Premier league Archives

It’s crunch time! Newcastle United vs Arsenal Match Preview

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May 192013

THIS IS IT.

This is it. The final day of the season and Champions League qualification rests on this result. If we win: we qualify – and depending on Chelsea’s result against Everton we may have a third place playoff decider. (Although that is very unlikely.) If we don’t win, it falls into the hands of them down the road. I don’t even want to think about that though.

We last beat Newcastle United at St James’ Park in 2009; a 3-1 win, with goals from Nickas Bendtner, Abou Diaby and Samir Nasri, and even included a fine penalty save from Manuel Almunia.

Our trips up North have always proved testing, but with Newcastle now safe from relegation they have nothing to play for. Nonetheless, their squad is one with immense talent. I am a big admirer of Davide Santon and Yohan Cabaye, although their whole squad has underperformed this season and have only just steered clear of relegation.

Our last meeting with Newcastle at St James’ Park finished a rather uninspiring 0-0. This time around however I see nothing other than an Arsenal win although, I will admit I said the same about Wigan Athletic and at half time I was slightly concerned. The performance in the second half I’m pleased to say diminished any fears I had. We’ve clocked up an impressive 23 points from our last nine games and havevwon the last four away from home, albeit in not the best fashion. That said, we wouldn’t have won those games last year and I am pleased to see that we have started to grind out results especially away from home. I think this is in no part down to the blend of experience we now have within the squad, namely Per Mertesacker, Tomas Rosicky and Mikel Arteta.

“OH NO! ZAT LITTLE GRANDMOTHER IST SCHNELLER ZAN I AM!“

I have had tedious arguments with friends in regards to Mertesacker. We all know he’s not the quickest guy over 10 yards… hell, I’d back my nan to outpace him over 25 yards!… but his simple passing out from the back and safety first approach is fine with me. He is a rock and it is no surprise to me that Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny are unbeaten in their last 17 starts together, winning 10 and drawing seven. With Olivier Giroud back from suspension, I’d expect to see him on the bench. Lukas Podolski had a quiet but effective game against Wigan, scoring twice and did enough to retain his place in the starting XI for me.

The decision to give Alan Pardew an eight-year contract was met at the time with plaudits from the footballing world that a manager could be trusted to build and mould a football team without fear of the ever present axe from above – now, however, that could prove to be a foolish move from Newcastle. I believe that Pardew has done all he can at Newcastle and agree with Karen Brady that he does this with all of the clubs he has managed. Pardew comes in, makes a few signings and the squad play good football for a season or two; then the slump sets in and his teams go downhill fast. I wonder what the reaction would be should Arsene Wenger be handed an 8-year deal?

We all know the ramifications of not finishing fourth. It would put a real dent in our ambitions of signing proven quality, not to mention the pockets of the club. I’ve seen some fans state they hope we don’t qualify for the Champions League in the hope it makes the club realise just how far we are from competing for the Premier League again. If we don’t qualify, I strongly believe it would be the start of a Liverpool-esque situation that will see us slide slowly but surely down the league for a good few years. It is imperative we get behind the team. Our away support is the best in the land and I know the travelling boys will be in full song come tomorrow at 4pm.

For one last time this season, Up The Arsenal!

Possible Starting Lineups –

Guardian – Possible lineups

Arsenal Subs From

Fabianski, Mannone, Martínez, Jenkinson, Monreal, Yennaris, Miquel, Vermaelen, Squillaci, Coquelin, Gnabry, Oxlade-Chamberlin, Arshavin, Giroud, Arteta

Newcastle Subs From

Alnwick, Santon, Amalfitano, Perch, Williamson, Bigirimana, Anita, Campbell, Sammy Ameobi, Marveaux

Injuries

Arsenal Miyaichi (ankle, Aug), Diaby (knee, Dec)

Newcastle Shola Ameobi (knee, Aug), Vuckic (knee, Aug), Haïdara (hamstring, Aug), Krul (shoulder, Aug), Sissoko (knee, Aug), R Taylor (knee, Aug 2013)

Betting Tips –

The last four meetings between these sides have seen 21 goals scored at an average of over 5 a game.
SkyBet price Newcastle at 5/1 and Coral price us at 4/7 (best prices).
Arsenal have not conceded in their last five away games out of seven.
Both teams have not scored at St. James’ park in the last four out of five games.

