Tuesday 28 August 2012

Gunners fail to score again

Stoke 0-0 Arsenal

Another game and yet another goal-less draw on Sunday, provided the football pundits with yet another opportunity to compare Arsenal’s new strikers with Robin Van Persie and castigate them for not being in the same class.

Olivier Giroud started his first game in an Arsenal shirt as the lone man up front, battling for the entire 90 minutes against Ryan Shawcross and Robert Huth. More often than not, the Frenchman won his headers against Stoke’s centre halves, holding the ball up well and laying it off to his new team mates, enabling them to join the attack. However he did not have any clear chances to test Begovic in the Stoke goal and as the game wore on, he visibly became frustrated with the constant pulling and pushing taking place, with the referee never once awarding a free kick in Giroud’s favour. Yet with a few minutes of the game left, Giroud saw Begovic off his line and had the skill and vision to attempt to lob the goalkeeper from an extremely difficult angle. Unfortunately his effort just clipped the top of the net, but the fact he even attempted such an audacious effort, shows he is brimming with confidence at his new club and suggests there is plenty more to come from Arsenal’s new number 12.


Monday 20 August 2012

Bore draw at the Emirates

Arsenal 0-0 Sunderland

It was very easy for journalists and pundits to predictably proclaim the Gunners missed Robin Van Persie, following a listless 0-0 draw against Sunderland on Saturday. Of course if the Dutchman had still been wearing the red and white of Arsenal and not posing for photographs with Alex Ferguson, the home side would have been able to break down Martin O’Neil’s ultra-defensive Sunderland. Although Arsenal fans would wish to avoid similarities to last season’s opening games, these are the very same journalists and pundits, who suggested the Gunners were toothless without Cesc Fabregas, having failed to score in their opening two games of the 2011/12 season. Incidentally, Van Persie played in both those games.
Needless to say, the team will miss the Dutchman’s presence up front and it will take time for the new signings, Giroud, Podolski and Cazorla to settle into the squad, adjust to the rigours of Premier League football and reach an understanding with their new team mates. What the football experts failed to highlight was that the main issue on Saturday was not the absence of Van Persie, but the slow tempo in which Arsenal passed the ball. The transition between defence, midfield and attack was far too ponderous and the Gunners ended up passing the ball sideways time and time again. Per Metesacker, replacing the injured Koscielny, did not seem comfortable on the ball at all, his repeated indecisiveness allowing Sunderland to get back in numbers.  
Lukas Podolski worked extremely hard, in the lone striker role, continually chasing the ball, but was unable to really get himself in the game, with Wenger citing a lack of match fitness as the main reason behind this. Gervinho was lively on the right flank, but in similar fashion to last season, the Ivorian’s approach play as he bore down on the final third was fantastic at times, but his decision making once he got there was mostly atrocious. Meanwhile Theo Walcott, on the left wing, had another poor game, while Abou Diaby returned to first team action, but was not able to impose himself on the game. However Santi Cazorla provided a glimpse of his wondrous skill, technique and vision, which will only improve as the season wears on. The Spaniard could prove to be one of the buys of the season.
As in previous seasons, the Gunners had plenty of possession on Saturday, but just could not do anything with it.  With Sunderland sitting deeper and deeper as the game wore on, Arsenal needed to inject some pace into their game, but seemed unable to do so, maybe as a result of the intense heat or a lack of sharpness due to a less than ideal pre-season programme. As a result, the home side were only able to create one clear cut opportunity, thanks to the magical feet of Cazorla. Unfortunately Giroud seemed to rush his shot and skewed it wide. Arsenal’s hopes of an opening day victory went with it.
Following the final whistle, the club confirmed it had reached an agreement with Barcelona for the sale of Alex Song. Reports in today’s newspapers claim the Cameroonian had become disillusioned in North London, having seen the club fail to award his vastly improved performances with a new contract. His wage at Barcelona will reportedly be £70,000 a week; if Arsenal cannot offer this to one of their most improved and important players, we may as well not even bother any more. How the club can have sanctioned deals of £60,000 and £50,000 a week to the likes of Chamakh, Djourou and Almunia, in the past, but not be able to offer Song the same deal he will have at Barcelona is beyond me.  Apparently the powers that be didn’t place Song’s contract extension as one of their main priorities and consequently the fans will see yet another one of our main performers leave the club.
Wenger will now need to buy another defensive midfielder. His claims in the post-match press conference that he has plenty of midfielders with Wilshere, Rosicky and Diaby all coming back seemed very strange indeed, as none of these are defensive midfielders and all have suffered greatly with injuries in recent years. Add to this the rumours that Arsenal were prepared to make Van Persie the highest paid player in the club’s history but never actually offered him a new deal and we can only conclude that the way the club we love is being run at the moment is deeply disturbing. It appears as though any decent offer received for any player will be accepted, simply stoking the view that the owners only want to achieve qualification for Champions League football for the cheapest possible outlay. Sooner or later the bubble will burst.

