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Silverware Next Season? Five Things Would Have to Change

May 8, 2013TotalArsenal

Who can be our Adamsesque leader next season?

There is no doubt that 2013/14 is going to be a monumental turning point of a season for Arsenal. With new financial deals in place, hopefully a summer of transfer ins rather than outs, and possibly Arsene’s final season in charge, it will be the season that will hopefully see the return of Arsenal to glory.

But in order for us to achieve that, what needs to change?

1 – Sort out the squad by the middle of July, have a consistent first team and timely rotations

One of the biggest issues that I’ve felt has had a huge impact on the club is the fact that our transfers for the last few years are all over the place right up until August. As a result, in the preseason friendlies the squad doesn’t get too much time to gel in. In 2012/13, a large part of the business was done earlier, but for some reason the first team did not really gel in well till late in the first half of the season. In fact, I don’t think we knew our first choice team till late in the season. TV, being the club captain wasn’t performing and yet was played in the hope that he’d regain some form. Poldi, Giroud, Theo and Gervinho all were tried in the CF spot before Ollie took the role as his own. Similarly, I’m still not sure who Arsene thinks is his first choice keeper, RB and LB. Ramsey came into his own in his correct position late in the season after being played in a variety of roles.

Now of course, during the course of a season, players have ups and downs, and the first team evolves. But I’ve had this nagging feeling that our first team hasn’t been what it should have been. With a consistent formation earlier on in the season, the new players coming in hopefully having had time to gel in through pre-season friendlies, and a clear thought out squad with defined back ups, I am quite certain we can start the season in good stead unlike the first two 0-0 draws this season. Also, the fact that Poldi, Ollie and Santi will be in their second seasons, and Poldi hopefully fitter, we should be stronger.

It’s also important for Arsene to be decisive in terms of picking and dropping form/out of form players. That’s another thing I believed let us down till late this season. There has to be genuine competition where back up and first team players will raise their games in order to be part of the playing eleven.

Finally, rotate the squad at the right time. I believe this season Ollie, Santi, Jack (at times), Arteta amongst a few players have been overplayed. This has partially been because there were injuries and partially because there were no viable back up options. That will hopefully change next season, because we finally have a good base of a squad with the strength of character, and with new players coming into improve the set up, players should be rotated so that form is retained and burn out minimized. I kept shaking my head when I’d hear comments in the middle of this season that so and so player was mentally or physically tired.

2 – A strong vocal performing captain

This point is again vital. Ever since I can remember it has been strong performing example-setting vocal captains who dig teams out of holes with the sheer force of their personality. Look back to Tony Adams, Vieira, even Cesc and RVP… these players believed and that belief shone through.

It’ll be interesting to see who Arsene gives the armband to if TV stays. I’m not sure if there’s been a precedent to a club captain being stripped of captaincy. Personally, my vote would go to Arteta. I wouldn’t want to give the armband to Jack just yet. It would put added pressure on him.

Or perhaps if Cesc returns, give it back to Cesc 🙂

3 – Capture the fans imagination, change the press narrative

Think of Arsenal FC, and the narrative over the last few seasons has been about the club’s financial security, selling key players, lack of ambition, sub standard signings, lack of bottle, manager losing the plot, unhappy fans etc etc. There has been little positive news.

Despite the fact that all of us, as fans, have our own opinions regarding the club, we are strongly and unconsciously swayed by the noise from news media, blogs and social media. The narrative we are being fed becomes vital in this regards, because this narrative plays a huge part in the fans going against the club rather than supporting it through thick and thin. Of course, with modern media, the fickleness of all of us has become pronounced. We don’t have patience nowadays. We need everything instantly.

Because of the above, I don’t believe the fans have been excited about the club or particularly proud of the direction of the club. It is hence vital for Arsenal to capture the fans imagination and change the narrative being spewed out by the media. So, Arsenal must make a statement of intent.

The narrative I would love to see for the next season would be “Arsenal mean business”. For this it is important for something monumental to happen. Hark back to the era of the unbeaten invincibles, did we not get excited about that? Hark back to the battles between Arsenal and Man U, despite winning/losing titles. Hark back to Lehmann keeping clean sheets leading up to the Champions League final and the run itself. Hark back to beating Real 1-0 away. Hark back to leading Barca for 78 minutes in the final. Hark back to the 0-0 FA Cup final vs. Man U when we were battered but we won on penalties. Hark back to winning the league in Old Trafford and Spurs. Hark back to Jose Antonio Reyes and Arshavin’s captures. The 4-4 vs. Liverpool. Even the 3-0 vs. Milan last season.

The funny thing is that the memories become less exciting in the last few seasons, so that has to change. My personal favorite way to achieve that would be Cesc returning. Or, perhaps another marquee signing to show we mean business. Or perhaps another unbeaten run… here’s hoping!

