Swansea review: a worthy replacement

Good day everyone.
Saturday saw us win 9th straight game this season and 12th in a row away game. What made the result even more satisfying, is the fact that we retained the top spot in the league, while a blunder from Spurs ensured we are now two points clear.
It was a day of surprises, because not only did Tottenham share the spoils with Chelsea, but both clubs from Manchester lost their respective games. After that, BBC was quick to note, that the last time Arsenal were eight points ahead of United was in 2005. The day kept getting better.
September 28th marked another occasion. It was on this day that Arsene Wenger joined the club 17 years ago. Later the man has noted, that a win was better than any cake. And while I think, he could have both things, I'm still joyous at how committed Arsene is to our cause.
The first 45 minutes were rather dull. Swansea was dominating possession, but chances were few and far between. The closest they came was when Michu seemingly left the ball in play, only for some bloke to squander the opportunity to send the ball into an empty goal. The linesman, however, raised the flag seconds earlier, to signal that the ball did indeed went out of play. Replays proved him right.
Other than that, Szczesny dealt with everything thrown his way (which mostly came down to claiming crosses) with composure and relative ease.
Our best (and probably only) good chance came in the dying moments of the half, when Gnabry sent Giroud clear, only for the Frenchman to roll the ball wide from a devastating position. I'm not inclined to blame him, however, cause a couple of minutes prior to this opportunity, Giroud went down in pain, nursing his ankle. The moment was made even scarier, when Bendtner started warming up. Luckily, it didn't go beyond this.
The second half wasn't much better for the first ten minutes or so, but we did have more of the ball this time around. The goal came basically from nowhere, and I was as surprised as Swansea defenders were. Giroud miscontrolled pass fell to Ramsey, but the Welshman seemed ready for such a surprise.
He slid a pass for the onrushing Gnabry, whose first-time shot found the bottom corner. Truth be told, such a finish reminds me of Theo Walcott at his best. The timing of the run, the quality of his finish and the relative ease, with which Gnabry converted his chance didn't suit his young looks at all. He didn't look like a youngster, fresh out of the academy, rather a seasoned pro. His unconstrained joy at proving his worth was all the more welcome.
The next frenetic five minutes saw Ozil spurn a wonderful opportunity after Ramsey set him up, before the Welshman took matters in his own hands.
Aaron flicked a pass towards Whilshere, continued his run and, after some fancy backheel passing from Giroud, was set up nicely to smash the ball into the roof of the net. It marked 8th goal for Ramsey this season. I've run out of superlatives to describe how brilliant Aaron is this season. He is in out-of-this-world-good form.
After that, we kept the tempo of the play down, basically gave the ball away and seemed content to let Swansea come at us. The overwhelming sense of confidence in our back four, complemented by Flamini`s and later Arteta`s presence played a bad joke with our clean sheet in the end.
The warning signs were there alright, first when Dyer lashed out a low shot, which Szczesny had to go full-stretch to palm away and then Whilshere gifted Bony a chance, which he, mercifully, wasted.
The goal came in the 81th minute. Davies stormed down our right flank, passed the ball to Bony, kept running, received the return pass and sent the ball into the net. Sagna is partly guilty of this goal, by letting Davies make the run in the first place, but honestly, it was a good combination from Swansea, so let's give them credit where it's due.
After that, they did their best to find an equaliser, but never came close and we snatched all the three points in the end.
Once again we saw a side of our game, which isn't all that attractive, but necessary to achieve results. We played well on counter-attacks, took the few chances we had, and dug in defensively the rest of the time. It's very pleasing to witness us deliver performance after performance with that level of defensive discipline and commitment. It bodes well for the future.
The manager expressed his delight at the current form of the team, while also picking out Gnabry and Ramsey. Enough has been said about the latter, but it's interesting to see Wenger express such confidence, that the young German is ready to step up and play on a regular basis. Once Rosicky and Cazorla return, it leaves a dilemma for Arsene to solve, namely: who should be dropped from the first team. We're not quite there yet, but Gnabry had certainly proved he can play on the flank week in, week out.
That's it for today, back tomorrow for Napoli preview

