Arsenal - The Invincibles

2012 - Arsenal Predictions

2012-01-12T23:47:00.000-08:00

This is not an astrologer blogging about celestial stars impact on Arsenal but an Arsenal blogger writing about how football superstars might affect Arsenal.

The best thing that could have happened for Arsenal was Thierry Henry coming back(be it on loan or for good) or you think something better is yet to come. Let's have a close look at Arsenal first team and try to analyse what would probably happen to them.

1. Manuel Almunia
Might probably find some other club that might be interested in him since Arsenal don't seem to have much to offer.

13. Wojciech Sczcesny
Will continue to be Arsenal's No.1 choice goalkeeper and might get injured for some time due to fatigue the way he is hoarding the first team spot.

21. Lukasz Fabianski
Already showed his happiness to be second in choice both at national and club level. So will continue to deputize Sczcesny and could get better if he get's enough chances.

24. Vito Mannone
Mannone shared his interest to continue permanently in Hull City to Nick Barmby and would be heading his way for once and all to K.C since he knows very well in Arsenal he won't get much chances since we already have two people ahead of him.

3. Bacary Sagna
Once back from injury will keep the right back place for himself with hardly any threat from Jenkinson who would play second in choice for atleast the whole of 2012.

4. Per Mertesacker
Will get better as the season progress and would soon be one of the best three defenders to play for Arsenal in 2012. He still needs time to improve on understanding the English side of the game.

5. Thomas Vermaelen
Verminator would be soon back to his best but will be getting less playing time considering his first season at Arsenal due to the emergence of superstar defender in Koscielny.

6. Laurent Koscielny
Possibly the best of the central defenders we have considering current form. If he continues this form, he would soon be playing for France and also playing in almost all matches for Arsenal. Unlike last season, he had been more consistent and smart with his decision making.

11. Andre Santos
Looks like a greater threat going forward and seemed to be less comfortable in defence. Both our left backs Gibbs and Santos would make good left midfielders rather than left backs. Will play most of the time looking at Gibbs injury history.

18. Sebastian Squillaci
Squillaci was an assured performer during his early days in club football. He no more looks that lethal and could be on his way back to Spanish or French league in Summer or Winter whenever he would get a chance due to lack of first team football. Looks like another Silvestre in making for Arsenal.

20. Johan Djourou
Showed good promise last season but had been highly erratic this season and more injury prone due to playing out of position on right back which demands greater stamina and more fatigue.

25. Carl Jenkinson
Should be a good season for him with limited chances but will soon be first choice once Sagna get to 30+ when Wenger would try to sell him off as seen in past with other players.

28. Kieren Gibbs
If he spends more time on pitch than the hospitals then only we could see more of this wonderful promising player. Hope this year is an injury free one for him to show to the world how good he is. But not sure how lucky he would get this year.

2. Abou Diaby
One of the best Arsenal has in midfield as per Arsenal insiders but again another injury prone player. Not sure what causes so much problem to him that he could never play a whole season without any injury. Looks damn fit and macho but muscles seems to be his enemy. Should be back later in the season and will have to fight to get a first team chance considering the packed midfield we have now.

7. Tomas Rosicky
Nick named the Little Mozart, he needs more playing time and surely first team starts to completely gain his confidence back. I believe he might look for more opportunities elsewhere looking at the midfield players who will be back from injury soon.

8. Mikel Arteta
Arteta seems to be the best buy Wenger did in near past. There are very few who could actually come into a pacy Arsenal team and gel so well. Arteta looks to be a mainstay in first team with his performances and experience. Coming back of Wilshere could show Wenger's true plans. Hope Arteta keeps gettting his chances as long as he is doing good.

16. Aaron Ramsey
Promising young player who could one day fit into Fabregas's shoes but certainly not this year. He seems to be improving but highly erratic. He needs more time on the pitch and will soon be a world beater. Seems to be more forward minded and less of a helping hand when it comes to defence. Needs to improve on that this season along with his creative side.

17. Alex Song
Lucky for Arsenal that Cameroon didn't qualify for the African Nation's Cup that they have Song still with them. Had been the pick of the midfield players and shown the world he can be as good as offence as his defensive game he with his sudden surges and even the assist to Henry this week. He will continue to dominate the English football and would soon get an offer from Manchester City or Real Madrid if he continues this way.

19. Jack Wilshere
Expecting to be back later this month. Wilshere would add few good weapons to Arsenal's armoury. Wilshere is considered as one of the best talent in English football and he justifies it whenever he had played before injury. This year will cause his some challenges to get back and settle in the team since with tough competitions from the bunch we have. Probably Wilshere would soon start playing in an attacking midfield role rather than the holding one or ball keeper which he had done earlier which will allow Wenger to switch better between Wilshere/Arteta/Ramsey/Diaby/Rosicky/Benayoun and anyone else for that matter including Alex Song.

23. Andrey Arshavin
Master of great passes and pace, could not provide justice to his own name. If I am only to look at the game in 2012, he is doing well except for his finishing but would probably try to get back to Russia and be more comfortable playing there. The team had added more pressure and seems to be a guy who doesn't like competition for his place which is killing his game. In a club like Arsenal, it is not easy to play without competition for your place.

26. Emmanuel Frimpong
Now at loan in Wolves, he would actually need another whole season to reach next level of the game. He is good at playing a holding role but creativity is something he needs to work on. Loves to watch him play because of his fighting spirit but there are lot of other aspects to the game which he would get chance to improve with playing time from Wolves. Will not be a first team threat at least end of 2012. But in 2013 he could be another Alex Song for Arsenal.

30. Yossi Benayoun
Had already scored few important wonderful goals for Arsenal. Yossi thinks Wenger would try to keep him but my guess would be otherwise. Wenger had bought him since Diaby and Wilshere was out injured and Rosicky had been erratic. Once they are all back Wenger would think of thanking him and trying to find a young attacking midfielder.

39. Francis Coquelin
A ball winner and truly a high quality player. But he requires more playing time and seems to be injury hit. Another loan spell would probably do him good and could be in starting XI maybe from 2014 season. He has shown great quality and determination in every game he had played. Coquelin also needs to build few muscles too. He seems to be an utility player the way Wenger is using him and it is always nice to have utility player's in your side since they have higher chance of getting more playing time considering Arsenal player's injury history.

9. Ju-Young Park
Park had been good any time we saw him on the pitch but not sure why Wenger is keeping him ashore saying he needs time. Don't understand what is that park lacks? He is a good buy for any team and would have been good to try to play him with Van Persie upfront as support striker. If he doesn't get enough playing time by end of this season, I think he might probably move away from Arsenal since he anyways needs to get back to Korea for National Service in couple of years.

10. Robin Van Persie
His form worries Arsenal fans more than opponents since any player who gets to this kind of form would soon be snatched by Real Madrid or Manchester City. Hope they don't woo Robin. Contract talks still needs to be closed and in case it is more delayed it would leave Wenger with no option other than to encash him. Pick of Arsenal players last year. Seems to grown up as a finisher but pressure seems to catch him if you had watched last two matches of 2011 when he had to score 3-4 goals to equal or beat Shearer. Everything said he is the best Arsenal had got now.

12. Thierry Henry
King Henry is no more a legend, he is a living human back at Emirates.

14. Theo Walcott
Walcott had wonderful season so far looking at his assists that had been converted to goal. Still requires to be a better crosser of the ball after all these years of hardwork. Got a lot to improve in his finishing and ball playing abilities. Wonderful to watch and a pleasure to play with, some teams would soon come asking for his signature. Would probably continue with Arsenal for another couple of years if the very high pay he had asked for gets materialized with Arsenal otherwise we would soon witness another farewell party.

15. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Ox the way people call him had been a revelation in 2011 season and more to come in 2012. He would soon get some playing time if he Walcott moves out or get injured maybe. But being a Arsenal fan I don't want that to happen. I would love to watch Walcott on right and Oxlade-Chamberlain on left wing feeding Van-Persie upfront. It would be a dream to watch if at all it get's real. In case Walcott stays, Wenger might opt to loan out him for 6months timeframe to give him more playing time, preferably in Premier League itself.

27. Gervinho
Gervinho had been very good at dribbling and passing his markers but looked confused and erratic few times before the goal. Needs more time as a striker than a winger or more confidence needs to be induced. He shows promise and will have a good Arsenal future for sure irrespective of Van Persie staying or moving. Gervinho would probably end up playing loan striker for some time later this year.

29. Marouane Chamakh
Chamakh had a great first season but second season is really hitting him hard. He is lacking confidence to shoot for which he was brought to Arsenal. If he continues in this way, he would soon be moving out of Arsenal. If he is at his best, one of the most deadliest players we might have had and an aerial threat. Right now, he requires more time and show some interest to be part of the squad. Hope the African cup opens up well for Morrocco and he do well. This might help him to open up his goal scoring abilities again.

31. Ryo Miyaichi
Ryo had been compared with Walcott for him pace but we had seen less of him on the picth. Would soon shift as a substitute player later this year. Such speedsters are often threatened by the injury it brings to them. Should be more careful not to get injured and would be a good prospect for Arsenal.

11. Carlos Vela
Not sure why not Wenger try selling him if he really don't have any plans for Vela. Vela had been Arsenal player for some time but always on loan. He might as well decide to part company if he doesn't get any chance in Arsenal side. Current forward lineup doesn't seem to provide any come back space for him too.

46. Henri Lansbury
Lansbury is a wonderful player to watch and would be one of the best in coming years. Arsenal would probably want to keep him and give him with more first team chance if at all Arsenal is to lose some of their first team midfielders. Lansbury could have a good season out on loan and by 2013 we might see more of him in Arsenal shirt.

52. Nicklas Bendtner
Bendtner always thought himself as a world beater. He is good at scoring crucial goals but very bad finisher when it gets to easy goal scoring chances. He enjoys scoring tough goals only maybe. Looks like he will be sold to Sunderland in summer since he already shared he don't want to come back to Arsenal.

From out of position to out of proposition

2011-12-21T05:55:00.000-08:00

Arsene Wenger is known for his skills to convert players from what they are to what they would be. It had done wonders to lots of players in the past courtesy to Thierry Henry, Van Persie & lot more. But have you ever wondered how many times it has flopped?
We would look at the current crop of gunners and see what's the status with each one of them whoever had a position change under the boss.

1. Robin Van Persie
Nothing to discuss, just have a look at his stats this. Now on his way to break Alan Shearer's record of 38goals. Hope he gets there. Starting as a lone striker and centre forward for Holland too.

2. Abou Diaby
Used as a supporting striker and attacking midfielder before joining Arsenal for his close control, technical ability & dribbling skills. But Wenger visualized him as an attack minded centre midfielder who is good for box to box game. Maybe due to this change he is more like a hospital to hospital player. He was becoming an influential player in French dressing room when he went on to grab some rest due to injuries.

3. Tomas Rosicky
Nick named "The little Mozart" for his skills to orchestrate the game from the middle of the park. Often used as an additional attacking player in wings by Wenger. Rosicky is a specialist in using outside of his foot for quick passes. Imagine what a right footed Rosicky would do with this skill while playing in the right side of the park? A playmaker used with Fabregas and Nasri in previous years. He needs more time in the centre to unleash his play making rather than being used as a substitute to come on as a winger. Czech Republic captain for long time and one of the best to serve them ever in a football field.

4. Jack Wilshere
An attacking midfielder/winger by nature, Wenger turned him into a box to box player. Wenger needed a box to box player to play with Song as holding midfielder and Fabregas as the creative engine since Diaby was often injured and Denilson was not giving what he wanted. Emergence of Wilshere caught few eyes and it even led him to represent the senior England side. He has good vision, movement, dribbling and combination play which makes him one of the most lethal players to have in your shirt.

5. Johan Djourou
Started off as a defensive midfielder but converted to centre back in Arsenal ranks as a backup player. He dreamed of filling in the void left by Flamini but never materialized. Wenger still uses him as a centre back without much success to show off. Third choice central defender for Swiss national team. But his age shows he has a long way to go.

6. Kieran Gibbs
Often dubbed as the replacement for Gael Clichy never made the impact that he should have created. He is quick and has good offensive game. When it comes to the defensive part he is caught duck footed at times. He is good to be used as a left winger rather than a solid left back or wing back. Already started for senior England team couple of times on the left back position.

7.Andrei Arshavin
The king of flops this season in Arsenal shirt is one of the real heroes of the world football. The whole world knows Arshavin is best when he is playing in the centre of the pitch in a attacking role. He is used as winger time and again by Wenger after continuous failures to perform the winger role. Arshavin should either be spared to find another employer who would be happy to play him in centre role or allowed to do what he is best at. He is not a youth player to try to change position at this age just because he can run fast. One of the best players ever produced by Russia who is obviously their captain too.

Aston Villa Vs Arsenal - 21Dec2012: Preview

2011-12-20T09:07:00.001-08:00

Aston Villa hosts Arsenal for another wonderful evening match before the Christmas. Arsenal had been on the up except the lose to Manchester City whereas Aston Villa is finding it tough to be back where once they were with Martin O'Neil guiding them. Aston Villa will get Agbonlahor back from suspension and Darren Bent is expected to shake off his injury which would surely make the match more interesting. Aston Villa's loss to Liverpool had been a bad one for Villa fans and stars alike which would make them more fired up for the match against Arsenal. Arsenal on the other hand is back from tough fight against city which would make them crave for a win before going for Christmas.

Arsenal will start without Alex Song who would be serving the suspension due to his fifth yellow card of the season. I would guess Wenger would try out something different tomorrow rather than just a predictable inclusion of Frimpong to cover Song's absence.

Szczesny
Koscielny-Squillaci-Mertesacker-Vermaelen
Frimpong-Arteta
Rosicky/Ramsey
Walcott-Gervinho
Robin Van Persie

I suspect Rosicky would get a start tomorrow since January is fast approaching which would make him look for other options. Arshavin is somebody who definitely needs a game or two in centre of the park since his wide game had been a bit too wide for Arsenal considering the chances he is creating from there.

Squillaci might get the rare start tomorrow since Djourou is out injured and Miguel won't be able to play right back. Vermalen was twice as good as Santos and Gibbs in left back if we relook at his last appearance as left back or compare his heroics in Ajax. Ramsey might get some rest since he looke bit jaded in last match.

Players to watch:
Gabriel Agbonlahor, Darren Bent, Robin Van Persie, Emmanuel Frimpong & Thomas Vermaelen

Arsene Wenger Hits & Flops - Episode 3

2011-12-20T08:07:00.000-08:00

Wenger Hit No.3

5. Kolo Habib Toure
Commonly known as Toure joined Arsenal in 2002 from ASEC Mimosas for as low as £150,000. It took Toure full six months to get a starting berth in the famous Arsenal team of his time. Toure started as a attacking midfielder and occasional right back during early stages of his Arsenal career. He partnered Sol Campbell during the invincible season in the heart of the defense. Toure later partnered Senderos and William Gallas successfully. The last European goal in highbury still stands on his name against Villareal. Due to a rift with Gallas, Toure wanted to move away from Arsenal. Unfortunately he was the only one left in invincible team who had tasted success in his career when he eventually decided to move on. Kolo Toure was sold to Manchester City for £16 million in July, 2009. As most of the cases, this time too Wenger got a good deal for one of his key men once upon a time. Toure had been one of the unsung heroes of Ivory Coast for last decade and still continues to be one of their top players.

Clubs Player For:
1. ASEC Mimosas
2. Arsenal
3. Manchester City

Wenger Flop No.3

6. Sylvain Claude Wiltord
As most Arsenal fans would remember, Wiltord was one of the most expensive player ever to play for Arsenal for a long time until Arshavin broke it. Wiltord was signed for club record of £13 million during 2000 season. He played upfront with Henry and also on the wings at times. He scored 49 goals for Arsenal in 175 appearances and was voted 33rd among top 50 players ever to play for Arsenal. Sylvain could not establish as the main choice since the same timeline showed the emergence of a star in Thierry Henry. Wiltord didn't care to renew his contract with Arsenal and he went as free agent to Lyon in 2004 when his 4 year contract came to an end. Wiltord didn't enjoy much success playing for France. But his goal in Euro 2000 final against Italy and 2006 World Cup penalty shoot-out remains as most memorable moments since France took the game to extra time in Euro 2000 with that goal and later in world cup it was the first penalty during the shoot-out.

Clubs Player For:
1. Rennes
2. Deportivo de La Caruna
3. Bordeaux
4. Arsenal
5. Lyon
6. Rennes
7. Marseille
8. Metz
9. Nantes

Manchester City Vs Arsenal Dec 18 - 2012 - Highlights

2011-12-20T07:03:00.000-08:00

Man City stays on top

2011-12-19T05:49:00.000-08:00

A good game for the neutrals to watch but for Arsenal fans once again the same sorry state after the game. Although I enjoyed watching the game last evening but lot to learn from what we saw. Congrats to Arsenal for putting up a real fight there and limiting Manchester City to one goal which would have been 3-4 considering the miss of sitters they had.

Man City started of well against a gunner's side which had a very predictable line-up. Song and Arteta was cautioned with a yellow card early in the match which should have affected their game for sure. I often see this behavior from some Refs whenever Arsenal is playing against big teams like Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea, Barca & others in England and Europe. Maybe its my own story. But if you guys also felt the same then you ought to know you got company.

Yaya Toure was omnipresent killing of lot of Arsenal moves and also starting for city. Arsenal defense coped well against EPL leaders except for Djourou. The only game came through David Silva when Balotelli skipped passed Djourou into the box and took the shot which slipped from Szczesny to Silva for a simple tap in. Koscielny was having a good game in the center of the part but was moved to right back once Djourou was substituted. Robin Van Persie got few chances which did not find the back of the net as it was the case in recent past. Walcott was not seen in the game for the first one hour. As always he was substituted with Arshavin when Walcott started to get in to the game with his pace and shots which to me looked like a bad move. Again how predictable Wenger is turning out to be. Later Chamakh who had been the flop of the season for Arsenal was introduced to play upfront sacrificing Mertersacker who was having a good game. I would have opted for Benayoun instead of Chamakh but boss takes the call. Wenger admitted it was a good game and sad to lose it but we had seen good games from Arsenal for last 3-4years without real results when it was needed.

