One Year of Bergkampesque: An Anniversary Tribute

September 12, 2013September 12, 2013TotalArsenal

I have been a friend of Total Arsenal, the Major Domo of Bergkampesque, for approximately three years, since we first chatted and spectacularly fell out in a misunderstanding over nothing at all, while chatting on another respected blogsite we then both frequented.

After this uncertain start, we soon formed a strong and lasting bond and discussed football, and Arsenal in particular from dawn till dusk, and quickly realized that we had similar, if slightly nuanced views, on the best club in the world.
That, however, did not stop me from being entirely provocative, on occasion, like other fiery, forthright bloggers nowadays. I sometimes, for example, claimed to give credence to certain controversial matters just so that I could argue with TA, because his agile mind and brilliant grasp of English fascinated me, and enabled me to cross verbal swords with him without fear of it offending either of us.

TA’s grasp of Arsenal’s strategic and tactical team innovations together with his superb football knowledge is, as you know, second to none, and quite confounded me on many occasions, though he would always deny this in his usual unassuming way.

He was the author of many excellent Posts for the other blog site, on these and other matters, as well as writing first class match reports, and when he did there was no more avid fan than me in wanting to read his latest musings, and this desire to read the views expressed in his Posts has continued on to BK, and I know you all feel the same way.

Somewhat uniquely, he also engaged with me in discussing non-footie related matters too, primarily in the lulls when international matches were played, and the resultant discourses on poetry, science, mathematics, philosophy and humour were wonderful interludes, stretching the mind and enlivening the interests of many of the other good guys when the ‘dreads’ (boring disaffected, miserable gits) were belching out their unwanted, misanthropic views on everything and anyone associated with Arsenal.

It is now the first anniversary of Bergkampesque, this fantastic website, and from a quiet start it has quickly found its own unique place in Arsenal blogdom, with a brilliant bunch of bloggers from all over the world, who ‘own’ the site, and not only engage in some wonderfully insightful comments, but also help TA by writing some of the very best Posts that can be read anywhere.

Indeed, the repartee, the cut and thrust of the comments, the amazing footie knowledge of so many of you, leavened with the wit of some of the most amusing scallywags that were ever born or hatched, has produced an amazing forum for people with respectfully differing viewpoints based on the platform of each participant’s deep love of the club.

So, what has transpired in footie over the turbulent time line since the birth of BK?

Well, last September, after what had been a stunning summer Olympic Games in London, surprise, surprise, after a shaky start to the Premier League fixtures for us following the summer departure of RvP to Manure, a halt was called to the fun and games so that the bloody footie Internationals could mess up our real football enjoyment, and new boss Woy Hodgson was being exalted by the Media to show ex-boss Capello just how England should play. Hmmm.

Sadly, some dirty washing was also being done in public when John Terry was called to account for alleged racist comments made to the younger Ferdinand, with comparisons being drawn with the odious Suarez and Evra race row! Urggh.

In October, Moyes was being bummed up as a great manager amid forecasts that Everton could finish in fourth place and bounce Arsenal out of the top four, while the Balotelli bandwagon ground on with even more naughtiness from a gifted but flawed footballer.
Oh, and Serbia were accused of racism for their disgusting antics against black England U21 footballers. Oh dear, when will people learn that this behaviour is totally unacceptable?

In November, Mark Hughes was under the cosh at Fulham, and Di Mateo was shown the red card by Abramovich with Benitez apparently lined up as the ‘Interim’ manager. While back at the ranch, West Ham, Leyton Orient and the execrable Spurs were squabbling about the now unneeded, white elephant Olympic Stadium.
Meanwhile, in the background, the ramifications and discussions regarding the implementation of the FFP rules were quietly bubbling away. Ho hum!

December saw the announcement of a new sponsorship deal for the Emirates naming rights, followed by the first mention of a £70m transfer war chest for the upcoming transfer windows, and which was then widely dismissed as bollox by many, on the grounds that RvP would not have left Arsenal if he knew they were going to splash serious dosh in the coming summer, and implying that Gazidis and Wenger were lying.
How wrong they were!

January, February and March were uncompromisingly dreary months starting with ‘Arry Redknapp blowing transfer money willy-nilly on every Tom, Dick and Harry in the wheeler dealer frenzy he is infamous for, followed by Rio Ferdinand getting shirty with John Terry and being given the boot from the England team – or was he?
Oh, and Red Nose Fergie put out the first feelers for Bale to Manure – RvP, Rooney and Bale.
Ho, Ho – Manure were lucky to hang on to Rooney in the final analysis.

April saw England wetting themselves as their chances of getting through to the World Cup finals started to totter, and Suarez became vampire-like in his taste for Ivanovich’s blood.
But hold on – the FA showed some balls, to the amazement of some of us, and dished out a 10 match ban to Suarez for cannibalism – yet according to Brendan Rogers it was just a love bite between mates. Where was the FA’s sense of romance?

May dawned and – well bugger that, I am not going to tell you who won the EPL, The CL or the Europa Cup – you already know, and I don’t give a stuff.

The summer saw a drawn out and very angst driven, frustrating game of ‘will he, won’t he’ over player transfers, and you know what transpired at the last knockings – we bought the best bloody No. 10 in the whole world – Mesut Ozil!! Just go and ask the self named ‘Special’ One, if you don’t believe me. Maureen now claims that having signed Ozil we are serious competitors for the EPL — as if we needed his say so!

Now in September, a year later, we are back into the month of the flipping football Internationals, again, and the only games worth watching involved the Germans and our man Ozil.

Quite a year, one way and another, and all you guys were part of it with your great Posts, your incisive comments and your burning passion.

In that respect, what makes the BK bloggers different, which in turn makes the essence of BK different from other sites?

From my perspective: as Gooners, it does not mean that we think everything is prefect with our team or our management, what it does mean is that we have decided to look beyond their imperfections, and we still love the Arsenal!

So let’s look forward to many more, happy blogging years on BK, this special site set up by TA and with its great bunch of bloggers!

Here’s to TOTAL ARSENAL, to BERGKAMPESQUE, and to all YOU LOT!!

Written by: Red Arse.

