Theo Walcott – Page 4 – Bergkampesque

Theo – Higuain – Nani up-front with Santi in the hole: it could work a treat

June 16, 2013June 17, 2013TotalArsenal

It looks more and more that Arsene is very keen to bring Higuain to the home of football this summer. According to various reports, we are preparing a lucrative offer for the Argentinian. Nothing will happen though, it appears, until Madrid appoint their new manager. Whoever that will be will have to decide whether he wants Higuain to stay or let him go. Unfortunately, until then we’ll have to remain patient.

We are also being linked again with Nani of MU. The Portuguese winger has a goal scoring record of one in five, both for MU and the national team, of which some have been simply superb. However, he lacks consistency and after two full on seasons, Ferguson has benched him mostly during the last campaign – allowing him to play in just ten PL games all season, of which some as a substitute.

Nani appears to be a player who needs a lot of trust by the manager and Red Nose’s management style did not do him much good. No doubt, Wenger could do a better job here, but I am not sure whether the signing of Nani would be good business for us. At times he can be mesmerising and deliver that bit of extra quality our team often needs, but I cannot get overly excited about him joining us.

However, he has PL experience and will relish giving his career a second life, and with Wenger’s coaching he could become a very useful player for us. Our apparent interest in him could be an indication that Theo is to be moved to the middle next season. Nani, who can play on both wings, would allow the Englishman to play centrally with receiving good service from a proper winger.

But, with our strong interest in Higuain, it could be that Arsene is thinking of a front three of Theo – Higuain – Nani. With Jack or Cazorla in the hole, this could become quite an attractive formation for us. It could actually work a treat!

Nani offers good close ball control and dribbling and lots of speed, and we know what Theo has to offer. Higuain, but also Giroud, would really benefit from proper wing service, and the likes of Santi and Jack would have plenty of options to conduct their multi-faceted attacking play – and often get on the score sheet themselves.

Although I see a DM and nr.10 as our biggest priorities right now, I would love us to sign an experienced, quality winger as well.

The question to ask fellow Gooners is: would Nani be a good singing for us and how would you see him fit best into the team?

Written by: TotalArsenal.

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Ox, Jack, Santi, Gibbs, Theo: all capable of igniting Wengerball, but is it enough?

June 16, 2013TotalArsenal

How can we get back to sexy football?

17 Highbury Terrace wrote during the previous blog: ‘Unless we change our personnel in MF I just don’t see us able to play anything pretty.’

I fully agree with 17HT’s statement: for pretty, sexy football changes have to be made to the midfield. The key questions are whether we have enough talent in our squad currently to do it and how long it will take to get there.

For me the current first team is a combination of a number of engines – hard workers who motor our team along: Arteta, Ramsey, Koscielny, Giroud, Jenkinson; a number of specialist – quality players who perform their roles really well in most games: Sagna, Rosicky, Szczesny, Mertesacker, Nacho, Podolski; and a number of players who have (the potential for) that little bit extra quality and magic: Santi, Ox, Jack, Gibbs and Theo.

The problem, and simultaneously the exciting thing, is that those who can offer the magic, which is a big – but not the only – part of pretty football, are still mainly young. As fans, we do not have much patience anymore, and with money burning in our pockets, it seems right to now go out and add the sort of quality players who can deliver straightaway.

There is good reason to believe that in two years from now Santi, Ox, Jack, Gibbs and Theo will make us play scintillating winning football. They need to be lucky with injuries so they develop their talents to the max in the next 24 months. If we had been winning silverware in recent years, I would argue more vigorously that we need to be patient, as I strongly believe that these five players will be among the very best in Europe in the next two to five years (and Santi is very, very close to being there right now).

It is really important now to add to the squad in such a way that the development of those five (potentially) extra-quality players is not held back, and yet instant progress is made during this and the following season. I know that many are in agreement that we need to add that extra bit of defensive steel in midfield in order to free up the more creative minded players in midfield. We have discussed this more or less to death, and the links with Fellaini, Wanyama and Capoue are at least good signs that Arsene is looking to recruit for this position this summer.

But the more difficult issue is what to do with the ‘hole’ position. Jack has great potential for this one, and so does Ox, and many will argue that Santi is the right player to hold the biggest role in Wengerball right now. If we get Rooney or Cesc, which remains a half decent possibility, the team would make a big jump forwards, but at what price in terms of development of Ox and Jack, and Santi?

Santi can play in a free role on one of the wings, Jack can play next to the beast of a DM Arsene is going to get us, but what about Ox? He could play again on the wing next season, but this just does not seem to do him much good at Arsenal.

It would be some gamble by Arsene but what if he started him in the hole next season? Just imagine AOC getting the freedom to make things happen in the middle of our midfield, whilst being supported by Jack and Santi behind and next to him! Would that mean the start of the rebirth of pretty, sexy Wengerball? Or is Ox still too young for this, and should Arsene look to add an experienced, quality player right now; and if so, who should it be?

Written by TotalArsenal.

Statistically on par, if not better than Bale: Theo deserves more respect!

June 7, 2013June 7, 2013TotalArsenal

Learning from the mistakes of the past, has Wenger finally gotten it right? Do we have a star on our hands?

This article will be the first of a three part series that examines how our trio of Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Gnabry compare to Gareth Bale.

Many fellow Gooners are begging and wishfully hoping that Arsene will use his rumoured large transfer kitty to acquire a world-class talent this summer, to help us compete with the upper echelon of clubs again. I must admit that I am guilty to this same methodology myself, and am yearning for a top quality player to inject that something special into our squad we are sorely lacking.

After all, Manchester United have game changers in van Persie and Rooney, Manchester City have Silva, Yaya Toure and Aguero, and Chelsea has Mata and burgeoning talents in Hazard and Oscar. Several Gooners will further point to the fact that even our less significant and lower quality rivals in North London, have a star in their ranks in Gareth Bale.

So then, in theory, Arsenal must sign a star themselves, in order to combat the threats that the opposing clubs above, and competing, with us currently have.

But, what if we already have that star within our team and just need to exercise patience?

There is no denying that Gareth Bale has become one of the dominant and most clinical finishers in the Premier League. With 21 goals and 4 assists in 34 starts this past season, Bale was third in scoring – only behind Robin “there’s a little boy inside of me” van Persie and Luis “I’ll bite you if you get in my way” Suarez. What’s more impressive: 9 of those 21 league goals were game winners. However, this isn’t to say that the rest of Bale’s goals were not important either; they ultimately led the Spuds to their coveted 5^th place finish and secured them Europa league in the process!

No matter how much we all hate him because he plays for our most loathed rivals or for the fact that one must really contemplate why Rise of the Planet of the Apes invested so much money on performance capture technology to get Andy Serkis’ face into that of the ape, Cesar, when they could have just used Bale’s; one cannot deny his outstanding ability and presence on a game. His 2.3 key passes, 1.8 successful dribbles, 1.9 accurate crosses made and 1.3 interceptions per game, prove that he is a very well-rounded player contributing in more facets of the game than just goal scoring.

However, we all know how statistics can paint an inaccurate picture of a player’s true impact on the game. In this particular scenario, the statistics truly reinforce the notion that Bale is a top, top quality player. His pace, anticipation, ball control, strength, curve and dip on his shot, distance shooting, FK ability, composure and passing, are all top notch and all of these attributes make him an imposing threat game in and out.

