Gunnersaurus vs Cyril The Swan coming to a ground near you soonish. It's the bout of all bouts. Forget about the 'Rumble in the Jungle', poor old ancient Gunnersaurus is going to be quaking in his fossilised bones at the prospect of facing off to the notorious Cyril the Swan.
The 10th of September at the Emirates is the day of reckoning for our loveable dinosaur and I'm predicting some crazy antics from that mad Swan. I think he once beheaded a fellow mascot and kicked the stolen headwear into the goal, or something like that.
Of course, dinosaurs are known for their failure to adapt so let's hope Gunnersaurus is on his guard. Otherwise, he could end up spitting out swan feathers after a Cyril attack.
Gunnersaurus got a fair amount of stick for not showing enough respect for the dead last year. It was a difficult choice to make for our fossilised friend. He had two choices: 1) disappear prompto or 2) join the players in the centre circle and show respect for the dearly departed. Our brave dinosaur elected to stay on the pitch and to cock his head sadly to one side to demonstrate his sadness. His decision backfired, unfortunately, but I'm sure he will learn from the experience despite his antiquated DNA.
However, I'm seriously worried that our meeting with Swansea could spell the end of the age of dinosaurs at the Emirates. So I hope everyone to whom that term applies is ready to adapt, as if they don't they will only have themselves to blame if it all goes Jurassic pear-shaped.
Monday, 29 August 2011
Arsenal's 8-2 defeat - how different is it to losing 6-1 in 2001?
No one expected Arsenal to win at Old Trafford this time, so why should we be surprised by an 8-2 defeat? My dad backed the Gunners to win at 6-1. I told him he didn't have an earthly! I expected us to lose 4-0, as better Arsenal teams have lost by that margin or more in the past.
Who can forget the 6-1 mauling at the hands of United in February 2001, when Igor Stepanovs had a nightmare of nightmares? I don't think he ever recovered from that performance, as he got found out for what many of suspected of him already: lacking the ability to play for Arsenal.
Yesterday was less shocking than 2001 as it was a dot on the cards. The team we fielded included the much-maligned Armand Traore, whom I must admit thought would come good at Arsenal this season. Well, I was wrong and he's now been shipped off to QPR, which surely indicates we'll sign Leighton Baines from Everton (I say hopefully).
We also fielded Carl Jenkinson, who's still finding his feet at this level. I'm not sure he'll find them at all at Arsenal, to be honest, but I hope he can prove me wrong. And you're asking for trouble, when another defender, Johan Djourou, is out of sorts. That left Laurent Koscielny as the only defender with a reasonable amount of confidence going into the game.
Then in front of him, protecting the 'back one' was a debutante, Francis Coquelin. Imagine making your debut at Old Trafford, talk about getting chucked in the deep end. In the circumstances, I think Coquelin did okay. I really think he'll make it at Arsenal, but the current predicament the club finds itself in could mean it's going to be extra tough for youngsters to thrive.
The rest of the team more or less picked itself, but these first-team regulars didn't exactly cover themselves in glory, with skipper Robin van Persie missing a penalty. Had he scored it would have been 8-3, of course, and only a 5-goal deficit would have meant it was exactly like February 2001.
Ten years and six months later, we can compare the two Arsenal starting line-ups of 2001 and 2011:
Seaman (Szczeny) - 'Spunky' was past his best at 37, whereas 'Chesney Hawks' hasn't reached his enormous potential yet and was only at fault partially for the first goal. Old Arsenal 0-0 New Arsenal.
Luzhny (Jenkinson) - the Ukrainian was head and shoulders above poor old Carl. 1-0 to the Oldies.
Cole - (Traore) - I'm afraid Cashley would win the day against Traore ten times out of ten, as much as I hate to admit it. 2-0 to the Oldies.
Grimandi (Djourou) - I prefer Djourou, but he's out of form at the moment, so I'd say Grimandi, as he was quite reliable. 3-0 to the Oldies.
Stepanovs (Koscielny) - Our Kos lettuce is a much tastier player than Steps ever was! 3-1 to the Oldies.
Pires (Walcott) - I'd take Walcott for his pace, but Pires for his guile. 3-1 still.
Vieira (Coquelin) - Poor old Coq Au Vin is not in Vieira's league yet. 4-1 to the Oldies.
Parlour (Ramsey) - Rambo's got more skill but old Parls was more consistent. 5-1 to the Oldies.
Silvinho (Arshavin) - Arshavin's an ill-used genius being played out of position just like the talented Silvinho was. Still 5-1.
Wiltord (Rosicky) - Wiltord was our record signing and allowed to leave on a free. He was a winner, whereas Rosicky seems more a jinx than anything. 6-1 to the Oldies.
Henry (van Persie) - It has to be 7-1 to the Oldies. Henry's a legend and van Persie could be too, if Arsene Wenger can bring in some equally talented players. It's a big 'if' right now, with just 2 days left to do business in this transfer window. Yossi Benayoun doesn't seem to be the answer despite our alleged interest. Alex of Chelsea could be a good bet though.
So now let's move to the bench: that day we used Ljungberg and Vivas, but yesterday we used Lansbury, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Chamakh. I'd take the old two over the young three any day, but it's harsh to judge Oxlade-Chamberlain in these kind of circumstances.
Back in 2001, we didn't even throw Bergkamp, Manninger and Kanu into the fray. This time, instead of the excellent Manninger, we had the bag of nerves that is also known as Fabianski on the bench alongside the inexperienced Ozyakup, Sunu and Miquel. The latter player: Ignasi 'San' Miquel could have done a decent job if called upon, I feel sure of that.
