Arsenal: Observations of a Fan on the Gunners' defeat against Chelsea

In the most anticipated match in this round of the English Premier League, Arsenal travelled to Stamford Bridge to face the current top of the crop team, Chelsea. Expectations tilted towards the team clad in blue as they were not only in a great form but also their opposition, Arsenal, was struck by unfortunate injuries.

Key players, namely Robin van Persie, Cesc Fabregas, Thomas Vermaelen, and Theo Walcott, were not available for Wenger’s selection - a fact that might have caused an annoying headache for Le Professor.

But, for once, I’m not going to talk about what happened and how it happened. I will tell you what a prejudiced Arsenal-minded fan, me, saw of it.

As I was preparing myself to sit down and watch yet another disappointing match - let’s face it, it all pointed toward another disappointment - I couldn’t help but notice a small tint of warmth forming in my chest. The kind of warmth that keeps you going despite all the setbacks.

Let’s call it hope.

Yes, I had hopes for this match.

Despite all the rationalities - the form of Chelsea, the injury-crippled Arsenal, Diddier Drogba, Lukasz Fabianski, and all the other factors that pointed towards extending the victory-less run of the Gunners - hope was finding its way into the light.

I almost got used to being taunted by friends’ remarks and comments about how Arsenal were going to get thrashed by Chelsea, but what was strange was that I simply left the events to unfold, knowing that they might be both right and wrong at the same time.

As the match progressed, that small positive feeling began to get confirmed. Arsenal were playing well enough: organised at the back, good passing, creating the occasional chances. They were countering Chelsea’s tactics very well. Still, I knew that anything could happen when football is played at this level.

The battles on field were exhilarating, the tempo leaving you with little time to think through what has happened. Unquestionably, it was a clash of the highest level - one that all the fans enjoy seeing each and every time.

Then it happened: Ramires sped on the left flank, crossed the ball, and with surprising agility Diddier Drogba sent the ball rolling behind Lukasz Fabianski.

The first rationale came true.

Drogba once again scored against his favourite opposition. This time, it looked like it was accompanied by a little more luck than his previous successful Arsenal endeavours. Luck or not, it was 1-0 to Chelsea.

Still, that comforting feeling was there, refusing to disappear.

As half time break approached, I thought about the possibilities that could get us back into the game. The first half was not that bad: Wenger’s side passed the ball well without making mistakes and looked like they have as many chances to score as their opposition.

We had Tomas Rosicky, Carlos Vela, Denilson, and Emannuel Eboue on the bench, who could be used as attacking options . With the absence of team captain and playmaker Cesc Fabregas, the weight of organising the attack landed on Samir Nasri, youngster Jack Wilshere, and Andrei Arshavin. Maybe with the involvement of Rosicky, it all looked like Arsenal’s attacks will improve.

The second half started, Rosicky was not on, but the Gunners stormed forward. For 20 minutes, they held Chelsea back, who I must admit looked very comfortable with the situation. The possession was 60 to 40 to Arsenal. Chances came and went, but the goal evaded them. Kudos to the good organization by the Chelsea defenders.

And then, around the 60th minute, the Gunners eased the pressure on the pedal. Did they get desperate? Did they lose faith that they could come back into the game? These and a lot more questions flooded me. As I saw it, their incessant infertile attempts demoralized them. And that’s when my hope, that they will come back, began to fade. Still light beamed, almost getting completely obliterated by a mistake made by Squillaci to allow Anelka to squander a perfect opportunity in front of an empty goal.

As I was watching Rosicky coming on, I knew he will not change a lot. He’s been below par in his recent games. Another thing that worried me was that Samir Nasri played below his abilities as well: he started making mistakes resulting in several counter-attacks by Chelsea; his imagination was wailing, failing to provide that killer pass.

Ten minutes from time, it all became obvious, and my fears were confirmed. Alex’s piledrive from a free-kick ended it: 2-0. In truth, no one could be blamed about this goal. Fabianski could have hardly done anything to reach it. It was a nicely executed free-kick that Chelsea had obviously worked on in training. Flaurent Malouda squeezed in the wall only to get out of the ball’s way when the free-kick was taken.

No one could have done anything to save that shot.

It was all done. It finished 2-0. Arsenal lost and continued their run without a win, not stretching to three games. As expected, Chelsea won the battle, but also, as expected, hope was still hanging around despite the signs pointing towards defeat.