4 – Be strong against the top six, and clinical against lower half opposition

We have been quite abysmal this season against the top six, and I felt that has played a huge part in our struggle. This partially for me has been due to the fact that we have had many new players, and partially because of a general lack of belief in the team that we can compete with the top teams. This in particular was most visible in the first half of the season, and partially has come about because of the massive loss to Man U last season. I believe the psychological impact of that loss still resounds, and it is vital that we show the world that we can beat the likes of Man u, City and Chelsea when it matters.

Interestingly, in some of the previous seasons, we did quite well against the top six, but let in draws and losses against lower opposition. This is again something that needs to be guarded against.

We need to be consistent and clinical, and have that collective belief about us and the bit between our teeth. I was unbelievably proud of how we harried Man U in the first half of the game on the weekend, and that is how we need to play consistently. With hunger and intensity.

No fan will complain if that level of quality remains.

Against the top six, pick up home wins and away draws, and we’re laughing! Against the rest, be clinical and finish them off!

5 – Do the basics right and have clear objectives

Finally, I believe that for a large part of this season, we lost track of the fundamentals. The basics are vital, and even a poor team can get a result if the basics are done right. Solid no nonsense defending, making the right pass while up field, and pressing and harrying are things that we can be good at, but struggle to do consistently. If we get these basics right and don’t panic as we are liable to do quite often, then we will be sure to have a solid season.

At the same time, in terms of the basics, the manager and the squad need to be sure about their objectives and priorities in achieving those objectives. For me unless we don’t make the right buys, we are not in a position to challenge for the EPL, so therefore the realistic bet for getting a trophy can only be the FA CUP or the League Cup. The manager needs to know what he wants for the team, and make the right basic decisions to achieve the said. Buying an expensive quality player is just one of those decisions.

It’ll be interesting to hear what you guys think of some of these points and if you feel there can be further things that need to change!

Written by: Umair Naeem.

Which striker to buy in TW and what to do with Giroud: replace, rotate or main man?

April 10, 2013April 10, 2013TotalArsenal

Giroud has often disappointed many Arsenal fans this season.

Every Arsenal fan knows that Wenger will buy a new striker in the summer, but many fans are split on what role they want this striker to have at Arsenal; whether that be playing with Giroud, replacing Giroud from our starting line-up and being our main striker, or being a squad player and rotating with Giroud.

Giroud is our only out and out striker at the club with Chamakh and Bendtner out on loan and likely to be sold at the end of the season. People may point out that Walcott, Gervinho and Podolski have played as the main striker many times this season, and we may see one of these players used there permanently next season, but I feel this is unlikely. They will be needed to play out wide next season, and Wenger has also stated that he feels Podolski plays better out wide, and we know that in certain games where teams defend deep, Walcott can be ineffective as our main striker.

When it comes to Giroud there are generally three view expressed by fans. I will explain these views to you in more detail.

The first is that Giroud is the right man to be our main striker and has the quality, desire and workrate to become a brilliant striker for us but; as this is his first season in the Premier League, he is taking time to adapt and needs to be given time to settle if he is going to become a great striker for Arsenal. Giroud cannot be expected to perform brilliantly in every match he plays in his first season in the Premier League. Another striker is needed at Arsenal in order to take some of the pressure away from Giroud to perform in every match he plays in.

The second is that Giroud is just not good enough to be our first choice striker and no matter how much time he has to adapt to the Premier League, he will never be good enough to be our first striker. He lacks the composure in front of goal which means he will never be able to score lots of goals to become a great striker for us. He is only good enough to be a squad player and nothing more.

The third view expressed by fans, is that, Giroud has all the qualities needed to become a great striker for us but he is not getting the support which he needs. And in the summer transfer window Wenger needs to buy another striker who can play alongside Giroud with the skill set and technical/physical attributes, which will allow this new striker and Giroud, to complement each other when playing for Arsenal.

The question is now, whether Wenger is buying a new striker with the thought that he will replace Giroud from the starting line-up, play alongside the Frenchman in the starting eleven, be rotated with Ollie in the starting line-up, or to deputise for him next season.

I feel when Wenger does buy another striker in the summer he will not permanently replace Giroud from the starting eleven. I see Wenger rotating Giroud with the new striker, although the new striker may be given a slight preference to the starting line-up.

As Arsenal fans we may disagree on our opinion of Giroud, or what role at Arsenal a new striker is needed for, but we can all agree that Wenger needs to buy another striker in the summer, which I am sure he will do.

Taking what I have said in this post into consideration, could you tell us the names of any strikers you would like to see at Arsenal, what you think they could offer to Arsenal (how they would solve our attacking problems) and what role you would like them to have at Arsenal.

However there are three conditions you have to take into consideration when coming up with your choice of striker:

The striker you choose should have an affordable transfer fee that Arsenal would be able to pay.

