Arsenal's unbeaten run finally came to an end. The defeat came as a shock to us as we had so much belief in the quality of our team especially after the last week's convincing performance against Manchester City. It was the first time in quite a few years that we, Arsenal fans, had gone into one of big games with such optimism.
Some questioned Wenger's decision to leave Mertesacker on the bench, whose performance has been impressive so far this season and was behind Arsenal's solid start to the season. However, who could have predicted set-pieces would become match-deciders. The boss thought this game was going to be an open game and in fact, Chelsea's starting line-up seemed to have supported his assumption. We also expected Koscielny to get the nod for this one, based on Torres' pace and the French defender's impressive performance against Manchester City. Also, he kept the Spanish striker in his pocket when Spain and France met in the Euro 2012.
According to Arsenal.com site's fans opinion poll, fans' favourite centre-back partnership was Vermaelen-Koscielny with 56% of total votes. Mertesacker has his critics about his pace or lack of it, but he compensates it with his positioning. This match exposed the vulnerability of the Vermaelen-Koscielny pairing. They are both aggressive defenders and tend to push the defensive line high on the pitch, which was not seen this season before this game, when Mertesacker was involved. Although Chelsea didn't score from open play, Vermaelen had to foul in order to stop Torres breaking away, which cost us a free-kick that resulted in Chelsea's second goal. In hindsight, Wenger admitted that he might have made a wrong decision, but it is too hash to blame him for that decision.
The team selection was not a problem. It was consistency. There was only one change to Arsenal's starting XI who outplayed the defending champions in the first half. Vermaelen was fit again to take the left-hand side of the center-back positions, with Mertesacker dropped to the bench. Ramsey retained his starting place on the right flank on the back of his excellent performance last Sunday, although he was soon moved to the central midfield, following Diaby's early withdrawal due to a thigh strain. The Welshman's first-half performance was decent at best, but not as good as last weekend and the second-half was terrible. He was rightly taken off in the 66th minute.
The boss kept his faith in Gervinho despite his futility during the Man City game and it paid off. With a beautiful turn and subsequent powerful finish, he scored an equaliser, which sent Arsenal in ascendancy at the end of the first half. His goal came just as we had thought that Arsenal were looking to regroup their attacking at half time and might need something different, perhaps the introduction of Giroud.
Then in the second half, the Ivorian was not as effective as in the first half. We wondered if Gervinho's abrupt halts to his runs were affected by a knock or team tactics in our match review on the Montpellier game, and we found the answer in this game: he stops when he doesn't know what to do with the ball. In this way, he squandered a couple of glorious quick counter-attacking chances, when a few Arsenal players made a run. When substitutes came on in the 66th minute, we thought it was Gervinho who was going to be taken off, but it turned out to be Podolski.
This game was another big test for us, but the disappointing result did not seem to have done much damage to our title credentials, which nobody questioned this time around. This match was a stern test for Chelsea rather than for us as they had a relatively easier run of games compared to ours, their recent league performances were not so convincing, and they failed tests when they faced strong sides, such as Atletico Madrid and Juventus. Many think that there was little in it between the two London sides. It was a close contention. Although there may have been just a little bit too many players who were not at their best, we could still have snatched a victory had it not been for those defensive mistakes.
It was a blow that Diaby suffered another injury, which is likely to force him on the sidelines for a minimum of three weeks. His early retirement upset Arsenal's shape and balance without doubt. Some argue that we might have dealt with the free-kick that led to Chelsea's first goal better if he had stayed on the pitch. As for his replacement, fortunately, Jack Wilshere is not far away from his return. The Englishman will play an hour or so in the U-21 (reserve) game against West Brom on Monday afternoon. Provided that he will come through this game and the following one against Reading on Monday 8th October unscathed, he could feature in a game against Norwich after the international break. In the meantime, hopefully Coquelin, who missed out on the clash with Chelsea through illness, can fill the void Diaby has left.
The season has still a long way to go. One defeat is just a blip, but two defeats can make a crisis when you are a big club. The most important thing is how we respond after a disappointment like this. Fortunately, a chance to show that (and to brighten up the rest of our week) is coming as early as on Wednesday. We expect a good response from the team on Wednesday's night against Olympiacos.
Player ratings
Mannone: 7
With Chelsea registering only three shots on target, he had little to do and could not do much about Chelsea goals.
Jenkinson: 7
On the day when quite a few players who were under par, he maintained his standards, which have improved significantly this season and continue doing so. He won Arsenal fans' Man of the Match with 26% of their votes on the Arsenal.com site, followed by Kieran Gibbs' 21%. It is reported that Roy Hodgson is considering his inclusion in the England squad for the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers amid a right-back injury crisis. If he can continue producing this kind of performances, he may get a call-up. Against Liverpool, he was a better right-back than an England international, Glen Johnson.
Koscielny: 5
He was guilty for the both goals we conceded.
Vermaelen: 6
His foul on Torres led to Chelsea's winner.
Gibbs: 6
Had a decent game, but his positioning, which has improved considerably this season, was dubious in this game. He often left space behind him for Chelsea to exploit, when he got forward. Some sloppy mistakes.
Cazorla: 6
Not up to his high standards. It was a shock for us to learn that he has an off-day as he had been performing consistently well up till this game.
Arteta: 7
Solid as usual.
Diaby: 6
Had a good run and made a decent attempt, which led to the injury.
Ramsey: 5
Disappointing display after last weekend's stellar performance.
Gervinho: 6
Scored a classy goal, but let us down in the second half.
Podolski: 6
Made a couple of great runs and his header forced a brilliant save from Cech.
Subs
Oxlade-Chamberlain: 6
Replaced injured Diaby in the 17th minute. Set up a goal for Gervinho. Some good play, but not at his best.
Walcott: 5
Came on as one of the 66th-minute double substitutions to replace Podolski and Ramsey. Anonymous.
Giroud: 5
Came on as one of the 66th-minute double substitutions to replace Podolski and Ramsey. Had a golden chance in injury time. He had rounded Cech only to hit the side-netting, when he only needed to put the shot on target.
Welcome to the official Arsenal Supporters Club based in Playa Flamenca, Costa Blanca, Spain.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Friday, September 28, 2012
Arsenal 6 Coventry 1 (Capital One Cup Third Round)
The game was not as easy as the scoreline may suggest. Many headlines included those words typically associated with emphatic wins, such as "cruise", "convincing", "comfortable", and "ease", but it could have produced a totally different result as Coventry started well and never gave up. However, Arsenal's clinical finishing made a difference. Five of Arsenal's six goals came from the first-teamers, who also play for their respective senior national team. Their class was the difference between the two teams. This Arsenal side, a mix of youngsters and fringe first-team players, has plenty of room for improvement.
That said, the improvement over the past seasons has been clear. Although Arsenal's track record against lower division clubs in the domestic cup competitions is impressive, they have struggled to see off these teams in the recent years. They eventually beat them, but it took replays or late penalties to progress, even with a help from the big-name players.
Apart from the goal fest, a number of factors made this game even more special. Giroud has finally broke his Arsenal duck. His expression said it all...a pure relief. Although he had his penalty kick saved (it wasn't a bad penalty kick. It should have been smashed into the bottom left-hand-side corner if the keeper had gone the wrong way), scoring his first goal for Arsenal should take pressure off and help his confidence grow. We are happy for him as we are fed up with reading the phrases like "the £13 million summer signing yet to score a first goal for his new club".
Secondly, Arshavin has proved what he is capable of. Arsene Wenger acknowledged that just behind the striker is the best suited position for the diminutive Russian. However, it is difficult to find this position in the current first-team system.
Thirdly, Walcott proved that his finishing has improved considerably. Walcott's desire to become a central striker has been well-documented and it is reportedly a key factor behind the ongoing contract talk. Prior to this match, there was an argument among Arsenal fans whether Walcott should be given a chance to prove himself as a central striker. Some thought Wenger should give him a chance to play the central role and this game would present an excellent opportunity for that, but we believed it was a more urgent issue that Giroud got off the mark and we thought that the France international should get the central striker position in a game like this under less pressure and possibly with more chances to score.
Frimpong made his first appearance since February when he ruptured his anterior knee ligament, while playing for Wolves on loan. He has been unlucky with injuries, suffering a similar injury two years ago. It was good to see the enthusiastic young player on the pitch again and it is good to have him in the squad, but his first-team action is expected to be limited as our midfield seems to have settled with the Cazorla-Arteta-Diaby line-up and Coquelin is ahead of him in the pecking order.
Arsenal will visit Madejski Stadium for the fourth round of the Capital One Cup against Reading. Does this Arsenal ream have enough quality to beat a Premier League side away from home? Maybe we need more first-teamers to compliment the young side. Rosicky and Sagna should be back in the first-team action by that time, as well as Jack Wilshere, which means Arsenal will probably have more first-teamers who need more playing time.
Players Ratings
Martinez: 7
With Coventry registering only two shots on target, he didn't have much to do, but did what he had to do well.
Angha: 6
Busy going forward, but his crosses left much to be desired, except for a couple. He has a long way to go before he becomes a threat to Carl Jenkison's position as Sagna's understudy. Nico Yennaris looked much better in this position last season.
Djourou: 7
He should have picked out Ball (the scorer of the Coventry goal) and prevented the goal.
Miquel: 8
Looked comfortable on the ball and composed. Scored his first goal for the Club with a brilliant header.
Santos: 6
We were surprised that his name was not on the scoresheet when we scored six goals, but in fact, he had a quite game. Some of his passes were sloppy. We think Kieran Gibbs will remain as a first-choice left-back.
Yennaris: 7
It looks the boss is still experimenting on the 19-year old's positions. He was deployed on a right side of midfield and did his job reasonably well.
Coquelin: 8
He was impressive offensively and defensively. Set up the opener by sliding in and laying the ball for Giroud.
Walcott: 7
His Henry-esque second goal showed his class, but he also missed easier chances.
Oxlade-Chamberlain: 7
Scored a sublime goal from distance.
Arshavin: 8
He was in the centre of Arsenal's attack, pulling the strings. Scored a great goal himself after an exquiste touch, which showed his class. He answered to his critics by his impressive work rate as well.
Giroud: 7
Scored his first goal in an Arsenal shirt. Provided an assist for Arshavin. His movement off the ball has been good and he contributes a lot to the team. Hopefully, this goal will open the floodgate.
Subs
Gnabry: 7
72nd-substitute for Oxlade-Chamberlain. Looked promising with great technical abilities.
Chamakh: 7
Came on as a 73rd-miute substitute for Giroud. Involved in some good attacking play.
Frimpong: 7
Replaced Coquelin in the 73rd minute. Emotional first appearance in seven months.
That said, the improvement over the past seasons has been clear. Although Arsenal's track record against lower division clubs in the domestic cup competitions is impressive, they have struggled to see off these teams in the recent years. They eventually beat them, but it took replays or late penalties to progress, even with a help from the big-name players.
Apart from the goal fest, a number of factors made this game even more special. Giroud has finally broke his Arsenal duck. His expression said it all...a pure relief. Although he had his penalty kick saved (it wasn't a bad penalty kick. It should have been smashed into the bottom left-hand-side corner if the keeper had gone the wrong way), scoring his first goal for Arsenal should take pressure off and help his confidence grow. We are happy for him as we are fed up with reading the phrases like "the £13 million summer signing yet to score a first goal for his new club".
Secondly, Arshavin has proved what he is capable of. Arsene Wenger acknowledged that just behind the striker is the best suited position for the diminutive Russian. However, it is difficult to find this position in the current first-team system.
Thirdly, Walcott proved that his finishing has improved considerably. Walcott's desire to become a central striker has been well-documented and it is reportedly a key factor behind the ongoing contract talk. Prior to this match, there was an argument among Arsenal fans whether Walcott should be given a chance to prove himself as a central striker. Some thought Wenger should give him a chance to play the central role and this game would present an excellent opportunity for that, but we believed it was a more urgent issue that Giroud got off the mark and we thought that the France international should get the central striker position in a game like this under less pressure and possibly with more chances to score.
Frimpong made his first appearance since February when he ruptured his anterior knee ligament, while playing for Wolves on loan. He has been unlucky with injuries, suffering a similar injury two years ago. It was good to see the enthusiastic young player on the pitch again and it is good to have him in the squad, but his first-team action is expected to be limited as our midfield seems to have settled with the Cazorla-Arteta-Diaby line-up and Coquelin is ahead of him in the pecking order.
 |
| Nico Yennaris aged seven in September 2000 |
There is a lovely story behind this match. Nico Yennaris was Arsenal's mascot the last time when Arsenal hosted Coventry in September 2000, aged just seven. 12 years on, he was on the pitch as a midfielder playing for his boyhood club. It's good to see players, like him and Carl Jenkinson, realise their dream and play with passion and love for their boyhood club.
