How does a comprehensive win over Stoke City sound? Good right? What about minutes for Mesut Ozil and Theo Walcott? Also good. All this and more occurred when Arsenal defeated Stoke City Sunday. We seem to moving forward while slowly making progress to getting back our winning form that we experienced early last season. It has been a long and arduous road and as the old cliché says “take it one game at a time.” We are continuing to do that as we look o the tough test against Manchester City this weekend.
Sunday saw the Orcs from Mordor climb out of their hovels and march on North London where the forces of good fought them back in a great 3-0 win. Arsene Wenger made a few changes to the lineup. Giroud returned to the striker position after his suspension. Coquelin, Ox and Rosicky all got the start as well. A surprise (or maybe not) replacement was see Szczesny replaced with David Ospina. The best news was seeing Ramsey, Walcott and Ozil on the bench, all of whom we hope can remain healthy for the rest of the season. The match started well with Arsenal getting plenty of the ball and shots on target. It was clear that Begovic was heading for a good match and it would take quality to beat him. It was little surprise to see that Alexis was involved in the first goal. From a corner the ball was cleared but not far enough from Alexis, whose cross connected with the head of Koscielny. Koscielny headed the ball into the net. 1-0. Disaster struck a few minutes later as Debuchy was jogging near the goal line, the ball was out of play and Debuchy was shoved in the back by Arnautovic and proceeded to crash into the advertising boards. His shoulder was clearly the issue and sideline diagnosing showed what may be a dislocated shoulder. As of writing this the only information available is surgery is needed to set the shoulder so this injury could see Debuchy out for 2 months or more. Once again, our injury problems manifest itself. Bellerin came in for the injured Debuchy and did the job well. It would be harsh to be overly critical of a young player being thrust into the first team in the Premier League without adequate higher level experience. Bellerin has worked hard and has shown that he does have the skill to perform, but he still is pretty raw. The other option we have is Chambers, but he is more trusted in the center of defense alongside our BFG. Our lack of adequate defensive cover is no fault of the young players being called up to the first team and as such we cannot expect them to perform at the same level. What we can do however is be supportive as fans and encourage them. If Jenkinson and Bellerin continue to improve, we may have duo of defenders that we can rely on in the future. Arsenal continued at the same tempo even with the loss of Debuchy. Giroud and Alexis each had their share of shots on goal but were well met by Begovic who was having a fine match in goal for Stoke. At thirty-three minutes however, Alexis took advantage of a Stoke mistake and played a set of passes with Rosicky before side-footing the ball into the net at the near post. The finish was superb. Every time I think he can't outdo himself, he finds a way to put the ball in the net in a better way. I really liked that goal because it showed how he has ice in his veins. It seems that no matter the angle or distance, Alexis can finish. That kind of form will no doubt cause goalkeepers a lot of problems. Alexis would get his second goal early in the second half as his free kick was through the wall and the bounce it took threw off Begovic and he bungled the ball into the net. Not the prettiest goal, but another deserved goal for our main man. A few blogs back I mentioned how there aren't enough surperlatives to describe him and that trend continues. His tireless work rate continues with every match and like the Energizer Bunny, he keeps on going. We will need him to continue that strong form as the season begins to enter the final stages. This match may have cost us Debuchy for the better part of the second half of the season, but Ozil and Walcott received valuable minutes. Since Alexis is carrying the weight of the entire team at times, it will great to have him sharing the load with our other top players. I want to see Alexis, Ozil and Walcott scaring defenders with pace and creativity. This was what we were all hoping for once Alexis joined the club in the summer but various injuries hit and killed our fantasy. Now we are closing in on making that dream a reality. We got a glimpse of that threatening attack late in the match against Stoke, when Alexis played a through ball to the rushing Walcott who then went 1 on 1 with the keeper and sent the shot wide. It was a disappointment but Walcott is still not 100% but is approaching that mark. We just have to be patient which is a tough ask given our fluctuating form this season. Coming up this weekend is a very tough away match against Manchester City. I expect roughly the same line up we saw against Stoke to start again. I think Chambers will start at right back instead of Bellerin. It is nothing against Bellerin, but I think Wenger will opt with experience as ironic as that is when deciding between two young full backs. Flamini may return in the defensive midfield role but i would like Coquelin to continue his run there. I think he has earned that spot for the time being alongside Ox, who has continued his fine form. Alexis will start with Giroud as the sole striker. We won't see Ozil or Walcott start on Sunday, but I do expect an appearance from both. Who starts in goal is the biggest question. Does Wenger put Szczesny back in or does Ospina get the nod? I dont think Wenger will change and his punishment of Szczesny will continue. Wenger has a policy of sticking with goaltenders until they do something to disaapoint them. Szczesny's poor showing at Southampton coupled by his smoking shenanigans means that Ospina is almost guranteed to start. Ospina also has not done anything to warrant being dropped. He didn't have much to do against Stoke but he didnt make any mistakes either. As we all know, Wenger is capable of throwing a curve ball so who truly knows? Sunday will be a tough test but hopefully we can continue our rising form with a good result against. Until next week, Come on you Gunners!
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Before I start I would like to wish all my fellow Gooners a Happy New Year and good fortune in the coming year. Hopefully that good fortune will also include Arsenal winning the Champions League as every media outlet in England's collective skulls explode like in “Scanners” because the overwhelming shock of Arsenal doing well is just too much for them to take.