Pod delivers, Giroud, Rosicky & Theo show their team-value, Santi and Ramsey class: Fulham Match Report

August 24, 2013August 24, 2013TotalArsenal

We’re only happy when it rains – We’re only happy when it gets complicated! 😉

I was not very confident for our encounter with Jol’s Fulham today. I believed a combination of our fatigue from playing/travelling midweek and Fulham’s good start, as well as an ‘in-your-faces’ approach to the game by them, could prove too much for us. I was hoping for a win but counted on a draw.

My biggest concern were the lack of defensive midfield skills and formational indiscipline, as was so apparent against Villa last weekend. But I did not need to worry, as I had somewhat forgotten that Arsenal play more compact and disciplined in away fixtures compared to our home games, with defence and midfield moving up and down the pitch as a well-drilled double-unit, leaving very little space between the lines. This meant Fulham were given very little chance to penetrate the centre of our midfield and pounce on our potential frailties there.

It also helped that we played with three in midfield, where Fulham tried to play in a more traditional 4-4-1-1 formation; as a result, the Cottagers were often outnumbered, outmanoeuvred and outsmarted by our boys today. It was clear that Arsenal are a team and Fulham are a collection of individual players who still need to get used to each other.

Our team:

First Half

Arsenal started with the right tempo and clearly had the bit between the teeth. After ten minutes, Rosicky produced a fine ball over the Fulham defence to Theo; the Englishman did not hesitate for a moment and shot towards goal from within the box, but Stockdale was equally responsive and made a decent save. Arsenal then put a lot of pressure on Fulham with a number of Walcott corner kicks in quick succession, and it was really good to see that we were a real threat from these set-pieces.

It was also good to see that Szczesny was successful in finding OG on a number of occasions, but unfortunately the Frenchman’s headers did not end up near a fellow Arsenal player in most instances.

We were playing well and dominating early proceedings, but it still needed a bit of fortune to get the ball past the inspired Stockdale. Ramsey tried a shot from well outside the box but OG was in the way, despite him trying to make himself sparse. The Welshman’s drive hit Giroud’s leg, which fortuitously led to the Frenchman assisting himself. He pounced on his gift like a tiger and lifted the ball over the goalie with both style and composure: 1-0 to the good guys!

As can be expected, this early adversity gave Fulham new impetus to have a real go at Arsenal in this game, and we lost a bit of our initial concentration and intensity of play. However, Szczesny was focussed and decisive when he had to be and made two fine, instinctive saves from efforts by Taarabt and Duff in quick succession.

Good link up play by OG then led to a decent shot with the outside of his foot by Santi from outside the box, but it was not hard or precise enough to trouble Stockdale. At this stage, Cazorla was still looking a bit rusty, and he gave away a dangerous free-kick just outside our box. Our wall was poor but somehow we got away with it as Riise’s ball is smothered in the wall, and a relieved Szczesny can make an easy save.

During the second part of the first half, Arsenal start to look a bit tired and Fulham find more and more a way through the centre of our midfield. Luckily, Taarabt is desperate to shoot himself from outside the box on a number of occasions when there were better options for him, and all his efforts are wasted or dealt with by our Pole in goal.

Ramsey picks up an unnecessary yellow card which put him in a precarious position for the rest of the game. Luckily, the team played some fine counter football and especially Theo showed great composure and drive at this stage of the game, although his ball to Gibbs, after a run to the Fulham box all the way from midfield, was the wrong option.

Cazorla also started to find his feet and composure in the latter part of the first half. He was more and more enjoying his free role, and when he found himself not far outside the Fulham box with the ball, he had the vision to place a precise ball into Theo’s path. The Englishman takes an instant shot which is parried by Stockdale, albeit towards the outside of the Fulham box. Podolski is at the right place and the right time – after he started the attack in the first place with his ball to Santi – and shoots the ball high and precise into the Cottagers’ net: 2-0! And the fans sang with all their heart: ‘He scores when he wants’ 🙂

The goal was reminiscent of a Bergkamp goal more than a decade ago:

Second Half

Fulham came out with renewed desire and impetus – Jol is good at pep-talk – hoping to score an early goal in the second half, as to get the crowd behind them and start an onslaught on the tired legs and minds of our Gunners. But it is all quite toothless and Jol’s substitutions also do not have much impact, at least initially.

We start to look quite tired after sixty minutes, but once again our attackers come to the rescue. OG collects a ball brilliantly from defence at the half way line with three fine touches. Once again, Theo is there to collect his pass and drive forward towards the Fulham box. Theo plays the ball to Santi who takes it to the by-line, after which he lays it back to the onrushing Podolski. The German is allowed to take a first touch which enables him to trigger his brilliant left cannon of a foot for a well placed, and yet very hard, shot into the keeper’s left corner: 3-0 to the yellow and blues, and game well and truly over! 😀

The fans go crazy and serenade the likes of OG, Ramsey and Podolski with great passion: you can sense the happiness of the away support all the way into our living rooms. As John Lennon sang: Happiness is a warm Gun(ner). 🙂

Fulham do not give up entirely, and despite some very fine positioning and reading of the game by both BFG and Sagna throughout the game, they get caught out for once by a bit of magic from Berbaflop. The naturally blasé Bulgarian received the ball with his back to the goal near the by-line; he takes a touch, turns and shoots/passes towards goal – all in one, smooth move. BFG is too slow to react and Szczesny is only able to get his hands to it, but he parries it across his goal line, where Bent is very grateful to slot the easiest of chances into the net: 1-3.

Bent, apparently a big Arsenal supporter, has now scored against the mighty Red and White with five different clubs. I wonder how he feels about this unenviable record?! 😕

Fulham tried to push for a second goal after that but Arsenal brought on Jack and Nacho to firm up our midfield and defence. There were even further chances for us to score a fourth goal, but especially Theo lacked the killer-instinct of The Pod to take full advantage of his own hard work as well as the opportunities that came his way.

