In the 52nd minute at St. James' Park, the inevitable happened. Arsenal scored. Not many would have banked on the rejuvenated Laurent Koscielny to break the deadlock in such a fine fashion, putting his team firmly in the driving seat after a well taken half-volley, but it was no surprise to see another Wenger team heading for the Champions League (with the qualification round in their path) for the umpteenth time in a row (16 to be exact).
With 22 goals to his name in the Serie A this season and Manchester City and Chelsea both hot on his heels, Napoli's star striker Edinson Cavani may look like he's living the best years of his career.
Unfortunately, circumstances in Cavani's personal life have not been as rosy after reports confirmed that he has finalised terms of a divorce from his wife of six years, Maria Soledad Cabris.
There was an interesting story in the Evening Standard yesterday suggesting that Andrei Arshavin was considering retirement at the end of the season. This morning a Russian paper suggests that it's not true, but the saddest part of it is that it doesn't seem that far fetched.
Arsenal has had some players severely disappoint in recent times. For someone who usually has a keen eye for talent, manager Arsene Wenger has had some really horrific signings. Arsenal fans might want to skip to the next paragraph at this point. These horrific signings range everywhere from centre backs to strikers.
Here is my outlook on the midfield hope you enjoy it .
Abou Diaby. Average player does his shift some games other games he's just unreliable and prone to giving the ball away.
Should he stay or should he go?
Tomáš Rosicky. Great player but he seems to have lost his way since the injury set back, can be unplayable at times but this season we have not seem him at his best.
Here is my outlook on the midfield hope you enjoy it .
Abou Diaby. Average player does his shift some games other games he's just unreliable and prone to giving the ball away.
Should he stay or should he go?
Tomáš Rosicky. Great player but he seems to have lost his way since the injury set back, can be unplayable at times but this season we have not seem him at his best.
In the 2010-11 season, Andrei Arshavin made 52 appearances for Arsenal. So far this season, he's made a total of 11 and hasn't started a single Premier League match. For a couple of years he conducted the greatest Q&A of all time with readers of his official website, but even that hasn't been updated since a birthday message for his son in December.
Is Santos Mr Wenger's worst ever signing? Some would say so; at£6.8 m he certainly appears to be an enormous waste of resources. The Brazilian has started just 13 games.
But is he worse than the£4m spent on Squillaci, (take away the "m" and the Italian would still have been expensive!
Is Santos Mr Wenger's worst ever signing? Some would say so; at£6.8 m he certainly appears to be an enormous waste of resources. The Brazilian has started just 13 games.
But is he worse than the£4m spent on Squillaci, (take away the "m" and the Italian would still have been expensive!
Arsenal management and fans enter the second week of January anxiously awaiting their first transfer window signings which will hopefully come sooner rather than later.
Arsene Wenger has been considering possible moves for Lucas Biglia and Eduardo Vargas this January.
Marouane Chamakh of Arsenal (Photo by Scott Heavey/Getty Images)
The silly mid-season is upon us and thus transfer rumors flood the news around the world with who could possibly be coming and going from the big names in Europe and beyond. Arsenal are never far away from the transfer mill, as they are continually linked with outstanding talents and somewhat questionable talent throughout the season, no matter how good or bad they may be doing.
Andrey Arshavin of Arsenal (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images,)
It's nearly December, so it's time to sort through who all is linked for a move to Arsenal and from Arsenal and how likely this move could be.
With mountains of rumors being appropriated lately, it's hard to decipher which ones could be good and which ones are absolutely just wild gesticulations by ravenous supporters.
Being a neutral, it's easy to watch Arsenal games without forming a bias opinion. There's no doubt that their 3-3 home draw against Fulham in a London derby on Nov. 10th was highly entertaining, but the team needs to ask itself if it wants to be known as entertainers or serious footballers.
Andrei Arshavin did not play in Arsenal's 2-2 draw against Schalke in the Champions League. Instead, he sat on the bench next tobeleaguered teammate Andre Santos. The day before the match, Santos apologized to supporters who were upset by him accepting Robin van Persie's shirt at halftime of Arsenal's loss to Man United last weekend and Arshavin helpfully summed up the whole situation with the typically Arshaviny facial expression pictured above.
How much fun was that game last night? Not the first 35 minutes obviously but by the end of 120 minutes I couldn't actually remember how I felt when Reading's 4th goal had hit the back of the net.
Aaaarrrrrggggghhhh that was how I felt and it's also how I feel now because my whole match report has disappeared into the ether
What to say quickly so that you can all carry on chatting?
How much fun was that game last night? Not the first 35 minutes obviously but by the end of 120 minutes I couldn't actually remember how I felt when Reading's 4th goal had hit the back of the net.
Aaaarrrrrggggghhhh that was how I felt and it's also how I feel now because my whole match report has disappeared into the ether
What to say quickly so that you can all carry on chatting?
The Arsenal fans have practically given up on the little Russian maestro Andrei Arshavin after accusing him of being lazy on the pitch over the last couple of seasons, but his manager Arsene Wenger completely refuses to allow any criticism of the 31 year-old's commitment to the team.
Every club every year has a player who has the fans on his back. At Arsenal it's Andrei Arshavin, at Liverpool it's Stewart Downing and this season its seems the Old Trafford faithful have pin...
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With the dreaded interlull still boring everyone to death, Arsenal fans have little to do but wait around for the latest international injury to hit the club. So with things so quiet then the papers obviously have nothing better to do than fill the back pages with dubious Arsenal transfer rumours!
Arsene Wenger has backed unsettled wingers Theo Walcott and Andrei Arshavin to continue their revival at the club, and even assured them that their improved goal-scoring can be rewarded with a more central role.