We should be looking at a creative midfielder once January comes and also a good striker to replace Chamakh if possible if boss really feels like we need to improve. Gareth Barry was one of the standout performers for Man City along with Kompany. Thomas Vermaelen proved to be the most attacking Arsenal player in the park when he took couple of good shots towards goal which made Joe Hart stretch hard. If not for Joe Hart, Arsenal would have won the match even though we lacked creativity in the final third. Ramsey looked nervous last evening unlike his other games but a powerful Song and decent enough Arteta did the cleaning of the mess for Ramsey whenever he lost the ball. A clear penalty when Micah Richards had handled the ball inside the box was missed by referee when the replays showed that referee was looking at Richards for sure.

Next game is against Aston Villa which seems to be a good time to play considering the bad form they are in. Hope Arsenal goes to X'mas with a good win!

Season 2011-12 - First Half

2011-12-19T04:59:00.000-08:00

Arsenal had always portrayed the belief in youngsters ever since Wenger started in Highbury. Gunner's had done their best to identify young talents across the world with their well accomplished networks and scouts; without doubt Wenger could woo lads into the training camp without any competition considering the chance any youngsters would get here in Emirates. The story had been no different for Fabregas and Nasri but unfortunately passion for homeland and once parent club and money prevailed over Wenger's dream and hard work for these talented play-makers.

Let's not scrutinize them for what happened but let's see what really happened in the team. Everything has to change one day and not sure when Arsenal is going to follow that. Wenger had dreamed of building an Arsenal around Fabregas but Cesc had other plans.

Arsenal sold and send on loan lot of players without fear this season:
Kyle Bartley (loan)
Nicklas Bendtner (loan)
Pedro Botelho (loan)
Joel Campbell (loan)
Gael Clichy (undisc.)
Thomas Cruise (free)
Roarie Deacon (free)
Denilson (loan)
Jamie Edge (free)
Emmanuel Eboue (undis.)
Jay Emmanuel-Thomas (£1.1m)
Cesc Fabregas (undisc.)
Henri Lansbury (loan)
Samir Nasri (undisc.)
Mark Randall (free)
Gilles Sunu (undisc.)
Armand Traore (undisc.)
Carlos Vela (loan)
Wellington (loan)

At the same time brought in experienced and powerful legs to the dressing room:
Mikel Arteta (£10m)
Yossi Benayoun (loan)
Joel Campbell (undisc.)
Alex Chamberlain (£15m)
Gervinho (undisc.)
Carl Jenkinson (undisc.)
Per Mertesacker (undisc.)
Park Chu-Young (undisc.)
Andre Santos (undisc.)

The season started pretty badly with Gervinho one of the new guy losing his cool on Barton during a 0-0 draw against Newcastle United. The pre-season friendlies were not as good as it used to be since the team never showed any spark except for 3-4 players. Maybe because everybody was worried who is going to come in and gonna go.

Arsenal was thrashed by Liverpool for 0-2 and Manchester United for 2-8. This led to a bad start to the EPL with Arsenal sitting as low as 15 in the table.
These thrashings caught nerves of fans and management alike which led to signing of all these champion players.

We had moved to Champions league quarter finals to play against AC Milan who is now second in Italian League. We had been knocked out of Carling Cup courtesy Manchester City the new star in the block. Sitting on sixth spot in League table we hardly stand a chance to be winning the EPL considering the form and strength of other English clubs. But we should not be writing off Arsenal since we saw the exit of Manchester - United & City from the Champions league when Arsenal & Chelsea progressed. We will be facing Leeds United in next round of FA Cup which could be one of our main targets this season.

This team needs time together to win the league at least 1-2years. We had been heavily dependent on Robin Van Persie who had been season's top scorer and also stands a chance to overtake Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry.

The usual starting line-up had been as below:
Szczesny
Djourou-Mertesacker-Koscielny-Vermaelen
Song-Arteta
Ramsey
Walcott-Gervinho
Robin Van Persie

Robin Van Persie, Arteta, Koscielny, Alex Chamberlain & Frimpong had been few players getting few players getting noticed during the first half of the season. Thanks to the hard work of Song, Arteta and Ramsey. But we really lacked good creativity from centre of the park which was quite often the brainchild of Fabregas and Nasri. Most of the RVP goals came from assists from wingers.

Flops of the season so far had been Arshavin, Chamakh & Squillaci. I would say playing Arshavin on the centre as a CAM would be lot better rather than using him as a winger. Chamakh is showing no signs of interest when he is playing and always looked tired.

Rosicky & Benayoun played decent when ever they were given chances but lacked getting chance since the midfield mainstays were doing good together except lacking great creativity.

Wilshere is the most missed player on the pitch along with Bacary Sagna.

It won't come as any shock to me if Arshavin, Chamakh, Rosicky & Squillaci looks for other employers in January 2012.

Hoping Arsenal does well on coming days, I would like to resume my blog Arsenalite. Sorry for not writing for long time since I was stuck in the game called life.

Goals in January

2010-02-03T16:27:00.001-08:00

Stoke City stops Arsenal's pursuit for FA

2010-01-25T03:15:00.000-08:00

Arsenal once again paid for their already failed game plan. It looked like a repeat of the Carling Cup except for the few experienced players in the substitute line-up.
Arsene Wenger did the same mistake again and proved he is not the one who is going to learn from his mistakes.

The match review will include only few points to discuss and learn for gunners.
1. Playing Silvestre in the center.
Silvestre has already proved to be a bad central defender. But he was commendable in the left back position offlate. Still Wenger chose to play his in the center. Wenger should have kept him for the left back or as a substitute.

2. Campbell with Silvestre
Sol was making a come back after 5 months eventhough he never looked so. He was playing good and made a point clear that he still has it in him. But pairing him with already off match fit and match experienced Silvestre was another terrible mistake. This also should have affected Sol Campbell's morale due to 3 goals that they let in.

3. Playing Fabianski
Vito Mannone had already proved that he was better than our first choice goal-keeper Almunia. But still Wenger went with Fabianski and Vito in subs. This was another wrong choice. Fabianski seems to be the worst goalkeeper that Arsenal has ever seen. Not sure what Wenger is keeping him for and what are his plans. But as far as fans are concerned, Arsenal is making us lose our morale and temper.
Should not be making such silly mistakes as selecting Fabianski. All our other goalkeepers are better than Fabianski currently. He can be a great keeper in making but currently he is not among the best we have.

4. Playing Vela, Walcott and Thomas at the sametime.
We definitely needs to give our youngsters good chance to grow, but it should not be all in same match. Walcott looked to be completely out of touch. Cannot even give a good cross. He also was scared to take shots. Vela was getting carried away with too much dribbling and not able to deliver the goods once again. They have potential but needs time to grow. Thomas was impressive and showed good attitude.

Denilson scored a decent goal again from long range from a Fabregas freekick which was the lone goal from Arsenal side. Stoke City scored thrice to win the match in some style. We should never be taking any cup lightly since we don't have any to retain. We should be serious in all matches. We all are unlucky that we lost our main strikers and other players to injury. But at the sametime we need to understand that all matches are important and its upto the manager to plan. He has money to spend but he won't spend. It is his choice no comments on that, but ultimately after all those trophy draughts we fans deserve a cup to be happy. We trust in Arsene and hope he can deliver this year and won't make us wait for one more year.

Arsenal shows character at Emirates and rises to top

2010-01-21T04:27:00.000-08:00

Gunners sufferred early blows in the match by Bolton taking a 2-0 lead through a wonderful strike from Cahill and well finished penalty by Taylor. Arsenal always looked a real force in the match. Denilson and Walcott was fit again. Denilson started in the match and was the one conceeding the penalty which brought the best out of the fighters in the squad if we take the best part of the match.

Almunia
Sagna-Gallas-Vermaelen-Clichy
Fabregas-Denilson-Diaby
Rosicky-Arshavin-Eduardo

The first goal was conceeded by Clichy after a blunder committed while clearing a ball. He had hit the ball high in air inside Arsenal box itself which helped Bolton to capitalize. After the second goal Bolton might have thought they had a match in hand now. But it was all denied by the start of fireworks from Rosicky from a good layout and setup by Fabregas. After the half time Fabregas himself dribbled past defenders and scored from a very tight ankle with three defenders behind him and goalkeeper diagonal to him.

We were surely missing the control and passing of Alex Song in the match. Denilson got few chances to take advantage but all his shots where not accurate. Maybe he was mentally affected by the penalty he conceeded early in the match. Diaby looked ordinary with very less runs from him. Third goal came from the mighty left foot of Vermaelen from a beautiful headed pass by Diaby which layed out for a decent volley. Arshavin finished off the match in style with five minutes to spare. He also missed a easy one on one chance which he himself could have finished or passed to Walcott who came on as a substitute for Eduardo. Vela got few minutes himself substituting Rosicky. Eastmond came on for Diaby who looked like was in some pain when he left the ground.

Gallas made few good runs to the final third and was often a goal threat in the set pieces. Fabregas was often fouled to break Arsenal rhythm but he kept his cool and helped gunners win in style. He was once again instrumental in setting up the victory for Arsenal. Clichy seems to be making quick runs but as a defender he was not making good use of his strengths.

We saw glimpses of Sol Campbell near the tunnel taking a peep into the match. He is one player we are expecting good commanding performances. He is expected to be match fit by this weekend and may play against Stoke City. He had been one of the best defenders in England, EPL, Arsenal and world sometime back. Hope he has the same qualities left in him. We are surely short of strikers on paper, but seeing the kind of goal scorers we have in the team it could be balanced. All our players are a goal threat and this is the best way to play attacking football rather than relying on few to do the job.

Arsenal players seems to be taking shifts with respect to injury. Hope we don't lose more players to injury when we are really in a good position to win the league for first time this season. Wenger should also concentrate on keeping the squad together for couple of years so that they are capable of winning everything.

Denilson and Walcott Fit Again

2010-01-18T22:35:00.000-08:00

Spanish kids scores for Arsenal

2010-01-18T05:34:00.000-08:00

Wenger on the preparations for FA Cup

2010-01-02T03:36:00.000-08:00

Ramsey stars in Fratton Park encounter!

2009-12-31T00:12:00.000-08:00

Arsenal won 4-1 against Portsmouth in an interesting away game. Gunners started off with great vigour for a win and Pompey looked very shattered without O'Hara. He is one player who had made it big in the line-up. Arsenal needed a definite win to keep up the pace in the league with Manchester United and Chelsea.

We started with a much predictable line-up.
Almunia
Sagna-Gallas-Vermaelen-Traore
Ramsey-Song-Diaby
Nasri-Arshavin-Eduardo

The Arsenal attacks looked good and threatening from the very beginning but had to wait for the deflected goal from Kaboul during a freekick from Eduardo to get the score ticking. Later Nasri finished well from a well executed touch and passing from Eduardo and Ramsey inside the penalty box. Ramsey won the ball from opponents on the final third and cracked a great left foot strike for the third goal. Belhadj helped Portsmouth to pull one back which later Song nullified with a great header from a Nasri cross.

Almunia once again showed his lack of skill. He seems to be a completely out of touch with his goalkeeping. Not sure whether he is not getting enough training or practice by the boss. Gallas and Vermaelen was incredible as always. Traore lended more than a helping hand on attacks but bad at defense. We needed someone who can give more in defense since we already had enough attacking options.

Eduardo was replaced by Rosicky who played a good 20mins. Later Nasri gave way for Craig Eastmond debut. Eastmond looked nervous with his touches but the lucky guy had a chance for a shot on goal during his 5mins on the field. Vela also came in for Arshavin towards the end of the match. Walcott is reported to be injured again and will easily miss next couple of weeks matches. I don't want to complain and write him off as an injury prone player. But this year looks like very bad for our players when injuries are concerned.

Wenger knows whether we need a striker or defender or midfielder or goalkeeper. But guys do put in your votes for the poll which ends in couple of days. Always inviting your views and valuable comments to improve the site.

Aston Villa gunned down in Emirates by Fabregas

2009-12-27T19:01:00.000-08:00

This should be one of the best in Fabregas's career. Atleast one of the best I have watched. Arsenal gave Villa all sorts of trouble from start but in the second 10minutes Aston Villa got settled well and started to attack too.

Arsenal started without Fabregas in the starting XI as expected. He suffered a hamstring strain and was rested as a weapon which will be only used when needed the most.

Almunia
Sagna-Gallas-Vermaelen-Traore
Denilson-Song
Nasri--------------------Eduardo
Diaby
Arshavin

The line-up looked more like a traditional one with two sitting midfielders to clear the threat and then launch attack through wings with Diaby as a supporting striker upfront. But the game looked different with Denilson coming forward as CM as usual and Song doing the defensive midfielder role alone. Arsenal looked a big threat with their attacks and Eduardo again missed an easy chance very early in the match. Eduardo seems to be getting better with his touches but still struggling with his finishing. Aston Villa played to their strengths, the attacks through the wings. The attack in wings was the only thing they could do with Ashley Young and Downing on the side. Refereeing throughout the match was excellant and he seems to be very decent and fair in his approach. The whole game was looking like a 0-0 draw until 56minute when Arsene Wenger decided to make the best decision ever in his substitutions by bring on Fabregas. It was a very early decision to bring him on but to be frank had never seen such an impact from an substitute player in this season.

Fabregas came on from the bench, the whole game changed. Looked like he should be always playing like a substitute. :-). He took the oppourtunity when given by converting a freekick to score his first goal of the match and also to break the deadlock. Later Fabregas scored his second from a counter attack launched by Vermaelen through Walcott and Walcott set it up for a sweet strike by Cesc. But to the horror of the fans second goal again strained the hamstring and later Fabregas was substituted with Aaron Ramsey. Walcott came in for Eduardo earlier after the first goal to help to increase the pace. The speed of the whole match changed with Fabregas's introduction. Song started to attack and make runs with Fabregas and that showed the tactic change very clearly and everyone executed their role to perfection. Denilson was substituted to make way for Franscesc Fabregas. It looked like Fabregas created and sealed the victory for Arsenal when Diaby nailed the final nail into Aston Villa coffin by a run from midfield all alone and striking the ball to the left side of the keeper with one defender in front standing his line.

Fabregas looks to be injured again for couple of weeks but Arsenal is waiting now for the scan reports to confirm it. Denilson also is reported to have a back problem same like before. This looks like in case Rosicky is not fit again, Ramsey will be getting some starts this season and also Wilshere's loan move might not be considered itself due to shortage of midfielders. We already had Alex Song off for the African Nations Cup. Wenger had made a statement that in case he is going to miss Fabregas and Denilson both he will also look for midfielders in the winter market. He is left with no choice other than to play Ramsey and Wilshere or buy atleast one experienced midfielder. He also has options to play Nasri in midfield and give Walcott a starting place upfront as part of his strikeforce.

Diaby inspires Arsenal to a 3-0 over Hull City

2009-12-19T21:25:00.000-08:00

Arsenal started off reasonably bad as usual after the big matches. Had to leave captain and playmaker Francesc Fabregas on the stands due to injury. He will be out for 10days. Wenger finally decided to play the best team he had got currently with him, available and not injured. It includes

Almunia
Eboue-Gallas-Vermaelen-Silvestre
Denilson-Song
Diaby
Nasri-Eduardo
Arshavin

This doesn't look like a conventional Wenger formation but more like an evolved one due to the need. I would say evolved since there is no Fabregas, the playmaking from the Hull half will be less and last time Hull were very attacking when they played at Emirates. Song and Denilson gave the much needed backbone to Arsenal attacks. Both of them can play very good defensively but the advantage Wenger has is the range of passing they possess. They can keep the ball and also move forward dribbling. Diaby finally gave the result which was expected from him years back. Initially Wenger played him defensively thinking he is a Viera clone with similar frame. But knowing Diaby's past will make us believe he can attack as a striker since he was a second striker in his young days. A second striker should not be played in Left Midfield or as a defensive midfield. Wenger should be playing him behind the striker and in front of the midfield which he did this time and also made the difference. He is exceptional there with his frame and speed. He possess good dribbling skills too. But the problem often seen with Diaby was that he got too carried away with his dribbling and often created problems for Gunners than opponents.

Arshavin was silent throughout the match giving more balls and chances to Eduardo who was the second best player we had on the pitch. Eduardo showed that he was regaining confidence and slowly getting to his real self. He was offmood and often offtarget last 10 matches and until last night he never was any threat to opponents. In case Wenger opts to play him in front for next 4-5 matches he would be back in form and in form Eduardo is more dangerous than many other strikers we have seen. This will also take off the striker worry for Wenger since Bendtner will be back in January by New Year.

Hull City penalty from Giovanni was saved by Arsenal stopper Almunia. It was his 4th save out of 7 penalties he had faced this season. It looks a good record. But once again his delivery was poor and also looked out of touch except for the penalty save. He surely needs to gain more confidence and hope this penalty which was saved will help him raise it. He is not even looking something similar to what he has last year. Considering Almunia's age, I would save Wenger should look for more talented goalkeepers or give Mannonne or Sczhezny one more shot. Fabianski is a good player, but still lacks the natural talent as Sczhezny who is a very young. But for an already young and dangerous Arsenal team, a goalkeeper who is of 19years won't make any difference. Awarding a penalty to Fagan was a very bad decision since everyone could he that Fagan pulled Silvestre and tried to forge a fall. Silvestre looked very dejected by that decision and later Silvestre and Vermaelen together gave Fagan a very bad time.

