Vermaelen – Page 2 – Bergkampesque

Who turned Arsenal into EPL title contenders?

October 8, 2013October 8, 2013TotalArsenal

Well, it is not just Ozil!

Over the last month or so, ever since we made Mesut Ozil our record signing for the club, not a day goes by without some sort of news or article regarding how Ozil has transformed the fortunes of a struggling team and how we have been taken from being consistently ‘in crisis’ to ‘oozing class’.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m loving the attention that having a true world best (and he is the BEST play maker in the world, period!) brings to Arsenal, but it made me think that it should not be taken for granted that a solid backbone of a team existed in which Ozil has seamlessly slotted in. Cast your mind back to right before Ozil’s signing, the loss against Aston Villa. Hell had descended and it seemed to be the end. Apparently Arsene had “dithered” and “dilly dallied” and the result was only one free transfer and a seemingly long barren season up ahead.

The point I’d raise here is that we still had a good squad, a squad that had topped the table based on points collected since Jan 2013 till the end of the last season. Arsene had sorted out our best defensive partnership, he had sorted our Rambo’s position and form, Rosicky was back playing at a good level, and Jack was fitter than he had been in the last few seasons (the last one is still relative, since I personally don’t think Jack is as fit as he can be, but at least he has been able to get a solid preseason behind him). Tactically, Arsene had also more or less figured out a good way to utilize our best players and it was working. We were solid and we were winning.

Going into the summer, the need seemed to be a CF and a DM in priority, followed by perennial need for a GK and CD. The need was also to get rid of the fat of the squad. A number of people pointed out at this point that a couple of good signings would transform our squad from being solid to being contenders. Unfortunately as the summer progressed and the frustrations increased, the narrative changed back to Arsenal having a weak squad, loads of money in the bank and Arsene having no clue. Bring on the Villa loss and we were a club at war with itself.

Mesut Ozil wasn’t what we needed, but he was that someone who Arsene has always talked about, the player who improves a position, and in turn the squad, and no doubt he has. He has the Va Va Voom that we loved to talk about when Thierry used to score goals for us. Add to the Ozil signing the genius signing of Flamini and we have a central midfield core that any team in the world can be fearful about. More than anything, Ozil changed the narrative around the club, gave the fans and players confidence and showed the world that we meant business. But let’s take a look at some of the players he’s joined in… just so we can remind ourselves of our squad!

In defense we have Szczesny, he who was once touted as the most promising GK since the days of Seaman and Lehmann. After going through a bit of a self searching phase, he began to reach his best towards the end of the last season, and has begun this season brilliantly (barring the Villa horror show). Behind him we have Fabianski and Viviano, good solid backups.

Then we have the indomitable pairing of Kos and Per, both phenomenal defenders who compliment each other’s game brilliantly. I would go as far as to say that they’d be up there as the best defensive pairing in the EPL right now, Per with his uncanny reading of the game and ability to organize, and Kos with his pace and tackling. We have TV on the bench, the club captain who is rearing to prove himself again! What has been heartening has been the fact that TV has been quite happy to take his chance when it comes. I had for a while thought that maybe he may want to move on (there was some interest from Barcelona at some point) if he couldn’t have games here, but I’m glad he’s still with the club.

Gibbs, Monreal, Sagna and Jenks; four absolutely terrific players who compete with each other and the result is an improving standard of play. Monreal in particular, I feel is hugely responsible for pushing Gibbs to be better than he had been. Sagna is a rock, I hope he gets a new contract. The only weak link (if I can call it that) is Jenks, who still needs to work on his game in order to be a regular starter, but the boy has great potential.

Centrally we have terrific options, and even before Ozil we had fantastic options. We have versatile midfielders who can play a variety of positions in Arsene’s 4-2-3-1 formation. We have Rambo in the form of his life (the boy really deserves all the praise he’s getting), we have Rosickly, Santi and Ozil, all players who could be playmakers or drift in from wide centrally to make the killer pass or even play off the CF. We have Arteta and Flamini, the passer and the tackler, and we have Jack, who is slowly getting back to his best. If this was not enough, we have Theo and Ox who can give us pace from the wings, and Poldi who will score goals coming in from either flank. Oh yeah, we also have Gnabry!

Up front we have Giroud, who last season I said would be a superstar to anyone who would listen, and he is showing his class. The thing that I love about Giroud is his sheer hunger to succeed and to help and to score goals. He wants to be the greatest at the club and he is working hard to get there. You couldn’t ask for more. His hold up play and his finishing have improved fantastically this season. As back up to Giroud we are perhaps a little short, but we do have Theo and Poldi who could potentially play in that position, as well as Apkom, Sanogo and Bentdner. Ideally if Sanogo had been fit I would have loved to see him start the Capital One Cup matches. Don’t forget it was the same competition in which Giroud found his feet (or head) last season.

