That was a very, very nervous experience made all the more intense by the fact that we were expected to win. Some how being the underdog in crucial games makes it just that little more bearable when a loss is inevitably considered before and during the game. But win we did and by doing so we secured the chance to play Champions League football next season which I believe makes it sixteen seasons on the trot, no mean feat when you consider just how desperate and disappointed those around us were at missing out again.
That was a very, very nervous experience made all the more intense by the fact that we were expected to win. Some how being the underdog in crucial games makes it just that little more bearable when a loss is inevitably considered before and during the game. But win we did and by doing so we secured the chance to play Champions League football next season which I believe makes it sixteen seasons on the trot, no mean feat when you consider just how desperate and disappointed those around us were at missing out again.
Lukasz Piszczek of Borussia Dortmund (Google Creative Commons)
Lukasz Piszczek is being hunted down by London's finest in order to replace Bacary Sagna this summer.
The 27-year-old Poland international has been an integral part of Borussia Dortmund' side this season. Jeremy Wilson of The Telegraph reports that Arsene Wenger has requested several reports on Piszczek in the past few months, indicating that there is some interest in seeing the right-back at Arsenal if Sagna were to leave this summer.
Arsenal have had their fair share of terrific players over the years. Patrick Vieira, Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, the list goes on and on. Current players like Bacary Sagna and Jack Wilshere look like they will be included on this list before their time at Arsenal is done.
It won't be the most opportune of timings to write this match report today. With the amount of news, articles and blogs out there; what has and needed to be said should have already been available. If you're not sick of it yet, appreciate your continuation interest in this piece.
On his return to the Emirates Stadium, Robin van Persie scored against his old club Arsenal on Sunday with a brilliantly-taken penalty kick to tie the game 1-1 at half-time between Arsenal and Manchester United.
Late in the first half, with van Persie storming into the Arsenal penalty area, defender Bacary Sagna attempted to tackle the ball away from the Dutch striker, but he ended up knocking van Persie to the ground before he touched the ball.
Robin Van Persie's return to Arsenal got a whole lot better after he grabbed this equaliser for Manchester United. He'd been experiencing a tricky afternoon until he was senselessly tripped in the penalty area by Bacary Sagna. RVP picked himself up to convert the resulting spot-kick. Here's Sagna's foul:
Seaman DoubtsSzczesny's Ability to Win Starting Role Back
Arsenal legend David Seaman isn't sure whether goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has what it takes to win back his position in coach Arsene Wenger's starting line-up.
So we know that we are without Theo Walcott who would insist of travelling with England, silly boy, Abou Diaby, and possibly without Kieran Gibbs who is ill.
And we know Lukas Podolski and Bacary Sagna are fit.
We also know that so far this season we have scored seven [.
Lukas Podolski has made it clear that he is loving life at Arsenal and has no intention of leaving them at the end of the season.
While still a regular starter, the Germany international rarely gets to finish games for the Gunners these days, and his indifferent form has seen him linked with summer moves to Juventus and Atletico Madrid.
Philip Lahm of FC Bayern Munich (Photo via Getty Images)
The fullback positions, right back and left back, have emerged as some of the more important positions in world football, but when one thinks about the best footballers in the world, one rarely recalls a right back. With the emergence of the 4-2-3-1, the fullback positions have given added width as they're given the lease of the field to overlap with the wide midfielders.
Arsenal's slim chance of moving on in the Champions League just got slimmer.
News broke on Monday night that Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere is facing a three-week stay on the sidelines, after discovering he had ankle inflammation during a training session.
Strange to have a winter weekend without real football. Yes, there are matches to fill the interlull, but it's not real football, is it? Proper football is any game with Arsenal in it, the rest is just sport.
So what to do in an Interlull? I spend time in art galleries and museums (yes, I know it doesn't fit the Big Raddy image).
Strange to have a winter weekend without real football. Yes, there are matches to fill the interlull, but it's not real football, is it? Proper football is any game with Arsenal in it, the rest is just sport.
So what to do in an Interlull? I spend time in art galleries and museums (yes, I know it doesn't fit the Big Raddy image).
Bacary Sagna has been ruled out of the North London Derby this coming Sunday after busting two of his dreadlocks and there seems to be a mass debate (not masturbate) as to who will replace him.
I'm seeing plenty of opinions about the subject and one bloke even went as far as saying that Arsene Wenger should bring Lee Dixon or Lauren out of retirement as a one-off.
Bacary Sagna heads for Arsenal exit door in summer - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Arsenal right back, Bacary Sagna is disappointed to have been offered only a one-year contract extension to remain at the North London club and is contemplating of leaving the club in the summer.
Bacary Sagna is contemplating of leaving Arsenal in the summer
In the recent routine board meetings of Arsenal, held on Thursday where majority shareholder, Stan Kroenke was present, Wenger delivered the reports of on pitch developments and other areas of concern.
Arsenal have dug themselves a hole so deep that it's going to be nearly impossible to climb out of after dropping a 3-1 decision at home on Feb. 19 to Germany's Bayern Munich in the first leg of their round-of-16 tie in the European Champions League. It was a rather sloppy affair in the first half with the Gunners improving greatly in the second 45 minutes, but they were simply beaten by a better side on the night.
It's hard to know where to begin this morning. Going out of a cup competition to lower league opposition once in a season is bad enough, but yesterday saw the same thing happen again and it makes you think it's something far beyond just a horrible coincidence.