Silvestre was another player who caught my eye. He was good on the left back position and looks like he should be the second option for Wenger with his experience and skill. I had written previously also in my blog that Silvestre should be played at Left Back to extract what he can add to the team and proud to say that it made the difference. He is not a good center back at all, but plays well on the left back position. Wenger played Ramsey for Nasri, Walcott for Eduardo and Vela for Arshavin towards the end of the game. Walcott once again showed great pace and also missed couple of good chances which with his experience we expect him to finish. Vela also started to show that he was gaining his cofidence back which is very much needed seeing the kind of layoff that Van Persie is facing.

Once again Arsenal and Hull City match was filled with aggression as Hunt and Barmby manhandled Nasri when Nasri had fouled their fellow player after the bad treatment he received. Nasri and Hunt was yellow carded. It showed the kind of physical level these matches can take players to. Arshavin also had a stunt with Fagan for Fagan's false penalty claim and acting.

Overall it was not a great Arsenal display but what matters is the result which they were able to make. Arsenal really cannot afford any slip up. In case they had won at Burnley, Arsenal would be at second position in table with one game in hand. Let's hope this develops to a better and memorable season and also hope Wenger brings in one Center back since Senderos is set to go and also one much needed striker. Almunia would be a good second goalkeeper to have, so can save him for the bench.

Time to change - Only a draw in Turf Moor

2009-12-17T03:33:00.000-08:00

Arsenal side deserved to win by their second half display. But looks like if they continue this way there is no way we can catch up with likes of Aston Villa, Spurs and Manchester City and will need to forget chasing Chelsea and Manchester United.

Fabregas was substituted due to an hamstring injury which could keep him away for sometime. This injury is coming at a very bad time for Arsenal since they need his services badly during the coming weeks. Fabregas was outstanding with his run and passing when the match started in Turf Moor. But once he was substituted Arsenal no longer looked the same. The lone goal for Gunners came from Fabregas and Burnley took advantage and got the draw from a penalty.

Almunia once again proved how much he was worth, with his wonderful erroraneous displays. He needs to improve if Arsenal is to win anything this season or else Wenger needs to play Mannonne or Szex. Almunia got lucky when a good goal from Fletcher was disallowed calling offside where it never looked as one. The ball passed through Almunia rolling for Fletcher to finish. This was the biggest blunder most people have ever witnessed by any goal keeper. Walcott tried to over do things with his pace but was well marked by Burnley defenders. Nasri played well and did his part without much success.

Song once again stood strong against the opposition and towards the end of the match we could see Song's play making ability. He was no more a defensive midfielder, he was controlling things from a higher position on field and Diaby went back. Eduardo came in for Walcott and once again missed quite a few chances which he could have scored during his better days.

Arsenal started with Silvestre on the left back position. Eventhough he played better in this position than his central back games. He let the players come in lot of times. Arsene Wenger would surely think before renewing his contract seeing the kind of game he is producing. Wenger keeps praising Silvestre for his leading ability which maybe is off the field and not in field. Ramsey came in for Fabregas and could not make any impact on the game.

If we are to pose any threat to atleast 3rd or 4th position, we need to win these matches or else we all will need to wait for one more year to start all over again. There should be an end to all this wait. As I wrote in last few occassions we need a good goalkeeper, couple of strikers with height and a good central defender. Wenger maynot agree with me. But when we fans keep saying this he should atleast have a look. Its our team, same like his. Only thing is he makes it and we support it. If not for himself, hope he does this for the supporters and for the team.

Arsenal wins the crucial match against Liverpool

2009-12-13T10:07:00.001-08:00

Gunners showed that they are capable of coming back and winning the game after the last victory in AZ Alkmaar. Arsenal won 2-1 against Liverpool and moreover at Anfield. Arsenal had not defeated Liverpool at Anfield since 2003. This could be a turning point for Arsenal in the league as Chelsea drew against Everton and Aston Villa winning against Manchester United.

More than Arsenal team, I should write about the Liverpool team selection which would have scared anyone. It looked as if they were preparing whole season for this match. Have a look at it guys!

Reina
M.Johnson-Carragher-Agger-F.Aurelio
Mascherano-Lucas
Kuyt-Gerrard-Benayoun
Torres

That team would raise a chill through anybody's spines and same happened to me.
Whereas Arsenal team looked as below, completely young and inexperienced considering the Liverpool giants.

Almunia
Sagna-Gallas-Vermaelen-Traore
Fabregas-Song-Denilson
Walcott-Arshavin-Nasri

Arsenal deployed Walcott and Nasri as wingers more than attackers but during the first half they were not able to poise great threat. Later during the second half Walcott and Nasri changed the flanks and that did the trick. Denilson got a yellow card very early in the match. First half saw Arsenal in hand brake mode as admitted by Wenger too. Torres missed the best chance of the match from a Gerrard pass during counter attack. Almunia was miserable as usual and his error while clearing a freekick crafted the lone Liverpool goal from Dirk Kuyt. It was a good goal considering the tremendous pressure this match had.

Maybe that pressure continued to second half when Arsene Wenger blasted the young guns and shouting at them for first time as per Fabregas's view. He said that he had never seen Wenger this angry during half time in his whole Arsenal career. I would believe he had all the reason to be angry. This was a must win to take advantage of the other slip-ups above us in table. Second half saw a rejuvenated Arsenal team which attacked with all fronts. This continous pressure led Johnson to find his own net from a Nasri cross which saw Walcott of space even if it had come through Johnson. Thanks Johnnie for bring Arsenal back on track. Within 6-7mins from that own goal Arshavin found Liverpool net shaking from his wonder strike once again. He controlled the ball from a Fabregas cross and again Johnson behind him not able to keep up the pace at which everything was executed. That was one wonder strike from the Russian champ.

Later Arshavin was substituted with Ramsey and I doubt there is some strain or ankle related issue for him. Diaby came on for Walcott to add height to Arsenal attack and strength to Arsenal defence. He played well for his 20mins and seems to be in good touch. Traore also limped making way for Silvestre once again. Wenger did take a big gamble playing Traore again last weekend considering the hit he sustained on previous encounter at Stoke. Arsenal will be playing Burnley on the midweek. Burnley had already showed their skills against Manchester United by causing an upset to them during the start of this years campaign. The most interesting thing will be to see the team selection for the Burnley encounter. Since we are again playing over the weekend against Hull City who had defeated Arsenal last season.

My team for the Burnley encounter would be as below:
Mannone
Eboue-Senderos-Vermaelen-Silvestre
Ramsey-Song-Denilson
Wilshere-Eduardo-Vela

Substitutes:
Fabianski-Fabregas-Arshavin-Diaby-Gallas-Sagna-Merida

The team looks erratic which I do agree. But would love to see that team play because it has experience at back and speed at front. Just to see how it works will be a pleasure to watch.(Just because I picked it :-)) This will allow Wenger to rest his players and also use them in case it is required after understanding the pressure and situation of the match. This holds no disrespect to Burnley team. I have watched couple of their games and I found them very good at counter attack and set pieces. So Arsenal beware, better take them seriously or else they will let you know the difference.

Arsenal Injury Worries ahead of Liverpool match!

2009-12-12T19:08:00.000-08:00

Arsenal kids loses to Olympiacos

2009-12-10T02:34:00.000-08:00

Arsene Wenger once again started a youth team against Champions League rivals Olympiacos. Arsenal had already qualified for the next round by topping the table. Wenger placed a complete youth team with an average age below 21. This is another record in Champions League coming Arsenal's way.

Ramsey had been the star for the day from the start with his brilliant runs, passes and shots. He had been instrumental and showed the glimpse of next Fabregas in making. Welshmen with 18 years of age showed the character and skill of an experienced player in late twenty. Arsenal young gun lost in some style to Olympiacos. We also saw Wenger hugging Zico after the match which showed the kind of attitute he has after losing a match. Not comments on Man City Carling Cup match.

Arsenal team played well with their excellant passing. The few negatives we can find is again in the front. We were not able to finish. The winning comes only through scoring goals in football and whatever nice passing football you play, if you can't score? Answer is a well known big waste of time and resources. Arsene Wenger should consider poaching on a poacher this winter during the Christmas break. This is what we really need now and not a technically apt terrific goal scorer. Hope the return of Bendtner might help the Arsenal campaign.

Silvestre seems to be not up to the expectation according to our review. He needs to play in his natural position which is left back and give chance for upcoming youngsters to take the center stage in the back four line up. Arsenal also needs to look for an experienced defender.

Arsenal defeats Stoke City at Emirates

2009-12-05T20:14:00.000-08:00

Gunners started off with a totally unexpected formation with Andrei Arshavin on the apex of the attack.

Almunia
Sagna-Gallas-Vermaelen-Traore
Fabregas-Denilson-Rosicky
Eboue-Arshavin-Nasri

Stoke played the natural game fully pushing and sliding. They kept on attacking the gunners physically which took off the rhythm in the Arsenal movements from the early part of the game. Fabregas was often targetted for the fouls. Referee seems to be totally blind 90% of the times. Arsenal played brilliant short passes and cruised forward for sometime but the ball in the final third was awful. No real threat at all in corners and freekicks due to the lack height in the players. Stole players were giants considering the Arsenal height. Arshavin hit the first goal from a beautiful one two passing with Fabregas from the left side of the penalty box. Wenger didn't play any striker at the start of the game. In the center of the park the ground was crowded with Stoke midfielders and defenders which caused real trouble in the movement.

The best chance Arsenal got was when Delap fouled Arshavin which gave us a penalty. To be frank, as soon as I saw Fabregas stepping up for that penalty I knew we were going to miss it. We had Arshavin who won the penalty, Nasri who could take it well, Denilson who had good power with his shots and Eboue who is a known penalty taker. Still the captain took the oppourtunity and hit it so slow that even the kids playing next street can stop it. It was one of the worst penalty witnessed by us. Sorensen was already a known goalkeeper too and now this adds to his fame.

Second goal for Arsenal came through Aaron Ramsey with a great finish considering the number of defenders with him when he was hitting it to the back of the net. Arshavin went down with the defender when the later tried to push Arshavin which game Ramsey a clean run with the free ball and finishing off in style. Ramsey came on for Eboue who seems to be in some pain when he left the pitch. Not sure whether we are waiting for another injury news. But since in our blog we never speculate, which is the main reason not writing about transfers. Let's leave it to the boss to update us. Carlos Vela came out for Rosicky as played as a wide player in the left wing. Vela seems to be out of form like Eduardo and also didn't take up few good chances he got inside the penalty box. With the speed he has and the talent he holds he should have taken those chances.

Traore needs a special mention because this guy was far better than his previous games in his attacks. He gave few good crosses and seems to have improved. But he still needs to work on his defense and also the power of the final balls. He often stays upfront which makes it problematic for other players to cover his area. Finally Wenger played Silvestre in Left Back when Traore looked like struggling to recover from another Stoke City foul. Silvestre just got 3-4mins to play on his renowned position but looked ok with his touches. We always wanted him to play there rather than Center Back.

The gist of it is Arsenal won 2-0 in a match which needed a fair result to keep up the campaign. Denilson was not able to completely shine in that Defensive Midfield role as Song did. Song missed the match due to suspension from 5 yellow cards honour. Song was infact missed by the players and also looks like Diaby should be there since players are reluctant to take on defenders which he is very good at.

Manchester City Owns Arsenal once again!

2009-12-02T13:41:00.000-08:00

Nothing much to write out here tonight guys. Gunners are starting to lose their way as usual. If they lose to Stoke City this weekend, we can conclude our season by Christmas. Traore was awful and too many yellow cards collected. Team selection was poor and with a full team from Manchester City, we had no chance. Arsenal needs to improve their striking and strikers. Needs to have someone to head properly. One request to Wenger would be to stop playing Song in Center Back position. He is getting better as a defensive midfielder, don't spoil him. Why is Senderos in the team if he is not even fit to play a Carling Cup match? Should have played 4-4-2 today. Arsenal team looked and played ordinary and foolish football today. Congrats to Manchester City and especially Lescott for his wonderful defense and Wright Phillips for his superb runs and goal.

Chelsea Men Crushes Arsenal Boys!

2009-11-30T04:10:00.000-08:00

Arsenal never led down the history and statistics. November tragedy continues for Arsenal over the years.Gunners camp might have not expected the crushing they received from the London neighbours. Arsenal started well with an excellant young attacking team. But lost their way as always during the second half. Any team would have struggled to come back against a strong defensive Chelsea team once they are 2 down. During half time Chelsea was leading 2-0. Thanks to the wonderful goal from Drogba and own goal from Vermaelen.

Arsenal started with
Almunia
Sagna-Gallas-Vermaelen-Traore
Denilson-Song-Fabregas
Nasri-Eduardo-Arshavin
which shows that Wenger played most of his cards down there which was of no use. To me the biggest error was playing Traore in that LB position. Most of my readers might argue I am wrong, but keeping in mind the fact how good Silvestre is in that position will chill your brains. What a miss was that! We should have used his experience and skills when we needed a ready made player for that position when Clichy and Gibbs are down. Wenger never did that. No offense to him, different people different tactics.

Eduardo seems to be in a totally different planet with his awful touches and finishes. He was not at all concentrating on the game. There seems to be some concentration and confidence issue with him which Wenger needs to take care of soon. Arsenal lacked the height inside the penalty box. Chelsea defenders where so confident in clearing off the aerial threat from crosses since they knew the not so tall Nasri, Arshavin and Eduardo cannot impose any damage with head. Traore often seems to be out of position with always allowing the Chelsea wingers free space and time. He often tried to foul the Chelsea players to ward of the threat which is never Arsenal way of playing. Second half showed in the introduction of Walcott for Song, Rosicky for Nasri and Vela for Eduardo. Fabregas lost his mind after the third goal which was from a superb freekick by Drogba.

Another weak link seen in Arsenal defense is the shot stopper Almunia. There was only two players who were not upto the Arsenal grades - Almunia and Traore. Eduardo is a proven played but currently running with bad luck. Arsenal should look for a better goalkeeper in the coming months or else forget about winning. Mannone seems to be a better goalkeeper seeing Almunia's performance. Another one is a striker who has height and can impose some kind of aerial threat. I have written it sometime back too. This is definitely something Arsenal needs in January to progress well. Arsenal played with their regular style but never showed any kind of finishing skills. There was one goal disallowed when Eduardo had kicked the ball out from Cech's hand and Arshavin hit it into the back of the net. Eduardo was lucky to get away without getting a card. Sagna had a wonderful game with lots of runs forward and defensive work. There was one foul he had committed towards the start of the game inside the penalty box but Anelka never claimed for it and never got it.

Arsenal needs to use Walcott in the center position rather than right. With Sagna and Eboue able to use the wings effectively the pace of Walcott can be used in the center. He seems to be an improved player last night with some wonderful turns and dribbles. We will be facing another thriller soon in the shape of a Manchester City team in Carling Cup in two more days time. Manchester City will look forward to fire at all guns since they know they are facing tougher task of entering the top four. With the amount of money they had spend they will surely look forward to atleast win something and that something could be Carling cup. Arsenal needs to find better balance or else will be getting similar results which hurts every Arsenal fan. Arsenal needs to look for better result before the team loses hope and limit themself to just another top four spot. The beauty of league games is you always have a second chance. I hope we chill out Chelsea camp during our next encounter at Stamford Bridge next year. Current Arsenal team requires atleast one more year before they can be complete. This one year includes buying a good striker, better goalkeeper and also offloading some defenders and getting better ones. Above still keeping the team other than this list together. If Wenger can keep this team together in 2011-12 season we can expect another invincible side. Good Luck Gunners the season is never over with one match.

Arsene Wenger Hits & Flops - Episode 2

2009-11-28T17:54:00.000-08:00

Lets continue with the Wenger Inc profit and loss making company. Today we would discuss on two of Arsenal's all time great players. The are none other than Thierry Daniel Henry and Robert Emmanuel Pires. They have lot in common. Both are attack minded French players.

Wenger Hit No.2
3. Thierry Daniel Henry

Thierry Henry had earlier played for Arsene Wenger during Wenger's stint in Monaco. He was a left winger during those times. Later he reunited with Wenger during 1999 season for a fee of £10million. Thierry Henry was bought as a replacement for the French forward who left Arsenal. Yes, the guess is right. It was Nicolas Anelka. Wenger understood that Henry was more fit to be a striker than a winger. This time around Arsene Wenger's plan was set and Henry eventually moved to the striking role where he excelled partnering with few world class strikers in the years to come. Henry was a slow starter at Arsenal. He managed to score only on his 9 appearance. 2002-03 was a tremendous season for Henry where he scored 32 goals and provided the team with 23 assists to wrap up. There is nothing much to written about this guy who had been the icon of Gunners camp for few years. Henry had remarkable achievements as a player. Only player to win consecutive golden boot. Most number of goals for Arsenal. Most number of goals in Europe and much more. Eventhough Henry committed his life to Arsenal during an injury hit 2006-07 season, he found himself in Barcelona training room for £24million. Arsene Wenger believed that eventhough it was good for Henry to stay but for club to move on and stop depending on one player this sale had to be made. Henry always told if he is move from Arsenal it would be for Barcelona. He is never considered to be as successful for France as he was for clubs he played for. People often criticized him for his club minded nature. He had scored 174 goals during the 254 appearances he made for Arsenal. Henry was voted Arsenal best player ever later.