But the thing that I love most about the squad (pre and post Ozil) has been the togetherness, the camaraderie and the hunger to succeed. It’s such a pleasure to see Instagram or twitter photos of players celebrating together. Poldi, despite being injured, seems to be the chief cheerleader. The big players such as Per, Flamini and Arteta seem to be stepping up to guide the younger players. Even TV in a recent interview alluded to the fact that a club captain can do much even if he’s not playing.

So going forward I would love for this bunch to succeed, because in a long time I finally see the fruits of a long barren hard period coming to the fore. Win or lose, they will try, of that I’m sure, and as a fan I could not ask for anything more.

Let’s hope we have a terrific November and come Christmas we are still in a position to fight for the title.

Would love to know what you guys think!

Written by: Umair Naeem

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Napoli preview: back to Cesc-like 4-5-1 with Jack, Aaron & Ozil playing Wengerball?

September 30, 2013TotalArsenal

Evening guys. I have been busy all day, so this is going to be a quick and dirty pre-match. Those who are blessed with a bit more time will hopefully add some more depth and insight to our encounter with Napoli tomorrow.

These are the sort of games that make European football so desirable, but I am glad we are playing at home rather than having to travel again to Southern Europe. From the little I have seen of Napoli, they are a good team and lot of their strength comes from the centre of midfield. Luckily this is also out strongest area at the moment, and I expect a great battle tomorrow.

CL football at home often gets the very best out of our players and I am hoping for an entertaining and yet disciplined performance. In terms of line-up, I don’t expect much change other than the ineligible Gnabry being replaced by either Ryo or Ramsey (allowing Arteta to play next to Flamini in the double DM).

I am going for 4-5-1 tomorrow with 5 multi-disciplined and talented midfielders and Giroud as a better version of Chamakh as our holding striker. I like 4-5-1, but I just as much like proper wing-football, and I reckon we’ll miss Theo’s thrust and goal-threat quite a bit tomorrow. A lack of speed in midfield could mean we need to get a lot from our FBs, and maybe Corporal Jenkinson will start tomorrow. However, I am still sticking with Sagna.

On the left side, the continuously improving, supersonic Gibbs could play an important role tomorrow. He is quietly growing into a fine footballer, and I have a feeling he will score the first goal or produce the assist for it.

Anyway, here is my predicted (and desired) starting eleven tomorrow:

A big game for our captain Vermaelen, who I reckon will play tomorrow, and a good opportunity for Ozil to show the world what it means to arrive at the home of football. 🙂

OGAAT

UTA

COYG

Written by: TotalArsenal.

Could Arsenal be in a better position right now to end trophy-drought?

September 8, 2013TotalArsenal

Towards the end of last season, I wrote about the five things that Arsenal would need to look at if the club wanted to be serious in its pursuit of silverware. A solid start to the new season (including a win against the “strongest ever” Spurs – which for some reason made me so very very very happy!!) and one harrowing, frustrating and ultimately exciting transfer window later, it’s a good time to go back to those five points and reassess where the club stands:

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

When the transfer window started, the club had three objectives: a) get rid of the deadwood, b) keep our good players at the club, and c) bring in new players who would add value to the squad, ideally a superstar or two. Ivan Gazidis went out and put the cat amongst the pigeons by saying Arsene had a huge kitty to spend from, that we’d get in our players nice and early and that we could afford the likes of Rooney etc. Cue, huge expectations.

Did we achieve those objectives? A categorical yes to a) and b). We did very well with the deadwood, and we retained all of our core players. As far as bringing in new players was concerned, I felt the club struggled. Key areas to be strengthened were ST, GK, DM and defense.

Sanogo came in early, and was a victim of being a free signing. I rate him, but he is at best a third option striker, so the ST position still needed to be strengthened. Links with Higuain and Rooney arose, and Higuain was all but signed. Then came Suarez, and from what I understand, we were led up the garden path by his agent regarding the 40 mn + 1 offer. The only good thing that came out of that was a statement that we were willing to spend huge money.

Flamini came in next, again on a free, after being linked with Gotze, Fabregas, Cabaye, Fellaini, Gundogan, Illarmendi etc. At the time, I felt that Flamini was a brilliant and shrewd signing, but underwhelming when you compare him to the likes that we were being linked too. A word on Flamini before we move on: he should never have left. He was brought in to replace Viera and for a while did a great job. Seeing him back against Spurs really made me happy, because he’s one of those players who can take the bit between his teeth and push everyone around him to be better. He’s a shouter, an organizer, a tackler… and Gosh, how we have missed someone like that.