By Ryan Barker follow me on twitter @RyArsenal

Wigan review and thoughts on Rooney, Begovic and Piszczek

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May 122013

The magic of The FA Cup sparkled again on Saturday evening with Wigan Athletic beating Manchester City 1-0. It was not only a victory for Wigan, but many mooted it as being a victory for football – a hearty performance from a squad that cost less than Gareth Barry, Oil Money 0-1 Hearty football. But that’s a different story for a different day. On to Tuesday evening where we host Wigan at The Emirates. Off the back of their FA Cup win, one of two things will happen; either they will attack from the off and be buoyed into believing they can avoid the drop (and FA Cup Winner omens are with them as no FA Cup winning team has ever been relegated in the same season) or they will be knackered from the weekend. I hope it is the latter. It does surprise me that Wigan are in this mess for the second year in a row. I traveled to The DW Stadium earlier in the season for our 1-0 win and although we didn’t put in a vintage display, Wigan played some good football, not only on that day but also throughout the season. The Roberto Martinez love in is one that I am not a part of. I am pleased for the man but it seems to me that Martinez is a manager who thrives under pressure. Regardless of my views, he will be looking to fire up his players for a vital clash with us. Arsenal however will be playing to ensure Champions League qualification. With Chelsea winning 2-1 on Saturday it is pivotal that we walk off the field with 3 points. As I write this, Stoke vs Spurs are about to kick off and I’m praying to everyone that will listen that Stoke do us an unlikely favor. It is vital that we do not switch off after the opening 25 minuets like we did at QPR last weekend. We have to ensure that we see out the game.

Away from our game it’s been an interesting week transfer wise. Wayne Rooney has emerged as a potential target for us amid a lot of dismissive talk on Twitter. If we did actually bid for Rooney, I’d be over the moon. The signing itself would be a massive statement of intent, plus it would technically make us even for selling Van Persie to them. Rooney has seen a blip in form, but get him back to his best, which I believe we can and we’ve got a 25+ goal a season man, something we’ve lacked in recent years. I would prefer Rooney to Jovetic, mainly as Rooney is a proven success in the Premier League. Add to that he’s English, with Theo Walcott, The Ox, Jenkinson, Wilshere and Gibbs, we’ve got an English crux, something else that some fans have been crying out for a while for. So, let’s recap that transfer 1) Big money spent. Tick. 2) Big name signing. Tick. 3) English. Tick. 4) Proven quality in the Premier League. Tick. 5) Doesn’t need developing. Tick. Five things that some fans have yearned for. If this one’s got any legs, I’m ecstatic. Another potential target is Lukasz Piszczek of Borrusia Dortmund. The Telegraph are reporting that if Bacary Sagna departs in the Summer, Piszczek is the number one target. Costing around £12m he wouldn’t be cheap. The Telegraph also state that Begovic is also an option for us, but the £15m Stoke will hold out for would be a stumbling block.

Team News

Wigan – Antolin Alcaraz, Jean Beausejour (both hamstring), Maynor Figueroa (groin) and Ronnie Stam (ankle) have all picked up knocks in recent games, joining long-term absentees Albert Crusat and Ivan Ramis on the sidelines.

Arsenal – Giroud (suspended). Fabianski (Rib Injury) & Miyachi (Ankle Injury) could return.

Any comments/feedback @RyArsenal

Arsenal plotting triple swoop for England hitman, budding Welsh defender and impressive Pole?

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May 102013

With no game over the weekend due to Wigan’s participation in the FA cup, it leaves things reasonably quiet again from an Arsenal perspective.