Clubs Played For:
1. Monaco
2. Juventus
3. Arsenal
4. Barcelona

Wenger Flop No.2
4. Robert Emmanuel Pires

Pires as he is widely known had a history of showing thumbs down on clubs before joining Arsenal. Remember the fact that he had joined Arsenal after a personal boycott of his previous club Marseille. But his natural attacking game takes of all these thoughts from us. He was signed for Arsenal for a fee of £6million. He came in to Arsenal as a replacement for the void left by Marc Overmars when he moved to Barcelona. Pires led the premiership assist charts and also won the player of the season award during 2001-02 season eventhough he didn't play the last two months of the season due to injury. Pires was the architect of many Arsenal goals throughout his Arsenal career. He also scored goals with no mercy. Towards the end of Arsenal career he often found himself in Arsenal bench. He was best winger Arsenal ever had who scored more goals than all other players except Henry. He often was listed in Premiership top scorer charts. Once he even made up to No.3 spot where Henry was No.1. He also had the highest number of assists in most of the season's he played. His track record never helped in towards later stages of his career at Emirates where Hleb, Ljunberg and Reyes was more preferred. He felt annoyed when he was substituted in the Champions League final with Barcelona. Later this led to the spats with Wenger and Pires never managed to get the contract extension. It was also a big loss for Arsenal financially. Pires moved to Villareal as a free agent. During his departure he said that it hurt him that Wenger lost trust in his abilities which led him to move on. He was substituted in 12mins from start where he wanted to play full game. Eventhough this keeps happening in all footballers career, he couldn't take it. Pires also had an highly successful and remarkable International career with French national team which most of the top class club players struggle to attain. He scored 62 goals during his 189 appearances for Arsenal. He was voted 7th in the Arsenal all time greats which is a wonderful accomplishment.

Clubs Player For:
1. Metz
2. Marseille
3. Arsenal
4. Villareal

Watch out for next Wenger hits & flops in coming days.

Arsene Wenger Hits & Flops - Episode 1

2009-11-25T04:16:00.001-08:00

Guys, from today we are starting a new blogging series of Arsene Wenger hits and flops. Most of our readers will be aware of the Arsene Wenger hits. We would like to bring the flops also into limelight. With utmost respect to all the players we start this blog. Please note that none of the players mentioned as Wenger flops are flops on the field. They were all great champions and are still considered greatest in Arsenal history. We are classifying based on the money Wenger spend and profit/loss made on each player featured. The serial numbers entitled for the player is based on our writers interest and does not indicate any significant factor in their game. Let's start with two greats "Nicolas Sebastien Anelka" and "Nwanko Christian Nwosu Kanu". The two N's.

Wenger Hit No.1
1. Nicolas Sebastien Anelka

Anelka's was one of the best signing Arsene Wenger ever got in his footballing career. Wenger created the first gem with his magic through Anelka. At a very young age of 17, Anelka joined Arsenal for a fee of £500,000. He became a regular when Ian Wright the best striker for Arsenal on those days got injured for long term. He won the PFA Young Player of the Year for 1998-99. He was always looking for better salary from his very young age. The problem with anyone who just needs more money is there is always another club who pays more than yours for you. It happened to be Real Madrid that time and who are one of the best money minters always. He was nick named "Le Sulk" for his attitude during those days. Anelka was a gem of a striker which he is still. He had wonderful ability to play well on air, shoot and also dribble. He was also damn quick with the ball. He played for around 3 years for Arsenal and scored 18 goals from his 45 appearances. His career is quite interesting if you could follow. It always fascinates me how he adapts to a new team so quickly. He was an instant success anywhere he went. His professional career started from the grant start he got in Arsenal. Wenger spotted him at 17 and now at 30 he still stands tall among world's best strikers. He was sold to Real Madird for £22million which is 4300% increase for Wenger.

Clubs Played For:
1. Paris Saint-Germain
2. Arsenal
3. Real Madrid
4. Paris Saint-Germain
5. Liverpool
6. Manchester City
7. Fenerbahce
8. Bolton
9. Chelsea

Wenger Flop No.1
2. Nwanko Christian Nwosu Kanu

Kanu started off for Arsenal in 1999. He came to Gunners camp for a fee of £4.15 million. Kanu came to limelight after the departure of former great Anelka. He was overshadowed by Anelka's brilliance. Arsenal supporters those days used to chant "Who needs Anelka, when we've got Kanu" during matches. He was always a player with log of tricks. He used to fool the defenders with his wonderful dribbling skills. His wonderful matches include the home win against Chelsea after trailing 2-0 in 75mins. This was a match when Kanu scored a hatrick to cruise Arsenal to victory. He had a trademark two finger salute whenever he scored. He was always used as a super-sub by Arsene Wenger and to be frank Kanu did his job remarkably well too. The flop part comes here. This guy ran out of contract in Arsenal and later joined West Bromwich Albion for a free transfer. Remember the fact that he was voted 13th among the Gunners Greatest 50 players poll. He made 110 appearances cracking 30 goals and most of it as substitute during his 5years in Arsenal. He had won African Player of the Year award 2 times and his performances in International Level are notable. He helped Nigeria to get Olympic Gold defeating wonderful Brazil in finals. Kanu's significance became a question mark after the emergence of another Arsenal great Thierry Henry.

Clubs Played For:
1. Fed Works
2. Iwuanyanwu Nationale
3. Ajax
4. Inter Milan
5. Arsenal
6. West Bromwich Albion
7. Portsmouth

Watch out for more Arsene Wenger hits & flops on our next blog...

Arsenal wins at Emirates againt Standard Liege

2009-11-24T18:45:00.001-08:00

Arsenal started with a good attacking team and later on went on to win with the help of two first half goals from Nasri and Denilson. The final score remained 2-0 and second half was not eventful except for Gibbs's injury. As all other teams Standard Liege also was determined to take down Gunners with their body. Arsenal sustained lot of physical damages and some inducing by themself. Gunners started off wonderfully well, attacking with all cylinders.

Almunia
Eboue-Gallas-Vermaelen-Gibbs
Fabregas-Song-Denilson
Nasri-Vela-Arshavin

Personally I was happy to see Vela upfront rather than Eduardo who with all respect is a tremendous finisher but seems out of form now. Arsenal missed many chances to score until Nasri found the back of the net from a long ball from Vermaelen and later Denilson finishing from a thunderous long range shot. Earlier Arshavin got in way of a Vermaelen shot which was destined to goal. Arshavin fell shocked with the strike on his head. Later with a wonderful cross Fabregas was trying to setup Arsenal but unfortunately Gallas and Arshavin collided in air and shed some blood. Arshavin got few staples on his head during the second half and Gallas never came out of the tunnel due to the shock. Silvestre came off from the bench to provide cover in the back instead of Gallas. Eventhough Denilson had a good start for his season after the injury in September, Alex Song was the best again. This is the third game in row that I am not able to find another player for the Man of the Match. Song was great in holding the ball, passing, marking and infact last evening saw some commendable runs from the Cameroon international.

Fabregas was often targeted by the opponents for a push or a knock. He persuaded the referee to give a red card for a Standard Liege player for a push on him. He himself acquired an Yellow card during the whole drama. Later Gibbs was terribly challenged by No.22 which made Gibbs sidelined for next 3 months. This had been a bad challenge and the creepiest part is that No.22 was trying to foul Gibbs all through the match. Finally he was successful by 87mins. Arsenal brought in Walcott for Nasri and Rosicky for Denilson to induce pace and creativity. Towards the final stages of the match Arsenal was playing a 4-4-2 with Vela and Arshavin upfront. Eboue had few good runs and also shot at goal too. Rosicky showed some fine touches coming off the bench meanwhile Walcott troubled the right flank defenders with his illustrious pace.

Arsenal missed Robin Van Persie's presence in the center for sure. This had been quite evident from last two matches. Eventhough people curse him at times for the misses he makes, this was the truth. He gave us power and confidence up there with his creative touches and wonderful strikes. Arsene Wenger had confirmed that Arshavin will play against Chelsea and was confident about Gallas playing too. We still need to improve our marking during dead ball situations. Last evening we were lucky to come out without much damage considering the chances we gave in freekicks and corners. This is a definite negative for Arsenal and against a good opposition it will be very difficult to stop them. Let's wait and watch how it unfolds when they play Chelsea this weekend.

Sunderland keeps Arsenal silent and wins 1-0

2009-11-21T18:55:00.000-08:00

This game showed the real problems we need to address in our team. Arsenal played well and deserved to win today except for their finishing flaws. Eduardo and Rosicky are two excellant players who seems to be out of their form now. Rosicky gave away the ball very cheaply in lot of occassions and Eduardo was trying to setup people rather than taking chances. We need a player upfront who is bit selfish and can try to take a chance or two by taking shots. Arshavin is one such player but he was on the bench until 60mins. Team looked extremely strong on the bench and ground.

Almunia
Sagna-Gallas-Vermaelen-Traore
Fabregas-Song-Ramsey
Nasri-Eduardo-Rosicky

Subs: Arshavin, Walcott, Vela, Eboue, Mannonne, Silvestre and Denilson

Considering the fact that we still have Robin Van Persie, Bendtner, Diaby, Wilshere, Clichy and Djourou injured, its some big squad. This squad could be a neighbours envy. But the way they are broken apart is commentable. There is a pattern to the matches Gunners are losing. Arsene Wenger should know that better than me, but still I would like to make my point.

Last evening we saw Sunderland deploying tactics to just break play and wait for their corner and freekicks. This wonderful not so tough tactic is paying off well for our opponents. Everyone knows what is Arsenal's weakness. It could be compared to Indian cricket team which once had a weakness playing shot balls by pace bowlers. So once we know people are taking advantage of our weakness we should work towards it. Gunners fall when the opponents employ people just to break play. There was no interest seen by Sunderland team other than to break play and then pass a long ball to Bent. Every Sunderland player looked to attack the ball and play with aggression were Arsenal players just moved of. Fabregas particularly was getting disturbed by the tactics. He was often targetted which breaked Arsenal play. Eduardo seemed to be too concerned not to fall in penalty box. We can see he was trying to stand when he was falling in real.

Arsenal should not play Ramsey and Fabregas together since they are similar kind of players and if played together gives very less company for Song to setup attacks. Also last few matches I saw Ramsey too much interested to play offensive and not completing his defensive responsibilities well. He also gave away balls easily. This shows that there is still more to develop for this youngster who was rated as the best upcoming player by our readers this month. We need to make our players understand how significant it is to become tough enough to fight off such plots. There is nothing taken off from Sunderland here. They deserved their win since Arsenal once again proved they fall for such tactics. Arsene Wenger should look to refine his game plan for next match and since its a home one I would like to see we win. This loss made Chelsea 8 points clear and gave ManUtd an upper hand. Hope we covers this in coming days.

Wenger's View

2009-11-12T04:48:00.001-08:00

Arsenal kills off Wolves threat!

2009-11-07T18:48:00.001-08:00

Gunners started off nervous as usual. Maybe young guns feared the set piece threat that Wolves were claiming too much. After about 15mins from kick-off, Arsenal started kicking in. We were unfortunate to lose Diaby to injury and not heard on the severity ever since. Alex Song was rested today when the game started.

Arsenal line-up was different from other ones that we had been seeing off late.

Almunia
Sagna-Gallas-Vermaelen-Gibbs
Fabregas-Ramsey-Diaby
Arshavin-van Persie-Eduardo

We saw Ramsey coming in for Song, Gibbs for the injured Clichy and Eduardo starting.
Arsenal bench needs a mention here for its strength. I was so happy to look at the bench last night and was guessing how it would look later this year when our injured players are back and hoping no one plans to join injury club.

Mannone-Senderos-Silvestre-Eboue-Nasri-Rosicky-Song

Arsene Wenger seems to be keeping his promise to Ramsey by giving him good chance to play and grow at such an young age of 18. There were very less stand out performances. It was more of a team game. Eduardo forced Zubar to score an own goal from a Fabregas freekick and later Eduardo's chip was deflected by Craddock for another own goal adding to Wolves misery. The other two goals came from a beautiful layoff from van Persie for Fabregas who finished it with ease. Arshavin scored a beauty from a Fabregas corner when goal keeper had pushed the ball off away to find Arshavin's feet. Alex Song had to come off bench for Diaby due to injury. Eduardo was substituted with Rosicky and Nasri came in for Arshavin. There was no damage done by Arsenal side after 66th minute strike from Arshavin. Nasri-Fabregas-Rosicky combined well for many attacks without finding the back of the net.

Eventhough I would tell it was a team performance and individual hard works were not that notable, still I would pick Alex Song as the player of the day for two reasons. One, he brought in the much needed strength and belief in the middle since Arsenal was able to attack comfortable once Song came in as substitute. Till then Gunners were finding it tough. That made it clear he is controlling the Arsenal engine.
Two, he was instrumental in defending, marking and clearing off the balls whenever needed and also in setting up attacks with Fabregas. He brought in the physical presence and strength which was missed in the opening 24mins in Arsenal camp.

Arsenal guns through AZ!

2009-11-04T14:12:00.000-08:00

Gunners were very much in cruise control by half time with wonderful goals from Fabregas and Nasri. Even though the match ended 4-1 with two goals from Cesc, one each from Nasri and Diaby, Arshavin was the creator for the 3. Wonderful assists by Arshavin proved to be too strong for the AZ. Arsenal started with a good team with

Almunia
Eboue-Gallas-Vermaelen-Gibbs
Fabregas-Song-Diaby
Nasri-Van Persie-Arshavin

Arshavin was the main man for tonight with good creative assists tearing the AZ defence apart. Eduardo, Rosicky and Ramsey came off the bench for van Persie, Arshavin and Fabregas by 70mins time. Arsenal gave away a good sweet finish by Lens during the dying minutes from a counter attack. Almunia never expected such a good finishing by Lens. Fabregas seems to be in a goal scoring mood of late and once again van Persie took rest without doing any harm to his native team. Overall Arsenals performance was satisfactory and could also see a smile on Wenger's face which means it was all as planned. Arsenal are currently group leaders with 10 points. Next they play Standard Liege in Emirates.

Alex Song had been excellant with his ball control and ball winning throughout the season. We should be looking for a cover for this guy in case he gets injured or attends the African Nations Cup we are in trouble. Maybe boss has something on his mind. Denilson will be soon fit next month and he is the only other player who can play Song's role near to what he is doing now. Diaby cannot be trusted in this role since he tends to go forward too often. Fabregas should not be shifted back to this kind of deep playmaking role seeing the current run at goals by him. Diaby was disciplined today unlike his normal straying around.

Young Gunners too much for Experienced Spurs(as they claim)

2009-10-31T07:58:00.000-07:00

Gunners crushed the experienced Spurs side 3-0. Spurs before the match had claimed that Arsenal team will be an easy on to play eventhough they have this beautiful passing game. After the match maybe they might chance the view to too much to play. Too much mind games and comments from Redknapp and Keane started off the match well for Arsenal.

Arsenal played the regular team with Bendtner starting instead of Eboue. Bendtner later left due to a injury and in came Eduardo. Spurs started well with cutting off Arsenal passes and holding the game well. They could claim they started well but had no chance going forward since they lacked creativity by playing Huddlestone, Palacios and Jenas in midfield. This left no one to attack for them from the midfield. Arsenal unlike the other games was bit shaky in the start. Van Persie opened the scoring from a beautiful cross from Sagna and then came the wonder goal. The wonder goal was scored by the Arsenal captain Fabregas. He cut off the pass from the touch by Spurs after the Van Persie goal and went on to beat 3 players alone before cutting in that goal past Gomes. That was awesome goal and one of the best in this season till date. There was some heated exchange of words between Robin and Bendtner when there was a mis-pass from the later.

Bendtner was strugging after 30mins in the first half and seemed like a groin injury and in came Eduardo. It was an awful day for Eduardo, he missed two simple chances in one on one occassions with Gomes. This was not expected from him and he also looked tired out there with his facial expressions. Arshavin was later substituted with Eboue. Arshavin had quite a few runs as usual and was unlucky in not scoring in few occasions. Arsene Wenger seems to be shouting at few players during the course of the match. Vermaelen stood tall against the tallest of all Peter Crouch. Vermaelen defended with style. He was tough to beat and helped Arsenal keep a clean sheet. The referee would have taken peoples curse by not using his yellow card on many a times he got chance.

Third goal came from Robin Van Persie's boots with a brilliant miss from goalkeeper and King. There was a confusion before the goal when linesman called foul and referee said play on when Eduardo was fouled. Most of the players stopped but when it started it was goal. Anyways it stands since referee said to continue and play on. Gunners who still has one game in hand in the premier league this time looks comfortable and in a dominant position. We still needs to go a long way and if our players keep getting injured this way and most of them groin. We could also doubt there is something wrong with our training or workout which makes it keep happening. I was expecting Samir Nasri to come off the bench but unfortunately Wenger didnt play him.

Current Injured players :
1. Rosicky
2. Denilson
3. Walcott
4. Wilshere
5. Vela
6. Bendtner
7. Djourou
8. Fabianski

That is hell a lot of players and we need to do something with this and its all left to Wenger to decide what will be best. Gunners Keep going and we fans are always behind you.

Gunners cruise through Liverpool tide!

2009-10-28T15:03:00.000-07:00

Arsenal evolved as winners playing Liverpool at home in a Carling Cup Match which placed them into quarter-final stage of the cup competition. It was a delight to watch since in comparison with the mighty Liverpool squad today Arsenal was frail.

Gunners Squad had likes of Fabianski, Gilbert, Senderos, Silvestre, Gibbs, Eastmond, Ramsey, Merida, Bendtner, Eduardo and Nasri. Nasri was instrumental in planning and executing a excellant display with wide range of passes and dribbling. Benitez placed a pretty strong side against Arsenal for this match. It had the likes of Skrtel, Voronin, Kuyt, Insua, N'Gog and later Benayoun and Aquilani coming off bench. This was again a Liverpool side short of Gerrard and Torres.

Arsenal started the goal scoring with a brilliant strike from one of our best young players Fran Merida. Fellow gunners Fabregas and Arshavin rose from their seats to applaud for this wonderful goal which came quite early in the match. But Arsenal goal was taken off from limelight with a more accurate and deadly long ranger from Insua which gave a game on the half time with 1-1. Liverpool threat was constant on the wings and had few wonderful chances missed too. This never bothered free flowing gunners today. Arsenal right back Gilbert showed good defending skills. He had won quite a lot of balls to get gunners going. He seemed to slow on foot but wonderful in tackling and positioning. Senderos and Silvestre also played with the wisdom they gained from experience. Gibbs was the weak link in the Arsenal defence today. I would like to make this comment which I am forced to, "Gibbs is not at all a good wing back." He is good playing as left midfielder or central midfielder. Wenger should soon remove him from that position and try to play him in a role where he is comfortable at. He is good at tackling and long range passes. In fact he is a good passer. He is often out of position while backtracking from an attack. There were quite a lot of occassions when Silvestre found himself alone with no support of the left.