Walcott and Arshavin have both been known to play more comfortably through the middle than on the flanks but the Gunners' crowded attack has limited their opportunities to play forward.
So, comfortable passage into the next round of the Capital One Cup, Olivier Giroud off the mark, Theo Walcott and Andrei Arshavin showing the boss they still have something to offer, a debut goal from a defender and a screamer from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United, Norwich City, Reading, and Liverpool all won in the English Capital One (Football League) Cup on September 26, 2012.
Arsenal 6-1 Coventry City
The Gunners had little trouble against lower division side Coventry City. Theo Walcott had a brace while summer signing Olivier Giroud missed a chance to get a brace with a failed penalty kick.
Arsenal 6-1 Coventry City Capital One Cup 26th September 2012
Poor old Olivier Giroud, a handful of games without a goal and already words such as 'drought' were being bandied around. Anyway, against Coventry at the Emirates tonight, the French striker broke his duck for the Gunners, courtesy of a lovely chip, thus scoring in a shorter space of time than it took a certain Thierry Henry.
The wonderful Capital One Cup tie against Coventryis coming up tomorrow and Arsene Wenger will have the chance to give a run-out to some of Arsenal's reserves and youngsters, but we don't want him to put out a team that may be beaten as it is still a possible trophy at the end of the day.
I am certain that Andrei Arshavin will figure in this game, because if he doesn't then we will know for sure his career at Arsenal is over completely.
We're about 30 minutes from kickoff and the lineups are in:
Wojciech Szczesny; Per Mertesacker, Thomas Vermaelen, Carl Jenkinson, Kieran Gibbs; Mikel Arteta, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Francis Coquelin; Gervinho, Lukas Podolski, Santi Cazorla
Subs: Vito Mannone, Laurent Koscielny, André Santos, Theo Walcott, Aaron Ramsey, Andrei Arshavin, Olivier Giroud
This will be a tricky, but entertaining match, so COME ON YOU GUNNERS!
With Andrei Arshavin being in the last year of his contract, he can walk away for nothing from the
Emirates at the end of the current football season. However, reports have been circulating that
Arsenal is willing to let the Russian international head back to Russia before that country's
transfer window closes on Sept.
A very quick Saturday round-up for you on a rainy bank holiday Saturday.
There was an expectation that the club would announce the signing of Santi Cazorla yesterday but
it did not transpire. Those sitting F5ing the official site spent a fruitless day, but I wouldn't
worry about it too much.
A very quick Saturday round-up for you on a rainy bank holiday Saturday.
There was an expectation that the club would announce the signing of Santi Cazorla yesterday but
it did not transpire. Those sitting F5ing the official site spent a fruitless day, but I wouldn't
worry about it too much.
After failing to make it out of the easiest group at Euro 2012 under Dick Advocaat, Russia now lead their World Cup qualifying group under Fabio Capello with four wins in as many matches and no goals allowed. Now they prepare to take on Northern Ireland and they will once again be without 31-year-old Andrei Arshavin, who captained the Euro 2012 squad.
English: Alan Dzagoev with the Russia national football team in 2011. (Photo credit:
Wikipedia)
Wenger Keen to Recruit Dzagoev
Coach Arsene Wenger is keen to sign Russia's in-form attacking midfielder
Alan Dzagoev, who is lightening up the European Championship these days with his
goal scoring exploits.
Morning all, a quick Saturday round-up for you ahead of tomorrow's FA Cup game against Swansea.
And it's a game which is of vital importance as this competition represents our last real hope of silverware this season. I know we're still in the Champions League and anything can happen but that won't happen.
Morning all, a quick Saturday round-up for you ahead of tomorrow's FA Cup game against Swansea.
And it's a game which is of vital importance as this competition represents our last real hope of silverware this season. I know we're still in the Champions League and anything can happen but that won't happen.
it's still very quiet. Almost Interlull quiet. But obviously there's no Inter bit to define this particular lull. A Christlull doesn't quite work either, does it? Lullmas? I dunno, and I don't think it's that important.
I saw little of yesterday's football, only about half an hour of Villa v Sp*rs and it was enough for me to consider never, ever watching football again.
So the transfer window is open and everyone is anxiously awaiting the first new arrival. This is the point where I say I'm not going to hold my breath because, well, if experience has taught us anything it's that trying to hold your breath for 28 days is a task that not even David Blane should attempt (although I do think he should attempt it, the annoying twat).
There's football tonight though as we play Coventry in the Poetic Anal Cup, and the manager is set to ring the changes as you'd expect. As well as giving some youngsters a chance of first team action, there'll be some senior, experienced players in there who haven't yet featured this season.
a new week, dust is still settling from Saturday, and we've got no time to really dwell on it because we've got a game tomorrow night against Schalke in the Champions League. It's going to be one in which we'll have to dig deep and try and find something approaching cohesion, if not form, again.
Good morning to you. It is teeming down with rain here in Dublin and I am faced with a large dog who wants to go out. He does not appear to be listening to reason.
After a six month layoff, the Arsenal bench jacket is nearing a recall as the days and nights are drawing in. Soon Le Boss will be seen pacing the touchline in his chic sleeping bag number showing his inveterate distaste for water bottles. Though the evenings are beginning to chill, there is still plenty to warm the cockles of Arsenal fans.
It's been far too long since Andrei Arshavin graced us with a Q&A with the crazies on his official website. Luckily, we do have this video from a couple months ago that somehow eluded us until now in which Andrei answers questions from Twitter in typical Andrei fashion.
First, Arshavin says that the worst thing he did as a kid was, "I said to my mommy that I did not love her.
