Arsenal have two visits to Sunderland on consecutive Saturdays in different competitions and
both have the potential to improve the season but could also make it far worse. The focus for now,
obviously, has to be on the more immediate fixture that is the upcoming League meeting.
It would be an understatement to suggest that Martin O'Neill has turned the fortunes of the
Black Cats around.
The big win over Blackburn was immensely enjoyable and has lifted the mood in the Gooner camp to
a great extent after an eminently forgettable January. A lot has already been said about the match
and I don't want to revisit it in detail but there were two goals in that game that caught my
eye.
Both the goals started from the back but were scored in a markedly different manner, each a
delight in its own way.
Clearly, every game is a very tough one for Arsenal on current form. Will the team get its first
League win of 2012? Doesn't seem like it if we look at the manner in which Arsenal have dropped
points in recent games, or the way Blackburn came from behind to win at home earlier this season,
or the fact that Steve Kean is yet to lose against Wenger or Ferguson in the Premiership (2W,
2D)!
The President of Rwanda wants his buddy Arsene to step down? Robin van Persie is furious with
Arsene...Or is he? And, does Real Madrid really want Arsene?
It's been quite an interesting week for the Arsenal so far. If you haven't been following the
news as much as I have, allow me to illuminate you.
So then, this is what heartache feels like. This is what it means to have the figurative
broken heart. I have decided I don't like this feeling, at all. And I want it to go away.
Needlessto say, many hard-core Arsenal fans like myself are in agony at this moment in time. The
team that we love so desperately appears to be dead.
On the back of two games where Arsenal have lost after taking the lead, and with hardly any
positive news on the injury front, a game against Manchester United is the last thing many would
want. But that's the game on the fixture list and the Gunners will just have to do as best as they
can with diminished resources and wavering confidence.
It's a question that can make some people uncomfortable but I think it deserves some
consideration.
Many seem to agree that last season crashing out of all three Cups in a short span of time flung
the squad into a confidence depriving free fall that the manager could not curtail. It had a
massive impact on the players' psyche, Arsenal's league position at the end of the season, and
quite possibly played a part in some of the summer's transfers.
I want to start by wishing everyone a very happy new year full of peace and contentment. My trip
has been a real delight and by visiting town like Amherst and Northampton in Massachusetts I've
been reacquainted with the meaning of the words Quaint and Idyllic. Back in India, I used to enjoy
living and working in town like Udaipur a lot more than I did in places like Mumbai, Bangalore, or
Delhi.
I want to start by wishing everyone a very happy new year full of peace and contentment. My trip
has been a real delight and by visiting town like Amherst and Northampton in Massachusetts I've
been reacquainted with the meaning of the words Quaint and Idyllic. Back in India, I used to enjoy
living and working in town like Udaipur a lot more than I did in places like Mumbai, Bangalore, or
Delhi.
The result against Wolves has made this game bigger and tougher than it should have been as
there will now be an added pressure on the Gunners. Liverpool's win over Newcastle has also put
them above Arsenal in fifth and only a win will see Arsenal climb over the Reds. Arsenal's margin
of error was miniscule after the poor start to the season but it's almost vanished now.
The result against Wolves has made this game bigger and tougher than it should have been as
there will now be an added pressure on the Gunners. Liverpool's win over Newcastle has also put
them above Arsenal in fifth and only a win will see Arsenal climb over the Reds. Arsenal's margin
of error was miniscule after the poor start to the season but it's almost vanished now.
I think everyone, including Wenger, is aware that Arsenal need to bolster the squad in the
upcoming transfer window. Few agree on the exact details but defence and striker appear to be two
positions where most would want reinforcements. I was thinking about the possibilities while
looking at the current squad and it seems like a very complicated situation for the Gunners.
I think everyone, including Wenger, is aware that Arsenal need to bolster the squad in the
upcoming transfer window. Few agree on the exact details but defence and striker appear to be two
positions where most would want reinforcements. I was thinking about the possibilities while
looking at the current squad and it seems like a very complicated situation for the Gunners.
The recent strong run by the Gunners has created this impression that they are a hard lot to
beat. I am among the many Gooners who have noted and commented on the doggedness of this Arsenal
squad. With that in mind, I thought it would be interesting to see if some numbers back the new
found resolve that is being widely perceived and how other top teams stacked up when compared to
Arsenal.
The recent strong run by the Gunners has created this impression that they are a hard lot to
beat. I am among the many Gooners who have noted and commented on the doggedness of this Arsenal
squad. With that in mind, I thought it would be interesting to see if some numbers back the new
found resolve that is being widely perceived and how other top teams stacked up when compared to
Arsenal.
Sometime during the last week there was this article on the Arsenal website with a few comments
from Benayoun. The Israeli skipper said that he can understand the reasons for not getting regular
starts and was happy to contribute whenever he got a chance.
They say you don't change a winning team and we are on a good run so it is very difficult to get
into the team.
Sometime during the last week there was this article on the Arsenal website with a few comments
from Benayoun. The Israeli skipper said that he can understand the reasons for not getting regular
starts and was happy to contribute whenever he got a chance.
They say you don't change a winning team and we are on a good run so it is very difficult to get
into the team.
After a long time, Europe's premier competition has thrown up a few surprises and plenty of
excitement. At the time of the draw few, if any, would have expected United to bow out. Fewer still
would have expected the Gunners to qualify from a tough group before the other three English clubs
and with a game to spare.