Then came the deadline day and we ended up with Oh My God… Ozil! And in that one signing Arsene showcased that he is still well respected around the world and an attractive option to superstar players. Remember, Ozil did not want to leave Madrid or come to Arsenal, he had an offer from PSG and unconvincing interest from Man U, but he signed for us after Arsene convinced him that we mean business. You can’t ask for more than that. And in doing so, Ozil became the 3^rd most expensive British signing and the most expensive German ever signed. 42.5 mn… wow! Arsenal paid that!

So was the first point achieved? Yes in the sense that the team remained stable, no players important to us were sold and our first team is gelled and ready (unlike others who have spent 100 mn +) and that was on show in the last 4 games that we have played and particularly against Spurs. Spurs on the other hand looked disjointed at times and will take a while to gel.

However we did go off-track in the sense that despite ending up with Ozil, we could have planned the window a bit better, and gotten good players in early. I still find it head-scratching that we couldn’t get a striker. I’m not going to pretend to understand how a lot of things work in the transfer window between clubs, but surely in two months you can sign one striker.

Ozil should have been a bonus (he still is), the cherry on top of 4/5 players that we needed to strengthen. Having said that, we did strengthen, and the only place I feel we are light now is the ST position.

I would point out that this was the first window where Wenger, Gazidis and co. could spend big money, and talk to big players (hopefully we should have a similar kitty in upcoming windows), so to an extent it may have been a learning process for all involved. I feel Higuain and Suarez could have been handled a lot better.

Having said all of that at least we didn’t end up paying 5 mn extra for a player who could have been signed a few weeks before via the get-out clause in his contract! Guess who I’m talking about!

2 – A strong vocal performing captain

In my article I had put forward Arteta as one possible option. Arteta has been our spiritual leader in many ways, and a player that the team can look up to. Unfortunately, along with TV, Arteta too is out for now and the mantle of the captaincy has fallen upon the BFG! And I’ll tell you what, he has done a bang up job so far in terms of organizing and leading the team. However, I do not feel he can be a long term solution.

It is clear that Arsene plans on keeping TV as the club captain, so it becomes vital for a) TV to recapture his old form and force his way back into the side, and b) for all of our other leaders to make their collective mark and push the team forward. I’m referring to Per, Arteta and Flamini.

3 – Capture the fans imagination, change the press narrative

Oh how well we have achieved this is: absolutely utterly phenomenal! Not since Bergkamp has such a superstar been signed. Arguably the greatest playmaker in the world, Mesut Ozil! Dear oh dear… I still get goose bumps! However, we need to keep in mind that we were very close to ending the window with a narrative that would have been worse than where we started from. I do believe that Arsene had his eye out on a big signing, and delivered accordingly.

The narrative is now exciting, the fans are now excited! We are a team that is intent on making a statement, we are a team that is together and gelled, we are a team that has just trebled its record transfer in one go, signing the best in the world; and we are a team led by a man who may be flawed, who may be misunderstood, but one who is still well respected and who still, in my opinion, is something of a genius!

Could we possibly be in a better position right now to mount a challenge on ending the barren trophy run?

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

We have started off OK. A loss to Villa was a perfect example of everything going wrong, but since then we have been solid and we have been strong. That is very heartening. Add to that the incomparable form of Ramsey, Kos, Per, Scez, Ollie and Santi, and we are looking good. The win against Spurs was all about positive work going forward and being solid at the back, and as a supporter you can’t ask for more. I recall thinking during the last five minutes that I can’t really fault them even if Spurs get an equalizer, even though we deserved to win. But we pulled through… in many a season ago that win might have been a draw or even a late loss, but our team ran themselves to the ground and won the game. It may be a big statement, but its matches like these rather than 5-0 thrashings that define a championship/cup winning team and breeds the winner mentality.

5 – Do the basics right and have clear objectives

So what do we expect from this team and this squad? As much as I would love to believe that with Ozil we can challenge for the title, I feel that may be a step too far. For me in the premiership we should finish second (although we are dark horses for sure). I firmly believe that with the squad Arsenal have, we should win both the League Cup and the FA Cup, if not one of them. The Champions League we can only take one step at a time, and for now the biggest challenge is to get through the group.

Bottom line though, if someone tells me right now that we win one cup at the end of this season, I will gladly take it! If nothing, that would make the narrative more positive and enhance the winning mentality with which we can look to win the league next season, with the possible addition of a couple of more quality players.

I would love to hear what you guys think!

Written by: Umair Naeem

Gibbs, Nacho, Sagna, Vermaelen: who could be our ‘New DM’?

July 29, 2013July 29, 2013TotalArsenal

Do Arsenal already have a new ‘Beast of a DM’ in their midst, and will he break up the wall of RamTeta?

