Ambitions

Evening everyone.
The North London derby is looming large and, truth be told, never have I fancied our chances slimmer.
Tottenham present the polar opposite to Arsenal right now. We haven't lost any leaders this pre-season and seem content to pile the pressure on those left. Tottenham is about to lose Bale and they have known that for a long time now. In order to avoid the fans dissatisfaction and a gaping hole in the team that's, let's be brutally honest, played good football last season, Tottenham strengthened significantly. Sure, they will get a wad of cash for Bale all in one payment, but nobody can accuse them of not bringing players in and seating on their asses, waiting for this wonderful money.
They have searched far and wide for players they wanted and when they did find those, went an extra mile to secure the deal. I haven't heard of one Tottenham deal, that fell through this summer. You can understand, when Wenger says it's a risk to have so many new faces, but it's much better, than having none. Even the Bale transfer seemed to have served it's cause. Tottenham may have received a bit less money, that they wanted, but it nonetheless is a huge pile. It's a goddamn transfer record for a player, whose abilities are nowhere near the transfer fee paid for him. Just look at the (now) second- and third highest fees ever paid. Cristiano Ronaldo and Zinadine Zidane top the chart. These are great players, there's no denial that, and I can believe they are worth every eurocent paid for them, but is Bale all that special? No. Plain and simple. His abilities are way below those of Ronaldo and Zidane.

A signing, a wonderful, shiny, free...wait, what?!

Good evening everyone.
Wenger's grand scheme of signings has kicked off today with the acquisition of Mathieu Flamini, who rejoins the Club after a 5-year absence. The former Gunner was released by Milan this summer, when his contract expired and has been training at London Colney ever since. The Frenchman joins Arsenal on a free transfer and, according to Daily Mail, was tied to a three-year deal worth £40 thousand per week.
Now, everything considered, I don't think it's a bad signing. Flamini is 29, and though you can't say, his best years are ahead, this is definitely a boost for the current squad. Mathieu is experienced, versatile and seems to be in good shape. His versatility doesn't mean we can stop buying players now and use the Frenchman in every position we want, should an injury occur in that particular area of the pitch. It does, however, come in handy. I don't remember much of him during his first spell at the Emirates (mostly because I didn't have an opportunity to watch as many games as I can now), but I do recall his wonderful run as an improvised left-back position in the Champions League, back in 2006. It was then, when our sterling defence went on an 10-game run, which saw us keep our goal at lock and key, until those Barcelona jerks beat us in the final. Scumbags. But I'm getting side-tracked here.
Point is, Flamini was a part of that brilliant defensive unit, playing a huge role in us getting to the finals. So he mostly brings about pleasant memories and I can't help but think, he's a really nice addition to the current mix. He will, of course, be in contention for the Spurs game. Fingers crossed, he's in as good a shape, as Wenger thinks he is.

Fenerbahce review: the countdown begins

Good day to you.
So, Arsenal qualified for the Champions League group stages, following yesterday's win over Fenerbahce.
Arsene Wenger made a few changes to the side, that secured three points on Saturday, with Whilshere returning to the starting line-up, replacing Rosicky and Gibbs being benched in favour for Monreal. There were also a few surprises to the choices, the manager made. Koscielny, though fully fit, remained on the bench for the whole 90 minutes, with Sagna deputising once again at centre-back. The other interesting decision was to start both Podolski and Walcott. Their playstyles are similar and, knowing that, Wenger opted several times already to play Cazorla ahead of the German. Maybe it has more to do with Rosicky's fitness, than the manager's views on our tactics. Either way, Cazorla was moved into the under-the-striker position, with Podolski starting out wide.
The first half was rather uneventful and the goal we scored basically came out of the blue. Podolski's pass, combined with Walcott's effort, saw Ramsey send the ball home from close range to make it 1-0. We should have gone further ahead in the dying seconds of the first half, only for Giroud to spurn a wonderful chance, missing from close range.

