability to ‘close the deal’, whether that deal be much needed transfers or big games. Then came Ozil, the second coming of Ramsey, a long time on top of the EPL and hope. And then implosion. Despite all of that I kept hoping that this team had something extra, surely it wouldn’t throw away another chance at glory? Wigan almost took it from us in the Semis, and what followed was arguably the most professional display of penalty taking I’ve seen in a while. From Arsenal. What? My team? Professionally killing another team? On penalties?

Pardon the long winded context, but the final meant the world to me. Somewhere, I kept avoiding telling myself that this was surely it. Surely. Our team wanted it too much. And then 10 or so minutes later we are down 2-0, almost 3-0 (saved thanks to Gibbs). And I’m dumb struck. A friend calls me asking me if I’m watching and I can’t even reply to him. He tells me that there is a long while left. That’s the only good thing about this. I shift my superstitious posture and keep watching numbly from another angle.

Then steps up Santi, and scores a direct free-kick after such a very, very long time. I’ve forgotten the exact time, but the last one was scored at the back end of last season by Poldi I believe. I jumped up and screamed in my room and ran the length of it to the corner and celebrated wildly with my imaginary audience.

Someone tweeted that this was how arsenal were going to break the jinx, with a monumental comeback. I tweeted back to please don’t tempt fate.

Sanogo came on and became a cat amongst the pigeons of the Hull defense. Kos made it 2-2 with 11 minutes or so to go and I was up and screaming again… quieted only by the thought that someone might come barging into the room thinking I was having a heart attack. Or something.

Extra time began and we were in charge, Giroud (I still rate him, despite all of his failings) should have gotten a worthy winner but it banged off the bar, and I began to wonder if this was going to be another flattering to deceive. Second period of ET and Jack and Tom came on. It began to be clear in my head that despite us winning on penalties in the previous round I wasn’t sure we could do it again in the final.

And then… Ramsey! Ramsey glorious Ramsey! And what a back heel to boot! To be honest all I remember in the live moment was the goal and the relief. The look of relief on Ramsey’s face and I too collapsed on my bed. I did not want to jump up, I just wanted to be happy that it could be over soon. Then I saw the replay and the beauty of it. What a winner. Someone tweeted that suddenly the Arsenal team didn’t know what to do if they ACTUALLY won. Hull had a couple of chances but the game ended and it was over.

The sight that made me most happy was the look on Wenger face as he pumped his fist. You could see how much it meant to him. Then he was mobbed like a rock star and the trophy was raised. London Calling, 7 Nation Army played and none of it mattered. What mattered was that we had won. Arsenal had won. Wenger had gotten something.

Someone in the studio asked one of the pundits if this made it a successful season for Arsenal, vs. say, Liverpool. The pundit (I’m forgetting who) replied that he still thought it was a better season for Liverpool. I laughed. HA! We have a trophy.

Do I think this is a successful season for us? YES. For the simple reason that we move forward in a positive direction, just like we did when we signed Ozil and broke the hoodoo of Wenger not spending. Yes, we blew a chance at the Premiership, Yes, we still need 3-4 players in key positions, yes, Wenger still needs to be more flexible tactically; but the narrative has improved. We move forward, on to the summer, on to the new season, on to new signings and a new hope. What do Liverpool get? Zilch. And even though I like Rodgers, and I liked watching them scare everyone I knew in my heart of hearts if they had won, the internet and the press would have crucified Arsenal with the narrative that a small squad coached ‘brilliantly’ and with the right passion can win the EPL. But whether this was a successful season for us or not requires a more in-depth write up.

But for now, WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS! And it feels SO GOOD to be an Arsenal fan!

And oh, Arsenal has not won anything for 10 days. #WengerOut. 😉

Cheers! COYG!

Written by Umair Naeem.

The Pictures That Say It All – 17 May 2014: a Glorious Day

May 18, 2014May 19, 2014TotalArsenal

FA Cup Final Match Review: We Are The Champions!

** Please note: not Szczesny but Fabianski in goal

Arsenal vs Hull City at Wembley. The FA Cup final. It was for me, personally, the first final I have witnessed since becoming a Gooner, and I missed it! I was forced to go to a college graduation over an hour away from my house, taking place at the same time as the final! So naturally I went dark from the internet and my phone to avoid spoilers and waited until I got home. After getting home, my Arsenal loving mother and I watched the game on recording, with no knowledge of the result, the score, or anything.