With Coquelin on loan, Frimpong disappeared in to the background, and no news of a new signing, we are looking rather thin in the double DM-pivot at the moment. Wenger said this week there was a lot of competition for the midfield positions, but I cannot agree with him from a skill-set point of view; how many of our midfielders can actually defend?

The wall of RamTeta is likely to form the core of our midfield once again next season. Many are not entirely happy with this, and want a typical beast of a DM to boss the midfield whilst the rest join our attack as much as possible. Although I would really like to see how Ramsey and Arteta will fare next season, I also want us to get a proper, yet capable of football, DM this summer.

We have discussed the external options in previous posts and we might well still get a DM: your guess is better than mine.

But as others have mentioned on BK in previous comments, there are one or two, or even three or four potential internal options for this crucial position. I am looking for a player who can defend first and for all: strong on the ground and in the air; he also has a fine engine with tons of stamina; has Presence!; reads the game, and positions himself, well; is a decent to good passer of the ball; and ideally has a fantastic long distance shot too.

My four internal candidates are:

Gibbs
Nacho
Sagna
Vermaelen

Gibbs

Our young English LB is a versatile player with plenty of scope for growth. Both Gibbs and Nacho are too good in my opinion to be back-up for each other, and I would not be surprised if we see them play together regularly in the future. I can see Gibbs do the DM position, although I reckon he might miss presence and be too injury prone for such a ‘body on the line’ position. But he could be further developed into a DM by Arsene…

Nacho

Our one and only January signing has really impressed me, even though he is not the fastest of LB’s I have seen. I love his toughness, defending skills, ability to read the game, and general attitude. Monreal would have the Presence! to put fear into the opposition and he is a tough tackler and battler in the air; he is also a good passer of the ball and very organised/disciplined. It remains to be seen, though, whether he can read the game, and position himself effectively, in midfield.

Sagna

Our French monsieur Reliable is a tough defender who reads the game well. He has plenty of Presence! and stamina and, as he has shown in recently friendly games, is a good communicator. Bacary is also a decent passer of the ball and offers forward thrust if needed. Is it time to move him into a more central position i.e. CB or DM?

Vermaelen

Many on BK have suggested to make TV our DM. Apparently, Wenger has said that TV will remain our captain, and as a captain needs to play, and Koz and BFG seem to be our first choice CB-pairing, it makes you think whether the Belgian could be turned into a DM…. Tommy has everything for it, it seems: great defender and tons of Presence!; reads the game well and is a good passer of the ball; he also has plenty of thrust and a great long distance shot. A captain needs to play and we need a beast of a DM; is TV the answer?

And there is one more question: if Arsene were to turn one of these four players into a DM, should they take the first team place of Arteta or Ramsey this season?

Plenty of food for thought, I hope!

Written by: TotalArsenal.

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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Keeping Sagna, TV and Koz is paramount – time to show our class!

June 5, 2013June 5, 2013TotalArsenal

I have been reading ‘What money can’t buy’ by Michael J. Sandel, a normally rather dry and far too serious book for the football blogging world. It explores the moral limits of market thinking, and one of the subjects it covers has always intrigued me: intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation in people. This, in my view, is a subject of great importance to Arsenal football club.

Sandel gives a number of interesting examples of how money sometimes kills something that is far more important than free market transactions: moral responsibility and intrinsic motivation.

I would like to highlight two of these, and please bear with me as the link with Arsenal will be made eventually.

The first one is with regards to ‘donation day’ at a high school in Israel. During this day students go door-to-door to collect money for charity. An experiment was done by a couple of economists to determine the effect of financial incentives on the students’ motivation. The students were divided into three groups: one group was given a brief motivational speech about the importance of the cause and sent on its way; the second and third group were given the same speech but also offered a monetary reward based on the amount they collected – 1% and 10% respectively. The rewards would not be deducted from the charitable donations; they would come from a separate source.

The unpaid students collected 55% more in donations than those who were offered 1%; and 9% more than those offered 10%.

The second one is regarding a location for storing Switzerland’s nuclear waste. One location designated as a potential nuclear waste site was the small mountain village of Wolfenschiessen, in central Switzerland. Economist surveyed the residents before an official referendum was due, and 51% said they would accept the waste site being built in their community. Their sense of duty for the greater good appeared to be bigger than the concerns about the risks.

The economists than offered a financial incentive: what if the Swiss parliament proposed to build the nuclear waste facility in their community and offered to compensate each resident with an annual monetary payment – a considerable amount: how many would then favour it?

The result: support went down from 51% to 25% and increasing the monetary payment did not make any difference.

These examples show two things to me: people are motivated by things like wanting to do good, public duty, and pride; money is not always the one and only factor when trying to achieve the best possible outcome/ changing people’s behaviour.