So now that I’ve written enough praise about that Spuds player, let’s move on to the focus of this article. Do we have a star waiting in the wings within our very own team?

Theo Walcott and Gareth Bale will forever be linked due to the fact that they are the same age, both developed at the Southampton academy and purchased from Southampton in the same year.

Theo’s return of 14 goals and 10 assists this season has largely been overlooked by the majority of football fans, because of the remarkable increase in goal output achieved by Bale. Theo’s steady improvement suggests that his progression is more sustainable over time, and that he too will eventually be a top goal scorer in the league. However, one will point to Bale’s success this season and proclaim that his accomplishments will only lead to far better ones in the years to come.

2012-13 Side-By-Side Stat Comparison:

Statistic	Player
Statistic	Bale	Walcott
Minutes Played	3,011	2,195
Goals	21	14
Mins per Goal	143	157
Goal Conversion %	13%	16%
Assists	4	10
Mins per Assist	753	220
Total Contribution	25	24
Mins per Total Contribution	120	91
Clear Cut Chances Created	6	11
Shots Taken	165	87
Shots on Target	73	39
Shot Accuracy	44%	45%
Successful Dribbles	1.8	1.5
Successful Crosses	1.9	0.9
Key Passes	2.3	1.2

2011-12 Side-By-Side Stat Comparison:

Statistic	Player
Statistic	Bale	Walcott
Minutes Played	3,216	2,727
Goals	9	8
Mins per Goal	357	341
Goal Conversion %	7%	11%
Assists	10	8
Mins per Assist	322	341
Total Contribution	19	16
Mins per Total Contribution	169	170
Shots Taken	136	76
Shots on Target	45	34
Shot Accuracy	33%	45%
Successful Dribbles	1.8	1.0
Successful Crosses	1.3	0.5
Key Passes	2.3	1.2

A closer look at the statistics reveals that Theo is much more clinical than Bale and simply needs to shoot more before reaching or surpassing him. With more minutes played next year, it’s very plausible to suggest that Theo is capable of this too; I’m further intrigued to see what Theo can accomplish next season without a contract cloud hanging over him.

What else do the statistics reveal? They tell us that Bale is likely the superior player based on being better in peripheral statistics such as successful dribbles, successful crosses and key passes in the past two seasons. His strength, ball control, ability to score from distance, in addition to his pace makes him a more dangerous and well-rounded footballer.

However, one may wonder why being better in all of these categories, notably key passes, does not lead to significantly more assists for Bale (and much less than Theo’s output in 2012/13). Well, this confirms that Bale likely plays with inferior teammates who are not as capable of converting their chances and that despite creating more chances, Theo is actually better at creating clear cut chances.

An advantage that Theo has over Bale is tutelage from a superior manager in Arsene – he has plenty of experience in working with and developing world-class strikers. If Theo can improve his weaknesses and dedicate his training to understanding and evolving his approach to the ST position, the sky is the limit for him.

As noted earlier, statistics are certainly not the be-all end-all in capturing the talents of a footballer. However, the analysis does give promise that Theo could be a top scorer in the EPL if he would shoot the ball more frequently; and that his total contribution (both goals and assists) can also exceed that of Bale, based on the fact that he creates more clear-cut chances over the course of a season and per minute.

Despite the constant criticism surrounding Theo’s lack of imagination and close ball control, he largely deserves more respect; the statistics reveal that he is a more dangerous contributor than Bale and that he also has the potential to be a world-beater.

What do you fellow Gooners think of the analysis? Will Theo match or better Bale’s output next season if he plays equal minutes to him and takes more shots?

Written by: Highbury Harmony

Is there a “generational divide” at Arsenal and, if so, what does it mean?

May 29, 2013May 30, 2013TotalArsenal

Theo Walcott, interviewed just after Arsenal beat Newcastle 1-nil to clinch 4^th place and the final Champions’ league place said something along the lines of, “We did it, which is great for such a young team, but we’re not satisfied with 4^th and now we want to push on and challenge for the title”….

Very nice Theo and a good explanation about our celebrations and how it sets the stage for bigger things. Still, it got me thinking….Are we a truly a young team, and if not, what does it mean going forward?…. Moreover, how do we get from here to there? And (finally) can we expect this team (plus the transfer business over the summer) to really allow us to push on towards our higher aspirations? It’s my belief that our manager has a “plan” which, to the extent it has panned out in the past, gives us a measure of guidance for the future.

After the stadium move “the plan” was clearly based around youth. We couldn’t compete when it came to buying the top, ready-made stars given the new power of Abramovich’s Chelsea. And, of course, this only got more difficult with the emergence of Sheik Mansour’s Manchester City, and (as always) Sir Alex determined to borrow as much as needed to keep Rooney (and bring in others) across town….

Nonetheless, the plan had a measure of promise, and, while some of our younger guys (I’m thinking of Denilson here…) didn’t really pan out, others looked (very) promising. Flashing back to the World Cup final of 2010, we saw our own Robin van Persie as the starting Center Forward for the Netherlands and (our own) Cesc Fabregas as the guy who came on and secured the trophy for Spain with his assist to Iniesta. Sure, “Young Guns” Samir Nasri and Theo Walcott got left off their respective national teams, but both squads underperformed and we thought maybe it would light a fire under the two (very promising) players. A few others (Bendtner, Song and Vela come to mind) did get to play in the tournament, albeit with mixed results.

Of course, 2010-11 wasn’t a breakthrough season at Arsenal and the plan then came in for a major overhaul in the past two off-seasons. Cesc returning to Barcelona was always on the horizon but the hope was to delay it as long as possible. Nasri having his head not just turned, but fully yanked, (Linda Blair style http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO9FD7zI7k0 ) by ManCity’s offer to double the one we had tabled, was something beyond the realm of the normal. Certainly it wasn’t the plan when we bought (and developed) him from Marseilles. Arsene famously spoke of the book he could write and his quip about top teams not losing their two best players suggested that our activities in the summer 2011 window were not exactly choreographed. Queue up early season humiliations (the 0-2 vs Liverpool almost as bad as 8-2 at Old Trafford…), a series of desperation buys at the transfer deadline, and, finally, a very long haul to a final day bum squeaker at West Brom. Ugh.

And then it got worse. Summer 2012 saw another remarkable remaking of the Arsenal first team. Our top scorer, Robin van Persie and our 2^nd top scorer (and best assist creator) Theo Walcott were allowing their contracts to wind down (as Nasri had the year before) and the former burnt his bridges on (US) independence day with an outrageous message to the fans. Meanwhile, this public show of indiscipline was matched by more insidious ones from our best midfielder, Alex Song, who was well known for being indifferent to fines for tardiness. RvP and Song would be gone before the season kicked off while the Walcott contract saga persisted into the new year. The bottom line is that three of our best players threatened to leave us and two actually did. Another long year, another last day nail-biter, another “ugh.”

So, these past two summers have been all about replacing our best players, while hoping that losing them wouldn’t kill us. Two years ago, at the transfer deadline, we got Mikel Arteta, Per Mertesacker, Andre Santos and Park Chu Young. (Earlier in the summer we also bought Gervinho and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.) Last summer we brought in Lucas Poldolski, Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla.