Undoubtedly, I will still feel this way - no matter who Arsenal are facing. Hope never dies for a fan. It is still too early in the season to count them out of the title race; key players will return, and with little luck will stay fit. All that is needed is a little luck and hope because no one can refute the simple fact that the Gunners have the team to win the title.

Chelsea won the battle, but not the war. It’s far from over.

Arsenal: Injuries Continue to Torment Arsene Wenger’s Side

Seven games into the new season and signs of last few years' problems begin to emerge again. It has always been a worrying factor, a most of the times deciding as well, that Arsenal’s players drop like flies with injuries throughout the season.

So far, nothing has been done to change that. Currently, Arsenal, along with unlucky Sunderland, are the team with most injured players in the Premier League.

Acoording to the assembled injury table of physioroom.com, here’s how it looks:

1. Arsenal – 9 injured players: Gibbs, Fabregas, Vermaelen, Diaby, Walcott, Van Persie, Frimpong, Bendtner, Ramsey.
2. Sunderland – 9 injured players: Gyan, Richardson, Ferdinand, Turner, Campbell, Mensah, McCartney, Gordon, Meyler.

Further down the table, here is how things look for Arsenal’s rivals:

5. Tottenham Hotspur – 7 injured players: Corluka, Kaboul, Gomes, Defoe, Dawson, O’Hara, Woodgate.
7. Chelsea – 4 injured players: Benayoun, Kalou, Lampard, Bosingwa.
13. Manchester United – 3 injured players: Hargreaves, Valencia, Carrick.

Things look grim in that department, and have looked so for several years now. Hope that something will be done to fix that before it becomes a major problem is the only thing left for the Gooners.

The full table can be examined here.

Arsenal Avenge On Tottenham In The Carling Cup With a DVD-Worthy 4-1

The much anticipated fixture between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal was undoubtedly the main event of tonight’s Carling Cup games. Two years ago, the Spurs enjoyed a terrific result against their arch-rivals, but they knew the past could not be dwelt on for tonight’s match.

Despite the never-absent electrifying atmosphere, both managers decided to save the energy of some of their more important players for the Champions League clashes next week and fielded well balanced teams of youth and experience.

Arsene Wenger had to serve a one-match ban after his improper behaviour towards the fourth official in the game with Sunderland. This seemed to be a small obstacle since modern technology provided him a way to communicate with his assistant Pat Rice.

Parallel to the battle of the minds, on the field, the fact that this was a Carling Cup clash did little to alleviate the pressure between the players.

Arsenal stung first when youngster Henri Lansbury took advantage of a frozen Tottenham defence to open his tally at the club. The provider of the assist, Jack Wilshere, then found himself on the receiving end of some committed sliding tackles, but he impressively remained unshaken by them.

The rest of the first half proceeded in a subtle battle of tactics. Arsenal had the possession of the ball for most of the time, but met a sturdy well-organized resistance from Tottenham.

After the break, Harry Rednap decided it’s time to use his benched lethal weapon—Robby Keane. And it paid off. With the clock showing 49, Keane took full advantage of a splendid through ball by Kyle Naughton, and put his team on equal terms.

With strengths pretty evenly distributed, Wenger decided to counter-act. It took him approximately ten minutes to get his wishes through to Pat Rice though and in the 72th minute Maroune Chamakh and Andrei Arshavin replaced Tomas Rosicky and Carlos Vela, respectively.

Rosicky did well to start the build-up for the sole goal, but in the second half his passes struggled to find their targets. Carlos Vela also had a quite game in the face of some recent outstanding performances.

The two new men’s impact was almost immediately felt as an attack from the left, starting from Arshavin, caused havoc in the Tottenham penalty box.

However, the winner could not be decided in regular time and the game was forced into extra-time.

Tiredness had sunk in by the time the first period started.

And it started with an explosion. Only 30 seconds after the whistle, Samir Nasri was about to get away when Sebastien Bassong brought him down in the penalty box.

Memories from the missed penalty against Sunderland flooded the minds of the Arsenal fans, but Nasri responded with a resounding: I’m the one who has to take penalties. Coolly, he sent the keeper to the other direction and put Arsenal one up.