The atmosphere looked incredible. There seemed to be far more Arsenal fans than Hull fans and I really thought we were going to win comfortably. However, it was just the 3^rd minute when Hull scored the opener. A corner was swung into the box, volleyed towards goal by Huddlestone, and deflected in by Chester. Fabianski was wrong-footed and could only watch as the ball rolled agonizingly by his fingers and into the side netting. A shock-lead for the underdogs, early on.

After that goal, Arsenal looked a little shell-shocked, but the comeback still looked possible. However, just a few minutes later another cross was swung in. It was headed towards goal, Fabianski palmed it wide, but Davies was on hand to drive it home. Replays show that Davies looked offside, but the referee (who had a bit of a howler on the day) allowed the goal and, eight minutes into the FA Cup final, Arsenal were two goals down.

My mother and I sat there with tears in our eyes. But it was a unique experience as we were all alone. No internet to calm us down, no one on Bergkampesque to talk to. And I must admit, even though I am usually the most optimistic of Gooners, I turned to my mom and said that we were going to lose. I just had a terrible feeling, but after that we improved. And in the 17^th minute, our miracle arrived. The Spanish magician Santi Cazorla stepped over a free kick and rifled it into the far corner, perfectly over McGregor’s head. It was an incredible free kick perfect for the occasion.

After that, we never looked like losing. Countless chances went begging and we had four penalty calls ignored. Two were debatable and I could’ve accepted they weren’t called if not for the referee’s horrible game, but two were clear and should have been called and it was embarrassing that they weren’t.

Surprisingly, in the 61^st minute, Wenger did exactly what I wanted him to do, switch to a two striker system with Yaya Sanogo coming in. And he did it early! After that, the whole game changed. Sanogo’s physical presence and his pace brought new life into the game. He drove forward, made trouble for the Hull defenders, and swung the momentum strongly in our favour. He was definitely one of the best players on the field. From then on we fought and fought and finally the breakthrough came. The first three goals all came from set pieces and this one would be no different. A corner was swung in by Santi and deflected between a few players on both teams before falling to Koscielny, who hit the ball through McGregor’s legs and was then felled by the Hull goalie. The injury looked bad, but he was able to continue, and more importantly, we were level in the 72^nd minute!

After that we looked like we might win it in the 90 minutes. We had many chances with the partnership of Yaya and Ollie getting many shots off. Finally with just a few minutes to go Sanogo picked out a free Gibbs at the far post seven yards from goal, but he blazed it over the bar! I worried for Gibbs after that, as I know from my own playing experience that a miss like that can really shake a player badly, but he seemed to pick himself up really well. We got on with the game and I thought we’d won it when Giroud volleyed the ball at goal, but McGregor pushed it wide and it went into extra time. It was very painful to watch, especially alone.

In extra time we were the only side that looked like scoring. We pushed forward the whole first period, missing just wide multiple times, with Rambo firing everywhere except the back of the net. After the first period of extra time Rosicky and Wilshere were introduced to put some pace back into our game, and it worked. In the 109^th minute a wonderful interchange between Sanogo and Giroud left Giroud running away from goal with the ball, Ramsey ran into the space Giroud had opened up, Giroud flicked the ball behind him with his heel, and Ramsey coolly finished the ball into the near post with the outside of his foot before the Hull keeper could even react.

After that Hull had nothing to lose. They pushed far forward and we probably should have had one more on the break. At one point, we looked in trouble, as Per slipped and Fabianski made a horrid mistake by coming miles off his line to chase down the ball, and he slid right by Aluko who shot the ball towards goal from a tight angle; Gibbs was on the line ready to clear it, but the ball rolled just wide anyway. After that we held on and when the whistle finally blew it was magical.

The players collapsed exhausted and unbelieving. It was wonderful to watch us win this major come back, and the first trophy I have ever seen. This team fully deserved to win and it was fantastic to watch my team run around the field in celebration. Ramsey was deservedly the hero after his amazing season. Finally, after an eternity, all our players had their medals and the trophy was ready to be lifted. It was great to watch as captain Verm and Wenger lifted the trophy.

The parade was also lovely to watch Sunday morning, and after winning a trophy and having this wonderful atmosphere around them, it will be interesting to see what happens with Fabianski and Sagna and their expiring contracts. Sagna gave an interview after the final saying that he will see if he can “find a solution” to this contract issue. I would love to see him stay. But on another note, it was an incredible feeling for us to win this trophy and this will be a spring board to future success. We now have a team full of trophy winners and the Emirates trophy curse is broken. Players will be even more attracted to us this summer and I can’t wait to see what next season brings.