The striker you choose should have affordable wages that Arsenal would be able to pay.

Your suggested strikers should have good reason to come to Arsenal/have a very good chance of coming to Arsenal.
If writing any other comments, I would like you to take this question into consideration.

Do you want a new striker to replace Giroud from the starting eleven, play alongside Giroud in the starting eleven, to be rotated with Giroud in the starting eleven or do you want Giroud to remain as our main striker next season with a new striker being Giroud’s deputy?

Written by: AFC.

Four reasons why Arsenal should not buy another GK this summer

March 29, 2013TotalArsenal

Will Wojciech be our nr1 Goalkeeper next season?

Arsenal fans (especially us on Bergkampesque) have been holding many great debates and discussions regarding who should join and leave Arsenal in the coming summer. Once the season is over, Wenger will be looking to buy players in a number of different positions to strengthen our squad, in preparation for competing for major trophies next season. Wenger will certainly be looking to acquire players in some/all of the following positions: GK, CB, RB (only if Sagna leaves Arsenal at the end of the season), DM and CF/ST.

Many Arsenal fans have been calling for Wenger to buy a new GK for the last couple of seasons, with Szczesny being our only competent GK in our squad, and with Fabianski and Mannone both classed as being unreliable. This season, Szczesny has been a shadow of his former self: we have seen a dramatic loss in form which has led to us witnessing Wojciech making many schoolboy errors throughout this season in very important matches for us. And now even more Arsenal fans are calling for Wenger to buy a new GK in the summer, to help relieve some of the pressure on our young No.1 GK.

However, I feel we do not need to buy a new GK in the summer for a number of reasons.

Buying a new GK would certainly make Szczesny lose all of his confidence and would lead to his form dipping even more. We have seen this already at Arsenal when Fabianski came into the Arsenal team for Almunia, and most recently, when Szczesny came into the Arsenal team for Fabianski. Almunia and Fabianski lost all of their remaining confidence, meaning that whenever they played for us they were just a bag of nerves.

With 70 million to spend in the summer and Wenger needing to strengthen the squad in a number of positions over the summer, I think a new GK is not a necessity and buying one would not be the best way to utilise our transfer budget.

Buying a GK would use up a considerable amount of our transfer budget which could be better used and invested on outfield players. I feel we need a new CB, DM and CF/ST much more than a new GK. In the last few matches Fabianski has played in goal and has looked pretty solid. Therefore I propose we extend Fabainski’s contract by one year, as he is perfectly capable of stepping in for Szczesny when needed, and buy a new GK in a couple of seasons’ time.

Szczesny’s development would also suffer if a new GK is brought in. At the tender age of 22 years old it is essential that Szczesny gets as much game time as possible so he can continue to mature and develop as a GK. Other young GK’s in the Prem i.e. De Gea and Hart have also made numerous mistakes which have cost their teams vital points, with the latter also making many mistakes for his country. Szczesny must play as many matches as possible so he can learn from his mistakes and grow into an experienced world class GK.

Also, if a new GK does come to Arsenal in the summer, would he even be the GK we need? If we were to get a GK, he would need to be a fair bit older than Szczesny, and experienced at playing at top club and international level; so he would be able to teach and guide Szczesny by sharing his experiences and wisdom with him.

We would not even be able to attract this type of GK as he would want a guaranteed starting spot which would completely ruin the development of Szczesny, which I feel Wenger does not want to do. Why would an experienced GK who has played at the top level throughout his career at club and international level want to warm our bench? This means that any experienced GK who would be willing to sit on our bench would not be worthwhile buying, as it is likely that he would not have the quality to improve on the likes of Fabianski and Mannone.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the topic.

Written by: AFC

The one player who will make all the difference for Arsenal

February 27, 2013February 27, 2013TotalArsenal

First of all, great news that Dennis is finally getting a statue outside our stadium. The most sensible thing the club has done in a long while! 🙂

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One of the most heard sentences by fellow Gooners, and indeed almost all ‘big football club’ fans, is that our/their club only need to buy two more quality players in order to become a force to be reckoned with again.

During the last two seasons, Arsenal bought a lot more than two players, but we also let a number of star players depart. As a result, adding two or more players did not have the desired effect, as the gaps left by the likes of Fabregas, Song and Van Judas needed to be filled before any additional progress could be made. Rather than making progress, Arsene is now constantly trying to get back to where we were at the end of the previous season.

This has to stop, and there are now good signs that Arsenal will be able to hold on to their key players, for at least two to three seasons. With this in mind, the theory that adding two or three quality players will move our team to the very top again, might have some merit.

I say ‘might’, as there are no guarantees, and there are plenty of examples of where this theory has not worked out.