Swansea preview: keep at it

Good day to you.
In a few hours time we take on Swansea in what will be our second away game this week.
No doubt those who featured in the cup game will play little to no role this time. Which is understandable. It's those, who were rested, that should be the ones doing the job this time around. On this front, the news is mostly good. There were some doubts over Flamini and Ramsey, but both seem ready to start the game.
The ones, who already were injured, though, cause some concern. Cazorla won't make it before the break, Rosicky will only return on Monday and still has a question mark over his head, when it comes to picking him for the Napoli game. Walcott is the worst of the lot. As you may remember, only a day or two ago he seemed ready to join the action in two weeks. Now it's three to five weeks for him on the sidelines.
It really is a blow, especially since it's not clear, when Podolski makes his comeback. In the meantime, Gnabry seems to be our best option, but his participation in today's game is out of question. Who can we substitute him with? The way I see it, there are two options. Either Monreal as a left winger with Whilshere on the right, or it's Ozil on the right, Whilshere on the left and an Arteta-Ramsey-Flamini trio in the middle of the park. If the latter's the case, than Ramsey will have to play under the striker.
I gotta say, the second variant looks a better one. We won't have to stretch Monreal to the limit (a full game on Wednesday, remember?), plus the Spaniard is not really a winger. Neither is Whilshere, but here you go. We don't exactly have a couple of flank players queuing up for the game.
Though our squad is a bit light on options, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect us to win this game. Our recent form had been brilliant, our away form even better and Swansea isn't Chelsea or United. They too had a cup game, so both parties are in roughly the same conditions. It's not easy to take points on their stadium, never was, but we have reasons enough to be optimistic. Come on you reds.
In other news, Kroenke had recently spoke up and, once again, expressed his desire for Wenger to stay, saying our manager`s got the right vision and values in mind. Wenger himself was quick to play down any talk about contract extension, so we'll have to wait for something more solid, before we put the hands together for our new-old manager.
Kroenke has also aired his intention to win the Premier League, going on to say it's a "cool" thing to experience. Not only for him would it be cool, mind you.
Another point he raised, was about his laissez-faire attitude to running our football club, stating it's not going to change, cause pumping money can lead not only to positive things.
I always liked our self-sustaining model, but it wasn't it most fans were angry about. It was about Kroenke giving too much power to our manager, and the consequences it can lead to. Luckily it didn't lead to anything bad, though it didn't look like it on August 30th.
It's just further confirmation, that while Kroenke is the majority shareholder, things aren't going to change. For better or for worse. If you're interested, you can read the interview in full here, here and here.
Until later

Some thoughts on the game + squad condition

Morning everyone.
Yesterday we played West Bromvich Albion in Capital One Cup and proved victorious. Whether a win in a penalty shoot-out counts as a win, I don't know, so it's hard to say, whether we just extended our away winning streak to 11 games or not. Either way we are through to the next round, which will see us host Chelsea. Not an easy one, but we can put it out of our minds for the time being.
As a game was, forgive me, so insignificant, no one cared to air it, so no real preview and review from me was possible. As expected, the manager played a youthful side, with only Mertesacker starting his second game inside four days. Flamini was an unused sub, while the likes of Vermaelen, Monreal and Arteta, who have recently lacked practice, all started. The rest of the team was made up of youngsters, though we did see Bendtner pull on an Arsenal shirt for the first time since 2011.
WBA yielded a stronger side, but the whole affair was still a tedious one and it lasted for more than two hours. Glad we won, though, our unbeaten (at least) run continues. Here's what Arsene had to say after the game. In a nutshell, he talked about how important it was to give young players a chance, while also resting some senior players. He also talked about Bendther, and was mostly positive. He did mention some chance the Dane missed, but apart from that, all good.
The most important part was, for me, resting our key players. While promoting young talents is undoubtedly important, giving Whilshere and Co a much needed breather was just pivotal. Even more so, knowing how shallow or squad is due to injures, which hit us. I already said we may count ourselves unlucky, but Walcott`s knock looks like a last straw. We now officially don't have any flank players, so I don't know, what happens next. Seems, Gnabry is in for some starts, which is ridiculous, given the status of our Club.
Walcott`s injury doesn't seem long-term, though, which gives us some hope. He will miss up to two weeks, which really isn't that much. An operation is due, but fingers crossed, he's in for a swift recovery
Some other returns are also on the books, with Rosicky, Cazorla and Podolski all set to join the first-team action in a week or two. They can actually make their comeback in time for the Napoli game, which means they are only two games away. We'll surely have more info on this before the Swansea encounter.
And finally, FA has warned Flamini for his unsporting behavior during the game against Stoke. I never noticed anything back then, but it turned out, Flamini threatened to knock out one of the Orcs (Wilson?), after the latter's yet another foul on Whilshere. I'm mentioning this episode not because I think Flamini was wrong, on the contrary. He stuck up to Whilshere, and that is a truly great thing he's done. All summer we thought we needed someone to protect Whilshere and here's the man for the job. He may not be your typical DM, but it doesn't matter. Well done Mattieu.
Until later