It has been a few weeks since my last post and the Christmas period was as busy for me as it was for the Arsenal. My computer also was not cooperating, but I have since rectified that issue and am back in front of the keyboard ready to rant and rave about our beloved Arsenal. A lot has happened over the Christmas period and we have quite a bit to discuss. The results have been mixed. A 2-2 draw at Liverpool, a 2-1 win over QPR at home, a 2-1 win over West Ham, a horribly disappointing loss to Southampton on New Years day and a 2-0 win over Hull City in the FA Cup. Seven points out of twelve out of four league matches isn't terrible but the manner of the dropped points is concerning as it has been all season. Not every match was disappointing but the dropped points are what matters as we continue to stagnate. The match against Liverpool saw us leading the game with a few minutes left to play. The outrageous amount of stoppage time saw Liverpool get the header they needed as they drew level. It wasn't a game that we necessarily deserved to be leading in or even win, but it is the type of match that Arsenal need to close out to show improvement. This season has been like that though. We lead the game or go down a goal early, only to take the lead but lose it late on. Wenger always uses the same rhetoric about mental strength and confidence building but after it happens so many times in one season, it begins to fall on deaf ears. We are so far off the pace this season it is sickening. You can cite so many reasons for the poor performances this season but all of the excuses do not matter to the fans. All that matters is that we keep losing and drawing games and continue to stumble behind the top four. The wins were deserved ones, no doubt in that. Both West Ham and QPR gave us a few problems but we had the goals and a relatively stable defense to see out the wins in those matches, but they are matches that we should be winning regardless. The talking point in the QPR matches was the Olivier Giroud red card that he stupidly received. I use the term stupidly to describe it for two reasons: the reaction by Giroud was completely unnecessary, and the QPR player made the most out of the contact and flopped on the ground like a fish. Contact was made but Giroud did not headbutt the player like the commentators would have you think. He simply pressed his forehead to the QPR man in anger and once the contact was made he fell down in a heap like a pile of boiled spaghetti. Giroud should never have put himself in the position to have the ref make that call in the first place. At that point in the game, the tables were tilting toward Arsenal and we were applying pressure trying to put the game away. Giroud's red card put us on the back foot for the remainder of the game. This meant a full effort on defense, which is cause for concern. Anytime we are forced to defend, I end up pacing in front of the TV for the remainder of the match. I have a rut being formed in my living room carpeting. The low point of the Christmas period was the New Years Day loss to Southampton. I will not take anything away from Southampton because they were clearly up for the match on the day but Arsenal were abjectly awful. Arsenal gave us a way to stop the New Years Eve hangover by making every Gooner around the globe pick up a drink and continue where they left off. Arsenal's threadbare squad is the talking point as we continue to see players injured and taking stupid red cards. The defense still doesn't look like it is up to the task. Per has played in almost every single match and the rest of the defense is mostly a selection slot machine filled with whomever is healthy on the day. Even our midfield and attack is starting to dwindle in numbers. Coquelin is starting matches now after being recalled from his loan. He is actually filling the role rather comfortably, given the task asked of him. I am not hard on young players who are asked to start during difficult matches or periods of the season because it is not their fault that they are in this position. Every one of them wants to impress and do well but sometimes the climb is difficult. Instead of getting on their backs we need to ask why they are asked to start in the first place. In Coquelin's case it is because both Arteta and Flamini are injured and it leaves us with no DM option. Wenger could play any of the other midfielders there but they too are filling roles by absent players. Our main concern for this season, as it is for many seasons, is the lack of rotation and depth due to injury. The Arsenal squad is routinely reduced to the squad and fringe players because our main starters are injured. Luckily for us, Walcott is getting minutes and Ozil is nearing full fitness. We need these players back asap in order to give the current starters a break every once in a while. Alexis plays our of his skin week in and week out, so eventually this will take a toll on the Chilean and if we lose him to injury we are screwed on offense. Alexis continues to be the catalyst for goals, both in scoring and setting up plays. His tireless work rate and speed, coupled with his natural finishing make him a terror just as Suarez was for Liverpool (albeit without the cannibalism). With Giroud out to injury for most of the season and Ramsey falling short of his goal scoring record we saw last season and now Podolski being sent on loan (also the speculation of Sanogo going out on loan) we are running the risk of over-playing Alexis and diminishing our attacking options. I like what Welbeck has brought to the table but his finishing is not quite there, but the talent and ability are present, it just needs a bit of finesse. Campbell doesn't seem to have the faith of the manager, like Podolski, he will only see a few minutes at the end of the match, but never truly be expected to do anything with it in such short time. This leaves the injury prone Giroud and Walcott to take up the scoring for us. Should any combination of Walcott, Giroud or Alexis go down for weeks and it is curtains for us. These injury worries and the over-reliance on Alexis makes me wonder what the manager is thinking when it comes to Podolski. He was clearly a clinical finisher and could also set up a goal with a well placed cross but he was criticized most heavily for not being up to the task defensively. I understand the need to be adept at both ends of the pitch but I fear we were overly concerned with the defensive aspect of our attackers game. It is not up to just the attackers to defend, but the entire team as a collective. Arsenal have problems defending as a unit and blaming Podolski for not defending is like blaming Mertesacker for not scoring enough 30 yard bombs. Podolski was not managed properly by Wenger. He had his shortcomings for sure, but he was good for a goal when he got more than 10 minutes of playing time. I will miss him at Arsenal, he was a good ambassador to the fans and a public representative of the club but he signed on at the wrong time and was a victim of Wenger's enigmatic selection process and tactical blunders. He will most certainly be gone for good at the end of the season and it is not a surprise, I just hope that we aren't going to regret not having that left-footed shot in the box during an important game. He wanted more playing time, something that wasn't going to be given and I am positive this move was started by him. He is a talented 29 year old attacker and deserves his shot. I just wish it was still with the Gunners. No use crying over spilled milk as what is done is done. I know he creates a lot of division within the ranks of Gooners and this debate may rage on through the remainder of the season. Moving on to our next match against the orcs as they invade North London from Mordor, I mean Stoke City. Arsenal need to get a win against those foul-heavy neanderthals ( I apologize to any neanderthals as this comparison is harsh on them). Stoke will most likely be ready to embarrass us again and we have to do anything to stop it. The horror of going 3-0 down to lose 3-2 will still be fresh in all of our minds and it doesn't take a doctorate in sports psychology to see the effect it will have on moral to lose to them again. I am not going to even remotely guess at our starting lineup but I will assume Alexis, Mertesacker and Coquelin will be starting. All I want is a win, whether it comes in the form of a 1-0 nail biter or a 5-0 slaughter, makes no difference, but I want it to be comfortable as my floor cannot take any more pacing. So Happy New Year Gooners and lets hope for a strong finish to the season. Side note: Let's hope Szcznesy got his bizarre match blunders out of him against Southampton, I can't take watching garbage goals scored against us because our keeper is committing howlers. A strong performance in midweek turned into a strong performance on Saturday against Alan Pardew’s Newcastle. Arsenal kept the offense going to record another 4-1 win in what I think, may be one of our best, if not the best, matches we have played this season. It was also the weekend for the NC is Red event with the Camel City Gooners and Triangle City Gooners. Some of us Queen City Gooners traveled up to Winston-Salem to sing loud and proud at Small Batch bar with our NC brethren.