Real Madrid famously decided to try and conquer the might of their fiercest rivals Barcelona, by spending around £300m in one summer on the likes of Benzema, Ronaldo and Kaka, etc. Despite yesterday’s humiliating defeat of Barca, and winning the Spanish League last season, it is fair to say that Real have been unable to stop the Catalans being top dog in Spanish football over the last five years or so.

Chelsea added £80m worth of players in 2012, and that after just ‘winning’ the CL cup, and yet they did not even progress from their CL group and are, just like us, not going to win the league yet again. And then there is Liverpool, who allowed Dalglish to spend £100m in order for the club to make the final move upwards… The rest is history.

I have little doubt that Arsene will get at least a couple more players this summer to improve the squad. However, I am a big believer that ultimately it will be a single individual who will make the real difference again at Arsenal. Dennis Bergkamp’s arrival helped Arsenal to gradually become an all-round better team, and to slightly lesser extent, Sol Campbell North-London move from the dark side to the home of good football, had a significant impact as well.

I believe that gradually, Wilshere will be the player with whom we will move to the very top again. The likes of Ox, Gibbs, Theo, Nacho, Cazorla, Podolski and Szczesny are likely to add further quality to the first team. The squad needs strengthening in one or two central defensive areas (defence and midfield), we also could do with a top class striker, and a top quality winger would also not go amiss. Wenger will no doubt develop one or two players into the above mentioned positions, but is also likely to buy a couple of quality players over the coming summer.

But this is not just a matter of buying players for particular positions; we also need to look for certain characteristics.

The one player who is to make a big difference needs to be of special quality; technically and tactically. He also needs to add leadership and steel to our first team, and have the drive and motivation to help move this team to the very top. He also needs to fit like a glove into Arsene/Arsenal’s philosophy of football.

It does not necessary need to be a superstar, but just the right player to join us now and who is simply the missing piece in the Wilshere-Wengerball jigsaw.

Who do you think this special player could be, and why?

I have some ideas of who this might be, and I will share these with you in the next 24 hours or so. But I don’t want to steer the debate too much for now.

Over to you, fine fellow Gooners! 🙂

Written by: Total Arsenal.

No Time for Losers: Ruthless Wenger is Raising the Bar

February 13, 2013February 13, 2013TotalArsenal

‘Whoever said money can’t buy happiness isn’t spending it right’

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A lot has been said about Arsene’s player purchases over the years. He can get it really right but also awfully wrong sometimes.

Under Wenger, Arsenal have always refrained from buying top notch – experienced and in their prime – A-class players. We landed Sol Campbell on a free from the Spuds, and both Arshavin and Reyes were highly rated players, but not regarded as top-class, or ‘super-quality’.

Arsene became the champion of discovering and polishing gems. He brought and subsequently developed so many fine players over the years: from Henry to van Judas, from Ljunberg to Pires, and from Vieira to Fabregas.

However, he also brought to the club a significant number of fiascos; and especially since our move to the new stadium, there have been quite a few who have not made the grade: those who are often ungenerously labelled ‘deadwood’ by the fans.

There is a view, not just by those who want Wenger out, that the Frenchman does not know what he is doing anymore and that he got more wrong than right recently. It could be that Arsenal’s scouting system needs an overhaul, but I am pretty sure every player who joins us will have had the full approval of Wenger, and he therefore should be held responsible to a large extent for the number of players who did not make the grade at Arsenal.

Some feel that Arsene has too many responsibilities and therefore needs more support, especially with regards to buying and selling players.

I reckon there is a bit of truth in all the above mentioned views: Wenger is not perfect at all, and mistakes have been made.

Those who are more generously inclined towards our manager argue that he has had a small budget with which he had to fill a number of vacancies in the squad over the last few years. As a result, he had to take more risks with finding new, good and yet affordable, players. Finding quality players who could hit the ground running was made a lot harder for Wenger as a result of the competition increasing significantly over the last few years, and him simultaneously being faced with the departure of a number of his best players, which he seemingly could do nothing about.

I tend to be in the latter camp, and also reckon that Wenger just has not got the time anymore to spend ages on developing players into gems. The competition is now far too fierce, and combined with a lack of winning silverware in recent years, it means there is very little room and time for failure.

Luckily, we have seen a big improvement in recent purchases: Giroud, Podolski and Cazorla have added a lot of quality to our team and have been effective for us from the start of the season. Early signs re Nacho are also very promising. It also looks like Arsene is in the market to add another one or two quality players during the summer.

In the meantime, Wenger has been managing out a number of players who have not made the grade, or appear to no longer fit in his plans. Chamakh, Denilson, Santos, Bendtner, Park, Frimpong and Djourou are all out on loan, with the main aim of running their contracts down and reducing the wage bill. Although, there might still be space for Frimpong and Djourou in Arsene’s squad for next season; it is too early to be definite about this.

