Petr Cech's imminent signing from Chelsea reminds me of when Arsenal signed Pat Jennings from Spurs.
Although like Cech, he was no vampire keeper (afraid of crosses), Jennings was in the 'twilight' years of his career (get it?).
At the time of the transfer, I thought Spurs must be mental to sell their best keeper of all time to their hated rivals, but even I didn't expect him to play for Arsenal for 8 years!
Jennings' arrival settled the defence down, and Arsenal went on to feature in 4 cup finals in 3 years; it had been a while since the last one so it was a marked improvement from the Jimmy Rimmer era.
However, it was just the one FA Cup that was landed by Arsenal during Jennings' 8 years. That would be a disappointing return, if the same happened with Cech in goal.
Hopefully, John Terry's prediction that Cech will help Arsenal gain 12-15 more points in the season will prove to be true.
While I agree that Cech's cool presence will improve Arsenal's defence, I'm not sure David Ospina has done a lot wrong. I mean, how many points did the South American cost Arsenal last season? I'll have to trawl through all the games last season to work that out accurately, so if someone's got a figure please let me know.
The other positive about Cech's arrival is Szczesny will learn a lot from the Czech Republic international. The Pole is an FA Cup winner now, but still needs to improve to become the Arsenal great I always thought he would be. Cech may be the ideal teacher for him.
Meanwhile, it's 'adios' to Ospina, who appears unwilling to fight for his place. That is a great shame, as I think he would have be en the undisputed number two next year, if Cech finally signs. Maybe Ospina was angered by being left out of the FA Cup final first eleven and, if that is the reason, that's the price Arsenal pay for their strict but unusual cup selection policy.
Returning to Cech's imminent signing, the reported £10.9m fee seems a bit pricey, given Arsenal only got about 50 per cent more than that for Ashley Cole. From a financial perspective, Cech is nowhere near the bargain deal that Pat Jennings was. I believe the big Northern Ireland international cost Arsenal around £65k (if memory serves correctly, and I'm sure someone will correct me if it's wrong!).
Other than the exorbitant transfer fee, the other surprise about Cech is that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovic seems to have over-ruled his coach Jose Mourinho, who didn't want the keeper to stay in the Premier League. There are some reports that Mourinho prevented Iker Casillas from joining Arsenal from Real Madrid when he was manager in the Spanish capital, so it seems strange that Chelsea's most successful boss ever has less clout in London.
Nevertheless, Chelsea's loss is Arsenal's gain, and despite the exorbitant transfer fee I feel this is money well spent. The Cech transfer may well come back to haunt Chelsea, starting next season.
Shorts: Arsenal have reportedly signed Vlad Dragomir, Romania's U16 skipper. Let's hope he's not asthmatic or he'll be dubbed 'Vlad the Inhaler'!
Meanwhile, Arsenal are 'keeping tabs on' Baba Rahman of Augsberg, according to the Metro. The Ghana international defender will cost £10-14m, which is a awful lot of 'coinage'. He seems to fit the age profile of most Arsenal signings, being just 20 years of age, but I expect Chelsea or Man City to beat us to his signing, even if we have a genuine interest in the player. (If anyone does have any information on this though, please let me know).
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Thursday, 25 June 2015
Saturday, 20 June 2015
Ryo takes his unselfish genes elsewhere
It's the silly season, as far as transfer rumours are concerned, but there has been a bit of concrete business recently completed by the Arsenal: Ryo Miyaichi has left.
I can't say I'm surprised, as Ryo was on loan at FC Twente last season and ended up playing more games for the reserves than he did the first team.
It was hoped that he would emulate his achievements at Feyenoord, where he excelled enough to earn the nickname 'Ryodinho'. However, it wasn't to be.
Back at Arsenal after that successful loan spell, Ryo struggled with injuries and that may have affected his confidence. And let's be honest, every footballer needs confidence. Some more than others, it's true. In that area, Ryo needs a huge injection of that 'feel good' feeling. It just wasn't forthcoming at Arsenal, where despite his speed and skill, it was difficult to justify his selection ahead of too many experienced and even less experienced performers.
Given a run in the team, which he should get at his new club St Pauli, I'm expecting Ryo to come good. I'm not saying he will amass loads of caps for Japan, but slowly he should be able to get his career back on track.