We’re currently holding a one-point edge over Tottenham with two matches left in the race for a Champions League berth. The outcome will decide exactly how much leverage Arsene Wenger has during the always important summer transfer window.

Elite players are normally looking for a chance to play in Europe’s top club competition; so if the Gunners are planning to aim high in the coming months, they must take care of business in very winnable matches against Wigan and Newcastle.

As Arsenal focus on locking up a coveted Champions League spot, let’s examine some of the latest transfer buzz involving the club. It includes talk about Wayne Rooney, whose future at Manchester United remains up in the air.

Rooney has spent nearly a decade with Manchester United, developing into one of the league’s most dangerous attacking players during that time. Now he’s 27 and where he starts next season is likely to become one of the summer’s biggest transfer sagas.

Reports are circulating Arsenal and Chelsea have joined the Rooney sweepstakes, which already included Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich. It’s also stated the longtime United star had requested a move before Sir Alex Ferguson announced his retirement.

If United decided to move Rooney, one of the biggest question marks would be whether or not staying in the Premier League is an option. If so, Arsenal could certainly use a natural striker like him to lead the attack. But it would come down to the asking price, which could be sky high if PSG is involved.

After two straight strong Premier League seasons with Swansea, it’s no surprise Williams is starting to generate some attention. The 28-year-old defender has been a stalwart for the Capital One Cup champions and could handle the jump to a bigger club.

Arsenal and Liverpool are both interested in adding him to their back lines. Swansea clearly isn’t in any hurry to move him, however, having reportedly placed a £10 million price tag on their budding star.

While that’s definitely a high asking price for Williams, it’s not an unreasonable starting point for negotiations. He would further solidify an Arsenal back line that’s been the most consistent part of the club throughout the campaign.

Anyway, I hope you’ve enjoyed my first piece. Up the Arsenal.

By Josh.

Follow me on twitter – @_JoshCazorla49

RVP – Guard of Honour?

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Apr 252013

On May 6^th 1991, Arsenal secured their second league title in two years. Our opposition that day was Manchester United, who finished 25 points behind Arsenal that season, and who, grudgingly I’m sure, provided a guard of honour. Arsenal went on to beat the northerners 3-1. In actual fact, nine days after providing the guard of honour at Highbury, Manchester United beat Barcelona to win the Cup Winners Cup.

So surely there is a bigger question about Arsenal providing a guard of honour for the league winners? I think the question that needs to be asked is why Arsenal’s next game is the first of three desperate battles to get sufficient points to finish 3^rd or 4^th in a league we used to win regularly. If we were preparing for a semi final in the Champions League or looking forward to appearing in an FA Cup Final, would be as bothered about Robin Van Persie smirking his way through two lines of his ex-colleagues?

I don’t like Van Persie, he lacks something in my book. I remember him addressing the manager as “Wenger” when he’d been at the club for ten minutes and when he was unveiled to the Highbury crowd, he was wearing the same stupid trousers as the bass player from Iron Maiden; there were also those unfortunate allegations in Holland and he missed huge chunks of successive seasons. Did he owe Arsenal a greater degree of loyalty? Too flipping right he did!

However, last season his goals were the most significant contributory factor that enabled us to qualify for the Champions League. No Champions League, probably no Santi Cazorla and for those of you who still think Walcott is a footballer, no contract extension for young Theo either. But let’s be frank, if you are a highly skilled professional in your own field and someone offers you the chance of significant advancement and triple the salary and critically, your current employer has been in the wilderness for a few years, what would you do? Van Persie’s “crime” was to run the clock down in the same way Nasri did, but doesn’t the club have a case to answer here, by not negotiating earlier?

Van Persie underlines the fundamental difference between Arsenal and Manchester United. They are the type of club that spends £24 million on a 29 year old with dodgy knees, but we are the type of club that sells him. Over the last eight years we have sold Vieira, Henry, Adebayor, Nasri, Fabregas and RVP for a profit of £106 million (the basic difference between purchase and sale price). Good business, but how much did your season ticket cost in 2005 and what does it cost now? Do we really look like challenging for silverware?