Players Ratings
Martinez: 7
With Coventry registering only two shots on target, he didn't have much to do, but did what he had to do well.
Angha: 6
Busy going forward, but his crosses left much to be desired, except for a couple. He has a long way to go before he becomes a threat to Carl Jenkison's position as Sagna's understudy. Nico Yennaris looked much better in this position last season.
Djourou: 7
He should have picked out Ball (the scorer of the Coventry goal) and prevented the goal.
Miquel: 8
Looked comfortable on the ball and composed. Scored his first goal for the Club with a brilliant header.
Santos: 6
We were surprised that his name was not on the scoresheet when we scored six goals, but in fact, he had a quite game. Some of his passes were sloppy. We think Kieran Gibbs will remain as a first-choice left-back.
Yennaris: 7
It looks the boss is still experimenting on the 19-year old's positions. He was deployed on a right side of midfield and did his job reasonably well.
Coquelin: 8
He was impressive offensively and defensively. Set up the opener by sliding in and laying the ball for Giroud.
Walcott: 7
His Henry-esque second goal showed his class, but he also missed easier chances.
Oxlade-Chamberlain: 7
Scored a sublime goal from distance.
Arshavin: 8
He was in the centre of Arsenal's attack, pulling the strings. Scored a great goal himself after an exquiste touch, which showed his class. He answered to his critics by his impressive work rate as well.
Giroud: 7
Scored his first goal in an Arsenal shirt. Provided an assist for Arshavin. His movement off the ball has been good and he contributes a lot to the team. Hopefully, this goal will open the floodgate.
Subs
Gnabry: 7
72nd-substitute for Oxlade-Chamberlain. Looked promising with great technical abilities.
Chamakh: 7
Came on as a 73rd-miute substitute for Giroud. Involved in some good attacking play.
Frimpong: 7
Replaced Coquelin in the 73rd minute. Emotional first appearance in seven months.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Manchester City 1 Arsenal 1
Although the season was only four match old, this game came as a big test for Arsenal and their title credential underwent a close scrutiny as they faced one of their title rivals for the first time this season. And how did they come out of it? It seemed that most journalists and pundits alike admit Arsenal passed the test with flying colours. They certainly think Arsenal are bona fide title contenders now.
Arsenal may have deserved more than a point as they were clearly a better side in the first half, but Manchester City had more clear-cut chances. Coming away with a point from the Etihad Stadium, where the hosts haven't lost since December 2010, is not a bad result at all. The draw also meant that one of our rivals dropped two points at home.
As for the team selection, Thomas Vermaelen missed out due to flu and in came Laurent Koscielny, who was arguably our best defender last season, but he struggled to get in the team, with his involvement this season limited to just an injury time appearance against Liverpool. We thought the France international might get the nod, but we didn't expect he would start in place of the skipper.
A surprise inclusion in the starting XI was Aaron Ramsey, who had never started this season before this match. Prior to the match, Arsene Wenger boasted the quality and quantity of the Arsenal midfield and the team selection this day showed just that. In fact, Arsenal midfield dominated in the first half and looked imperious. Ramsey was probably the player who enjoyed the space and freedom given to him most and he used them very well.
Ramsey's inclusion meant that Giroud was left on the bench. Gervinho played the central role once again, with Podolski on the left wing, but these players and Cazorla were very mobile as usual. Ramsey took a unfamiliar wide-right position.
Another change to the side which faced Southampton was in the goal keeping position. Mannone came in for the injured Szczesny.
In the last season's same fixture, we were unlucky to lose. We played well again this season and although we fell behind against run of play, we kept going and fought back to earn a draw. This is definitely an improvement over the last season.
What a difference a year can make. This time last year, just as we had thought we would be OK with the five deadline-day signings after registering our first win against newly-promoted Swansea, we suffered a heart-breaking defeat to Blackburn. We were left with only four points from the first five games and a deficit of eight goals in goal difference. This season we have bagged nine points from the same number of games and are yet to be beaten. After going through another difficult summer, we, Arsenal fans, remain optimistic and look forward to this weekend's encounter with another title rival, Chelsea. And we have enough reasons to be hopeful. We have a good team with mostly experienced players aged around 26 years and a few young players who have been stepping up their game in each game, like Carl Jenkinson and Kieran Gibbs. We still have Jack Wilshere, Bacary Sagna and Tomas Rosicky to come back as well. There are still some sceptics about Arsenal's depth in the squad, but as long as we stay injury-free, we have enough quality in the squad.
Player ratings
Mannone: 7
Arsene admitted that the 24-year old keeper had a hand in Man City's goal through his misjudgement. But other than that, he had a solid game and made some excellent saves, including the fingertip save that denied Dzeko's effort. Can he keep his place when Szczesny's back?
Jenkinson: 8
Outmuscled Lescott and his powerful runs gave Garcia a hard time. On the defensive side, he kept Scott Sinclair in his pocket. Sinclair was so ineffectual that he was replaced by Jack Rodwell at half time. His best game so far this season, but we are quite sure at this rate he will improve further, which is an encouraging sign because it is expected to be a few more weeks before Bacary Sagna resumes his normal service.
Mertesacker: 8
Apart from a few mistakes, he was solid. Good positioning. Arsenal fan's Man of the Match with 27% of the total votes (according to the Arsenal.com site), followed by the goal scorer, Koscielny, with 23%. The interesting thing about the fans opinions, they tend to rate the performance of the players who have been under criticism, such as Mertesacker, Jenkinson, and Ramsey more than acclaimed players like Cazorla.
Koscielny: 8
Scored a well-deserved equaliser. He smashed it at the top corner of the goal, just like a striker. On the other hand, his poor clearance nearly gifted Aguero a winner. Other than that mistake, he defended well.
Gibbs: 7
Good going forward, although some of his crosses left something to be desired. His unnecessary clearance at the cost of a corner, which led to Man City's goal, may have been avoided had Vermaelen been on the pitch. Captain would have called him to leave it.
Cazorla: 9
He seems to be journalists' Man of the Match. His passing caused Man City all sorts of problem.
Arteta: 8
In the heart of the Arsenal midfield. Made 106 passes and successfully completed 100.
Diaby: 7
Did OK in the first half, but was replaced in the 71st minute, when he started to look tired.
Ramsey: 8
Made good runs and incisive passes. Slid a pin-point pass to Gervinho, whose poor touch let him down. He had a good game and was effective for the team.
Gervinho: 6
Left his shooting boots at home. His finishes were awful and the timing of some of his runs were wrong. It was disappointing as he looked like going in the right direction this season.
Podolski: 6
Worked hard, but chances didn't fall on him. Had a good chance after receiving Jenkinson's pass, but blasted high.
Subs
Giroud: 6
Came on as a 71st-minute substitute for Abu Diaby. His introduction prompted Ramsey to move to more familiar central midfield and Gervinho to move to the left wing.
Walcott: 6
Came on in the 71st minute to replace Podolski and play on the right flank.
Coquelin: N/A
Left the bench to replace Gervinho in the 90th minute.
Arsenal may have deserved more than a point as they were clearly a better side in the first half, but Manchester City had more clear-cut chances. Coming away with a point from the Etihad Stadium, where the hosts haven't lost since December 2010, is not a bad result at all. The draw also meant that one of our rivals dropped two points at home.
As for the team selection, Thomas Vermaelen missed out due to flu and in came Laurent Koscielny, who was arguably our best defender last season, but he struggled to get in the team, with his involvement this season limited to just an injury time appearance against Liverpool. We thought the France international might get the nod, but we didn't expect he would start in place of the skipper.
A surprise inclusion in the starting XI was Aaron Ramsey, who had never started this season before this match. Prior to the match, Arsene Wenger boasted the quality and quantity of the Arsenal midfield and the team selection this day showed just that. In fact, Arsenal midfield dominated in the first half and looked imperious. Ramsey was probably the player who enjoyed the space and freedom given to him most and he used them very well.
Ramsey's inclusion meant that Giroud was left on the bench. Gervinho played the central role once again, with Podolski on the left wing, but these players and Cazorla were very mobile as usual. Ramsey took a unfamiliar wide-right position.
Another change to the side which faced Southampton was in the goal keeping position. Mannone came in for the injured Szczesny.
In the last season's same fixture, we were unlucky to lose. We played well again this season and although we fell behind against run of play, we kept going and fought back to earn a draw. This is definitely an improvement over the last season.
What a difference a year can make. This time last year, just as we had thought we would be OK with the five deadline-day signings after registering our first win against newly-promoted Swansea, we suffered a heart-breaking defeat to Blackburn. We were left with only four points from the first five games and a deficit of eight goals in goal difference. This season we have bagged nine points from the same number of games and are yet to be beaten. After going through another difficult summer, we, Arsenal fans, remain optimistic and look forward to this weekend's encounter with another title rival, Chelsea. And we have enough reasons to be hopeful. We have a good team with mostly experienced players aged around 26 years and a few young players who have been stepping up their game in each game, like Carl Jenkinson and Kieran Gibbs. We still have Jack Wilshere, Bacary Sagna and Tomas Rosicky to come back as well. There are still some sceptics about Arsenal's depth in the squad, but as long as we stay injury-free, we have enough quality in the squad.
Player ratings
Mannone: 7
Arsene admitted that the 24-year old keeper had a hand in Man City's goal through his misjudgement. But other than that, he had a solid game and made some excellent saves, including the fingertip save that denied Dzeko's effort. Can he keep his place when Szczesny's back?
Jenkinson: 8
Outmuscled Lescott and his powerful runs gave Garcia a hard time. On the defensive side, he kept Scott Sinclair in his pocket. Sinclair was so ineffectual that he was replaced by Jack Rodwell at half time. His best game so far this season, but we are quite sure at this rate he will improve further, which is an encouraging sign because it is expected to be a few more weeks before Bacary Sagna resumes his normal service.
Mertesacker: 8
Apart from a few mistakes, he was solid. Good positioning. Arsenal fan's Man of the Match with 27% of the total votes (according to the Arsenal.com site), followed by the goal scorer, Koscielny, with 23%. The interesting thing about the fans opinions, they tend to rate the performance of the players who have been under criticism, such as Mertesacker, Jenkinson, and Ramsey more than acclaimed players like Cazorla.
Koscielny: 8
Scored a well-deserved equaliser. He smashed it at the top corner of the goal, just like a striker. On the other hand, his poor clearance nearly gifted Aguero a winner. Other than that mistake, he defended well.
Gibbs: 7
Good going forward, although some of his crosses left something to be desired. His unnecessary clearance at the cost of a corner, which led to Man City's goal, may have been avoided had Vermaelen been on the pitch. Captain would have called him to leave it.
Cazorla: 9
He seems to be journalists' Man of the Match. His passing caused Man City all sorts of problem.
Arteta: 8
In the heart of the Arsenal midfield. Made 106 passes and successfully completed 100.
Diaby: 7
Did OK in the first half, but was replaced in the 71st minute, when he started to look tired.
Ramsey: 8
Made good runs and incisive passes. Slid a pin-point pass to Gervinho, whose poor touch let him down. He had a good game and was effective for the team.
Gervinho: 6
Left his shooting boots at home. His finishes were awful and the timing of some of his runs were wrong. It was disappointing as he looked like going in the right direction this season.
Podolski: 6
Worked hard, but chances didn't fall on him. Had a good chance after receiving Jenkinson's pass, but blasted high.
Subs
Giroud: 6
Came on as a 71st-minute substitute for Abu Diaby. His introduction prompted Ramsey to move to more familiar central midfield and Gervinho to move to the left wing.
Walcott: 6
Came on in the 71st minute to replace Podolski and play on the right flank.
Coquelin: N/A
Left the bench to replace Gervinho in the 90th minute.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Montpellier 1 Arsenal 2
Our first reaction to the game immediately after the final whistle was a relief. Arsenal's second-half display was too hairy for our comfort. It made a very nervy viewing for us.
After the match, pundits and fans' views were split, depending on how they looked at Arsenal's defensive performance and which half of the game they looked at. Opionions tend to be formed centring around the second half of the game as it makes more fresher impressions on people's mind.
Arsenal were impressive in the first half, apart from Vermaelen's "unnecessary" challenge by his admission. They quickly responded to the early goal they conceded, by scoring two goals within two minutes of each other via excellent team play. Arsenal kept the game under control for the remaining of the first half.