Four minutes later, Tottenham might have thought they were witnessing a deja-vu. This time Chamakh was released by Andrei Arshavin only to be held back by Steven Caulker.

Referee Lee Probert did not hesitate to give Arsenal another penalty. Dispersing further doubts why he has to be the one to take penalties, Samir Nasri executed perfectly to put his team two goals up.

Having perceived where things are going, Harry Redknap tried to enforce his team replacing Sandro with Niko Kranjcar, but it all came too little, too late.

A quickly executed free-kick sent Arshavin advancing towards the corner of the penalty box from the left. With a well-placed low shot, he made the result bubble up to 4-1.

Harry Redknap now looked grim on his seat; the Tottenham fans started leaving the stadium; and the players clad in white looked to have accepted their fate; and Arsenal were playing out the rest of the game.

However, the Spurs had a couple of more chances to come out of it with dignity intact.

First, David Bentley frantically missed after a header from two meters, and then Roman Pavlyuchenko saw his shot denied by Samir Nasri on the goal line.

It didn’t work and it finished 4-1 to Arsenal. A result that came as sweet revenge for that game two years ago and important boost for their confidence before Saturday’s game against West Bromwich Albion.

Arsenal Stumble Against Sunderland: Luck, Dismissal, Injury, Dubious Decisions

Arsenal’s travel to the unwelcoming Stadium of Light must have been filled with hope, and yet, with determination to come home with all the three points. They must have known a difficult fight was ahead of them. What they probably did not know was that they would have to do it without their captain Cesc Fabregas for the bigger part of the game, and with a player less than the opposition.

First whistle blown, Lady Luck smiled on the Gunners.

After an attempted clearance by Anton Ferdinand, the ball bounced off the foot of Cesc Fabregas, travelled about 40 yards, and landed in the net behind Sunderland keeper Simon Mignolet.

What a curious way to open the scoring, indeed. But what is strange about luck is that it comes and goes at the most unexpected moments.

Twenty minutes after the goal, Cesc signalled for a substitution. Tomas Rosicky came in to replace the captain who had received some type of injury in the deflection-caused goal.

The huge blow changed the game of the Gunners and they gave the initiative to their opponents.

Smelling blood, Sunderland immediately reacted and launched themselves forward like mad. Facing the oncoming pressure, the Gunners did not fold, managing to keep the defence organised and minimizing the mistakes to a minimum. Goalkeeper Manuel Almunia had to make some crucial interventions and he did his job without a flinch.

But the wheel had started turning.

Alex Song stole a ball from a Sunderland player in the midfield, but then referee Phil Dowd blew his whistle after the player went down. Song reacted angrily enough to spur Dowd into booking him.

Song’s reaction was partly justified by the replays which showed there was no contact between Song and the fouled player, but Dowd’s mind was in another dimension.

After the half-time talks, Arsenal came out a transformed team with one thing in mind: to finish the game off.

Ten minutes deep into the second half, Sunderland repelled another Gunner attack and started to organize a counter-attack. The already-booked Alex Song had little time to move out of the way of speeding Steed Malbranque and a foul was awarded. What was strange was that Phil Dowd decided the action of Song was worthy of being showed a second yellow card. Considering the easy first yellow card, many would find Dowd decision doubtful.

Arsenal was left to deal with hyper-active opposition with ten men until the end of the match. Sunderland mounted pressure, and on several occasions came very close to scoring.

The hostile atmosphere, though, turned out to be the perfect environment for the new figures in the Arsenal defence to show what they can do. Laurent Koscielny, Bakary Sagna, Manuel Almunia, and Sebastien Squillaci all battled well to protect the fragile lead of their team. Gael Clichy made a few mistakes, but nothing that could not be repaired by his well-performing team-mates.

With 20 minutes left, the referee was close enough to see Samir Nasri getting tripped inside the Sunderland box and awarded a penalty to Arsenal.

The weight of the task fell on the substituting captain’s shoulders—Tomas Rosicky. However, it was too much for him and he squandered the perfect opportunity to end the argument.

Stress continued to mount and all hell broke loose seconds after the decided injury time ran out. In a huge melee in the Arsenal end, the ball found its way to Darren Bent after shaky clearance by Gael Clichy, 1-1.

A point to each side.