To continue on a beer theme, our coach appears unable to organise a pee-up in a brewery from a defensive point of view, so having weak personnel on the pitch is only going to compound the problem. All this Arsene surely knows, so it makes you wonder why he doesn't put it right. He must know the 2001 team would pee all over his most recent line up.
Young men against kindergarten? Yes, despite Manchester United fielding a younger side than Arsenal in the recent debacle at Old Trafford it did seem like there was considerable gap in quality. It was more than 'men against boys'. More like 'professionals against apprentices'. United played with a sense of purpose. Arsenal can only feel desperation.
It must have been obvious to most pundits that an Arsenal player would get sent off. Jenkinson went and Arshavin was lucky to stay on after two X-rated challenges, but I can understand his desperation. The great club he joined has now been shorn of some of its greatness. No club could survive by selling three first-team regulars, (Clichy, Nasri and Fabregas) and not replacing them.
But Wenger has been a miracle worker in the past so what's to stop him doing it again? Well, I for one think his grand experiment has gone too far. There's no balance in the side now. So many players have to play out of position because the manager has failed miserably on the transfer front recently.
Arshavin, in particular, suffers on the left wing with mostly sub-Arsenal standard players to pass to. They don't make the right runs so it's difficult to find the right pass. They're too inexperienced to find space. The Russian will be ready to defect, at this rate, but he's not defective!
I don't think Wenger's time has run out yet, but if he doesn't considerably strengthen the team now we could end up dropping points in September too. We need 9 points from the next three games with Swansea (h), Blackburn (a) and Bolton (h) coming up just to keep in the running for fourth place. But let's not forget, despite a 6-1 defeat at Manchester United and a 4-0 drubbing at Anfield, we still finished second in 2001. Who says we can't finish runners-up again? Erm, me! Even third looks a bridge too far now, although before a ball was kicked I predicted this:
1) Man Utd
2) Man City
3) Arsenal
4) Chelsea
Will we finish above Chelsea? I think it's still possible, but it's looking increasingly unlikely. I stuck a tenner on it too, so please Arsene, I know you love saving money, so please please buy some players with Premier League experience. Just do that! Then I'll have a fighting chance of winning my bet.
Who can forget the 6-1 mauling at the hands of United in February 2001, when Igor Stepanovs had a nightmare of nightmares? I don't think he ever recovered from that performance, as he got found out for what many of suspected of him already: lacking the ability to play for Arsenal.
Yesterday was less shocking than 2001 as it was a dot on the cards. The team we fielded included the much-maligned Armand Traore, whom I must admit thought would come good at Arsenal this season. Well, I was wrong and he's now been shipped off to QPR, which surely indicates we'll sign Leighton Baines from Everton (I say hopefully).
We also fielded Carl Jenkinson, who's still finding his feet at this level. I'm not sure he'll find them at all at Arsenal, to be honest, but I hope he can prove me wrong. And you're asking for trouble, when another defender, Johan Djourou, is out of sorts. That left Laurent Koscielny as the only defender with a reasonable amount of confidence going into the game.
Then in front of him, protecting the 'back one' was a debutante, Francis Coquelin. Imagine making your debut at Old Trafford, talk about getting chucked in the deep end. In the circumstances, I think Coquelin did okay. I really think he'll make it at Arsenal, but the current predicament the club finds itself in could mean it's going to be extra tough for youngsters to thrive.
The rest of the team more or less picked itself, but these first-team regulars didn't exactly cover themselves in glory, with skipper Robin van Persie missing a penalty. Had he scored it would have been 8-3, of course, and only a 5-goal deficit would have meant it was exactly like February 2001.
Ten years and six months later, we can compare the two Arsenal starting line-ups of 2001 and 2011:
Seaman (Szczeny) - 'Spunky' was past his best at 37, whereas 'Chesney Hawks' hasn't reached his enormous potential yet and was only at fault partially for the first goal. Old Arsenal 0-0 New Arsenal.
Luzhny (Jenkinson) - the Ukrainian was head and shoulders above poor old Carl. 1-0 to the Oldies.
Cole - (Traore) - I'm afraid Cashley would win the day against Traore ten times out of ten, as much as I hate to admit it. 2-0 to the Oldies.
Grimandi (Djourou) - I prefer Djourou, but he's out of form at the moment, so I'd say Grimandi, as he was quite reliable. 3-0 to the Oldies.
Stepanovs (Koscielny) - Our Kos lettuce is a much tastier player than Steps ever was! 3-1 to the Oldies.
Pires (Walcott) - I'd take Walcott for his pace, but Pires for his guile. 3-1 still.
Vieira (Coquelin) - Poor old Coq Au Vin is not in Vieira's league yet. 4-1 to the Oldies.
Parlour (Ramsey) - Rambo's got more skill but old Parls was more consistent. 5-1 to the Oldies.
Silvinho (Arshavin) - Arshavin's an ill-used genius being played out of position just like the talented Silvinho was. Still 5-1.
Wiltord (Rosicky) - Wiltord was our record signing and allowed to leave on a free. He was a winner, whereas Rosicky seems more a jinx than anything. 6-1 to the Oldies.
Henry (van Persie) - It has to be 7-1 to the Oldies. Henry's a legend and van Persie could be too, if Arsene Wenger can bring in some equally talented players. It's a big 'if' right now, with just 2 days left to do business in this transfer window. Yossi Benayoun doesn't seem to be the answer despite our alleged interest. Alex of Chelsea could be a good bet though.