Conclusions:

The Pod announced himself onto the new season with two goals of the highest quality.
Giroud, Rosicky and Theo worked very hard, and often unselfishly, for the team today, and especially the Englishman showed a different side to his game against Fulham.
Santi grew into the game and together with Ramsey he was real class today: both produced a master class in modern midfield football play and made the likes of Sidwell and the former Spud-Smurf look very ordinary.
When Arsenal play away, we are more compact and disciplined in our defensive duties, and as a result, we appear to be less dependent on having a strong DM in our line-up. However, it remains to be seen whether this is the case against the stronger, and more settled teams.
Sagna impressed once again at CB and it looks like he and the BFG could form a very fine partnership if need be.
The FB’s, Jenks and Gibbs, played with good discipline and were full of energy and enthusiasm throughout the game.
Today’s game was ample evidence that we have a number of attackers who can score and produce assists, which makes it hard for the opposition to eliminate our attacking threats. This could become a real strength again this season.
The team already has good fitness levels, the players find each other relatively easily at this stage of the season, and there is a really good togetherness in the team.
More players are required to add strength in depth.
The team would still benefit from a quality attacker: especially a winger who can also play in the middle, or a nr.10 who can also play on the wing, would be very welcome.

A good game to watch, some pride restored and some real pluses to take from today.

Written by: TotalArsenal.

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Ramsey Rules, Theo Tortures, Sagna needs a contract: match review

August 22, 2013August 22, 2013TotalArsenal

cid150540_Fener_ArsenalVI02_640_640x345 — Gibbs is becoming a Man

Today’s match was the perfect response after opening the domestic season with a shocking home defeat to Aston Villa: Arsenal were able to strike back by thrashing Fenerbache in our Champions League qualifier, 3-0. Throughout the entire match, Arsenal were always the better team with our midfield bossing theirs, allowing us to set the tempo and dictate play.

After a couple of turnovers to start the match, we settled into the game very quickly with some convincing link-up play and one-touch passing around the opposition’s box. Halfway into the first half, Koscielny took a nasty kick to the face and left the game needing stitches to stop the blood that was profusely coming out from above his right eye. Still, this did not alter our game plan or confidence and we carried on just as we did before – dominating possession and the match. However, we were not able to score and the half ended in a goalless draw.

Fenerbache never really posed a threat in this half and struggled to even string together successful passes. This can be attributed to our players quickly closing down open spaces and by continually forcing them backwards. The only areas of improvement for the first half would have been our finishing and our general play in the final third. Due to having a striker like Giroud, we seem to force a lot of crosses into the box but lack the bodies there to capitalize on these chances. As we saw in the second half, we are a much more cohesive and dangerous team when we play the ball along the ground and attack through the middle.

Fortunately for the home supporters, Fenerbache looked more lively in the second half and even created a few scoring opportunities of their own. However, we were always the better team and never really looked in danger of losing this game. Gibbs opened the scoring in the 51^st minute after receiving a fine cross-goal pass from Theo. However, the goal was only made possible after a brilliant through ball from Ramsey that set Theo up with the wonderful assist-opportunity.

From there, we never looked back and Ramsey added to his MoTM performance by putting away a goal of his own with a hard, low shot that fooled Demirel. To add insult to injury and to ensure our place in the Champions League group stage, we padded our lead on a well-taken penalty kick by Giroud. Theo was given a pretty fortunate call after he was taken down in the box with relatively little contact. Despite the goals scored in the second half, I still thought we looked more threatening in the first half and were just luckier to score in the second.

Before I begin on the player ratings, I’d like to explain how I arrive at the number a player receives. For me, a seven represents that a player has sufficiently done what has been asked of him and not much more. An eight signifies that the player has contributed more than the average player, but that either his performance has room for improvement or I’ve seen better games from him lately. A nine or higher is reserved for outstanding performances and is usually accompanied by tangible statistics on the score sheet. Ignore previous ratings from past articles, as I’ll look to be consistent from here on out in the new rating system.

Player Ratings:

Szczesny (9.0) – Was hardly tested in the first half, but he made a couple of brilliant saves at the end to keep our clean sheet. Great job on winning the 50/50 challenge on Sow, and really only made a mistake or two in his clearing.

Gibbs (8.0) – Great job at getting into scoring position on the first goal and combined well on a memorable series of one-touch passing in the first half together with Giroud, Cazorla and Ramsey. His crosses left much to be desired and sent quite a few straight into the opposing player who was defending him.

Koscielny (7.0) – Difficult to rate him any higher, but in the 30 minutes he did play, he was relatively untested aside from making an authoritative clearing header and breaking up a couple Fenerbache advances. It was unfortunate that he was the victim of a clumsy challenge by Webo, and I’m hoping for a speedy recovery for our best CB.

Mertesacker (6.0) – He was sufficient in keeping a clean sheet, but was caught out of position a couple of times on Fenerbache’s attacks. Sow noticeably got behind him on a couple of occasions, but fortunately for us, he missed wide on both those chances.

Sagna (7.5) – Continues to prove that he is more than capable of playing at both RB and CB. He was a commanding presence in the air in our own end and was assertive in his challenges when Fenerbache were on the offensive. Notably, he made a decisive and clean sliding challenge to break up the play when Sow was on the fast break in the second half.

Ramsey (9.5) – Easy candidate for MoTM as he provided the initial through ball that opened up the scoring and also scored the second goal to give us a comfortable lead. He was everywhere on the pitch tonight and continually frustrated the opposition with his relentless work ethic and getting a foot in on challenges. The only area of improvement would be turnovers, especially one in the second half that almost led to a Kuyt goal.

Wilshere (7.5) – Showed good forward thrust when running forward with the ball and created a few good scoring opportunities for us. It was his run and pass that allowed Ramsey open space to score the second goal. However, he ran right into opposing defenders on a couple occasions that led to turnovers when he could have passed the ball instead.

Rosicky (6.5) – I felt that Rosicky’s play was quite bi-polar; at times, he drove us forward with his passing and dribbling, but at other times, he made questionable passes that were either out of reach for our players or simply went astray. Still, he played satisfactory and nothing to really complain about (I just expected more after his performance against Villa).

Cazorla (6.5) – There were moments where Santi was unplayable with his one-touch passing and close ball control that allowed him to escape defenders closing down on him. Then, there were other moments where he more or less disappeared from the game entirely and looked exhausted. Santi is our most skilled player and I expect him to have a greater influence in every game. Fortunately for him, others stepped up today and took over the creativity reigns.

Giroud (6.5) – Aside from the very well taken penalty kick, I thought Giroud looked very average. He had a couple of nice combination plays in the first half and showed that he is capable of making nice passes and fancy touches if given time and the opportunity. However, I forgot he was even on the pitch in half of the first and the entire second half, until he stepped up at the spot and scored. As our lone center forward (for the time being), we need more from him if we’re to beat better opponents.