Bacary Sagna of Arsenal-Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images
Bacary Sagna has been slid under the knit-picking microscope of Arsenal fans everywhere, after being continuously linked to the super-rich Ligue 1 juggernauts, Paris Saint-Germain.
The 29-year-old Arsenal right back played for the French national side last week in a 2-1 loss to Germany, France's first loss to Germany in over 26 years.
Imagine how he must have felt 15 minutes before kick-off on Saturday.
He has been on a urine-poor run of form; he revealed in an interview earlier this week that he knows he has been below par; he's hoping to slowly re-establish his reputation as one of the most reliable right backs in the business and then, at about 2.
Imagine how he must have felt 15 minutes before kick-off on Saturday.
He has been on a urine-poor run of form; he revealed in an interview earlier this week that he knows he has been below par; he's hoping to slowly re-establish his reputation as one of the most reliable right backs in the business and then, at about 2.
Trouble before the whistle Laurent Kosciely who supposedly to start the game, had his name scratched off from the starting line-up list because of a calf problem picked up during the warm up. Carl Jenkinson came into the breach with Bacary Sagna moving to a central role.
Arsene Wenger believes that Jack Wilshere has all the ingredients to become a future Arsenal captain but says now is not the time to give him the full-time role.
The 21-year-old midfielder was handed the captain's armband by Thomas Vermaelen in the Gunners' recent 5-1 mauling of West Ham when the Belgian had to go off due to an injury.
Arsenal's 5-1 thrashing of West Ham last night was initially overshadowed by what looked like a very nasty injury to Hammers defender Dan Potts. The 18-year-old full-back was involved in a horrible clash of heads with Arsenal's Bacary Sagna, which left him motionless on the floor for 15 minutes. The youngster was stretchered off the [.
This is the end, beautiful friends, this is the end, my only friend, the end. Of our elaborate plans, the end of everything that stands, the end. Hmmm, Jim Morrison wasn't really the eloquent poet he's been made out to be was he? After 9 months of fretting, sweating and swearing, it all comes down to Sunday.
They say that the league table never lies, yet it's conceivable that Arsenal will end the season having scored more goals than the last and conceded less and still fall outside the top four places. As such, measuring progress can be difficult.
If it's not improvement that Arsenal have made this season, then it's certainly been a season of acclimatisation as a fairly new team gets to grips with playing with each other.
Stoke City are a cynical and rather brutal side managed by a perma-tracksuited hoof merchant. In that respect, Stoke were the perfect preparation for the trip to Sunderland last weekend. Profligacy in front of goal aside, it was one of the more satisfying victories of the season in that it had a bit of everything.
You have had your faithful friend for a long time. It has never let you down and chased balls and wagged it's tail every time the opportunity arose but now things are not so rosy. Your beloved pet is showing his age and you have to make a difficult decision .... is it time to "let go"?
Bacary Sagna has had a brilliant career at Arsenal; he has twice been in the PFA Team of the Season, he has played over 200 games for Arsenal and over 30 times for France.
You have had your faithful friend for a long time. It has never let you down and chased balls and wagged it's tail every time the opportunity arose but now things are not so rosy. Your beloved pet is showing his age and you have to make a difficult decision .... is it time to "let go"?
Bacary Sagna has had a brilliant career at Arsenal; he has twice been in the PFA Team of the Season, he has played over 200 games for Arsenal and over 30 times for France.
No time for feeling sorry for ourselves, it's Villa today and a good chance to take three points. Blackburn was abominable, Bayern put us in our place, but there can be no excuses today. As we spoke about yesterday, all we've got left this season is the scrap for a top four finish.
Match Report - By the numbers Player ratings Video
A 1-0 win over Sunderland yesterday provided three very important points, and it's a game that will be remembered for Arsenal's superb rearguard display, hanging on for three points when down to 10 men and under serious pressure from the home side.
In the end, although there was frustration, I think a draw was a fair result given the performances of both sides. From our point of view it probably feels worse than it actually was because of the manner of their goal.
Bacary Sagna's season has been poor by his own standards.
Arsenal's pedestrian 1-0 win over a toothless Stoke side could see them gain points on every club that stands between them and the coveted fourth-place position in the table this weekend. With Rafael Benitez's Chelsea dropping more points via a 3-2 last-minute loss in Newcastle and Everton fighting back from a 3-1 deficit to draw Aston Villa 3-3 at home, Gunners could see a near perfect weekend take place if West Brom happens to beat Spurs at the Hawthorns in Sunday's early match.
Sixth-place Arsenal didn't lose any ground on Chelsea, Tottenham, and Liverpool on Wed. Jan. 30 with their 2-2 home draw against Liverpool, but they didn't gain any on them either. However, they did fall a further two points behind fifth-place Everton. It was another game of two very different halves and while the team can be praised for coming back from a 2-0 deficit, when you look at the big picture it was another two points dropped at home and to a team below them in the league table.
This time last year I spent a couple of days doing squad assessment posts, taking look at each player and giving them a grade.
We've been doing end of season ratings over on Arseblog News, but I thought, in order not to drag it out, we could Twitterfy the assessments this year and keep them below 140 characters each (mostly).
Normally Friday is a busy day as we prepare for the weekend's game. Arsene Wenger holds his press conference, we get the latest team news and so on, but due to the fact we're supposed playing Wigan our game isn't until Tuesday because of their participation in the FA Cup final.
Sagna to Start on Left against Bayern If Vermaelen Fails to Recover
Arsene Wenger could be forced to deploy Bacary Sagna on the left side of Arsenal's backline in the first leg of the upcoming Champions League clash with Bayern Munich, according to a report published by Goal.