Arsene Wenger announced the lineup and Gooners everywhere were concerned about our lack of depth in the back four. Gibbs and Bellerin flanked Mertesacker and Debuchy to start the match in the absence of Koscielny, Monreal, and Chambers. All eyes were on Debuchy as he got his first start against his old club and in an unfamiliar position no doubt. Arsenal started brightly with a header by Mertesacker off a corner early in match. The ball hit the bar and bounced clear. It was unfair to the tall German as it would have been a great goal and who doesn’t love watching the BFG celebrate scoring a headed goal? It was a sign that this may be our day even so early in the match as we continued to pressure Newcastle. It didn’t take long for the deadlock to be broken. Bellerin broke up the play near the halfway line and fed Giroud who passed to Alexis, who crossed brilliantly over the defense where Giroud leapt into the air to meet the ball and it flew into the top corner. 1-0. Welbeck then appeared to put the ball in the net on an excellent chip over the keeper’s shoulder from the left, but it was ruled out, unfairly, for a foul on the defender. That was not a foul, Welbeck was fighting off a challenge while he had possession and he muscled his way clear. Towards the end of the half, Arsenal let the pressure off slightly and Newcastle had a few chances to level the match but Szczesny was equal to the task. It was 1-0 at halftime. The start of the second saw some Newcastle possession as they chopped our legs every time we had the ball. Alexis, in particular, was a clear target. It was their obvious tactic to take him out the game at every opportunity. We should not be surprised by this tactic at all since Alexis is by far our biggest threat in attack. On Saturday though, the thug-like tactics would not stop us from scoring, because Santi Cazorla found his shooting boots and showed us some of his classy finishing on his birthday. We all know that he capable of a great goal, just look at the free kick in the FA Cup final but his chips for his first and the penalty for his second were pure class. I truly hope he has played his way out of the tough run of form because we desperately need all of our fit players to perform. Giroud scored an equally impressive goal midway through the second with a clip that sent the ball into the roof after a great cross by Bellerin. The goals seemed to come at perfect moments too. Every time Newcastle looked as if they were going to get back into the game, we scored to pull away. That killer instinct is what we keep lacking in our matches. We never look comfortable after we gain the lead. We actually seem to get worse with a lead. Against Newcastle, we kept pressing the attack and turning the screw not stopping until the win was assured. The Anderlecht match crossed some of our minds, I am sure, but despite our recent poor form I never thought we were going to lose the lead, even when Newcastle got a goal back late on. The match overall was great and praise has to be given to the players. I don’t want to speak too soon but the squad may be finally starting to click. Defense is still a toss up and without spending in January, that won’t change at all, so there is no reason to keep beating that dead horse. Our starting XI is the main issue and it is hard to see what our best XI is, when everyone is healthy. Our back four is set with whoever isn’t sitting on an operators table, but in midfield and attack it is far less clear. The only player you can say with certainty is Alexis. After that, Giroud, Welbeck and Cazorla and that is about it. It becomes a game of who played well last game and who is healthy. The form game must be played as we go to Anfield this weekend to take on Liverpool, who as a top four club last season is in worse shape than us. The memory of last season’s embarrassing loss will still be painfully fresh in all our minds and the players. That must be rectified. Liverpool just lost to Manchester United and they will not be looking to make it another loss in a row so they will give us plenty of problems. Apart from being in poor form, they also have a defense that is more ragged than ours so we have to believe that our winning ways can continue. I am confident, but wary that the ghost of last season will haunt us. You would have to expect that Arsene Wenger has made the squad watch the video of that horrid match over and over until every player wakes up in a cold sweat at night; right after Daniel Sturridge does that ridiculous dance. Then they all hobble to London Colney and create a plan to wipe the smug smiles off the Liverpool fans’ faces. Let’s not forget that the media will be reminding us every minute of every day leading up to the match that that awful day happened. They do love bringing up every time we play poorly. Arsene will be asked about it, as will the players so I hope Wenger gives the media that wry smile in his press conference and on Sunday, we give the media something new to never talk about: a commanding Arsenal win at Anfield (since they never mention our good wins, just our losses). To all the Gooners who were at the NC is Red event, it was a blast and I hope there are more events like that across this great state. We were all in full voice, out to prove that NC truly is painted the red of Arsenal. I am proud to be a part of such a great club with a great history, but even more so to have fellow supporters like we have in NC and all over the US. Here’s to a win against on Sunday! Come on you Gunners, let’s keep this winning train rolling! The last few days have been pretty bewildering as an Arsenal fan. Arsenal had to travel to the depths of Mordor and fight the Uruk-hai in Mount Doom. Along the way Frodo lost the One Ring and Sauron’s forces defeated us. It was a humiliating defeat, one that should have sent the entire club into red alert. We bounced back with a win over Galatasaray in the final match of the group stage. Frankly, it was a consolation match at best, as we were guaranteed a spot in the next round and it would have taken a 6 goal route with a Dortmund draw to top the group and as poor as our form has been, that probably wasn’t going to happen.
Taking on Stoke in Stoke, was always going to be rough. Arsenal seems to struggle there and the Orcs filling the Britannia Stadium love it. They grunt, growl and roar any time we make a clear, honest play and cheer uncontrollably when one of their Uruks, namely their chieftains Shawcross and Crouch, maniacally tackle one of our players, often resulting in an injury. They have the audacity to back one of their own when he tears through Aaron Ramsey’s leg like a cleaver through a cow’s back, and think it was Ramsey’s fault! Repeatedly, we go to Stoke and fight hard to get a result of any kind, but we have a mental block. The rugby tactics and lowbrow fans always get the better of us. Arsene Wenger has been criticized of struggling against Jose Mourinho and more recently, teams in the top four but to me the struggle against this pack of wild maniacs is more infuriating. Lose to a top four side and they were the better team, but lose to Stoke and their lack of footballing tactics and violent ways got the better of us. Why can’t we get over it? We know that they will play that way. They play long balls to Crouch and attempt to injure any of us that touch the ball. They would tackle an infant in a stroller if he was holding a pacifier shaped like a football. So it should be no surprise to see them play that way again. Yet Wenger seems perplexed that it happens, EVERY TIME! He had the gall to say that there were positives after the match. What positives could there possibly be? We were down 3-0 at halftime! TO STOKE CITY! This is an embarrassment to the club and to us fans. Only one of their goals was a legitimately decent goal. Sure we came back to make it 3-2 but once Chambers was sent off, the damage was done. Wenger got it wrong again, but this time the loss was in the team sheet and the tactics. We can play the ref blame game all we want, and the ref was bad but Wenger is having a hard time adjusting his team to the challenges on match day. Wenger put us in this position. The lack of defensive signings over the summer has bitten us. We had six healthy defenders at the start of the season, 2 CB, 2 LB and 2 RB, we have had a combination of 2-3 of them injured at any given time, including long term injuries to Koscielny and Debuchy. This has forced us to play Monreal out of position and give starts to Chambers and Bellerin who are still raw. Don’t get me wrong, I think highly of both of them but they are inexperienced. We have until January to hold on without proper backup in the back. I have no idea what to expect when the January transfer window opens but to be honest, we probably wont get a defender or a defensive mid. Wenger will play the “I trust my players to do their jobs when asked” card even though they are completely knackered. This lack of squad rotation also causes us to drop points. Our lack of signings in the back means there isn’t much we can do there, but in midfield and attack we have quite a few healthy players. It is bewildering to see players like Joel Campbell and Lukas Podolski sitting on the bench game after game while Alexis is dragging because he is carrying the weight of 25 players and millions of fans on his back. Cazorla fluctuates in form as drastically as the rest of the club and Ramsey over-thinks every pass. Has Rosicky even started a match? I do not understand what is keeping so many players rotting on the bench while the players struggling for form and energy are forced to play every minute. Wenger needs to start rotating and soon. A little squad rotation would do the team some good. At Galatasaray, Wenger did rotate his players and not only did we win, but the majority of our starters got some much needed rest. The starting lineup saw Debuchy back as well as starts for Podolski, Campbell and Sanogo. Podolski and Ramsey each got a brace of goals during our 4-1 win. Everyone knows how much of a Podolski fan I am so I won’t fill this blog with superlatives. The real praise needs to go to Ramsey’s strike. If you have not seen it, what are you waiting for? The half-volley from 30 yards out seemed like another desperate whack into the nosebleeds, but it was not so. That shot rifled into the top corner so fast and hard, I am surprised the net wasn’t taken into orbit. Not only was he surprised but so was the entire team and everyone watching the match. Easily one of the best goals I have ever seen and it got me thinking of the myriad of goals he scored for us last year (Norwich, Liverpool at home, etc) and how I wish he would keep that form up. The sight of the team all celebrating that goal was awesome and humorous. Wenger rotated a few players in the second half as we left off the pressure a bit. The young players who got to play in the Champions League did their duty well, but to be fair the match was essentially over and Galatasaray aren’t exactly a powerhouse. It was just nice to have a good win after the Stoke loss. Hopefully, and I know I say this every week, we will get some consistency in our performances. Despite my gripes with this season, I still feel like we have a great group of players that can go far, but we are 2-3 players away from a full enough squad to challenge on all fronts. Since Wenger actually rested players, I have a good feeling about Newcastle this weekend. The only caveat is they are coming off a good win over Chelsea, hilariously spoiling all the Mourinho-loving media imbeciles’ premature “new-invincibles” party. Watching Mourinho get angry and call the opposition names shows what a spoiled, pedantic brat he really is. All hilarity aside, Newcastle will be up to drop another giant so we need to be on toes and play to our tempo and strengths from kick off. Come on You Gunners! Edit: Sorry for all the Lord of the Rings references but I truly feel like Stoke are the orcs from the Tolkien novels. He just new what a classless bunch they are. Before I start I hope all of you Gooners had a safe and happy Thanksgiving!