So now let's move to the bench: that day we used Ljungberg and Vivas, but yesterday we used Lansbury, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Chamakh. I'd take the old two over the young three any day, but it's harsh to judge Oxlade-Chamberlain in these kind of circumstances.
Back in 2001, we didn't even throw Bergkamp, Manninger and Kanu into the fray. This time, instead of the excellent Manninger, we had the bag of nerves that is also known as Fabianski on the bench alongside the inexperienced Ozyakup, Sunu and Miquel. The latter player: Ignasi 'San' Miquel could have done a decent job if called upon, I feel sure of that.
To continue on a beer theme, our coach appears unable to organise a pee-up in a brewery from a defensive point of view, so having weak personnel on the pitch is only going to compound the problem. All this Arsene surely knows, so it makes you wonder why he doesn't put it right. He must know the 2001 team would pee all over his most recent line up.
Young men against kindergarten? Yes, despite Manchester United fielding a younger side than Arsenal in the recent debacle at Old Trafford it did seem like there was considerable gap in quality. It was more than 'men against boys'. More like 'professionals against apprentices'. United played with a sense of purpose. Arsenal can only feel desperation.
It must have been obvious to most pundits that an Arsenal player would get sent off. Jenkinson went and Arshavin was lucky to stay on after two X-rated challenges, but I can understand his desperation. The great club he joined has now been shorn of some of its greatness. No club could survive by selling three first-team regulars, (Clichy, Nasri and Fabregas) and not replacing them.
But Wenger has been a miracle worker in the past so what's to stop him doing it again? Well, I for one think his grand experiment has gone too far. There's no balance in the side now. So many players have to play out of position because the manager has failed miserably on the transfer front recently.
Arshavin, in particular, suffers on the left wing with mostly sub-Arsenal standard players to pass to. They don't make the right runs so it's difficult to find the right pass. They're too inexperienced to find space. The Russian will be ready to defect, at this rate, but he's not defective!
I don't think Wenger's time has run out yet, but if he doesn't considerably strengthen the team now we could end up dropping points in September too. We need 9 points from the next three games with Swansea (h), Blackburn (a) and Bolton (h) coming up just to keep in the running for fourth place. But let's not forget, despite a 6-1 defeat at Manchester United and a 4-0 drubbing at Anfield, we still finished second in 2001. Who says we can't finish runners-up again? Erm, me! Even third looks a bridge too far now, although before a ball was kicked I predicted this:
1) Man Utd
2) Man City
3) Arsenal
4) Chelsea
Will we finish above Chelsea? I think it's still possible, but it's looking increasingly unlikely. I stuck a tenner on it too, so please Arsene, I know you love saving money, so please please buy some players with Premier League experience. Just do that! Then I'll have a fighting chance of winning my bet.
Saturday, 27 August 2011
Cough up for Cahill, Arsenal!
I'm getting so sick of Arsenal acting poverty-stricken. We wanted Mark Schwarzer last year, but refused to meet Fulham's valuation. Instead we preferred to start the season with Manuel Almunia between the sticks.
Now it seems we haven't learned at all from last year's mistake, by refusing to offer the going rate for Gary Cahill of Bolton. Okay, he'll be out of contract in a year's time and we can get him for free then. But patience isn't always a virtue. Not if it means another trophyless season, anyway. It would have been nice to get Cahill signed in time for the Manchester United game, but with our club a quick deal is rarely possible.
To make it worse, our boss Arsene Wenger is so smug about it. He's more coy (okay, koi then) than a carp! And now, talking of Far Eastern fish, Le Boss is about to reel in a big South Korean to fill the vacant number 9 shirt, I hear (although I'm not sure we can believe it). Park-Chu Young is expected to join for around £10m, which is good news given that Joel Campbell has been refused a work permit. Whether Young is an adequate replacement for the outgoing Nicklas Bendtner remains to be seen. But then again, the Monaco man might be heading for Lille, which means Eden Hazard could be sold and what's more, Hazard will be sold to us. Or so the story goes.
I'd just love us to buy someone with Premier League experience, but right now it looks as unlikely as ever and the main hopes we have to cling onto are wild transfer rumours and derisory bids for players who might actually strengthen our squad.
Now it seems we haven't learned at all from last year's mistake, by refusing to offer the going rate for Gary Cahill of Bolton. Okay, he'll be out of contract in a year's time and we can get him for free then. But patience isn't always a virtue. Not if it means another trophyless season, anyway. It would have been nice to get Cahill signed in time for the Manchester United game, but with our club a quick deal is rarely possible.
To make it worse, our boss Arsene Wenger is so smug about it. He's more coy (okay, koi then) than a carp! And now, talking of Far Eastern fish, Le Boss is about to reel in a big South Korean to fill the vacant number 9 shirt, I hear (although I'm not sure we can believe it). Park-Chu Young is expected to join for around £10m, which is good news given that Joel Campbell has been refused a work permit. Whether Young is an adequate replacement for the outgoing Nicklas Bendtner remains to be seen. But then again, the Monaco man might be heading for Lille, which means Eden Hazard could be sold and what's more, Hazard will be sold to us. Or so the story goes.
I'd just love us to buy someone with Premier League experience, but right now it looks as unlikely as ever and the main hopes we have to cling onto are wild transfer rumours and derisory bids for players who might actually strengthen our squad.
Thursday, 25 August 2011
Szczeny's on fire - the new Arsenal anthem
Arsenal somehow got into today's Champions League draw and quite how they made it without Samir Nasri, who's joined Man City for £25m, I can only answer with 'Szczeny's on fire'. That will be the new anthem to replace 'Cesc is on fire', as if Fabregas still is, it will be Barca fans fanning the flames, of course.