Nasri controlled the game with his wonderful passing and dribbling. Merida gave good support to Nasri and was instrumental in Arsenal victory. Bendtner had missed few chances in the first half before gifting Arsenal with a good sweet left footer from 5-10yards distance. Ramsey was deployed into a more attacking role which was not suiting him completely. With the debutant Craig Eastmond playing the holding role. We saw Sanchez Watt, Randall and Coquelin coming off bench to replace Bendtner, Eastmond and Merida. This time around Wenger was playing serious and sensible substitutions, which made it clear Arsenal took this game more seriously than ever and not in the normal hit and miss cup games which was always a lighter part of Arsenal. Aquilani impressed the fans with couple of wonderful long passes and skills. He looks like a player who can fit into Liverpool midfield beside Mascherano and could mean trouble for opponents. Benayoun was not seen much with the ball after coming off the bench. Voronin had a good chance which was called offside towards the end of the game and also a hand ball claim against Senderos was not given by referee in the dying moments of the match.

Next weekend on October 31, 2009 Arsenal plays Spurs at Emirates. Don't miss that one!

Take it easy to make it a draw?

2009-10-25T18:07:00.000-07:00

Gunners once again showed the take it easy attitude after the 2-0 first half lead which made them pay heavily. If Arsenal had not drawn today they would have sat in a good position in the table. Anyways the season is on and it looks like an open one with all smaller team showing some kind of urgency and raw power in crunch matches. This season shows no matches are easy as people used to think before.

Arsenal played the regular back four and the regular midfield and regular front men today. I guess no need to name them, they were same as last match. After the surprise gift from Green to Van Persie for the first goal. Arsenal pumped in one more with a good header by Gallas from a corner. West Ham goals came from Mannonne block which was headed in by Cole from a freekick of Diamanti and another penalty from Diamanti. Mannonne didn't look the comfortable shot stopper which he was last few games today.

Only man who had some bit of performance on his side today was Alex Song and its time and again now that this chap is coming out good. Eventhough the penalty was given by Song's pressure on Cole, Song was composed and disciplined. Arsenal had Nasri, Eduardo and Bendtner on the bench. I am not sure why Wenger want to keep it late again. It took him 80mins to bring on Bendtner and later Eduardo for Eboue and Diaby. We should have given this pair atleast 20mins time to work out the plans which they never got.

Hope Arsenal takes this as a good lesson. They have to kill matches quickly and don't take it easy. Needs to go for that extra push and finish off as soon as possible. Next match is a knock-out match with Liverpool in Carling Cup. Liverpool showed some style in last encounter with Manchester United. So Gunners get ready for the toughest task in this season for the youngsters.

Happy B'day Arsene Wenger

2009-10-22T06:45:00.001-07:00

Well deserved draw!

2009-10-20T13:50:00.000-07:00

Gunners were not near there worst form of the season, but was a significant loss of form seen. The not so early lead came to Arsenal when Arshavin pounced on a defensive error and setup Van Persie on the left for a clean strike who unselfishly inturn setup Fabregas for a clean shot on the right side of the post. AZ Alkmaar drew the match on the stoppage time's last minute and I would say it was a well deserved one. They played and protected the ball as gold with their own boots. I am not sure what the stats are but for a viewer it was all with Alkmaar except for few Arsenal passes. Arsenal was not able to play their normal game and wonderful work done by AZ Alkmaar coach on this regard.

Arsenal started with regular back four and had Song as midfield sweeper with Arshavin on left wing, Diaby and Fabregas and then Eboue. Van Persie was the front man for Arsenal. I always felt seeing todays team sheet, it was a wrong thing to do. We should have played our normal game with 4-3-3 and Vela/Wilshere should have started in front with Arshavin and Van Persie. But its all Boss's call we have to respect him. Ramsey came of for Eboue towards 80min and Vela for Van Persie. The best thing that AZ Alkmaar did and also the most sensible thing was not to give the ball to Arsenal in the starting minutes. This disabled Arsenal to settle down and inturn helped them to gain control. Clichy even though had quite a few good runs and passes but in defense he seemed ordinary. Vermaelen and Gallas played better than others. Song was very sloppy and Diaby contributed his usual meekish misses. Diaby had a good weekend last week which forced me to pick him as MOM for that match. But as expected from him he was inconsistent with his form.

There was no exceptional performers in todays match from Arsenal end. Arshavin played his normal game. Created few chances, took some shots and good link up with Fabregas. Cesc was very lazy today which affected the Arsenal game as a whole. Ramsey was played in the right wing of the midfield where he was miserable. Lad was not able to play his natural game. In Arsene we trust, so he should be having some planning trying out all these. We surely missed the creativity of Rosicky, Nasri, Eduardo and Bendtner today. Back in England Nasri played 58mins for reserves and setup the first goal for Arsenal Reserves. Coincidentally we drew the Arsenal reserves match too.

We should be marking this day as a black day for comparitively bigger teams in Champions league considering the following results.
Barcelona lost 1-2 to Rubin Kazan
Liverpool lost 1-2 to Lyon
Inter Milan drew 2-2 to Dynamo Kiev
Rangers lost 1-4 to Unirea Urziceni

Arsenal Training before AZ Alkmaar match

2009-10-20T05:39:00.000-07:00

Arsenal comes strong out of Birmingham encounter

2009-10-17T16:29:00.000-07:00

Let the advertisement complete on the video for highlights

Arsenal started well with strong passing display. With Fabregas being the center of the passing games it was delightful for the eyes. Gunners has two changes to the regular back four with Gibbs and Eboue coming in for Clichy and Sagna. Midfield was filled with Diaby, Fabregas and Alex Song. Van Persie once again spearheaded the three men strike force with Rosicky on left and Walcott on right.

The sad part of the match is Walcott took a blow and was substituted at 38th min. Arshavin came on for Walcott and which changed some of the proceedings. The goals came out off Van Persie, Diaby and Arshavin. Bowyer was the only player to smash the net for Birmingham which kept them in the match until Arshavin closed the hopes with an 85th min beauty. He placed the ball instead of banging and placed it so well that Hart never stood a chance.

Vito Mannonne once again proved his worth with a string of wonderful unbelievable saves. I guess Almunia would get some good competition for his spot. This also might push Fabianski to be the third preference for goalkeeping. Italian goalkeeper claimed that Birmingham had fouled him for the first goal but referee had differnt view on it and the goal stood. Abou Diaby was another player who was exceptional. Not just with his passing and dribbling but first time this season with the much expected tackling. Diaby has good ability to tackle and get the ball from opponents. Since he is played in the front line and on left is seldom uses this. Today there were quite a few occassions he came to help out young Gibbs. Diaby once again showed his worth in the team. But the question remains...Is he reliable? Is he consistent. We need to wait and watch rest of the season. Wenger is a man on mission and he had earlier declared this could be Diaby's season. I trust in Arsene too! So there should be something behind that declaration.

Gibbs was not that impressive today but filled the void left by Clichy to some extent. But he keeps making silly mistakes and there were few occassions when Gibbs has to just hit outside which is not that great in intense matches. He needs to win possession and once ball is with him needs to move forward. He has shown some skills with his long passing as usual and I am sure we will have more to see from him in the coming years. Sagna came off the bench to substitute Rosicky and Eboue gave way to Wilshere on the 90th minute. Van Persie missed few good chances too. Otherwise the scoreline would have been different. Eduardo, Bendtner and Nasri is due to return during next game. Not sure how much Walcott will be missing. But it is quite evident that he won't be playing the next match which happen to be a champions league encounter.

Arsenal punishes Blackburn for early lead

2009-10-04T07:35:00.000-07:00

Blackburn took early lead with a marvelous header by Nzonzi which no one would have bet for. Arsenal responded with a beautiful goal again by Vermaelen from the edge of the penalty box. The shot from Vermaelen had hit the back of net with some force. Game on once again and Blackburn got lucky with a deflected shot from Gallas to back of net. Arsenal again came back with a beautiful goal left footed goal by Van Persie to make the game equally poised. It never looked equally poised after that to be frank. Arsenal started a rampage run with Arshavin, Fabregas, Walcott and Bendtner on score sheet towards the end of the match.

Arsenal started with the regular formation which is tested throughout this season's campaign.
Sagna-Gallas-Vermaelen-Clichy
Fabregas-Song-Diaby
Rosicky-Van Persie-Arshavin

Eventhough Rosicky could not get to the scoresheet he did his job remarkably well. He had few shots on goal himself and setup lot of attacks with his meeky passes and runs. Fabregas was instrumental in Arsenal victory who masterminded most of the goals and scored one himself. Rosicky was substituted by Walcott on 67th minute as expected. Walcott immediately delivered his goods which might had caught Fabio Capello's mind with no surprise. By 75th minute Fabregas and Arshavin was substituted with Bendtner and Ramsey. Ramsey won the challenges well and laid few long ball threats with the help of Walcott who was at the end of the ball always. Robinson was lucky to save couple of shots from Walcott and one mishit which should have been a goal any other day. Bendtner closed the charts with a wonderful dribble and blast run similar to those seen from Arshavin quite a few times. Young lads seems to be learning quite a few tricks from those old chaps out there in the team. This is how experience helps the team building.

Eventhough Arsenal won the match in some style. Defensive errors were not few, Infact countless. Song and Diaby were not providing the much needed sweeping as usual. Arsenal got carried away with attacks and forgot the defensive side of their game. Most of the occassions Gallas and Vermaelen came for the rescue. We are not marking men or attacking the ball when it is with the opponents and near our goal area. We are trying to ease out and relax and wait for their errors. This is not a fair practice to be employed by any team. We need to attack the ball and win the tackles, this is key area which has more scope for improvement. Going forward Arsenal do have lot of options with the likes of Samir Nasri coming back to team and Eduardo and Denilson getting back from injury. Vito Mannone once again saved few great shots and was perfect with his positioning. This guy never did that against Fulham by luck. This looks sheer brilliance and promises a better future for Arsenal in years to come.

The biggest celebrity off the pitch for any Arsenal fans in this game would be the presence of Thierry Henry on the ground. Henry and family watched the match from the gallery and looked like enjoying every bit of it. Arsene Wenger started his illustrious career in Highbury(London) with a 2-0 win over Blackburn Rovers on an October fixture 13 years back and this was a good gift to him from the young gunners.

Arsenal win against Olympiacos

2009-09-29T13:40:00.000-07:00

Having seen the total number of shots you guys know what was happening out there. The Olympiacos goalkeeper was excellant and defying his age with his performance. Rosicky, Arshavin, Van Persie, Fabregas and many others tested his with their best but never passed him until Eduardo came on as substitute for Rosicky and created that chance for Van Persie to take and Fabregas setup Arshavin with an offside goal.

Greece side had formiddable defences in olden days but those days are a by-gone era. Looks like goalkeeping was taking centrestage there. Arsenal played very good attacking football today. Looked great as an attacking force. Midfield play was not that great eventhough as usual Song stood tall cutting off passes and making that defence feel cushioned. Diaby was substituted with Vela after 70mins and it was a wise move. Eventhough we were playing attacking football Diaby was losing the ball very badly. Arsenal should be looking to play him more in centre roll than left or right forward. Eboue started in the Right Back position and the rest of the defence remained the same. It was good to see the co-ordination between Fabregas, Arshavin and Rosicky. Can't wait more to see the young injured Gunner Nasri playing with them to tear off defences across the world. Ramsey came in for Van Persie in the dying minutes and by that time the Arsenal were in full control of the match with 2-0 up.

There was no great performances by any individuals whereas it was a collective team effort. Clichy had a comparatively bad game. He was beaten in few occassions and also he was not marking his man to his best ability. Clichy might be a good wing back but as a marking defender in 4-3-3 where the attack will be mostly through the centre he is not effective. He needs to make those runs through the line quite often but cannot compromise with quality defending. This would be some area for Arsene Wenger to work on in near future. The arising Don in Arsenal camp "Don Vito" continued his good show with couple of good diving saves and positioning. This chap is going to give Almunia hard time getting back to team if this continues.

Vermaelen and Gallas defended well. Vermaelen had few chances in set pieces which was not taken. Van Persie's corner and freekicks seems to be searching for Vermaelen while coming whereever he was. Arsenal still has scope of improvement in their set-pieces. Being an attacking team Arsenal will surely get lots of freekicks around the area. If we train well on set pieces and become a deadly force on dead balls then the opponents will be even scared to foul us. This will be an added advantage. Let's see how the game goes as season progresses.

Bad news for Gunners camp and fans alike is the Brazilian playmaker Denilson is out for 2 months due to a back injury. Bendtner also walked off safe after a car crash(Aston Martin Black). We would see Arsene Wenger with more armour down his Arsenal this weekend with Bendtner and once again fit Walcott in race for a starting place in the match against Blackburn Rovers. Hope Bendtner doesn't crash again(Only fun intended). Nasri is expected to be fit by mid of next month which will give Wenger with more attacking options.

Gunners lucky to get a win at Craven Cottage

2009-09-26T11:31:00.000-07:00

This London Derby was a spectacular one to watch. All praise for Fulham for their attacking display and wonderful midfield play. Arsenal started off with the normal line-up with Arshavin-Robin Van Persie and Bendtner spearheading the attack. To be frank there was hardly any attack from Arsenal side. Arsenal holded the possession compared to Fulham. But was not at all able to capitalize on the ball. Van Persie was lucky to score the lone goal from a beautiful pass by Fabregas.

Everything went wrong to Arsenal today but lucky to getaway with a win. Fabregas and Arshavin were pathetic with and without the ball. Diaby lost possession to Fulham players very often. Song had been consistant through out the new season and he kept his place well. One player who stood out and made this win possible for Arsenal is non other than Vito Mannone. He gave a surprise to Arsenal fans with his great display of goalkeeping. This guy looks like is upto something. Almunia and Fabianski will have some competition which might also allow them to get better. Arsenal was busy defending the ball and the kind of display is pathetic compared to any Champions League team.

Arsenal looks like they needed to take off Diaby from today's lineup but Wenger never went for it. Instead he took off Arshavin and brought in Rosicky who did a decent job compared to others. The other player to get substituted was Van Persie and in came Eboue who had couple of chances to finish of the Fulham rush with a goal himself but as usual he missed it. Bendtner looked like he was in this match all of his own and never ever thought of passing the ball to any player when he is near the goal. This is not Arsenal way of playing. Balls were given off cheaply and never ever looked like passing well. Arsenal needs to have better training before their next match or else they will suffer a defeat in Champions league next week.

To be fair to the Gunners, it could also be that one off day when things are not going your way. Very strange to see Arsenal winning inspite of all these issues. Strange since I have hardly seen Arsenal winning a match when they are not in control of the match.

Arsenal vs WBA

2009-09-24T07:03:00.000-07:00

Arsenal takes on Wigan Athletic and Wins 4-0!

2009-09-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

The team today looked as expected from Arsene Wenger. With Same back line consisting of Sagna, Gallas, Vermaelen and Clichy. Midfield with Fabregas, Song and Diaby. Frontline with Eduardo, Robin Van Persie and Eboue. Eboue had a good match after few weeks atleast. He made lot of instrumental runs forward and received a yellow card for handball. The possession was with Arsenal from the start of the match. Song once again controlled the match in the centre of the pitch.

The first goal came from Vermaelen with a great header of Van Persie's corner. Second goal was a surprise strike by Vermaelen with his superb left foot which banged the net like a meteor. Third goal came off Eboue from a good strike from Eduardo. The fourth and final goal was from the captain Fabregas from a Bendtner cross.

Bendtner, Rosicky and Ramsey came off the bench for Eduardo, Eboue and Diaby. All three were able to make good impact right away. Day seems to be bit bad for Robin Van Persie who missed quite a few good easy chances miss-timing the ball. Wigan played a very dangerous game by their players dedicated to foul young gunners. Arsenal stood strong with the body game of Wigan. We have seen lot of Arsenal team coming to defense when the opponents starts fouling but this one attacked with more vigour. Mannone the young goalkeeper of Arsenal had an ok match with very few chances to show his worth. The whole battle was in midfield with Song winning most of his tackles and also receiving a yellow card for a foul.

The 4-3-3 formation which Arsene Wenger was trying to employ this season is getting mixed results which makes it impossible to comment. Since the season has just started and there is long way to go, we will reserve the comments for later. Anyways the wingbacks in Clichy and Sagna is not that effective or used in the formation. Arsene Wenger can also decide on playing CB all around the back four and controlling the match with tight marking too. This will be funny to watch. We will be playing West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday for the Carling Cup. Hope to see more young gunners shine and make a contention for place for the next season.

Arsenal Lucky to win against Standard Liege

2009-09-16T13:39:00.000-07:00

Standard Liege took an early lead of 2-0 as early as 85mins to go.
Arsenal was miserable in passing and was not able to find the rhythm until Bendtner's first goal just before the half time break. The first goal was a give away by Eduardo by trying a tricky pass while clearing a corner from Standard Liege. The second goal for the Belgian giants was a penalty induced by Gallas.

Goal one for Arsenal came from brilliant dribbling and move from Diaby which was netted by Bendtner between the goalkeeper's legs. It was a fantastic goal which kept the match alive for Arsenal. Later Vermaelen scored a goal which was seen as a hand ball from Song while collecting a freekick inside the box. Third goal which won the match for them was by Eduardo himself who had cheaply given away the first goal for Standard Liege.