Surely he can't be dogged with injuries forever. Some people say with today's medicine you come back stronger after injury, but that's not always the case. Ask Abou Diaby!
However, a certain Robin van Persie was able to put injuries behind him to become the best player in the English leagues at one point. Hopefully, Ryo - who has a similar build - will fare better in the future.
I also wonder, though, how well Ryo settled in England. It's so different to Japan, where efficiency and team-work are always expected. Perhaps Germany is more similar in that respect: it seems more about the group and less about the individual. Surely, Ryo can flourish in such an unselfish environment.
We will just have to watch and see.
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I can't say I'm surprised, as Ryo was on loan at FC Twente last season and ended up playing more games for the reserves than he did the first team.
It was hoped that he would emulate his achievements at Feyenoord, where he excelled enough to earn the nickname 'Ryodinho'. However, it wasn't to be.
Back at Arsenal after that successful loan spell, Ryo struggled with injuries and that may have affected his confidence. And let's be honest, every footballer needs confidence. Some more than others, it's true. In that area, Ryo needs a huge injection of that 'feel good' feeling. It just wasn't forthcoming at Arsenal, where despite his speed and skill, it was difficult to justify his selection ahead of too many experienced and even less experienced performers.
Given a run in the team, which he should get at his new club St Pauli, I'm expecting Ryo to come good. I'm not saying he will amass loads of caps for Japan, but slowly he should be able to get his career back on track.
Surely he can't be dogged with injuries forever. Some people say with today's medicine you come back stronger after injury, but that's not always the case. Ask Abou Diaby!
However, a certain Robin van Persie was able to put injuries behind him to become the best player in the English leagues at one point. Hopefully, Ryo - who has a similar build - will fare better in the future.
I also wonder, though, how well Ryo settled in England. It's so different to Japan, where efficiency and team-work are always expected. Perhaps Germany is more similar in that respect: it seems more about the group and less about the individual. Surely, Ryo can flourish in such an unselfish environment.
We will just have to watch and see.
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Saturday, 30 May 2015
Arsenal: consistency, reinforcements and hunger
This was a day of records: Arsenal become the first side to win the FA Cup twelves times and Wenger equals a record of 6 FA Cup wins as a manager. It can't get better than this, can it?
Still, critics say we need a centre forward, a defender and a goalkeeper. Yet our secondary-choice keeper Szczesny kept a clean sheet and sub centre forward Giroud scored the fourth in the little time he had on the pitch.
Surely, if Arsenal can play this well they can win the league next season. Even without reinforcements. I certainly wouldn't bet against them. I said this squad would finish 3rd, but I didn't anticipate that Sanchez would adapt so quickly.
How Sanchez didn't get man-of-the-match is completely beyond me. What more can he do? He sets up Theo for the opener and scores a goal that will remain in the memory forever. As well as that, he drapes a Chilean flag over the area where Arsenal picked up the trophy near the royal box. What a performance!
Sanchez exemplified what Arsenal were about today: hunger. I've rarely seen them that hungry.
Whoever put the poster together that said: 'FA Cup winner' must have been less hungry for British English. That person must be as American as Lerner and Kroenke, the owners of the two clubs. If it's a tribute to those two, fair enough, but then I want consistency.
When the fireworks went off on the pitch, the banner suddenly said: 'FA Cup winners'. Make your mind(s) up!
Arsenal, of course, need consistency too. If we can play like we did against Villa more than most of the time, we might actually win the league...even without reinforcements.
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Still, critics say we need a centre forward, a defender and a goalkeeper. Yet our secondary-choice keeper Szczesny kept a clean sheet and sub centre forward Giroud scored the fourth in the little time he had on the pitch.
Surely, if Arsenal can play this well they can win the league next season. Even without reinforcements. I certainly wouldn't bet against them. I said this squad would finish 3rd, but I didn't anticipate that Sanchez would adapt so quickly.
How Sanchez didn't get man-of-the-match is completely beyond me. What more can he do? He sets up Theo for the opener and scores a goal that will remain in the memory forever. As well as that, he drapes a Chilean flag over the area where Arsenal picked up the trophy near the royal box. What a performance!
Sanchez exemplified what Arsenal were about today: hunger. I've rarely seen them that hungry.
Whoever put the poster together that said: 'FA Cup winner' must have been less hungry for British English. That person must be as American as Lerner and Kroenke, the owners of the two clubs. If it's a tribute to those two, fair enough, but then I want consistency.