Fenerbahce preview: keep it together

Evening everyone.
Some bits and pieces to go on to today.
The manager has held a usual pre-match press conference today and it turned out to be enlightening in more ways than one.
First off, he reiterated his desire to field as strong as squad as possible. So no rest for our leaders just yet. The manager cold have taken the easy way out and play a bunch of kids, following our emphatic away win, which gives us an advantage, but he opted against it. Don't know the reasoning behind this decision and I won't pretend I know the manager`s thoughts, so I'll give you my views on the matter.
The first thing, that comes to mind, is that the manager wants to keep our winning streak going and in order to accomplish that, he needs the players, that started this streak in the first place. Resting legs, especially before a derby is great, but the youngsters may not have that winning attitude of our senior players, thus being more prone to putting us in a difficult position.

Fulham review: much better

Evening everyone.

As you are no doubt aware by now, Arsenal have concluded their week in style, by beating Fulham 3-1. The team picked up exactly where they left off against Fenerbahce and it was good to see. Even more so, knowing, how limited our options are, but the players we do have can deliver three times inside seven days. First things first, though.

The manager made two changes from the squad, that beat Turkish side on Wednesday: Jenkinson for suspended Koscielny and Podolski for Whilshere. Zelalem was a new face on the bench.

Sagna's shift to central defence saw Jenkinson start on the right, while Rosicky was paired with Ramsey in midfield, allowing Cazorla to play under the striker. Cazorla's place, in its turn, was taken up by Podolski.

We got off to a lively start at Craven Cottage, with Rosicky feeding Walcott with a lofted pass, but Stockdale blocked the Englishman's effort with his feet. The pressure was building up and, four minutes later, the goal came.

Fulham preview: no margin for error

Good day to you.
Tomorrow we take on Fulham in our first away game in the Premier League this season and three points are everything at this stage. Despite us winning a match against Fenerbahce in a convincing manner, few will tolerate a second straight defeat in the league. The first one may have been called an unlucky turn of events, but two defeats in a row will hint at a nasty pattern.
In terms of availability, the ones that played against Fenerbahce should be ready for what would be a third outing for the vast majority inside seven days, with the only exception being the suspended/injured Koscielny. The shallowness of the squad doesn't leave much room for rotation, though we may see Monreal on the left instead of Gibbs (who, in my opinion, could use some rest) and I'm still firmly of the opinion, that Podoloski should start the game. Cazorla is still some way from regaining his usual sharpness and a full game against the Turks did little to help him. The manager, however, seems somewhat reluctant to hand Poldi a role in the starting eleven right now. Wenger may see the German as a direct sub for Giroud, should he need to influence, how the game unfolds. Maybe, Podolski is still not ready to play the full 90 minutes. I don't know the manager's thoughts, but playing Cazorla at the moment doesn't do the team and the player himself much good. Seeing, how threadbare our squad is, Wenger's priority should be on getting the most out of every player and a team as a whole, even if that means sacrificing some of his more subtle plans. Harsh reality is, until we get some new players onboard, which will give a better alternative to choose from, we still have games to play and points to fight for. Fingers crossed, we can get the three points tomorrow, though it will by no means be an easy stroll.

Fenerbahce review: a pleasant surprise

Hello everyone.
So, yesterday we faced Fenerbahce in the first leg of the qalifiying round and the result exceeded the expectations of even the most hardcore and optimistic fans: a 3-0 win. An away win. This basically allows us to rest a few tired legs in the return fixture and give the youngsters a chance to play. Though we mustn't overdo it.
The manager stuck with the squad, that lost a game to Villa on Saturday, with the only change being Cazorla for Oxlade-Chamberlain. This surprised me, I have to say. While our goalkeeping situation wasn't that obvious (and in the end, Wenger was right to start Szczesny), Podolski seemed a natural choice to me, when it came to filling in for the Ox. Cazorla is a great player, no doubt about it, and when fully fit, should start every game, but that's not the case right now. The Spaniard looked off the pace for the second game running, while fully fit Podolski with a thorough pre-season under his belt sat on the bench right up to coming on as a late sub for Giroud. I've started wondering, whether there's some kind of rift going on between Poldi and the manager. Let's see, how things pan out on Saturday in terms of who starts the game, but the situation is weird, to say the least.