These buy were essential (well, at least the ones that panned out…) and they completely re-shaped the squad. They have also represented a real change in policy as the players we bought were (mostly) older ones. The ones who have emerged as starters, most certainly ARE older. Among the guys who are now in the first 11 (at least when healthy) Arteta is now 31, Mertesacker is 28, Poldoski will be 28 in a week, Giroud is “only” 26 (27 in September) and Cazorla is 28. We also picked up Nacho Monreal (27) in the January window (to spell injured Kieran Gibbs, while sending Andre Santos, 30, out on loan). Add in regulars Bacary Sagna (30), Tomas Rosicky (32) and Laurent Koscielny (27) along with Captain Tomas Vermaelen (27) and a large part of the core of the squad would seem to be at that age where they are playing at the peak of their physical and technical abilities. We cannot realistically expect huge improvements out of this group in the future….

On the other hand, Arsenal also made a conscious effort to promote the idea of an up and coming British core of young players. When Theo Walcott (24) finally signed a contract extension, the team also announced that several other contracts had recently been extended. These included Jack Wilshere (21), Gibbs (23), Carl Jenkinson (21), Aaron Ramsey (22) and Oxlade-Chamberlain (19).

There are some other key young players in the team. Keeper Wojciech Szczesny is 23 and Francis Coquelin is 22.

Intriguingly we have no 25 year olds, though Gervinho only just turned 26 a few days ago.

OK, so what? Well, as research goes, that’s about as deep as I get….

Still, when I look at nothing but the ages of the players I see a generational divide. And I think this would be exacerbated if we looked at the actual contribution (minutes played) of the guys 26-27+ and those 24 and under. The bottom line is that (due to changes in plan…) we are currently NOT a young team and that we will require a LOT of new guys to come in and replace the older guys as their play drops off. Because we are not in a position to buy ready-made, prime-aged players (although maybe Red Arse and others who think FFP may mute the market for top, prime-aged players, might disagree…) I predict several seasons of significant transition for our team.

In other words, the ripple effect of losing Cesc and Nasri in Summer 2011, and RvP and Song in 2012, will be felt for years to come. Theo, it turns out, wasn’t quite right about us being such a young team….

This fact should not be seen as “all bad”….First off, against all the odds, we were able to keep our CL spot these past two seasons and this last year (in particular) saw the real development of young guys like Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey. Jack Wilshere is still sorting out his fitness issues but his talent seems extremely promising. It’s astounding that the Ox is still only 19 and his cameo in place of Arteta in the final match (and in matches with the English National team) showed that (maybe) he can do a job all over the pitch. Jenkinson, red card at Sunderland notwithstanding, did quite well in the several periods when he stepped in for Sagna.

Additionally many of the older guys look really keen to be in this Arsenal side and we’ve seen the departure of players who had big issues with discipline or keeping fit (I’m thinking of Song and Arshavin here). A collective atmosphere of personal discipline and fitness (have you seen the abs on the likes of old boys Sagna and Nacho….or the running of Rosicky?…) can go a long way to keeping these older fellows contributing in fresh ways. With a couple of additional savvy and fit older guys (maybe at Keeper and Striker, and on the cheap, of course….) this mind-set might be reinforced…

With the bulk of our transfer funds, however, we need to think about adding to this collective in a judicious, almost surgical fashion and improving the team, with a keen eye to the longer term.

This may mean using our resources to buy younger guys with real “potential” rather than ready-made, more mature players who have already shown they can produce on the biggest stages. We should, I think, be looking for guys to augment the 24 and under group rather than the 26+ guys.

Other threads have discussed the strengths and weaknesses of our squad in specific areas of the pitch and suggested where key players might be added, ideally while keeping the hard fought sense of team accomplishment (the “Springvincibles” mentality) intact.

The teams above us are using big money transfers and big salaries and new (big money) managers. Quality is quality, but sometimes a strong “team” can beat a bloated brigade of all-stars—and not just in one-offs (the Cups) but over the longer haul–if the focus is correct. This is what I am hoping for this off-season and as we start up again in August. Still, I think we must keep our expectations realistic and know that it will take time, simply given the age demographics of our squad….

What do the rest of you think?….

Written by: 17 highburyterrace

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Everyone wants our Santi Cazorla! Arsenal vs Transfer Window

May 25, 2013TotalArsenal

Intro

It has begun!!! Silly season is upon us and will not cease until 23.00 BST on the 31^st of August. Until then we shall be linked with 452 keepers, 1021 CB’s to replace Vermaelen (because the media tells us he’s leaving), 289 RB’s (because Sagna is leaving and the media don’t do enough homework to know we have Carl Jenkinson on our books), 45 672 strikers (or just multiple variations involving Higuain, Jovetic, Villa, and Rooney), and 3 stories about Isco (created by incessant phone calls to Talksport by an individual under the alias of GLIC). You know what though…I love it! Yes they can get a bit repetitive, tiresome, and leave us more than a little angry when they don’t come to fruition. But what else are we going to do in the off-season? It’s too long to be without the Arsenal, and like any drug addict I need my fix…or I’ll KILL YA!

Wherever I am, a transfer update page is open on my computer screen and updated regularly (I’m sure a lot of your do the same). If there is nothing I’ll sift through the comments on BK to see who has the inside gossip.

Being linked with a player allows us to drift off for a second (or in VCC’s case, drift off for a mini nap) and think about how well he would fit in our team. This can leave us toying with the idea for quite some time. Cesc back??? What happens to Jack? Do we shape the team around him? Is he going to bring the best out of Theo? Will he punch Reina in the face this time if he tries to put a Barcelona shirt on him again? All important questions!!!

Flying the coop:

Stories will definitely be circulating about Vermaelen (captain not starting media assume he’s not happy), Sagna (heading into his last year and media will jump on previous comments and Arsene not signing up older players), and Arsene himself (last year surely he’ll leave blah blah blah).

Then there are the youngsters: Miquel, Henderson and Coquelin may want more game time?

Frimpong is injured again and is out for 8 weeks, will we resign him? (I hope we do, his injury troubles have curtailed his development, but I like Frimpong and I think (given an injury free run) he is good enough to be our future DM.

Djourou: You would assume is unlikely to be in our future plans so is unlikely to leave.

What to do with Denilson (please Dennis help him leave!!!), Bendtner, Park, and Santos? Hopefully all sold to loosen up the wage bill for incoming players.

Squillaci, Chamakh, and Arshavin will be out the door. Will Fabianski and Mannone depart? Hull has been promoted and may line up a bid for Mannone. He enjoyed his loan spell there and I’m sure Hull supporters would love to see him between the sticks again.

Previous Encounters:

Arsenal 2012/13

Players Purchased

Lukas Podolski – £11,000,000 Draw (injuries have meant we haven’t see what Lukas is capable as of yet)

Olivier Giroud – £13,000,000 Win/Draw (team didn’t utilise Giroud fully, good patches and bad. Will come good)

Santi Cazorla – £20,000,000 WIN WIN WIN!!! (absolute gem. Cheap as chips and top little player)

Nacho Monreal – £8,300,000 Win (another shrewd bit of business. Just what we needed with Gibbs’ history)

Players Sold

BSR, Vela, Bartley, Song, Lansbury, and Almunia

Arsenal 2011/12

Players Purchased

Carl Jenkinson – £1,000,000 Win (Improved immensely. Arsenal through and through. Legend in the making)

Gervinho – £10,600,000 Loss (jury is out on Gerv. I don’t mind him but hasn’t shown enough)

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – £12,000,000 WIN WIN!!! (Possibilities are endless with this kid!)