Stoke review: the lucky number

Yesterday Arsenal`s winning streak continued with yet another emphatic performance, which left us in no doubt as to which of the teams was the best.
The big news ahead of the game was Walcott`s unexplained absence. Turned out the Englishman sustained a abdominal/ pelvis injury during the warm-up and had to give way to Serge Gnabry for his debut. The German thus became the second-youngest player making a debut for us in the league, with Whilshere occupying the first position. And, in all fairness, the young winger didn't disappoint. TGSTEL and Arteta, meanwhile, were named among the substitutes.
We started brightly enough, and such a start made sure it were the hosts who took the lead. In the 5th minute Whilshere was bundled over just outside the 18-yard box, Ozil took the ensuing free kick and his low  curler was only just palmed away by Begovic. It was, however, not the end of the story, as Ramsey was first to send home the rebound right under the arm of Stoke`s keeper. 1:0.
After that the game calmed down a bit and the visitors took advantage of that. Their dip-dip-dip approach has yielded positive results, when a lob pass found Ragnatovich (or some similar surname) at the far post, who smashed his effort against the post. Cameron was the quickest to get to the ball and send it into the bottom corner. 1:1 and we had to start all over again.
Which we did with all the vigor we could master. A corner in the 32nd minute saw Mertesacker nearly convert, only for the ball to be cleared off the line. This, however, didn't serve as a lesson to Stoke and four minutes later they paid the price.
Ozil once again took the inswinging corner, Mertesacker won the aerial duel and this time his headed effort found the back of the net to make it 2:1. We puffed and huffed for the remainder of the first half, but nothing came out of this effort.
After the restart Stoke took the initiative in their hands, had a much greater share of the ball and few would have complained, had they found the equaliser they were searching for. Szscesny made some decent saves to prevent that, though and in the 72nd minute we scored a goal, which was against the run of play, but it was a totally welcome one.
Ozil was, once again, the supplier when his cross from a free kick found Sagna in the box. The Frenchman headed the ball in a wide arc towards the far corner and Begovic could only helplessly watch the ball land into the net.
In the remaining minutes Stoke tried to lessen the margin between the two sides, but it could only have widened even more, when Ramsey`s shot was tipped over the bar by Begovich.
A win well deserved, props to Ozil, who made that win possible, but some things caught my attention.
First (and the most noticeable one) was the style of play Stoke adopted. They kept the ball on the ground as much as possible and their usual tactic of lumping it forward was clearly abandoned. It was interesting to see them play a completely different style of football and being better off for it.
The second thing is how we saw the game out in the second half, after our exhaustion kicked in. We gave the ball away, but were basically in no danger of conceding at any point. Great to see, we can do that.
After the game the manager hailed the team for doing so well and getting the results inside seven days. It truly was a hard week and the fact that we took all the points speaks of our mental fortitude and a will to succeed. Now we should just keep it up.
Have yourselves a good Monday (or what is left of it). Back tomorrow (I hope), when we start looking ahead to our midweek cup game against West Brom.

Stoke preview: rotation

Good evening everyone.
Tomorrow the Orcs come to the Emirates and while we are on a strong run, I don't think Stoke can be underestimated. They present a problem every time we face them and I doubt a manager swap changed that greatly.
Last year we got four points from two encounters and though I do not recall Stoke having chances to win either game, their defensive line is something to beware. The Orcs usually park the bus, when sensing any danger and we all now how hard it is to get around a defense, which consist of ten people.
But a solution may be a simple one, albeit it also being risky. We may give the ball away, let the Orcs come to us and hit them on the break. We have plenty of players, who can hurt the opposition on counter-attack and should we pull it off correctly, we may be well out of sight by half-time.

Question is, does Wenger want to deploy such a strategy before Arsenal's own fans? We are the favourites, after all, a team on top of our game. After today's blunder from Liverpool, a win would suffice to elevate us (deservedly so) to the top spot. How will the fans take it, when their team behaves as underdogs at home, facing a much weaker (on paper) opponents?
Anyway, it's a problem the manager will have to wrap his head about (if he hadn't done this already) and we'll see, what shape the game will take in less than 24 hours. For me, counter-attacking may well be a better solution, because our defensive department is not that light at the moment. After the manager has confirmed, only Arteta will return to the squad, ahead of Stoke game (plus Bendther for our midweek encounter with WBA), we are still short on attacking options. The next one coming back is Cazorla, but we won't see him in action before the international break. Should we utilise a defensive strategy for the next five games? Will we still be getting positive results, if we do so?
We all know, how the manager likes to adopt an aggressive style of play, and I don't think, he'll change it every time a couple of players go down. Last year was the exception, because our defence was a more cohesive unit, than our attack, thus we had to rely on our back four to keep a clean sheet, while trying to get the maximum out of our few chances up front. It worked, but it wasn't a pretty picture at all, as we were cacking our pants till the final whistle of the final match.
This time around, our attack looks much better, much more capable of the style of play, Wenger loves so much and only something disastrous will see him revert to what we saw during the run-in. The team has grasped, what the balance of play should be and, it seems, there's no going back. Which may be a good thing.
In terms of team news, Arteta is the only new face and, if he really returned to full fitness, I expect him to start alongside Ramsey. Their partnership was key to our successful run-in, now it will also present a much more potent force, when it comes to going forward. Ramsey's phenomenal progress, which allows him to effectively carry out his duties at both ends of the pitch, will see to it.
While I don't have anything against Flamini continuing at our DM position, Arteta, as the manager rightly pointed out, is a leader and we need him. He brings that inexplicable calmness to our proceedings, while also making our midfield work like clock, minimising the errors in passing and such. I say start him, if he's ready.
Apart from that, I don't expect much rotation (surprised, eh?), but the players we have are more than capable of getting the three points. Time to improve our home stats.
Until later