Rosicky was the only player who had done well in the first half for Arsenal. He was winning balls and moving things. Whereas all others where struggling to get going. Mannone was the goalkeeper for Arsenal today and don't know whether Wenger should reconsider this option before the next match. Arsenal started off resting Van Persie, Walcott, Denilson, Arshavin and Almunia. The decision was seen as not effective during the first half of the game. Second half showed the immaturity of the Belgian side which gave away the goals and helped Arsenal to win. This was a close escape for Arsenal. Gunners played better in the second half still no good to be a threat to any team with this sort of sloppy game. The passing was going haywire and lack of threat upfront remains the problem of the season.

Fabregas is too engaged with his offensive duties that he is not coming back to his own half the way he used to play earlier. This is affecting Arsenal balance leaving Song only in the back to support defenders. The player Arsenal missed most today was Arshavin. The kind of goal threat he brings with him is highly respectable. Arsenal needs to improve the goal conversion rate. They had been creating chances all these years but very less becoming the real goal. Eboue was terrible with his passing, crossing and defending. He was later substituted with Sagna. Ramsey came off the bench to replace Rosicky and he made an immediate impact on the game. Ramsey played well for his 30mins on the match. He also had few shots on the goal. Wilshere also came on to play at 85th min for Eduardo.

Arsenal training before first European match

2009-09-16T06:31:00.001-07:00

Manchester City Owns Arsenal!

2009-09-12T08:59:00.000-07:00

Arsenal had started off well like everyother game. Fabregas controlled the whole game for Arsenal from start. We started off with Diaby, Van Persie and Bendtner up front. With regular midfield players in Fabregas, Song and Denilson. Arsene Wenger was forced to take off Denilson and Song from midfield towards the end of the game to give chance to Rosicky and Eduardo. Rosicky showed his worth by providing the assist for the first goal for Arsenal after the initial damage by Almunia by providing an own goal to Man City from a beautiful header by Richards on Barry's freekick.

Robin Van Persie's goal showed the real power inside his boots. Lescott tried to foul his but he rose to the occassion and pushed on towards the right of Given for a beautiful goal. Later Arsenal showed lot of advances and which left the back four disturbed. Man City was able to grab 4 goals in total out of which 3 came through good counter attacking football. Man City was excellant in their counter attacks with Adebayor, Bellamy and Wright Phillips upfront.

De Jong and Barry controlled the game for them. There was few excellant attempts on Man City goal from Bendtner and Van Persie before the goal from Rosicky which came as a consolation for the poor display and also the loss. Rosicky was able to prove his worth and significance in the team with a little cameo. Gallas was always marking Adebayor tightly which actually held Man City back. Towards the later stages of the match when Gallas was going front too often left Adebayor unmarked and he exploited Arsenal defence with this advantage.

Overall performance from Arsenal side where good but point to be noted is when you go for the kill make sure your defence is still tight. As we have mentioned in our previous blog on the defensive problems, Clichy was terrible in defense and was never seen when needed. Please do read our blogs on Arsenal defensive issues and Why Arsenal is losing. We always want Arsenal to win but there are few things we need to correct before we claim that we are INVINCIBLES AGAIN.

Injury News from the Boss

2009-09-12T03:49:00.000-07:00

Part II - What is stopping Arsenal from winning?

2009-09-09T06:04:00.000-07:00

In our last edition of What is stopping Arsenal from winning?, we had discussed on the issues with our backline and defensive midfield. Let's see more on the attacking midfield options of Arsenal.

Attacking Midfield
Arsenal boasts of one of the best attacking midfield any football club can dream about. The likes of Fabregas, Nasri, Rosicky, Arshavin and Walcott raises few eyebrows in amusement. These are all world class players who can break any defensive traps in style. But why we are not still a formidable team? Guys its actually funny to remind you that most of the time most of our players would be injured. It had been very tough for Arsenal to find all our players fit and competing for the starting XI. Not sure whether this is a curse from some team we had defeated sometime back.

A special mentione needs to be made on Denilson and Diaby for holding on the attacking responsibilities and breaking the defenses for fun. In this season we haven't seen Nasri, Rosicky and Walcott yet. We Arsenalites always believes when all are there we will rock. But often forgets the fact that there is no state like that for us. I am not at all aware of what kind of training for fitness our team holds so don't want to comment on that. I saw how Nasri got injured and to me it was ridiculous. Its mere ill-luck that broke his leg. Poor Diaby how much he might be feeling sad for that.

Francesc Fabregas
Cesc is at his best when he is lying low with long balls and starting the movement from Arsenal end and later he is feary when he grabs the last pass to strike it in the back of the net for the same pass which he started back in his own half. He had been instrumental in counter attacks with his great vision and long passes. Early was deadly with Adebayor who is history in Arsenal now. Will look forward to see similar or more tougher bond with Bendtner in future.

Tomas Rosicky
Infact Arsenal had not seen much of him yet. He is very dangerous anywhere outside the box. If this guy is given space outside the box he don't care to pass the ball or enter the box. One of the best long range shots I have seen in Arsenal ranks. In recent past he had been highly prone to injuries and fighting hard to be fit. This guy is a very hard working player and hope to see more from him this season to enable Wenger to make a perfect squad.

Andrei Arshavin
Joined Arsenal ranks this year January but he had jelled with the team as if he had been playing for years. He is deadly inside the box, outside the box and has killer shots which no goalkeeper can even imagine. No wonder Almunia had been doing better now. Arshavin can single handedly break into defences with his speed and tricks. He is a very good dribbler of the ball and can be the next Bergkamp with the kind of tricks he has in his bag now. The only problem I found is that he is not at all good with Robin Van Persie. But very good with Bendtner and ok with Eduardo. Hope Arsene had noticed the samething.

Samir Nasri
Arsenal is yet to see his best. He is one of the best attacking midfielders in the world and at his age he is still growing. This guy has exceptionally good dribbling skills and very good at dead balls too. Arsenal should be able to utilize him for freekicks and corners going forward. Currently he is out for couple of weeks more due to a injury during pre-season training. One thing we noticed about Nasri is his skill to avoid tackles. That is commendable and tough to break down. He has good pace and growing every game.

Theo Walcott
No more a winger for Arsenal. This year Theo is hoping to play the central striker role which we feel is foolishness from him. There was one guy Wenger told to play as striker after his tenure as a left winger in 20yrs of age and his name was Thiery Henry. Not sure about Walcott yet. But he has good pace and dribbling skills. Needs to improve on his passing and finishing. He can run miles with the ball beating all but that is not football. He needs to work on his football skills along with the dribbling and runs. Once he improves his passing and finishing which is expected by the end of this year, you know what a deadly weapon Arsene will have in his Arsenal.

Denilson and Diaby
The two D's has been the revelation of the season with their extra-ordinary passing and marking. They had been able to fill the boots of Cesc when he was not playing in last couple of matches. What we need to look for is the consistency which Diaby had never shown. Hope he doesn't get injured this season again to spoil his chances in Arsenal. Denilson had been Wenger's favourite from last season and had been playing almost all the matches. He cannot be treated as a holding midfielder due to his tendency to go forward too often. Since he started the goal scoring for Arsenal this season, lets hope its a great season for him and Arsenal.

The kids to watch out for this season is Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and Fran Merida.
Arsene Wenger will be looking for growing these kids for the future of Arsenal without Fabregas and Arshavin.

Will continue on this topic with attacking options later.

Wenger on the International Fixtures!

2009-09-09T05:55:00.000-07:00

Part I - What is stopping Arsenal from winning?

2009-09-06T04:32:00.001-07:00

Guys this could be a blog with lot of things to debate on. To start with what is that our team lacks now? We often tend to get carried away with the goals we score and forget that there is something that is standing strong between Arsenal and the silverware. This is not just onething but quite a few. I would be mean if I don't admit that Arsene Wenger is the best person Arsenal can get with their limited spending policy and hefty loans.

1. Wing Backs
Arsenal often boasts of couple of the most terrific wing backs in the football now. But think about it guys. Who Sagna or Clichy or both? Its funny to even think of. Be frank with yourself and ask yourself how many times you have seen Sagna curling in a wonderful cross? I haven't seen many in all these years! Guys believe the fact you can't run away from it..its just not happening. Sagna is good at getting back to the Right Back role and tackling the ball from the opponents boots. He will never be considered as a threat going forward. Now let's get to the much talked about and respected Clichy...what's there in him that makes us love him? Its nothing but his speed. He is quick at his feet and can catch up with the best forwards in the world. Is he good at attacking and taking over the role of a perfect wing back. He is kind of ok? Yeah true...Kind off..He is not good at doing that. He is more comfortable in winning balls and running with the ball. Observe yourself before you consider my words. We have two prodigy's in bench named Traore and Gibbs. To be fair to them both are more attacking than Clichy but due to lack of experience they are terrible defensively. Both of them needs matches to grow and Arsene needs to decide whether to loan them off or give them more matches. My pick would be Traore for the future and Gibbs would be better off being a left midfielder.

2. Defensive Midfielder/Snatchers
Defensive Midfielders are often seen and respected as the people who control the game. They are always in a commanding position since they often get more possession compared other players if he is good at his job. If you take a look at the Arsenal teams which had been widely respected and feared in recent past you would know what was in there. People feared Henry or Bergkamp, but why? There was always a Viera, Ray Parlour, Edu, Gilberto Silva, Flamini and few others to snatch the ball from the opposition. This is the difference. Arsenal's backbone had been that defensive midfield which was damaged and destroyed by the greedy departure of few players. So what's the remedy? We can see a rejuvenated Alex Song doing well in that position. Cutting off passes, making that excellent long and short passes to control the game. But how often does he get forward? With Song eventhough he is good at his new role he is bad at going forward like all the greats before him. This could be later a disadvantage to us. I don't expect Song to have long runs with the ball or dribble past people but atleast he should keep a higher position. A territory somewhere in the center of the pitch. Denilson cannot be seen as a defensive midfielder since he tends to get forward too often more than what I mentioned above. Diaby is another option Wenger has who can control the game. But he is played as an offensive partner to strikers that he hardly gets any defensive duty. Other options Arsenal has includes Rosicky, Nasri, Walcott and Fabregas non of them will be played as a defensive player. So who can play that role? Imagine what will happen when Song gets injured or goes for African Nations cup? At sametime if Denilson gets injured where is Arsenal midfield? Who will hold the lines? We need to definetely spend on a defensive midfielder or help on of our defenders to step up and get converted to a defensive midfielder. The stature and physique helps Senderos to be one if at all Arsene permits.

Read more on Offensive Problems in our next blog.

Manchester United beats Gunners at Old Trafford!

2009-08-29T11:18:00.000-07:00

Once again it was a wonderful display of passing and finishing by Arsenal without playmaker Fabregas. Arsenal bowed to Manchester United cheaply with a penalty which came out of a foul from goalkeeper Almunia and great header from Diaby on his own net. The match also saw Arsene Wenger sent off out of the ground for kicking a water bottle.

Arsenal started with a 4-3-3 line up and played well with the limited possession Manchester United gave them. ManU where in complete control of the match with possession. Gunners won lot of balls with good tackles but seemed to be giving away the ball cheaply to ManU players. Van Persie had been in the worst form ever this season with showing how bad he is at finishing the balls.

Arsene Wenger tried all his cards with substituting Bendtner, Ramsey and Eduardo which was of no use. Arsenal entered the scoresheet with the mighty kick from Arshavin after the foul on him by Fletcher inside the penalty area which was left unnoticed by the referee who had already given 5 yellow cards including 4 Arsenal players and 1 United player by that time. ManU goals came from a penalty from Rooney and own goal from Diaby.

The highlight of the match was the biased refereeing which had been a highlight in any old trafford match. I still don't understand why is there no questioning on this? Why no one cares for the discrimination? Why is any team playing at old trafford cheated always? These question needs to be answered with some clarity and hope in the coming matches it works out better.

The only player who had some good day was Vermaelen. He was good at his marking, tackling and clearance. All the other players on Arsenal shirts were terrible today and hope this is due to the tiredness from the number of matches they are playing nowadays and not the lose of form. We will come back strong and will try our best to win something this season. Let's wait and watch

Latest Injury news from the Boss

2009-08-27T16:00:00.000-07:00

Arsenal enters Champions League

2009-08-26T13:43:00.000-07:00

Arsenal today crushed Celtic to enter the champions league one more time. A record bettered only by Manchester United and Real Madrid. There is a long way to go before we get to know whether we hold any chance this time.

Arsenal won 3-1 against an attacking Celtic side. The first goal came as a penalty which Eduardo converted with ease. It was a controversial one since the replays showed no contact from the keeper on Eduardo. Eboue finished with cool head hard to see though from a pass beautifully set by Bendtner to Diaby and Diaby to Eboue.
Arshavin came of the bench to score a well deserved third goal for Arsenal.

We started with a 4-3-3 with Denilson-Song-Eboue in the middle. Diaby was part of the strikers with Eduardo and Bendtner upfront. The defense consisted of Clichy-Vermaelen-Gallas-Sagna. The best part of our game was the defensive line we kept. Our defense to attack conversion was very commendable too. First half was very interesting with lot of runs from the wing backs and great passing game by Arsenal. In the second half, we saw a more attacking Celtic side with Arsenal happily warding off the threats.

Diaby was substituted with Ramsey who left the play during the closing stages due to hit taken from Celtic midfielder. Arshavin and Wilshere came off the bench to add pace to the game during the last twenty minutes. Arshavin showed his presence with great runs and turns. He also scored in few minutes of hitting the pitch from a brilliant pass by Ramsey. Celtic's goal came during the final minute of play which was very much consolation for the good display of football from them today.

It was Denilson who stood tall between the sides. He masterminded Arsenal attacks from the midfield. Denilson was well supported by Song to win the ball and supply to Denilson to decide its fate. Denilson also ran to the box to take a short to sidenets apart from his long range effort which ended up kissing few fans. Denilson was instrumental in today's match. Few things he need to develop was on his dead ball efforts. The freekicks and corners where somewhere he should have done better. As always he is a hardworking footballer for Arsenal and one of Arsene's favourite for that central midfielder role. Absence of Fabregas, Arshavin, Nasri, Rosicky and Van Persie showed us we lacked depth in utilizing the dead ball situations. Denilson and Eboue was booked for tackles during the course of the match.

Next week Arsenal will be facing the toughest challenge of the season in Manchester United. Manchester United had scored five goals in their last premiership match and are hot favourites at home. Arsenal will have some thing to prove and hope Rosicky is fit on time for the match alongwith the best playmaker in BPL - Francesc Fabregas.

Rosicky back for ManUtd clash

2009-08-25T06:54:00.000-07:00

Arsenal's Starts with demolition excercise in Emirates!

2009-08-22T08:57:00.000-07:00

Gunners started with a brilliant 4-1 win in the Emirates stadium. Arsenal found ball sticking to their foot. Portsmouth did all they could and made few sensible subs too. No one could make any impact and with the lone goal from Kaboul which could be described as an exceptional header from the old defender.

Arsenal started with two good goals from Diaby, one from Gallas and another from Ramsey. Gallas had scored in all the three matches this season and seems like in quite a form. Fabregas was substituted with Ramsey after the half time break. Ramsey did very well with his clean tackles and powerful playmaking. Later in the match we saw Merida and Bendtner coming in for Arshavin and Eduardo. Eduardo was deadly with dribbling and ball control. He had created the first goal for Diaby from no where and Diaby should be thankful to the Crot for ending his goal draught. As usual Gallas had been attacking the strikers with his pace and marking skills and Vermaelen laid a firm foundation for the Arsenal attacks. We had not seen Alex Song starting today which is a sign of Wenger trying out new combinations to see how different young guns perform in that area. Diaby brought with his free flowing attack and Fabregas and Denilson played very low and defensive line. Fabregas was good as always with his terrific long balls and Denilson took the job of clearing the balls and pouring in those tough tackles on the attacks.

Van Persie had laid few good passes and goals but he himself was never able to find the net. He was terrible in his final touches. Had deadly killer passes from his shoes but not those net shaking ones. He was finding it tough to play the complete striker role and was more of a centre forward. I would say Arsene should try planing Arshavin in Centre in the three men strike force. Arshavin can beat players alone and can strike with fair power without many passes. Whereas Van Persie needs those support which is tough to get since the other two strikers will be wide men in this formation. Denilson proving to be a utility player and seems like apart from defending abilities he holds good play making skills. His passing was notable and interesting to watch. Both Clichy and Sagna was rested today and this should be in line with the preparation for the Celtic clash at Emirates this tuesday.

We still have quite a few great players injured and all of them are suppose to return in couple of months time. The list includes Vela, Walcott, Rosicky, Nasri, Djourou and Fabianski. Once these guys are back our squad would look more dangerous and Arsene would have more options to play with. All of them are players with great calibre and creativity.

Arsene Wenger on Coaching!

2009-08-19T18:29:00.000-07:00

Loud Celtic fans learning silence!

2009-08-18T13:50:00.000-07:00

Today Arsenal team got the real English experience. Celtic was furious with lot of tackles making it tough for the young gunners. The Arsenal team seems to be maturing to a better form of game which is more attacking and disciplined that is 4-3-3.

William Gallas scored the first goal. The goal was created by the Arsenal playmaker Fabregas from a beautiful close range freekick. Gallas had been the core part of Arsenal set pieces and it again gave its prize. Gallas ran completely unmarked and to the surprise to the goalkeeper. Freekick was directed to the goalkeeper who was already diving to keep it clear when Gallas interfered the line of shot and deflected it to the far post in style. This season Arsenal has started with a serious mission and seems like the training sessions had improved the overall set piece moves.

Second goal was a own goal from the Celtic captain Caldwell. The cross from Clichy found the goal when Caldwell tried to clear it with a slide. Celtic was dangerous in the wings with both their wingers showing pace and substance but unfortunately for them Arsenal where equally good at clearance except for few occassions each from Clichy and Sagna.