These are better questions than whether or not we should give them a guard of honour. If you can’t make it to the game on Sunday and you’re stood next to a group of glory hunters at the pub, just remind them Arsenal always do the right thing, because our club has genuine class, if you are there, polite applause or stay on the concourses until the first whistle and then give the greedy opportunist turncoat hell.

Thanks for reading, please feel free to follow me on twitter @CMJIanB

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Does Giroud meet the grade?

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Apr 192013

It’s that time of year again. The weather starts picking up and we as fans are constantly reminded of potential new signings during the time of year that no Arsenal supporter enjoys; the transfer window. Maybe I’m just sceptical, but every year seems to offer me the exact same hope and expectation, only to be torn away in the form of high-profile departures or the recruitment of players who do not exactly stimulate the footballing pallet.

I was genuinely optimistic last summer following the sale of Robin van Persie (not specifically this part!) and the signings of Lukas Podolski, Santi Cazorla (very specifically this part!) and Olivier Giroud. But having had nearly a full season to observe this new-look Arsenal side, now seems as good a time as any to look at the impact of one of the trio, Giroud, the player who has arguably created the biggest difference in opinion amongst both fans and the media alike.

On initial viewing, Olivier’s debut campaign looks fairly impressive; 17 goals and 13 assists to date. However, numbers do not always tell the whole story. As a case in point, Dennis Bergkamp finished his first season with 11 goals, showing that figures can often be misleading and skewed to say whatever a person wants. Obviously the Dutchman is a completely different player but the comparison remains relevant. To further this, we can look at the ridiculous point that everyone made following Giroud’s first goal for the club; that he scored his first quicker than Thierry Henry did. What a waste of time that comparison was. By that reckoning, Giroud will eventually score more than Henry. I think not.

Out of Giroud’s 11 Premier League goals this season, four have come in 7-3 and 5-1 demolitions of Newcastle and West Ham respectively, but how often is he the one that makes the difference? He has scored vital goals for us, including the goal against Norwich that made it 2-1 on Saturday. But, there are countless more opportunities where he has had clear chances, yet failed to make them count. Without going into much thought, I can recall chances against Sunderland and Chelsea at home that should have been converted and while some may argue that being so early in his career at the club may have played an impact, the Everton game on Tuesday showed he still has difficulty in converting on a regular and reliable basis.

Last season, whenever the chips were down, van Persie was always likely to provide the pivotal moment in a game. This is probably an unfair argument to the Frenchman, when you consider the man he had to replace. We as Arsenal fans have been spoilt over the past decade, being treated to some of the finest attacking players in World football. Van Persie, Bergkamp and Henry are not exactly easy acts to follow! But maybe that is an indication of the level that this side are currently playing at and of the calibre of player that we are able to attract in the present climate.

To this point, this article probably sounds like I am not a fan of Giroud when in reality, quite the opposite is true. I rate him highly and you cannot help but admire his work rate and desire to win. The way he brings others into play adds an element of balance to the side and also provides a focal point for the attack.

Arsenal also don’t make use of Giroud’s strengths enough for my liking. Often the Frenchman will flick balls on from goal-kicks and none of his team-mates are close enough to him to challenge for the second ball. His aerial ability is something that we should be utilizing more often, and too often crosses are put into the wrong areas where he is not likely to be able to get to.

Giroud would no doubt benefit from having someone play closer to him, be it through a second striker or by the wingers closing the game a bit tighter during certain passages of play. In terms of the first point, I’ve always thought that he would benefit from having someone like Walcott next to him in a conventional ‘small man, big man’ combination. However, 4-4-2 seems to be very much a thing of the past and unlikely to resurrect in the foreseeable future.

Olivier Giroud has shown a lot during his first season at the club, and for the best part has produced more positives that negatives. I can think of plenty of examples of players who have had far worse first seasons and gone on to be exceptional for the club. Robert Pires anyone!? I don’t think even the most optimistic of Gooners would have predicted his second season being quite as brilliant as it was before it was cruelly cut short. I think Giroud has plenty more to offer and perhaps with the signing of another striker to increase competition and offer an alternative, he will become an even more integral figure next season. Let’s just hope that finally ends in that elusive trophy!

