Thoughts on Welbeck's role

Hello folks.

The Interlull continues to drag by, with most Arsenal players away on international duty. These include Calum Chambers (who made his first appearance for the Three Lions yesterday). Danny Welbeck was also involved in England's narrow 1-0 win over Norway, coming on as a substitute at around 70th minute mark. I later saw cries on Twitter that Welbeck deserved to become MoM for his performance, but that's not important for me. What matters is that Danny is alright and not down with this ankle injury. There are at least two more games ahead, though, so every our player will have enough time to get well and truly knackered.

We are yet to see the manager's take on our latest addition, as Arsene attends some kind of elite managers' get-together in Nyon. But Webeck has already given an interview to the official site. He said all the usual nicities and looked a decent chap, until he started using "we", referring to him as part of this Arsenal team. At this point he became a true hero for most our fans and a downright traitor for United (to put it mildly).

The interview aside, we also had an opportunity to look at Welbeck's departure through the eyes of a United fan. He talks at length about what Welbeck can bring to the side. I'll try dissecting it:

"Physically, Welbeck is a superb athlete, having an excellent combination of strength and mobility in addition to superb stamina. This makes it difficult to know how to defend against him because, although he prefers running in behind, he is very comfortable with his back to goal."

That's really good to hear. I suspect Welbeck will most likely be deployed as a target man in Giroud's absence, simply because we have Sanchez and Walcott, who excel at running in behind. Also, I'm not exactly sure Giroud will be first choice upon returning, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

On how technical Welbeck is with the ball at his feet:

"I'd say Danny's technique is on a similar level to Ramsey, very good though not on the elite level of the likes of Ozil and Wilshere. He is inconsistent when trying flicks and tricks but his passing, particularly in tight spaces, is top notch for a striker."

Someone duly noted that we haven't had a striker who can run with the ball since van Persie left. And you can see what they mean. I feel highly uneasy every time Giroud receives the ball facing the goal, to say nothing about Sanogo. To have a target man, who can also work with the ball is soothing. Another point scored for Danny.

On what weaknesses Welbeck has:

"Welbeck's main weakness, indeed I'd say his only truly major one, is his finishing, which admittedly is a pretty fundamental weakness for a striker. This isn't a matter of technique because if you look at the goals he has scored, there are a lot of high-quality finishes in there, it's more a combination of nerves and pressure."

He then goes on to elaborate this thought by saying Welbeck had to fight for his place with van Persie and Rooney, which forced him to rush his chances. What is surprising, is that Danny had a very good conversion rate, when given a run-out in his favoured central position in 2011-2012. He had a better conversion rate than Rooney and later van Persie. He also outstrips Giroud by quite some distance when it comes to putting chances away.

On Welbeck's wide role:

"This has been more about bad luck on Welbeck's part than anything else. Between 2008 and 2010 he played 24 games for United and eight more on loan at Preston before going on loan to Sunderland for a season. He got the chance to play up front in 2011/12 and generally did a very good job but then we signed Van Persie and that, combined with a lack of decent left-sided wingers meant that he was shifted wide, not unlike how Wilshere was shifted wide for Arsenal last season due to a combination of injuries and Ramsey's form."

I'm pretty sure we won't use Welbeck wide often. It'll definitely be madness now, when we have plenty other flank players and Giroud out. We'll see what happens upon the Frenchman's return, but asking Danny to play on the left with Cazorla, Podolski, Campbell and even Alexis in the squad will look odd, to say the least.

Finally, on how Giroud compares to Welbeck:

"Firstly his lack of mobility means he can't occupy both centre backs, which means the defence will always have a man spare to track runners from midfield. Secondly, his absolute refusal to countenance making a run behind the defence, whilst being stubbornness that Ian Paisley would be proud of, makes it so much easier for teams to press high against Arsenal, reducing the space that players like Ozil, Wilshere and Cazorla have to work in and putting more pressure on the defensive midfielder, which, whether it be Arteta or Flamini, is not something you really want."

Danny solves this problem, as he can run behind defenses, forcing centre-backs to be an alert. This in it's turn, allows Ozil and Co to operate more freely, which can cause immense problems to the opposition.

In other words, Welbeck sounds just the man we need. Not only in the short-term, but for years to come. If Wenger helps the Englishman to fulfil the potential the young man definitely has. If you feel like it, you can read the rest of the interview here.

That's it for now, back as soon as something new pops up.