When the fireworks went off on the pitch, the banner suddenly said: 'FA Cup winners'. Make your mind(s) up!
Arsenal, of course, need consistency too. If we can play like we did against Villa more than most of the time, we might actually win the league...even without reinforcements.
Sent from my iPhone
Sunday, 17 May 2015
Time for a new starting XI for Arsenal?
It's all very laudable, Wenger sticking with the same team for the sixth consecutive time. However, it's important the team earn their right to be certain starters and, like against Swansea, some were well short of that mark.
Then again, a draw at Man U feels like a win. So says Theo Walcott, who's claimed the deflected cross that went in off Blackett as a goal. To be honest, I'd do the same. I mean, if Theo doesn't try to knock that ball into the box then it doesn't hit the net.
An own goal to me is more than a deflection. It's when a player completely alters the direction of the ball or intentionally plays it towards his own goal.
I agree with Wenger that both Walcott and Wilshere had a positive impact on the team when they came on around the (surprise, surprise!) 70th minute mark. Ramsey really came into his own, once moved into the middle and the fresh legs certainly paid off as Arsenal appeared to be the fitter side.
It now seems as if Arsenal have clinched 3rd place, which means no play-off for Champions League football next season. That is something to celebrate, but I still get a sense that this team is playing with the handbrake on.
That's understandable with an FA Cup final coming up. You can't expect players to play with the same level of commitment to challenges when they know a knock could keep them out of the Wembley line-up.
That's normally going to affect the first XI most, as they will feel they've done enough to warrant their selection for the biggest game of our season against Villa. However, Wenger's policy is to field reserves in this tournament, especially in goal, so I expect to see Szczesny back for what could turn out to be an unexpected reward for a below-par season.
In fact, the more I think of it, the more I realise there's no logic in playing your second best side in a cup final. By doing that, you punish in-form players and reward the off-form ones. A deal is a deal, but you try telling that to the fans if we throw away our only chance of silverware because of a gentleman's agreement.
I always feel Ospina is less likely to make a major mistake than most keepers, so he'd be a shoo-in for me. He had a reasonable game at Old Trafford, but the game showed we do need to tinker with the starting line-up.
This was another disjointed performance, so I would suggest that Theo starts on the right against Sunderland allowing Ramsey to move to the middle. I'd drop the jaded Cazorla to make way for Theo and see how that starting XI performs.
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Then again, a draw at Man U feels like a win. So says Theo Walcott, who's claimed the deflected cross that went in off Blackett as a goal. To be honest, I'd do the same. I mean, if Theo doesn't try to knock that ball into the box then it doesn't hit the net.
An own goal to me is more than a deflection. It's when a player completely alters the direction of the ball or intentionally plays it towards his own goal.
I agree with Wenger that both Walcott and Wilshere had a positive impact on the team when they came on around the (surprise, surprise!) 70th minute mark. Ramsey really came into his own, once moved into the middle and the fresh legs certainly paid off as Arsenal appeared to be the fitter side.
It now seems as if Arsenal have clinched 3rd place, which means no play-off for Champions League football next season. That is something to celebrate, but I still get a sense that this team is playing with the handbrake on.
That's understandable with an FA Cup final coming up. You can't expect players to play with the same level of commitment to challenges when they know a knock could keep them out of the Wembley line-up.
That's normally going to affect the first XI most, as they will feel they've done enough to warrant their selection for the biggest game of our season against Villa. However, Wenger's policy is to field reserves in this tournament, especially in goal, so I expect to see Szczesny back for what could turn out to be an unexpected reward for a below-par season.
In fact, the more I think of it, the more I realise there's no logic in playing your second best side in a cup final. By doing that, you punish in-form players and reward the off-form ones. A deal is a deal, but you try telling that to the fans if we throw away our only chance of silverware because of a gentleman's agreement.
I always feel Ospina is less likely to make a major mistake than most keepers, so he'd be a shoo-in for me. He had a reasonable game at Old Trafford, but the game showed we do need to tinker with the starting line-up.
This was another disjointed performance, so I would suggest that Theo starts on the right against Sunderland allowing Ramsey to move to the middle. I'd drop the jaded Cazorla to make way for Theo and see how that starting XI performs.