Bendtner often came to help the defenders when needed. The man who again controlled the game from middle by winning balls and moving it to right areas was Alex Song. He is getting better every game and was often the target for Celtic fouling experts too.
The trio of Cesc, Song and Denilson is building a great understanding and partnership with the formation and looks like can do great damage to opponents. The formation seems to be bit unfair for the attacking options lying with Arsene Wenger in Nasri, Rosicky and Walcott. Current situation shows Denilson would be one who would have a tough competition to keep the place since removing Song/Fabregas from the centre position can be very damaging.

Van Persie and Arshavin had below par performances. Both of them where bit casual in their approaches. We expected Wenger would play Eduardo during late stages but Wenger kept it simple by bringing on Diaby for Arshavin. This also suggests that during this weekends clash with Portsmouth we can see more of Eduardo and expect Van Persie to be rested. Arshavin and Van Persie was not able to form a good partnership in many occassions which could be handled by Arshavin-Eduardo duo later this saturday. Arsenal still has lot to do in case they are trying for European glory. They need to improve the shooting. There are a minimum of 10 chances created in every Arsenal game out of which we score 1 or 2. We need to go for the kill and finish of atleast 4 out of 10.

The man who stood tall in today's game is William Gallas. He is a completely changed man in his new role as the defensive anchor. Gallas is a definite threat to any defense with his heading capability. He is also able to create a good partnership with Vermaelen. The departure of Toure had helped Gallas to get better and show his importance in team. Once again cheers to Arsene Wenger to cash out the trash and build a stronger side with more team spirit and togetherness.

Mission Everton Completed!

2009-08-15T11:33:00.000-07:00

Gunners successfully demolished the Everton backline. Arsenal scored 6 times in the first match of this season. The goals started with a beautiful volley by Denilsonin left top corner. Later in two consecutive freekicks Vermaelen and Gallas scored with their best assets. Yeah, two wonderful headers from gunners after a while. Later Fabregas scored inside the box as a result of a beautiful counter attack well set by Denilson and Van Persie. The fifth goal was the one which demonstrated the Arsenal dominance in the pitch. Throw from Almunia to Fabregas. Cesc dribbling from Arsenal half into Everton Centre halfs and finishing off beautifully to the right side of the goalkeeper. Sixth goal came from Eduardo after Arshavin's shot hitting the pole.

We started with the 4-3-3 formation with
Sagna-Gallas-Vermaelen-Clichy
Fabregas-Song-Denilson
Bendtner-Van Persie-Arshavin

Later Eboue replaced Bendtner, Ramsey came in for Fabregas and Eduardo for Van Persie.

Arsenal moved to 4-4-2 after the substitutions with Ramsey on right and Eboue on left. Eduardo and Arshavin continued to pressurize the Everton defenders. We had seen how vulnerable Everton is to counter attacks and maybe Man City might reconsider losing another 25million to Everton. Our site would vote for Alex Song to be man of the match. Most notable performance was by the inspired goalkeeper Almunia. He showed zero stress of not making it high in the England team. He was cutting almost every corner and freekicks from Everton.

We are yet to see the new Walcott who claims to be playing in the centre forward position. Will see more from Nasri and Rosicky soon once they are back from injuries.

Celtic helps us to be fit!

2009-08-12T17:52:00.000-07:00

Johan Djourou - I can replace Toure!

2009-08-12T06:40:00.000-07:00

Valencia dominates Arsenal

2009-08-08T14:35:00.000-07:00

Another bad night from Arsenal. The most impressive player for Arsenal today was Djourou and Eboue. Arsenal was once again failing to create chances and once created was failing to finish them. First half saw all of Arsenal's senior players playing except for Eduardo and Walcott. Silvestre once again proved what a bad decision Wenger can make in transfer market. He also gave away a penalty which was also aftermath of an excellant dive by the Valencia forward. Fabianski stood tall to save the penalty from David Villa.

Arsenal started operations with Diaby, Song and Fabregas in midfield. Diaby was terrible with his passes and dribbling. While Song was keeping on fouling the Valencia players. Fabregas couldn't do much since he was not able to get a commentable possession of the ball. Later in the second half Walcott was unfortunate to miss the only real chance for the day. He made couple of good runs today.

Wilshere who is highly rated as an upcoming star gave away balls cheaply in quite a few occassions. He was not able to keep the ball close to him. Was always trying to make long runs which never helped. In the latter stages of the match we saw Eduardo coming to help defenders so that he can atleast touch the ball. Arsene Wenger played his subs and reserves in the second half to start with. But once he understood Arsenal won't be winning he started making subs to play reserves. This could be seen as negative tactic to cover his pride. He could well argue that my team just wanted matches and test fitness. Results doesn't matter with this move.

We are sure now that what Arsenal needs is not just a holding midfielder. We need to get three players for sure. This comment doesn't question any of our current players capability but to build a squad we need this. We need a defender who can play airballs well and who can be quick. We need a holding midfielder who can win balls neatly from opponents and we need a striker who is tall and can play in air well and has great reflexes.

A tip for Arsene would be to play young gunners first and later sub with senior players if he is playing to win. Or else it will be a complete give away like what we had seen today!

Wenger Reveals his plans for Valencia!

2009-08-07T08:33:00.000-07:00

Arsenal Owns Rangers - Emirates Cup gets home!

2009-08-02T10:11:00.000-07:00

This was a fantastic display of high quality football. Gunners scored two quick goals to get the match into hands and after which we never saw any movement from the Rangers until the second half. Second half made Rangers to attack the ball and the players more. They were able to come in with good through balls and excellant passes without any success. The first goal was a by-product of a beautiful link up play between Fabregas, Arshavin and Wishere. Wilshere netted the first one. Second goal came with Eduardo placing a curving ball from right side of the box with a killer through ball from Merida. Third and final goal was from a pass constructed by Ramsey with the help of Sanchez Watt inside the box for Wilshere to finish.

We started with Song playing midfield with Fabregas, Wilshere and Merida. Later in the second half song moved to centre back with the substitution of Gallas. Once again Wilshere was the man of the match with all the great guys around him. Wilshere was seen as confident and brave to go past defenders and pass brilliantly constructed moves. He was instrumental in an attacking midfielder role. Eventhough he played as a Right winger today he was mostly involved in most of the moves. This kid is 17 and looks like will conquer England and Europe in couple of years time if everything goes well and he is safe from injuries.

Arsenal is showing good sign of growth and improvement. Will get to see one last time before the season starts in Valencia's home ground in Spain. Valencia will be a good test since they are always good at home and has a big squad to trouble our defenses. To come to the point...Emirates cup is home and in Arsenal's shelves once more. Hope to see and enjoy more attacking football by our great team. Keep cheering and thanks for the support.

Arsenal's Jack Wilshere was chosen as the Man of the Match in both of Arsenal's matches, and also the Emirates Player of the Tournament.

First Half Highlights!

Second Half Highlights!

End to your curiousity - How Nasri got injured?

2009-08-02T03:53:00.000-07:00

Russian Wonder boy proves me right!

2009-08-01T10:29:00.000-07:00

Today we had witnessed why Arshavin is our magic wand on big games. Arsenal was unable to find the net for quite some time. To be precise for 85mins. The match was equally poised except for few volleys by the Madrid rivals. Athletico Madrid was not able to use their speed as well as what gunners did. Van Persie, Bendtner and few others had their fair share of misses before Arshavin, Eduardo and Fabregas came to the pitch.

Arshavin scored two goals out of which one was unbelievable. No words to describe that. If I try it should be my mistake to do so. I can tell you that a back pass from the defender, he collected before Athletico goalkeeper could still the ball was rolling out and he had to run and dive to put it in. You should be watching this. As soon as I get the video will post it for you.

Wilshere had pace and skills which he displayed with ease today. The defense was more organized but Gallas and Djorou tried to keep a very high offside trap. Most of the time they where successful except for the Pacheco's goal that levelled on 87th min for what Arshavin had done to them on 86th minute from a Fabregas pass inside the box. The second goal came well on time 89th minute when we needed it. Arsene was seen bit angry on the few misses we have had and also while we allowed them to equalize.

I won't be surprised if he ever bought a defender this time. We definitely need on more centre back and no reason to deny. In our site we don't write on rumours or speculations. But definitely whoever Arsene is buying should be a centre back and one striker who is in there before RVP or Arshavin. Current crop of guys are good and fast improving and will be certain threat for the big teams in BPL.

Arsenal will be playing Rangers tomorrow. Rangers had won their first fixture of Emirates Cup 1-0 against PSG.

First Half Highlights!

Second Half Highlights!

One more down - Kolo Toure

2009-07-29T12:13:00.000-07:00

Kolo Toure exits Arsenal to join rivals Manchester City for a hefty sum of 14million pounds. This amount is huge considering the players age and fading talent. Toure was the last asset remaining from the Invincible team once we boasted off. Kolo Toure was an attacking midfielder when he was bought and later he was trained and nurtured into a world class centre defender.

Kolo Toure played most of his football life with Arsenal and was able to earn the goodwill of the fans. He was a fan favourite and had commanding presence in the field. We will surely miss him, but that doesn't mean we are going to fail without him. We got enough of him and its time for him to move on. The fact that he has joined our rivals in BPL is quite interesting considering that he will soon get to know that money is not everything. He will be paid more than 100,000 pounds per week and will be one of the costliest defender in that front.

Man City should be thoroughly mistaken if they think that Arsenal weakens by missing Toure. Just imagine if Keown had not gone, Tony Adams never retired and Sol Campbell stayed with Arsenal. Will we ever get a Kolo Toure? Will he be able to join Manchester City today. Never ever! So let's hope the same way this is a new begining. New stars will arise and fill the gaps in a more stylish and influential manner. Good luck Toure and happy retiring!

My verdict on Hannover game!

2009-07-29T11:53:00.001-07:00

We started with an attacking formation and placement of players. The first goal came at 8th minute by our young captain Fabregas after a super display of dribbling and passing by Bendtner and Van Persie. Never knew this was the only goal for the day.

The game was filled with fouls and utmost use of body and power. The typical German way of playing football. This was really a tough test for the English league giants.
The player for the day would be Alex Song for his wonderful tackling, passing and vision. Song was instrumental in cutting most of the passes and his game showed a natural flow of skill. He never looked troubled in the whole match. Towards the end when Vermaelen was down, Song took up the defensive responsibilities and moved to centre back position. Eduardo was introduced during the final minutes of second half.

The German team played with more vigour after the half time and the only player who made an impact Pinto limped off the ground. Arshavin looked miserable with his passes and finishing today. Arshavin seems to be taking the pre-season matches lightly and never really saw him taking the effort and utilizing the skills he possess. Fabregas was good but was substituted by Ramsey during the second half. Ramsey also was not able to prove a point since most of the ball was between the defenses. Bendtner was good and also grabbed an yellow card during his display.

Good thing seen is the improvement in the Arsenal defense. Vermaelen and Gallas and later Djorou showed great ability to take the shots and also to defend well in air.
Eboue played the whole match and failed to make an impact with his regular runs. The young gunner goalkeeper Wojciech Szczensy was excellant once again and he had shown the world that he is far better than Lukaz Fabianski and I think Arsene should try to give this guy more chances and help him out more than Mannone/Fabianski.

We missed Rosicky, Walcott, Diaby, Senderos, Vela and Clichy on the pitch. Looking forward to see more of them in the next fixture with Athletico Madrid.

Arsenal Win 5 goals to none in Hungary

2009-07-27T11:55:00.000-07:00

There had been good development in the Arsenal camp with Bendtner and Eduardo scoring twice and Van Persie converting another Penalty with ease.

Goal 1
Good link up play by Ramsey and Troare which led the latter to whip a cross towards near post and Bendtner rising to the occassion to finish from a good tough angle with his head.

Goal 2
Excellant vision by Bendtner which led him to pass the ball to Eduardo who was running to the box and finished with ease.

Goal 3
A freekick direct goal from Eduardo while Bendtner was fouled.

Goal 4
Bendtner finishing with ease again.

Goal 5
Van Persie converting a penalty awarded after Bendtner got fouled.

This makes it clear Mr.Bendtner was there everywhere on the offensive part of Arsenal game. He was trying hard to sway away the bad name he had earned through his awful finishing.

Season 2009-10 shows a drastic change to Arsenal team and their attitude.
Arsene Wenger started with Song, Denilson and Ramsey playing in central midfield. Not sure whether he was trying out something. Wilshere played as right side wide man. Song as usual was good with his tackles and control of the game. Ramsey was concentrating on creating chances out of no where and inventing goals. He is turning out to be another Fabregas in making as I pointed out once in this site. Wilshere was terrible with his runs and was losing the balls often. He is a good player but the right wideman was not his favourite position though. Toure and Djorou was good whereas Vermaelen and Gallas was proving to be extra ordinary. These two could make a good pair in Arsenal back four. Silvestre was played as LB and Eboue started as RB today. Eboue tried few unproductive runs and gave away the ball on few occassions and not as often as Wilshere. Wilshere had missed two chances from close range which was an aftermath of the beautiful link up play between him and Ramsey and later with Bendtner.

Arshavin, Van Persie and Senderos where brought out during second half. Arshavin was not getting his passes right whereas Van Persie was wasting lot of chances by selfishly taking shots without thinking to pass. We could see that last couple of matches Arsene is playing Senderos in Central Defensive Midfielder position. I would say he was getting better and had advantage over Song and Denilson due his stature. Another player to be watched and tried out in that position is Diaby. Senderos had cut in few passes and was passing the ball very well. He was not in a hurry and wasting balls. Ramsey was hardworking throughout the match. Wojciech Szczensy who is our reserve keeper came in the second half and made lot of excellant saves. This guy looks like he is better than Fabianski and will make Arsene think for some days. He deserves to be applauded for today's effort and will surely make a leap to the main team.

Fabregas, Rosicky, Walcott, Diaby, Vela and Clichy did not play today for us. Hope to see more of them in next match. FYI..Vela had a good match against USA yesterday when Mexico bet USA 5-0.

Things to watch today! - 27 July 2009

2009-07-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Don't miss the friendlies and the Emirates cup. It definitely tells us what our team is upto and how they are shaping up.
In today's match there are few things to watch out for.

1. Return of Eduardo

It has been sometime since we have watched the Croatia Striker Eduardo in action. Due to the departure of Adebayor whole focus is on Eduardo and team heavily relies on him. He needs to prove a point or two and hope he doesn't end up injured unlike his last comeback. Eduardo is proven striker and needs to continue his run before the unfortunate injury to keep the season hopes and also to keep his place in the team.

2. Francesc Fabregas - Rosicky

Fabregas will be playing with his favourite team mate Rosicky after 1.5yrs gap. It would be interesting to watch how these two pair up. Whether they still possess that on the field rapport that they once boasted off. Whether Cesc is able to set up those crucial long rangers for Rosicky that once he used to do. No more Adebayor for Fabregas to pass in the long balls to head into the net.

3. Arshavin - Bendtner

This is quite a remarkable duo on the pitch. It has been some time now that I am noticing a kind of understanding between these two. Bendtner had been good at reading Arshavins passes and long balls. He is doing it better than any other team mate. Hope this helps Arsenal to achieve its goals this season.

4. Robin Van Persie - Walcott

They needs to play more together to grow and build a partnership so that Arsene Wenger can utilize them in groups. Ofcourse they need to be compatible with the whole team but still needs to have chosen partners in the field to know them more.

5. Vermaelen - Toure

These two centre backs can be deadly in case Vermaelen finds his on the air touch better in coming matches. Toure is good on cutting the short passes and taking few shorts from those deadly strikers. Vermaelen is a good passer of the ball and has great left foot as seen in training.

Ok...thats it guys..Cheers Arsenal and hope for a 8-0 win.

William has something to say!

2009-07-24T21:04:00.000-07:00

Arsenal versus SC Columbia

2009-07-21T16:24:00.000-07:00

We had got our upcoming superstar Samir Nasri during the build up for this match. Rosicky was rested today. It was shocking start by SC Columbia by entering the scoresheet on 35th minute, while Arsenal where still creating lot of chances and wasting it as usual. The surprise goal from Columbia showed the vigour in Arsenal team, with Bendtner equalizing in 1 min. From then it was a wonderful display of speed and skill. Though we missed lot of other changes the scores had ended up in 7-1 with Van Persie scoring(2), Bendtner(2), Gallas(1) and our future starlet Ramsey(2). Ramsey had also created few chances for Bendtner to pounce on of which Bendtner made full benefits. Senderos was deployed as defensive midfielder for first time. Maybe Arsene had given up the hunt for DM. Even Senderos might be surprised. Things were getting better as match progressed with most of our main players making a mark. Rosicky, Fabregas and Eduardo was not playing the match.

Nasri Out for 3 months!

2009-07-21T06:14:00.000-07:00

This had been a regular issue for Arsenal offlate. I believe every team gets such kind of problems. But with our Arsenal its happening every year. We have our aspiring attacking midfielder Samir Nasri injured. He had fractured his right fibula during morning training session on July 21, 2009 in Austria.

Who's next?
I hope no one gets injured. Since Rosicky is back we still have someone to replace Nasri but should not forget the fact that Rosicky is back from a long injury break and would definitely need someone to help him to take some rest...let's see what our mastercraftsman Wenger does for the team...

Arshavin Crushin Liverpool all alone!

2009-07-20T08:22:00.000-07:00

Almunia would never forget this day!

2009-07-20T08:17:00.001-07:00

Walcott on his dreams

2009-07-20T08:14:00.001-07:00

Vermaelen after his first match

2009-07-20T08:05:00.001-07:00

Ade Adieu

2009-07-19T04:01:00.000-07:00

Its time to say goodbye to Emmanuel Adebayor the Togolese striker. He had joined our club 3yrs back from Monaco for mere 3million pounds and had been sold off proudly for a massive 25million pounds. Once again Arsene Wenger proved what a master craftsman he is in minting money. Not so famous average headed Ade went on to become seasons top scorer a couple of seasons back. He had been associated with a move away from Emirates Stadium from last season. Ever since his lack of dedication and motivation was visible. Arsenal had got what they needed from the Togo frontman and happily sold him off to Manchester City who is known for making business with greedy players around the world.