Overall, the team played well after the Cazorla free kick and there were stand out performances from Koscielny, Sanogo, and of course Rambo.

So for the final review of the seasons, some questions:

Who was your man of the match?
What is your opinion of Sanogo?
How does it feel to win a cup at last?
Will this be a spring board for future trophies?

Thanks for reading and happy celebrations to you all! 😀

Written By: Dylan.

Five Reasons Why Arsenal are On the Rise

April 30, 2014April 30, 2014TotalArsenal

This season has been a bit of an anticlimax for the North London club. Arsenal led the Premier League on New Year’s Day, a feat usually reserved for the eventual champions. However, since then a string of unfortunate injuries to key players, including the likes of Theo Walcott, Mesut Özil, and Aaron Ramsey, amongst others, has dragged the Gunners into a fight for fourth place against Merseyside club, Everton. This lackluster end to the season has caused many Arsenal fans to turn against the players, manager, and board of Arsenal FC. To ease these fans’ worries, here are five reasons why Arsenal are actually on the rise.

1. The End of the Trophy Drought

It is a well-known and often discussed fact that Arsenal have not won a major trophy in almost nine years. However, on May 17^th Arsenal will face Hull City in the FA Cup Final. Arsenal have faced Hull twice this season, including a recent 3-0 romp at the KC Stadium. The Gunners are expected to win this FA Cup and finally bring a trophy into the Emirates Stadium Trophy Room. This will create memories for the fans and players and help motivate players in the future. Winning a trophy will be a big attraction used to bring players to the Emirates this summer.

2. The War Chest

Speaking of attracting players this summer, Arsenal have just finished all of the major payments they’ve been making in recent years to cover the expenses of building the stadium. Arsene Wenger nearly tripled Arsenal’s record transfer fee last summer, by bringing in Mesut Özil from Real Madrid for £42.5 million. It looks likely that Arsenal will sign a lucrative kit sponsorship with Puma this summer. Depending on what sources you trust, this will add to the £70-150 million Arsene Wenger will be trusted to spend when the TW opens. Money like that will attract the top class of players this summer, and with many Gooners around the world clambering for a world class striker this summer, this is very promising news indeed. A world class striker would likely cost around £40-50 million pounds, but that still leaves us with plenty to spend on other positions that may need strengthening in the summer.

3. Top Quality Attracts Top Quality

On the subject of Özil’s transfer, let’s take a look at the players Arsenal will be boasting about next season: a refreshed Jack Wilshere, world class Mesut Özil, and lightning quick Theo Walcott, not to mention the stunning Aaron Ramsey, along with others. Top quality players, especially strikers, will jump at the chance to join an attacking lineup featuring those players over an aging Manchester United, struggling Tottenham, and an Everton squad that will look weak after its loan signings return to their parent clubs. Arsenal has been linked with many top quality players from top quality clubs, but Özil may now start a domino effect. Perhaps we go after a striker who desperately wants to play in front of a CAM of Özil’s quality. Then we go after a winger who wants to play with that striker. And then a defensive midfielder that wants to play through balls to that winger and so on.

4. Experience

In a recent interview with beIN Sports, Arsene Wenger confirmed he has given his word to the Arsenal hierarchy that he WILL sign a new contract with the club. His experience winning trophies in England, combined with experienced players such as Per Mertesacker, Tomas Rosicky, Mikel Arteta, Mathieu Flamini, and Lukas Podolski will be the opposite of the youthful sides Wenger has often been criticized for fielding in recent years. These experienced players, combined with the confidence of winning a trophy could lead to many titles sooner rather than later. Perhaps the addition of one to two more experienced players would give the club the world class youth combined with the steely experience needed to compete on all fronts.

5. The Deadwood Will Be Gone

Last summer Arsenal went through a major purge. Some players who never played were shifted out, including Squillaci, Chamakh, Arshavin, and more. This summer Bendtner’s contract will be expiring and he will be let go, Viviano will return to his parent club from loan, Djourou will be leaving to his now loan club permanently, and perhaps Diaby will be let go, along with countless of players out on loan that we will have to make decisions on. This will free up a lot of wages that we can use to add on to the wages of world class players looking for more money.

Let me know your thoughts on our current trajectory as a club. Thanks for reading! 😀

Written By: Dylan.

Arsenal – Swansea City Preview: Same team bar Koscielny?

March 25, 2014TotalArsenal

Time for our Lion of Flanders to motor us forwards again?

Get Back on the Horse!