Until later

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)

Season preview = transfer window review: Welbeck becomes our latest addition

First things first: with less than two hours to go before the transfer window's closure, Arsenal has signed Danny Welbeck. The first one to inform the fans of this signing was Alan Smith, former Gooner himself. He was apparently sitting through some kind of interview when he got a notification. Alan took to Twitter immediately to relay the news: "Welbeck to Arsenal. 16 million."

I have to say, that's a very good addition. The Englishman is only 23, he's a versatile striker who can play both with his back to the goal and facing it. He can also play on the flank, though he seems less effective there.

The general reaction from United fans (and their opinion is more informed, than ours) is that we have signed a very good striker. Danny was deemed surplus to requirements at United after the Red Devils signed Falcao. We were also told to have been in the mix for the Colombian, but I doubt it, especially after I've seen his wage demands: 346k per week! His one-year-loan has cost United 20 million and there's a compulsory buy-out clause at the end of it. Something around 65 million. Although this 20 million loan price tag includes (at least partly) Falcao's ridiculous wage demands, I don't think it's a reasonable price to pay. Yes, he's very good, yes, he fits our system, but he's also 28. Good luck to him at United, but Falcao to Arsenal? No thanks.

With all that in mind, I think it's time for a season preview. I know we've already played five games, but the picture wasn't complete until today. Now it is and we can get down to what Arsenal fans can expect from this season:

Goalkeepers

Fabianski and Viviano left us as soon as their contracts expired and it was obvious we needed at least one quality keeper. Whether it would be just an experienced shot-stopper like Schwarzer or someone to genuinely challenge Szczesny was not very important. Just because everyone knew Wojciech would start the season as our number one.

However, it's fair to say we've got more than we could have expected, when David Ospina, one of the goalkeepers who shined at the World Cup, signed for us. For a meagre sum of 3.5 million. A bit later Damien Martinez was promoted to the first squad and it became obvious to further arrivals in that area will happen. Not that we needed any.

The conclusion: we have two quality keepers on our hands and a young player who, with time, may well become good enough to be our number one. Szczesny will start most games for now, barring an injury to the Pole, but I'm sure Ospina will play in the cups and will get his shot at the first team sooner, rather than later.

Defenders

Our most troublesome area. The departed Sagna was replaced quickly and efficiently by his compatriot Debuchy and then we added Chambers on top. We bought the Englishman as back-up to Debuchy and so have let Jenks go on loan, as he seemingly had no chance to play regularly. This is one of our not-so-good decisions during this summer.

Jenks was quickly followed out of the door by our captain Thomas Vermaelen, but, unlike Jenko, Thomas left us permanently, signing a contract with Barcelona. Arsene promised to buy a CB, specifically emphasizing that Chambers was bought as a right-back, but no CB arrived.

We started the season with a pair of central defenders Koscielny-Chambers, cause Mertesacker had a prolonged holiday. At one point during the Community Shield game, we had Kos substituted for Monreal, as the former was not completely fit due to his continued involvement with France's national squad. All our hopes were piled on the deadline day of the transfer window to sign a CB, but none came. Worse still, Miquel completed his permanent switch to Norwich  and that means we have only six senior defenders right now. Seven, if we promote Bellerin (which we should have done regardless), but two of these will only be 19, meaning Mert and Kos are the only senior centre-halves at our disposal. Not pretty, we are skating on very thin ice here. Of course both Chambers and Monreal can deputise at the centre, even Flamini can play there, but it's not their best positions.

The conclusion: we are very short in this particular area and I fear that might come back to haunt us during the campaign. I cannot, for the world of me, understand why we haven't signed Nastasic, who was definitely available. Or Papastatopolous. Or Manolas. We are now basically asking Koscielny and Mertesacker to play in four competitions, which can amount to 50-60 games in total. Thank God Per has quit international football, but Arsene better have some contingency plan still.

Midfielders

We are not short in this area, that's for sure. Though the fabled DM never arrived, I always thought it's unlikely for two reasons:

1. Chambers can play there. Even more, Arsene himself said that's where the Englishman will play in the future. Not this season, however, as Calum is badly needed elsewhere.
2. Arteta was made captain, which basically makes him undroppable. He's an important cog in our machine, one of AW's most trusted players and I don't think the boss made Mikel our skipper to then unceremoniously drop him to give way to a shiny new buy.