Marseille review: job done

Good morning everyone.
Yesterday saw us take the crucial three points at stadium Velodrome in some style. Due to technical problems I missed the starting fifteen minutes, but from what I gather, they were almost as uneventful as the rest of the half.
The manager stuck to the more conventional back four, which saw Vermaelen, Monreal and Jenkinson all benched. Mertesacker returned to the side after illness and once again wore the armband. The midfield and attack were exactly the same as four days ago.
The first half was very tight, with few chances to score for both parties. Marseille looked the better side, spending more time on the ball and being much quicker, when moving it around, but had little to offer in terms of end product. Szczesny dealt well with any potential threats.
Our attack looked a bit off the pace, failing to use a high defensive line, Marseille adopted to our benefit. It was a tad surprising, seeing how Walcott wreaked havoc with such a line against Tottenham, but here you go. It was all set to end in a draw after half time. Both teams tried to catch one another on a mistake of some kind. The best chance of the half fell to the hosts, when they nearly opened the scoring through Fanni`s shot from just outside the six-yard box, which fizzed wide.
After the restart, the game opened up more, with chances being created left and right. Marseille threatened again two minutes into the half, though a corner, which saw some bloke head inches away from the post.
The response came almost immediately, when Gibbs played a one-two with Ozil and rushed into the box, only to see his effort parried away.
A few minutes later Mandanda was the hero again, when Sagna`s cross was nearly put away by Whilshere, but the keeper was there. A bit later, Giroud`s header almost broke the deadlock, but the shot was just wide.
Marseille, in the meantime, tested Szczesny with a couple of shots from distance, and there was that heart-in-mouth moment, when Gibbs headed away from danger.
However, it was Arsenal, who scored the opener.
Gibbs cross fell to Walcott, after a bad clearance from Morel, and the Englishman smashed home on the volley. A fine finish and well done indeed for Theo. He deserved this goal more than anyone.
After that, the game calmed down a bit and, six minutes from time, Ramsey put the worries about the outcome to bed, when his deflected shot ended up inside the net. A sixth goal for Aaron in seven games. He's in truly great form. Just keep it up.
We were, however, to suffer the bitterness of conceding, when Ramsey was adjudged to trip Ayew inside the penalty box and the other Ayew put the shot away to give the home crowd something to cheer about. It happened, however, in the last added minute. After the game, the manager said:
" Marseille had a very good first half but we didn't make big mistakes at the back and were patient enough to win it in the second half. I felt we were a bit within ourselves in the first half, a bit timid, and Marseille were more mobile and first on the ball. They dropped in the second half and we took advantage of our strong moments. That got us three very important points."
Exactly as he says. We were biding our time, capitalized on their mistakes and got the crucial points. Well done everyone.
So, what now? Now we recuperate ahead of Stoke game, hope Arteta makes it and enjoy the fact Walcott broke the deadlock. 10th consecutive win away for us and sixth straight win this season. It's good to be a gooner today.
Until later

Marseille preview: almost there

Hello.
It's been a rather uneventful period of several days, but today football returns with an away game against Mareseille. It presents a good opportunity to pick up the points on the road (not a simple thing in our group) and keep our wonderful run going.
What makes this run even better, is the fact that we haven't dropped a single point away from home in all competitions for nine games already. This succession of wins started all the way back to March, when we've beaten current Champions' Cup holders, Bayern Munich. A monumental achievement, come to think of it.
The scale of this achievement is further underlined by the fact, that should we win our two next away games (starting today), we'll set a new club record.
The team should be more focused on the task at hand, though. It's much more important to get the points not for the sake of record, but because, as I've already said, it'll be hard to pick up those precious points elsewhere.