Fenerbahce preview: too much at stake

Hello everyone.
So, tomorrow we face Fenerbahce in the first leg of the qualifier. The first game will take place in Turkey and that gives us a tiny edge. It's not for obvious reasons only, it also gives us some breathing space, should something go wrong, and we'll have to grind out an acceptable result.  Then, we'll bring in a few players like mad, play them against Fulham, allowing others to rest and recuperate and try turning up with a better game plan for the second leg. Unlikely scenario, but we have to bring in players in the next twelve days, and the earlier we do this, the more chances we have to actually sign someone.
Regarding team news, there seems to be only one serious blow we've suffered three days ago. Oxlade-Chamberlain has badly injured his knee in a collision against Luna, tearing his ligaments. He is out for a minimum of four months. Now, that's a real blow. He seemed to have a very important role to play in this squad. Wenger even chose the Ox over a fully fit and able Podolski in the first game, so it's obvious, the boss was counting on him. He's been easing Oxlade into action for two seasons now, allowing him playing time, whenever possible. The Ox was even ahead of Gervinho in the pecking order. I know, Gervinho was never very good, but he did seem to find some consistency last season and, everything aside, he was at least a hardened pro (don't laugh). And now Oxlade is knackered for four months, maybe more. Really sad. The quickest of recoveries to him.

Gloom and dismay

Hello everyone.
Not much going on today in terms of actual news, but the heat, caused by our latest defeat and, more importantly, our failings priot to it, seems to be reaching its picus.
Arsenal Supporters Trust spoke out yesterday and the message is clear: they are not happy with the way things progress. To cut long story short, the main points are as follow: Arsene Wenger, Stan Kroenke, our transfer policy, Arsene Wenger, his contract, a cash pile in the bank. Did I mention Arsene Wenger?
Let's get our majotiry shareholder out of the way first. The report only confirmed what we already knew: Silent Stan isn't remotely interested in how things are run. He is content to hand over the power to the manager, while also giving him his backing. Kroenke just can't be bothered to understand, how football clubs should be handled, he just couldn't care less, it seems. While the club remains profitable, I doubt Kroenke will lift a finger to change something for the better. A sad picture, especially when you look at the likes of Abramovich. He may be a complete arse, but he cares for Chelsea and keeps pumping money, bringing in the best players and managers.

Free fall

Hello everyone.
The dust has settled a bit after yesterday's horrific loss and not only did it not serve to calm the nerves, the cold light of day showed, our problems go much deeper, than a simple defeat.
There was, as usual, a post-match press conference and the manager was again heavily questioned about his non-existent transfer policy. His reaction was rather unexpected. He said, the reporters should be happy, their "prophecy" has been fulfilled, seeing as the team without additions lost. As if they (the journalists) are to blame for his downright incomopetence, when it comes to securing deals. Arsene Wenger, and he alone, is guilty for failing to secure signings, which resulted in a defeat. Sure, it's not so simple, the additions would not necessarily bring us the three points, but they would have made the team stronger, more capable of coping with injures. As it is, we've lost a game fair and square.

Villa review: nothing more to say

If the title of this blog suggests, I'm gonna launch another attack on Arsene Wenger I have no such intention. In the end, I'm another fan of Arsenal, I have been for nine years and I will never ever wish us to lose games and drop points, only to prove my being right about about something. I'd rather be proven wrong every time.
So, as you may have guessed, we've lost our opener against Villa. The final score was 1-3 and, while being somewhat harsh, I don't think anyone, who've seen the game, will disagree with it, however bitter it feels.