In all other areas, we have an abundance of talented players. Wilshere, Ramsey, Rosicky, Cazorla, Ozil. No buys here makes complete sense, although I do wonder whether we have made a mistake by not re-signing Cesc Fabregas. Of course we know Arsene wants to build a team around Ozil, but seeing Cesc rock at Chelsea as basically a DM breaks my heart. If nothing else, we may have deployed our former player alongside Arteta or Ramsey at the base of the triquetra (assuming we stick to 4-2-3-1). Still, the Spaniard would have cost around 25 million and that could have cornered us in other areas in financial respect. And these other areas needed investments badly.

The conclusion: bar, possibly, a DM we are as well-stocked as it gets. Once again we face the risk of being overrun in midfield in big games, but I hope Arsene will figure a way around it. Change the formation, maybe play Chambers there. Anyway, we're likely to see an overhaul in defensive midfield next season, as Arteta, Flamini, Diaby and Coquelin (don't laugh) enter the last year of their respective contracts.

Strikers

Exceeding expectations. We've set the right tone to our summer by signing Sanchez early on, the went on to retain Campbell's services and rounded the summer off by signing Danny Welbeck after Giroud sustained a serious ankle injury. Whether that last buy was dictated by the domino effect (Danny became available after United signed Falcao), the fans (singing "sign some f*cking players" at the Leicester game) or it was a pre-planned event by Wenger and Co we'll never know for certain. However, as things stand, we are well off up front even with Giroud out until New Year.

Should the flanks be a concern? They should, if Arsene continues to deploy Ozil there, but from a purely tactical point of view. Number-wise we have a lot of players. Walcott, Oxlade, Cazorla, Podolski, Campbell. Rosicky can play there, if needed be. There are lingering doubts over Poldi's and Campbell's contribution, but I think both need to be given time. Then we'll judge them in terms of what both can bring to the team.

The conclusion: without Welbeck we would have looked frail, having only unconvincing Sanogo as a target-man. With Danny, we have options available for whatever plan Arsene chooses to utilise. I think Tim Stillman was right, when he pointed out in his column, that, for now, we'll play with a target man and as soon as Sanchez adapts to our style and we adapt to his, the Chilean will become our main forward. Welbeck and Giroud will become "Plan B", in case "Plan A" doesn't work. Sounds good.

Overall

Personally, Arsene has surprised me. Though I stated before the window opened that we need 4-6 signings to build on our success and compete till the end, I never actually thought we'd sign more than three players. Have to give the gaffer credit, where it's due.

For now, it's hard to say whether we can mount a serious title challenge, as we haven't truly clicked yet, but then I guess no one did. We'll know more after 10-15 games.

As for the other tournaments, I'd say we can go the distance in all of them. Definitely in the national cups, as we've won one of these even without some nice additions. Champions League presents, of course, a much more serious challenge, especially since we've landed in one of the hardest groups. But we have experience qualifying for the knock-out stages for, like, 13 consecutive seasons and when we get there, the game is on. Teams rarely make it to the last sixteen without a good reason.

That's it for today, probably will be back it two days, as the Interlull kicks in and news will be on the thin.

Until later, have a good week

Follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)

Leicester 1-1 Arsenal: poor performance highlights our problems

Evening folks.

So, yesterday we've dropped points against Leicester. As if this in itself wasn't enough, the Foxes actually could have nicked a win in the dying seconds, but for a brilliant save from Szczesny and a miss from Drinkwater. There was also that one-on-one, which nearly resulted in me having a heart attack, but some bloke put the ball into the side netting. However, let's start at the beginning.

The line-up

It featured some surprises alright. The defense was the same as from our midweek game, however midfield and attack were tampered with by the manager. Oxlade and Wilshere (amazingly) dropped to the bench. The only explanation I can give is that both Englishmen were called up to Ruy Hodgson's side and so they need a little R&R. Ramsey and Sanogo came in.

Our formation? Seemingly 4-1-4-1: Flamini in the holdnig role, Ramsey and Cazorla centrally, Alexis and Ozil on the flanks. Now, say whatever you want, but there's a reason Ozil said he's not at his best on the left: he really is far from his prime there. Who would have thought?

The first half

We tried to dominate the game by seizing control of possession and two problems became exposed immediately:

1. Leicester looked very dangerous on the counter, using our left flank to great effect. No surprise: Ozil is not the one to track runners. He switched flanks with Sanchez as the half progressed and that addressed the issue somewhat.
2. Sanogo isn't technical enough to lead our line. Every time he received the ball he looked at a loss at what he should with it. This caused if not downright anger among the fans, then definitely confusion. With such quality players to feed him, it was frustrating to watch every move break down because the Frenchman is obviously inept. Not his fault he's being played, though. However, I was surprised that Sanchez wasn't trusted to spearhead our attack after a brilliant showing from the Chilean against Besiktas.