Arsenal may regret missing the golden chances to finish the game off. That, along with some dubious decisions by the referee, leaves them one point behind league leaders Chelsea who have a game in hand.

Arsenal: Meet the Jolly Good Vela, the Next Big Thing at Arsenal

For he's a jolly good Vela
For he's a jolly good Vela
For he's a jolly good Velaaaa!
Which nobody can deny.*

Carlos Vela, a 14-year-old unknown Mexican at the time, was given birth to his football career at one of the most successful clubs in Mexico, Guadalajara FC. He was accompanied by the presence of his brother in the team.

It took three years for his beam of talent to shine through the cloud of uncertainty and blind the eyes of the scouts, but mostly that beam shone with its greatest intensity at the U-17 World Cup with his international team.

Not only did his team managed to win the World Cup, but Vela snatched the Golden boot, finishing the tournament with five goals.

That, of course, drew the eyes of the world onto him, and a team from London, praised with having one of the best scouting networks in the world, were among the first to drool over the prospect of Carlos Vela.

Eventually, in November 2005, an offer was made by Arsenal which secured the services of the young El Tricolor. Due to his tender age though, Vela was ineligible to receive the work permit that would allow him to participate in English games.

He was loaned to Celta de Vigo in attempt to encourage his development. The Spaniards returned him soon after, not having used him once. Once again, Vela was loaned out to another Spanish team—this time Salamanca.

Good fortune smiled upon Vela in his Salamanca endeavour.

He gained valuable experience participating in 31 games, scoring eight goals, and making many others. His good spell meant great news for Arsenal, and after a year of success, he was loaned out to Osasuna for another year-long spell.

At Osasuna, where he was predominantly used as a winger, Vela drew the lauds of many football lovers, managing to snatch another 32 invaluable games.

On 22 May, 2008, just two months after his birthday, he was granted the work permit which led to his return to Arsenal.

Three months later, in a match against Newcastle in the Premier League, Carlos received his first taste of football in a red and white shirt substituting Arsenal star Robin van Persie. Then, a month later, his skill flashed like a lightning in a game against Sheffield United—three bright flashes, a hat-trick, his first for the Gunners.

Transformed into a fan favourite because of his bright start, Vela still struggled to find playing time, but that did not stop him from showing off his skills. By the end of the season, he already had bagged another two goals, one of which was a beautiful chip shot considered to be one of Arsenal’s 50 most beautiful goals.

In the next season, he managed to get a few more playing time with which to contribute with some more good goals and assists.

And then the 2010/11 season dawned.

In his first entrance near the end of the match against Blackpool, the young El Tricolor kept his composure to find the net with a nicely placed shot. His enthusiasm was so infective that you could not help but smile to see him scoring. Ten minutes of Premier League action; one goal. And it was just the beginning.

When Europe came knocking at the door, Vela opened with a smile.

He was once again used in the Champions League match against Portuguese team Braga. This time the 21-year-old had double the time to play and double the trouble to give Braga—twenty minutes as he replaced Andrei Arshavin in the 70th minute.

“20 minutes! No problem.” is what he might have thought.

Vela’s positive attitude and enviable composure in front goal pushed the score to a mind-boggling 6-0 in favour of Arsenal. Two goals in twenty minutes. So far, Vela has played for 30 minutes scoring three goals—that makes it one goal every 10 minutes.

With such a bright displays so far, who could know what this boy could do if he is used more often? Surely, if his performances continue to impress, Wenger may decide to scrap the £400,000 he has to pay his former team, Guadalajara, if Vela is to get 50 first team appearances.

Surely, even at that point, Arsene Wenger must give Vela the chance to shine, with that same intensity that drew Arsenal to sign him. The Jolly Good Vela, the next big thing at Arsenal?

I’m sure he will be, and so is Arsene.

*This is a chant that the fans of Arsenal have composed for Calros Vela.

Arsenal-Bolton: A Few Things to Think About After a Top-Notch Performance

How Things Turned Out

In front of home crowd, basking in the tranquil September sun, Arsenal continued their winning streak on their quest for Premier League glory.

Arsenal clashed with Bolton, a team in which current manager Owen Coyle has tried to implement an Arsenal-like style of play.

Owen Coyle has planted a good seed in Bolton. Their football was joyful to watch, with plenty of movement and passes. This meeting though, resembled a master giving a lesson to his disciple.