Thursday 16 August 2012

Van Persie off to Man United

Arsenal yesterday finally confirmed the news that all Gunners fans had feared throughout the summer, but deep down expected. The club has agreed terms for the sale of star striker Robin Van Persie to Manchester United.  Although many would have predicted the departure, especially following the Dutchman’s statement of 4th July in which he declared in no uncertain terms the fact he would not be signing a new contract with the club that stood by him through seven injury plagued years, the news still sent shock waves throughout the football world.


Several have described their sheer disbelief at Arsenal having agreed to sell their best player to one of their deadliest rivals, but the fact is the club didn’t really have a choice.

Monday 13 August 2012

New boys make immediate impact

Arsenal’s last pre-season game against Cologne provided Gunners fans with an opportunity to see Arsene Wenger’s three new recruits in action for the very first time. All three began the game, offering an exciting glimpse of the future, with Olivier Giroud the lone man up front, Lukas Podolski on the left wing and Santi Cazorla pulling the strings in the centre of midfield. They didn’t disappoint either as each played a pivotal role in a scintillating first half display which saw the Gunners race into a three goal lead by half-time.

Tuesday 7 August 2012

Cazorla signing confirmed!

Arsenal have today announced the long awaited signing of Santi Cazorla from Malaga, for a fee widely believed to be below £15 million. Following Malaga’s recent financial problems, Arsene Wenger acted quickly to acquire the services of the much admired Spaniard, who along with fellow new signings Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski, will now provide the Gunners with a greater attacking threat.
According to several reports, news of the Cazorla’s transfer has greatly uplifted the mood within the squad, with many now genuinely believing that the club can enjoy a successful season this year.

Arsène Wenger has said: "Santi Cazorla is a great signing for us. He is a player with good experience at both club and international level, who will add significant quality to our squad.

"He is a versatile, attacking midfield player who can play comfortably on either side of the pitch or centrally. He has good pace, is technically gifted and will be a huge asset to Arsenal. We are delighted that he is joining us."

It is widely believed that although Cazorla can operate on either wing, he will be utilised mainly in the centre of midfield where it is hoped his great technical ability will enable the Spaniard to unlock many a Premier League defence. With the sale of both Fabregas and Nasri last season as well as the injury sustained by Jack Wilshere, this was an area in which Arsenal visibly struggled at times, with their attacking play relying far too heavily on Van Persie and becoming predictable.  However, with his shrewd summer signings so far, Wenger now has numerous attacking options, even if the Dutchman is sold to the highest bidder during this transfer window.

How much Van Persie now regrets his statement of 4th July, in which he declared his intention to leave the club, is open to debate. One thing that is certain is that while the captain’s move has stalled, as none of his pursuers have managed to submit a bid which even comes close to Arsenal’s valuation, the club has moved on.  Olivier Giroud can fill the role of target man up front and be a real focal point for the team, holding up the ball and linking up well with the midfield, Lukas Podolski can play on either wing or up front and has the ability to contribute his fair share of goals, while Cazorla can play in the hole between the midfield and strikers, supplying killer through balls and also possessing great ability in taking free kicks and corners. To this mix we can also add the returning Abou Diaby, who will hopefully be able to put his injury nightmare behind him and fulfil his great potential, likewise Jack Wilshere, whose return is now set for October and Aaron Ramsey, who will be much improved following his first full season after that horrific injury. Another creative midfielder, Nuri Sahin, is also expected to join the club shortly, on loan from Real Madrid, to further strengthen Arsenal’s attacking options.

As a result, regardless of whether Van Persie stays or goes, for the first time in several years, there is great optimism amongst the Arsenal faithful. Having addressed the Gunners’ deficiencies in attack, Wenger must surely now look to strengthen the defence and provide the team with a solid platform from which to build. So far in this transfer window, Van Persie’s views that the club is not ambitious have been quashed, let’s hope that continues.