Kicked off the horse (and then stomped upon) Arsenal must hoist itself back into the saddle to play Swansea City tonight in a league make-up match. This is a match that we simply must win and win in a bit of style to right the wrongs from Saturday’s indigestible lunchtime date with Chelsea. Unfortunately, it’s not the first time this season where we’ve needed a visible response. After shipping 6 goals against Manchester City in mid-December, we held Chelsea goalless at home in a nil-nil. That same score-line followed our horrific 5-1 loss at Anfield in a similar home match vs another “big” club: Manchester United. Swansea, even though they beat us 2-nil in this same fixture last season, have had a difficult season, replacing (up and coming?) manager Michael Laudrup, with Garry Monk, but still languishing only 4 points above the relegation zone. Arsenal, we thought, was having a much better season but amidst another (all too predictable?) “injury crisis” seems to find itself unraveling at just the wrong time, despite the fact that winning this “game in hand” could see us pull within 4 points of the league leaders–despite the spanking we’ve just received at their hand. Dropping points against Swansea would move us from another single (and isolated) 90 minutes of humiliation into a full blown end-of-season crisis. We need to move on from the Chelsea beating by winning the 3 points we gave away so easily on the weekend.

Additionally, the match has implications for more challenging encounters on the horizon. Manchester City comes to our stadium on Saturday and we must show a certain readiness for that one. After that, Everton away looms. They’ve just beaten the team we play tonight (Swansea, in a 3-2 scoreline) and they are the team who will be hoping we drop points to make that match a true “6-pointer.” We stand 8 points clear but they have a match in hand, so any incentive we give them means our CL spot will be “up for grabs” in Liverpool, to borrow the famous quote of twenty five years ago….

We can only play the matches one at a time, so let’s keep our eyes on the ball and focus on this one.

Swansea come to Ashburton Grove not having won in their last 8 matches, but they may catch a big boost with the return of Miquel Peréz Cuesta, more commonly known as Michu, the man who scored two late goals to beat us in this fixture last season. If he takes the pitch, many will fear his “sounds of silence” goal celebration and it could be an interesting test for our central defenders, given that Captain Tomas Vermaelen will be at the start of “at least 4 matches” alongside Per Mertesacker due to a Laurent Koscielny calf strain. Wilfried Bony, always a handful just because of his raw strength and power, may also prove a threat.

On the other hand, new Swansea manager Garry Monk may try and control the match by keeping possession rather than pressing for goals. In their position, and with so many Arsenal midfielders missing, this could be the best path to nicking a single point or more. In a relegation battle, each point is precious and given our own troubles, the Swans may be sniffing blood in the water. If they can keep us from scoring (as they did in last season’s fixture) putting Michu in as a sub might further inhibit our attack, given that I believe we’ll start with our better attackers on the pitch rather than the bench.

With that, I give you our starting 11. I believe Wenger, a manager who believes or at least wants to believe in his players, will go with the guys who “failed to show up” at Stamford Bridge. As such, the only change will be Vermaelen for Koscielny. I realize this is at odds with those who favor dropping as many as possible, but so it goes. We’ll see.

If there’s some fiddling in between those two extremes it could be a chance for a debut for Kim Källström (in place of Tomáš Rosickỳ). I know nothing about the Swede, but he provides double the umlauts which we’ve been missing since Mesut Özil twanged his hamstring at Bayern Munich. On the other hand, Rosickỳ has three special accents/symbols above the letters in his name…. My expectation is that KK could make his Arsenal debut as a sub if we appeared comfortable in the match; otherwise, his signing is another albatross around our manager’s neck and I doubt the legendary manager, under immense pressure once again, would dare to use him. If we must chase the win, the more expected subs would be Yaya Sanogo and Serge Gnabry. Not a lot of experience scoring late goals, but you never know, and Gnabry’s nice one against the same team in South Wales earlier in the season might prove a lightning-can-strike-twice sort of opportunity…. Flamini and Monreal or Jenkinson might be the more conservative route to help lock up a win.

Predicted starting 11:

Bigger issues.

In this age of an in-your-face, everyone-is-a-pundit news (and scream) cycle, we went—in the space of 15 minutes—from celebrating Arsene Wenger’s 1000^th match as Arsenal Manager to lamenting that it probably meant he was due a few more. Jose Mourinho’s words about Wenger’s “legacy of failure” echoed—without even being uttered—after our 6-nil defeat. Can the manager turn that humiliation into “just 3 points” or will it be the straw that finally cracks the camel’s back, and now, out of (what remains of the concept of) respect, we are consigned to watch the big humped beast fall into full collapse? My hunch is that Wenger is a better “manager” than many of us think and that we will respond to the adversity and build the tiniest of platforms heading into another tough battle against a club with which we aspire to actually compete. Or at least that’s my hope…

What do you think?…

Written by: 17highburyterrace

I would trade Ozil to Barcelona if it meant we could have Cesc back.