Our domination finally found an outlet, when Sanchez slotted home around the half-hour mark. However, the excitement was short-lived, as Leicester immediately came up with a response. A move down our right led to a cross and poor positioning from Koscielny led to that cross' connection with Ulloa's head. 1-1.

Now, a word for Koscielny: though he was at fault for the goal, he suffered from a concussion minutes earlier, but, instead of being subbed, the Frenchman was patched up, given a swimming cap and rushed back into action. An unwise decision from whoever made it led to that equaliser, not Koscielny's poor positioning. Laurent was subsequently taken off and Chambers came on.

The rest of the half wasn't very interesting. Arsenal tried to break down Leicester's organised defense and Leiceister tried to hurt us on the counter. However, I'd like to note how atrocious of a referee Anthony Taylor was. Hammond alone committed at least five cynical fouls inside the first 45 minutes, but didn't receive a yellow. Under other circumstances he would have been sent off midway through the half.

The second half

As we clearly lacked fluidity during the first period, I thought Arsene would make a change to shake things up. The situation wasn't hopeless, like it had been a week before at Goodison, but it was also unclear how we were going to win the game. Unless Sanchez and Cazorla pulled a rabbit out of their hat. I wasn't much counting on Ozil, as the German looked unconvincing on the flank. Really isn't his position.

However, no changes were made and the trend continued. Sanogo missed an opportunity after finding some space early on, but, apart from that, not much went our way. I was dying to see Ox introduced at the expense of Sanogo, so that one of the two our players who really tried to make something happen (Sanchez) would be shifted infield and play as CF. The fans on the stands were apparently asking Wenger (quite loudly and not very politely) to sign a striker.

Nothing happened until around the 70th minute, when finally Ox and (surprisingly) Poldi were thrown into the mix for Sanogo and Cazorla respectively. In an even more surprising twist, Podolski tried to play CF and Alexis remained on the flank. Do you know how many passes Poldi made? Four. Four passes in almost 20 minutes. No wonder he's not playing CF week in, week out.

The only presentable chance we created was when Ramsey's headed effort was saved by Schmeichel. I really think the Welshman should have nodded the ball back across goal, as Sanogo was waiting for a tap-in, but there's just no guarantee the Frenchman would have taken his chance.

We actually could have lost the game as I've mentioned above, but, mercifully, we didn't. 1-1 and this result raises a lot of questions.

The aftermath

Outrage. Public outcry from Arsenal fans. Immense pressure heaped on Arsene to buy players today. But the man himself is to blame for this. Sure, @arsenalvision made a good point on Twitter on how we just haven't clicked yet and I agree. We all saw glimpses of how deadly we can be against Besiktas, so the quality is definitely there, as I've written in the preview. But it's also about how many (good) players we have to cover up for others and how we perform using the system Arsene chooses.

I was scared out of my wits when Mert went down in pain, after Ulloa hacked him down. Chambers was already on and we had no defenders on the bench. Not even Bellerin. At this point I'm not even sure it was the right decision to let Jenks go, when we are in such a spot of bother. With rumours linking Hayden away from the club and Miquel with one foot in Norwich already, we don't have ANY back-up at centre-back.

We also have a problem up front, if we are willing to rely on a target-man system without Giroud. Sanogo just isn't ready and we have no one else. Remy joined up forces with Chelsea, Cavani is not for sale, Mandzukic is already in Atletico. Even forwards like Balotelli, Cerci and Hernandez moved clubs, so it's not like there were no striker available.

Though there is a silver lining to the proceedings, with Borussia re-signing Kagawa, which may well cause the domino effect and let us have Reus. At the expense of Podolski, most likely. There are also rumours this morning linking us to Carvalho and Falcao and I hope there's something stirring there. We'll see in a day. Maybe that's the reason behind Kroenke's sudden appearance in London. We need some hard cash for Falcao.

That's it, back tomorrow with a review of our actions during deadline day. Hope I'll be here discussing three grand signings. Fingers crossed.

For immediate updates, follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin)

Leicester preview: a game to play with a day to go

Good day to you.

It's Leicester today while things continue heating up in the transfer market. Football stuff first, though and I'll get around to transfer rumours later.