Two wins in a row. That’s right, a 60th minute header from Danny Welbeck gave Arsenal the deserved lead against West Brom on Saturday. Was it a perfect, comprehensive win? No, of course not, this is the Arsenal; however there are many positives to take from this match. Our attack is starting to click as this season goes on and the single goal hides the fact that we looked solid when pressing the West Brom defense. Danny Welbeck started on the left with Giroud in the center and Alexis on the right. Santi Cazorla took up the central attacking mid position and those 4 players seemed up for the fight. Cazorla had the kind of game we all wish we would see from him more often. If there is one position this season that we can’t seem to get right with the players we have is the one that is normally occupied by the still-injured Mesut Özil. Cazorla is obviously the natural man to fulfill this role, but he has been moved left most matches and he hasn’t been able to find his feet lately, in either position. This is unfortunate because we all know how good he is with both feet. I remember the curling shot from outside the box against West Ham in his first season or the brace he scored against Fulham in January. His tricky dribbles and slick passes have been missing from his game and on Saturday, he had his best match in a long time. He never gave up on a loose ball or a dribble and always drove the attack forward. He kept the ball from going over the line and lifted it over the defense for Welbeck to smash it in with his head. That wasn’t his only key pass either. As the holiday matches begin to flood our schedule, now is the time for Cazorla to step up and help direct the attack for more goals. Continuing with the attack, I was also pleased with the movement of Welbeck even after losing his starting spot as striker to Olivier Giroud. I never expected Welbeck to contribute as much as he has when we signed him from Manchester United. I thought he was a filler buy, something for Wenger to say, “There you go, another striker”, but he has really come and fit in quickly. He still has a lot to prove at the top level but he has won me over. His early goal scoring contributions may have a pleasant side effect as well: forcing Giroud and our other forwards to fight for the position. This is something we have been lacking over the last few seasons. Prior to his traitorous exodus, Robin van Persie was the main striker we relied on to keep us in the top four. With his vacancy, it was up to Giroud, Podolski and Walcott to compete for that coveted striker role. It quickly became apparent though that Wenger did not see Podolski or to lesser extent, Walcott in that position. This left Giroud as the only striker we had. When he gets a knock, Wenger threw Podolski or Walcott centrally and expected them to play the same way. This is a bizarre tactic as neither of those players can do what Giroud does for this side. All three of them have different skills as strikers that Wenger doesn’t seem to capitalize on. The problem is that Arsene is too set in his tactics to change it up to fit the abilities of his players. As I stated last week, Wenger seems to have a faux hands off approach to managing. By that, I mean his only direction he gives is, “this is how I want you all to play, now do it but play to your own strengths”. Throwing Podolski or Walcott centrally and asking them to hold up the ball and bring the midfield into the attack is as asinine as asking Giroud to run faster than Walcott. I will never understand our lack of a plan B or C when A doesn’t work at all. At the end of the day, this is simply my cynical view and my opinion on our tactics doesn’t matter as I am not a manager, simply a blogger for the Queen City Gooners, the best supporters club in the US. Enough negativity, as this is not the discussion today. Our defense looked so much better with Koscielny and Mertesacker as the CB pairing. Monreal has done the job when called upon but he never looked like he belongs there and why should he? He is a left back. Wenger has reported that Koscielny is still not 100% so expect some shakeup in the defense as the compact schedule comes at us. Monreal is facing a fitness test as is Gibbs so we could be looking at a void to fill for the Southampton match. We could potentially see Bellerin at right back, Flamini at left back and Chambers alongside Mertesacker. This is not what we want but such is the price we pay for not buying more defenders. The matches are coming fast and furious in the coming month and we will have to tweak our squad to deal with the fatigue and injuries. I fear the injuries the most but they are something we have to deal with as Arsenal fans. It is impossible for our players to stay healthy. The old adage of playing one match at a time is going to be par for the course for the next few weeks. I wouldn’t be able to call myself an Arsenal blogger if I didn’t mention that King Henry is looking to return to the Arsenal after his tenure at New York Red Bulls. I would love to see him return the club in some capacity. His love for Arsenal and all of us Gooners is very clear and he would do whatever it takes to see us successful (he specifically mentioned the Champions League). I know that it wouldn’t be a large role at first but I think a coaching role isn’t out of the cards to potentially groom him to be the manager. Fingers crossed that all goes well for him and the path is laid out. We have a match against Southampton and Stoke before I write again. Let’s all hope that our players overcome their injuries and be ready to take out the side that is sitting in 3rd place. As a fan of the game you can’t hope but admire the tenacity of that club. They are out to prove the pundits wrong that they would struggle losing so many players in the summer. Do I think they will remain there? No, because we are coming for the top four and they will hit a rough patch. We just need to capitalize and get some points. We have been unable to take points off the top four and that trend has to end for us to be successful. Until next time, Come on you Gunners! efore I start I hope all of you Gooners had a safe and happy Thanksgiving! Two wins in a row. That’s right, a 60th minute header from Danny Welbeck gave Arsenal the deserved lead against West Brom on Saturday. Was it a perfect, comprehensive win? No, of course not, this is the