Other players seem to feature only seldom or never at all: Rosicky, Arshavin and Squillaci. The last two are clearly left to run their contracts down, but I don’t understand why Rosicky, who only signed a new contract last season, does not feature a lot more this season.

The good thing about this new apparent ruthlessness of Arsene is that it is creating space to get the best out of the two pillars that should bring our beloved club back to the very top again: bringing through youth/raw gems on the one hand, and buying experienced, quality players on the other. It is also telling the players clearly that they have to perform to the highest standards or they will face the axe.

I often feel a bit of sadness when I see Chamakh on the West Ham bench, and think back about Denilson, and very possibly, Djourou not making the grade at Arsenal. But that is what top sport is all about, and hanging on to players who do not make the grade will inevitably hold back talents within the squad who might have what it takes to make it at Arsenal.

Arsenal have now entered a new era in which most of our key players are signed up to long contracts and good, quality players (although still not super, superstars) can be bought on an annual basis, whilst only the very best of our youth/raw gems will make it to the top from now onwards. With improving revenue streams and FFP at least having some effect, this should be a very good formula for making us very competitive again.

But it is just as important to keep the level of expectations high and to let players go as soon as it becomes clear they are not going to make it at Arsenal. Arsene’s apparent new ruthlessness is therefore a welcome sight.

Written by: Total Arsenal.

How to get the best out of Wilshere in Arsenal’s 4-2-1-3 formation

February 8, 2013February 8, 2013TotalArsenal

Jack Wilshere’s performance against Brazil on Wednesday confirmed to the rest of the nation what many Gooners already knew: he is a special talent. Other than fantastic goals being scored, nothing is more exciting than seeing a footballer moving forward with the ball; fully capable to hold on to it, to go past another player and move into space in front of him, and also able to find the killer pass at any second.

Against Brazil, Jack did this fantastically well. His close control was brilliant and when he moved forward the whole team oozed attacking intent: there was great running off the ball by England’s attackers and Jack found them on a regular basis. There was a wonderful energy about him as well: he radiated with enthusiasm and wore his shirt with pride: something that did not go unnoticed with the crowd.

England’s formation suited Jack very well last night. With the experienced Gerrard and Rooney behind and in front of him respectively, and Cleverley next to him, he was given the perfect role against Brazil. With the hard working wingers of Walcott and Welbeck making runs all the time, and the clever link-up play by Shrek, Jack was given the perfect support to shine brightly. And boy did he shine on Wednesday. It was good for him to know the experienced Gerrard was right behind him, reading the game well and allowing Jack to express himself to the full. After an eternity trying to fit in Gerrard and Lampard into the national team, have England finally found their best midfield combination?

We have seen similar great performances by Jack for Arsenal this season. But Wednesday’s game also made me think again about his performance against Stoke City. I thought he played well as he made the best of the little space the Orcs allowed us on the day. But I felt, he was not playing close enough to Giroud, in order to give us more attacking options and to break up their walls behind and in front of the ‘D’.

I thought that both Arteta and Diaby stayed behind too much and should have played closer to Giroud by moving into the area in front of Stoke’s ‘D’. I am not sure whether either DIaby/Arteta or Jack should have moved closer to Giroud on Saturday, but somebody should have.

This brings me to the key question: what is Jack’s best position in our current 4-2-1-3 formation?

For me, there are two sorts of opponents to consider in order to answer this question: those who play a more open, attacking game against us and those who park the bus.

If a team plays a more open, ‘normal’ game against us, Jack is perfect in the sole, most advanced, attacking midfield position; especially if he gets good attacking support from the box-to-box fellow midfielder (Diaby ideally, but this could also be Arteta, Rosicky, or Ramsey). There is plenty of space for the attackers to run into, and with the wing-backs making constant runs as well, Jack has plenty of options in front of him to conduct/dictate the game. This he does better than anybody else in the team, although Rosicky and Cazorla are very decent alternatives.

However, against the bus-parkers – and the better Arsenal are going to play the more bus parking we will see during home games – we need the attacking midfielder to help out with being a direct attacking threat as much as possible. We need the numbers up-front to avoid our attackers to be isolated and out-numbered constantly; as was often the case against Stoke. We need the most advanced midfielder to be a decent passer of the ball, as well as a real goal scoring threat in those situations; and that Jack Wilshere is not (yet).

As soon as Cazorla came on and Jack moved back a bit against the Orcs, Arsenal looked a lot better and became a lot more dangerous. I reckon Jack best position against ‘park the bus’ teams is actually back into his previous box-to-box, lynchpin position. That’s where he, just like a conductor of an orchestra, will find the space and has the overview to dictate the game; and with Cazorla (or Diaby) in front of him, he has the ideal attacking midfielder to combine with and crack open the seemingly solid defensive lines in front of them (using the wings as much as possible as well, of course).