Follow me on Twitter @tomdow7

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Play Rosicky and Oxlade Chamberlain

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Apr 162013

In the modern world of the Sky dominated “EPL” every game is massive, but tonight’s match at the Arsenal really is critical. Arsenal have won seven out of eight matches in the league and (should) we beat Everton and Fulham, we will be seven points ahead of Tottenham, bearing in mind we were seven points behind them after our defeat at WHL on March 3rd, that’s some achievement in its own right.

For most of the game against Norwich we were very poor, sadly, some of this was down to bringing Jack Wilshere back into the team prematurely. I’ve thought for a while that we have a problem when Mr Wenger plays both Cazorla and Wilshere. The team seems to over-play anyway but there is even a greater tendency to over complicate the game around the opposition’s box, when those two are in the team. The reality of the situation of course, is that those two are our best players and next season it’s incumbent on the manager to work out how to get the best from the pair in the same team. But tonight is different; we need three points and a platform for a further three at Fulham on Saturday.

The two players I’d love to see in the starting eleven tonight are Tomas Rosicky and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Both have the quality to see space and have the ability and the bravery to pass or run into that space. Rosicky in particular has stacks of experience of winning critical games (sadly with the Czech Republic as opposed to Arsenal) and the nous to handle some of the big players Everton have. I was at Goodison last October when we were pretty fortunate to get a draw and we were battered by Fellaini in the first half. He got far too much of the ball and Rosicky is the type of player to combat this situation by moving the play away from areas where the Belgian can dominate.

Young Alex has been woefully under-used by the manager; I often wonder what he needs to do to get a look in. He demonstrated exactly what he’s about as a player with his contribution to the second goal against Norwich: Saw the gap, ran into it (with his head up – take note Gervinho), and passed the ball just where it needed to go. He’s twice the footballer Walcott will ever be and we need to utilise him more, starting with tonight.

I acknowledge that when we have players of the quality of Walcott, O-C and Podolski as substitutes, we can win games from the bench. But we were lucky against Norwich, we don’t usually have linesman like we had on Saturday and Everton a real team, they are challenging for Europe on merit alone. I have a lot of respect for Everton and their manager, they’ve had no investment to speak of, no trophies for almost 20 years, but they have a fantastic support and a competitive, attacking team with some exceptional players. We will have to be right on the money tonight, look how easily Norwich scored from that set piece, imagine Leighton Baines on the ball with Fellaini, Distin and Amichebe waiting for it?

Therefore, I would make sure that all the starting eleven tonight are fully fit (sorry Jack) and I’ll keep my fingers crossed that Flapper’s ribs can be bandaged successfully for 90 minutes (never thought I’d write that!) I think our totem poled Teuton should play and hopefully Aaron Ramsey will continue his very good recent form partnering Mikel Arteta.

I firmly believe that we can beat Everton tonight, but we’ll have to earn it.

Follow me on twitter @CMJIanB

Bale out for a further two weeks as recovery stalls

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Apr 152013

Spurs have been rocked by the news that influential midfielder Gareth Bale could face a further two weeks on the sidelines as he recovers from an ankle injury sustained against FC Basel in the Europa League. The Welsh forward underwent a procedure on his right ankle to speed up his recovery and a reliable source has confirmed this procedure can take up to four weeks to recover from.

The controversial procedure dubbed ‘blood spinning’ involves the extraction of a small blood sample which is subsequently ‘spun’ at high speeds to increase the concentration of the growth hormone. This spun sample is then returned to the body in the affected area and can increase the healing time by up to 4/5 times its original rate. However our source suggests that the procedure can take up to four weeks to fully recover from, meaning Gareth Bale could well miss a further two games in the Barclays Premier League.