Arsenal; however there are many positives to take from this match. Our attack is starting to click as this season goes on and the single goal hides the fact that we looked solid when pressing the West Brom defense. Danny Welbeck started on the left with Giroud in the center and Alexis on the right. Santi Cazorla took up the central attacking mid position and those 4 players seemed up for the fight. Cazorla had the kind of game we all wish we would see from him more often. If there is one position this season that we can’t seem to get right with the players we have is the one that is normally occupied by the still-injured Mesut Özil. Cazorla is obviously the natural man to fulfill this role, but he has been moved left most matches and he hasn’t been able to find his feet lately, in either position. This is unfortunate because we all know how good he is with both feet. I remember the curling shot from outside the box against West Ham in his first season or the brace he scored against Fulham in January. His tricky dribbles and slick passes have been missing from his game and on Saturday, he had his best match in a long time. He never gave up on a loose ball or a dribble and always drove the attack forward. He kept the ball from going over the line and lifted it over the defense for Welbeck to smash it in with his head. That wasn’t his only key pass either. As the holiday matches begin to flood our schedule, now is the time for Cazorla to step up and help direct the attack for more goals. Continuing with the attack, I was also pleased with the movement of Welbeck even after losing his starting spot as striker to Olivier Giroud. I never expected Welbeck to contribute as much as he has when we signed him from Manchester United. I thought he was a filler buy, something for Wenger to say, “There you go, another striker”, but he has really come and fit in quickly. He still has a lot to prove at the top level but he has won me over. His early goal scoring contributions may have a pleasant side effect as well: forcing Giroud and our other forwards to fight for the position. This is something we have been lacking over the last few seasons. Prior to his traitorous exodus, Robin van Persie was the main striker we relied on to keep us in the top four. With his vacancy, it was up to Giroud, Podolski and Walcott to compete for that coveted striker role. It quickly became apparent though that Wenger did not see Podolski or to lesser extent, Walcott in that position. This left Giroud as the only striker we had. When he gets a knock, Wenger threw Podolski or Walcott centrally and expected them to play the same way. This is a bizarre tactic as neither of those players can do what Giroud does for this side. All three of them have different skills as strikers that Wenger doesn’t seem to capitalize on. The problem is that Arsene is too set in his tactics to change it up to fit the abilities of his players. As I stated last week, Wenger seems to have a faux hands off approach to managing. By that, I mean his only direction he gives is, “this is how I want you all to play, now do it but play to your own strengths”. Throwing Podolski or Walcott centrally and asking them to hold up the ball and bring the midfield into the attack is as asinine as asking Giroud to run faster than Walcott. I will never understand our lack of a plan B or C when A doesn’t work at all. At the end of the day, this is simply my cynical view and my opinion on our tactics doesn’t matter as I am not a manager, simply a blogger for the Queen City Gooners, the best supporters club in the US. Enough negativity, as this is not the discussion today. Our defense looked so much better with Koscielny and Mertesacker as the CB pairing. Monreal has done the job when called upon but he never looked like he belongs there and why should he? He is a left back. Wenger has reported that Koscielny is still not 100% so expect some shakeup in the defense as the compact schedule comes at us. Monreal is facing a fitness test as is Gibbs so we could be looking at a void to fill for the Southampton match. We could potentially see Bellerin at right back, Flamini at left back and Chambers alongside Mertesacker. This is not what we want but such is the price we pay for not buying more defenders. The matches are coming fast and furious in the coming month and we will have to tweak our squad to deal with the fatigue and injuries. I fear the injuries the most but they are something we have to deal with as Arsenal fans. It is impossible for our players to stay healthy. The old adage of playing one match at a time is going to be par for the course for the next few weeks. I wouldn’t be able to call myself an Arsenal blogger if I didn’t mention that King Henry is looking to return to the Arsenal after his tenure at New York Red Bulls. I would love to see him return the club in some capacity. His love for Arsenal and all of us Gooners is very clear and he would do whatever it takes to see us successful (he specifically mentioned the Champions League). I know that it wouldn’t be a large role at first but I think a coaching role isn’t out of the cards to potentially groom him to be the manager. Fingers crossed that all goes well for him and the path is laid out. We have a match against Southampton and Stoke before I write again. Let’s all hope that our players overcome their injuries and be ready to take out the side that is sitting in 3rd place. As a fan of the game you can’t hope but admire the tenacity of that club. They are out to prove the pundits wrong that they would struggle losing so many players in the summer. Do I think they will remain there? No, because we are coming for the top four and they will hit a rough patch. We just need to capitalize and get some points. We have been unable to take points off the top four and that trend has to end for us to be successful. Until next time, Come on you Gunners! It has been a few weeks since my last entry and frankly I needed a break. Not from writing,mind you, but simply from football. On the back of the improbable but not impossible loss to Swansea City, I was in no mood to watch any international football. I could care less about qualifiers or friendlies. I think I shared the same jaded feelings that many Gooners are feeling right now, but it took until the match against the Swans for me to hide for a while and do some Arsenal soul-searching.