Instead, we've got a team of spirited rookies, which arguably is better than a team of dispirited superstar wantaways, based on this showing against Udinese. Even Jenkinson rose to the challenge this time. Frimpong, meanwhile, was his normal self again as the kids showed the more experienced players how to walk the walk and the frame of our goal...erm...'wooded the work'...or something like that!
Yes, the woodwork helped us out until it decided to switch sides and deflected di Natale's looping header in to tie the scores on aggregate. Perhaps Djourou was at fault as he wasn't that close to his man.
Extra time was looming on the distant horizon as Arsenal trudged off at half time. If anyone says 'supersub' the last player I think of is Rosicky, but Rosick-Note showed his worth by tackling as hard as the man he replaced, Frimpong.
Gervinho had caused problems for Udinese all night and when his low cross was turned in by Robin Van Persie, Arsenal knew they were a two-goal cushion away from crashing out.
But when Vermaelen was harshly adjudged to have handballed it was Szczeny to the rescue as he acrobatically tipped over di Natale's penalty.
And to cap a night of high drama, Walcott raced away after a one-two with Sagna to add another goal. A win away can never be bad especially after the turmoil we suffered.Well done lads, I never knew you were this good. You rode your luck at times but you've shown great character. More of the same at Old Trafford please! And at Dortmund, Olympiakos and Marseilles.
When we drew Marseilles out of the hat in the Champions League, Dwight Yorke was saying something about Wenger having 'ties' with the French club r words to that effect. I think Yorke must have meant Monaco. It's like saying Yorke has ties with Liverpool because he used to play for Manchester United!
Talking of dumb, I feel pretty stupid after backing our team to get beaten by Udinese. I was sure we'd lose to Liverpool, but was too scared to gamble. This time, I thought I'd rather lose the money and see Arsenal in the group stages. Yes, I know it's stupid, but winning money can deaden the pain of defeat a little. Still I'm chuffed that we're through and I'm broke. It's better than the club being broke!
On the day of the match, my mood was terribly bleak. I wrote: 'There's an interesting photo of Wenger and Rice in today's Metro with the caption: "Glum and glummer". "Dumb and dumber" is the film, of course, from which this caption was adapted, but perhaps if that movie title was readapted to Arsenal's transfer policy it could be "Dumbest". Simply that. To sell your best player, albeit for £24m or so, to the team that finished just above you in the league is dumb in anyone's language. Yet to keep Nasri and lose him for nothing in less than 12 months is equally dumb. What makes Arsenal's policy the dumbest is selling before a crucial Champions League qualifier against Udinese. It seems almost suicidal given the injury problems and the club's failure to find replacements. That's despite selling Fabregas on the cheap for about £35m recently. So the club cash in to the tune of £49m and then crash out of the Champions League and lose £40m as a consequence. That puts us £9m up, so there's no financial risk involved then for the moneymen. However, there's a risk that they're downsizing the club, making crazy cuts just to ensure profitability. It's a short-term strategy which won't wash with the fans. Eventually, the club's top brass will feel the backlash and hopefully, by then, they'll be ready to prove they're not the dumbest directors in football. The reason I don't include Wenger in this criticism of the club is no one can ascertain exactly how much Le Prof is at fault here. I'd guess quite a lot, but clearly a lot is going on behind the scenes that none of us are privy to. It's strange when the club's press office are issuing denials to unofficial websites regarding the reasons behind Arsenal's transfer inactivity. It makes us think there's no smoke without fire. Once again, the word "dumbest" fits the club right now. Like waiting to sell Squilacci before trying again to sign Jagielka. The list of huge mistakes is endless.'
Thanks to Szczeny's heroics, I'll have to eat some of my words for now. But I think we all know Szczeny's papering over the cracks for now. Everyone and his dog knows we need to recruit. Even Van Persie went public on it. Wenger has to listen despite this win, doesn't he?
Instead, we've got a team of spirited rookies, which arguably is better than a team of dispirited superstar wantaways, based on this showing against Udinese. Even Jenkinson rose to the challenge this time. Frimpong, meanwhile, was his normal self again as the kids showed the more experienced players how to walk the walk and the frame of our goal...erm...'wooded the work'...or something like that!
Yes, the woodwork helped us out until it decided to switch sides and deflected di Natale's looping header in to tie the scores on aggregate. Perhaps Djourou was at fault as he wasn't that close to his man.
Extra time was looming on the distant horizon as Arsenal trudged off at half time. If anyone says 'supersub' the last player I think of is Rosicky, but Rosick-Note showed his worth by tackling as hard as the man he replaced, Frimpong.
Gervinho had caused problems for Udinese all night and when his low cross was turned in by Robin Van Persie, Arsenal knew they were a two-goal cushion away from crashing out.
But when Vermaelen was harshly adjudged to have handballed it was Szczeny to the rescue as he acrobatically tipped over di Natale's penalty.
And to cap a night of high drama, Walcott raced away after a one-two with Sagna to add another goal. A win away can never be bad especially after the turmoil we suffered.Well done lads, I never knew you were this good. You rode your luck at times but you've shown great character. More of the same at Old Trafford please! And at Dortmund, Olympiakos and Marseilles.
When we drew Marseilles out of the hat in the Champions League, Dwight Yorke was saying something about Wenger having 'ties' with the French club r words to that effect. I think Yorke must have meant Monaco. It's like saying Yorke has ties with Liverpool because he used to play for Manchester United!