This news represents a huge boost to Arsenals aspirations of sealing the vital top four spot as they look to edge out their north London rivals for the second year running. With the end of the season edging closer make sure you keep an eye out on Spurs remaining results live at www.footballscores.com. Check out the Gunner’s results there too!

CDM Crisis, talk at the Emirates

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Apr 052013

This morning I was reading an article by a man that calls himself EducatedGooner. No before you go crazy on me please note that this is not a nasty response to his article nor is it an “I think I am better than you” situation. I actually like the points that he made. We don’t need to spend big on a CDM but the fact remains and that is we need one as in yesterday. I am obviously not an expert (lies I like to think I am) and I do quite vividly remember the likes of Emmanuel Petit, Patrick Viera, Gilberto Silva and they were of another breed. These CDMs are what helped us win the Cups and gain The Invincible status we so proudly boast about today. They were solid, ball winning game changers. There are obviously talks and links with several players and possibly the return of two.

Before I carry on with this piece. Bales injury and the spurs loss could work to our advantage, we just have to take it and run with it. Tottenham are not horrible but without that Bale they do not pose as much of a threat while attacking. I Foresee a dip in their performance and position.

Okay back to the topic at hand.

My fellow Gooner did mention the likes of Nico Yennaris and a possible candidate for this rather experience demanding position. The young lad doing exceptionally well for himself, he came back from injury about a month ago and is showing some dominance amongst his peers. His ability to read the game and the passion he has for the club is remarkable. Passion is just as important as ability, if players are just there for the pay check we have already lost. Now due to the fact that he is already in the Red Army and is proving himself a loyal and more than capable candidate he should be on the immediate radar right? Well yes he should be, however maybe not for this next season. Some first team action in the Capital One Cup would be good for him, if he is as promising as Serge Gnabry then the season of 2014-2015 looks bright. We have Fancis Coquelin , now this poor lad does not see much first team play at all but when he does, he shows that he is more than capable of dealing with the task at hand. Diaby whom is rarely fit but when he is, he does his job properly. Frimpong or Balotelli Jnr, is extremely young. This young player is seriously promising and with the right grooming he can be the next Viera that we are looking for. Ramsey has sort of been moulded into a temporary CDM alongside our new and much needed skipper Arteta. Might I add that he is doing very well as the interim Captain. Arteta is naturally a CAM. He is creative and his movement upside of the field is amazing. Thrust into the CDM position and with that being said he is holding it up and owning it. This young (Ramsey) man has struggled all season to find his place at Arsenal and right at the end he makes the impact that he had so painfully desired to make. Rumours are flying high that the not so prodigal son Alex Song could make his return to the emirates next season. In my opinion that would be a huge gain for us.

Although he has not had much game time at Barcelona (hence the return) he is still a solid player. Does he forget the he is a CDM and not a CF? Yes. Does he appear to sometimes have two left feet? Yes and at some point even three. Does he get lazy and forget to run? Yes. So then why would we want him back at the club? Because when it counts, that experience that he has will always prevail. If not Alex, then another “big” name with experience, just to ease the pressure of the defence West Hams Diame has some serious power and should still be on the radar as a possible replacement. In my opinion Coquelin and Frimpong should get some first team action via the Capital One Cup next season. Personally I think it’s over for Diaby at Arsenal however I don’t see anyone buying him in this condition. So as always Wenger will be patient and wait for him to recover and then he will try get him to be the player he was meant to be.

So do we need to spend big for a CDM? Not necessarily no, however a solid 15million should be enough to grab the attention of a solid one.

By Ntokozo Hlongwane

Red Army Goes Guerrilla!

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Mar 312013

Wow, what a game yesterday by the boys in red. It was just explosive, dynamite, football exhibition, amazing, 90minute screamer, seriously running out of words bit you can add your own in your mind.

Before I go any further I think Gervinho does deserve a special mention, the African really showed up yesterday. He was everywhere all the time, really teaching Walcott how to play on the wing.