Checking up, sparingly, on the Arsenal news outlets, I saw the new injury worries and various scares and I began to get nervous again. Somehow though, as the Manchester United match came closer to kick off, I felt pretty confident that we would get a result. Man. Utd has a defense worse than ours and we have a good attacking force. 2-1 was my predicted result. I was wrong. Arsenal played very well. We attacked with authority and defended just as well. I was even more confident. Then the Wilshere miss occurred. He did not have the greatest of matches and was lucky to be on the pitch at all, but that shot summed up the rest of the match quite well: wonderful attacking football but absolutely zero clinical finishing. Then an own goal after Gibbs and Szczesny took each other out which not only resulted in a goal against but Szczesny was injured in the process. Could nothing go right? Apparently it could not because Shrek managed to score on a counter attack which sealed the win for United. Di Maria could have rubbed salt in the wound but he managed to shoot wide and save us the embarrassment. Giroud came on late and got a goal back with a wonderful strike that was a consolation but in the end the points were sealed and we lost to a team that may actually be worse than us. After that loss, I had enough. Maybe my expectations were unrealistically high for the match, but that loss really cut to the bone. Something needs to change and fast. I began to wake up and check other fan reactions. I saw a lot of player names being thrown around as catalysts for our destruction. A lot of blame placed on our defenders, others blamed Arteta/Flamini and some blamed Arsene Wenger. I generally stand with the players more often than not because I don’t see our players as the types to give up and not play 100% for the shirt. Those that aren’t like-minded get weeded out. I still stand behind this. I truly don’t doubt the players’ commitment to the team but I do think they need to simplify the game and go back to the basics. Arsene Wenger should take responsibility for these poor results and overall dismal season we are having. He chooses the team selection and is the one that buys players. He decides the tactics, sets the line-up and makes the substitutions. Wenger trusts his players almost to a fault. He gives them an almost free license to do whatever they like in respect to their position but that clearly hasn’t been working. Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere are the two players that come to mind in this discussion. Jack plays with such a cavalier style that I have no idea how he has evaded more yellow and red cards. I like his conviction and even some of his flying tackles but often a good tackle can look badly timed at the wrong angle. Instead of making a bad tackle, which opponents often use to their advantage, he needs to be a menace, haranguing defenders with tenacity, something that he needs to look to Oxlade-Chamberlain as an example. He is one of our best players at the moment. Ramsey, a player that we all expected to continue being the midfield star he was last season, has fallen back into his past habits. Misplaced passes, skied shots and runs that leave the defense exposed are the staples of his game lately. Wenger called out Ramsey to play more simply and it is starting to work but not to the level we need. More importantly, we need his goals. Ramsey was the player we could count on last season when we needed a critical goal. Maybe Alexis has stolen his thunder a bit but Alexis can’t do it all himself (although he tries). Wenger seems to control this team like a fatherly dictator and his stubbornness is legendary. We all complain about his lack of substitutions before 70 minutes. If the sub isn’t forced by injury then generally Wenger will avoid it. How many times this season have we sat back yelling at the TV for a sub at halftime. We all can see that player x is not performing well and player y is sitting on the bench, so why can’t Wenger? Wenger is man of great belief in himself and his players. Maybe he feels that a sub is bad on a players’ morale but the club is more important than a few hurt feelings. Substitutions for tactics would also show that his decision was wrong and I don’t think Wenger takes being wrong well. This is also true with squad rotation. Look at the team sheets for the season and see how many players were changed in the starting XI from week to week, in the BPL and Champions league. What you will find is that, barring any injuries (of which there are many), Wenger does not stray from what he perceives is his strongest lineup. Normally this is what you want every match but players are human and they get burned out and tired. Since our defense is light, it doesn’t allow for much rotation however in midfield and attack we do have a bit of squad depth that is not being utilized. The end result is our worst nightmare: another player clutching a hamstring or a knee in pain and limping off the pitch. How long until Alexis runs his legs off until they turn into Jell-O because he doesn’t have an off switch and Wenger doesn’t give him a break? Probably never, bad example, Alexis is too great and fit for that. But look at the rest of the line up and you will see a long term injury waiting to happen and we can’t afford it so squad rotation is key. I wouldn’t be doing justice if I didn’t mention that we beat Dortmund at home 2-0. Sanogo (yesthat Sanogo) and Alexis got the goals. Both of which were well taken, especially Alexis’ goal. I loved Sanogo’s reaction because even he was surprised that goal went in. Alexis’ goal was one of beauty especially the curl it took from the left of the box to the right post was spectacular. It was a solid performance all around and one that should do the confidence some good. Naysayers will say that Dortmund is in bad form right now and while that it is true, it doesn’t take away from the fact that we played to that advantage. There wasn’t a single moment that caused me to freeze and expect a goal against. It was one of our best, if not the best performance of the season so far. We have the early match against West Brom on Saturday and we need to take 3 points to get the season back on track, and hopefully the win over Dortmund provides that spark. Up the Arsenal! For once this season could Arsenal give us a couple of good consecutive performances so I stop having to write positive negative entries? This is ridiculous. We faced Burnley and Anderlecht since my last post and we got a win and a draw. So, how can it all be bad? Easily after a win late in the match against Burnley and a 3-3 draw with Anderlecht at home after leading 3-0 just after halftime.
Our match against Burnley was actually a good one. Two goals from Alexis and one from Chambers sealed a win for the Gunners. It was a solid performance. Defensively, we looked comfortable and were excellent in possession. The only real problem is our lack of attacking threats. After the 2-1 win over Anderlecht, where we won in the last dying seconds, I was eager to see if Arsenal would ramp up the attack to not leave it so late. Unfortunately, this did not happen and we left it late, but no need nitpicking over an overall comprehensively positive performance. I am writing this in the evening after the 3-3 draw at home with Anderlecht where we scored two in the first half and one early in the second. It seemed like we were finally getting our act together and going to run away with the match. I was at work, busy and after 30 or so minutes I check the score and see 3-3. I did a double take and sat back dumbfounded that we blew a 3-0 lead! AT HOME! What do we have to do to close out a game? Reading the post match reactions on Twitter, I noticed a few observations made by our very levelheaded and very vocal fans:
We are clearly lacking something in this team. It permeates through the stands and the pitch. The cutting edge is missing. Our squad isn’t putting teams to the sword offensively. We aren’t shutting down the attacks of other teams. The Emirates should be a fortress that strikes fear into the hearts of other clubs. We are the Arsenal. We have cannons adorning the stadium. The walls should be like battlements and ramparts of a medieval castle. The stands should be filled with the voices of thousands of singing knights, cheering on the cavalry that is the Arsenal. The home crowd is full of silent mouths, eager to pounce on a misplaced pass or skied shot. The boos are ready to fly out at will just as the negativity pours onto Twitter the minute the match is over. Worse still is the negativity after a win. Starts out “good win, but (insert player name) needs to be dropped because (insert bogus reason born from zero logic)”. I tend to avoid social media after a loss or even a draw because I can’t stand a lot of the poison that seeps through it. I am not happy. I hate losing just as much as the next Arsenal fan, but we have a tendency to claim the sky is falling after every bad day of football. Then after a win, instead of celebrating in the good day, we find ways to make it about how it was a fluke. It has been a rough season so far. We are still in the Champions League despite the draw, with two matches to play in the group, I am very confident we will advance. We are fourth in the league and still have the FA Cup to play for. We need to look up and see that we can still turn this season around. Our defense looks shaky and aside from Alexis our offense isn’t clicking like it should. Frankly, I don’t know what can be done to fix this except for buy a defender in January, however based on Wenger’s record lately, I am not positive we will do so. It is matches like this one that show how much we miss Koscielny and Debuchy. We are also missing Vermaelen. I was not happy with us selling him and not getting a replacement. He was knocked out of the pecking order by Mertesacker and Koscielny, who together form a very solid duo. He did his duty the last few seasons as the captain but spending most of the time on the bench. He didn’t complain and did his job when called upon. It was unfair for a player with his talent to waste away on the bench but what is more egregious was letting him go without making a clear signing to replace him. Debuchy was signed to replace Sagna and prior to his injury, impressed me greatly. I think Debuchy feeding Walcott and Alexis on the right will be a godsend when he gets healthy. Continuing with the defense, Chambers was signed as a young talent, who could fill in where needed and sub from the bench. Yet with injuries to both Koscielny and Debuchy, he is playing musical positions both in center and right back. To his credit, he looks like the real deal. Wenger has made a wonderful signing with him and he will only improve. The problem is he can only fill in one position at a time, which means we have to move Monreal into the center. Monreal is not a center back, and he does not pretend to be one. I think he has been shaky for sure, but he is not alone in this defense and it is unfair to place all the blame on him. Mertesacker doesn’t perform as well without Koscielny, and Monreal is a decent back up left back but is not a center back. The only defenders left are reserve players and that prospect scares me more than Monreal. All these problems could have been allieviated if Wenger would have kept Vermaelen or signed a true 4th choice center back. Another problem we have is our formations don’t seem to be working with our player’s skill sets, but that is a discussion for another week. We play Swansea this weekend and we need to continue to perform in the league if we are going to right this ship. Alexis is on fire right now and the entire squad needs to mimic his drive and energy. He is outplaying every player on the pitch and doing his best to carry this team. I have said it before and I will say it again. We have talented players on this team, they need to show that class, starting now. Until next week, Come on you Gunners! It has been a crazy, weird week of football for the Arsenal. We played Anderlecht on Wednesday and faced off against Sunderland in the Stadium of Light on Saturday. While both matches were wins, the manner of both wins was unconvincing to say the least. I am thrilled we took the points from both matches but we still seem to be far off of the standard of footballing excellence we expect from Arsenal.