Though Adebayor claims that he was not greedy and he left Arsenal hoping to win trophies and help Man City to break into the top four in EPL. Any given day Arsenal fans would have welcomed his decision to depart. Hope the hopes of Ade to help Man City becomes a reality. Adebayor could be a big success in Man City in case he plays along with Tevez and Robinho. The reason is he will get more chances since the other guys will be obviously marked by good defenders leaving Adebayor free. This was one reason he was able to score lot of goals two seasons back. You can definitely feel the influence of Eduardo in that. Last season since Eduardo was not there and when given huge responsibilities we saw how Ade fumbles. He is a proven striker and great against mediocre oppositions. But in big matches under pressure he was not the best choice.

Adebayor's departure will give Arsenal more money to spent in the next transfer window in case they feel there is a gap in striking department which currently they feel is negligible by the return of Eduardo and arrival of Arshavin. Arsenal will also be able to give more oppourtunity to its youngsters Vela and Bendtner too.

Wish you good luck Ade and forget the dream of winning trophies and entering top 4. If it was that easy any team can do by allowing itself to be bought by some millionaire. It takes time and brain to do that. So I believe your new manager has enough brains for sure. But please don't think it is immediate as you said in that interview. Why not this year?

Thanks to Arsene Wenger for helping Arsenal free up so much money and trying to gel together.

Arsenal Versus Barnet

2009-07-18T09:08:00.000-07:00

Yet another pre-season friendly start. The stars of the day were Barazite, Wilshere and Sanchez. The goalscorers for Arsenal were Arshavin and Barazite.
Wilshere had few runs as normal and expected from him. He was instrumental in setting up few passes which was not able to find the back of the net. Rosicky was the captain for the day and was impressive to start with. His final touches still needs to be improved to get it where it was few years back. In the second half, except Vermaelen all other players were substituted. Vermaelen was not too impressive as expected. Once again Arsenal failed to clear an incoming curving ball from a free kick which was headed well be Barnet kid for a goal. The header was executed by the player between Gallas and Vermaelen which makes it clear that the aerial threat is still there. This is something that Arsenal needs to put in some effort at training. Randall was showing promise in making of another Scholes for England with his mistimed tackles.

Let's see what's in store for next match.

Preparation for friendly against Barnet

2009-07-17T22:28:00.000-07:00

Maybe for most of the Arsenalites this match won't be that interesting. The Barnet Club has the smallest groud which could accomodate harly 6000 people. This means most of our viewers will be out there before the TV set or online. Last time we played Barnet was in 2004, where Barnet got chance to surprise us with first goal. Later we went on to win 10-1. With both Reyes(now with Athletico Madrid) and Jeffers(Don't know where) scoring hatricks. We have never played Barnet in any competitive matches.

Arsenal Squad announced for the Barnet Friendly:
Manuel Almunia
Vito Mannone
William Gallas
Johan Djourou
Mikael Silvestre
Thomas Vermaelen
Tomas Rosicky
Andrey Arshavin
Jack Wilshere
Thomas Cruise
Craig Eastmond
Luke Ayling
Conor Henderson
Francis Coquelin
Jay Emmanuel-Thomas
Mark Randall
Emmanuel Frimpong
Gilles Sunu
Sanchez Watt
Jay Simpson
Nacer Barazite

Players we will be eagerly waiting to watch in this match will be Rosicky, Vermaelen and Wilshere. The reason to watch out for these players are quite obvious. Rosicky coming back after 1 and a half years time which is pretty long for any footballer. Verma playing his first fixture in Arsenal colors. Don't forget Verma was Ajax captain when we snatched him to Emirates Stadium. Wilshere oozing with promise as per Wenger. Let's see how he performs in this fixture. I would guess that Arshavin will be leading the side today for the friendly in the absence of Cesc.

We have Almunia, Gallas and Arshavin who had already proved their skills in last season and expected to be in good touch. Silvestre with lot of experience with him. And Djourou with some tactics learned in last season. You can find lot of great young talents in that above list. Most of them performing well in Under 18 sqaud and few had played in Arsenal Reserves team too. Arsene Wenger is trying to get the young talent tested before he lay out plans for them. This blend of experience and youth in the squad for a friendly would do good to the team. I believe by the 3rd friendly this pre-season Arsene would definitely get his full squad ready.

Good luck Arsenal. Will be there to watch you in person today.

Arsenal Kit Release - Video

2009-07-14T08:56:00.000-07:00

Van Persie's Perfect Footballer!

2009-07-14T08:43:00.000-07:00

Emirates Cup!

2009-07-11T18:14:00.000-07:00

What is Emirates Cup?

Emirates Cup is an Annual two day cup held at Emirates, Arsenal. Arsenal has agreed to host this tournament for 3years.

History of Emirates Cup.

There is nothing much to add as history. This was only started on 2007. First tournament was won by Arsenal. In 2007, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Valencia and Paris St.Germains had played for the cup. In 2008, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Juventus and Hamburg. Hamburg had won the competition without much competition.

Emirates Cup - 2009.

This year again the participants has changed. We can find Arsenal competing with Athletico Madrid, Rangers and Paris St.Germain. We will be preparing for this with full vigour. This is something that can boost up our confidence before the start of the season. If you observe, you could find the difference between how we played 2007-08 season after winning Emirates Cup and how in 2008-09. So I believe this is something to be taken seriously and played to win and win in STYLE!

Fixtures before the league starts!

2009-07-11T18:05:00.000-07:00

18 Jul Pre-season Friendly Away Barnet
21 Jul Pre-season Friendly Away SC Columbia
27 Jul Pre-season Friendly Away Szombathelyi H.
29 Jul Pre-season Friendly Away Hannover 96
01 Aug Emirates Cup Home Athletico Madrid
02 Aug Emirates Cup Home Rangers
08 Aug Pre-season Friendly Away Valencia

Arsenal Pre-Season Training Camp!

2009-07-07T06:45:00.001-07:00

Arsenal Kits Released! - Season 2009/10

2009-07-05T06:24:00.001-07:00

Red and White - Home Kit
Navy Blue with light blue stripes - Away Kit
White with greyish stripes - Third Kit
Yellow - Goalkeeper Kit

Aaron Ramsey - made of Cesc Fabregas mould!

2009-07-05T04:37:00.000-07:00

Fact File:
Born : 26 December 1990
Country : Wales
Number : 16
Nick Name: Rambo
Prv Club : Cardiff City
Transfer : £4.98 Million

Being an Arsenalite is not an easy task. How many of you know what Aaron Ramsey is made of? Don't tell me blood and muscles. Aaron is someone who can fill in the gap that Francesc Fabregas could be making after few years. Why should Fabregas make a gap? As you might be aware there are lot of speculation about our Cesc. People keeps linking him to Barca. Just imagine putting yourself in Cesc shoes..not your nose ofcourse :-)....he came from Barca...a spaniard...always respect and loves Spanish football...what should be holding him getting back there? Nothing! Infact nothing...its just something inevitable...Even Arsenal won't rethink while selling him after few years. Any club would like to get the peak of the player and then sell him off so that he can settle down somewhere before he retires.

Think of the likes of Henry, Viera and lot of others. They have all peaked in our club. We took benefit and later let them live their dreams. Guys they are professionals and will have their own dreams. Let them live it! why you guys keep changing your job? Same reason this is also life! But for us more than tracking what our player will be doing next is to build a squad. I do respect the fact that players needs to grow to build better squads. But knowing Arsene we all know he lays plans quite ahead of what we could imagine. Aaron Ramsey is someone who is of same mould as Fabregas. I see another Fabregas in making. Aaron is not tall too. In next couple of years you would know what I meant.

You must be amazed to know that Aaron was a rugby player before turning to football and few Rugby league sides have tried signing him back in Wales. Isn't it something interesting. This guy is capable of playing as Central Midfielder, Winger and Full Back. That should be more appealing for we Arsenalites. Arsene Wenger had his own tough time getting this youngsters signature last summer. Cardiff City was approached by Manchester United and Everton other than Arsenal. Its funny to see that Arsene Wenger flew Ramsey and his family to Switzerland to discuss the plans for him in Arsenal. This lad was a die-hard Manchester United fan and how can he turn his back on them when approached? That shows his professionalism. He means business and he is here to prove.

Why should Arsenal care so much for just another teenager? That makes you believe he is not just another 18yr old there. His first season is quite notable. Ramsey made 45 appearances and assisted in 4 goals. Aaron entered the score sheet only once with a long ranger in Champions League and now you know what a champion this lad is. Aaron also got his berth in Wales National team already. He was the second youngest player to score in Champions league. Not sure of the first one though.

Next season we can expect more exposure for this lad and in coming years another central midfielder who could snatch victories from anywhere. Guys do remember what you read today when you see this lad play for Arsenal in couple of years.

Samir Nasri's Best Moment of 2008-09

2009-06-30T08:32:00.000-07:00

Arsene Wenger will look to build another Arsenal!

2009-06-29T07:00:00.001-07:00

Guys...this may sound ridiculous...as if saying pope will get married..but I believe it will happen..not long..it will happen next season..This man was instrumental in building our team and bringin few trophies to our shelf...but can't be so selfish keeping him for more years to come..there is time when his service should be shared for some other teams success...and don't know which team it is...This will happen...considering the fact that this time in transfer market Arsene is more active than previous years and the pace at which he is trying to rebuilt Arsenal which was caught short of good defenders and defensive midfielders last season...I am quite sure the inevitable is here and Arsene will go!

We have never seen any board meeting questioning Arsene Wenger's method of management..his style and passion for football is very different and very attacking...in our new board maybe there are members who think otherwise...whatever...Arsene will go!

Last year we saw his youth policy getting questioned...its not the first time he had failed but 4th year...it never matters 3rd or 4th when the club is making money and considering the fact that we have a new stadium with so much loan to pay off...Arsene is minting money out there with these young talents...in two years time imagine the squad depth of Arsenal...what is in store for midfield...Ramsey, Wilshere, Randall, Gibbs, Merinda, Walcott, Song, Denilson, Diaby...imagine how much they will be worth? This man if he is to leave will leave with pride...to ride the two footed horse in this rocky terrain without fear...Believe me or not Arsene will go!

This blog is out of passion and always respect Arsene Wenger for his achievements and learning from failures. His youth policy is something what managers around the world envy off...Arsenal can't boast of a good academy but they can very well flatter anyone with excellant scouts...Not sure whether Arsene will take along some of our scouts with him...This is not related to any declarations...this is by-product of analysing the current way of Arsene Wenger's management and his deal with Arsenal...1yr floating one...

Kieran Gibbs - Star in Making

2009-06-24T06:45:00.000-07:00

The Next Best World's Left Back

Arsenal Goals - Season 1998-99 Top 10 Goals

2009-06-24T06:15:00.000-07:00

You will know why I dedicated one whole blog for Dennis Bergkamp

Toure on his childhood!

2009-06-24T06:13:00.000-07:00

Kolo Toure - 5

Denilson on his complete footballer

2009-06-24T06:12:00.001-07:00

Denilson - 15

Almunia on his secrets!

2009-06-24T06:10:00.000-07:00

Manuel Almunia - 1

Nicklas Bendtner Shares on complete footballer

2009-06-24T06:07:00.000-07:00

Nicklas Bendtner - 26

Walcott Speaks

2009-06-24T06:01:00.000-07:00

Walcott - 14

Arsenal Lacks Dennis!

2009-06-21T03:07:00.000-07:00

Offlate I had been thinking of why we guys lose matches. We often hear football pundits pointing out that we need a defensive mid-fielder and better set of backline. With all due respect I oppose them. My view is different here.

Hope some of you old gunners remember the Dutch playmaker Dennis Bergkamp. We are losing because we lack a player like him. After he left lot of players had worn the Arsenal colors and left with peace. No one ever looked like Dennis. Never ever replaced him.

Let's talk about Arsene era at Arsenal and understand the people who had fitted into their old team mates and what hole still remains. We would discuss about the Invincible team once Arsenal boasted of and the current team.

Henry-Eduardo
Kanu-Adebayor
Viera-Diaby/Fabregas
Parlour-Rosicky
Edu/Gilberto-Denilson/Song
Ljunberg-Walcott
Pires-Nasri/Arshavin
Campbell-Gallas
Lauren-Sagna
Cole-Clichy

Who fits into Bergkamp's shoes? No one. Since the time he left, if we notice there had been no new player to fill the gap he left behind. Most footballers are trained to score goals, so nothing new in scoring goals for any one. But to create a goal that is not there for taking is what Dennis is. Bergkamp had this unbelievable skill to create goal. His technique was even more deadly with the skill he possessed. The ability to strike long rangers, the skill to beat defenders with style, the pace to scare the goal keepers and the smile of a baby made him a nightmare for teams playing against Arsenal.

Dennis played for around 10 years for Arsenal and those ten years he made a difference. This difference is what you get when you apply this formula.

New Arsenal Team - Invincible Arsenal Team = - Bergkamp

Yeah, he was that extra which made the formula look '-Bergkamp'

We need such a player badly to end up winning championships. Some of my readers maynot like me comparing Dennis with Berbatov. But its something we can see, Berbatov was someone who had similar touches and skills that Dennis possessed. Berbatov is never a fan favourite due to his soft skills same like Dennis. But his touches are equally deadly and poisonous like Bergkamp.

For some of the new gunners, this would sound insane. But guys you need to watch Dennis Bergkamp and you need to know the history of our club. You should respect the fact there was Bergkamp with us once who could scare any opponents and would bless the goals with his magic touch.

Click Me to Watch Bergkamp at his best

Thomas Vermaelen - The New Gunner

2009-06-18T08:29:00.001-07:00

Vermaelen Facts:

Date of Birth : 14/Nov/1983
Position : Centre Back/Left Back
Transfer Fee : Near to €13million
Previous Club : Ajax
Previous Jersey : 4
Goals Scored : 10(102* games)

Looks like Arsene is looking for someone to head in those innumerous untouched crosses we get in an Arsenal match. This guy is good at heading and hope his head gives something to the scoresheet.

Arsenal had not had a good heading defender in recent past as you can see. The very fact that Arsenal is bad against teams with good air ball skills and good at long balls is this heading. Not sure whether addition of one guy can make a difference. But atleast the effort is there by Arsene and lets hope the second guy that Arsenal is desperately looking for joins us sooner rather than last day of transfer window.

Click me to view Vermaelen's Crushing Headers

Year 2009-10

2009-06-15T06:58:00.000-07:00

Year of HOPE
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As always in life, let's forget the sad things which happened to us. Take this oppourtunity to learn from our mistakes and get going for the good. Learning from mistakes is never a mistake and we have laid good foundation from the stones that others threw at us last season. This will make us more strong and help us to get back with more vigour. Its never bed of roses for great warriors, we need to prove and get critics wrong.

Unlike last season we should not take time to warm up through matches. We should hold back the warm up to the training sessions. Every match from the word GO should be taken seriously and should be a deathmatch. With due respect to the old invincibles who once hovered the E's, we should try to match them. Current squad has the depth and hope our champion manager shuffles things well and better. We should respect Arsene Wenger for his commitment to the club and respect of the contract. His decision to stay will surely have a plan and that plan is nothing less than winning every game.

Time to have some thrilling talks on the team. Let's discuss on our first team and its depth.
This is merely based on the assumption that we play a 4-4-2 from the start of the season in England and play 4-5-1/4-1-3-2 in Europe. The starting line up is based on our imagination only, which every Arsenalite would like to dream off.

09. Eduardo
25. Emmanuel Adebayor
11. Van Persie
26. Nicklas Bendtner
8. Samir Nasri
23. Andrei Arshavin
7. Tomas Rosicky
15. Denilson
2. Abu Diaby
4. Francesc Fabregas
17. Alex Song
16. Aaron Ramsey
14. Theo Walcott
12. Carlos Vela
22. Gael Clichy
40. Kieran Gibbs
10. William Gallas
18. Mikael Silvestre
5. Kolo Toure
20. Johan Djorou
3. Bacary Sagna
27. Emmanuel Eboue
1. Manuel Almunia
21. Lukasz Fabianski

Not able to pin point one single player to watch. Quite sure that there a few in that list above which you would already know. I would personally look forward how Ramsey blends and grows this season. Ramsey is someone who has been tracked by some other big clubs before the moves to Gunners side. Lets see what kind of catch our manager comes up with once he is back from his regular summer fishing. This time we should be looking to strengthen our defence since that was something which was exposed during those few setbacks we had.

Watchout for the latest news in our website. This time few of our board members are throwing in personal fortune for the summer window. Hope the ink is still wet in Arsene's pen. Will update more on our next blog on fresher's party at Emirates Stadium.

Year 2008-09

2009-06-15T06:32:00.000-07:00

Guys,

Last year showcased the depth and future in our squad. As always our team had been questioned before the start of last season itself on the ability of the young thin side. Knowing our fans, we know that you guys are never satisfied. We should not forget the fact that eventhough there are no new trophies in our shelves, we were one of the top four in the two E's. To be precise, England and Europe.

Young gunners like Denilson, Song and Bendtner executed the plot laid by the meticulous French Craftsman Arsene Wenger. We all were equally thrilled to see the quality in the squad which never boasted of experience. Maybe we missed Cesc for few months but considering the fact that this led lads like Denilson and Song to take up more responsibilities and mature abruptly, it was good. Walcott got better every game he played. Van Persie with so little support upfront did considerably well.

We missed the swiftness of Eduardo, but got to see some promise in Bendtner and Vela. There were few occassions when we lacked the experience, which led to eagle eyed Wenger to bring in Andrei Arshavin. Time-tested Arshavin led our team to few good games. He blended well with the team in no time and he was seen as the gap filler on the experience front. Rosicky was another deadly weapon which never fired last season and was well concealed in the Arsenal of Arsenal.

Will discuss on Year 2009-10 in our next posting for you.