Joel Campbell – £950,000 Draw (still a relative unknown, shown glimpses. Could be another Arsene gem)

Park Chu-Young – £3,000,000 Loss (never really sure he existed. Marketing gimmick no doubt)

André Santos – £6,200,000 Loss (lost me with the BSR shirt swap. Showed glimpses, Monreal is the better choice!)

Mikel Arteta – £10,000,000 Win (new position new player! Real leader and has given his all from day one!)

Per Mertesacker – £10,000,000 Win (slow start but the leader of our defence. Steadied the ship and helped Koscielny)

Thomas Eisfeld – £400,000 Draw (big hopes for Eisfeld. Goal scoring midfielder with a bright future I feel)

Players Sold

Fabregas, Nasri, Clichy, Traore, JET, Eboue

Arsenal 2010/11

Players Purchased

Marouane Chamakh – Free Loss (started well. Lost confidence and went all downhill from there)

Laurent Koscielny – £10,000,000 WIN WIN WIN!!! (top notch defender, only getting better and an Arsene gem)

Sebastien Squillaci – £4,000,000 Loss (collected his pair slip, not suited for the EPL given the stage of his career)

Ryo Miyaichi – Undisclosed Draw (injuries have ruined his chances. Impressive highlight reel. One for the future hopefully)

Players Sold

Senderos, Eduardo, Simpson, Merida

Form Guide:

Arsenal 2012/13

Grade = B

Yes we lost the Brave Sir Robin to our enemies but after his stunt we really had no choice but to get rid of him (I know some of you would have kept him for another year, but it would have been too toxic to the players. Anyway we’ve done that to death).

With his departure we gained Santi Cazorla…and what a revelation he has been in his first season (don’t think so? Read what other supporters think about him below!). With a grade A striker in front of him he will flourish. We have more than adequate cover for Gibbs with Spanish international Monreal. It will be an interesting tussle between the two left backs and hopefully they can bring the best out of one another.

Song was a big loss I feel. I hope he comes back to Arsenal after having a tough first season at Barcelona. Podolski was affected by injuries for most of the season so I don’t think we really know what he’s capable of as yet! Giroud’s form was up and down. He gives his best for the team and will be a handy squad player giving us that PLAN B.

Arsenal 2011/12

Grade = C

Fabregas couldn’t fight his DNA and finally moved back to Barcelona. It was a massive loss and he left a crater in our midfield! The season long injury to young Jack didn’t help matters either. Fat boy Nasri left also. He set the premier league on fire for 6 months but hasn’t done much since. 22 million for him was a good bit of business. The Ox was a great purchase and will be a world beater in time. Jenks made everyone eat a little humble pie. His spirit and determination is a joy to watch. Arteta and BFG brought with them leadership and much need experience. Unfortunately Santos and Gervinho didn’t deliver. The loss of Clichy hurt given, repetitive injuries to Gibbs and an abdominal injury to Santos.

Arsenal 2010/11

Grade = B-

Not a whole lot lost, but not a whole lot gained either. Koscielny has the potential to drive the grade higher if he continues to improve. Eduardo had to depart because he was a shadow of his former self.

This week’s Arsenal Archive goes back to 2000. We lost our Dutch left-winger Marc Overmars in the summer to Barcelona for £25 million. How on earth could we replace the ‘Roadrunner’? Simple…go out and sign French ace Robert Pirès for £6 million. Initially he found English football tough to handle, but once he got settled in he never looked back. In 2001/02 he won the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the year and Arsenal’s player of the season. After 189 appearances and 62 goals Pirès left Arsenal, but he will always be remember as one of the best ever to put on the Arsenal kit. Here’s to you Bobby Pirès, thanks for the magical moments.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28S8kFG7hBM

One to Watch:

What will become of our Captain Courageous/fearless leader/the Lion of Flanders? Will he continue the captain’s curse and fall on his sword? Or will he put his head down and work his socks off over the pre-season and become the player we all know he’s capable of? I think it’ll be the latter! Vermaelen doesn’t look like a quitter who walks out when the going gets tough. Yes he has been replaced in the starting 11 but run to another club with his tail between his legs…I think not! I expect him to kick Arsene’s door down and tell him he’s ready to fight. Arsenal will be a better team if he fights for his position, not only for his development, but for the benefit of BFG and Koscielny.

‘Pre-Match’ Finger:

My special transfer edition finger goes to the newspapers who print/report nonsense time and time again. We constantly hear ‘sources’ or ‘reports’ etc etc but some of the things suggested in these articles are complete rubbish. Here is a look at which newspapers to look at over the summer transfer window, and which to wipe your behind with [courtesy of footballtransferleague.co.uk (all data collected since 2006)]:

I suppose if you use the scattergun approach you’re bound to be right sooner or later.

‘Pre-Match’ pat on the back:

A pat on the back goes out to any player signed by Arsenal over the transfer window. Welcome aboard, you have made it to the best club in football today. Arsene deserves a lot of credit for his work over the transfer window also. I’m sure he never sleeps and I feel it’s the busiest time of the year for him.

My biggest pat on the back goes to anyone willing to take Denilson off our hands! Please someone take him, I can’t bear the thought of him playing in the Arsenal kit again. It’d be enough to turn a man into a lunatic!

Seeing him watch Jenas as he sprints by. Pat Rice yelling at him to get off the ground and to carry on. Seeing him fall over like he was shot when no one was around…ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

This week ‘Ask the opposition’ returns to help with our transfer window needs. It is designed to get some friendly banter from our opposition fans and get their insight for the match ahead. This week we see returning Chelsea fan CD from chelseadaft.org , James from http://scfc2.co.uk/ (@swansinfo), Paul from tomkinstimes.com, and a host of other opposition supporters from various blogs. Thanks for your help gents!

1) What area/s of weakness does Arsenal have on the pitch?

Redwhiteandermblue (Spurs): I don’t like your new strikers. Podolski’s okay but no more, and Giroud’s a French Andy Carroll, but with less technique. The fact they score is because they’re at the end of a Wenger-trained team with some very talented players in it. I’ve always been a Walcott fan. He made a considerable step up this year, and may continue to improve–I think the question may be how much time he’s willing to put into training. Your defending has improved immensely since you benched Vermaelen. I’m still not a Mertesacker fan. You don’t have a DM, but I’m not sure that’s a weakness. I’ve gotten to like Arteta over time.

Now suffering in Spain (Spurs): You badly need a D.M.

Spurs disciple (Spurs): Arsenal’s weaknesses are that they lack width (even from the fullbacks) and a defensive midfielder – not a role I would ever have expected Arteta to play in is Everton days.

Human being in Croydon (Spurs): Their weakness isn’t on the pitch; it’s marauding around the technical area.

Roo (Spurs): DM, RB and in need of another striker.

Spurs or Sex? (Spurs): I think you lack a clinical finisher, a DM and most certainly a goal keeper.

Alberts Chip Shop (Newcastle): poor goalkeeper and poor defence plus lack of a DCM

Se7en (Man U): GK, centre back, right back, central midfield & wide forward/striker.

Cordon726 (Man U): GK, CB, RB, CDM, ST

CD (Chelsea): I look at Arsenal from the outside in and it’s always been the spine of the team in recent seasons that appears to be the problem. Any side that loses the likes of Fabregas, Song and Van Persie needs to ensure they have players that can replace those people in those areas and I don’t believe that Arsenal have.

Right now, I would say that a holding midfielder and a 20-30 goal a season striker is what the Arsenal need. Arteta isn’t a ball winner, Wilshire isn’t and Rosicky isn’t. Ramsey works hard all game but again, I wouldn’t categorise him as a holding midfielder.