I am unable to watch the matches in midweek live because I am in the office, so I generally keep tabs using Arseblog’s Liveblog, which is a great tool from Andrew Mangan at Arseblog. BBC Sport usually is full of anti-Arsenal chowder heads who claim to be experts as they spout out their hateful drivel. So in the little downtime I get at the office, I check the score and read comments and commentary about how well we have been playing. All I kept reading was how dreadful we looked and how we were going to lose. 1-0 down heading to the 89th minute and it looked like this was the case. Then Gibbs showed up with that wonderful volleyed goal. It was a really well taken strike from the left back and suddenly we were level. I was happy with the equalizer and then after a quick phone call I see the words appear on the screen “Podolski!” “2-1!” I fell out of my chair and yelled out in joy. I threw my hands to the sky and said to my coworker (a Liverpool fan, sad right?) Podolski scored. He was in just as much shock as I was. Of course it was a win, a lackluster, pathetic showing but we got the points. Podolski was the hero of the day with the match winner, and I felt that it was good for him that he walked away with that goal because I always feel that if he gets a chance, he will take it. There is no hesitation from him to shoot first, which I feel is lacking from our game right now. Wenger doesn’t want to play him lately but the gamble paid off and I am ecstatic for it. Moving to the weekend, the match against Sunderland was a relatively dull affair as well. I hate saying that because we got 2 goals and a clean sheet. How can that be bad? To be fair, it isn’t. Our thin defense was actually solid, Monreal wasn’t looking out of place in the center and both full backs were making good runs and tracking back well. Mertesacker may be finally clearing the cobwebs and oiling the joints because he appears to be the organizer again. This time it was the attack that was guilty of not doing enough, bar one player: Alexis Sanchez. There aren’t enough superlatives in the world to describe how good he is right now. I may have to make up a few new words. So if anyone has any ideas, email me or send me a message on Twitter. The Chilean superstar has not appeared to suffer any World Cup setbacks. He is tenacious, fast, tricky and can score from anywhere. Both goals he got because of that ability to hound defenses into making errors. Wes Brown and Vito Mannone both were victims of the Sanchezinator. Every match that comes and goes, with the exception of a couple, we can pick apart the team and say why every player is playing like they are in quicksand, but Alexis is the one player who works his short shorts off. He is a winner, through and through. He never gives up, on a tackle, dribble or shot. He is doing everything in the power to keep this team afloat as we sort out or injuries and defensive woes. Alexis is the kind of player that can pull you through a bad performance and put the icing on the cake of a great one. Our problem is that we aren’t supporting him enough to make our performances great. Wenger continues to rotate our attacking players almost as if he has a dart board with the players’ pictures on it and one by one, throws darts at them, blindfolded, to determine the staring line up. The squad doesn’t seem to have the chemistry that we would think they would have. Many of these players have been together on the same team in some capacity for several years, barring the new ones. Yet, we cannot string together any number of convincing performances. Injuries have been a problem, I know that, but we have experienced players in almost every position to field a decent team. We can argue and gripe about how bad we look after every match until we can’t speak anymore, but I would rather take a step back, look at the matches with a cooler head and try to take whatever positives out of it we can. Lately, it is just Alexis, but a positive is a positive. We have Burnley this weekend and that is a match we should be winning. Alexis will have to step up again, but hopefully after two poor to average performances where we took away maximum points, we can start to get some consistency in our game and not struggle to beat teams lower than us in the table. I am banking on a 3-0, call it the blind optimism that I have about this team but even the naysayers can’t deny that we are more than capable of beating Burnley. That being said, we could easily be the instrument of our own destruction. Onwards and upwards. Come on you Gunners! PS: Sorry for the shorter blog this week, but I have been a bit under the weather these past few days and my writing brain is blocked with sinus congestion. I will have an improved blog next week when we beat Burnley. Watching the match against Hull City, it was glaring that Arsenal have several bad habits that have plagued them for a few seasons. You can talk all day about mental strength and the ability to fight back into a match but frankly I am sick of this football doublespeak. Arsenal are now 11 points behind the leaders and with the talent in this squad that is inexcusable.