February 25, 2014February 25, 2014TotalArsenal

Lay it on the Line: Arsenal biases without reproach!

“The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend.”

It has come to my attention recently that some Arsenal supporters on here have turned a little too impartial. I’m not necessarily saying that’s a bad thing. I just like to come on an Arsenal blog and read the story from an Arsenal supporters perspective. If I wanted an impartial view I’ll pick up a non-anti Arsenal newspaper…if I can find one. I’m not saying we should be completely biased…just that we should be viewing things from red tinted glasses. You see in an anti-Arsenal media world it’s up to us (the Arsenal faithful) to balance the perspective out a little.

To push away from the impartialness, I purpose a day of complete Arsenal bias…without reproach. It can be positive. I can be negative. It doesn’t matter; just let it all out, heck blow off some steam if you have too. You may ask a fellow blogger to explain their bias, but you may not ridicule them or cast any stones.

I’ll kick us off:

At the beginning of every season I think we will win every title.
Whenever we sign a youth player I think they will make it and they’ll be a bloody good player. However, my expectations on this have dropped over the last few seasons.
Resigning Sagna is more important than it was resigning Theo Walcott.
The gulf between our players and supporters is beyond a joke. ‘Arsenal Player’ needs to include more player videos and interaction so that we can feel more in touch with our team.
Our fitness and medical regime needs a complete overhaul.
Ozil needs to attend the ‘Koscielny’s school of strength’ in the off-season if he is to make it big in the premier league. There were knocks on Kozzer after his first season. What did he do? He worked as hard as he could to increase his core strength and power. The result: the best CB in the league.
Kozzer is the best Centre back in the world at the moment.
The Ox has all the tools to be the best player in the premier league in a few seasons time.
At first I thought the signing of Giroud was a master stroke. Now it appears his heading ability has badly deteriorated and his confidence is going the way of Chamakh. If it doesn’t lift he will become nothing more than a squad player. At times I wonder if a level-headed Bendtner would be better than having Giroud.
Yaya Sanogo excites the hell out of me. Stay fit son!
The pole in goal is the best keeper in the league.
I would trade Ozil to Barcelona if it meant we could have Cesc back.
Out of a choice between Cazorla and Gnabry…I would choose Gnabry.
If Vermaelen leaves he is pathetic and I was wrong about his commitment. Arsenal stuck with him through countless injuries yet he wants to leave now he doesn’t get the playing time. Dig your heels in and fight like hell to get back into the starting line up.
Denilson did more damage to the crest than RVP did.
Podolski has really disappointed me. His fitness base seems to be nonexistent which is not good enough for someone of his calibre.
Gibbs is heading for a Diaby like career path.

Your turn!

Now remember…no reproach!

Written by: Oz Gunner

Bergkamp’s Benediction Complete? Surely Not Yet!

February 24, 2014February 24, 2014TotalArsenal

Finally, Dennis Bergkamp was given the recognition by the club he thoroughly deserves. On Saturday 22 February, the non-Flying Dutchman’s ‘in-flight’ statue was revealed outside the stadium among many fans. Truly great people accompany their phenomenal successfulness and lightness of being with a healthy, natural dose of humility. Dennis is not a man of many words, but you only have to look at his face to see what this statue means to him; he was truly humbled by the occasion.

We all know what Dennis brought to our club with his vision, passion and talents. He was the embodiment on the pitch for Arsene’s Wengerball; and, like him, he understood the rare value of loyalty – of sticking with something rather than choosing the easy route to ‘success’, by seeing something through till the end.

Bergkamp does not need a statue to become immortal with many generations of Arsenal supporters, as he simply already occupies in each and every one of us, a permanent mass of brain cells directly linked to our ability to appreciate beauty and love for Arsenal; indeed, many of us simply refer to him as ‘God’. But it is nevertheless a fine gesture by the club, and an appropriate recognition of what he meant, and means, to us all.

As such, his benediction – the state of being blessed – appears to be complete. And yet, it feels there is still more to come. As we all know, Dennis has moved into football management, albeit in an assistant role to De Boer at Ajax.

