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.

One man doesn't make a team

Hi everyone,
Quite a bit going on today.
Starting with Suarez saga. It seems, no day can pass without a new twist to the story. The Guardian suggests, we're ready to offer £50 million for the Uruguayan. Astonishing really, especially if it's true. But I'll get back to it in a moment. The article goes on to say, that the player has held talks with Rodgers and they didn't go well, cause if they did, Liverpool would be boasting Suarez`s loyalty. I have to say, there is some logic to this argument.