I would play Theo Walcott through the middle up top for a full season as I believe he could be another “Henry” but I’m not the manager. Those are the two main areas Arsenal MUST strengthen this summer to challenge.

James (Swansea): To me, Arsenal seem to lack a real goal scorer and a top class finisher that I would expect from a top 4 club. Maybe Giroud will be that man but you don’t seem to have replaced RVP yet (but that is difficult to do!) I also feel you’re a bit brittle in the centre of defence and lack a real leader back there. I always remember Arsenal sides based upon their defensive leadership and strength but no you can’t have Ashley Williams

Paul (Liverpool): I do think that goalkeeper has been a problem for several seasons, based on what I have seen.

Schad (Southampton): 1. Inconsistency in central defence.

2. Lack of a midfield anchor for the games where it’s needed.

3. Gervinho.

4. Could use a world-class striker, but who couldn’t. Attack is top-four worthy as is, just probably not going to drag you to a title in the near future.

TomW19 (Southampton): Right back, Centre back, maybe also in defensive midfield.

SM (Hull): I think Arsenal’s main weakness at the moment is that they are lacking a solid striker. With RVPs departure neither Podolski nor Giroud has really stepped up and claimed the spot. Podolski hasn’t even really been played up forward.

2) What player/s would improve that weakness?

Redwhiteandermblue (Spurs): Erm, Jovetic or Higuain, to name a couple.

Now suffering in Spain (Spurs): A player like Sandro ( No! You can’t have him)

Spurs disciple (Spurs): If they had Lennon/Ben Arfa and Sandro/Fellaini they would be title chasing.

Human being in Croydon (Spurs): A defensive midfielder is a must (Tiote might slot in well) as well as a decent keeper. Cesar would be a good bet, as QPR have to get rid of him ASAP.

Roo (Spurs): not sure but it’d have to be top top quality.

Spurs or Sex? (Spurs): You never replaced Song, whom I thought was a very good DM. Someone like Matuidi would be great for you. Maybe Song himself would want a return seeing as Barca use him sparingly.

Alberts Chip Shop (Newcastle): Krul / Cesar, Sissoko, Mbiwa.

Se7en (Man U): Cesar/Begovic/Mignolet, Piszcek/Richards, Williams/Vertonghen, Strootman/Fabregas/Cabaye/Song, Jovetic/Alexis/Ben Arfa/Muniain/Higuain.

Cordon726 (Man U): GK- I think Julio Cesar would be a great signing.

CB- Not sure who, but the defender needs to have pace.

RB- either M. Richards or M. Lowton.

CDM- I think Arsenal should try to resign A. Song.

ST- Benteke or Lacina Traore from Anzhi

CD (Chelsea): There isn’t many holding midfielders up to the standard to choose from is there. Someone like Tiote from Newcastle would be ideal but to be honest anyone who is prepared to sit, win a tackle and then give the ball to someone else would do these days!

As for up top for the Arsenal, I would play Walcott there but if you had to bring someone in, why not someone like Higuain from Real Madrid. A proven, natural goal scorer? Just imagine if you were prepared to spend big and you were able to bring someone like Falcao in? Imagine just how many goals he would score!

James (Swansea): I think that Arsenal should try and sign someone like Benteke from Aston Villa. He could be a help I think

Paul (Liverpool): There are some very good goalkeepers out there. Szczesny is fine for his age, but not exceptional, and hasn’t quite got that authority yet. With Reina possibly moving to Barcelona, we may be in for the same keepers!

Schad (Southampton): 1. Kyriakos Papadopoulos seems to be getting tossed around as a possibility for every English club.

2. Someone who is not Morgan Schneiderlin because we will cut you.

3. Someone who is not Gervinho.

4. The usual £40m suspects.

TomW19 (Southampton): Micah Richards, Srna, Sahin.

3) Jovetic or Higuain?

Redwhiteandermblue (Spurs): Higuain, but I haven’t seen Jovetic that much.

Now suffering in Spain (Spurs): Not sure on that one – not seen enough of either.

Spurs disciple (Spurs): Higuain – though neither scare me from what I’ve seen.

Human being in Croydon (Spurs): Higuain.

Roo (Spurs): Higuain.

Spurs or Sex? (Spurs): Giroud has done OK in his first year but I don’t see him ever becoming a threat like Henry/ van Persie and for a club like Arsenal being a “good” striker won’t really cut it. Higuain would be ideal for you guys I think.

Alberts Chip Shop (Newcastle): Jovetic.

Se7en (Man U): Higuain, haven’t seen Jovetic play as much.

Cordon726 (Man U): Higuain if I had to choose, but both are good. I would prefer Benteke or Traore.

CD (Chelsea): Higuain all day. I would take him as soon as he was offered to us; I believe he is that good. You have strikers that have to work hard at their game and others where it comes naturally to them. Higuain is a natural and top drawer.

James (Swansea): Higuain

Paul (Liverpool): Both are very good players. Higuain is a reliable scorer, Jovetic is more versatile and has more flair, playing out wide as well as through the middle. Rafa Benítez wanted Jovetic and Aquilani in 2009, and funds were taking away from him for the former. Instead we went into the season short of strikers and it all fell apart.

More injured than Owen (Liverpool): You can afford but won’t get Jovetic. I think Higuain would be a huge deal for you and fits the style

Schad (Southampton): Higuain; more of an out-and-out goalscorer.

TomW19 (Southampton): Higuain

SM (Hull): I think Jovetic should do quite well for you guys if the move is completed.

4) Julio Cesar or Szczesney?

Redwhiteandermblue (Spurs): Cesar. Szcz has proven to be a good pundit. Too bad about the keeping.

Now suffering in Spain (Spurs): Cesar

Spurs disciple (Spurs): Cesar next season. Chesney will be decent in the future, but still not mature enough for a keeper.

Human being in Croydon (Spurs): Cesar.

Roo (Spurs): Neither.

Spurs or Sex? (Spurs): Julio Cesar is 10x better than Chesney. From what I’ve seen of Chesney, he makes the odd save here and there but is too error prone. Cesar is one of the world’s best, **** knows why he went QPR (money).

Alberts Chip Shop (Newcastle): Cesar.

Se7en (Man U): Cesar, his signing wouldn’t threaten Chesney’s long term No. 1 slot either.

Cordon726 (Man U): Cesar without a doubt.

CD (Chelsea): Believe it or not I would say Szczesney all day over Julio Cesar. He is young, learning the game and is already a good shot stopper. Someone like him will only improve and in time will prove his worth.

James (Swansea): Don’t rate either of them!

Paul (Liverpool): Szczesny. He’s still quite young and should improve with time. Cesar was great but not sure he’s that special anymore.

More injured than Owen (Liverpool): Cesar isn’t great, not messing about here. Szczesney is inconsistent but a better bet. Why pay the wages for a crap Brazilian?

Schad (Southampton): Not Julio Cesar.

TomW19 (Southampton): Szczesney

SM (Hull): I think Cesar is past his best, so I think sticking with Szczesney is probably the best option, though signing Cesar as back up might be a promising move.

5) What player would you buy from Arsenal and why?