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Tuesday, 12 May 2015
Arsenal must learn passes don't mean prizes
Very few people would have predicted a home defeat against Swansea with an in-form Arsenal fielding an unchanged side for a fifth consecutive time. Indeed, there is no obvious weakness in this side, which has led to Wenger saying there will be no or few addition in the summer. 'Any old excuse' some might say, but for once I agree with him. Even after this embarrassing loss.
I'm putting the result down to tactics; if Arsenal are content to out pass a team without making headway this could happen again. No doubt Aston Villa's Tim Sherwood was watching with interest, thinking of the cup final and seeing how bodies behind the ball can frustrate Arsenal. Sadly, the Gunners seemed content to pass the ball in front of Swansea and didn't seem to recognise that this tactic was ineffective.
One way to counteract this kind of defending en masse would be bringing on Walcott earlier. Giving Theo 20 minutes to make a difference was insufficient; he should have come on at half time.
It was ridiculous that Arsenal waited until 60 minutes were on the clock to test Fabianski. I bet the Pole couldn't believe his luck. Even when he was tested, it was all routine stuff. Swansea's defenders deserve the credit for protecting Fabianski so well. Ashley Williams, in particular, impressed.
The game will be remembered for Swansea's goal, awarded thanks to goal-line technology. It didn't look over the line, but it clearly was. Gomis had struck again from a Montero cross as Arsenal succumbed to Swansea's first double over them for 33 years. Strangely, it was an ex-Gunner who scored in one of those games: Ray Kennedy. This time, some will say it was the curse of the ex again and we shouldn't have let Fabianski go as he kept a clean sheet.
Sorry, I'm not buying that. I'm still impressed with David Ospina. We might need a back-up keeper, but
I think our first choice between the sticks is good enough. I never thought that to be the case with Fabianski, who was always a bag of nerves when he played for us.
To conclude, we must try to learn from this defeat; I'd rather it was now than cup final day. Maybe it was a timely wake-up call and reminder that passes don't make prizes. We need more running behind defences and shots on targets or we will have more disappointments to follow.
Although it's highly unlikely that Wenger will change his policy of not introducing unenforced substitutes until the 70th minute, I believe the players we start with could take matters into their own hands. Bellerin could push higher up to threaten the opposition with his pace meaning we wouldn't need to bring on Theo to turn things around. Minor adjustments like that are all we need to turn this season into a relatively successful one.
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I'm putting the result down to tactics; if Arsenal are content to out pass a team without making headway this could happen again. No doubt Aston Villa's Tim Sherwood was watching with interest, thinking of the cup final and seeing how bodies behind the ball can frustrate Arsenal. Sadly, the Gunners seemed content to pass the ball in front of Swansea and didn't seem to recognise that this tactic was ineffective.
One way to counteract this kind of defending en masse would be bringing on Walcott earlier. Giving Theo 20 minutes to make a difference was insufficient; he should have come on at half time.
It was ridiculous that Arsenal waited until 60 minutes were on the clock to test Fabianski. I bet the Pole couldn't believe his luck. Even when he was tested, it was all routine stuff. Swansea's defenders deserve the credit for protecting Fabianski so well. Ashley Williams, in particular, impressed.
The game will be remembered for Swansea's goal, awarded thanks to goal-line technology. It didn't look over the line, but it clearly was. Gomis had struck again from a Montero cross as Arsenal succumbed to Swansea's first double over them for 33 years. Strangely, it was an ex-Gunner who scored in one of those games: Ray Kennedy. This time, some will say it was the curse of the ex again and we shouldn't have let Fabianski go as he kept a clean sheet.
Sorry, I'm not buying that. I'm still impressed with David Ospina. We might need a back-up keeper, but
I think our first choice between the sticks is good enough. I never thought that to be the case with Fabianski, who was always a bag of nerves when he played for us.
To conclude, we must try to learn from this defeat; I'd rather it was now than cup final day. Maybe it was a timely wake-up call and reminder that passes don't make prizes. We need more running behind defences and shots on targets or we will have more disappointments to follow.
Although it's highly unlikely that Wenger will change his policy of not introducing unenforced substitutes until the 70th minute, I believe the players we start with could take matters into their own hands. Bellerin could push higher up to threaten the opposition with his pace meaning we wouldn't need to bring on Theo to turn things around. Minor adjustments like that are all we need to turn this season into a relatively successful one.
Sent from my iPhone
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