Sunderland review: Ramsey the savior

Evening everyone.
Yesterday Arsenal has continued their streak of four wins and six straight away wins in the league by adding another success. This is also the first win over Sunderland since 2005-2006 in which we've finished the game leading by more goals than one. This fact, though, shouldn't fool you into thinking it was an easy game. Those of you, who've seen it, will agree that, had the cards fallen the other way, we could have easily lost that one. As it stands, however, we now sit top of the league.
The fans didn't have much to cheer about before kick-off. In addition to Mertesacker, who's gone down with a cold, we've lost Santi Cazorla to an ankle injury. It was later stated by the manager, that the Spaniard will be out until the next international break (which will take place at the beginning of October), meaning Santi will miss five more games. Not a pretty picture, given our dearth of options on the flanks, but there's not much we can do about it. Bottom line, Santi deserves this rest, even it comes at such a price. He's been omnipresent in our squad for forty straight league games and God knows how many cup games, friendlies, internationals and what-nots. The speediest of recoveries to him.
Cazorla`s (and Rosicky`s) absence made way for Ozil to start the game but no complaints here. The German international started under the striker, with Whilshere covering the left flank.
It took Ozil only ten minutes to adapt to English football. In the eleventh minute he laid the ball off for Giroud, after controlling a tricky high ball and the Frenchman slotted home with his left. Fourth league goal in just as many games.
Before that, Sunderland had a couple of chances, even hit the bar from a corner, but after the goal it was all Arsenal for the remainder of the half. Ozil was the creative hub, moving all over the pitch finding space and opening up for passes. He exploited Walcott`s pace time and again, cutting Sunderland`s defence open to create opportunities for Walcott to take advantage of. The Englishman`s finishing left a great deal to be desired, though (again). He spurned two chances by shooting straight at the keeper, before missing from a couple of yards with a headed effort. Because of this complacency we were only 1-0 up before half-time and it proved costly.
Sunderland players have apparently got a kick up the arse from Di Canio during the break and came back much more focused. This resulted in Koscielny`s foul in the box, following a corner and the ref pointed to the spot. Whether it was a dive, I cannot tell, but Koscielny really should have done better anyway. It was a stupid foul to commit and the resulting penalty was sent home as a harsh lesson.
Sunderland continued to pile on the pressure, but it was Arsenal, who scored, basically creating this goal out of nothing. Jenks sent the cross in from the right and Ramsey smashed the ball home on the volley. A brilliant finish from the Welshman, who clearly is in top form and is ripping all the benefits from it.
The home side didn't give in and created some moments of true danger, which saw them hit the post, and had two goals disallowed (the first was scored from an offside position, the second was preceded by a foul).
Their efforts were in vain, as it was Arsenal who put the finishing touches on. This time an Ozil pass found Giroud, whose sublime flick saw Ramsey get one-on-one with the keeper, and Aaron made no mistake.
The game was essentially over after that, those Sunderland probed till the final whistle for a second goal. The real moment of scare came when Giroud limped off in the dying minutes, nursing his knee, but he later said on Twitter, that he's all right.
This win catapults us to the top, and only Liverpool can overthrow us, should they take any points on Monday night. Our next game will be played on Wednesday in the Champions League. We'll have a chance to discuss our options as the week progresses.
Until later

Sunderland preview: back on track

Morning everyone.
Today football returns, as we travel to the Stadium of Light to take on Sunderland.
Last time we played them happened to be during that wonderful run-in, and saw us get three points. We went 1-0 up, lost a man to a red card and finished with our backs to the wall, Sagna filling in as an emergency centre-back and Ramsey covering the right-back position.
It was one of these games we won through sheer will and determination, cause we didn't have much of a team back then. Now we do, and should be able put the Black Cats on the defensive relatively easy. It won't a walk in the park by all means (remember the unacceptable quality of their pitch?), but we do have enough resources to win (even win comfortably). So fingers crossed, we'll have something to cheer about, come 8 p.m.
In terms of the team, the news is mixed. Rosicky and Sanogo are definitely out, there were also some troubling reports Mertesacker and Ozil will miss out through sickness, but these are just rumors, so I won't put much faith in them, till I see our team sheet.
The good news is, Vermaelen, Walcott and Whilshere are all fine and should make the squad, which gives us some breathing space. Defense is packed to the limit, so the manager will have a pleasant task picking his back four. Assuming, Mertesacker is fit, I suspect we'll see a Sagna-Mertesacker-Koscielny-Gibbs quartet, with Monreal, Jenks and Vermaelen all making the bench.
In midfield, the situation is close to breaking point, due to Arteta and Rosicky absences, but we are not just here yet. Should Ozil be all right, he'll start alongside Ramsey and Whilshere. Though I won't be surprised, if Flamini is played before the Englishman, seeing how Jack looks off the pace. We'll see.
In our attacking line things aren't going to change for a long time, so Giroud, Walcott and Cazorla remain or only viable options. It's easy to see, how another winger may have strengthened us, but there no point in moaning now. What we have, we hold and all that.
A surprise awaits us on the bench, though, cause TGSTEL himself will be there. He's fit and ready to play, and Wenger even said that, an in-form Bendther may still be of use to us. It should have been Higuain. Or Ba.
The squad we have is no doubt a strong one, it will be head-spinningly strong with Ozil in it, so I see no reason, why we shouldn't get all the the points. Come on you reds.
Not much going on, apart from that, so I'll leave it here. Back with a review either today or tomorrow.
Until then