Villa preview: do what we must with what we have

Hello everyone.
So, Arsenal kick off tomorrow with a game against Aston Villa and, needless to say, three points is a must. If we do get them, it will give the players some breathing space and allow the manager to play his mind games a little longer.
In terms of availability, the boss has confirmed, that Arteta has sustained a serious injury, that can keep the Spaniard out of action for up to six weeks. Not a pretty picture at all, and I'm not just talking about this injury making our short numbers even shorter. Arteta is, at the moment, one of the most important players (if not the most) we have. His metronomic passing (92% - that's how many of his passes found their target last season), tactical awareness and the amount of defensive work he shifts in, made him a constant presence in our midfield. Remember a spell two years ago, when we only just scraped our way into the top four, winning two or three games out of last seven or eight? We played these games without Arteta. And mind you, van Persie was in top form back then.

Into the darkness

Hello everyone,
A lot going on, little of it good, so I'll start with the good tidbits.
Yesterday all friendlies and qualifiers were played, meaninig the players have all returned by now and will start prepping themselves for the opening game against Villa. Quite a few of them were involved too, with Cazorla and Walcott scoring some very nice goals, while Whilshere's appearance was restricted to 45 minutes only, which is a good thing. It's refreshing to see the national manager (Hodgson, that is) making good on his promise, understand the delicacy of the player's situation and listen to Wenger all at once. And just a few more words about Walcott. His goal encapsulated everything good about his game in recent months (a year, maybe). Firstly, it was an equalizer. A crucial goal, that needed scoring in a match so hotly contested for obvious reasons. He stepped up, took the responsibility and delivered. Secondly, the goal was all about timing the run from behind the defender, and Theo nailed it. We all can recall, how often he was caught offside, when failing to time one of these runs even last season. Now, however, he seems to have got the hang of it, and even when caught offside, isn't miles away from being onside. And thirdly, the finishing. The english winger waited for the defender to run past and slotted the ball into the bottom corner, while making it all look ridiculously easy, when it was anything but. A true masterpiece of a goal.

Tick-tock

Good morning to you,
Not much going on, so it'll be a short one.
So, as you're well aware by now, Friday's draw pinned us against Fenerbahce and that worries me. The runners-up in their domestic league are no pushovers. They may well be the hardest opposition for us, but hey, we're always lucky, when it comes to the draw. Just remember Udinese two years back. The manager himself acknowledged the class of the Turkish side, before stating, we can pull it off even with the squad we have. I, personally, still have Galatasaray defeat in mind to think clearly. I'd very much like to share this belief, but things are never easy with Arsenal. Fingers crossed, we'll be primed and ready for this one.

No, not again

Hello there,
So, today Arsenal has cocluded their pre-season in style, beating Man City 3-1 in a friendly in Helsinki. I haven't seen the game (the TV company that decides, what to translate, chose France's Ligue 1 over Premier League this season. Useless bastards), but the result left me shaking my head in disbelief. I know, it's a friendly, but still. Both managers went for as strong line-ups as possible. You can look them up, if you like, but suffice to say, Man City started both Fernandinho ans Negredo, with Jovetic and Navas coming on as late substitutes. We opted to have Giroud and Cazorla in reserve, in case of emergency, with Podolski spearheading the attack. Walcott scored the early goal and, I guess, that set the tone for the game. Giroud and Ramsey added two more around the hour mark and it was game over for Man City. They did restore some dignity with a late Negredo goal, but that was it. After the game, the manager said:

It was a game of good intensity with two teams who were really putting all the effort on. We had a good tactical discipline. I'm pleased with many aspects of our game, even if there are some points to work on. Overall it's positive tactically [and] attitude-wise. We scored goals, created chances and were always highly focused. That's good.