Talking of dumb, I feel pretty stupid after backing our team to get beaten by Udinese. I was sure we'd lose to Liverpool, but was too scared to gamble. This time, I thought I'd rather lose the money and see Arsenal in the group stages. Yes, I know it's stupid, but winning money can deaden the pain of defeat a little. Still I'm chuffed that we're through and I'm broke. It's better than the club being broke!
On the day of the match, my mood was terribly bleak. I wrote: 'There's an interesting photo of Wenger and Rice in today's Metro with the caption: "Glum and glummer". "Dumb and dumber" is the film, of course, from which this caption was adapted, but perhaps if that movie title was readapted to Arsenal's transfer policy it could be "Dumbest". Simply that. To sell your best player, albeit for £24m or so, to the team that finished just above you in the league is dumb in anyone's language. Yet to keep Nasri and lose him for nothing in less than 12 months is equally dumb. What makes Arsenal's policy the dumbest is selling before a crucial Champions League qualifier against Udinese. It seems almost suicidal given the injury problems and the club's failure to find replacements. That's despite selling Fabregas on the cheap for about £35m recently. So the club cash in to the tune of £49m and then crash out of the Champions League and lose £40m as a consequence. That puts us £9m up, so there's no financial risk involved then for the moneymen. However, there's a risk that they're downsizing the club, making crazy cuts just to ensure profitability. It's a short-term strategy which won't wash with the fans. Eventually, the club's top brass will feel the backlash and hopefully, by then, they'll be ready to prove they're not the dumbest directors in football. The reason I don't include Wenger in this criticism of the club is no one can ascertain exactly how much Le Prof is at fault here. I'd guess quite a lot, but clearly a lot is going on behind the scenes that none of us are privy to. It's strange when the club's press office are issuing denials to unofficial websites regarding the reasons behind Arsenal's transfer inactivity. It makes us think there's no smoke without fire. Once again, the word "dumbest" fits the club right now. Like waiting to sell Squilacci before trying again to sign Jagielka. The list of huge mistakes is endless.'
Thanks to Szczeny's heroics, I'll have to eat some of my words for now. But I think we all know Szczeny's papering over the cracks for now. Everyone and his dog knows we need to recruit. Even Van Persie went public on it. Wenger has to listen despite this win, doesn't he?
Tuesday, 23 August 2011
Nero fiddled while Rome burned, will Wenger fiddle too?
What a joke at the Emirates on Saturday! We have to rely on want-aways like Nasri and Bendtner to get us a result. How surprising they failed to impress, although to give him his due, Nasri had his moments. Not as many as Frimpong, who will make the likes of Chelsea's Jon Obi Mikel look ordinary at this rate. His five-star display was marred by his red card, but his commitment was admirable.
Once again it was the manager's negligence that led to disaster. First he can't buy players for a whole catalogue of reasons and then he can't see incidents. Maybe that prevented him from seeing Frimpong's first yellow card. From that point on, his overzealous tackling made him a sending off waiting to happen. I'm surprised Wenger didn't notice. When the red card came wenger used his 'big squad' as best he could throwing Henri Lansbury into the fray to replace Arshavin. The Russian had a bad day but he had three opponents on him when he got the ball, freeing up space for team-mates. Let's not forget, Arshavin scored four once upon a time at Anfield, while Lansbury, for all his merits, is unlikely to score that many in his whole Arsenal career based on what I've seen of him. It's a big step up from reserve team football so we shouldn't expect him to shine at this level.
However, Frimpong looks every inch a star as does Szczeny. Jenkinson, meanwhile, allowed Stewart Downing to look like a world beater. Ramsey also struggled, as did Walcott and van Persie. Time to rely on the 'big squad', especially as Koscielny got injured earlyish.
Miquel proved there is life in the reserve-team football by playing imperiously until an unfortunate clearance ricocheted off Ramsey for Liverpool's first. It was over. Arsenal had already been struggling when reduced to ten men, but Wenger perhaps chose not to see it. No doubt he noticed both Liverpool goals were marginally offside so perhaps he'll put another defeat down to bad luck and keep the cheque book in the boardroom safe.
At least Wenger is still popular with the moneymen at Arsenal but his support among the loyal fans looks to be slowly diminishig with each inactive day during the transfer window. At least Nero reportedly fiddled while Rome burned. Arsene doesn't appear to be able to do even that right now, as fiddling or tinkering with this squad would involve paying out big bucks. As we all know, virtues can become vices: careful money-management can become penny-pinching. That's where we're at now at Arsenal, it seems.
Once again it was the manager's negligence that led to disaster. First he can't buy players for a whole catalogue of reasons and then he can't see incidents. Maybe that prevented him from seeing Frimpong's first yellow card. From that point on, his overzealous tackling made him a sending off waiting to happen. I'm surprised Wenger didn't notice. When the red card came wenger used his 'big squad' as best he could throwing Henri Lansbury into the fray to replace Arshavin. The Russian had a bad day but he had three opponents on him when he got the ball, freeing up space for team-mates. Let's not forget, Arshavin scored four once upon a time at Anfield, while Lansbury, for all his merits, is unlikely to score that many in his whole Arsenal career based on what I've seen of him. It's a big step up from reserve team football so we shouldn't expect him to shine at this level.
However, Frimpong looks every inch a star as does Szczeny. Jenkinson, meanwhile, allowed Stewart Downing to look like a world beater. Ramsey also struggled, as did Walcott and van Persie. Time to rely on the 'big squad', especially as Koscielny got injured earlyish.
Miquel proved there is life in the reserve-team football by playing imperiously until an unfortunate clearance ricocheted off Ramsey for Liverpool's first. It was over. Arsenal had already been struggling when reduced to ten men, but Wenger perhaps chose not to see it. No doubt he noticed both Liverpool goals were marginally offside so perhaps he'll put another defeat down to bad luck and keep the cheque book in the boardroom safe.