Interlull over, now let's count our chickens

Morning everyone.
International break is now well and truly behind us and the next one is some time away. Good. We can focus on real football now.
As is always the case, some of our players didn't make it through unscathed. I guess, it's a price you have to pay, when your squad consists of world-class footballers, but every time every one of us hopes for the better. And every time we have to patch players up, following the international break. Oh well.
The most likely candidate to miss out on our clash with Sunderland is Rosicky. He limped off midway through the first half against someone, I couldn't care less for and appears to have injured his thigh. Thus, no game for the Czech on Saturday. We still await confirmation from the manager, but I won't hold my breath.
His injury creates a shortage in our already light midfield. Cazorla, given our dearth of options on the flanks, will most likely be deployed there, so all is set up for our golden boy to be handed a start. No complaints here.
Rosicky, however, wasn't the only knackered one during qualifiers. Zelalem and Sanogo seem injured too, which creates a bench-shortage problem. Though both are clearly not ready for regular first-team action, their best chance being a Carling Cup game against West Brom at the end of the month, they at least we're there. More or less capable to cope, should push come to shove. Now we should whip Bendther into shape. Quickly.
The other doubt is Walcott. He was also substituted in his respective qualifier, though his position is not necessarily troublesome. Theo is a doubt, but only because we don't know, where we are with him.
In light of all these events, our acquisition of Flamini and Ozil seem well timed. The former had even implied he's better, than he was five years ago, likening himself to wine. Good for him. Concerning the latter, well, we all know, how good he is.
In other news, some rumors persist about us chasing players, though the transfer window is shut for good. Honestly, the papers should find something else to ramble about, cause this looks laughable.
I haven't mentioned these transfer stories for nothing, though. Talk about Chiprian Marika looks plausible enough, taking into account, he's a free agent, and thus can be signed anytime. His agent has even put a date on a deal completion, something he's been doing for some time now. We shall wait and see, what happens. Bottom line, this guy is a striker, he's young and he's free. Good fit for Wenger.
Apart from that, not much going on. Back tomorrow when we start looking ahead to Sunderland game.
Until then

A signing?

Good day to you.
The biggest piece of news today revolves around Arsene Wenger and the matter of his contract.
ESPN reports talks between Arsenal FC and our manager are to be held, with a sum of £15 in the offing. In a nutshell, a two-year deal, worth £7.5 million per year is to be offered to our manager. Question is, does he deserve it?
There were a lot of fans, unhappy at how things progress, in the immediate aftermath of our opening-day defeat to Villa. Most of them wanted blood, demanding the manager's resignation (I was one of those). Arsenal Supporters Trust even released a statement, which viewed any talks of contract extension unacceptable, saying the manager has much to prove, before such talks are even taken into consideration. The only thing, that has kept the manager relatively safe (or, at least, immune to immediate sacking) was a run of four wins he (and the team) racked up, with a North London derby cherry on top. Then, the manager has brought Ozil in. And suddenly, his position is infinitely stronger. One signing, and we're ready to stick to Arsene for at least two more years.
And I think, it's a right thing to do. Yes, we've only brought in one player, who by no means can provide cover for all of the positions we need to strengthen number- and quality-wise. But it's not all about the player, rather about, what his acquisition means, what it symbolizes. Buying Ozil was a statement of intent in more ways than one.
Firstly, we showed, we're ready to fight for silverware. Because of how we've handled our business. Get rid of deadwood and acquire super-quality, Wenger was looking for. We showed, we're not some breeding ground, only producing quality players for sale. We kept the players, that will give it all in every game, and added to that mix. True, we're still a bit short number-wise, but the squad we have is as good as any.
Secondly, we showed, we can do business at top level, which was somewhat of a worry, prior to Ozil signing. We can handle the pressure, bide our time (you are shocked, I know) and bring in anyone we want. Because if we can cope with Real, we can cope with anyone. Dick Law isn't worthless, after all.
And finally, we can persuade players to join us, which is no mean feat. The missing ingredient may well be the manager, something I talked at length yesterday, but whatever it is, we are still a club everyone wants to play in. And all of this is encapsulated in just one signing.
So, by all means, we should keep Wenger. He's proven, he can operate in this new environment, proven, he can deal with this transfer market madness and come out victorious. So sign him. And give him some more money in January. So we can all see him lifting a couple of cups in May.
Until later

Drawing to a close

Good evening everyone.
A busy week that was and I'm glad it's over. Due to the new term kicking into high gear I wasn't able to write much and that's a problem I'll have to solve next week. Not quite sure how, but I will. So check back often.
Not a lot going on these last few days, truth be told. The Interlull is doing it's job perfectly once again, depriving us of club-related stuff we're so used to. I did spend quite some time, gloating at Man Utd failure during transfer window. A lot of people blamed Arsenal FC for not being able to bring players in (something we proved wrong, courtesy to our great late transfer), but look at our rivals.
They have brought a youngster for a laughable fee and Fellaini for a ridiculous price of £30 million. An old pal did his trusty manager a favour and switched places. I guess, it's not as bad, as it would have, should we be only capable to buy Flamini, but ultimately United's campaign is a failure. An utter disaster.