The question is whether he will ever move into the top job, as he appears satisfied with his current subservient role, which also requires a minimum need to fly in scary aeroplanes, of course. I can only see it work in a two-headed club manager role, in which Dennis stays home when the team plays far way.

But, even in an assistant role Bergkamp could make a real difference at our club. He could work with the likes of Jack, Ox, Zelalem, Eisfeld, Ramsey etc etc, and turn them into top class players. At Ajax, the fruits of his hard work are mostly wasted, as they simply cannot keep hold of their talents anymore. A real shame – an international disgrace, in fact.

Therefore, it would only make sense for Dennis to join us in the near future and take his rightful place next to Arsene and Steve. Please make it so, Arsene!

TotalArsenal.

Time to bench Ozil and see more of Sanogo? CL reflections

February 21, 2014TotalArsenal

Arsenal – Bayern Afterthoughts and reflections by Marcus.

It’s been a mighty long time since I wrote a post here and I do agree it is unacceptable so I am going to break my silence. There are very many talking points that emanate from Wednesday night’s game, so I will tackle them one by one.

I must start by expressing my growing pride at being a Gooner. Wednesday night was a show of strength, togetherness, grit and unrelenting determination, even in defeat. Special praise must go the team as a whole. In the first 30-35 minutes before the red card, Bayern were shown that they were playing the Arsenal and not their usual German opponents whom they brush aside. This team has personalities such as Mertesacker, Koscielny, Flamini, Sagna and even the Ox, who are willing to lead the team in the face of adversity. Those 5 players must have passed out once they got home given the effort they put in. Add Szczesny and Ramsey to that list and we have title winning characters in our ranks. We pressed them and ran them ragged in the moments leading to the red card (which is my next talking point), something Bayern are not accustomed to. I strongly believe that had Szczeny just been booked, we’d have won that game.

Then there is the sending off. I feel it was extremely harsh. First of all, when the ball left kroos’ foot, it was a 50-50 ball between Robben and Szczesny. It was only Robben’s pace and awareness that gave him the advantage in that circumstance. Then there is the fact that if you watch the footage again, you see that the moment Szczesny realized Robben would get there first, he tried to back out of the challenged and that is why the contact made was minimal. If he had any malicious intent, he would have completely flattened Robben given the circumstance. This is by no means a criticism of the referee because the rules are clear. However, unless it is a two footed lunge with the studs showing, the fundamental rule when issuing a red card is intent, especially in one on one situations involving a keeper; and there was none. That is why Szczesny wasn’t sent off against Villa in the opening game and against spurs in the 2011-12 season. That is a rule that must be amended.

My third point to note has to be Yaya Sanogo. I must say that nobody expected him to start ahead of Giroud AND Poldi. I have watched him play in the last two games and he reminds me a bit of Adebayor. The way he moves and plays. I like what I see from him so far. The funny thing about his inclusion is, before the game my brother asked me to name the team I would pick and it was identical to the one that started; except, when he asked who I’d start upfront, I told him: ”anyone but Giroud”. I’d like to see how clinical he is, so I hope he gets more chances to play.

Then there’s is (obviously) Mesut Ozil. At the risk of sounding bitter he was utter rubbish last night. I mean penalties are generally 50-50 but for someone who has a world class reputation and has played for two of the best teams in the world – three if you count Germany – his penalty technique is wanting. But even aside from that, you miss a penalty in a game of that magnitude and go on to put in such a disinterested performance to the point where two of your team mates (Wilshere and Flamini) have to rebuke you? In a game of such importance? Unacceptable.

Maybe he needs to be dropped against Sunderland to show him that you have to earn the right to put on the red and white whether you cost 2 billion quid or came as a free transfer.

Then there’s something I have felt Wenger fails at since I started supporting Arsenal back in 2001 as an 11 year old, tactical substitutions. When Szczesny was sent off, he took of Cazorla: our most in form player at the moment, leaving Ozil on the pitch. Many say that Santi isn’t the best defensively, but you know what? Ozil is far worse. I have never once seen Ozil dispossess an opponent. Not once since he joined us. At least Santi puts in the effort when needed. Then he went on and took off the Ox still leaving Ozil on. Wenger has done this countless times most infamously in 2006 when he took off Pires which swung the tide against us.

To conclude, I have to say based on what I saw yesterday, this isn’t over yet. Not by a mile. I mean sure, beating Bayern by 2 goals is going to be a tough height to scale but did we not do it last year? I believe in this team so much that I don’t have that feeling of defeat most people have, because I know we can pull it off. It is going to take every piece of strength, determination and belief we have but we can do it. For now let’s look to bouncing back and securing 3 points against Sunderland.