The set-up

This match is soaked in history, as it turned out. The last time we played Leicester was the 38th game in 2004: the last Premier League match, which concluded Arsenal's unbeaten season. We've won that encounter 2-1, but it was the squad that caught my eye: Lehmann-Lauren-Campbell-Cole-Ljunberg-Silva-Viera-Pires-Bergkamp-Henry. The subs? Stack, Parlour, Keown, Edu and Reyes. Ah, good old days. I've started supporting Arsenal in the summer, not knowing they were reigning champions or unbeaten for 38 games, but these players are all more than just familiar to me. I've watched them play until all of them finally left the club.

Another Leicester game, no less memorable, happened in 1997, when Dennis Bergkamp netted a brilliant hat-trick. The third goal is out-of-this-world good. Have a look at all three here.

Now, however, we face a different Leicester side, though one we should treat with caution. The Foxes only have a point in two games, but these two matches were against Everton and a rampaging Chelsea side. I haven't seen Leicester in action, but Arsene is wary of the threat they pose, so we should be too:

"It is a team who has very good defensive solidity. They are good at counter attacking, they have two good players on the flanks as well who are very quick".

As I've said, I cannot comment on that, so I take it at face value. However, I'm sure how we line up for this game doesn't depend on which players will start for the Foxes. We always try for our plan to work and if it does, it doesn't really matter who we face. So with that in mind, let's try to play a guessing game.

The back five

Arsene confirmed Ospina might make the bench, but this really isn't that important for now. Of course it's good to have the Colombian back, but Szczesny has done well and would start between the sticks, barring something will happen to the Pole at the last moment. Either Martinez or Ospina will make the bench.

I'd also keep the defense that has featured against Besiktas. We don't have options on the flanks, so it's Debuchy and Monreal (Gibbs should be back after the break), but I'd stick to Mertescielny axis in the centre. Both looked calm and assured against Besiktas and their presence and interaction was soothing to everyone around, the fans included. Chambers, meanwhile, will make a great sub, along with Bellerin.

Midfield

There we have too many options (I feel good by just saying these words). Despite Arteta being deemed short (should also be back for City), Ramsey is coming back and there are no fresh injures from our midweek game.

It'll be quite hard to start Flamini, Ramsey, Wilshere, Cazorla and Ozil all together, even with one of them on the flank, so someone will have to be dropped. And I honestly don't know, who should that be. Flamini seems the weakest link, but he's still the closest thing to a DM we have and, besides, he had a great game against Besiktas. So I will (very cautiously) assume that Cazorla is going to miss out. Flamini and Ramsey will be at the base of the triquetra, with Ozil under the striker and Wilshere on the left. Or maybe Wilshere under the striker with Ozil on the left, in case the German is still not fully fit.

Attack

After his great midweek display Alexis should lead the line, no doubt about it. Arsene himself has basically confirmed it:

“He has many qualities to lead the line. He is first of all brave, he is strong in the challenge - which you wouldn't expect when you look at his size - he's very quick and very mobile as well. He's a real fighter and once his link play and runs get better, he can be very good in this role.”

On the right, I'd start Oxlade-Chamberlain, who was very active and lively in the last two games and Wilshere/Ozil should start on the left. That's pretty much it, though I don't exclude Cazorla will slot in somewhere. The Spaniard had a brilliant midweek showing, with his defensive display in the last 15 minutes worthy of the highest praise.

The verdict

We have a VERY strong squad. Lots of quality players and to think some of them will be restricted to a place on the bench just shows that this Arsenal side is real quality. And that's without Gibbs, Arteta, Walcott and Giroud. And Bellerin doesn't have a senior contract, may I remind you.

All of that brings us to the matter of transfers, We are still linked to the host of players, but little new happened since yesterday's evening. Except Remy rumours. They suddenly surfaced in the wake of Chelsea almost signing the striker and, though both Amy Lawrence and David Ornstein (in whom I have great trust) said Arsenal hasn't yet met the buy-out clause, that little interference from Arsene wreaked havoc with Mourinho's plans. Which is no less than this small and sad man deserves.

Finally, there are two things I have to mention. University starts tomorrow and, as of now, I'm not sure how this will affect the frequency of my posts. Bottom line is, I'll get back to you here every two days and definitely for all the previews and reviews.

Also, a kind reminder, Firstly, if you've missed my yesterday's bit on Ozil, give it a go. Really worth your time. And secondly, you can always subscribe to my updates via e-mail (just enter yours using the form on the right) or follow me on Twitter (@AlexBaguzin) to get instant updates. Posts included. With the e-mail subscription it takes a while.

That's it for today. Back tomorrow with a preview.

C'mon you Gunners

On Ozil's importance

Evening folks.