At least Wenger is still popular with the moneymen at Arsenal but his support among the loyal fans looks to be slowly diminishig with each inactive day during the transfer window. At least Nero reportedly fiddled while Rome burned. Arsene doesn't appear to be able to do even that right now, as fiddling or tinkering with this squad would involve paying out big bucks. As we all know, virtues can become vices: careful money-management can become penny-pinching. That's where we're at now at Arsenal, it seems.
Saturday, 20 August 2011
Few question Wenger's loyalty, sanity could be suspect though
I found it interesting to hear Arsene Wenger saying that many people have been questioning his loyalty to Arsenal, as I've never encountered any of these people. In his personal life, doubts were raised about Wenger's fidelity following tabloid allegations, but this bears no relation to football. It's a completely separate issue.
In the domain of the beautiful game, Wenger is a principled man. Yes, he clings on to his principles despite recent evidence suggesting his grand experiment is doomed to failure at the highest level. Six trophyless season can't be put down to bad luck and poor refereeing or any other conspircacy theory.
At some point, Wenger should wake up and realise that some of the criticism he's receiving is justified. It may have become increasingly virulent, but Wenger has really brought it upon himself. What can he expect if he sells Arsenal's best players, Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, and then shows little will to replace them?
Nasri's not gone yet, of course, and that in itself is a moot point. Almost in a move to anger the fans, Nasri's in the squad to play Liverpool. Nasri got a lot of stick at Newcastle from our supporters, so what makes Wenger think it will be any different at home against Liverpool? Even if Nasri is as committed as Wenger says, can Nasri play at his best when the home fans are likely to boo his every touch? To most football people, the answer would be 'no', but occasionally a player can answer his critics with a display that wins the fans back. Nasri, who seems set to join Manchester City for £22m, will be unable to do that because Arsenal fans know he wants to leave. Unless, Nasri signs a new deal to stay at Arsenal, of course. Now if he could do that, everything would change immediately. At least, Nasri could then be forgiven for flirting with City and Manchester United.
Perhaps Wenger, likewise, has flirted with other clubs. He's certainly suggested that by telling Sky Sports that fans will be surprised about the overtures he's turned down. Some might say there's no point him going to a richer club than Arsenal, if he ever does leave. If he wants to continue his ridiculous experiment with an unbalanced squad, which seems to be getting younger and more inexperienced with every passing year, he would be better advised to manage a club like Crewe Alexandra. Like Arsenal, Crewe are loyal to their current manager, Dario Gradi, who's been there mostly on and rarely off since 1983. While stability is often a foundation of success if it lasts too long it can change into stagnation. Crewe did experience Championship football under Gradi, but now reside in football's basement despite their free-flowing football.
I'm not for a moment suggesting that Wenger will preside over a similar fall from grace at Arsenal. Wenger is a clever man, why else would he be nicknamed 'Le Professeur'? But even the intelligent among us have moments when their brain power may be in question. Right now, Wenger's marbles or lack of them are in the dock and he has two clear choices: continue with his experiment with youth or buy big.
Excuses won't do anymore. The season has started and we've already dropped points. If Wenger addresses the obvious deficiencies in the squad, all will be forgiven and 'Mad King' Arsene can continue his reign. After all, loyalty is a two-way street and Arsenal fans will never forget Wenger's great work. But we need to see that he's trying to cure his obsession with youth, for we can't afford to indulge compulsive obsessive behaviour (COB). COB could be mostly than Gary Cahill and all the other overpriced stars we've been linked with.
In the domain of the beautiful game, Wenger is a principled man. Yes, he clings on to his principles despite recent evidence suggesting his grand experiment is doomed to failure at the highest level. Six trophyless season can't be put down to bad luck and poor refereeing or any other conspircacy theory.
At some point, Wenger should wake up and realise that some of the criticism he's receiving is justified. It may have become increasingly virulent, but Wenger has really brought it upon himself. What can he expect if he sells Arsenal's best players, Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, and then shows little will to replace them?
Nasri's not gone yet, of course, and that in itself is a moot point. Almost in a move to anger the fans, Nasri's in the squad to play Liverpool. Nasri got a lot of stick at Newcastle from our supporters, so what makes Wenger think it will be any different at home against Liverpool? Even if Nasri is as committed as Wenger says, can Nasri play at his best when the home fans are likely to boo his every touch? To most football people, the answer would be 'no', but occasionally a player can answer his critics with a display that wins the fans back. Nasri, who seems set to join Manchester City for £22m, will be unable to do that because Arsenal fans know he wants to leave. Unless, Nasri signs a new deal to stay at Arsenal, of course. Now if he could do that, everything would change immediately. At least, Nasri could then be forgiven for flirting with City and Manchester United.
Perhaps Wenger, likewise, has flirted with other clubs. He's certainly suggested that by telling Sky Sports that fans will be surprised about the overtures he's turned down. Some might say there's no point him going to a richer club than Arsenal, if he ever does leave. If he wants to continue his ridiculous experiment with an unbalanced squad, which seems to be getting younger and more inexperienced with every passing year, he would be better advised to manage a club like Crewe Alexandra. Like Arsenal, Crewe are loyal to their current manager, Dario Gradi, who's been there mostly on and rarely off since 1983. While stability is often a foundation of success if it lasts too long it can change into stagnation. Crewe did experience Championship football under Gradi, but now reside in football's basement despite their free-flowing football.