COYG!!!!

Marcus

Still feeling down? Four ways to put things in perspective

February 10, 2014February 11, 2014TotalArsenal

In the aftermath of the harrowing nightmarish early kickoff on Saturday, there were a couple of memes doing the rounds which made me shake my head and laugh out loud in a weird self deprecating frustrated “why-us” kind of a way. The memes fit completely with my lame sense of humor, yet they made fun of Arsenal, so I was at a loss to react. Add to this the fact that the defeat was still too fresh, and I didn’t know which way to turn.

One of the memes had three pictures, the first one had Arsene Wenger shouting “Don’t let Suarez score”, the second photo had Kos and BFG pumping their fists and saying “mission accomplished” and the third photo had Arsene with his head in his hands.

The second meme also had three photos, first one had Mourinho with the caption “The Special One”, the second had Pellegrini with the caption “The Tactical One” and third had Arsene with the caption “Five One”.

I leave you now to shake your head at the sheer apt genius humor behind these two memes and the sheer pain both of them caused me (and all of you)!

But on a more serious note, the Liverpool defeat leaves us rather scarred and demoralized, but it’s important at this juncture for both club and fans to not lose sight of the bigger picture and support our team in getting to gettable goals.

1 – We as a club, supporters and team alike, need to move on from this “we are going to lose” mindset. It’s a game, and Liverpool were masterful even though we were dismal. It seems as if they were playing Playstation football and we were playing Nintendo football. However, this defeat does not take away from the fact that we are second in the league (by one point), still in the FA Cup and still in the UCL. Last season at this point in time we were crying about qualifying for the UCL.

2 – Arsene will do what Arsene does. As someone who works in Marketing and has to make decisions everyday which people don’t agree with, I can empathize with Arsene. At the end of the day we have to have faith in his ability to sort the team out. After all, barring our games against the big teams, we have done rather well. Oh and we beat Dortmund too. So one dire horrendous (add your adjective) game does not make us into a bad squad or Arsene into a loser manager. He is not. He is a smart man who makes smart calls. The smart calls have a certain degree of success, I’d say in the high 90s and it’s a good percentage to operate from. Let’s have faith in him and in the team. If he did not buy in the January window he had reasons. We have to have faith in that. We should not lose sight of the fact that he is the decision maker, not us. And we must also remember that hindsight is forever 20-20.

3 – If we go back to the start of the season, I think all of us believed that a cup was a realistic hope of breaking the jinx, and yet we have been led down the garden path with dreams of an EPL Championship! Well let’s put it all into perspective. For me, the way forward is about making sure we beat United and Liverpool to make sure we stay in the hunt in both the EPL and the FA CUP. It will also give us much needed confidence to take into future games. In fact I’d say the FA CUP is a more realistic silverware hope than the EPL. Having said that, if we lose in one we may lose in the other. Form is connected, so we need to fight on in both fronts. United must be defeated, if for nothing else than for the fact that I want to see the Dutch Skunk (who once upon a time I had a lot of respect for) be on the losing side. Then Liverpool at home. We can win both. We just need to get our head straight.

Sadly, I’d say the UCL has to go. I’m not sure we have the squad to focus on three fronts. And UCL is not winnable (I hope to God I’m proven wrong). Bayern is beatable yes, but not worth diverting resources from the FA CUP and the EPL.

4 – Perspective. The Liverpool game was utterly abject (add your own adjective here), but listen, we have all seen how momentum can carry a team. The first goal was offside, the second one was bad defending and then Liverpool went from strength to strength and we collapsed. My only problem is that we let our heads drop. Heck, we could have been 5-0 in 20 minutes. I want to see a reaction, and all the noises I’ve heard from the team and the manager suggest that they want it as well. This is the only time I can remember in recent history when Arsene has indirectly even blamed himself.

So, let’s not vilify but let’s hope! Let’s back this team and let’s keep believing! It’s got us this far, why can’t it carry us a little further?!

COYG!!!!

Umair

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Arsenal vs Crystal Palace Preview: Time to Take a Stand

February 2, 2014February 2, 2014TotalArsenal

Intro:

Arsenal will face Palace at home at a perfect time. We are in need of points as we have just dropped to second place and this fixture lines up with ManchesterCity vs Chelsea (the two teams close to us in the table). Ideally, they will draw and both drop points, giving us the task of just picking up the win to take back first spot.