However, the second half was a totally different story. Vermaelen admitted that they were not at their best in the latter half of the game. Tony Adams said Arsenal were lucky and he was not convinced with the Arsenal defence. On the other hand, a section of Arsenal fans claim that Arsenal defended well. We agree with the Arsenal legend. We were lucky as Cabella's effort hit the woodwork, Belhanda only managed a tame shot at Mannone in a golden opportunity, Mannone made some outstanding saves and Diaby escaped another yellow card and a penalty. Our defence looked far from solid in the second half, we were always second to the 50/50 ball and our passing was not as accurate as usual (although stats show our passing success rate was right in our standard range of 84.5%). However, it is also true that it is a champions' trait that they grind out results when they cannot play well as some fans say. And we have done just that.
Another point that splits views was whether Arsenal tried to save themselves for the upcoming Premier League match against Manchester City and decided to sit back and concentrate on protecting the one-goal lead. We have noticed Gervinho's abrupt halts to his surging runs in the final third and his inhibition to carry the ball higher on the pitch. We thought he might have been struggling with a knock, but as he completed 90 minutes and Steve Bould said after the match that everybody was OK, it may have been a team tactic. Some fans praise Arsenal for doing just enough to get the result, but it was still disappointing to see Arsenal on the backfoot and not fulfilling their potential following their superb performances in the previous two games against Liverpool and Southampton, which looked like a sign of some consistency. Also, doubt has crept in about our defence, which had been so solid this season that they had only conceded one goal prior to this match.
Another argument was whether we should have made substitutions earlier. Walcott and Coquelin were the 90th-minute substitutes. Diaby's fatigue was obvious. He should have been replaced earlier, which could have saved the controversy about Montpellier's penalty claim.
Whether we held on to the narrow lead thanks to luck or our resolute defending, the one thing is certain that coming away with three points from the hostile ground was a great result and excellent start to the new Champions League season. In this competition, home wins are imperative and any away win is a massive advantage. The results of the English clubs' first games were mixed: Man City's 3-2 defeat to Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, Man Utd's unconvincing 1-0 home win over Galatasaray, and Chelsea's home draw against Juventus after squandering a 2-0 lead. I'd happily take a lucky 2-1 away win any day of the week.
Arsenal's credentials as title contenders will under a scrutiny this weekend, when they face one of their title rivals for the first time this season. Let's hope everybody gets a good rest before the match and turns up fresh and sharp at the match on Sunday because nothing less than 100% from each player would do against the reigning Premier League champions.
Player ratings
Mannone: 7
Made match-saving saves. Was he too quick to commit himself to one direction for the penalty?
Jenkinson: 7
His low cross set up Gervinho's winner.
Mertesacker: 6
Had a relatively poor game by his standards.
Vermaelen: 6
Uncharacteristic mistake from usually reliable captain.
Gibbs: 6
The left side was more exposed in this game than before.
Cazorla: 7
Faded in the second half, but did well to get to the end of Diaby's pass and make an effort.
Arteta: 8
Had a tough day, receiving rough treatment by Montpellier players.
Diaby: 6
First appearance since his injury during the international break. He looked tired in the second half and was clearly not at his best.
Gervinho: 8
Started on the right flank and scored the winner. Maintained his scintillating form.
Podolski: 8
He slotted home coolly after set free by Giroud's pass. There is no doubt about his quality. On top of his technical abilities, we like his confidence and determination to win. He says he loves one-on-one situations with the keeper. We have a great goal-scorer in him.
Giroud: 7
Set up a goal for Podolski, playing a part in Arsenal's slick attacking movement. The media are trying to make us believe that the fans are not happy with him yet to break his Arsenal duck, but as long as he contributes to the team through his work rate and gets in great positions, goals will come sooner rather than later. In the meantime, goal-scoring responsibilities can be shared among other players, such as Gervinho and Podolski. We are not worried. Besides, we paid only £13 million for the last season's Ligue 1 top scorer, not £50 million. How many months did it take for Torres to score his first goal in a Chelsea shirt? I don't know what all the fuss is about.
Subs
Ramsey: 7
75th-minute substitute for Giroud.
Theo Walcott: 6
Came on in the 90th minute for Podolski.
Coquelin: 6
Came on in the 90th minute for Cazorla.
After the match, pundits and fans' views were split, depending on how they looked at Arsenal's defensive performance and which half of the game they looked at. Opionions tend to be formed centring around the second half of the game as it makes more fresher impressions on people's mind.
Arsenal were impressive in the first half, apart from Vermaelen's "unnecessary" challenge by his admission. They quickly responded to the early goal they conceded, by scoring two goals within two minutes of each other via excellent team play. Arsenal kept the game under control for the remaining of the first half.
However, the second half was a totally different story. Vermaelen admitted that they were not at their best in the latter half of the game. Tony Adams said Arsenal were lucky and he was not convinced with the Arsenal defence. On the other hand, a section of Arsenal fans claim that Arsenal defended well. We agree with the Arsenal legend. We were lucky as Cabella's effort hit the woodwork, Belhanda only managed a tame shot at Mannone in a golden opportunity, Mannone made some outstanding saves and Diaby escaped another yellow card and a penalty. Our defence looked far from solid in the second half, we were always second to the 50/50 ball and our passing was not as accurate as usual (although stats show our passing success rate was right in our standard range of 84.5%). However, it is also true that it is a champions' trait that they grind out results when they cannot play well as some fans say. And we have done just that.
Another point that splits views was whether Arsenal tried to save themselves for the upcoming Premier League match against Manchester City and decided to sit back and concentrate on protecting the one-goal lead. We have noticed Gervinho's abrupt halts to his surging runs in the final third and his inhibition to carry the ball higher on the pitch. We thought he might have been struggling with a knock, but as he completed 90 minutes and Steve Bould said after the match that everybody was OK, it may have been a team tactic. Some fans praise Arsenal for doing just enough to get the result, but it was still disappointing to see Arsenal on the backfoot and not fulfilling their potential following their superb performances in the previous two games against Liverpool and Southampton, which looked like a sign of some consistency. Also, doubt has crept in about our defence, which had been so solid this season that they had only conceded one goal prior to this match.
Another argument was whether we should have made substitutions earlier. Walcott and Coquelin were the 90th-minute substitutes. Diaby's fatigue was obvious. He should have been replaced earlier, which could have saved the controversy about Montpellier's penalty claim.
Whether we held on to the narrow lead thanks to luck or our resolute defending, the one thing is certain that coming away with three points from the hostile ground was a great result and excellent start to the new Champions League season. In this competition, home wins are imperative and any away win is a massive advantage. The results of the English clubs' first games were mixed: Man City's 3-2 defeat to Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, Man Utd's unconvincing 1-0 home win over Galatasaray, and Chelsea's home draw against Juventus after squandering a 2-0 lead. I'd happily take a lucky 2-1 away win any day of the week.
Arsenal's credentials as title contenders will under a scrutiny this weekend, when they face one of their title rivals for the first time this season. Let's hope everybody gets a good rest before the match and turns up fresh and sharp at the match on Sunday because nothing less than 100% from each player would do against the reigning Premier League champions.
Player ratings
Mannone: 7
Made match-saving saves. Was he too quick to commit himself to one direction for the penalty?
Jenkinson: 7
His low cross set up Gervinho's winner.
Mertesacker: 6
Had a relatively poor game by his standards.
Vermaelen: 6
Uncharacteristic mistake from usually reliable captain.
Gibbs: 6
The left side was more exposed in this game than before.
Cazorla: 7
Faded in the second half, but did well to get to the end of Diaby's pass and make an effort.
Arteta: 8
Had a tough day, receiving rough treatment by Montpellier players.
Diaby: 6
First appearance since his injury during the international break. He looked tired in the second half and was clearly not at his best.
Gervinho: 8
Started on the right flank and scored the winner. Maintained his scintillating form.
Podolski: 8
He slotted home coolly after set free by Giroud's pass. There is no doubt about his quality. On top of his technical abilities, we like his confidence and determination to win. He says he loves one-on-one situations with the keeper. We have a great goal-scorer in him.
Giroud: 7
Set up a goal for Podolski, playing a part in Arsenal's slick attacking movement. The media are trying to make us believe that the fans are not happy with him yet to break his Arsenal duck, but as long as he contributes to the team through his work rate and gets in great positions, goals will come sooner rather than later. In the meantime, goal-scoring responsibilities can be shared among other players, such as Gervinho and Podolski. We are not worried. Besides, we paid only £13 million for the last season's Ligue 1 top scorer, not £50 million. How many months did it take for Torres to score his first goal in a Chelsea shirt? I don't know what all the fuss is about.
Subs
Ramsey: 7
75th-minute substitute for Giroud.
Theo Walcott: 6
Came on in the 90th minute for Podolski.
Coquelin: 6
Came on in the 90th minute for Cazorla.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Arsenal 6 Southampton 1
Talking points for the team selection prior to this match were (1) who was going to replace injured Diaby as Arsene Wenger was unlikely to take a chance on the France international's fitness ahead of the important two matches in the coming week, (2) if fit-again Wojciech Szczesny would start instead of the third-choice keeper Vito Mannone, and (3) if Koscielny, who grew into one of the finest defenders last season, was to replace Per Mertesacker.
As it turned out, Coquelin started in midfield alongside with Santi Cazorla and Arteta. Some expected this as the France U-21 midfielder was more similar fit to Diaby, but others, including myself, assumed that Wenger was more likely to choose Ramsey because Coquelin would make Arsenal's midfield too defensive. Ramsey came off the bench to replace Coquelin in the 67th minutes after a spell of rallies from a Southampton side and within 10 minutes he set up a goal for Gervinho to kill off the game. Wenger's tactics were spot-on.
Szczesny resumed his service in goal, but this decision turned out to be a wrong one. Vito Mannone never put a foot wrong during the two matches in which he deputised the Pole. Mannone deserves a chance to challenge Szczesny's No. 1 status. Szczesny's goal-keeping error cost us a new record, a fourth clean sheet at top flight, and his clearance and distribution made us very nervous. After the match, it was revealed that he was carrying an ankle injury he sustained before the match. Perhaps, it affected his kicking.
As for the third point, Koscielny was left on the bench once again. It shows that we have plenty of depth in the squad at the moment. A great defender like Koscielny cannot get a starting place in the current team.
While the above changes were expected to some extent, the starting line-up supplied a larger surprise, as Gervinho came in for Olivier Giroud, who was dropped to the bench, and this was a straight swap. Gervenho was deployed as a centre forward, with Podolski on the left wing. In the post-match review, Arsene Wenger explained his decision as follows: "I decided that during our tour of Asia when I tried to play Gervinho there against Man City in that position. I liked what he did and it was in the back of my mind. He joked "You know we transform all wingers into central strikers and all the strikers into wingers! " And on leaving Giroud on the bench, he said "I felt that he is under much pressure at the moment and sometimes to get a little breather is good". Two goals from Gervinho vindicated Wenger's bold decision.
It was a great result with another superb team performance. We have just shown the world that we are no longer a one-man team and we can score goals without Robin van Persie. Some say that the emphatic win was not worth all the plaudits as it was against a team at the bottom of the table, but the same team scored two goals against each of the Manchester clubs and gave them good games. Also, critics say the wins so far are against minnows, but aren't Liverpool supposed to be one of the big clubs?
Southampton may have been a bit unlucky, conceding two own goals. However, the own goals were the result of the relentless pressure Arsenal applied on them and if Southampton players hadn't put the ball in their own net, Arsenal players would have finished it anyway. Arsenal were unlucky not to put their own players' names on the scoresheet for those goals. Last season, Arsenal were usually stranger to this kind of good fortune. However, I could not help thinking that luck might be on our side this season or at least in this game, when Ramsey's shot was denied by the inside of the post, which then fell for Gevinho to tap in. We may have been luckier this season, but the difference is that we tend to have more players in the box this season in order to capitalise on these occasions.
Arsenal's solid start to the season is largely attributed to the improved defence. While the new attacking players were bedding in, the solid defence kept clean sheets to ensure the team's unbeaten run. What a genius strategy Arsenee Wenger came up with!
Another sublime performance from the Gunners after the dreaded international break is an encouraging sign of consistency. Keep up the good work, boys.
Player ratings
Szczesny: 4
Made a mistake, which led us to concede the first goal this season.
Jenkinson: 8
He has been improving every game. People started to recognise his work, but he still seems underrated compared with Gibbs. Yes, Gibbs are more experienced than him at the highest level, but Gibbs can also go forward more freely because he has Podolski, who is an excellent defender, in front of him. Jenkinson seems to be learning the right defence-attack balance as he went forward more often in this game. Some of his crosses and passes are good, too.
Mertesacker: 8
Reliable defensive play. Unlucky not to score.
Vermaelen: 8
Solid as usual.
Gibbs: 9
Many think he was the Man of the Match, based on his contribution to attacking play with two assists.