Redwhiteandermblue (Spurs): Cazorla, in a heart-beat, if we were willing to pay for him (Ha. Ha. Ha.). We need a first rate playmaker. Cazorla may have edged Mata for best playmaker all-PL, to me. Good as Mata is, he has more to work with. I can only guess you start Cazorla on the wing because you feel obligated to start Wilshire in the center. Your team is therefore better w/o Wilshire. Incidentally, I used to rate Wilshire very highly, though I dislike his chavvy ways. Now I’m afraid he’s joining the list of young players who become injury-riddled through overuse. Too bad, because I don’t want anyone injured.

Now suffering in Spain (Spurs): Cazorla – classy player.

Spurs disciple (Spurs): Cazorla. Exactly the sort of player we need. Next best bets are Wishere and Walcott. The rest I wouldn’t want at all, as they are not improvements on what we have.

Human being in Croydon (Spurs): Cazorla would fit in well at Spurs, as he’s the sort of player we need – a creative midfielder who scores goals.

Roo (Spurs): Cazorla. – Your best player by miles IMO. And scores a fair few goals from midfield, which we lack massively.

Spurs or Sex? (Spurs): I’d take Cazorla in a heartbeat. Looks class

Alberts Chip Shop (Newcastle): Walcott – pace to burn.

Se7en (Man U): We have already signed your best player last year so would have to say Wilshere. Begging for some quality in midfield, great short and long-term option even if he does annoy me a bit.

Cordon726 (Man U): Cazorla – he’s Arsenal’s best player.

CD (Chelsea): I would take Theo Walcott off of you in a heartbeat. Anyone with pace causes problems as Chelsea have seen time and time again. If you can harness his pace and bring the best out of him as a finisher, you could have something really special on your hands. I can see it, I know other supporters can see it, I just can’t understand why Arsene Wenger doesn’t!

James (Swansea): I would love to have Santi Carzola (he would fit right in at Swansea with the Spanish connection we have)

Paul (Liverpool): Wilshire. He’s your best player, and would add something extra to Liverpool’s midfield, especially now Steven Gerard is not as all-action as of old.

More injured than Owen (Liverpool): Obvious. Wilshire, why? He’s the classiest midfielder in the prem for his age group. We don’t need Walcott or Chamberalin as we have options there ourselves.

Schad (Southampton): Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. It’d be fitting.

TomW19 (Southampton): Cazorla because he’s a good player and we need more creativity.

SM (Hull): Mannone. In a heartbeat. Looked great on his two loan spells at the club, expressed interest in joining, and would be a great keeper for us.

Prediction:

For the transfer window psychic prediction I got in touch with my bubbly African friend Yakman again. This is how it went down:

Oz: How many players will be signed in the transfer window?

Yakman: 4…possibly 5

Oz: Interesting! Will Jovetic be one of them?

Yakman: Yes, it looks that way!

Oz: Will Sagna and Vermaelen leave Arsenal?

Yakman: Possibly, but I think not!

Oz: Finally, will the supporters be happy with the overall outcome of the transfer window?

Yakman: Not everyone will be pleased.

Overall I’m excited by what this transfer window will bring. While I agree not everyone will be pleased (some won’t unless we sign Messi, Ronaldo, and Kompany), I think those supporters with a bit of reason will be happy and excited for what next season holds. I have complete faith in Arsene and I think this time we will have the right personnel to win the league. With a bit of patience and luck we’ll make it through this transfer window…I’ll be seeing you at the open bus parade!

“You are my Arsenal! My only Arsenal! You make me happy! When skies are grey!

You’ll never know just! How much I love you! Until you take my Arsenal away!

La la-la laaa-laaa! (OOH!) La la-la laaa-laaa! (OOH!)”

Written by: Oz Gunner

Theo’s three in three invaluable – TV for Arteta – Ramsey new Parlour?

May 15, 2013May 16, 2013TotalArsenal

Twenty-four hours later and our victory over Wigan still feels very good. After a number of recent ‘one-nil to the Arsenal’ scores it was great to score four goals, and have all three attackers involved in either goals or assists. Arsenal needed this game to give us new momentum, and with that the believe and energy that we can finish the job against The Magpies this weekend.

A lot has been said about the need to introduce a more complete defensive midfielder this summer, but it cannot be denied that the combination of Ramsey and Arteta is working for us right now. At times, these two remind me of MU’s Carrick and Fletcher in previous seasons: solid midfielders with little flair but with a great work-rate and positional awareness. These are not the sort of footballers that will keep you awake at night, but they are like the feet of the swan working their socks off, allowing it to move graciously along. Not that we have been gracious a lot in recent months, but I hope you get the gist…

We all know that Arteta brings this to the party, but the current player of the month, Rambo, might now have found his niche within the team, by occupying the spot next to El Zorro. There is little doubt in my mind that Arsene needs to make changes in midfield over the summer, but he will be very glad that the Rambo-Arteta tandem, among other changes, has made such a difference in the final, and most vital, part of the season.

Ramsey could well become our Parlour of this decade, as he has a similar drive and great motor, and does not mind to do the dirty work at all. Any good team can do with a player in the squad – not necessarily in the first-eleven – who brings such energy and commitment in midfield, and Ramsey fits this role really well. We should also take into account that he is effectively only 21, having missed up to 1.5 years as a result of his horrific leg-break. He will get better, possibly much better in coming seasons, and it is essential now to keep him in the squad.

The injury to Arteta is quite a worry right now. We know from the previous season we can struggle if and when Arteta does not play, so hopefully his injury is not too bad.

But let’s have a look at how Arsenal can replace him. Wilshere does not look fully fit and it is questionable whether he can play an entire game, so a combination of Rambo and him does not look like a good option. We could try Coquelin and Rambo, but the Frenchman did not have many games in the first team, and I for one, would feel uncomfortable bringing him into our crucial game against NU.

As a few others have mentioned on the blog in the last twenty-four hours, Vermaelen would be a very good option to play next to Ramsey. He would bring extra steel – tackling and aerial power – and energy, and I am sure he would be really up for it. Key would be for him to stay calm and time his tackles well, and as he could be a bit rusty, there is some risk of this. I am not entirely sure how good he would be at reading the game in midfield, but I am prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt, as his other qualities will be very valuable at least. So Vermaelen-Rambo for me on Sunday.

Finally, I like to say something about Theo. How important has he been for us in the last few games? Scored the only goal against QPR – two points worth – the only goal against MU – one point worth – and scored the all-important second against Wigan last night. Theo with consistency would be as valuable as Ronaldo, but he clearly is not of that calibre; although, he is also still young and will develop further.

His stats this season are fantastic again and what an important (re)signing he has been for us. And when he goes through a difficult patch again, let’s stay behind him and know that sooner or later he will bring home the bacon again.

Written by: TotalArsenal.

Best away defence invaluable – Theo grows – Ramsey the grinder – Arteta rules

May 5, 2013May 5, 2013TotalArsenal

Sometimes it is best to sleep a night over a game of football. On a beautiful, sunny Sunday morning it is easier to reflect on a game that was hard on the eye and tough for the heart, but THE RESULT still left us with a good after taste. And the latter – just like the better coffees and wines do – is still lingering on this morning.

Three points and a first win at Loftus Road in seven attempts makes the head nod sagely: 1-0 to the Arsenal is all we needed. Some will point out the need to boost our GD, but that is simply wishful thinking at the moment. Our team is running at its last legs and somehow just keeps scraping the barrel for more.

Since Arsene decided to put Arteta and Ramsey together in the double DM-pivot, and swap TV5 for the more organised and composed Koz, we have, as predicted, both become a lot more solid in defence and gradually more and more toothless in attack.