Walcott (7.5) – Theo did a great job of causing problems for Kadlec all night, and his pace and movement were always a threat. He provided two assists in the game, which solidified an above average rating, but he was extremely wasteful throughout the entire match. He had plenty of chances to receive the ball in and around the box, but instead lost possession because of very poor touches and passes. Theo has yet to show the goal scoring form of last season, though it’s nice to see him very involved in our offense.

Jenkinson (7.0), Podolski (3.0), Monreal (6.0) – I thought Jenkinson did an excellent job coming in at RB. He was running up and down the flanks and contributed as best he could in the offensive zone. He nearly scored at the end of the game and provided a couple good crosses into the box (unfortunately no one was there).

Difficult to rate the latter two players since they both came on pretty late in the game, but I thought Podolski was awful. He seems to be lacking fitness and confidence – his first touch off a beautifully played pull back pass by Nacho stood out as a big wasted opportunity.

Despite all the positives, there are still some concerns. Against a more skilled and determined team, we could have easily been exposed since there was far too much space between our midfield and defense in the second half when the game opened up. Our center backs, notably Mertesacker, were also caught out of position on a couple occasions, which allowed Fenerbache some great looks at goal that fortunately went wide or were brilliantly saved by Szczesny.

We also need to start capitalizing on our scoring chances (such as those in the first half) and become more decisive in the final third. Our strategy of crossing the ball into the box does not work when there is only one individual (sometimes none) in there. I believe Arsenal football is always more successful when played along the ground and this calls for a more mobile and fluid striker up front.

Finally, playing away from the Emirates seems to be the solution for allowing us to settle into games quicker. The tension and hesitation were noticeably absent and the squad was full of confidence and decisiveness instead. We cannot continue to play poorly at home as it takes away what is supposed to be a massive advantage – we need to approach the game in the same free-flowing manner that we do on the road. All in all, we managed to qualify for the Champions League group stages (barring some bizarre miracle) and it was a great game that should hopefully give us some confidence and momentum for the upcoming clash against Fulham.

Written by: Highbury Harmony.

Match Review: You can’t win a game against the ref

August 17, 2013August 17, 2013TotalArsenal

Here are my thoughts on Arsenal’s season opener against Aston Villa.

In today’s match, Arsenal came up against a group of cheating Villains. 😉 The team started off strong and played well throughout the game, only to be thwarted by the refs.

Within the first six minutes of the game, Arsenal were one nil up. Ox overlapped Rosicky down the left side line and the Czech played the ball down the line. Ox ran along the touch line, cut inside near the side edge of the box, and spotted Giroud. Giroud saw this, made a near post run, and put the ball across goal with his preferred left foot. It was a fantastic overlap by Ox and a fantastic near post run from Giroud, followed by a smart finish.

After this opening goal, Arsenal looked calm and collected. Agbonlahor made a normal run through the middle, got a lucky touch through Koscielny’s legs and found himself through on goal. Szczesny made the right decision to come off his line and go for the ball. He came out, and Agbonlahor touched it past him and dove like an Olympic swimmer over the Pole.

Let’s rewind a bit: even at this relatively early stage of the game the ref had been calling everything Villa’s way. Maybe to the ref it appeared that Szcz took down the Villain, but replays show the dive and exaggeration. This is why FIFA needs to allow reviewing technology, especially for red cards and PKs.

That aside, the ref incorrectly called the penalty. Szcz saved Benteke’s original kick brilliantly and was unlucky when the latter got the rebound and headed it in. An unfair 1-1.

Gibbs would then get unlucky. He and Weimann went up for a header, and Gibbs came out bleeding. The ref, once again incorrect, ignored a head injury when he should’ve stopped the game. Kieran will likely need stitches, but let’s hope he doesn’t have a concussion and can rejoin the team soon. After this injury, we were down to only 4 first team defenders and 0 left backs. This is another example of how thin the squad is, but I will touch on that later. Immediately, Jenkinson came in at right back and Sagna switched to left back.

After this, the refereeing only got worse. Call after call went against us. I was proud to see our players stand up for themselves, especially Jack and Aaron.

Eventually, Gabby would break into our box again. Kos made a smart tackle and hit the ball out of play, clearly getting the ball before the player. However, Gabby once again showed his true Villainous colors and dove like a scuba diver, and the penalty was called out of nothing. I can’t give the ref a break on this one. There was a ref behind the goal, on the sideline and on the field, and none could figure out that it was a good tackle. Even on live TV from a zoomed out camera angle I could tell it was a good tackle, so I don’t understand how none of the referees saw it. Benteke stepped up again and calmly tapped it home, after Kos received a yellow card.

Arsenal had many chances of their own. Rosicky went through twice and was unlucky on both occasions. Theo fought for a ball in the box and managed to hoof the ball across the open net, but it was deflected. Chances came and went, but one thing struck me as odd. The ref only seemed to call fouls for us when we had advantage, almost as if to stop us from building an attack. The game got very dirty, but once again the ref seemed to think Arsenal was at fault. Jack got a yellow for a challenge that wouldn’t have been called if Villa made it, but when Jack was constantly fouled there was nothing called.

In the end, the diving Villain got a run at our defense again. Kos dove forward to slow down the play and completely missed the ball and player. The ball rolled to Benteke, but Mertesacker and Jack had it covered. Strangely though, the play was called back and Kos was shown a second yellow despite clearly not getting any player! The call was incorrect and we can only hope that the card is reviewed and rescinded, otherwise we could be down to 3 first team defenders for our next premier league game. We are in desperate need of another RB, CB and maybe even another very young LB, if neither the CB nor RB is capable of playing LB. Down 2-1, and down to 10 men, all incorrectly. It looked bad, and in the end it was bad.

Arsenal continued to play well, and Aaron slotting in at CB. At this point I would’ve liked to see Podolski come on for Giroud, even if it was just to crush some Villain skulls. Sadly, he wouldn’t come on until it was far too late.

In the end, Arsenal would commit everyone to an offensive corner. Villa broke on our 3 defenders and scored a 1 on 1 goal. I don’t blame anyone of Arsenal at all: we had nothing to lose. If two wrong penalties hadn’t been called and Kos hadn’t been sent off, we wouldn’t have been in that situation.