Ozil and Viviano in, Bendther and Park stay

Good day everyone.
Sorry I wasn't able to report yesterday, but I had a busy day. Much busier, than expected, in fact.
As all of you are no doubt aware by now, two new players joined us in the final hours of the transfer window: Emiliano Viviano (on loan) and Mesut Ozil.
The first deal is a run-of-the-mill one. We lacked experience and capable back-up for our two Poles, so we went out and loaned a decent goalkeeper. I don't know much about Viviano, other than what I've read in the interview at the official site. He seems a decent enough guy, so let's see, what the future at Arsenal have in store for him. Whispers are, a buy-out clause was included in his contract, allowing Arsenal to sign the keeper at the end of this season for €6 million. Let's see, what happens next. There's a whole season for our newcomer to play to be able to prove himself.
Another acquisition (a permanent one, this time) is, of course, Ozil. It was something so extraoridary, so unusual, so unexpected, that I didn't even know what to say at first. I blamed the manager and everyone, who's involved in out transfers (not without basis at the time), but I'm taking my hat off for securing that deal. Fantastically well done.
This transfer smashes the club record to pieces, coming at a whopping £40 million and I think, the player is worth every penny spent on him. He's 24, in fantastic shape, with a lot of experience already and, most importantly, he's a team player. In his four years at Real Madrid Ozil has netted twice as much assists, comparing to a number of goals he scored. Pretty much everything points to the fact, that the German is a passer and was most likely brought in, because of his build-up play, which we weren't very good at lately. I'm not the one for the numbers (yet), if you want them, so have a look here, if you are interested.
Ozil, interestingly, is the biggest signing in the Premier league this summer. It was somewhat surprising to learn that, given how much money Man City and Tottenham splashed, but it turned out, not one of their newcomers came at a bigger price, than ours.
Ozil has spoken about why he came here, citing a phone call from our manager as a major factor. Seems Wenger still has his stature, courtesy to the name he made himself earlier, winning a lot of things with us. Players aren't only drawn to the club and the wages, managers also play their role, and our manager has a world-known reputation. It's not always this way, even in the biggest clubs, which may explain the fact Moyes was only able to sign Fellaini on deadline day.
There was an interesting bit in the papers, where Levi, Spurs' president, was cited as trying to thwart our efforts in acquiring Ozil. It was even suggested, that it was part of his "Sell-Bale plan", but Perez clearly wasn't inclined to include such a clause in their deal with Real. I don't know, whether there's any truth to this rumour, but if there is, it's both outrageous and funny. Outrageous for obvious reasons, funny because we've eventually pulled the deal off and left Spurs with nothing twice inside three days. Delicious.
You know, it's actually not long, before I begin to hate Tottenham well and truly, should they continue in this vein. Villas-Boas keeping Bale close to the chest, so we won't buy new players before derby, Levi doing likewise, to see us fail entirely. Two scumbags. And well done, Arsene.
All this joy from bringing in a top-level midfielder somewhat hides the fact, that no striker was bought.
We tried, hard as we can, to sign Ba until last possible moment, but Mourinho pulled the plug. He was later quoted as saying, he doesn't want to strengthen us further, seeing as how we already are title contenders, having bought Ozil. Guess we should not have put so much faith in Ba, knowing, who's pulling the strings behind this situation, but it is what it is.
It only leaves us with Giroud and (probably) Walcott. I'm not sure about the last one, because I don't know, who can cover the right flank, should the need arise. Ozil, maybe, but from the bits I gather, he'll most likely play under the striker. It leaves TGSTEL for us to content with. He didn't leave for Crystal palace, cause we pulled the plug, when it became clear we won't sign Ba.
Speaking to International Football Management, the Dane expressed his displeasure at staying, but said, he'll do the best he can for the team. Hope, that's the case, because he's the only back-up we have. An injured back-up, at the moment. Time for him to pull himself together, recover from his injures (mental and physical) and get primed for a recall to our senior squad.
So, where does this all leave us in terms of the squad? We are still  short in central defence, though Vermaelen should return after the break and out attacking options are far from ideal, worsened by the fact that the Ox and Poldolski won't make the team in the near future. Goalkeeping and midfield situation are solved for the time being. We now have to hold on until the winter transfer window and hope it'll bring a few players with it.
As the players have all left to play for their respective countries, the next game will be held 10 days from now. Because of it, I don't think I'll be able to write every day, but check back regularly, cause you never know.
Until later

In-between

Good evening everyone.
Yesterday I wrote about a preliminary transfer report, in the hopes I'll have something to report in 23-hour time, but seems I was wrong. So just a short one for you today.
As of yet, we still have not completed a single deal, which is quite horrific, seeing as the transfer window shuts in less than 5 hours. There are, however, encouraging signs about quite a few players, so I'll start with those.
The most heavily linked player is Mesut Ozil, with all and sundry blowing their trumpets, the move has already taken place. Goal.com even went as far as to tell as the exact sum, we'll pay for the Turkish German. They also mentioned his wages, something close €150 thousand per week, making Ozil (hopefully) our highest paid player. Fingers crossed, he'll join us in no time, though according to the papers, he already has.
The other player is Italian keeper Emiliano Viviano, with Palermo's president and the official tweeter account of the player saying, he's undergone a medical. If those sources are to be believed (I'm trusting no one, till I see official confirmation on the site), Viviano has joined us on a season-long loan with an option to buy him for €6 million at the end of it.
Others are linked less strongly. Talk of Di Maria is never ceasing, while Kaka seems to have moved back to Milan. I'm not 100 percent sure, but then again, Arsene never showed any interest in the player. The news papers can talk of this move readily, knowing the pile of cash we have in the bank. Over the course of the summer every prominent player was linked to us just because we have the money.
I don't know the situation with Benzema and whether we're still interested in Mata and Cabaye. No word whatsoever on the fate of Real Madrid man, Cabaye's talk also seems to have died down, while Mata is on the brink of joining PSG. I'll be surprised, if he does. The Spaniard is a huge talent, comparable to that of Cazorla, and if Mourinho decided, he's disposable, well, the Portuguese is bonkers. I understand he may have his own vision of the team, but Mata was one of the leaders last year, combining with Hazard to great effect and if the manager wants he to go, I'd say we should jump at our chance.
Oh, I forgot to mention another Chelsea man on, who's probably on his way out. Demba Ba. The reason, I'm commenting on this situation, is because the Senegalese is rumoured to be in Wenger's sights, if not for a permanent transfer, than maybe a loan move. We shall see in due course. Tomorrow, actually.
Nothing to add to that, which I'm truly sorry about. I hope to wake tomorrow morning, only to find out, we signed all of the above. Just do it, Arsene. Open your chequebook.
Back tomorrow