After a long time, Europe's premier competition has thrown up a few surprises and plenty of
excitement. At the time of the draw few, if any, would have expected United to bow out. Fewer still
would have expected the Gunners to qualify from a tough group before the other three English clubs
and with a game to spare.
There are Arsenal legends. And then again there are proper Arsenal legends. For most of us
Patrick Vieira sits comfortably in the second catergory. From Shite Hart Lane to (Very) Old
Trafford he was a steam engine of a player. Strength, passion, craft, guile, he had the lot and
regularly delievered these qualities as a red and white colossus.
We'll hopefully get a chance to see Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain again tonight in the Arsenal's
Carling Cup quarter-final clash against Manchester City at the Emirates. No doubt AW will shuffle
the pack to give players such as the Oxo Kid, Park Chu-Young and Yossi Benayoun a run, while at
the same time resting key first team personnel.
So I have this spare ticket for yesterday and I am loitering, feeling a little bit dirty because
I am basically hanging with the touts at the botom of the stairs near the North Bank bridge. There
is no way to offer a ticket for sale without sounding like a tout so you do get meancing glances
but, hey.
So I have this spare ticket for yesterday and I am loitering, feeling a little bit dirty because
I am basically hanging with the touts at the botom of the stairs near the North Bank bridge. There
is no way to offer a ticket for sale without sounding like a tout so you do get meancing glances
but, hey.
On Saturday, Arsenal conceded another ridiculous goal. Thankfully, It didn't affect the outcome
but brought back painful memories of other howlers in the recent past. Now the easy option is to
blame Mertesacker and move on. There is no denying the fact that the German should have shown
greater strength and could have passed the ball towards Santos or headed it back to Szczesny if he
so intended.
I don't think anyone who has seen Jack Wilshere play doubts his talent. Even anti-Arsenal hacks
and pundits, and purveyors of ignorant, spiteful opinions in the Arsenalsphere rave about the
youngster. From football legends like Wenger and Capello to common fans like this blogger, everyone
has lavished undiluted praise on the next great English hope ever since he was a schoolboy.
Carl Jenkinson: the more I ponder his position as a player for the Arsenal, the more I grow to
admire him. Not position as in right-back, you understand. No, his position as a 19-year-old
footballer who only last season was propping up a part-time, non-league outfit on freezing nights
in front of a handful of fans.
The international break provides a good opportunity for statistical analysis of various teams
and players. To begin with, let's look at macro level stats for the big six. I will also try to
cover some player comparisons before Premiership resumes on the 19th.
The following table lists passing, dueling, and other figures for Arsenal, City, United,
Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham.
We know it's a big and extremely difficult game when Wenger himself calls it a real test and a
Cup final. But I don't want to spend too much time building this fixture up. Those visiting this
blog know the significance well enough.
The stats pack on Arsenal website provides some interesting nuggets.
These days I have limited blogging to the pre-match and post game pieces. There are a number of
reasons for but the most important one has been the shortage of actual talking points. An agitated
mental state due to some mind-boggling bloopers didn't help as it prevented me from delving into
stats and chalkboards.
Who would have thought that Swansea at home this Saturday would be such a pivotal game in the
Arsenal's Premier League campaign? Not this subscriber, that's for sure. You see, I saw the season
thus far panning out like this; Geordies away, three points, nae messin', man.
Bin-dippers at home?
Three games of the season have been played and the clubs have completed their transfer business
till the winter at least. This seems like a good time to make predictions but this year I am
finding it hard to develop any sort of conviction regarding the hopes of most of the top teams.
There have been significant changes at almost all the clubs, the results of which will only be
known in due course.
Like most fans, and quite probably Arsene Wenger himself, I wanted to see decisive action from
the Gunners in the transfer market. Sort out the situation with those who want to leave, sign
replacements in time, have a good pre-season, and start the season with confidence and stability. I
will be surprised if anyone, irrespective of their feelings towards the manager or the board,
disagrees with that.
When it rains, it pours, eh!
Most parched Gooner hearts will welcome the flash flood of signings we've seen in the last two
days. A striker, two creative players, a centre-back, and a left-back cover almost all requirements
that have been floating around in fan conversations. Or one could say two international captains, a
club captain, and a couple of seasoned pros tick some of the experience and leadership boxes that
have been vacant.
Group F: Arsenal – Marseille – Olympiacos – Borussia Dortmund.
That doesn't look like a group of death to me but there is enough in there keep things on edge.
Perhaps part of the reason is also that Arsenal will have to go on a long, consistent run before
most fans regain complete confidence.
The Arsenalsphere is a divided space these days. Has been for a while now and it is getting
worse. While different opinions have always existed, we now see more than a degree of animosity
amongst fans who are divided into two broad groups – those supporting the manager and those
desperate to see him out.
I don't think any transfer, in my limited time following football, has moved me to the extent
this one did. Not even close. And I can't see it happening again in the future. Regular readers
know how much I admire Fabregas, who I rated as the best player in the Premiership. So a part of me
feels betrayed and resentful.
Well, I am not much of a transfer speculation/discussion guy but today's game and a highly
unrealistic transfer rumour about a Nasri-Tevez swap got me thinking.
First, let me just mention why I don't see any sense in the swap deal with Tevez. The
Argentinean is a world-class player but I don't see him fitting into the Arsenal style.
I was lost for feelings when Arsenal announced the signing of highly rated Southampton
youngster, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. This transfer had been in the news for a long time but not many
were expecting it to go through at this stage.
The youngster, Walcottesque in his style and a superb talent without doubt, will take time to
settle into the first team squad, so this must be one for the future.