In the premier league we have gradually started to accept that spending lots of money on fees and salaries is the only way for clubs to be able to keep hold of their players and attract new ones. At Arsenal, we have had a number of players who left us because they simply could earn more money somewhere else and, to some extent, because they believed they had a better chance of winning silverware at their new clubs.

A football career is relatively short and players will want to maximise their income as much as possible. Although most players who left Arsenal recently were already multi-millionaires, I understand and respect that, however mercenary of them, they left Arsenal in order to better themselves. And if Van Judas had not deceived us so much with his faked love for the club and ‘I am a Gunner-for-life’ rubbish, I would already have forgiven him.

However, there is something else in football too and this has to do with pride, with the desire to leave something behind for generations, with becoming football-immortal. The pockets of Adebayor, Nasri, Van Judas, etc might be bursting with shiny gold coins, and they can even show a medal to their friends and family, but immortal they are now very unlikely to become. Bergkamp is immortal, Henry is immortal, Adams is immortal, etc, and not just at Arsenal: speak to any football fan in the UK, or even Europe, and they will eulogise along with you about the sheer brilliance of these players.

I am not naïve and realise the club operated back then in a different economic reality compared to recent years, and I also realise that we have once again entered a new phase, in which we ought to be able to compete better with the largest clubs in Europe, as well as the all-over Europe mushrooming oil-funded clubs, both in terms of attracting top talent AND paying them market-rate wages.

But this will not be enough, and we only have to look at Man City to realise that, in order to achieve a period of sustained success, much more is required than an expensively assembled team of top footballers.

We need a large number of players with not just technical and tactical qualities, but also an intrinsic desire to give their all for the club, and remain loyal: to want to win and take Arsenal to the very top again.

Arsenal has history and class; we are a club with strong values and principles and enormous pride. We now have a great stadium, play CL-football year after year, and (still) have a great reputation.

But it is important that our players, new and established, feel at home at Arsenal; that they, as well as potential new signings, recognise and appreciate our class and history. It is also important they believe they can win silverware with Arsenal; that we are not an in-between stop towards bigger and better things: that we are the final destination, the football Walhalla!

For that, the club’s management needs to (further) develop and promote an ambitious vision which the players buy in to. There also needs to be a fair and yet (at least fairly) competitive wage structure, and there needs to be a healthy dose of courage and bullishness to invest money in new, quality players, if and when required. And the club also needs to stick to its values and principles.

For me, it is paramount to keep hold of all our key players; and this includes those that reach the mature footballing years.

How can we expect our players to develop loyalty and remain intrinsically motivated to give their all, and want to win silverware at Arsenal, if the club does not look after those players who have been given their all for us?!

I understand why the club had to let go the likes of Pires, Vieira, Gilberto, Henry and Ljungberg, Toure and Clichy, etc in the last seven/eight years, but it is now time to show that we do look after our players and reward them for their loyalty and hard work at the club. Arsenal need to offer their players – young and established – (a sense of) continuity and proper care, and it needs to start with the likes of Rosicky, Vermaelen and Sagna.

Players will always have to be able to make the grade and remain good enough for Arsenal of course.

But if we want our players to properly care for Arsenal and go the extra mile, they will have to feel the same from the club.

Enough now of the cashing in on established, older players who still have a lot to give to our club, and whose experience, hunger and loyalty are of great importance if we want to win silverware again, as well as keeping hold of our big, younger talents.

Let’s offer Sagna a fair and multi-year contract; let’s tell Vermaelen he is part of the team and we’ll do everything to get him back to his best; let’s tell Koz he is part of Arsenal long term plans and he is going nowhere; and let’s show all our players the club continues to have real ambition to be the top club in England and Europe.

It will give us a competitive edge against the Oilers for years to come.

“We become just by doing just, temperate dy doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts.” Aristotle.

Written by: TotalArsenal.

Jack has it; Vermaelen had it and will again. But Arsenal lack Presence!

June 4, 2013June 4, 2013TotalArsenal

I originally opined on this several posts back and made the point that from my favorite kids movie, Megamind, the only thing that differentiates villains and super-villains, is “Presentation!” For a reminder see the last bits of:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbkKVDVkFgY

One could almost re-quote the last bit as “Oh you’re a team alright but you’re not super. Oh Yeah! What’s the difference?!?” … Presence!

More specifically, there is quite a lot of grumpiness amongst Arsenal fans of late, and by late, I mean the last 2-3 years. While many bemoan a lack of cups that we all want anyway, it often moves on towards discussions of how we could be better if only we had the world’s greatest footballer: Cesc Cesar Isco Wanyama Jovetic-Higuain.

Despite his rather long name, this footballer has one thing going for them compared to lesser lights like Mr Andrey Ryo Manone Santos-Squillaci, and that is Presence!