It was pretty much Arsenal all the way.

Four goals scored, once again reminding of the firepower in the red-and-white attack. I, for one, was amazed at how easily they passed the ball among the Bolton players. The cutting passes and through balls were beautiful to watch and painful for the opposition, and if it wasn’t for luck, the result might have escalated to four or five much earlier in the game.

After the somehow dubious dismissal of Gary Cahill, it was all over. Don’t get me wrong, it was all over even before that, but a 10-men Bolton was no match for the masterful team work of Arsenal.

The crowd was enjoying the football and urging their team to continue their passing spree. It was in one of those perfectly executed one-touch football displays, the ball reaching almost every member of the team clad in red, the fifth and final foal of the match was secured, 4-1 to Arsenal.

A symphony at its best.


Things to Think about

While the attack was on the right track, there was an air of unpredictability about the Arsenal defence.

And how couldn’t it have been? The pivotal stone of the defence, Thomas Vermaelen, was out injured.

Laurent Koscielny made a costly mistake in the match against Blackburn before the international break. And Sebastein Squillaci was making his debut game, experiencing English football for the first time.

Worries were confirmed after another misjudged intervention by Laurent Koscielny led to Arsenal sustain an equalizing goal. Squillaci, on the other hand, did well, despite the pressure he was put under on numerous occasions by the Bolton forwards. He showed that experience can compensate the lack of speed. Let’s hope that would be the case for his future games.

So, all in all, nothing major to twist here, but just as a note, why not give Laurent a nice retrospective one-match break and put Johan Djourou in his place?

Another man to think about is Tomas Rosicky.

The ever-so-influential Czech did well to distribute the ball to his team-mates, and not that his job is to finish the Arsenal attacks, but once again he was found lacking in that aspect.

As in the last match, he once again found himself absolutely alone against the goalkeeper and missed the goal. Of course, that can happen to anyone, but Tomas could improve his finishing game.

Going further down, why not give Carlos Vela a chance?

He is still very young, but for the little time he participated in the match, he managed to score a goal and captivate with his enthusiasm. With a smile on his face, he showed deadly accuracy and speed to secure Arsenal’s fourth goal.

For a 10-minute display, I would say it was pretty well done. Why not give him some more playing time now that the speed of Theo Walcott is missed up front?

Andrei Arshavin, much like Rosicky, was quite ineffective in front of goal.

He could have definitely done much better. On several occasions, he just couldn’t find the frame of the goal when faced only by Adam Bogdan, the Bolton goalkeeper. Although we have seen how inconsistent Arshavin can be, he is definitely an integral part of the first team because of his flashes of inspiration that can surprise any opposition. We couldn’t ask for him to be put on the bench.

Another thing to think about is the use of rotation.

It is a proved effective way to save the energy of players and protect them from injuries. It’s known that fatigue increases the chance of getting an injury and if this problem is solved, we might at last see Arsenal not crippled at some point later in the season.

Seven new players started against Bolton as compared to the last game. Keep rotation going, Arsene.

And finally, the captain, we couldn’t help but notice the form of Cesc Fabregas, the captain who was linked with a transfer to Bracelona this summer. He was raging free with defence-splitting pin-point accurate passes.

Against an open team like Coyle’s Bolton that may have come easily to him, but keeping this form further on, and especially against harder opposition, will prove to some suspicious fans that he is totally committed to the Arsenal cause for the new season.

With season’s dawn just passed, the time has come for the manager to keep analyzing and for the players to keep believing, so in the end, they might finally reach the sunset crowned as champions.

Arsenal: Signs of Improvement from Last Season

Another season has started and yet again the unrelenting sea of questions floods our minds: What has been done to improve the team’s fighting chances from last season? What has been improved?

Major or minor changes, one thing is certain: the team is not the same as last year.


Defence

Watching those matches last season, not once or twice sympathizers of Arsenal shuddered at the thought of losing either of the two first-choice defenders—Thomas Vermaelen and William Gallas.

And how wouldn’t they? Just a quick peek at the available options sitting on the bench was enough to perceive the inadequate defensive depth.

Arsene Wenger had 36-year-old Sol Campbell, 32-year-old-with-obvious-signs-of-aging Mikael Silvestre, and fallen-out-of-favour Philippe Senderos at his disposal.