I'm not for a moment suggesting that Wenger will preside over a similar fall from grace at Arsenal. Wenger is a clever man, why else would he be nicknamed 'Le Professeur'? But even the intelligent among us have moments when their brain power may be in question. Right now, Wenger's marbles or lack of them are in the dock and he has two clear choices: continue with his experiment with youth or buy big.
Excuses won't do anymore. The season has started and we've already dropped points. If Wenger addresses the obvious deficiencies in the squad, all will be forgiven and 'Mad King' Arsene can continue his reign. After all, loyalty is a two-way street and Arsenal fans will never forget Wenger's great work. But we need to see that he's trying to cure his obsession with youth, for we can't afford to indulge compulsive obsessive behaviour (COB). COB could be mostly than Gary Cahill and all the other overpriced stars we've been linked with.
Wednesday, 17 August 2011
Wenger needs a new voice in the dressing room
What a strange game it was against Udinese! I bought my Theo shirt before kick off and that was vindicated when he opened the scoring with a sidefoot volley from Rambo's right foot cross.
My fears about falling behind were unfounded and the crowd were in a forgiving mood, anyway, as mistakes multiplied and Arsenal proceeded to look less threatening than their opponents in front of goal.
How Wenger can feel confident about this team is beyond me, as 'sloppy' is the word that most aptly describes this performance. The match was riddled with sloppy passes and better and luckier opponents would have equalised.
Another frightening aspect was the lack of movement upfront. I felt sorry for the midfield when the forwards failed to make the right runs and make space for others. It was static except when Theo briefly played in the middle and ended up one-on-one with the keeper. Theo's finish was uncharacteristically poor though.
Another thought came to me as I watched this lifeless performance. Wenger needs a 'new voice' in the dressing room. It could be a player with captain-like qualities, or a coach who actually helps the players focus. As well as a general lack of concentration, there was a lack of urgency, belief and tactical nous. Will that be addressed? If not it's going to be, then a long hard season lies ahead, with qualification to the Champions League group stages far from guaranteed.
Szczeny 8 - made a number of good saves, unlike his counterpart who made just one.
Sagna 8 - solid as ever.
Koscielny 7 - came forward like Franz Beckenbauer but lost the ball sometimes as a consequence.
Vermaelen 8 - made some excellent last ditch tackles
Gibbs 7 - looking more reliable than Clichy so far, shame he damaged his hamstring.
Song 7 - didn't do much wrong but should have got involved more.
Rosicky 6 - not quite sure why he got a standing ovation as made quite a few misplaced passes.
Ramsey 6 - set up the goal and was excellent in the opponents' half...lacks concentration when passing deep so Wenger should play him further forward.
Gervinho 6 - tried hard but not much worked for him.
Walcott 7 - a bright spark who trouble Udinese with his pace.
Chamakh 5 - he needs a goal desperately to restore his confidence.
Subs:
Djourou 5 - looked a bit jittery. Got subbed for injury presumably.
Jenkinson 6 - like Djourou, struggled initially but had more time on the field to adjust.
Frimpong 8 surprisingly composed for a youngster and made quite an impact as a sub.
My fears about falling behind were unfounded and the crowd were in a forgiving mood, anyway, as mistakes multiplied and Arsenal proceeded to look less threatening than their opponents in front of goal.
How Wenger can feel confident about this team is beyond me, as 'sloppy' is the word that most aptly describes this performance. The match was riddled with sloppy passes and better and luckier opponents would have equalised.
Another frightening aspect was the lack of movement upfront. I felt sorry for the midfield when the forwards failed to make the right runs and make space for others. It was static except when Theo briefly played in the middle and ended up one-on-one with the keeper. Theo's finish was uncharacteristically poor though.
Another thought came to me as I watched this lifeless performance. Wenger needs a 'new voice' in the dressing room. It could be a player with captain-like qualities, or a coach who actually helps the players focus. As well as a general lack of concentration, there was a lack of urgency, belief and tactical nous. Will that be addressed? If not it's going to be, then a long hard season lies ahead, with qualification to the Champions League group stages far from guaranteed.
Szczeny 8 - made a number of good saves, unlike his counterpart who made just one.
Sagna 8 - solid as ever.
Koscielny 7 - came forward like Franz Beckenbauer but lost the ball sometimes as a consequence.
Vermaelen 8 - made some excellent last ditch tackles
Gibbs 7 - looking more reliable than Clichy so far, shame he damaged his hamstring.
Song 7 - didn't do much wrong but should have got involved more.
Rosicky 6 - not quite sure why he got a standing ovation as made quite a few misplaced passes.
Ramsey 6 - set up the goal and was excellent in the opponents' half...lacks concentration when passing deep so Wenger should play him further forward.
Gervinho 6 - tried hard but not much worked for him.
Walcott 7 - a bright spark who trouble Udinese with his pace.
Chamakh 5 - he needs a goal desperately to restore his confidence.
Subs:
Djourou 5 - looked a bit jittery. Got subbed for injury presumably.
Jenkinson 6 - like Djourou, struggled initially but had more time on the field to adjust.
Frimpong 8 surprisingly composed for a youngster and made quite an impact as a sub.
Sunday, 7 August 2011
Arsenal gamble on crocks, rookies and want-aways
I'm sure everyone knows, even the 'Arsene Knows Best' Brigade, that without additions, this current Arsenal squad can't win the league this season with crocks, rookies and want-aways. The best we can hope for is third and even that will be a big ask.
Manchester United and City have both strengthened their respective squads, significantly, so what makes us think we can finish higher than them? Personally, I don't think it's possible, as our squad seems weaker to me.