Besides the one defensive blunder by Nacho, they were really solid at the back there. Koscienly once a again proving himself to be a huge asset and currently miles ahead of Vermaalen in terms of defensive abilities and reading the game. On a couple of occasions we saw him cover the left side when Nacho was too far forward to get back in time and a couple of goal saving tackles. Mertestriker was and always is phenomenal. The German has really found his feet in the BPL and now that he has caught up in the defensive side, he is finding himself a new position on the field as a CF. I think at some point when Podolski came on he (Merti) was upfront with him and it was not even a corner. Do I need to say anything about Sagna. When he first returned from his initial leg break injury, he had lost a lot of confidence and with that comes the failure of being effective and efficient in the position. Yesterday’s performance just puts him there with the top 5 full backs in England. The overlapping runs and partnership with Gervinho was oh so beautiful, and those final balls in the box? Such class and experience from the seasoned player. Nacho had a good game, linking well with is Spanish compatriots. I am however concerned about his lack of pace. We are known for our pace at the back with the exception of that giant German. Now it’s Nacho. However it’s nice to see a player playing with such heart and intensity as he does, it has been lacking.

At first I thought we were doomed with the attacking combination of Giroud, Gervinho and Carzola. I don’t at any point undermine their individual abilities, reading each other is the most important thing and though is looked a little hopeless and frustrating it was done pretty well. I think these 3 are extremely unlucky in terms of that final shot at goal. Although Giroud has the amazing ability to score goals, as he did in yesterday’s game, he often just has no luck. He gets into amazing positions and as soon as he is about to have that shot he will either fire and just hit the post or a player will jump right in front of him and the third option of him tripping over his own feet is a very viable. Yesterday was all three options in one. He got that goal which was a brilliant run by he and Gervinho, an easy pass across and a beautiful finish by the striker. The first goal was Giroud losing his footing, lucky had enough to play it to Carzola, again a nice pass across the goal and the Ivorian was waiting for that easy tap. Throughout the whole game we saw Reading players throw themselves at the ball in the box to prevent shots from going through and it worked really well. The score should have easily been 7-1 or 9-1.

The midfield combination of Ramsey, Rosicky and Arteta is absolutely amazing. THAT IS ALL. It is no secret that my favorite player at Arsenal is Rosicky and Little Mozart played a heartwarming symphony that made me blush. As the most influential and instrumental player at Arsenal at 31 it seems like he is hitting his peak again. Quick movement off the ball at some I was screaming “ooohhhh” because of the passing exhibition. Arteta and Ramsey have a formula that works called communication. Solid, consistent and effective. Ramsey is the white Viera. Arteta looking good with that Captains arm band and using it the way it should be used.

The introduction of the substitutes was a good dynamic changer and pace injection to the game. Chambo making an instant impact to the game by doing what he does best and that is running at the defence. Wining the penalty and Arteta murders it period. The last 5minutes of the game were absolutely sensational. It was like the players were at the training ground and they were playing piggy in the middle.

All in all Chelsea lost and if we keep this up, we are headed straight for top four. Next week is West Brom. Let’s get those points.

Love my team. Arsenal till I die.

By Ntokozo Hlongwane

Fast forward to transfer season

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Mar 292013

This season is nearly over and we are not looking to shabby. Okay despite the fact that we are sitting fifth just under Spurs, we look like we have the (excuse my language) balls to take the fight to them. Today is not about that though, i have my own personal wishlist which doubles up as a strong suggestion list for next season, please if you don’t agree tweet me and we will discuss this and i’ll just be right. Taking into consideration that we have tons of potential at the club and seemingly almost as much experience, this time my cries are just not as painful but just as urgent.

I’ll start for the back because that’s the numerical order and it just makes sense.