Cazorla: 9
He was again in the heart of Arsenal's attacking play.
Arteta: 8
With a holding midfielder in the starting line-up in the shape of Francis Coquelin, he was allowed to push further forward in this game. Made an incisive pass which allowed Gervinho to get behind the Southampton defence and smashed his effort home.
Coquelin: 8
Did his job well, by keeping up the pace of passing.
Oxlaide-Chamberlain: 8
Looked dangerous on the right flank. Made a good effort, which forced a save of the match from Kelvin Davis.
Podolski: 9
His curler was exquisite. The free-kick was right in the RVP-speciality zone, but who needs him, when you have Poldi's quality. Cazorla is another decent free-kick taker. Poldi revealed that he asked Santi to let him take the free-kick. Poldi is a very confident individual. The way his goal set the Emirates alight will only help his confidence grow further. In the build up to the first goal, he showed his physical strength to shrug off the challenge and made a wonderful run and continued it after his pass found Gibbs.
Gervinho: 9
He may be the player who has benefited most from RVP's departure. Last season, he did everything right but decisions for the final ball. Especially when he couldn't find RVP, he looked lost. His potential was already obvious in his pace and trickery. His pre-season form suggested that this would be his breakthrough season and this game was just the beginning of its manifestations. On top of his stellar performance for the Ivory Coast national team last week, the two goals against Southampton should serve as a confidence booster for him.
Subs
Ramsey: 8
Showed his technical ability in the clever turn. Provided an assist for Gervinho's second goal.
Theo Walcott: 8
74th-minute substitute for Gervinho. Scored a late goal with composed finish. Showed his class by not celebrating the goal against his old club.
Giroud: 7
Came on in the 75th minute to replace Podolski. He could have scored his first goal for Arsenal, only had Walcott made a pass in the right time when the French striker was making a parallel run in the middle unmarked.
As it turned out, Coquelin started in midfield alongside with Santi Cazorla and Arteta. Some expected this as the France U-21 midfielder was more similar fit to Diaby, but others, including myself, assumed that Wenger was more likely to choose Ramsey because Coquelin would make Arsenal's midfield too defensive. Ramsey came off the bench to replace Coquelin in the 67th minutes after a spell of rallies from a Southampton side and within 10 minutes he set up a goal for Gervinho to kill off the game. Wenger's tactics were spot-on.
Szczesny resumed his service in goal, but this decision turned out to be a wrong one. Vito Mannone never put a foot wrong during the two matches in which he deputised the Pole. Mannone deserves a chance to challenge Szczesny's No. 1 status. Szczesny's goal-keeping error cost us a new record, a fourth clean sheet at top flight, and his clearance and distribution made us very nervous. After the match, it was revealed that he was carrying an ankle injury he sustained before the match. Perhaps, it affected his kicking.
As for the third point, Koscielny was left on the bench once again. It shows that we have plenty of depth in the squad at the moment. A great defender like Koscielny cannot get a starting place in the current team.
While the above changes were expected to some extent, the starting line-up supplied a larger surprise, as Gervinho came in for Olivier Giroud, who was dropped to the bench, and this was a straight swap. Gervenho was deployed as a centre forward, with Podolski on the left wing. In the post-match review, Arsene Wenger explained his decision as follows: "I decided that during our tour of Asia when I tried to play Gervinho there against Man City in that position. I liked what he did and it was in the back of my mind. He joked "You know we transform all wingers into central strikers and all the strikers into wingers! " And on leaving Giroud on the bench, he said "I felt that he is under much pressure at the moment and sometimes to get a little breather is good". Two goals from Gervinho vindicated Wenger's bold decision.
It was a great result with another superb team performance. We have just shown the world that we are no longer a one-man team and we can score goals without Robin van Persie. Some say that the emphatic win was not worth all the plaudits as it was against a team at the bottom of the table, but the same team scored two goals against each of the Manchester clubs and gave them good games. Also, critics say the wins so far are against minnows, but aren't Liverpool supposed to be one of the big clubs?
Southampton may have been a bit unlucky, conceding two own goals. However, the own goals were the result of the relentless pressure Arsenal applied on them and if Southampton players hadn't put the ball in their own net, Arsenal players would have finished it anyway. Arsenal were unlucky not to put their own players' names on the scoresheet for those goals. Last season, Arsenal were usually stranger to this kind of good fortune. However, I could not help thinking that luck might be on our side this season or at least in this game, when Ramsey's shot was denied by the inside of the post, which then fell for Gevinho to tap in. We may have been luckier this season, but the difference is that we tend to have more players in the box this season in order to capitalise on these occasions.
Arsenal's solid start to the season is largely attributed to the improved defence. While the new attacking players were bedding in, the solid defence kept clean sheets to ensure the team's unbeaten run. What a genius strategy Arsenee Wenger came up with!
Another sublime performance from the Gunners after the dreaded international break is an encouraging sign of consistency. Keep up the good work, boys.
Player ratings
Szczesny: 4
Made a mistake, which led us to concede the first goal this season.
Jenkinson: 8
He has been improving every game. People started to recognise his work, but he still seems underrated compared with Gibbs. Yes, Gibbs are more experienced than him at the highest level, but Gibbs can also go forward more freely because he has Podolski, who is an excellent defender, in front of him. Jenkinson seems to be learning the right defence-attack balance as he went forward more often in this game. Some of his crosses and passes are good, too.
Mertesacker: 8
Reliable defensive play. Unlucky not to score.
Vermaelen: 8
Solid as usual.
Gibbs: 9
Many think he was the Man of the Match, based on his contribution to attacking play with two assists.
Cazorla: 9
He was again in the heart of Arsenal's attacking play.
Arteta: 8
With a holding midfielder in the starting line-up in the shape of Francis Coquelin, he was allowed to push further forward in this game. Made an incisive pass which allowed Gervinho to get behind the Southampton defence and smashed his effort home.
Coquelin: 8
Did his job well, by keeping up the pace of passing.
Oxlaide-Chamberlain: 8
Looked dangerous on the right flank. Made a good effort, which forced a save of the match from Kelvin Davis.
Podolski: 9
His curler was exquisite. The free-kick was right in the RVP-speciality zone, but who needs him, when you have Poldi's quality. Cazorla is another decent free-kick taker. Poldi revealed that he asked Santi to let him take the free-kick. Poldi is a very confident individual. The way his goal set the Emirates alight will only help his confidence grow further. In the build up to the first goal, he showed his physical strength to shrug off the challenge and made a wonderful run and continued it after his pass found Gibbs.
Gervinho: 9
He may be the player who has benefited most from RVP's departure. Last season, he did everything right but decisions for the final ball. Especially when he couldn't find RVP, he looked lost. His potential was already obvious in his pace and trickery. His pre-season form suggested that this would be his breakthrough season and this game was just the beginning of its manifestations. On top of his stellar performance for the Ivory Coast national team last week, the two goals against Southampton should serve as a confidence booster for him.
Subs
Ramsey: 8
Showed his technical ability in the clever turn. Provided an assist for Gervinho's second goal.
Theo Walcott: 8
74th-minute substitute for Gervinho. Scored a late goal with composed finish. Showed his class by not celebrating the goal against his old club.
Giroud: 7
Came on in the 75th minute to replace Podolski. He could have scored his first goal for Arsenal, only had Walcott made a pass in the right time when the French striker was making a parallel run in the middle unmarked.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Liverpool 0 Arsenal 2
Arsenal's attack has finally delivered end-products thanks to the excellent linkup play between the two new signings, while the team kept a third successive clean sheet. Diaby, Arteta and Cazorla dominated in midfield, outplaying their counterparts. A 2-0 win at Anfield was a great result in every aspect. Three points, two goals, and a clean sheet. It was just a perfect afternoon for us.
The new-look Arsenal impressed us with their quick passing with purpose and solid defence as a team. Especially, the quick counterattack that led to the first goal was something we have been looking for for some time. We are extremely happy with the two new signings playing key roles for setting up and scoring eagerly awaited first goals. Podolski's influence was already obvious in the Stoke game, in which his direct style raised our expectations for a new dimension to be added to Arsenal's game. It took no time for Cazorla to fit in Arsenal's playing style. Many think he is the best signing for Arsenal in the recent years. We have finally found a perfect replacement for Cesc Fabregas. Now all we want is a goal from Giroud so that it will take some pressure off him and give him confidence.
Two goals in three games may not be enough to make us forget van Persie immediately, but Arteta and Diaby's superb display against Liverpool certainly softened the blow that Song's departure caused. If both of the midfielders stay injury-free and Wilshere comes back when he is expected to do (which is in a month's time), Wenger's decision not to bring in Song's replacement should prove right.
The Man of the Match is widely considered to be Abu Diaby, but it is difficult to pick a single player because it was an accomplished team performance. Everybody contributed to keeping a third consecutive clean sheet. However, it is fair to say that Diaby was outstanding both defensively and offensively. This was one of his best performances without doubt. Personally, I wasn't a big fan of Diaby (not because he is an alleged Tottenham fan, but) because he was so inconsistent you never knew which Diaby was going to turn up on the day. When he had just began to show some kind of consistency, he suffered the long-term injury. Let's hope he can keep up the good work after the international break.
Overall, it was very encouraging team performance, which suggested us that they could be title contenders if they can reproduce this day's performance week in week out.
Player ratings
Mannone: 7
Made a couple of good saves. There were moments of indecisiveness, but other than that, he had no problem.
Jenkinson: 7
After poor passing at early stages of the game, he looked solid defensively. He is sometimes criticised for not getting forward enough to help the right winger, but he is a defender at the end of the day. We are quite happy with him concentrating on the defensive side of his job, especially when compared with his counterpart, Glen Johnson, whose too much involvement in going forward cost his team dearly. Jenkinson even made an effort from distance.
Mertesacker: 7
His passing was mixed. One of the bad ones forced Arteta to earn a yellow card. He presented a strong case for Liverpool's penalty claim, but thankfully he got away with it, probably because of Suarez's reputation for going down too easily. Replays showed that the first Liverpool penalty shout was ruled out correctly as the Germany international won the ball cleanly.
Vermaelen: 8
Made some crucial clearances and blocks. Committed performance from the new captain.
Gibbs: 7
Good going forward as well. Had a shot worth trying.
Cazorla: 8
He was in the heart of Arsenal's creativity. Delivered the killer pass to set up a goal for Podolski and scored Arsenal's second goal.
Arteta: 8
Most underrated player because of his deeper position and defensive role, but he put in some important tackles and made 92 passes with passing success ratio of a staggering 94.6%
Diaby: 9
He was awesome in winning the ball, carrying it forward and passing it.
Oxlaide-Chamberlain: 6
Largely kept quiet by Sterling.
Podolski: 8
Scored his first goal for Arsenal, Arsenal's first goal of the season, and set up for a goal for Cazorla via a neat one-two with him. His finish was precise and composed. In light of his performance for the German national team in the Euro 2012, we were sceptical about the best position for him being the left wing, based on his poor crossing. However, this game showed we were wrong. He often cuts in to the middle and helps Gibbs defensively so that the left-back can go forward to provide the width and deliver crosses. Arsenal's attacking lineup started taking shape. It seems the only position open to competition is the right wing.
Giroud: 6
Missed a couple of good chances to score, but worked very hard. His movements were good on and off the ball. Made a few good interceptions.
Subs
Ramsey: 6
73rd minute substitute for the Ox who got a kick. He did what he was supposed to do, which was to help Jenkinson and protect the two-goal lead.
Santos: 6
Replaced Podolski in the 82nd minute in order to shore up the defence.
Koscielny: N/A
Came on in the 90th minute to replace Vermaelen who suffered a knock.
The new-look Arsenal impressed us with their quick passing with purpose and solid defence as a team. Especially, the quick counterattack that led to the first goal was something we have been looking for for some time. We are extremely happy with the two new signings playing key roles for setting up and scoring eagerly awaited first goals. Podolski's influence was already obvious in the Stoke game, in which his direct style raised our expectations for a new dimension to be added to Arsenal's game. It took no time for Cazorla to fit in Arsenal's playing style. Many think he is the best signing for Arsenal in the recent years. We have finally found a perfect replacement for Cesc Fabregas. Now all we want is a goal from Giroud so that it will take some pressure off him and give him confidence.
Two goals in three games may not be enough to make us forget van Persie immediately, but Arteta and Diaby's superb display against Liverpool certainly softened the blow that Song's departure caused. If both of the midfielders stay injury-free and Wilshere comes back when he is expected to do (which is in a month's time), Wenger's decision not to bring in Song's replacement should prove right.