In our 4-2-1-3 formation the box-to-box midfielder holds the key for creating a fine balance between defending and attacking, and only a fit Diaby or Wilshere can truly make this formation tick as per the Wengerball ideology.

With Ramsey we get a hard and disciplined worker and he and Arteta deserve a lot of credit for our recent mean defensive record. Of course, this will not be enough in the long term. Wenger put into place his plan-B to get us back in the CL next season, and for me he is showing once more that he can play Mourinho-like football if he needs to.

But boy is our football hard to watch at the moment, as we dither and probe through the middle all day long, looking like our attackers have never played together before. Pod looked like running around with inflated testicles, Cazorla and Theo totally allergic to sticking to traditional wing-play, and Rosicky was simply not central/domineering enough.

Yet, in the first half we dominated so much that we should have added to Theo’s super-early goal. When in it the box, Theo tends to shoot at goal as soon as he can, without taking another touch, and it paid off for him straightaway. The keeper should probably have done better, but Theo gave him very little time to set himself up properly, and looking into the glaring sun will not have helped Green much either.

Theo was also a wee bit unlucky with another fine, direct attempt on goal in the first half which Green pushed onto the post, and he had another such an attempt saved in the second half. Theo, unlike the Pod yesterday, got himself in good positions in the box and made the keeper work, and his goal made all the difference yesterday. Does this mean he should play centrally more often, though? Aah, let’s discuss! 🙂

Arteta played one of his best games of the season with fantastic positioning, great interceptions and more than adequate distribution, including a fine, and priceless assist for our one and only goal. I loved his physical strength and sheer desire to fight for these crucial three points: he was a true captain for us yesterday. The Basque beast simply ruled the game against the Hoops!

Another big plus point – you must have noticed by now I am mainly looking at the plus points – was our composure and organisation in defence. The triangle of Szczesny – BFG – Koz is quickly developing into something very solid, and that is at least one of the big positives from our current season. Arsenal must ensure we keep them together for next season, and not be tempted to cash in on any of them.

The BFG’s composure and organisational skills are of great value to us, and Koz’ timing, energy but also his positioning and composure, combine really well with the German’s strengths and weaknesses. Add to that a mature and controlled performance of our goal keeper – making good saves (one against Remy was simply excellent) when required – and you can see why we are proving hard to beat at the back at the moment.

In fact, our defensive away record has been very good this season, conceding only 14 goals in 18 PL games: far better than anybody else in the PL. This will probably pan out to be our saviour this season in terms of CL qualification.

Nacho had a tough game against the only player who really cared, Townsend (I wonder what was motivating him hahaha). However, he did get forward and behind the Hoops’ defence once or twice, and that appeared to be the only way to create some danger during large parts of the game. Sagna had a decent game, but once again, he got little support on the wing going forward – often left alone with the ball with nobody anywhere near to set up an attack from the wing.

The negatives in a nutshell (nothing new really): ineffective wingplay for most of the game, attackers and midfielders not linking up properly or finding each other – no collective telepathy – too many players needing too much time (touches) to take their chances, no physical – and limited aerial – presence in the box, and not creative enough.

But our defensive triangle in the centre, our double DM pivot, and an improving Walcott saved the day for us. And there are ten days now to get some much-needed new content into the barrel.

Average player ratings by BK’ers:

Szczesny: 7.7

Nacho: 6.4

Koz: 7.7

BFG: 7.3

Sagna: 6.7

Arteta: 7.7

Ramsey: 6.7

Rosicky: 6.7

Cazorla: 7

Podolski: 5.5

Theo: 7.3

Written by: TotalArsenal.

Special thanks to those who put in their player ratings.

Ox/Cazorla on wings, Mozart in ‘the hole’, Theo’s big chance? QPR preview.

May 3, 2013TotalArsenal

Another cup-final awaits us at Loftus Road.

The (not so) Super Hoops were officially relegated last week and for them the game is more or less meaningless. However, a number of individuals, knowing that the game is televised as well, will want to use the last opportunity this season to showcase themselves, with a desperate hope that somebody will come and save them from Championship football.

And with HR saying today that nobody should expect QPR to go back up straightaway and that they might even do a ‘Wolves’ next season, I reckon he will have managed to scare them all into finding another club as soon as possible – and help the club to reduce the wage bill considerably in the process.

It looks like QPR find themselves in a horrible mess and who knows how it all will end…

Let’s hope that the likes of Julio Cesar (or Green), Taarabt or Remy, etc do not produce a ‘world-class’ performance against us on Saturday, as we could really do with QPR taking it easy.

I cannot help but feel that Arsenal are running on their last legs at the moment, especially up-front. As expected, Giroud’s suspension means we need to adjust our attacking formation and game plan. Arsenal are often slow to adjust to a key player missing out for a while (Mertesacker and Arteta’s injuries last year come to mind), and it remains to be seen whether our attack will be well-drilled, focussed AND potent once more against the Hoops.

Key question is therefore, who will start up-front: Theo, Pod or maybe even Gervinho?

Many have questioned whether Podolski is fit enough to play in the central striker position at the moment, and I have a feeling he will not start tomorrow but is likely to be used as a substitute. Theo on the wing has not done much for us recently, and I have a feeling he will start centrally tomorrow.

This leaves us with ‘the wingers’. I reckon QPR will sit back a lot and make it hard to penetrate them through the middle. Therefore, good wingplay is key, which in my view means that either Gervinho (my preference) or Ox will start – maybe even both?! But playing Gervinho – Theo – Ox together is untried and therefore risky; it would also mean Arsene would have to leave two of Jack, Santi and Rosicky out of the starting line-up – assuming that Wenger won’t tinker with the Arteta-Aaron axis in midfield.

So, who will start up-front and in the hole tomorrow. With a meagre two goals in our last three PL-games, Wenger will have to choose as many players as possible who can score a goal (or two) tomorrow, and yet he will need to have a threat from the wing(s) as well. I am going with Cazorla – Theo – Ox up-front.

This leaves me with the question who will play behind them: Jack or Tomas…. Not an easy choice right now. If Tomas is fully fit, I reckon he’ll start with Jack replacing him after 60-70 minutes. Jack does not look fully fit to me at the moment, but if he has been training well this week, he could start against QPR…. I go for Tomas.

As said above, I expect Ramsey and Arteta to play behind the attackers and in-front of our back four. Our back four will probably have Koz and BFG as our CB’s, and I reckon it will be Nacho on the left this time and Jenkinson on the right.

The full backs will be very important tomorrow as we need drive, confidence and quality contributions by them – both in defence as well as in supporting our wing-play. I am going for Nacho because Wenger seems to alternate between him and Gibbs from one game to the next, and for Jenkinson, because I reckon Sagna needs a little break and we could really do with the Finglishman’s drive and tenacity tomorrow.

My predicted line-up in summary:

I am desperately hoping for a focussed, energetic and powerful display by the entire team, and taking all three points home tomorrow. Arsenal did not manage to win any of the last six away games in the league against QPR (L2 D4), so fingers crossed we’ll break that mini-trend tomorrow.

Come On You Rip-Roaring Gunners – Do us proud!

Written by: TotalArsenal.

Giroud suspended: Podolski, Gervinho or Walcott to lead the line?