We are still a day away from our next game, so I thought today I'd talk about Ozil, the perception of whom by both the fans and the media is very different. But before that, here's a little something for you to lift the spirits: both Manchester clubs have dropped points. United, with their bestest manager in the world, a man who has substituted Cilissen for Krul, an unequivocal tactical genius, drawn with Burnley away. 0-0. A newly-promoted club, which has spent less on transfers since their foundation, than Untited has spent solely on Di Maria.

City, in an even better turn of events, went down to Stoke. They did so at the Etihad, in front of their own fans and Sagna's hot wife. I'd say this means City is ought to spend a bazillion pounds on deadline day, but the funny is, they cannot. They've already been fined for breaking FFP rules and they will face an even harsher punishment should they once again go on a spending spree. Man, can things can getter this evening? They probably can, as Everton kicks off against Chelsea in a couple of minutes.

Does my gleeful mood means I'm a petty man? Probably, but seeing the moneybags (esp. United) suffer after all the harm they've done to us over the last years, seeing someone else becoming a joke and getting the stick from the media is a nice change. A welcome one.

On to matters more interesting, though and Mesut Ozil has given an interview to the Telegraph. He talked at length at how brilliant a feeling it was to win the World Cup and then went on to express his surprise at the media's view on him:

“It was strange. There I was, so close to the start of a massive tournament, and all their eyes are on me, criticising me. It was not just Kicker, but also TV and other publications. It surprised me. In my first season at Arsenal there were times when I was not at my best but in the qualifiers for the national team I did perform well. Look, I scored the most goals in qualifying [eight].

Personally, people criticising Ozil surprise me just as much as they surprise him. Especially when we are talking Arsenal fans. It's obvious Ozil has immense quality, it was also obvious he would need an adaptation period, but the German has nonetheless had a decent season.

He himself admitted he's one of the best №10's in the world, while also touching on playing on the left:

“I’m one of the best players in the world in that No 10 position. Fans, coaches, players and everyone knows that my best position is playmaker.

It’s different playing on the left. When I was in Madrid, I often played on the right. I enjoyed that because I’m left-footed and I was able to cut inside to give assists and get shots on target. On the left, it’s more difficult. If I do get past someone I’m still away from the danger zone, still on the flank, and it’s harder for me to find the final ball with my right foot than with my left." 

Well, the fact that Arsene didn't take back Fabregas this summer in itself shows the Frenchman has huge faith in Ozil and will be building the team around Mesut. Arseblogger has, rightly, in my view, noted, that Ozil is playing on the left only because he'll get match-fit quicker this way. And then I expect the German to feature in his favoured position regularly.

Meanwhile, Arsene was quick to hail Ozil and ward off his critics:

"People are very harsh with Ozil because he’s a player who’s always very easy on his play but when you watch the game again after, the next day, you see what a player he is. 

Everything he does is intelligent. The timing of everything he does is absolutely perfect. You never catch him giving the ball too late.

"The number of players you catch giving the ball too late is unbelievable. You never get that with Ozil. The timing, he’s like a guy who plays the music, the timing of what he does is perfect, you don’t get many players like that."

The number of people saying Ozil doesn't seem to work enough on the pitch is too damn high. Seriously, they need to stop. Ozil does look easy on the ball, almost lazy, but it's a false impression. His work ethic is very good, he has at one point ran the most during a World Cup game. And I'm sure he still got the stick from the press after that game.

For me, Ozil's languid manner is soothing. He projects that air of confidence on the ball, like he knows exactly what he'll do next. And he probably does know this. Good thing is, he feels the support of the adequate Arsenal fans and he shouldn't pay much attention to the inadequate ones. Just remember how tough it was for us to create chances in the first two games without Ozil and how glad everyone was when the German came back against Everton.

Finally for today, a couple of words on potential transfers. We continue to be linked heavily with Rabiot, Carvalho and Papastatopolous, but it's the "out" deals that worry me a bit.

Podolski was spotted in Koln and that, combined with Wenger stating he basically doesn't see Poldi as CF opens the floodgates of rumours. Will he, won't he leave? Depends on whether we bring someone in. God, please let it be Reus.

And Campbell. The Portuguese paper O Jogo stated today the Costa-Rican is only waiting for the green light from Arsene Wenger, with a deal around £10 million rumoured to be in place. Again, that should mean we are in for a wide forward. We'll know for sure in less than 53 hours.

That's it for today. Back here tomorrow with Leicester preview.

Until then

Follow me on Twitter @AlexBaguzin