In fact, I feel strongly that against the bus-parkers we should play more in a 4-1-2-3 formation, with Jack having the option to move back in order to find space and Cazorla or Diaby to move as close as possible to our central striker.

It will be exciting to see how Jack will develop further during the remainder of this season, and how Arsene will build his team around him going forward.

Arsene gave us Cesc, and now we got another midfield maestro in the making. He might not always get it right when buying and developing players, but when he does deliver to us another world class gem, we should bless our cotton socks he is still our manager.

Written by: Total Arsenal.

Three wins out of last four: are Arsenal finally turning a corner?

February 4, 2013February 4, 2013TotalArsenal

It has been a roller coaster of a season for Arsenal characterized by inconsistency. We began the season on a high note, at some point even being the team with the best defensive statistics in the league. It was all bliss and celebration but before long, the team began to crumble. Losses against Chelsea, Schalke, Swansea and Man United, coupled with consecutive draws against Schalke (again) and Fulham, then Aston villa and Everton, saw Arsenal’s season engage in a downward spiral.

Gervinho, Mertesacker and Vermaelen had lost their early season form, Giroud was still finding his feet in the league, Wilshere and Sagna were fresh from injury, Rosicky and Diaby were still out and Walcott was still in the middle of his contract debacle. This meant that our best players were either injured, adapting, out of from or distracted. We lost ground on the leading pack and ultimately dropped out of the title race. The situation got so bad that at it began to look like we wouldn’t even finish fourth for the first time in a very long time.

Some fans began calling for Arsene Wenger’s head, but he retained his usual obstinate faith in his team and insisted that they would come good. Lately, however, it looks like Arsene may indeed be vindicated for his faith. Three wins and a draw in the last four games shows that the team may be beginning to put together a run that will see us get back in the champions league slots. We are five points adrift third spot, with a much more forgiving fixture list than those above us. We are beginning to display the kind of football that the world has become accustomed to seeing from the boys in red and white.

There are five particular players I would like to credit for this turn around: Wilshere, Walcott, Podolski, Giroud and Gibbs.

Wilshere has become the heartbeat and engine of the team, giving his absolute best even when the team is against the ropes (like in the first half against Chelsea). He defends, runs at players creates space for his team mates, and rips apart opposition defences with his incisive passing, constantly. Everyone is touting him as the next Arsenal and England captain, some even believing that this should be so immediately.

Walcott has become our most potent attacking threat and has become impossible to handle with his pace, first touch, combination play, movement and incredible finishing. He truly has matured.

Podolski continues to be our Mr. reliable with his goals, assists and defensive work on the left hand side of attack.

Giroud has really found his footing and is constantly finding the back of the net. His work rate, combination play, physical presence and predatory finishing have become too much for some to handle, and he still is getting better.

Gibbs (lately) has become our best defender. Both his defensive and attacking displays have really driven Arsenal to the form we all desire. He and Podolski have formed an incredible understanding on the left hand side.

Arsenal have began playing the kind of one touch football that makes me depressed every time there is an international break and I have to wait two weeks to watch them play. It began in that devastating 12 minute spell against West Ham where we absolutely destroyed them, scoring five goals in the process. That form has continued against Brighton, Liverpool and Stoke.

Our defence, however, was absolutely wanting against Brighton and Liverpool. Against Stoke, on the other hand, it was solid (granted we dominated the game in its entirety and Stoke aren’t known for their attacking prowess). I was particularly impressed with our new boy, Monreal’s defensive contribution. He is a remarkably astute defender, plus he has the ball skills of a winger. Not a bad buy, I must say. Mertesacker must also get some praise as he was our best center back. He dealt with crouch the whole game and this was key in keeping a clean sheet.

If you consider that players such as Rosicky and Diaby are fresh from injury, and will get better as games go by, and Gervinho’s displays at the AFCON are carrying the Ivory Coast, you realize that the prospect of finishing third is very real. Whether Arsenal can maintain this form is yet to be seen, but the initial signs are good.

We are out of the title race for sure, but we have a chance to go for the FA cup and with the belief, we could be the surprise the Champions league, like Chelsea did last year.

COME ON YOU GUNNERS!!!

Written by: Marcus

With six British talents signed up is it not time for Bergkamp to join Arsenal?

January 19, 2013TotalArsenal

I am absolutely over the moon we signed up Theo for at least another 3.5 years. After Jenkinson, Ramsey, Oxlade-Chamberlaine, Gibbs, and the biggest talent of them all, Wilshere, were contracted to the club for many years to come, it was important to hold on to Theo as well. Wenger is entering a new era now in which he will be given time to develop these six into the core of a team that should be able to go all the way.

Two full backs, three midfielders and a winger/striker. And we could still see another Englishman added to the team before the end of the month. It would make sense to also sign up Zaha, a self-confessed Arsenal supporter, and make it seven Brits on long term contracts at Arsenal.