That's definitely good, there's no denying that. However, there is another side to the proceedings. This win, which, I emphisize, was achieved in a friendly,  may hide the fact we only have a core of fifteen-or-so players, that can go out and do the job. Beyond these players, there's nothing. You need to look no further, than today's bench to realise that. Fabianski, Jenkinson, Cazorla and Giroud are all tried-and-tested, of course, but Zelalem is too raw for first-team action, while the other two guys, well, I've seen their names for the first time. Rosicky and Sanogo were left out for some reason, while we also shouldn't forget the injured Vermaelen and Monreal, but that makes it only nineteen senior players (and I have my reservations about Sanogo), assuming everyone stays fit. And they are not at the time of speaking.

Loyalty

Hello,
Not much was going on for the last two days, but today a bomb dropped. A minor one. The one we could see coming. So it wasn't very scary. But still.
I'm talking, of course, about Suarez and his latest antics. To be completely honest with you, I'm up fed up with the whole situation. Regardless of how it all ends, it's going to be a huge relief, when it does. That being said, it's nice to see how things play out from the other side of the fence, for once.
I'm talking, of course, about the interview Suarez gave in the Guardian. A guy, who has put blame on newspapers and named the English press as one of the factors, that influenced his decision to change clubs, went public. So if there was any doubt, whether he wants to stay at Liverpool, there's none now.

A double loss, but not to worry

Hi everyone,
Some bits and pieces to chew on to today.
Starting with the Emirates Cup. The final games were played today and Arsenal went 2-1 down to Galatasaray. It's a bit of a shame to lose after being 1-0 up, especially with Drogba grabbing a brace in the most untimely fashion. Still, let's not forget it's pre-season and the games are all about fitness. For this reason, I couldn't care less.
More importantly, though, we saw Cazorla, Sanogo and Szscesny all start the game, which is really nice. The more fit and able players we have, the merrier.
And speaking of able players, Gervinho`s move to Roma has been confirmed by the manager. The deal is worth around £8 million. However, the fact that Gervinho is not another useless player we've been itching to get off the books makes this deal much less obvious. He has his drawbacks, no doubt about it, yet he actually contributed something to the team. If I'm not mistaken, this year he has 7 goals and 5 assists to his name. Nothing groundbreaking, of course, but much better than Chamakh and Bendther, for instance. I say it's a pity his shortcomings prevented him from being more successful at the Emirates, but nothing can be done now. Hope he fares better in Roma.
This transfer, however, definitely leavse us short on options. We only have the Ox, Walcott and Podolski on the flanks, with the latter two craving for a striker position. Moreover, Miyachi has sustained a rib injury, while the newcomer Sanogo can only seemingly play centre-forward. All of it leads to a precarious position, in which we find ourselves now. While we were chasing top-quality strikers, our flanks and defense suffered two heavy blows. I say, screw Suarez, find somebody cheaper and with less baggage and buy a couple of players, we so acutely need, for other positions.
In other news, Chamakh may be on his way to Crystal Palace, according to the manager. If this move really does happen (and seeing the boss talk so openly about it, strongly hints, that it will), then we'll only have Bendther and Park to dispose of. I have to say, I'm impressed with the way we handled departures this summer. Only two players to move with four weeks remaining is quite a feat, taking into account, how many there were, when the window opened. If only we can also buy some...but I'm getting pessimistic again.
I'll leave it at that. Back tomorrow

A glass half-full

Hello there,
It's been quite some time, since I last reported, but there is a simple explanation: nothing was happening. Today's Emirates cup and the press-conferences, both pre- and post-match shed some light onto proceedings.
However, I'd like to start with the game itself. I didn't see it (had no opportunity, unfortunately), but I saw the highlights and, more importantly, the team line-ups. The game finished with the spoils shared, Arsenal pulled off a brilliant comeback, with Giroud scoring a screamer along the way. Two goals down with nineteen minutes to go and we scrape a point (three, according to the format). Not exactly what we'd like to see in terms of a result, but in could have been worse. It takes some nerve to get back into the game under such circumstances. Bottom line, at this stage, it's all about whipping into shape, as it's still pre-season.