We face a fairly weak Palace side at home. We are unbeaten in our last ten home games, seven of those in the Premier League. Arsenal should theoretically be able to pick up the points and hopefully go back to the top of the league.

This fixture last time:

Last time this fixture was played, we had a very shaky game before Giroud sealed it in the dying minutes (1-0). We didn’t outplay them, and we should be wary of any team managed by Tony Pulis, as we always seem to struggle against them.

Line-up:

I expect Wenger to use this DM injury crisis to give Ox his chance to prove himself in the middle.

Other than that, I see very few changes occurring. Wenger doesn’t like many changes in between games. He’d rather rotate one, maybe two players. So I expect Gibbs and Ox to come in and not much else to change. This is a team that definitely should beat Palace by two or three goals.

Key Battles:

Giroud vs Crystal Palace:

CrystalPalace is managed by Tony Pulis. That means they are a very defensive team and will not concede much. Giroud will have to take on all 11 of Palace’s defenders to put a goal by them.

Ozil vs himself:

Ozil has struggled to replicate some of his incredible Real Madrid performances this season. However, last game he really began looking like his old self. I think he’s finally settling into the league and will soon be at his best. The game against Palace would be an excellent place to start.

Podolski vs Wenger:

Ever since arriving, Wenger seems reluctant to start Poldi and/or play him for a full game. However, he has looked hungrier than ever lately and this would be the game to show Wenger he can take Gnabry or Santi’s spot in the starting line-up.

Casualties of War:

Arsenal:

Ramsey continues to be out with mysterious issues. Walcott is still out for the season with his ACL issue. Wilshere will miss the game with a knock and Flamini is suspended from a fairly boneheaded tackle last game.

Crystal Palace:

Parr is expected to be out with a concussion. Dikgacoi is out with a calf injury. Jerome Thomas is out with a groin injury.

Predictions:

I predict a 3-0 to the Arsenal. A big response to a poor performance in the Villa game. Giroud will get a tap in, Gnabry will finally grab that screamer from range he’s been looking for with his long shots lately, and Ozil will score a very Bergkampesque goal to round off the game.

A Special Q and A!

My mother is a die-hard Gooner who has had passion for the club as long as I have. TA has been asking my mom to write a post for a short time and until now she has respectfully declined, saying she may one day. But for now, I’ve decided another Gooner’s perspective would be refreshing, especially a woman’s perspective.

Q: What did you think of Arsenal’s performance in the January torture window?

A: Lame. Unacceptable for a big club. We knew we had injury problems; targets should’ve been established ahead of time and signed swiftly. We failed to address these issues and that’s wrong.

Q: What is this squad still lacking?

A: I agree with Totes. A beast of a DM and a SQ striker would really fill out the squad. But I love Giroud and don’t want him replaced.

Q: What are your predictions for the Palace game?

A: We certainly should be able to win, but we have to focus from the starting whistle and can’t have a poor first half as we have had of late. The team can’t take this game lightly. Don’t underestimate Palace and we have to make sure to boost our goal differential and make a statement.

Q: What is your predicted top 6 for the end of the season?

A: ManchesterCity, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Everton, Manchester United in that order. It is a tough call between Everton and Liverpool. Suarez and Sturridge, and the Everton injuries, are what pushes Liverpool above, despite me wanting to see Everton there more.

Q: What is your opinion of Wenger?

A: I love him. I admire him greatly. I do have to question his decisions once and a while especially with substitutions. He seems to wait to long at times and doesn’t do enough to change games. Overall I love him and trust him greatly, but there are times where he is questionable and needs to act faster. Wenger time at the 70th minute is sometimes too late to make game changing tactics adjustments.

Q: Who is your favorite Arsenal player?

A: At this moment in time, it’s just, and this is a weird answer, team spirit. The way all the players have connected and been together has been amazing. Fighting for each other every minute of every game. I’ve never seen such spirit in this team, granted I haven’t watched for more than a few seasons, but still it’s incredible. I absolutely love it. That is what has made the difference this season.

Q: What do you hope for by the end of the season?

A: I would like to keep the same spirit. I’d love a trophy, but we won’t win the league. With all the injuries I’m not sure we will win the FA Cup. It is entirely possible though. Bayern will likely knock us out in the Champion’s League as sad as it is. Ideally I’d love a second place finish and some smart signings in the summer to really strengthen our team.

Questions:

1. What are your predictions for the game?

2. What is your preferred line-up?

3. How do you think Chamakh will be received at the Emirates?

COYG! Let’s capture TOTL once more!

Thanks for reading! 😀

Written by: Dylan.