Presence (noun) = The state or fact of existing, occurring, or being present in a place or thing.
Presence! (noun!) = The state or fact of existing, occurring, or being present in a place or thing that causes fear or anxiety amongst ones competitors.

Not to be confused with:

Presence (noun?) = A person or thing that exists or is present in a place but is not seen: “the monks became aware of a strange presence”. This is Andre Santos on defense!

So what is Presence! Well, and this will appeal to Glic I am sure, the definition of ‘Presence!’ is a lot like that attributed to pornography. I can’t define it but I know it when I see it.

So, let’s call Presence! that fear engendered in opponents when a player has the ball, or is even near the action sometimes. From there, let me say who I think has Presence! and who is, shall I say, merely present.

Presence!

Cesc – at Arsenal the added creativity he brought made everyone else, even Nasri, better, and when he had the ball other teams tended to over focus on him. To our benefit and their detriment. Presence! makes others better and perhaps made Cesc appear better than he is!
RvJ – had no Presence! before last season really, but after that run, every time the ball heads towards him every other player on the opposing defense gets an immediate case of “pucker fever” … Presence! can be made or developed, you don’t have to be born with it.
Messi and Ronaldo – obviously! Keeping with our superhero format, with great talent comes great Presence!
Yaya and Kompany – the spine of Man City in recent years, and on form they make the middle of the field a place of fear, thus compressing the pitch to the obvious benefit of their entire team. To feel Yaya’s or Vincent’s presence (small “p”) while not even looking at them is to know that Presence! isn’t just about scoring it’s about influencing the entire pitch.

Negative Presence!

Santos – what teams don’t relish seeing him in our line-up.
Gervinho – either dominates the world or gets confused and goes out to lunch. If he’s not on, he can be ignored, and he’s often note quite on.

Historical Presence! And we had it in spades!!

Adams – had Presence! and then some as a defender, as does Verm on his day!
DB10 – perhaps a most obvious example.
Thierry – when he had the ball or was merely lurking around the left corner of the box, everyone knew where he was and was looking that way.

And many others we could all add, each of whose unique attributes and abilities, as well as consistency over time, made sure everyone knew they were about.

That leads to my next point that Presence! is a tangible but also transient thing. Rooney had it, and then bang this year with RvJ about, gone! One could almost define Presence! the consistency of the very best form that influences the entire game just by the players mere presence on the pitch.

For Glic, who is way more concise than I am, this is just Boing! when watching YouTube highlights… 🙂

Somehow, we lack that Presence! and to get to the next level need to find the people outside, or within our team, who can develop it.

So, who are the likely candidates! I would posit the following noting that these are merely my opinions and that anything free, like my opinion, comes with no guarantee…

At Arsenal:

Theo – if he can figure out how to be something more than just pace for goals, just like Thierry
Santi – may well get it this year with the right formation around him
Koz, Gibbs – with time
Vermaelen – has all the potential needs his head on square focus
Podolski – why isnt 100 caps and over 40 goals for Germany feared more …?
Jack – in spades and can do it already, needs to be healthy for a full season…

You will note there are many names missing and I may have missed a few.

And amongst our many targets and possibilities:

Jovetic – at the risk of TAs displeasure, not for me
Higuain – at the risk of HHs admiration, yes
Isco – only in Glic’s mind but he has the Boing! factor
Villa – yes, but only for 1-2 years

Arsenal have been blessed in past with many such players, who made all around them better while shrinking the pitch on defense and expanding it on offense. Just by their Presence! and the way teams were forced to consistently acknowledge them and hedge towards them…

I think we have several emerging talents with that potential, and that the right person in this TW will add to it. The real questions for you Gooners might be:

Presence! Fact or jgc professorial fiction?
Presence! Don’t need it, cuz we got it, or just don’t need it if we play this ___ esoteric formation and lineup
Presence! Who will bring it to us in this TW? Who won’t?
Presence! Do we need it on offence, defence or both, or will that one special DM solve it all?

I think we’ve discussed all the answers to all these really, already in past posts. So, let me ask one real question… What one change will give Arsenal the Presence! it’s quality players deserve. The Presence! to make other teams half give up on our arrival on the pitch.

I honestly think we are that close, it may not be players but simply time or formation, but we need Presence! Because…

Presence! (noun) = the small difference between fighting for 3-4^th or 1^st.

Written by: jgc.

Open letter to the Verminator: TV5, time to fight for your place!

May 26, 2013TotalArsenal

Dear Thomas Vermaelen – De Leeuw van Vlaanderen (the Lion of Flanders),

I don’t know what is going on regarding your current position at the club. As it is the ‘silly season’, and you have been on the bench for ten out of the last eleven club games, it is inevitable that rumours will be circulated regarding your future at the club. There might not be a single bit of truth in it, as we are aware of the manipulative, mendacious nature of the majority of the professional football sites and papers.