The Man of the Match is widely considered to be Abu Diaby, but it is difficult to pick a single player because it was an accomplished team performance. Everybody contributed to keeping a third consecutive clean sheet. However, it is fair to say that Diaby was outstanding both defensively and offensively. This was one of his best performances without doubt. Personally, I wasn't a big fan of Diaby (not because he is an alleged Tottenham fan, but) because he was so inconsistent you never knew which Diaby was going to turn up on the day. When he had just began to show some kind of consistency, he suffered the long-term injury. Let's hope he can keep up the good work after the international break.
Overall, it was very encouraging team performance, which suggested us that they could be title contenders if they can reproduce this day's performance week in week out.
Player ratings
Mannone: 7
Made a couple of good saves. There were moments of indecisiveness, but other than that, he had no problem.
Jenkinson: 7
After poor passing at early stages of the game, he looked solid defensively. He is sometimes criticised for not getting forward enough to help the right winger, but he is a defender at the end of the day. We are quite happy with him concentrating on the defensive side of his job, especially when compared with his counterpart, Glen Johnson, whose too much involvement in going forward cost his team dearly. Jenkinson even made an effort from distance.
Mertesacker: 7
His passing was mixed. One of the bad ones forced Arteta to earn a yellow card. He presented a strong case for Liverpool's penalty claim, but thankfully he got away with it, probably because of Suarez's reputation for going down too easily. Replays showed that the first Liverpool penalty shout was ruled out correctly as the Germany international won the ball cleanly.
Vermaelen: 8
Made some crucial clearances and blocks. Committed performance from the new captain.
Gibbs: 7
Good going forward as well. Had a shot worth trying.
Cazorla: 8
He was in the heart of Arsenal's creativity. Delivered the killer pass to set up a goal for Podolski and scored Arsenal's second goal.
Arteta: 8
Most underrated player because of his deeper position and defensive role, but he put in some important tackles and made 92 passes with passing success ratio of a staggering 94.6%
Diaby: 9
He was awesome in winning the ball, carrying it forward and passing it.
Oxlaide-Chamberlain: 6
Largely kept quiet by Sterling.
Podolski: 8
Scored his first goal for Arsenal, Arsenal's first goal of the season, and set up for a goal for Cazorla via a neat one-two with him. His finish was precise and composed. In light of his performance for the German national team in the Euro 2012, we were sceptical about the best position for him being the left wing, based on his poor crossing. However, this game showed we were wrong. He often cuts in to the middle and helps Gibbs defensively so that the left-back can go forward to provide the width and deliver crosses. Arsenal's attacking lineup started taking shape. It seems the only position open to competition is the right wing.
Giroud: 6
Missed a couple of good chances to score, but worked very hard. His movements were good on and off the ball. Made a few good interceptions.
Subs
Ramsey: 6
73rd minute substitute for the Ox who got a kick. He did what he was supposed to do, which was to help Jenkinson and protect the two-goal lead.
Santos: 6
Replaced Podolski in the 82nd minute in order to shore up the defence.
Koscielny: N/A
Came on in the 90th minute to replace Vermaelen who suffered a knock.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Arsenal 0 Sunderland 0
The media were quick to conclude from the scoreline that Arsenal cannot score without RVP. Giroud missed a glorious chance to get an elusive goal, which they say RVP would have buried. But would he?
Since the Dutchman's disrespectful announcement on his official website, we were in favour of selling him for the right price (preferably to an overseas club), based on our view that he is unlikely to reproduce the last season's stellar performance. He would probably have kept his professional attitude and given 100% for Arsenal's cause should he have had to stay at Arsenal for anther year, because it only increases his value at the end of the season or come January. However, we were very much in doubt as to his goal-scoring form, as he missed a number of clear-cut chances towards the end of the last season and in the Euros. RVP may have secured three points for us last season in those tight situations with a touch of his brilliance, like the legendary volley against Everton, but we don't know if he would have done the same in this game.
A goalless draw was not the result that we hoped for. It was very difficult to break down stubborn Sunderland defence, especially when their keeper produced a man-of-the match performance. They defended resolutely and deserved credit for that. In his post-match interview, Arsene Wenger expressed his preference to an away game for the season opening. The only way for teams like Sunderland to play an open game is to play in front of their home crowd. Coming to the Emirates, most of teams sit back in their half and hope for a draw.
Obviously, the boss was not happy with the team's attack. He blamed the speed of passing and the lack of creativity in the final third for the disappointing result, but we thought Arsenal created a number of chances and played some attractive football. Despite the major changes in personnel, all the Arsenal trade-mark traits were in this game, with a 70% possession and the passing success rate of a staggering 90.4%. Arsenal ended up without end-products, but certainly created plenty of chances.
One player who particularly impressed us was Santi Cazorla. He was technically good, provided creative sparks and worked very hard. He orchestrated Arsenal attack. Most of all, he looked as if he had been playing for Arsenal for a number of years. He fitted into Arsenal's style seamlessly. He looked tired on a few occasions, but he didn't stop working despite having played a friendly for the Spanish national team (and scored a goal) only three days ago in Puerto Rico. He has already proved to be a great steal.
Pundits are harsh on Podolski. Personally, I didn't think he played too badly. There were a couple of occasions which suggested Podolski needed to adapt to the speed of English football. Arsene initially planed to introduce the Germany international and Giroud slowly to the English Premier League, but the departure of RVP didn't allowed such luxury. The striker pair had a relatively short preparation time due to their participation in the Euros and the team didn't have enough pre-season matches due to the postponement of the annual Emirates Cup competition and the planned Nigerian tour. Giroud was clearly not fully match fit, hence his start from the bench. There were plenty of encouraging signs in this game to show that there will be more to come from the two new signings as they increase their sharpness.
When Arsenal introduced the current 4-3-3 formation three seasons ago, it took quite a few games before RVP started scoring goals. Hopefully, it won't take as long as that before Podolski and Giroud will start showing what they are capable of. Wenger seems to intend to play Podolski as a center forward, but is it possible to play both of them at the same time. It may have to involve changes in the system, but it is an exciting prospect that Giroud plays a centre-forward role with Podolski just behind him. We are not quite sure if the wide position is the best position for Podolski.
We had conceded for some time that RVP would play elsewhere this season, but we were not ready to part with Alex Song. As far as RVP's transfer is concerned, we believe that Arsenal did the right thing and did a good business, selling a notoriously injury-prone 29-year-old player with only 12 months left in his contract for £24 million (although selling him to the rivals was not ideal). On the other hand, £15 million for an established Premier-League player at the age of 24 with 2 years left in his contract does not look a good deal in Arsenal's perspective. Song's departure hurts us because it raises a question why we have to sell our best players and rebuild the team every year. Maybe we should blame the ungrateful players, but this issue needs to be addressed.
Regarding a replacement, Wenger stated Jack Wishere will be back soon (a month and half is not soon enough for fans!) and Diaby is back, as well as a possible new recruitment (Nuri Sahin?). Those two players we have are more attack-minded than a traditional defensive midfielder. I would like to see a new signing who dedicates most of his attention to defence and provide a good cover and protection for the back-four. Then, we will have options of midfielders, depending on whom we play against.
Although the result was disappointing, there are a lot of positives to take from this game. A clean sheet is always nice. Arsenal defence was not too much troubled after they had weathered Sunderland's counterattacks in early stages, but there was still some defending to do. They looked solid at the back.
It's early days yet. Hopefully, Arsene Wenger will find the right formula for the team. The next game looks even more difficult as any game at the Britania stadium proves to be a tough one, but hopefully, we will get a better result next Sunday.
Player ratings
Szczezny: 7
Two good saves and one mistake, perhaps from boredom, which he got away with. Not much to do after Sunderland had decided to settle for a goalless draw.
Jenkinson: 7
Not troubled defensively. Some sloppy passes.
Mertesacker: 6
Caught out on two occasions.
Vermaelen: 7
Solid as usual.
Gibbs: 7.5
Good going forward as well.
Cazorla: 8
Our Man of the Match. He was always dangerous going forward. Unlucky not to score with the 20-yard screamer,
Arteta: 7
Did his job, mopping up loose balls. Some good exchanges with Cazorla. His free-kicks and corners left much to be desired, though.
Diaby: 7
Worked hard and got forward a number of times. Although he ran out of steam in the second half, he is nearly where he was before the lengthy injury, with his trade-mark thrust forward. Had a great chance to score.
Gervinho: 7
Continued his pre-season form.
Walcott: 6
Largely quiet. He missed a couple of good chances.
Podolski: 7
Lively.
Subs
Giroud: 5
Replaced Podolski in 63 minutes. Sliced a shot wide after being beautifully set up by Cazorla.
Ramsey: 7
68th-minute substitution for Diaby. Involved in some nice attacking moves.
Arshavin: 6
77th-minute substitution for Walcott. Did not make an impact.
Since the Dutchman's disrespectful announcement on his official website, we were in favour of selling him for the right price (preferably to an overseas club), based on our view that he is unlikely to reproduce the last season's stellar performance. He would probably have kept his professional attitude and given 100% for Arsenal's cause should he have had to stay at Arsenal for anther year, because it only increases his value at the end of the season or come January. However, we were very much in doubt as to his goal-scoring form, as he missed a number of clear-cut chances towards the end of the last season and in the Euros. RVP may have secured three points for us last season in those tight situations with a touch of his brilliance, like the legendary volley against Everton, but we don't know if he would have done the same in this game.
A goalless draw was not the result that we hoped for. It was very difficult to break down stubborn Sunderland defence, especially when their keeper produced a man-of-the match performance. They defended resolutely and deserved credit for that. In his post-match interview, Arsene Wenger expressed his preference to an away game for the season opening. The only way for teams like Sunderland to play an open game is to play in front of their home crowd. Coming to the Emirates, most of teams sit back in their half and hope for a draw.
Obviously, the boss was not happy with the team's attack. He blamed the speed of passing and the lack of creativity in the final third for the disappointing result, but we thought Arsenal created a number of chances and played some attractive football. Despite the major changes in personnel, all the Arsenal trade-mark traits were in this game, with a 70% possession and the passing success rate of a staggering 90.4%. Arsenal ended up without end-products, but certainly created plenty of chances.
One player who particularly impressed us was Santi Cazorla. He was technically good, provided creative sparks and worked very hard. He orchestrated Arsenal attack. Most of all, he looked as if he had been playing for Arsenal for a number of years. He fitted into Arsenal's style seamlessly. He looked tired on a few occasions, but he didn't stop working despite having played a friendly for the Spanish national team (and scored a goal) only three days ago in Puerto Rico. He has already proved to be a great steal.
Pundits are harsh on Podolski. Personally, I didn't think he played too badly. There were a couple of occasions which suggested Podolski needed to adapt to the speed of English football. Arsene initially planed to introduce the Germany international and Giroud slowly to the English Premier League, but the departure of RVP didn't allowed such luxury. The striker pair had a relatively short preparation time due to their participation in the Euros and the team didn't have enough pre-season matches due to the postponement of the annual Emirates Cup competition and the planned Nigerian tour. Giroud was clearly not fully match fit, hence his start from the bench. There were plenty of encouraging signs in this game to show that there will be more to come from the two new signings as they increase their sharpness.
When Arsenal introduced the current 4-3-3 formation three seasons ago, it took quite a few games before RVP started scoring goals. Hopefully, it won't take as long as that before Podolski and Giroud will start showing what they are capable of. Wenger seems to intend to play Podolski as a center forward, but is it possible to play both of them at the same time. It may have to involve changes in the system, but it is an exciting prospect that Giroud plays a centre-forward role with Podolski just behind him. We are not quite sure if the wide position is the best position for Podolski.
We had conceded for some time that RVP would play elsewhere this season, but we were not ready to part with Alex Song. As far as RVP's transfer is concerned, we believe that Arsenal did the right thing and did a good business, selling a notoriously injury-prone 29-year-old player with only 12 months left in his contract for £24 million (although selling him to the rivals was not ideal). On the other hand, £15 million for an established Premier-League player at the age of 24 with 2 years left in his contract does not look a good deal in Arsenal's perspective. Song's departure hurts us because it raises a question why we have to sell our best players and rebuild the team every year. Maybe we should blame the ungrateful players, but this issue needs to be addressed.
Regarding a replacement, Wenger stated Jack Wishere will be back soon (a month and half is not soon enough for fans!) and Diaby is back, as well as a possible new recruitment (Nuri Sahin?). Those two players we have are more attack-minded than a traditional defensive midfielder. I would like to see a new signing who dedicates most of his attention to defence and provide a good cover and protection for the back-four. Then, we will have options of midfielders, depending on whom we play against.
Although the result was disappointing, there are a lot of positives to take from this game. A clean sheet is always nice. Arsenal defence was not too much troubled after they had weathered Sunderland's counterattacks in early stages, but there was still some defending to do. They looked solid at the back.