At the very end, Sagna went up and over a Villa player and landed hard on his neck. It looked bad.

After the final whistle chants of “spend some f***ing money” and “you don’t know what you’re doing” went up in the stadium.

Overall, the team played fantastically and at the least deserved a 1-1 draw. They also played with a great spirit. And I think one of Wenger’s issues is that he doesn’t want to ruin this spirit. But most World Class players will have that spirit and if worse comes to the worst, buy relatively young (25 and under) and put that spirit in them over the years. We need reinforcements. The team we have now is great, but the squad is too thin. Let’s hope Wenger buys at least a DM, CB, and RB in the coming days before our next game. It looks bad now, but the season isn’t over yet.

For now I’ll leave you with some questions:

1. What did you think of the game?

2. How many players do we need before our next game?

3. Will Wenger sign players during this window?

4. Should Wenger get a contract extension if our only signing this window is Yaya Sanogo?

Thanks for reading.

Written by: Dylan.

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Did we finally see the strong squad Wenger has been on about?

August 13, 2013August 13, 2013TotalArsenal

Here are my thoughts on Arsenal’s final pre-season friendly against Premier League rivals, Manchester City.

In today’s match, Arsenal started slow and ended slow, but really played some great football for the middle 60 minutes of the game.

Our first goal was an early one. ManCity was putting us under huge pressure and it seemed as though we were going to be torn apart, but Arsenal wasn’t going to just lie down and die. Aaron Ramsey took the ball off the foot of a City player, ran at the City midfield, got his head up, and played a through ball right onto Walcott’s foot. The pass was incredible: perfectly weighted, right to Theo’s foot, and it was a pass that took great vision to spot. However, the run dictates the pass; and Walcott’s run was brilliant. Theo was patient (which was important so that he wasn’t offside), waited for Clichy to turn, and as the ball was played he used his speed to make a diagonal run across the face of Clichy, go in on goal, and chip Joe Hart. Great run, great pass, great finish.

Our second goal would again see Ramsey and Walcott combine to embarrass Joe Hart once more. The City midfield was relaxed and Aaron made a run into the space between Manchester’s midfield and defenders. Santi played a straight forward ball to him, and rather than try to be fancy and dribble through the defenders, Aaron played a quick ball back to Theo; Theo one touched it back to him right through two defenders, and Rambo rounded the keeper and placed the ball calmly into the net. Ramsey and Walcott both looked very mature, calm, and unselfish for this goal which was fantastic to see from two players who have been known to dribble too much.

Not long after that, Arsenal would grab a third. City were slowly passing around the ball in our half, one of our defenders made a good tackle, the ball rolled to Santi’s foot, and Santi played a quick ball to Theo. Theo received the ball and quickly turned. He saw he had space and ran with the ball down the touchline. He saw the chance to play a long ball and sliced a humongous cross all the way to the other side of the field, putting so much power on it that he actually fell over. Giroud saw the ball coming, opened up, touched it by the City defender, and chipped Joe Hart: a world class finish for a striker who looks set for a big season.

Giroud would later score a beautiful volley, but it would be called offside. It would’ve been another Walcott assist and it was indeed a beautiful cross from him. However, an interesting part of all of these chances is how quickly we turned defense into offense, something some say we’ve lacked without a true DM. However, Ramsey especially is learning how to do this very well, and bringing in Gustavo would give us another player who is absolutely brilliant at doing just that: something to make note of. 😉

City would pull one back in the 79^th minute. A long through ball saw Negredo touch the ball past Koscielny and calmly finish the chance. In fairness, Arsenal had made a large number of changes and most of them were youngsters, but that doesn’t excuse Kos’ relaxed defending on this goal. We’ll give him that one, though, as he had a great game overall. Let’s hope this doesn’t happen when we play them in the league, though.

A final interesting point was that Sebastian Perez made his debut for Arsenal in this friendly, but without officially signing for Arsenal (or at the least, it hasn’t been announced yet). Perez looked very committed to Arsenal already though; even picking up a very professional yellow card to stop a Manchester attack. For those who don’t know, Perez is a 20 year old Columbian defensive midfielder on a week’s trial at Arsenal. He looked fairly impressive with a few smart turns and tackles, but from what I saw he looked more like a box-to-box midfielder than a DM.

However, all I’ve seen of him was this 23 minute debut, and I did hear that he started as a number 10 and slowly moved his way back through the midfield to DM, so that could explain it. I expect he’ll be signed soon, and that’ll be a very nice signing, but for the future.

Speaking of which, Wenger made comments after the game, admitting that our squad is thin. This seemed odd to me, as it would have been the perfect time to gloat about how his squad was “capable of winning the title”. However, it’s good to see Wenger admit this, and it seems as though he is ready to make not just one, but a few signings.

Overall, the team played well on Saturday and hopefully this win will inspire the team and lead to us starting the season strong.

For now, here are some questions:

1. How did you think our squad looked on Saturday?

2. How many signings do you think Wenger will make?

3. Can this squad handle the fixtures that lead up to deadline day without reinforcements?

Thanks for reading. 😀

Written by: Dylan.

All ingredients for success are here, just a certain Dutchman is missing

June 25, 2013June 26, 2013TotalArsenal

Arsenal's 'Russian Dolls of Evolution' — Arsenal’s ‘Russian Dolls of Evolution’

The 25^th of June 1988 – exactly 25 years ago – was a very special day for Dutch football. On that day, Holland won the European Championship in Germany by beating Russia by two goals to nil. Gullit had scored a goal worthy of a final, but the one that Van Basten scored was simply sublime, or I should say, other-worldly/ from a different planet. One that will be remembered forever, and not just in Holland.

I remember that day really well. Living in a medium sized town along the German border, we had already celebrated our semi-final victory over Germany, by driving our cars, bikes, motorbikes, scooters, etc along the local German border road. It was a brilliant sight: for a few kilometres, there was nothing but one thick, slow moving line of beeping, shouting, singing, Oranje supporters – all trying their hardest to let the Germans know that we had beaten them.

Many of us did not care that much about the final at that moment in time: overcoming the Germans on their own soil was far more important than winning the Euros back then. But on the day of the final, every Dutchman who cared at least a little bit about football was desperate to win, so we could finally lift a trophy.