I hope you and the manager have no intention whatsoever to discontinue your stay at our beloved Arsenal.

But just in case there is some truth in the rumours you could be leaving the home of football this summer, I am writing to you to say: stay put and fight for your place. You are a Gunner and you belong at The Arsenal!

Sometimes it is good to allow a bit of doubt and humility into your life, in order to make progress. The captaincy has not worked out and I reckon this is due to you being more of a specialist than a born leader. We have all come to love you for your passion, tenacity, controlled aggression and fearlessness as our left-sided CB. But since you have become captain, your performances have often been below-par. I believe the combination of having – feeling – the responsibility to lead your defence, and the team as a whole, has diminished your ability to concentrate on your defensive duties, and this has led to a number of painful and costly mistakes.

Yet, we all know what a fantastic kuitenbijter (carves-biter) of a CB you are, and how you always play with pride and love for the shirt. That’s how we’ve come to love you, and it’s what we are all longing for you to return to as soon as possible.

Towards the end of the season, the BFG and Koz were rightly the chosen CB-pairing, and I love both guys as much as I do you, Verminator. But there is a whole summer to get back to your very best, and to give Wenger a proper selection headache for the new season.

This is the time for you to fight: laat ze allemaal een poepie ruiken! You are 27 and the very best years are ahead of you; you are the beast of a CB we all want and need.

First thing to do, is to humble yourself a bit and tell Arsene you don’t want the armband any more – that it is not for you. Wenger can give it permanently to Arteta, or even Mertesacker (my preference). Let others lead the team and/or the defence, and you just concentrate on being the best CB in the PL again.

Thomas you have all the qualities – technically, tactically and psychologically – to become an absolute CB-beast again: the one who treats his opponents like vermin that needs devouring; the one who towers above everyone, and vacuum-cleans everything up in front of, or behind, him; the one who inspires his team by example and score pulsating (late) goals which make us grab all the points.

Come on Thomas, please stay put and fight for your place. This is no time for turning. This is the time to refocus and come out fighting, and to become a footballer in full.

I want to hear the Lion of Flanders ROAR again and to see you play with the passion and power that only you possess.

Ik weet dat je het kan, je moet enkel in jezelf geloven!

This is the Verminator, we want back:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yvcl541r60U

Written by: TotalArsenal.

Everyone wants our Santi Cazorla! Arsenal vs Transfer Window

May 25, 2013TotalArsenal

Intro

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

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

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

Flying the coop:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Previous Encounters:

Arsenal 2012/13

Players Purchased

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

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

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

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

Players Sold

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

Arsenal 2011/12

Players Purchased

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Players Sold

Fabregas, Nasri, Clichy, Traore, JET, Eboue

Arsenal 2010/11

Players Purchased

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

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

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

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

Players Sold

Senderos, Eduardo, Simpson, Merida

Form Guide:

Arsenal 2012/13

Grade = B

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

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

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

Arsenal 2011/12

Grade = C

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

Arsenal 2010/11

Grade = B-

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

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

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

One to Watch:

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

‘Pre-Match’ Finger:

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

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

‘Pre-Match’ pat on the back:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

3. Gervinho.

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

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

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

2) What player/s would improve that weakness?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

RB- either M. Richards or M. Lowton.

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

ST- Benteke or Lacina Traore from Anzhi

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

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

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

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

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

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

3. Someone who is not Gervinho.

4. The usual £40m suspects.

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

3) Jovetic or Higuain?

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

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

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

Human being in Croydon (Spurs): Higuain.

Roo (Spurs): Higuain.

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

Alberts Chip Shop (Newcastle): Jovetic.

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

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

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

James (Swansea): Higuain

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

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

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

TomW19 (Southampton): Higuain

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

4) Julio Cesar or Szczesney?

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

Now suffering in Spain (Spurs): Cesar

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

Human being in Croydon (Spurs): Cesar.

Roo (Spurs): Neither.

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

Alberts Chip Shop (Newcastle): Cesar.

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

Cordon726 (Man U): Cesar without a doubt.

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

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

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

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

Schad (Southampton): Not Julio Cesar.

TomW19 (Southampton): Szczesney

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Prediction:

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

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

Yakman: 4…possibly 5

Oz: Interesting! Will Jovetic be one of them?

Yakman: Yes, it looks that way!

Oz: Will Sagna and Vermaelen leave Arsenal?

Yakman: Possibly, but I think not!

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

Yakman: Not everyone will be pleased.

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

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

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

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

Written by: Oz Gunner

What if Arsenal bought no new defenders? Time to promote Miguel and Yennaris.

May 22, 2013May 22, 2013TotalArsenal

What if Arsenal bought nobody this season?