This year though, things look slightly different.

The unused Senderos left the club along with three other over-30 defenders—Gallas, Silvestre, and Campbell.

In their shoes stepped Laurent Koscielny, Djohan Djourou—who missed the whole last season due to a serious injury—and the recent acquisition Sebastien Squillaci.

While a quick glimpse may reveal that this has done absolutely nothing to ease the depth problem—four out, two in—this conclusion would be nevertheless deceiving.

William Gallas has been directly replaced by Sebastien Squillaci. Both are experienced enough and with somehow similar characteristics.

Sol Campbell and Michael Silvestre have been replaced by Johan Djourou (who can be considered a new signing) and Laurent Koscielny.

As you can see, the ratio has changed: three out, three in. Meaningless to say, the incumbent defenders are much younger, and so possessing the needed pace to deal with the high Premier League’s tempo.


Midfield

The midfield was top class last season. Inspired, they created goals, scored them, and had wide variety in their game. Hardly a lot could be done to improve this further. But it has.

Keeping Cesc Fabregas was the main event that ensured the safe environment for the younger players to develop in stayed intact. Securing the main holding block is not the only positive outcome of this summer though.

Youngsters such as Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott have improved tremendously, despite what most critics say about them.

Wilshere was awarded his first ever international call, and Theo Walcott hinted for his world-class potential by scoring a hat-trick against newly-promoted Blackpool.

These are sure signs that Wenger has two upgraded options at his disposal for this year’s Premier League battle.

On top of that, the influential Thomas Rosicky’s return from injury is a further moral boost for his team-mates. Add to the picture the overt signs that Samir Nasri is getting used to the English way of football and the future looks bright.


Attack

Although little has changed in the forward ranks, reasons for smiling are not totally absent. Having let go of Eduardo, Wenger has acquired a physically strong striker with great heading abilities in Maroune Chamakh.

This exchange could be viewed as an improvement since, unfortunately, Edu looked as he was not able to shake off his horrific encounter with Birmingham’s defender Martin Taylor a couple of years ago.

At the beginning of the last season, Arsenal started well and strolled to the top of the table. This was partly due to the form that Robin van Persie was in.

However, after he received an injury during an international friendly match with his country, the Gunners started struggling to find goals. With a little more luck this year, the Arsenal goal-making machine will stay fit which could be exactly the dose needed to cure the title-drought disease.



Player Growth

It’s a mistake to consider a player stays at the same level of quality every season.

This is exactly the case at Arsenal, especially with the young footballers.

Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere, Alex Song, Abou Diaby, Aaron Ramsey, Samir Nasri, Vito Mannone, Wojceich Szczesny, Emannuel Frimpong, Kieran Gibbs, Carlos Vela and Nicholas Bendtner have all gone through the tribulations of growing as players.

And they continue to do so.

Since last year, we have seen signs of growth and that shouldn’t be discounted. Alex Song transformed into an important first team player and will beyond doubt continue to develop.

Similar is the case with Theo Walcott. The short quick striker was used predominantly on the wing as part of his development process. Against Blackpool, we saw him efficiently swapping positions with his attacking partner Maroune Chamakh which only hinted how deadly Walcott can be in the centre.

Nicholas Bendtner also proved to be on the right track last year. He more than adequately played the role of a lone striker when no one else was there to do it.


Conclusion

Arsenal are not the same team as last season; that should be clear. Improvements which seem minor at a first glance are actually huge steps towards the completion of the team.

Arsene Wenger wouldn’t have signed another contract if he wasn’t sure of that.

With a little more luck, the seed that was planted years ago, that grew into a young tree, might grow into a strong, unmovable oak.

And the sea of questions floods our minds again, only this time it is: How will these improvements help? Is the team ready at last?

Arsenal: Four Things We Learned From the Gunners' Visit To Anfield

he first brick of Arsenal's newest Premier League campaign was laid yesterday in front of a uncomfortable crowd of Liverpool fans jam-packing the mythical Anfield. The match was going to be tough and all the players and managerial staff knew it.

As the game progressed, an image, differing from the one pundits and fans had in their minds, began to form.

With a pretty evenly distributed arms between the two teams, the skirmish finished in justified stalemate, 1-1. The boredom of the result was dispersed by the affairs that unfolded in front of the- content-to-see-the-beginning-of-the-new-season football fans.