After the (almost) golden years of the seventies, in which Holland reached the final of the World Cup twice in succession, the Dutch entered a seemingly eternal period of darkness, when they did not qualify for the 1982 and 1986 World Cup Finals.

But Holland stuck to its philosophy of how the game should be played, and finally it paid off. The master of Total Football, Rinus Michels, had a second stint at the national manager job, and Holland were lucky that a number of world class talents, such as Koeman, Van Breukelen, Rijkaard, Van Basten and Gullit all came to the fore around the same time. The rest is history.

Although Arsenal did not suffer a dark period as bad as the Dutch National Team did in the early to mid-eighties, it is fair to say that we have been going through challenging times since the completion of the new stadium.

But just like the Dutch, Arsenal stuck to their long-term philosophy of how to play football (and how to run the club properly), and there are strong signs now that Arsenal will enter a new period of success. Even Johan Cruijff has been singing the praises about how Arsenal football club is being managed, and that is saying something. Somebody ones said that Dutch society revolves around three ‘JCs’: Jesus Christ, John Calvin and Johan Cruijff, and there is more than a bit of truth in this! 😛

But, as 17 Highbury Terrace often likes to put it: all planets need to line up favourably for Arsenal in order to win silverware again; and in my view, this is starting to be the case now.

Gazidis believes Wenger will sign a new contract and the club is entering a number of new and improved commercial deals. There is a good group of players who have learned to work for each other and grind out results when needed, and who also have learned to spread responsibility throughout the team. There is a good mixture of early twenties promising talents and a group of quality, experienced, and hungry for success, mid to late twenties players. The club does no longer have to let players go to balance the books and has now enough funds to attract quality players, year on year. Early signs with regards to the club adding a few quality players to the team are more than promising.

So, almost all ingredients are here to make the next step to winning silverware in style again, and hopefully consistently so. But for me, things are not complete until Bergkamp returns to his real Home of Football. Dennis would be the perfect bridge between Arsene’s vision and the on-field execution of it. He would be the super-mentor who would enable the likes of Cazorla, Wilshere, Ox etc to get the very best out of themselves. Together with Bould, he would also be the best long term guarantee that Wenger’s vision and work will be carried on once he decides to leave.

The Iceman’s return might not happen this season, but it will happen rather sooner than later, of that I have no doubt. And I know I am not the only one who cannot wait till the day he does.

Written by: TotalArsenal.

The best of the Iceman in eight minutes:

With the possible arrivals of Higuain and Fellaini, Gervinho should be kept at Arsenal.

June 24, 2013June 24, 2013TotalArsenal

Gervinho is a player who always gives his all. He is also a safe pair of hands when it comes to holding on to the ball and breaking through a defensive line from the wing, in order to make it to the by-line. He possesses skills that nobody else, except maybe The Ox, can offer to our team. He makes clever runs into the box, with or without the ball, as he reads the game better than most of us give him credit for.

This season, he played just 18 PL games for us in which he scored five goals and produced three assists: not great, but not a bad return either. He also played in six CL games, in which he scored two and also had two assists: a record he can be satisfied with.

Gervinho offers a good alternative to the likes of Podolski and Cazorla on the left wing, and he can also play on the right wing. He clearly needed time to settle in, and playing in two successive ACN tournaments since joining us from Lille, has not helped him much in doing so.

However, there is every reason to believe he will improve further next season.

It is fair to say, a number of bad, painful misses, against the likes of Bradford (away) and Blackburn (at home) for the cups, have done a lot of damage to both his image – and, subsequently, the support levels by the fans – and his confidence. Some fans are always looking to vent their frustration with anything Arsenal, and just like bullies do, they focus on the (perceived) weakest member of the squad. The season before last it was Rambo, and last season it was the Gerv. If there is anything I loathe about fellow supporters, it’s this.

His decision making and finishing are not always at the required level, and in general, he finds it difficult to gel with his team mates, and vice versa. With regards to the latter, it cannot have been easy for him last season, with new arrivals Podolski (German), Giroud (French), and Nacho and Cazorla (Spanish) all needing to settle into the team, as well as the PL in general. The Ivorian ball wizard appears to be an introvert person anyway, and he probably has limited command of English, let alone German or Spanish.

But once again, after a transitional season, there is reason now to believe that the (telepathic) relationships between all these players will improve significantly next season. The Gerv should benefit from this tremendously.

There are quite a few fellow Gooners who would instantly swap him for Nani of Manure. Nani, who played this season just 10 PL games, managed to score only two goals, and he scored none in four CL games. Nani scored a meagre 51 goals in 288 appearances, compared to 75 in 284 by Gervinho – that is about 50% more. They are of the same age, but if I had to put my money on who will make more progress in the PL next season and beyond, it would go to the Gerv.

Do I believe he is the best LW around? No. Could we improve on him? Yes. Do I believe Nani is the player to do? I doubt it very much!

It would be a big gamble by Arsene, and sticking with Gervinho for another season might be the far better gamble. I would like him to stay another season, in which he hopefully improves significantly.

With the now highly likely arrival of Higuain, and possibly another central midfielder/nr.10 – Fellaini, Jovetic, or Rooney (?) etc – we will see the likes of Cazorla, Theo, Ox and Podolski, or even Gibbs, playing a lot on the left or right wing. There will be no space in the squad for a top level classical (left) winger – which Nani clearly isn’t anyway – even if we were to sell Gervinho (a point which was made very well by fellow blogger AFC only a few days ago).

But when we play the ‘park the bus teams’ and we are just not getting through, there are very few players who accept sitting on the bench a lot during a season, and yet can come on and make a difference – a plan-B if you want – by breaking through the lines and feed the likes of Higuain, Giroud, Pod, Theo and Cazorla, etc.

To have such a player – at least on the bench – is a necessity for a silverware-winning squad. That player is Gervinho and for me he deserves at least one more season at the home of football.

Written by: TotalArsenal.

RVP’s departure: Can we finally say it was a blessing in disguise?

June 23, 2013June 23, 2013TotalArsenal

No one ever believed that RVP’s treachery would end up benefiting the team, but we are here now.

Nobody likes to admit it, but Van Persie’s departure from Arsenal last year was one of the lowest points in any Gooner’s season. It doesn’t help that he left to one of our fiercest rivals and helped them win the league, scoring in both our encounters with them. That said, his departure may just have bucked a trend that may have been standing between Arsenal and silverware for many years.