Keeper

Although Szeczney is seriously amazing and has experience coupled with abilities that are beyond his years, the young man still needs to grow up. I think for a while now he has been getting really comfortable between the sticks and rightfully so as his club and international team mate Fabianski has been injured. I would love to see him (Fabianski) play a consistently threatening role to the number 1 keeper so that we do not have any complacency within the camp. In terms of an extra keeper, maybe one with more experience would be good to keep him on his toes? Well rumor has it that Valdez has captured the eye of Mr Wenger and for that i just have 3 words. DON’T DO IT. Although the Barcelona keeper has a whole lot of Cups In his gloves, he seriously is horrible. The combination of Alves, Puyol, Pique, Alba and Busquets aid the faulty keeper and help keep Barca at the top. I would love to see the Dutch International Steklenburg in Arsenal colours next year ( provided it’s not that pink kit). He really is quite the perfect balance between a keeper and a shot stopper and most importantly know how to command a defence which Szeczney really struggles to do or he is just not commanding enough. Jaaskeleinen is not having a horrible season at all I mean, if all else fails we could bid for him or Newcastle’s Krul.

Defensive line

This season our back four have been asked all sorts of questions and more often than we would like to admit, we have been left with no answers and just questions. The captain has not been too impressive at all this season and I know I’m not the only one that thinks so. The addition of Monreal on the left really made a huge difference in comparison to the dud we had in Andre Santos. It doesn’t look like Sagna is going to stay next season and in that case having Gregory V.D Wiel to replace Sagna i think would be a great boost to the back. I am aware that he just got to PSG so maybe that’s aiming a little too high. Dortmunds Lukas Piszczek is not a bad option either, though I’m not sure if they would be willing to sell such a quality player and crucial part of the back line. (something they have to learn at Arsenal). Please note that I am not in any way undermining the work rate or improvement of Carl, however just one more season and I think he will be ready to take up the responsibility. We do have a lot of center backs, Djrourou will be making his way back from Hannover and hopefully he has gained some much needed confidence and game time. Hummels is the only player I can think of at the moment that is within our reach and at the right price we could get him.

Midfield

Firstly I would all like us to agree that selling Diaby is a good idea, that or sending him out on loan. I do appreciate the French in this defensive position and for that reason I think that long time target, Yann Mvilla should be strongly considered. His pass rate, work rate are really off the charts with him having the ability to attack as well as defend, him or Etinne Capoue. If we could nab Yanga Mbiwa from New Castle and tempt him with Champions league (granted we finish top four and qualify) then that would be awesome as he can also play the defensive role in the middle. Diame from West Ham is an absolute beast and would be a serious asset to us defensively. Our attacking options are not too concerning, however I did hear a rumor that Rosicky could leave. That would be to our very own detriment as a club, selling our best players and most experienced players is the reason we are in this mess. Maybe a bid for Mario Gotze, Gourcuff, Kalstroom, Robben , Kroos, Gustavo, Granero and Michu. I think any of the 8 players would fit in well with the squad, granted they are an addition and not a replacement to what we already have.

Attacking

We have Ox, Walcott, Gervinho, Podolski, and Giroud. Now, while all of these players are World Class, they are seriously struggling to connect with each other. The goal tally between them is really not that bad at all. We do however need an enforcer in the front there. Someone that is big like Drogba, Henry and Ibra. If we do not get a big striker then a clinical finisher like David Villa, Lewandowski and Dzeko would be our next best plan. Cisse is looking pretty good upfront. Taarabt from QPR and even Wright-Philips would be a good addition to the team. We are struggling with goal scorers at the moment, not really pace. Edison Cavani was also tipped to be on the transfer list radar. We would be a threat going forward if we had him on the starting line up or Milan’s Cassano. Fernando Llorente was linked with us, not having the best season but still, his finishing abilities are way above average. Aston Villa’s Benteke is a problem at the moment. He can seriously run for 90minutes of the game and still have some energy left for extra time and while doing all that, he poses a threat all the time.

These are obviously not all the most amazing players but they are the players that can add something more to the squad and force the current crop to work harder and grow a lot faster.

I will be back tomorrow with the ideal match situation for Reading. Reviews and preview for the game. This really cooked my brain though so as I recover, enjoy the reading.

By Ntokozo Hlongwane

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