Selling Gael Clichy makes us weaker, in my book. Kieran Gibbs is a great prospect, but I'm not sure he'll be more solid than Clichy, who we all know was prone to errors. It's possible that I'm wrong about Gibbs and he will instantly prove to be a trustworthy successor. I certainly hope so, but anyway, you could say the left-slot is not the most crucial position.
Central midfield is much more essential to our success. And here we're looking at losing Cesc Fabregas or Samir Nasri. Both players are geniuses and almost irreplaceable. So whichever of the two leaves, I think we'll be significantly weaker in that department, especially if Jack Wilshere is not ready to start the season.
The addition of Gervinho means we have more quantity in the wing department, but Theo Walcott has an ankle problem again and Andrey Arshavin (who like Theo is not really a winger anyway) looks a bit disaffected. Arshavin could be our star player on a regular basis, if Arsene Wenger played him in the correct position, but that's another debate entirely.
Then upfront, Nicklas Bendtner is off to another club probably, and ol' Chocolate Leg (Robin van Persie) is suffering from brittle bones again it seems. Yes, our top scorer last season is crocked, we hear, after what looked like a relatively innocuous challenge during the Benfica friendly defeat.
In goal, Wojchiech Szczeny should have learned from his mistakes last season, but I'm more worried about Lucasz Fabianski. While Szczeny is a legend-to-be, Fabianski is always an accident waiting to happen. Fabianski got beaten at his near post against Benfica, so has to take some of the blame for that.
If Vito Mannone became Szczeny's stand-in, I'd be a little more confident, but ultimately had Wenger brought in a more experienced keeper, even on a free transfer like Brad Friedel, we'd be significantly stronger in this department. Instead, we're looking at another missed opportunity on the transfer front.
Manchester United and City have both strengthened their respective squads, significantly, so what makes us think we can finish higher than them? Personally, I don't think it's possible, as our squad seems weaker to me.
Selling Gael Clichy makes us weaker, in my book. Kieran Gibbs is a great prospect, but I'm not sure he'll be more solid than Clichy, who we all know was prone to errors. It's possible that I'm wrong about Gibbs and he will instantly prove to be a trustworthy successor. I certainly hope so, but anyway, you could say the left-slot is not the most crucial position.
Central midfield is much more essential to our success. And here we're looking at losing Cesc Fabregas or Samir Nasri. Both players are geniuses and almost irreplaceable. So whichever of the two leaves, I think we'll be significantly weaker in that department, especially if Jack Wilshere is not ready to start the season.
The addition of Gervinho means we have more quantity in the wing department, but Theo Walcott has an ankle problem again and Andrey Arshavin (who like Theo is not really a winger anyway) looks a bit disaffected. Arshavin could be our star player on a regular basis, if Arsene Wenger played him in the correct position, but that's another debate entirely.
Then upfront, Nicklas Bendtner is off to another club probably, and ol' Chocolate Leg (Robin van Persie) is suffering from brittle bones again it seems. Yes, our top scorer last season is crocked, we hear, after what looked like a relatively innocuous challenge during the Benfica friendly defeat.
In goal, Wojchiech Szczeny should have learned from his mistakes last season, but I'm more worried about Lucasz Fabianski. While Szczeny is a legend-to-be, Fabianski is always an accident waiting to happen. Fabianski got beaten at his near post against Benfica, so has to take some of the blame for that.
If Vito Mannone became Szczeny's stand-in, I'd be a little more confident, but ultimately had Wenger brought in a more experienced keeper, even on a free transfer like Brad Friedel, we'd be significantly stronger in this department. Instead, we're looking at another missed opportunity on the transfer front.
Change Ashburton Grove/Emirates Stadium to 'Super Quality Street'!
We should rename Ashburton Grove, the Emirates Stadium, or whatever you want to call it. The ground should now be called: 'Super Quality Street'. Maybe then, we'd see 'quality' on the road signs directing us there (so we can convince ourselves we're going to see 'quality'), on the stadium itself (perhaps in that blank spot around the perimeter where it shows our last cup was won in 2005), and maybe then this Arsenal team made up of crocks, mercenaries and rookies might show some 'super quality' on the pitch.
So far, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has only signed two players: Gervinho and Carl Jenkinson. Based on what we've seen in the friendlies, we could assume Gervinho possesses 'super quality' in his play. I'm not sure we can say the same about Jenkinson right now, although he may be 'super' in the future.
I don't want to be harsh on the teenage signing from Charlton but, despite his comments to the contrary, I don't see him pushing Bacary Sagna for a starting place this season. However, if he learns to play less flatfooted, I mean stays on his toes more, I think he might make it at this great club. After all, he's fast and passes well. Positionally, he should improve. And if he could stay on his toes more, he could utilise his pace better with a better starting position.
All this is a long-winded way of saying Wenger is giving us potential 'super quality' for the future. He's selling us a dream that seems further away with each passing season.
So far, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has only signed two players: Gervinho and Carl Jenkinson. Based on what we've seen in the friendlies, we could assume Gervinho possesses 'super quality' in his play. I'm not sure we can say the same about Jenkinson right now, although he may be 'super' in the future.
I don't want to be harsh on the teenage signing from Charlton but, despite his comments to the contrary, I don't see him pushing Bacary Sagna for a starting place this season. However, if he learns to play less flatfooted, I mean stays on his toes more, I think he might make it at this great club. After all, he's fast and passes well. Positionally, he should improve. And if he could stay on his toes more, he could utilise his pace better with a better starting position.
All this is a long-winded way of saying Wenger is giving us potential 'super quality' for the future. He's selling us a dream that seems further away with each passing season.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)