At some point in the season, Arsene said that RVP’s departure was a positive because it facilitated a sharing of goals around the team. That statement barely scratches the surface. You see, during the Invincibles era, Thierry Henry was undoubtedly our talisman. However the team did not rely on him. Sure, having him in the team meant that there was an easy path to three points, but that did not mean that the team would crumble in his absence. On top of that, the team was not built around him, in the sense that Thierry had the luxury of playing anywhere across the front, but that did not come at the expense of another player. Nobody was ever asked to perform a role that was not in their nature just so that Thierry could express himself.

In that squad, everyone played their game and Arsene found a balance of players who complemented each other to produce the kind of results that they did. Even their style of play wasn’t just to hit the ball to Henry and wait for him to score, as tempting as that was. Thierry thrived off the team and not the other way round. Vieira and Parlour would command the midfield, Bergkamp would dazzle and create, and so on and so forth. I hesitate to say that we had ‘leaders’ on the pitch because that is not my point. This all changed after these players left.

After the invincible season, Wenger changed tactics. He decided that from then henceforth, he would build a team around one player. First it was (obviously) Henry: in the 2005-2006 season he virtually carried the team. Then he left, and it was Cesc’s turn: this was even more shocking given his age and experience levels. He proved everyone wrong and made the team tick for many seasons, to the point where an injury to him spelled doom for the team. Then he left and for a season, passed the baton to RVP. During the 2011-12 season, he literally singlehandedly dragged us to 3rd spot.

It doesn’t matter how good a player is, these tactics do not work.

Relying on one player means that you create a dependency mentality in the squad. Not only that, more often than not to accommodate this player, others are sacrificed or moved around to find the balance that best suits that player. Look at how Rosicky was played on the flanks to enable Cesc to have that free role in the middle. At Man utd, look at the fate that befell Rooney when RVP arrived. Even the mighty Barca have felt the negative effects of this.

Last season, though, we were left in a position where we did not have a clear talisman. This meant that everyone had to step up. In the end, Walcott finished as our top scorer, Santi as our best player, even though Wilshere was widely expected to take this honour, and had he been fully fit throughout, it would have been near impossible to distinguish between the two. All of a sudden, players’ positions in the team weren’t guaranteed and big names, such as the skipper, were dropped from the starting-11. These were moves which were unthinkable in previous seasons. The consequence is that we finally (after years of despair) have a proper defence.

It is good we had the season we had last year, because now everyone knows what everyone in the team can do. This means, that even if we bring in top players the squad will not place any pressure on them. Now everyone knows that Santi, Theo and Poldi are scorers, so a new striker will not have to shoulder the goal scoring burden alone. It has created an atmosphere where each player has a greater desire to contribute to the team, as they know that the platform is there. It also ensures that everyone gives 110% on the pitch rather than hide behind another player’s brilliance, because the focus is now on each and every one of them.

We now, after a long time, can truly say we have a team. No one ever believed that RVP’s treachery would end up benefiting the team, but we are here now. Football is a team sport and therefore we should never encourage the influence of certain individuals to determine the direction of the team, otherwise we ruin the essence of the game. Can you name one player that Bayern depends on?

Written by: Marcus.

Will Jack Andrew Wilshere (JAW) Escape the JAWS of Failure?

June 21, 2013June 21, 2013TotalArsenal

It’s very hard to find a single player in the current Arsenal line-up (and maybe you’d have to go a long way back in history as well) who could be named as Mr Arsenal, other than Jack Andrew Wilshere. He is a special kind of a player, someone who breathes for Arsenal, and who has had enough talent and determination to fulfil his dream; so he can breathe for Arsenal in an Arsenal shirt on the field, wearing the number on his back that is reserved only for special players.

There might be a lot of symbolic in the fact that when he was born – he has been a present for Arsenal from New Year 1992 – Arsenal were still reigning champions of England; or that on the day Wilshere was born, Paul Merson, an Arsenal player wearing “10” on his back, scored the only goal in a home draw against Wimbledon.

Wilshere’s technique, pace, endless energy, first touch, determination and ability to drill a hole in opponents’ defence, make him a player who is destined to go further than any other English player did.

I remember the first match in which I could see what kind of player Wilshere is. It was in 2008, when we were playing a friendly match against Real Madrid. 16-year-old Wilshere displayed a determination that is rarely seen at youngsters of his age – I made an instant comparison with Wayne Rooney – and I couldn’t wait to see him in the senior team. His performances in the senior team weren’t deprived of anything we’ve hoped he would deliver – he has been determined, energetic, fast and sometimes the only light in the tunnel of our collective performance.

However, there are possible traps that are waiting on Wilshere’s road to the heights that belong to him.

First of all, let’s start with English media. If there is anything that can destroy young English talent or at least slow them down, English newspapers are more dangerous than any WMD known to humanity.

I remember how they described Rooney after his first classy performances. He was dubbed “Roonaldo” (there is a certain irony in that he did reach the weights of Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima). Whether it was a jinx or karma, but Rooney – who has been an important part in all five Manchester United titles he has won – hasn’t been able to drag England out of mud in big competitions. Au contraire, he actually dragged England into it with a red card in World Cup 2006 against Portugal. Rooney’s turbulent personal life and issues he has had with Ferguson and Moyes already made people believe he is done, despite being only 27. Wilshere gave a man-of-the-match performance in friendly against Brazil, and it seems everyone expects from him to drag England to their second World Cup victory in history.

What Wilshere should learn: don’t read newspapers. Just play football and enjoy your life with your wonderful family when you’re not on the field. You are young, attractive, rich and famous so there will be a lot of temptations that will try to lure you away from the football and family. If you resist them, nothing should stop you on your way to the pantheon of football immortals. If you don’t, your fitness will suffer, your mental state will deteriorate and the consequences won’t stay within football boundaries.

That’s not all. Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard were considered as second best and third best player in the world not very long ago. The only question was: can they play together? However, the real question should have been: can they play on the same level for England without Xabi Alonso, Javier Mascherano, Michael Essien and Claude Makelele to do the dirty job for them?

Jack doesn’t hesitate to tackle nor to work for the team, but it might be that sometimes he won’t be able to repeat a form from Arsenal in England. He will not have either Arteta nor Ramsey in the English national team to assist him in the midfield. He won’t have Giroud to make a lay-off, like the one that preceded Wilshere’s strike against Swansea. He will have to give his best for England and be mentally prepared that sometimes, due to lack of quality in his team, that won’t be enough for success.