Tottenham review: you can't buy class

A very good evening to all of you. What a joyous evening that is.
As you may have guessed, Arsenal came out victorious in a North London derby today. Just an hour ago, actually. But first things first.
Arsene Wenger made three changes from the squad that have beaten Fenerbahce five days ago. Rosicky for injured Podolski, Gibbs for Monreal and Koscielny for Sagna. I have to say I was a bit surprised by the manager's decision to start Jenks over Sagna. My perplexity was increased still, when I saw Chadli (I think) running riot on our right flank during the entire first half. Maybe it was down to the fact, that Walcott wasn't providing any cover for our young right-back. He did play closer to Jenkinson during the second period, which ensured all Spurs' attacks broke down swiftly down that flank.

Tottenham preview: one way out

Good day to you.
In a few hours time we will host Tottenham in a hotly contested  North London derby. The last two encounters at the Emirates ended up with us beating our neighbours to a pulp, and I hope, that's the case today.
As I've already said yesterday, I feel no particular hatred towards Spurs. Most Arsenal fans, however, view this fixture as crucial and, might I say, the manager's already unstable position very much depends on the outcome of today's game. I don't think even Champions League qualification (or, rather, unqualification) could have affected the decision, whether Arsene Wenger should stay or leave, more. Even a defeat from Villa on the opening day wasn't, in the end, that important. Sure, it was viewed as a direct result of our transfer inertia (rather than just coincidental), but the outpouring of anger, which followed that defeat wasn't linked to a result alone.
Tottenham is an entire different story, however. The level of hatred between Arsenal and Spurs fans is unprecedented. During these 90 minutes the team simply HAS to win. Not because the opposition is weaker (on paper, that is), not because three points are important, but because much more is at stake here. The alternative, for the fans of both teams, is unacceptable. It's not a case of "Do or die", much more "Die but do".

If a team wins, every decision of the manager will be justified. Not in the long run, but definitely for now. Every player, injured during that game, will be viewed as a hero. All in all, emotions, extreme emotions, will be running high, that's why the importance of result cannot be underestimated by those involved. And it's a straw, our manager should hold on to tightly.
Win, and he'll get some breathing space with the signings. Win, and there'll be an opportunity to get several senior players up and running before the next game. Win, and the manger will be looked at with more pride and lenience to (occasional) oddities.
I think, Arsene Wenger understands that. He also understands, that a defeat will have a lot of fans lighting their torches and heading towards his office. The extreme emotions I mentioned earlier will leave no room for mercy, no understanding from the fans, no support from them. The heat, that will emanate from the fans, will scorch Wenger alive, should he lose. Because it will be him, who'll lose. Not the players. Every accusation, however unfounded it is, will be aimed at the manager. The fans will do their utmost to have Arsene fired, should we lose, and they'll not be interested, in who replaces him or whether the club has the opportunity to find someone on such short notice. This may well be the most important game during Wenger's 16-year stay with us. No kidding.
In terms of team news, apart from Podolski, we have no fresh injures. I expect Flamini to start the game on the bench, apart from that the team pretty much picks itself and should look like: Szczesny-Sagna-Mertesacker-Gibbs-Ramsey-Whilshere-Rosicky-Cazorla-Walcott-Giroud. I gotta say, I'm still uneasy about the Whilshere-Ramsey partnership, cause it leaves our back four exposed. The manager will have to work something out, but I doubt he'll choose Flamini over either of these guys.
It is a squad, more than capable of winning the game, to my mind. Sure, Tottenham has a slew of new players (none of those are near the form or abilities, demonstrated by Bale last season), but one thing may be against them. The manager was right to say, that bringing a lot of players in is a risk. In the long term, Villas-Boas may work out, how to effectively use them all, but for today he doesn't as much has a team on his hands, than just a number of individuals. This may work to our advantage, cause we, opposed to Spurs right now, have a  TEAM, not a bunch of players.
And these players have already showed, what they are capable of, demolishing Fenerbahce and deservedly beating Fulham. We have a shallow squad, no doubt about it, it will hamper our chances in the long run, should it stay as it, but we have enough players to do the job today. Fingers crossed, they will, so out only worry, come 9 p.m., will be non-existent signings. Come you reds.
That's it for now, back later with a review