It's early days yet. Hopefully, Arsene Wenger will find the right formula for the team. The next game looks even more difficult as any game at the Britania stadium proves to be a tough one, but hopefully, we will get a better result next Sunday.
Player ratings
Szczezny: 7
Two good saves and one mistake, perhaps from boredom, which he got away with. Not much to do after Sunderland had decided to settle for a goalless draw.
Jenkinson: 7
Not troubled defensively. Some sloppy passes.
Mertesacker: 6
Caught out on two occasions.
Vermaelen: 7
Solid as usual.
Gibbs: 7.5
Good going forward as well.
Cazorla: 8
Our Man of the Match. He was always dangerous going forward. Unlucky not to score with the 20-yard screamer,
Arteta: 7
Did his job, mopping up loose balls. Some good exchanges with Cazorla. His free-kicks and corners left much to be desired, though.
Diaby: 7
Worked hard and got forward a number of times. Although he ran out of steam in the second half, he is nearly where he was before the lengthy injury, with his trade-mark thrust forward. Had a great chance to score.
Gervinho: 7
Continued his pre-season form.
Walcott: 6
Largely quiet. He missed a couple of good chances.
Podolski: 7
Lively.
Subs
Giroud: 5
Replaced Podolski in 63 minutes. Sliced a shot wide after being beautifully set up by Cazorla.
Ramsey: 7
68th-minute substitution for Diaby. Involved in some nice attacking moves.
Arshavin: 6
77th-minute substitution for Walcott. Did not make an impact.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Asia Tour
Arsenal's pre-season Asia tour ended with a 2-2 draw with Kitchee FC on Sunday, which made the total results 1 win, 1 defeat and 1 draw. Many question the significance of Asia tour as preparation for the new season. The players have to travel a long way and acclimatise themselves. The pitches are often not perfect. They have disadvantages against their local opponents in terms of match fitness and jet lag. They also have to engage in promotional activities, such as signing sessions and local events, with little time to spare for training. The local teams have nothing to lose, while it is a huge honour if they beat Arsenal, whatever side Arsenal field. On the other hand, if Arsenal lose, it is a blow to their confidence and discredit as the games are aired all around the world.
Quite honestly, Arsene Wenger would rather his players train in a cool and quiet Austrian town and play pre-season matches against European teams as Arsenal did until the last year, if pre-season were all about preparation for the new season. Cynical people may call the tour a marketing ploy, but it was a great opportunity for Arsenal fans in Asia to watch their heroes play in front of them and make them feel welcome and adored. In that sense, this Asia tour was a great success. Arsenal attracted a huge crowd everywhere they went and their supporters were louder than the local team fans or Man City fans. Well done to our fellow supporters in Asia. They showed the world that Arsenal were a well-supported club. It was great to see Vermaelen get cheers even on the bench, when the camera showed him on the screen in the Hong Kong Stadium. Arsenal also showed that they care about their fans through the shirts with the players' names in Chinese characters and the banner shown at the end of the game in Beijing. Manchester City didn't take all this trouble. It was just another pre-season match and minor trophy for them.
As for the games, they were the same old stories. Arsenal defence was vulnerable to counter-attacks, while their attack failed to produce results due to poor finishes. Especially, both flanks were horribly exposed, when the opponents started quick counter-attacks with long balls. That's something Arsenal need to address.
On the positive note, there was something new we haven't seen for a long time: quite a few players, including Jenkinson, tried shots from the outside of the box, particularly in the Man City match. Theo's efforts were not too far off. He must have been encouraged by his goal against Sweden in the Euros.
We have two key defenders and two main attackers (we no longer count RVP in our attacking force for the coming season) left at home, with only Chamakh and Afobe as recognisable strikers in this tour. There is expected to be a behind-the-closed-door match before the start of the season, in addition to a game against FC Cologne scheduled on 12 August. Hopefully, all the players, including the two new signings, will get fit and sharp by the time the new season arrives on 18 August. (Recent news reports suggest that Giroud and Podolski are unlikely to feature in the opening game as Wenger intends to ease them into the vigour of the Premier League.)
Following is the round-up of some players' performances:
Gervinho: He has had a good pre-season so far, by scoring against Southampton and making a difference when he came on the pitch against KitChee. His skills, pace and timing of his runs were outstanding. Perhaps, strong competition from Podolski over a starting place on the left wing has sparked his form. His first season was somewhat disappointing, but we are quite sure that he will contribute more to Arsenal's cause in the coming season.
Benik Afobe: There is expectation among Arsenal fans that he is most likely to break into the first team this season as the Fans' Forum Opinion Poll on Arsenal.com site shows, but he is far off the first-team standards. He missed two clear-cut chances in the Kitchee game, which would have won us the game. We already have Bendtner to miss such sitters. He didn't impress us.
Chucks Aneke: He may be a better prospect than Afobe as far as the the pre-season games in Asia are concerned. He made a couple of good attempts for goal in two games. Nevertheless, he is still not ready for the first-team starting line-up.
Thomas Eisfeld: A neat player. He is always where he should be and composed in front of goal. Scoring two goals during his short appearances in the Asia tour, he looks a better prospect that any other Arsenal's young talent.
Carl Jenkinson: This pre-season is very important for him and Arsenal as we will have to do without Sagna at the season opening (probably the first couple of games). He was caught out of position several times against Man City, one of which led to Man City's first goal. He must have learned lessons from the experience as he looked more solid against Kitchee (certainly better than Eastmond), with good awareness of his position when he went forward. Made a great low cross in Hong Kong, which nearly led to a winner.
Andre Santos: He played as a left winger in the games in Malaysia and Beijing. Arsene Wenger tried this in the last few games of the last season, but there are plenty of options on the left wing as Gervinho, Podolski, Chamberlain, Ryo, and Arshavin (if he stays) can all play there. As we need a specialist left-back to cover for injury-prone Kieran Gibbs, it is better that Santos improves his defence rather than learning the trade as a left winger. He actually played better as a left-back in the second half against Kitchee.
Alex Oxlaide Chamberlain: He made an impact against Man City, when he came on the pitch as a central midfielder and then went quiet when he moved to the left wing. Although he was not so influential next time when he took the central midfield position 48 hours later, this position certainly looks good for him. Now Rosicky is set to miss the start of the season, Ox-Arteta-Song is a possible midfield set-up if Arsenal stick to the 4-3-3 formation this season and depending on how Ramsey's fitness level will turn out after the Olympic Games.
Abu Diaby: He played OK against Man City, but was poor against Kitchee. He is not sharp enough to start yet. Arsenal Wenger said he is like a new signing for Arsenal, as well as Wilshere. He always rates the French midfielder highly. Hope the boss proves to be right.
By the way, does anybody have any idea where Henry Lansbury is? Since he scored against Anderlecht in the Markus Liebherr Cup, he seems to have vanished. He was not in the Asia tour squad, nor in reserves games. His name was not included the first-team squad number confirmation announced last week.
Arsene Wenger made it clear that he is still looking for one or two more new signings. So let's hope there will be more quality players to be added before the transfer market closes. The latest transfer rumours link Arsenal with Malaga's Cazorla and Nuri Sahin on loan from Real Madrid.
Quite honestly, Arsene Wenger would rather his players train in a cool and quiet Austrian town and play pre-season matches against European teams as Arsenal did until the last year, if pre-season were all about preparation for the new season. Cynical people may call the tour a marketing ploy, but it was a great opportunity for Arsenal fans in Asia to watch their heroes play in front of them and make them feel welcome and adored. In that sense, this Asia tour was a great success. Arsenal attracted a huge crowd everywhere they went and their supporters were louder than the local team fans or Man City fans. Well done to our fellow supporters in Asia. They showed the world that Arsenal were a well-supported club. It was great to see Vermaelen get cheers even on the bench, when the camera showed him on the screen in the Hong Kong Stadium. Arsenal also showed that they care about their fans through the shirts with the players' names in Chinese characters and the banner shown at the end of the game in Beijing. Manchester City didn't take all this trouble. It was just another pre-season match and minor trophy for them.
As for the games, they were the same old stories. Arsenal defence was vulnerable to counter-attacks, while their attack failed to produce results due to poor finishes. Especially, both flanks were horribly exposed, when the opponents started quick counter-attacks with long balls. That's something Arsenal need to address.
On the positive note, there was something new we haven't seen for a long time: quite a few players, including Jenkinson, tried shots from the outside of the box, particularly in the Man City match. Theo's efforts were not too far off. He must have been encouraged by his goal against Sweden in the Euros.
We have two key defenders and two main attackers (we no longer count RVP in our attacking force for the coming season) left at home, with only Chamakh and Afobe as recognisable strikers in this tour. There is expected to be a behind-the-closed-door match before the start of the season, in addition to a game against FC Cologne scheduled on 12 August. Hopefully, all the players, including the two new signings, will get fit and sharp by the time the new season arrives on 18 August. (Recent news reports suggest that Giroud and Podolski are unlikely to feature in the opening game as Wenger intends to ease them into the vigour of the Premier League.)
Following is the round-up of some players' performances:
Gervinho: He has had a good pre-season so far, by scoring against Southampton and making a difference when he came on the pitch against KitChee. His skills, pace and timing of his runs were outstanding. Perhaps, strong competition from Podolski over a starting place on the left wing has sparked his form. His first season was somewhat disappointing, but we are quite sure that he will contribute more to Arsenal's cause in the coming season.
Benik Afobe: There is expectation among Arsenal fans that he is most likely to break into the first team this season as the Fans' Forum Opinion Poll on Arsenal.com site shows, but he is far off the first-team standards. He missed two clear-cut chances in the Kitchee game, which would have won us the game. We already have Bendtner to miss such sitters. He didn't impress us.
Chucks Aneke: He may be a better prospect than Afobe as far as the the pre-season games in Asia are concerned. He made a couple of good attempts for goal in two games. Nevertheless, he is still not ready for the first-team starting line-up.
Thomas Eisfeld: A neat player. He is always where he should be and composed in front of goal. Scoring two goals during his short appearances in the Asia tour, he looks a better prospect that any other Arsenal's young talent.
Carl Jenkinson: This pre-season is very important for him and Arsenal as we will have to do without Sagna at the season opening (probably the first couple of games). He was caught out of position several times against Man City, one of which led to Man City's first goal. He must have learned lessons from the experience as he looked more solid against Kitchee (certainly better than Eastmond), with good awareness of his position when he went forward. Made a great low cross in Hong Kong, which nearly led to a winner.
Andre Santos: He played as a left winger in the games in Malaysia and Beijing. Arsene Wenger tried this in the last few games of the last season, but there are plenty of options on the left wing as Gervinho, Podolski, Chamberlain, Ryo, and Arshavin (if he stays) can all play there. As we need a specialist left-back to cover for injury-prone Kieran Gibbs, it is better that Santos improves his defence rather than learning the trade as a left winger. He actually played better as a left-back in the second half against Kitchee.
Alex Oxlaide Chamberlain: He made an impact against Man City, when he came on the pitch as a central midfielder and then went quiet when he moved to the left wing. Although he was not so influential next time when he took the central midfield position 48 hours later, this position certainly looks good for him. Now Rosicky is set to miss the start of the season, Ox-Arteta-Song is a possible midfield set-up if Arsenal stick to the 4-3-3 formation this season and depending on how Ramsey's fitness level will turn out after the Olympic Games.
Abu Diaby: He played OK against Man City, but was poor against Kitchee. He is not sharp enough to start yet. Arsenal Wenger said he is like a new signing for Arsenal, as well as Wilshere. He always rates the French midfielder highly. Hope the boss proves to be right.
By the way, does anybody have any idea where Henry Lansbury is? Since he scored against Anderlecht in the Markus Liebherr Cup, he seems to have vanished. He was not in the Asia tour squad, nor in reserves games. His name was not included the first-team squad number confirmation announced last week.
Arsene Wenger made it clear that he is still looking for one or two more new signings. So let's hope there will be more quality players to be added before the transfer market closes. The latest transfer rumours link Arsenal with Malaga's Cazorla and Nuri Sahin on loan from Real Madrid.
Monday, July 16, 2012
The 2012/13 Fixtures
Arsenal's 2012/13 season kicks off at the Emirates against Sunderland. The following is the up-to-date fixture list as of 13 July 2012, including all the League Cup (which is apparently called the Capital One Cup this season), the UEFA Champions League and FA Cup dates.