The first half from Arsenal was looking exactly what doctor ordered: Loads of possession with good shots testing the keeper and an early goal from our Chilean goal machine Alexis. Sure the score was several a few minutes later but Arsenal continued to press and make chances. I was still confident that we could get three points from this match. The Hull goal was really poor, but a lot can be said of the foul not being called on Flamini when he was clearly fouled. No sense complaining because these things happen in matches and you have to deal with it and play to erase the error that led to the scoring chance. After their goal Arsenal pressed hard to make it happen but we couldn’t find the breakthrough. The first half showed that even if injuries limit our options we still have a lot of talent in this side. We started Welbeck, Cazorla, Alexis, Wilshere, Ox and Flamini in attack and midfield. Our defense is light with a 19 yr old Bellerin starting at right back, joining Gibbs at left and Mertesacker and Monreal in center of defense. It was ridiculous that we need to start a 19 yr old at RB and a LB at CB. Defensive problems aside, we have Podolski, Rosicky and Theo (coming back soon hopefully), Arteta and Ramsey, all are capable of making the first XI and are players who are class. For some reason this season, Wenger is having trouble fitting the pieces of the puzzle together in order to get a consistent run of well played, good results. We been subjected to watching a team struggle to draw matches let alone win. The second half of the Hull match is exactly this. 40 seconds in and Hull get a second goal and from there it was nothing more than watching grown, well-paid men, struggle to pass a ball straight 10 feet towards the opposition goal. We fell back into the old bad habits. The one in particular that infuriates me is the desire to get the perfect goal, when it clearly is not working. Arsenal have become very predictable to teams trying to shut us down for a draw. We pass and pass and pass around the 18 yard box with no runners making a move. Defenders simply wait for the one pass that is slower or less accurate and clear it or intercept and head for counter. Every time we attack, we look like we are trying to replicate the goal against Norwich last season. Against certain teams we can do that, but against most we fall into a frustrating rut. Another bad habit and one that I noticed developing from the last few years is the inability to play well unless we are a goal down. This didn’t manifest itself in the Hull match because we looked like poo until Alexis played Welbeck for the goal to draw level. I am so tired of watching this club play for a draw against lesser opposition. Where is the killer instinct that used to be the mark of Wenger’s teams? The first half of last season, Arsenal were monsters playing great football and getting the good results, but after Christmas, the old habits resurfaced, including the inability to play well unless a goal down. The difference between last season and this one is that last season we would go down a goal and then win. Now we are scraping by with these draws and losing ground in the title hunt. Our fixture list has been challenging but not cruel as it has been in the past. The matches against the top four are relatively scattered and littered with opposition that we should be beating but we just aren’t doing that. Hull are no slouches and they proved that in the FA Cup Final last season but we are man for man a better side. We are not playing like it. I stated last week that we should be getting maximum points from teams that are (generally) below us in the table. I am having hard time convincing myself that we do it. All is not lost as I still feel like we can make up some ground but we simply cannot accept any more draws. It is easy to focus on the negatives on a poor performance but let’s look at some positives, not of the match per se but in general. Bellerin, in the Hull match played well defensively and got forward well. I was pleasantly surprised by the young RB and I think with more first team match time, he may develop into a class RB. Obviously way to early to tell, but he was a bright spot Saturday. Welbeck and Alexis, again were excellent and have continued to be the players that we can rely on to get goals. I was slightly disappointed that we got him, but pleased when Man U fans were upset so I took that as a good sign. The #Welbzisdatguy on Twitter really gives me a laugh because he is “dat guy” right now. The only criticism I could give him is he disappears for portions of the match, but so does a lot of other players right now, so I won’t hold that against him. He clearly likes a goal and is willing to prove Van Gaal wrong for talking trash about him when he left. I support the lad and hope he does well because it will drive a dagger in the heart of Manchester United fans to see one of their boys succeeding at Arsenal. Alexis, par for the course this season, is the main man in the early parts of this season. A true quality acquisition from Wenger and a player that is guaranteed to give you 110% or more every match. This is the main problem a lot of fans seem to have with our players right now if commitment. Özil in particular, is one who is criticized for falling out of the match during the latter stages. Podolski suffers from this as well, two players with quality but have the reputation of being lazy or disinterested. I don’t think any true Gooner will doubt the quality of both these players or their commitment to the cause but it is hard to watch either of them give up on a pass or track back to hunt down a lost ball. Those who know me well also know that it is no secret for my love of Podolski. He is a player who I followed as I was getting into the sport; he is close to my age and has a great attitude for the club and fans. It pains me to watch him get blasted but sometimes I have to agree with some who say he looks lost. I feel this is a combination of Wenger’s playing him out of position and Podolski’s shoot first, ask questions later style which clashes with Wenger’s pass-pass-pass-shoot style. He may be gone in January or the summer, but right now he is an Arsenal player and one who can relieve some pressure off of Welbeck and Alexis in the coming weeks as our main starters remain injured. He is good for a goal (when he plays more than 10 minutes) and clearly loves the club. If he leaves I want him to go out on a good note. I hope Gooners saw his Tweet regarding the nonsensical rumor of him going to Spurs. He said “hell would freeze over before that transfer would happen” Say what you will about him, but you have got to love that commitment. We take on Anderlecht and Sunderland before I write again. So as always, here’s to 3 points in both matches with plenty of goals for the Arsenal and a couple of clean sheets. Come On You Gunners! Week 2 of the international break continues and I frankly, can’t wait for it to be over. I used up my interest in the international game with the World Cup and I will renew it when the Gold Cup comes around again, followed by the Euros, but until then I will sit impatiently and watch the new NHL season which is getting underway. Of course, as a Carolina Hurricanes fan, that usually causes my blood pressure to rise. It is not good for my health to be a fan of both Arsenal and the Hurricanes. Add into that deadly cocktail, equal parts Cleveland Browns and Indians and I will be surprised if I make to my 30th birthday.
This blog will be shorter than usual as I do not have much to say in this interlull, but let’s get the important talking points nailed down: Injuries: Mesut Özil, Laurent Koscielny and Tomas Rosicky were added to the list that is now pinned with a ka-bar combat knife to Shad Forsythe’s door in London. Daily Fail: English media is at their old tricks again, (no surprise there) with the rumor that Özil is unhappy at Arsenal and is looking for a switch to Bayern Munich. Defense: still light in defense and in defensive midfield Starting with injuries and the defensive problems, our squad is now missing: Arteta, Rosicky, Welbeck (should be back for Hull), Ospina, Özil, Ramsey, Sanogo, Giroud, Debuchy and Walcott. After typing that list, it may have just been easier to list the players who are healthy. Arsenal has always seemed to have an injury problem but this season has been absolutely ridiculous with not just the number of injuries but also the severity and length of absence. What compounds the problem is that we are already light in defense and two of our starting defenders are on that list. I said that loaning Jenkinson to West Ham would come back to haunt us and it seems that prophecy is coming true. We are down to the bare bones in defense and we could have used the experience he had to get us through this rough patch. Now we have to rely on the youngsters in the reserve side to do a job that will not be easy. It would be unfair to lie this at Shad Forsythe’s feet and blame him for our injury woes. We could gather pitchforks and torches and storm London looking for him like the villagers after Frankenstein’s monster or we could act like adults and try to analyze what is it that Arsenal are doing that causes these issues. It could be the training methods or the lack of a clear break between the World Cup and the start of the season. No matter what we believe it is, we just don’t know and the uncertainty is more terrifying than the reality. Finally the media is stirring up the transfer rumor soup by announcing a story that Özil is unhappy in London and wants a move to Bayern Munich, plus Arsenal are willing to sell him at a loss. I don’t know whose idea it was to print this but the track record at Daily Mail (Fail) is not good. He may not be in the best form but to suggest that Arsenal are willing to offload Özil to Bayern at a loss after a season and a half is ludicrous. That is not the Arsenal way and it is especially not the Arsene Wenger way. Wenger is loyal to players that he believes in and he trusts Özil immensely. We all should know that this is nonsense but it goes to show you just how moronic the media gets over transfers and non-issues. This has been a slow news week for the sport and the media needs to stir the pot to get readers on their website and print. What better way to do this than to print loads of garbage about Arsenal. Arsenal seem like an easy target based on our trophy record over the last 10 years, plus the amount of players that have left, and the injury woes we face every season. We endure this drivel every year and frankly I have had enough. We need to break out of this rut and prove to everyone that we are the top club that we truly are. What better way than to get a nice win against Hull this weekend. We can then follow it up with several wins to get our season back on track and show the fighting spirit in this team. Let’s light the fuse on that cannon and fire the warning shots across the premier league. Come on (what’s left of) you Gunners! |
Brandon Simerlink Archives
August 2019
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