April 22, 2013April 23, 2013TotalArsenal

As you all know, Giroud has a three match ban after being sent off by referee Andre Marriner in the 90th minute of our last match against Fulham, when he caught Manolev with a slide tackle. Giroud has told Arsène Wenger that is was accidental and that he slipped, and our manager has said he can understand why Giroud was shown a red card. Nevertheless, Arsenal have appealed against Giroud’s dismissal.

A statement from Arsenal says “We have lodged an appeal to the Football Association for the wrongful dismissal of Olivier Giroud against Fulham.”

If Arsenal’s appeal is unsuccessful Giroud will remain suspended until May 19th which more or less means that the season is over for him. But if Arsenal’s appeal is successful, Giroud will still be suspended for at least one game.

Giroud has been criticized by lots of Arsenal fans for his missed opportunities this season, so there are plenty of Gooners who will not miss him; but there is no doubt that Giroud will be missed by our team. In our current team Giroud is very important to our attack. His work rate is excellent; he has the desire to do well for himself and the team and is the focal point for our attack.

So now with Giroud suspended for three matches (although if Arsenal are successful in their appeal against Giroud’s dismissal, Giroud would only be suspended for one match), Wenger will have to choose someone else to lead the line for us.

Gervinho has played as our main striker on a number of occasions this season but has been very inconsistent throughout the season, so I doubt he will start any of our upcoming matches- that is unless there are injuries. Gervinho is also much more effective on the wings where he can add the much needed width, which we so often lack.

So Wenger is now left with the dilemma of who should lead the line: Podolski or Walcott.

Podolski and Walcott are very different in terms of what they have to offer when leading the line. Walcott offers his lightening pace, meanwhile Podolski offers his clinical finishing with his powerful and accurate shots from distance, which can trouble any keeper.

Podolski is a clinical finisher who thrives from getting into the correct positions in and around the box, where he can look to get into good goal scoring opportunities and then score capitalise on them. His long shots are also something to be desired. They are accurate and powerful. He will run at defenders and take them on, dragging them out of position which allow his teammates to exploit the spaces left behind by the defenders.

Podolski is also no pushover and is an absolute beast. He will score goals inside or outside the box, on the volley or even by his head. He is by far our most experienced striker with over 100 caps for Germany.

Walcott has superb pace and he is usually the quickest player on the pitch. I cannot think of many players much faster than Walcott. Walcott can use his lightening pace to draw defenders out of position which makes it much easier for our other players to get into good goal scoring opportunities, or Walcott can simply use his pace to knock the ball past defenders and beat defenders to the ball, at will.

He often does the latter when playing on the right wing. When Walcott is playing up front he still uses his incredible pace to very good effect. Walcott will often get in between two defenders of a team who are playing a high line and look to beat
the offside trap. Teams playing against Walcott know this is what he will try to do but it is very hard for them to stop him from him from doing this. Once Walcott has beaten the offside trap no defender can even get back in time to make a challenge on him. This often leaves him with a one on one with the GK of the opposing team where he will look to simply slot the ball low into the corner of the opposition’s net with a cool finish.

However teams can manage to tame Walcott by defending deep in their own halve. Many teams who defend deep will often deploy two banks of four which means that Walcott no longer has pockets of space in front of defenders where he can run into sometimes, making his lightning pace pretty superfluous.

So for me, if the team(s) we are facing in our next fixture(s) are defending with a high line Walcott is the man to lead the line. However, if we are coming up against team(s) who defend very deep in their own halve, Walcott is not very effective so Podolski is the man to lead the line.

For me it is very hard to tell whether Wenger will pick Walcott or Podolski to lead the line. It is said that Wenger is grooming Podolski for this role, and Podolski does have more experience than Walcott playing as the main striker throughout his career, but Walcott has excelled when leading the line for us early this season, when Wenger gave him an opportunity to do so with our manager being very impressed with him. So whether Wenger will choose Podolski or Walcott to play as our main striker, is any man’s guess.

Who do you want now to see lead the line?

Who do you think Wenger will choose to lead the line?

Do you think the team will perform better with Walcott or Podolski up front?

Written by: AFC.

Rosicky to conduct, Nacho-Santi bulls on left, Sagna-Theo train on right: Everton preview

April 16, 2013April 16, 2013TotalArsenal

Little Mozart to conduct the symphony tonight?!

A rare treat for us nowadays: a meaningful mid-week game!

Having worked in Liverpool for a few years, I have nothing but respect for both Everton and Liverpool. The Liverpudlians know how to enjoy live and seize the day, and they know their football as well. And there is nothing but respect for Arsenal and Arsene Wenger over there, something the Mancs could learn a lesson from.

David Moyes is a fine, loyal manager, who, every few years, is able to put a talented team together with the potential to move into the top-four. It looks like he has done it again this year, and the Toffees come to the Emirates in great form – let’s not mention the embarrassing FA-cup exit though, but then, who are we to talk…?

This will be a tough game for us, as a confident and fully fit Everton will fancy their chances. A home win against the Northern Oilers and away draw against the Spuddies in recent games, Everton have proven they can handle the pressure and get results. The Toffees’ strength seems to come from the wings, and especially, from the centre of midfield, where the hard working Osman, Gibson and Fellaini form an impressive defensive wall as well as a fountain of creativity.

Eveton’s away record is not brilliant, with only four wins out of 15 games, although a glass half full Evertonian will tell you they only lost four away games all season.

So how are we going to combat the tough Toffees?

I reckon, Arsene will fall back to what he knows best and will stick with 4-2-1-3; and he will play his most experienced team.

Defence:

I am pretty sure Szczesny will return to the first team. The coded language from Wenger re Fabianski’s ‘injury’ tells me the Pole will be between the poles again tonight.

The back four is interesting once more: will Arsene drop TV again? I reckon, he will. This is no game for sentimentality and the best CB pair should play: Koz and BFG. On the right, I expect Mr Reliable to play, and on the left, I go for Nacho this time.

Midfield:

Zorro and Rambo to combat with Osman, Gibson and Fellaini in our double-DM pivot, with Rosicky in the hole. Given Arsene’s recent comments, Jack will get a rest and Rosicky is likely to replace him. Alternatively, Cazorla could be played ‘in the hole’, but I reckon the Professor will go with the Czech conductor this time.

Attack:

The above mentioned inclusion of Rosicky, would mean that Arsene has to choose to fill his three attacking positions from: Walcott, Gervinho, the Pod, Giroud, Ox and Cazorla. Will Wenger surprise us all and, after his recent comments re the Pod spearheading our attack any time soon, put the Pod centrally? I don’t think so: not for this game, as it would be too disruptive to our shape and system of football.

I feel Wenger will stick to what he knows and play Ollie centrally, with the Pod on the left and Cazorla on the right; although, I am also tempted to go for Cazorla on the left – forming a fine partnership with Nacho there – and Theo on the right to keep Baines busy….. But that would leave the Pod out, so maybe he will play centrally tonight…. pfffffff. Not easy, my friends, not easy. And then many of us want Arsene to buy at least one more attacker hahaha 🙂

I am going to go with Cazorla – Giroud – Theo up-front, as Arsene’s choices, but I probably get it wrong and won’t achieve an 11/11 once again tonight.

Predicted Line-up:

Anyway, here is hoping for a fantastic game and Arsenal playing at their very best, and collecting three more super-valuable points. Let’s give the Spuds a better, more in perspective, view of the mighty, red and white Arse!

Come on You Rip Roaring Gunners!!!!!!!!!!! Do Us Proud.

Written by: TotalArsenal.