This could give him a thought or two about changing clubs. Don’t do that! The main difference between Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen is that, despite the fact the latter won the Premiership with United in 2011, he will always be considered as a traitor in Liverpool, and United fans hardly give a damn about him while the first one – despite the fact he’ll probably finish his career without winning the Premiership – will remain the true legend in the eyes of Liverpool fans.

Also, he should have all possible respect for his team-mates at the club. It was a brilliant thing when I saw him defending his team-mates against Stoke in February. It shows a Vieira-esque attitude that we have needed since 2005. I mean, all our captains – apart from Gallas who a was story of his own – were more: “Sir, would you please put my team-mate’s head out of the toilet? Thank you!” than: “If you touch my team-mate again, I will break your scull using nothing but Gervinho’s forehead. And don’t you dare laughing at Gervinho’s forehead, punk!”
A hunger for improvement is arguably the most important ingredient of every champion. Dražen Petrović, one of the best European basketball players, had his own shooting trainings. He wouldn’t leave the training room before firing 500 shots. He was also improving on his dribbling using chairs. Every day he was the first that arrived on training and the last to go out.

Now, I was very happy when I read that Wilshere is doing exactly the same thing – coming first to training and going home last. That is the spirit of the champion. He probably knows his statistics, when it comes to direct assists for goals and scored goals, should have been better. And his defensive game leaves a lot of room for improvement as we could see, for example, against Bayern at home. After he solves the problems with his ankle this summer, I expect a lot more goals and assists from Jack next season. He has it in himself!

Finally, I’m sure JAW knows all this and that this article is going to be a bit of preaching to the choir. I like Jack as a player and I want to see him succeed, as I believe anything else would be an insult to his enormous potential.

Happy New Year 1992, Gooners! 😉

Written by: Admir

TR7, TV5, BS3: Three leaders on the field Arsenal cannot afford to lose

June 11, 2013June 11, 2013TotalArsenal

Will we finally see our little Mozart direct play again? — Rosicky’s drive and experiences have been invaluable at times this season

It’s been a while since I delivered a post, partly due to the fact that the season is over but mostly due to my ever increasingly hectic schedule. So I felt I should write about what’s been on my mind lately.

Like all Gooners worldwide, it’s going to be a very long month and a half before I get to see my beloved Arsenal play. This is because I can feel that a wind of change will blow our way, and 2013-14 is going to be a season when the respect we have lost over the years will be taken back. For now, though, the transfer season is here and rumours have been flying left, right and centre regarding potential arrivals and departures. Nothing new there.

I have to admit the suspense which comes with waiting to see what moves Le boss will make in the market, is killing me. On a positive note, though, the preseason trip to Asia, the emirates cup and the friendly against city, will afford us a chance to see what the new faces will bring to the squad – and against proper opposition, I might add (the latter competitions more so).

A few days ago, phase one of getting rid of the dead wood in the squad commenced with the confirmation that the contracts of Arshavin, Denilson and Squillaci have ran out, and they have been released by the club. There are still a quite a few names missing from this list, but I digress from my subject matter.

It is becoming obvious that this is going to be a summer where the squad will be virtually overhauled, where more than 5 players will leave and roughly the same number brought in. Call it my 6th sense but I think that’s why the club has packed our preseason like that. Wenger has the ins and outs in mind and wants the new faces to have proper preparation before our new campaign begins. And people wonder why they call him Le Prof.

The main reason for this post though lies more with the outs than the ins. Like I said earlier, the rumour mill is going wild as expected with TV5, Poldi, Rosicky, Gervinho, Koscielny, Wilshere and Sagna all being linked with exits from the clubs. Some of the names on here are ridiculous, or rather, are unacceptable to the Gunners faithful. Wilshere, Poldi and Kos being the three. With some, the fans smile inside and hope that the predictions and links by the media come to fruition: a certain Ivorian comes to mind. Finally there are those who split opinion and this is my reason for writing this post. Obviously I am referring to TV5, Rosicky and Sagna.

It is of no debate that, by their standards, these three had less than stellar seasons. With Rosicky and Sagna injury was to blame and weirdly enough, these two were able to pick themselves up and finish strongly. With TV5, I can’t really tell you why. Some say it is the pressure of being made skipper but ultimately, only he can tell us what changed to cause this loss of form. I won’t dwell on that, however.

As is expected, there is a section of fans AND media which is calling for their heads. More so because they know that in this transfer window, Wenger has the financial capability to replace them. I am here to prove to you that this would be a mistake. A massive one at that.

Axing these three players would not only be insanely myopic, but would have an effect on the team that these critics don’t seem to see. These three are the longest serving Gunners we have. Not only that, they are the most experienced, and at their best are undoubtedly world class.

If you don’t believe me, ask yourself why despite the poor season Vermaelen has had, he is still being linked to the likes of Barcelona. These players have not only football but Arsenal football experience, which is part of a balance that would see us win a trophy next season, if Wenger played his cards right. There is always talk of Wilshere, Walcott, the Ox as the spine of the team, but take away the three mentioned and see the adverse effect it would have on the team.

Their experience is what guides us. These are players who are leaders on the field. How many times has TV5, a defender, scored a winning goal that awarded us 3 crucial points? When we are under pressure, which three players are you assured will remain calm and pull us across the finish line? With the exception of Jack, it is these three. They are also mentors to the younger players and even Jack in all his glory I’m sure would attest to the guidance he has received from Rosicky. In the away tie vs Bayern, Rosicky ran our midfield. Sagna was part of that incredible back four. This is a game that many would have choked. Just ask Barca players.

I am going to come out and make a very bold statement that is sure to cause some debate.

If we sell these three, no matter who we replace them with, there is an 70% chance that we will not win anything next season. At least not yet.

I say this because you cannot replace their experience at Arsenal, the EPL and as footballers in general. They know the workings of the club and league in and out and are core of experience that we need to build around in order to achieve success. Thankfully, Le boss seems to agree with me and is working to ensure that they stay firmly put as we prepare to mount a serious title challenge next term.

I will leave you with something to ponder on. Form is temporary, but class is permanent.

Written by: Marcus.

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