I know this is sacrilege to the transfer horny hordes out there, but it is a necessary question to ask in my opinion. The paint on the old season has not even dried and everybody is talking greedily about the players we need to buy – and I have been as guilty as anybody. We all feel we have £70m+ burning in our holsters! 🙂

Yet, I feel there is not enough recognition for the incredible feat our boys have achieved since our painful loss against the Spuddies.

Winning the last five away games in a row is worthy of high praise, and so is winning eight of the last ten games. Add to this our five clean sheets (six including Bayern away) and conceding only five goals in 10 PL games, and we can only say that our boys have done us proud to fight back with all they had after the derby defeat.

The key question we have to ask is whether we can, and should, build further on this team.

To do this properly, let’s assume nobody is going to be signed in the summer, so we can analyse the strength as well the potential in this team going forward. For good order, and to avoid the nutbums to come on to the blog in hordes, I am not saying we should not buy anybody this season.

In three separate posts, I am going to look at the areas of GK/defence, midfield and attack.

Defence

Our defence has improved from last season, conceding 37 goals compared to 49 a year ago. Yet, we know that, except for the last ten games, they have been inconsistent: often conceding unnecessarily and early on in games, after which the team is faced with big mountains to climb. In the crucial one to one matches with our nearest rivals, our defence has not been good enough, especially in the first halves of our encounters with them.

It would be wrong to put all the blame on Vermaelen, as everybody in our defence has made costly mistakes this season. It is also fair to say that as a unit they were not provided with enough protection, and the switch towards a more conservative double-DM formation in which Ramsey and Arteta were ordered to stay tightly together and focus first and for all on their defensive duties, rather than venturing forward constantly, has made a big difference.

I feel the biggest problem for Vermaelen was his inability to combine the leadership duties, both of the defence AND the team as a whole, with performing his own CB duties to a high level of concentration and execution. He failed in this, and many of us could see from quite early on that Vermaelen was not made for the captaincy.

Other than instructing Ramsey to play more conservatively and closer to Arteta, the pivotal decision in turning this season round has to be the benching of the Lion of Flanders. It allowed the BFG to become the organiser/leader of defence and Arteta to take on the leadership responsibilities of the whole team.

I love TV5, and really hope he is going to stay put, and fight for his place. But this cannot be as our captain, and he will have to work very hard to dislodge the more and more solid CB-pairing of BFG and Koz.

There are some vague rumours that TV will leave this summer, but if we want to consolidate the newly found strength of our defence, Arsene needs to do everything to keep him. One injury to either Koz or BFG, and TV gets another chance to work himself back into the team. We need at least one quality, experienced CB on the bench, and TV would be ideal for this. The question is whether he would be happy to accept this scenario…

With Squillaci surely leaving now and Djourou probably not returning to the squad after the summer, there should now be a chance for Miquel. He is a very stylish player who lacks experience, and I would love to see him get first team games next season. We also now know that Sagna can play centrally, and so we should have both two experienced – Vermaelen and Sagna – and a talented option to cover for the CB positions. However, this does mean we need to hold on to both the Belgian and Frenchman, and if we don’t, we need to replace them as we need to keep a certain level of experience within back four.

Our current CB-pair of BFG and Koz is a combination of the tall and stable organiser type with the ‘first-soldier’, highly energetic type of CB. I reckon in TV and also Sagna we have more than decent replacement for the first-soldier type CB, but we do not have another ‘organiser’ type, ready to slot in.

I believe that Miquel has great potential for this, but he would not be adequate cover (yet) if and when the BFG is out for a long period. Perhaps Koz can be turned into this type but I am not entirely sure whether this would benefit us much. TV is not that type and neither is Sagna, so this is an area Wenger might have to look at.

We are likely to see an enormous ‘Battle of the FB’s’ next season, as Sagna and Jenkinson will compete for the RB position and Gibbs and Nacho for the LB position. It is fantastic that we have two good players for each position, and only if Sagna were to leave would we need to find experienced cover – and that is why I believe Arsene will not let the Frenchman go: what would be the point?

It might also be time to promote Nico Yennaris, who can play in midfield but also as a FB. It would allow us to use Sagna more regularly as a CB – especially in the domestic cup games – and give both Jenkinson and him a break now and again.

I reckon Szczesny has done enough to convince Wenger he is still our nr.1 with a number of good performances since he returned to the first team. The key issue remains whether we have good enough back up in case the’ Pole in Goal’ gets injured, suspended or suffers a huge drop in form. Mannone and Fabianski both had stints in the first team and both did relatively very well.

But I still think this is the one area were Arsene might invest a bit of money to bring in a PL-experienced goalkeeper. However, if he decides not to then the risk would be relatively low.

So all in all, our defence is looking pretty good and if we keep everybody there is no urgent need to bring in new players.

Written by: TotalArsenal.