The first six Premier-League games look tough, especially with those against Manchester City and Chelsea sandwiched by the Champions League games, but they are in the same situation. Away games at the Britania Stadium are always difficult. However, with the two major summer signings joining the rest of the squad from the beginning of the pre-season, they should have enough time to settle in and we should be able to avoid the repeat of the last season's disastrous start. For that reason, we have to sort out the RVP situation quickly. If he leaves (we think Arsenal should sell him for the right price), we have to re-invest the proceeds from his sale into a new player or two and give the team time to gel together. If we had had those deadline signings from the beginning of the pre-season, we could have challenged for the title last season.
Over the period from January to early February, when we usually suffer a drop in form, we will have the almost identical run of games as at the beginning of the season, only in a different order. If we are fighting on the all four fronts, January could prove to be a very hectic month. The whole squad needs to stay fit and sharp over this period.
The last match of the season is an away game against Newcastle, which won't be easy, but hopefully, whatever is at stake at that time (the title would be nice), it should have been decided before the last game. We certainly don't want the situation where everything hangs on this match. It is a shame that the last game is away again as I always like the end-of-the-season lap of appreciation to take place after the end of the last game. The lap of appreciation after the end of the penultimate game is not the same. This is going to be the third last game of the season away in a row.
Other dates to note are north London derbies: Saturday 17 November at home 12:45 (English time) kick-off and Saturday 2 March at the White Hart Lane (this game is highly likely to be rescheduled for the convenience of TV companies). Our annual Benidorm trip may be organised around the time of the latter match as we did earlier this year. Alternatively, if we go all the way, the Capital One Cup final on Sunday 24 February could be the focal point of our Benidorm trip next year as it was in 2011.
At the Las Mimosas bar, our usual venue, games against Manchester United are as big as north London derbies as there is rivalry between us and Man U fans. These dates are Saturday 3 November at Old Trafford and Saturday 27 April at home.
Lastly, we don't like to look too far ahead, but cannot help mentioning that the reward of going all the way to the final in the Champions League this season is playing in the Wembly Stadium. Flying into London to watch Arsenal in the Champions League final would be the highlight of the coming season for us without doubt.
Come on you, Gunners!!
Please note that we have an updated fixture list on 2012/13 fixtures update on this blog.
Note: All kick-off times are UK time.
Source: Arsenal.com site.
The first six Premier-League games look tough, especially with those against Manchester City and Chelsea sandwiched by the Champions League games, but they are in the same situation. Away games at the Britania Stadium are always difficult. However, with the two major summer signings joining the rest of the squad from the beginning of the pre-season, they should have enough time to settle in and we should be able to avoid the repeat of the last season's disastrous start. For that reason, we have to sort out the RVP situation quickly. If he leaves (we think Arsenal should sell him for the right price), we have to re-invest the proceeds from his sale into a new player or two and give the team time to gel together. If we had had those deadline signings from the beginning of the pre-season, we could have challenged for the title last season.
Over the period from January to early February, when we usually suffer a drop in form, we will have the almost identical run of games as at the beginning of the season, only in a different order. If we are fighting on the all four fronts, January could prove to be a very hectic month. The whole squad needs to stay fit and sharp over this period.
The last match of the season is an away game against Newcastle, which won't be easy, but hopefully, whatever is at stake at that time (the title would be nice), it should have been decided before the last game. We certainly don't want the situation where everything hangs on this match. It is a shame that the last game is away again as I always like the end-of-the-season lap of appreciation to take place after the end of the last game. The lap of appreciation after the end of the penultimate game is not the same. This is going to be the third last game of the season away in a row.
Other dates to note are north London derbies: Saturday 17 November at home 12:45 (English time) kick-off and Saturday 2 March at the White Hart Lane (this game is highly likely to be rescheduled for the convenience of TV companies). Our annual Benidorm trip may be organised around the time of the latter match as we did earlier this year. Alternatively, if we go all the way, the Capital One Cup final on Sunday 24 February could be the focal point of our Benidorm trip next year as it was in 2011.
At the Las Mimosas bar, our usual venue, games against Manchester United are as big as north London derbies as there is rivalry between us and Man U fans. These dates are Saturday 3 November at Old Trafford and Saturday 27 April at home.
Lastly, we don't like to look too far ahead, but cannot help mentioning that the reward of going all the way to the final in the Champions League this season is playing in the Wembly Stadium. Flying into London to watch Arsenal in the Champions League final would be the highlight of the coming season for us without doubt.
Come on you, Gunners!!
Please note that we have an updated fixture list on 2012/13 fixtures update on this blog.
 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Jul | Pre-season Friendly | A | Southampton | 20:00 | ||||
| (This is a 45 minute match) | |||||||||
| 14 | Jul | Pre-season Friendly | A | Anderlecht | 18:45 | ||||
| (This is a 45 minute match) | |||||||||
| 24 | Jul | Pre-season Friendly | A | Malaysia XI | 21:45 | ESPN | |||
| 27 | Jul | Pre-season Friendly | N | Manchester City | 13:00 | ESPN | |||
| 29 | Jul | Pre-season Friendly | N | Kitchee FC | 10:00 | ESPN | |||
| 12 | Aug | Pre-season Friendly | A | FC Cologne | 16:00 | ESPN | |||
| August | | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Sat | Barclays Premier League | H | Sunderland | 15:00 | ||||
| 26 | Sun | Barclays Premier League | A | Stoke City | 13:30 | SS1 | |||
| September | | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02 | Sun | Barclays Premier League | A | Liverpool | 13:30 | SS1 | |||
| 15 | Sat | Barclays Premier League | H | Southampton | 15:00 | ||||
| 18/19 | UEFA Champions League | N | Matchday 1 | 19:45 | |||||
| 23 | Sun | Barclays Premier League | A | Manchester City | 16:00 | SS1 | |||
| 26 | Wed | Capital One Cup | N | Round 3 | |||||
| 29 | Sat | Barclays Premier League | H | Chelsea | 12:45 | SS1 | |||
| October | | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2/3 | UEFA Champions League | N | Matchday 2 | 19:45 | |||||
| 06 | Sat | Barclays Premier League | A | West Ham United | 17:30 | ESPN | |||
| 20 | Sat | Barclays Premier League | A | Norwich | 17:30 | ESPN | |||
| 23/24 | UEFA Champions League | N | Matchday 3 | 19:45 | |||||
| 27 | Sat | Barclays Premier League | H | QPR | 15:00 | ||||
| 31 | Wed | Capital One Cup | N | Round 4 | |||||
| November | | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03 | Sat | Barclays Premier League | A | Manchester United | 12:45 | SS1 | |||
| 6/7 | UEFA Champions League | N | Matchday 4 | 19:45 | |||||
| 10 | Sat | Barclays Premier League | H | Fulham | 15:00 | ||||
| 17 | Sat | Barclays Premier League | H | Tottenham Hotspur | 12:45 | SS1 | |||
| 20/21 | UEFA Champions League | N | Matchday 5 | 19:45 | |||||
| 24 | Sat | Barclays Premier League | A | Aston Villa | 17:30 | ESPN | |||
| 28 | Wed | Barclays Premier League | A | Everton | 19:45 | ||||
| December | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Sat | Barclays Premier League | H | Swansea | 15:00 | ||||
| 4/5 | UEFA Champions League | N | Matchday 6 | 19:45 | |||||
| 08 | Sat | Barclays Premier League | H | W.B.A. | 15:00 | ||||
| 12 | Wed | Capital One Cup | N | Quarter-Final | |||||
| 15 | Sat | Barclays Premier League | A | Reading | 15:00 | ||||
| 22 | Sat | Barclays Premier League | A | Wigan Athletic | 15:00 | ||||
| 26 | Wed | Barclays Premier League | H | West Ham United | 15:00 | ||||
| 29 | Sat | Barclays Premier League | H | Newcastle United | 15:00 | ||||
| January | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Tue | Barclays Premier League | A | Southampton | 15:00 | ||||
| 05 | Sat | The FA Cup | N | Round 3 | |||||
| 09 | Wed | Capital One Cup | N | Semi-Final 1L | |||||
| 12 | Sat | Barclays Premier League | H | Manchester City | 15:00 | ||||
| 19 | Sat | Barclays Premier League | A | Chelsea | 15:00 | ||||
| 23 | Wed | Capital One Cup | N | Semi-Final 2L | |||||
| 26 | Sat | The FA Cup | N | Round 4 | |||||
| 30 | Wed | Barclays Premier League | H | Liverpool | 19:45 | ||||
| February | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02 | Sat | Barclays Premier League | H | Stoke City | 15:00 | ||||
| 09 | Sat | Barclays Premier League | A | Sunderland | 15:00 | ||||
| 12/13/19/20 | UEFA Champions League | N | Round of 16 1L | 19:45 | |||||
| 16 | Sat | The FA Cup | N | Round 5 | |||||
| 23 | Sat | Barclays Premier League | H | Aston Villa | 15:00 | ||||
| 24 | Sun | Capital One Cup | N | Final | |||||
| March | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02 | Sat | Barclays Premier League | A | Tottenham Hotspur | 15:00 | ||||
| 5/6/12/13 | UEFA Champions League | N | Round of 16 2L | 19:45 | |||||
| 09 | Sat | Barclays Premier League | H | Everton | 15:00 | ||||
| (or FA Cup 6th Round) | |||||||||
| 16 | Sat | Barclays Premier League | A | Swansea | 15:00 | ||||
| 30 | Sat | Barclays Premier League | H | Reading | 15:00 | ||||
| April | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2/3 | UEFA Champions League | N | Quarter-Final 1L | 19:45 | |||||
| 06 | Sat | Barclays Premier League | A | W.B.A. | 15:00 | ||||
| 9/10 | UEFA Champions League | N | Quarter-Final 2L | 19:45 | |||||
| 13 | Sat | Barclays Premier League | H | Norwich | 15:00 | ||||
| (or FA Cup Semi-Final) | |||||||||
| 20 | Sat | Barclays Premier League | A | Fulham | 15:00 | ||||
| 23/24 | UEFA Champions League | N | Semi-Final 1L | 19:45 | |||||
| 27 | Sat | Barclays Premier League | H | Manchester United | 15:00 | ||||
| 30/1 | UEFA Champions League | N | Semi-Final 2L | 19:45 | |||||
| May | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04 | Sat | Barclays Premier League | A | QPR | 15:00 | ||||
| 11 | Sat | The FA Cup | N | Final | |||||
| 12 | Sun | Barclays Premier League | H | Wigan Athletic | 15:00 | ||||
| (to be rearranged if Arsenal or Wigan play in FA Cup final) | |||||||||
| 19 | Sun | Barclays Premier League | A | Newcastle United | 15:00 | ||||
| 25 | Sat | UEFA Champions League | N | Final | 19:45 | ||||
| (at Wembley Stadium) | |||||||||
Note: All kick-off times are UK time.
Source: Arsenal.com site.
Monday, June 4, 2012
The 2011/12 Season Review (3) – Players
In this post, we look back at some of the key players' individual performances over the 2011/12 season, as well as recap on all the new signings.
It's difficult not to choose the captain. He won the two Player of the Year awards and the Golden Boot, scoring 37 goals in all competitions. On top of the outstanding personal records he established this season, he inspired the whole team as captain.
The Ox has already captured the fans' hearts as well as the attention of the new England manager, Roy Hodgson, despite Arsene Wenger's overcautious stance towards overusing him in his first season. The fans' displeasure was obvious when he was taken off the pitch during the Man U game (The victim of his popularity was poor Andrey Arshavin. The Russian's confidence never recovered from the incident). We want to see more of him next season.
Francis Coquelin also impressed us after his return from a season-long loan to Lorient. Although his playing time was limited as Song had established himself as a first-choice defensive midfielder, Coquelin proved himself as a versatile utility player, playing at right-back, left-back, and in the central midfield.
Other candidates include Manny Frimpong, whose season was cut short yet again by a cruciate ligament damage to the other knee, and Nico Yennaris, who gave us a glimpse of his potential when he played in the Carling Cup competition and stood in for the first-team right-back during Arsenal's full-back injury crisis.
All in all, we think the Ox, one of the nominees for PFA's Young Player of the Year, is Arsenal's best young player of the season.
He was already showing all the signs of becoming a great defender last season, but one of his shortcomings was a lapse of concentration. Apart from two unnecessary own goals against Blackburn and Liverpool, he looked solid and consistent.
Other candidate include Theo Walcott, who had arguably his best season in an Arsenal shirt, Alex Song with an impressive 14 assists in all competitions (joint top four assist provider in the Premier League), and rejuvenated Tomas Rosicky. However, we think none of them has made as significant improvement as Laurent Koscielny did this season.
This is a close call between RVP and Arteta. RVP scored 30 goals in the Premier League, of which 11 were match winners. He also created goal-scoring chances, which was proved by the number of assists he made, 11 in the Premier League and 13 in all competitions. On the other hand, Arteta's influence on the team was evident as we struggled to win (P5 W1 D3 L1) after he had sustained an ankle sprain towards the end of the season.