Of course, there is also still Frimpong to be considered: will he make it, or not? I hope he will as he has all the right characteristics, although he still has a lot to learn.

On top of the above mentioned players, we have all our important players signed up for at least a couple more years, if not more. So, we should now enter a period of stability and growth. The good thing about combining early twenty year old fine and promising talents with experienced mid to late twenty year old players, is that success does not have to take a long time necessarily. Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Podolski, Gervinho, Arteta, Sagna, Giroud, Koz, Cazorla will want success now, and I reckon this will combine very nicely in the next two to three years.

And in addition to the above, there are a few very good non-British talents coming through: Coquelin, Gnabry, Eisfeld, Miguel, etc; and some more British talents might come through as well in the next few years. And of course, we have our Pole in Goal who is still young but has established himself as our nr.1 goal keeper now.

The seemingly obvious thing to do now is to get an inspirational coach to work with all these young talents. Other than the full backs, all newly signed-up Brits are strongly attack-minded players, and it would be good to have a Master-coach to guide them technically, tactically and mentally/professionally towards their full potential.

I don’t think Steve Bould is the man for this; his job lays elsewhere; and I reckon Wenger needs more support. I am also a big believer in a Master-Apprentice learning and development approach, and for that we would need a top class player, who everybody respects and who has coaching capabilities.

At the moment, there is nobody who would fit the bill better than Dennis Bergkamp.

If he were to join Arsene as one of Arsene’s coaches it would give the whole club a lift. Just imagine how much the likes of Wilshere, Ox, Ramsey and Theo – and hopefully Zaha – could learn of the former Dutch Master. On top of that, he would be a very good coach for Giroud, who, I am sure, would love to get guidance from Bergkamp.

Maybe there are other options. Is it maybe time for Arsene to sign up Henry or Pires as one of his coaches? They have not got ‘the batch’ yet, but they would still be fantastic in guiding our precious talents to dizzying heights.

To me it would make perfect sense to try and get Bergkamp to come and coach all our talents. Get yourself some help Arsene, and bring back to us our godly hero!

Written by: Total Arsenal.

24 goals/assists in 24 games and yet Gooners are not convinced about him?!

January 18, 2013January 18, 2013TotalArsenal

Give Theo a chance! Cavani-Cruelty. Jack gave Arsenal its identity back.

Give Theo a chance!

It has been disappointing to read the negative comments and fans player ratings across the blogospere of Theo’s recent performances. In the last game, against Swansea, Walcott managed to get into scoring positions on a number of occasions and he also was able to get his fellow striker Giroud in on goal a few times. Theo missed his chances and of course he should be judged on that. However, he got close on a number of occasions and on another day he would have scored two or three goals: such is football.

He has played 24 games for us, and many of them were as a substitute. However, he has already amassed 14 goals and 10 assists; that’s 1 goal/assist per game. In the last two seasons Walcott had either a goal or an assist in 22% of all our PL goals. What is it that people are not getting re Walcott? It is about time to drop the gut-feeling and look at the hard stats. It is a must Arsenal sign him up, and I for one will be a very happy bunny when we do so.

He wants to be a central striker and in order to do so, Arsene will have to adopt the way the team plays. The way Arsenal were set up on Wednesday might be the way forward, and of course it will take time for things to settle down and the necessary automatisms starting to work. But we’ll get there, and I have no doubt that Theo can become one of Arsenal’s greatest goal scorers if and when he commits to the club for the long term. His partnership with Giroud is a potential match made in heaven, but it will need to be developed, and we need to remain patient.

Cavani-Cruelty

I have written before how much I despise the transfer window gossip circus. 99% is made up and will leave fellow bloggers with constant feelings of disappointment. The latest gossip is based on Arsenal spending BIG money on Cavani. Those of you who have seen Cavani play, and I don’t mean in a video compilation but at least one whole match, will know what a phenomenally good striker he is. He would suit perfectly into Arsenal, no doubt about that, and if we are moving towards a 4-4-2 formation it would be even more perfect: we could have Cavani and Theo to start, with Giroud and Podolski as back-up; or Giroud and Cavani to start.

But it is very unlikely to happen. He is a sought after striker and comes at a very high price. If any of the oil-clubs show a serious interest then we are likely to be out-bid by them, unless of course he really would insist on going only to Arsenal. I cannot see it happen myself, and I can see it all end in tears.

Jack gave Arsenal its identity back

It was fantastic to see JW10 in the hole on Wednesday. With Coquelin and Diaby dominating the midfield behind him, Jack was able to dictate our attacking play. He gave the team shape and focus and real attacking intent. Arsenal created a lot of chances through playing football on the floor, and that against an opponent that was set up, and very well-drilled, in avoiding this from happening. Jack cracked the Jacks’ structure though, and this has been missed so badly recently.

Jack’s ability to move into space in front of him with the ball, as well as passing it round with ease and composure, made all the difference. As soon as he goes past one or two players, everything is on the move, and gaps start to appear in the opposition’s defensive wall(s), which Jack spots and either moves into or plays the ball into. We have missed this a lot with Santi, who looks almost constantly to pass the ball and receive it back, without necessarily making much progress. I feel Jack has more forward thrust and makes things happen. Santi playing on the wing might suit Arsenal and him best. There is more freedom to move around the field and yet he gives good cover to our wing-back as well. He is a great player and has the potential to develop into our new Pires.

But there is no doubt in my mind that Jack gave Arsenal back its identity, with his vision, passing, penetrating, passion and drive, and I expect Arsene to start with the same eleven on Sunday. I also would like to stress again that Coquelin and Diaby made a real difference for us. Together they were able to protect our midfield better and also support Jack going forward. Both are good tacklers and good in the air, and they will get better the longer they can play together, and either of them can play well with Arteta as well.

I still really want a beast of a DM, as Diaby is so injury prone and Coquelin is not yet the finished article, but the combination of Diaby-Coquelin and Jack worked really well against Swansea.

Let’s see how they hold out against the Chavs on Sunday!

Written by: Total Arsenal.

Reyes ’04, Arshavin ’09, a beastly DM in ’13? Time to purchase another X-factor!

January 15, 2013January 15, 2013TotalArsenal

I am not a big believer in the uses of shop-therapy, whether in personal life or with regards to Arsenal. Apparently, when Socrates walked through a busy Ancient Athens market place about 2500 years ago he shouted: ‘How many things I don’t need!’. I am a bit like that when walking through the shopping streets of England’s towns and cities two and half decennia later.

I am rubbish at understanding the big, modern philosophers but nevertheless a philosophical person; as in, I try to understand what the meaning is of things and events, and I take great pleasure in doing so. One of my favourite Socrates quotes is: ‘The unexamined life is not worth living’, and in order to do this you do not need to spend lots of money.

I am one of these Gooners who take great pride in the fact that Arsene creates his own stars by turning raw diamonds into fine and shiny gems, and that the club has been able to live within its means. We just need to keep hold of them and add one or two quality players every season and within no time Arsenal will win silverware again.

But, things are not going to plan at the moment and it is not necessarily the results which we need to worry about: a couple of wins in a row and all could look rosy again.

What is more worrying is the lack of form and shape to the team; the inability to organise our defence and get a run of solid defensive team performances; the lack of balance in midfield and inability to totally dominate this area anymore; the unsettledness, and unpredictable level of performances, by our strike-force; and most importantly, the lack of cohesion, leadership and fighting spirit throughout the team.

Half way into the season, this is not good enough and there is nowhere to hide anymore, as we have entered the period in which a season is made or broken. Many supporters are very unhappy about what is happening at the club at the moment, and Wenger appears to try and resolve it all by focussing hard on the team performances, and by sticking to his players and preferred formation.

However, in order to break the mood, or spell if you want, Arsenal might have no other option but to buy another January X-factor. Just like the club did in 2004 with the purchase of the Reyes, and in 2009 with arrival of Arshavin.

They both had an instant impact and especially Arshavin gave Arsenal a well-needed lift. We need something similar this January, although we must not forget that Reyes and Arshavin have eventually turned out into expensive flops: one suffered from homesickness and the other one does not have the necessary discipline and/or fitness to make it at Arsenal. Shop-therapy seems to come with a ‘best before’ date.

Of course, we could all get excited about the arrival of a top striker or winger, but what we really, really need first is a beast of DM. Somebody with steel, vision, passing skills and experience. I have written quite a few posts about the need for a DM recently, so I won’t bore you with it again.

I am hoping Arsene will not play Diaby in the deepest midfield position again when we play Swansea tomorrow. I don’t think this is his position or that he has the fitness for it right now. Arsene should give Coquelin the chance to proof himself in that role, but I a must admit I am not sure whether he is yet good enough for the ‘Anchor’ role. Arsene could also play Wilshere in the deepest midfield position and let Diaby play in his position, with either Rosicky (ideally) or Cazorla (probably) in front of both of them.

But these are just solutions for Wednesday and the next couple of games. Arsenal need to find a structural solution as Arteta is also not the long-term answer, and I reckon there is no other option but to get a quality defensive midfielder as soon as possible: Schweinsteiger, Arturo Vidal or Alonzo would do fine, or maybe Capoue, Wanyama, or Strootman would be the answer. I am sure you all have views on who would be the best fit for Arsenal.

Arsene, it is time to indulge yourself with some proper shop therapy: give us all a lift, please! 🙂

Written by: Total Arsenal.