Best new signing of the season. He was regarded as the poor man's Fabregas by many and his signing did not overly impressed the fans because he was considered past his peak. In the absence of Jack Wilshere, Arteta was assigned to take an enforcer role and developed excellent understanding with Alex Song. His presence in midfield brought cohesion and stability to the team, but most of his work went unappreciated until he started scoring some exquisite goals. He was sorely missed in the last five games of the season. We never found his replacement. He may not have produced any eye-catching performance, but all the stats, including a passing success rate and the number of tackles, indicate that he was one of the best midfielders in the Premier League this season. Hopefully, we will have both Jack Wilishre and Mikel Arteta fit next season and the Spaniard may be given a more creative role.
Pre-season signing from the French Ligue 1 outfit, Lille. He made a sensational debut by scoring two goals within 15 minutes of the opening in the pre-season match against Cologne. However, the start to his first Premier-League season was not as successful as that, with a red card shown in the first match of the season after having been provoked by Joey Barton. Following the subsequent three-match ban, he was a regular starter on the left flank. He has good dribbling, trickery and pace, but his decisions in the final third were often wrong, while he lacked composure in front of goal. The African Cup of Nations competition in January significantly hampered his progress, but 4 goals and 6 assists didn't compare unfavourably with Nasri's first season at all. Hopefully, he will build on this season's performance to grow into one of key players in his second season at Arsenal.
One of the so-called "Wenger's panic buys". If Arsenal had signed him a season before, I would have been extremely happy. That said, he fitted in Arsenal's system in a short period, featuring in many games before he suffered a long-term injury to his already once reconstructed ankle during the Sunderland match (the pitch didn't help). He has many critics especially about his pace and pundits and journalists were very quick to conclude that this summer signing was a flop, but we believe he will become a good defender. Now adaptation processes are over, we expect him to make a big improvement in his second season as Koscielny did.
The jury is still out on this signing. He is very good coming forward with his powerful shots and no hesitation to take a shot, but his defensive ability remains a big question mark. It is good to have him as an alternative for open games and a back-up as Gibbs is injury-prone.
Our bright prospect. Scored 4 goals in 26 games in all competitions, in 11 games of which he came off the bench. The Ox came with a rather hefty price tag for an 18-year-old, but he had a promising first season, which seems to have justified the price we paid for him.
Deadline-day signing from a newly-relegated French Ligue 2 side, Monaco. His playing time was limited to 3 Carling Cup ties, 2 Champions League matches (1 start + 1 sub), reserve games and just one substitute appearance in the Premier League. The transfer fees have reportedly been inflated as a result of the successful postponement of his mandatory military service, as his transfer contract included a provisional clause to be enacted in such a case. Also, he is under severe criticism from the general public in his country. So much so that the South Korea national team coach had no choice but to leave him out of his Olympics squad. If Arsenal's main intention for the purchase of the Korean player was shirt sales, it is likely to turn out to be an expensive buy.
A season-long loan from Chelsea. Scored 6 goals in 25 games in all competitions, starting 15 games. His patience paid off in the latter half of the season. He scored some important goals and his experience and all-round ability proved to be valuable in big games. His commitment to Arsenal's cause was outstanding. He stated he didn't care where Chelsea were going to finish this season, but all he wanted was to make sure Arsenal would finish third. He also got stick from his Chelsea-fan followers when he contratulated Arsenal team-mates on Twitter after Arsenal's 5-3 defeat of Chelsea. We think Arsenal should make his loan deal permanent.
What a difference a year made to this life-long Arsenal fan. The 19-year-old was playing for a non-league outfit, Eastbourne, on loan from Charlton in the previous season. This season, he played in the Champions League against Udenese and in the Premier League against Manchester United in his beloved Arsenal colours. His debut in the pre-season game against Cologne was not as spectacular as Gervinho's, with a careless own goal to prevent Arsenal from keeping a clean sheet. We had thought he would have time to learn his trade, but the departure of Eboue for Turkey meant he was thrown into the first-team action straight away as Sagna's back-up. Since Sagna broke his leg against Tottenham at the end of September, he was promoted to a regular starter before he, himself, succumbed to a long-term injury with a stress fracture to his back. Koscielny, Djourou, Coquelin, and Nico Yennaris played at right-back, but Wenger's faith in Jenkinson, or a specialist right-back, was clear because the boss always picked the Finland U-19 international ahead of any makeshift right-back, when he was fit and Sagna was not available. What caught the eye of Arsene Wenger was his athleticism and stamina. We think he has good crossing as well. He is still raw, but we believe he will make it. At least we can count on his loyalty to the Club should any mega rich club offer him a lucrative deal in the future.
The Costa Rican summer signing was sent straight on loan to the Ligue 1 outfit, Lorient. He had a decent loan spell and shone in the international matches, as well. Interesting to see whether he will be involved in Arsenal's first-team setup next season or spend another season on loan.
January signing. We were worried that he might be another Amoury Bischoff, but after having regained his full fitness, he scored two goals in reserve games, looking on course to fulfil what Arsenal expected from him. At the time of the signing, even Arsene Wenger did not seem to be sure whether the 19-year-old attack-minded midfielder would be slotted into the first-team setup or youth team. This is still to be seen.
The player of the season
Robin van Persie
It's difficult not to choose the captain. He won the two Player of the Year awards and the Golden Boot, scoring 37 goals in all competitions. On top of the outstanding personal records he established this season, he inspired the whole team as captain.
The young player of the season
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
The Ox has already captured the fans' hearts as well as the attention of the new England manager, Roy Hodgson, despite Arsene Wenger's overcautious stance towards overusing him in his first season. The fans' displeasure was obvious when he was taken off the pitch during the Man U game (The victim of his popularity was poor Andrey Arshavin. The Russian's confidence never recovered from the incident). We want to see more of him next season.
Francis Coquelin also impressed us after his return from a season-long loan to Lorient. Although his playing time was limited as Song had established himself as a first-choice defensive midfielder, Coquelin proved himself as a versatile utility player, playing at right-back, left-back, and in the central midfield.
Other candidates include Manny Frimpong, whose season was cut short yet again by a cruciate ligament damage to the other knee, and Nico Yennaris, who gave us a glimpse of his potential when he played in the Carling Cup competition and stood in for the first-team right-back during Arsenal's full-back injury crisis.
All in all, we think the Ox, one of the nominees for PFA's Young Player of the Year, is Arsenal's best young player of the season.
The most improved player of the season
Laurent Koscielny
He was already showing all the signs of becoming a great defender last season, but one of his shortcomings was a lapse of concentration. Apart from two unnecessary own goals against Blackburn and Liverpool, he looked solid and consistent.
Other candidate include Theo Walcott, who had arguably his best season in an Arsenal shirt, Alex Song with an impressive 14 assists in all competitions (joint top four assist provider in the Premier League), and rejuvenated Tomas Rosicky. However, we think none of them has made as significant improvement as Laurent Koscielny did this season.
The most influential player of the season
Robin van Persie
This is a close call between RVP and Arteta. RVP scored 30 goals in the Premier League, of which 11 were match winners. He also created goal-scoring chances, which was proved by the number of assists he made, 11 in the Premier League and 13 in all competitions. On the other hand, Arteta's influence on the team was evident as we struggled to win (P5 W1 D3 L1) after he had sustained an ankle sprain towards the end of the season.
New signings
Mikel Arteta
Best new signing of the season. He was regarded as the poor man's Fabregas by many and his signing did not overly impressed the fans because he was considered past his peak. In the absence of Jack Wilshere, Arteta was assigned to take an enforcer role and developed excellent understanding with Alex Song. His presence in midfield brought cohesion and stability to the team, but most of his work went unappreciated until he started scoring some exquisite goals. He was sorely missed in the last five games of the season. We never found his replacement. He may not have produced any eye-catching performance, but all the stats, including a passing success rate and the number of tackles, indicate that he was one of the best midfielders in the Premier League this season. Hopefully, we will have both Jack Wilishre and Mikel Arteta fit next season and the Spaniard may be given a more creative role.
Gervinho
Pre-season signing from the French Ligue 1 outfit, Lille. He made a sensational debut by scoring two goals within 15 minutes of the opening in the pre-season match against Cologne. However, the start to his first Premier-League season was not as successful as that, with a red card shown in the first match of the season after having been provoked by Joey Barton. Following the subsequent three-match ban, he was a regular starter on the left flank. He has good dribbling, trickery and pace, but his decisions in the final third were often wrong, while he lacked composure in front of goal. The African Cup of Nations competition in January significantly hampered his progress, but 4 goals and 6 assists didn't compare unfavourably with Nasri's first season at all. Hopefully, he will build on this season's performance to grow into one of key players in his second season at Arsenal.
Per Mertersacker
One of the so-called "Wenger's panic buys". If Arsenal had signed him a season before, I would have been extremely happy. That said, he fitted in Arsenal's system in a short period, featuring in many games before he suffered a long-term injury to his already once reconstructed ankle during the Sunderland match (the pitch didn't help). He has many critics especially about his pace and pundits and journalists were very quick to conclude that this summer signing was a flop, but we believe he will become a good defender. Now adaptation processes are over, we expect him to make a big improvement in his second season as Koscielny did.
Andre Santos
The jury is still out on this signing. He is very good coming forward with his powerful shots and no hesitation to take a shot, but his defensive ability remains a big question mark. It is good to have him as an alternative for open games and a back-up as Gibbs is injury-prone.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Our bright prospect. Scored 4 goals in 26 games in all competitions, in 11 games of which he came off the bench. The Ox came with a rather hefty price tag for an 18-year-old, but he had a promising first season, which seems to have justified the price we paid for him.
Ju Young Park
Deadline-day signing from a newly-relegated French Ligue 2 side, Monaco. His playing time was limited to 3 Carling Cup ties, 2 Champions League matches (1 start + 1 sub), reserve games and just one substitute appearance in the Premier League. The transfer fees have reportedly been inflated as a result of the successful postponement of his mandatory military service, as his transfer contract included a provisional clause to be enacted in such a case. Also, he is under severe criticism from the general public in his country. So much so that the South Korea national team coach had no choice but to leave him out of his Olympics squad. If Arsenal's main intention for the purchase of the Korean player was shirt sales, it is likely to turn out to be an expensive buy.
Yossi Benayoun
A season-long loan from Chelsea. Scored 6 goals in 25 games in all competitions, starting 15 games. His patience paid off in the latter half of the season. He scored some important goals and his experience and all-round ability proved to be valuable in big games. His commitment to Arsenal's cause was outstanding. He stated he didn't care where Chelsea were going to finish this season, but all he wanted was to make sure Arsenal would finish third. He also got stick from his Chelsea-fan followers when he contratulated Arsenal team-mates on Twitter after Arsenal's 5-3 defeat of Chelsea. We think Arsenal should make his loan deal permanent.
Carl Jenkinson
What a difference a year made to this life-long Arsenal fan. The 19-year-old was playing for a non-league outfit, Eastbourne, on loan from Charlton in the previous season. This season, he played in the Champions League against Udenese and in the Premier League against Manchester United in his beloved Arsenal colours. His debut in the pre-season game against Cologne was not as spectacular as Gervinho's, with a careless own goal to prevent Arsenal from keeping a clean sheet. We had thought he would have time to learn his trade, but the departure of Eboue for Turkey meant he was thrown into the first-team action straight away as Sagna's back-up. Since Sagna broke his leg against Tottenham at the end of September, he was promoted to a regular starter before he, himself, succumbed to a long-term injury with a stress fracture to his back. Koscielny, Djourou, Coquelin, and Nico Yennaris played at right-back, but Wenger's faith in Jenkinson, or a specialist right-back, was clear because the boss always picked the Finland U-19 international ahead of any makeshift right-back, when he was fit and Sagna was not available. What caught the eye of Arsene Wenger was his athleticism and stamina. We think he has good crossing as well. He is still raw, but we believe he will make it. At least we can count on his loyalty to the Club should any mega rich club offer him a lucrative deal in the future.
Joel Campbell
The Costa Rican summer signing was sent straight on loan to the Ligue 1 outfit, Lorient. He had a decent loan spell and shone in the international matches, as well. Interesting to see whether he will be involved in Arsenal's first-team setup next season or spend another season on loan.
Thomas Eisfeld
January signing. We were worried that he might be another Amoury Bischoff, but after having regained his full fitness, he scored two goals in reserve games, looking on course to fulfil what Arsenal expected from him. At the time of the signing, even Arsene Wenger did not seem to be sure whether the 19-year-old attack-minded midfielder would be slotted into the first-team setup or youth team. This is still to be seen.
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