Four events, especially, pointed the direction of a truth-seeking gaze – truths that may just well lead to repairing the past mistakes or foretelling the outcome for the teams and new season.



An Average Arsenal without Captain Cesc Fabregas

After Wenger's statements in early preseason preparation, it was hardly surprising to see that two of the most important players for Arsenal were not going to take part in the season opening game at Anfield. Leaving Robin van Persie on the bench, and team captain Cesc Fabregas completely out of the squad, Arsene Wenger stayed true to his intentions to give them a good rest after a tiring World Cup.

That inevitably affected Arsenal.

At times, despite the creative flair of Samir Nasri, and Andrey Arshavin, the Gunners looked unimaginative and dull. Simple short passes and persistence through the centre, especially in the first half, painted the picture of a team trying to keep possession but lacking sharpness to capitalize from it at the same time.

The final touch was missing. The distributions to the lone striker upfront were predictable and easy to deal with for the experienced Liverpool backs.

Someone with vision was missing to wreak havoc in the Liverpool defense with a well executed through or high balls. Someone exactly like Fabregas.

The team needs him, for his absence was once again felt on the field. Despite grabbing a valuable point in a difficult encounter, the staff must work throughout the season to ensure that the team will not fall into the void of relying on a single player.



New Signings Ready for the Premier League Challenge

Arsene Wenger is known for his accurate assessment of talent and right qualities when looking for possible team-upgrading players. Maybe he has succeeded in doing that yet again.

Maroune Chamakh looked like exactly the type of weapon Arsenal needs for its attack. His energy and fearless commitments to clashes provided another dimension for the Gunners's game. And in one such case, it proved to be crucial for the final result.

Maroune lurched forward to meet Pepe Reina for a 50-50 ball, won it, and following Reina's mistake, evened the result near the end of the game.

The other signing, Lauren Koscielny, also put up a good official debut. His performance was tainted only by the second yellow card he received in injury time.

Near the end of the first half, he felt what was like to play in the Premier League when new Liverpool addition Joe Cole made a committed tackle that missed the ball, landing on the French defender's right leg.

If it hadn't been the protecting pads, Koscielny's career at Arsenal could have been brought to an abrupt setback. But he found strength to go back and finished the game with a resolute facial expression.

While it's too early to conclude whether the new signings are a success, they must be credited for their good start. “A piece of English football; we are not afraid to taste it.”

Once again, well done, Mr. Wenger.


The Gunners Face a Familiar Season of Pain Yet Again

The excessive use of force to disrupt the technical game of the men clad in red and white has turned into something of a trade mark for the opposing teams. And how can you blame them? It has worked miracles so far with its efficiency.

The tactics look bound to stay the same this season. A single game has passed, and we already see the signs of concern.

Joe Cole's tackle on Lauren Koscielny and Steven Gerrard's sweep on Maroune Chamakh are just the beginning. The Arsenal players have to toughen up in order to deal with this problem. But that is not the only solution.

The referees must be more strict and able to differentiate between commitment and just pure ill-intended aggression. Something they have failed to do on numerous occasions in the previous years.

One thing is certain: the Gunners will have to test their pain threshold once again, and hopefully, this time, they'll come out on top with no major casualties.



Scoring Goals Out of the Blue Can Make the Difference

We all know that the difference between a good team and the champion is that the champion will score important goals even when they do not deserved to. How many times have we seen Manchester United or Chelsea play bad and be victorious?

This is exactly what happened with Arsenal on Saturday.

That's not to say they didn't deserve the draw, but they were certainly heading for a defeat had it not been the lucky Chamakh intervention that lead to the mistake of Pepe Reina.

If Arsenal can sustain the spirit they showed against Liverpool, luck just might turn the tide this season.

One game – a tough one – one point. It's not what someone would call a disappointment.

Arsenal: Tweaks to Defense Is the Key to Long-Awaited Title Glory

“Titles are won by the defense” said Tony Adams, Mr. Arsenal, in an interview earlier this year. Actually, he is not far from the truth.

While there are a lot more other factors that could contribute to a successful football campaign, history has backed his statement more than once.

Last season, the team with the second-best defense, but nevertheless with the best attack, snatched the precious silverware.

A careful look at the statistics from the seven seasons preceding that event will reveal that the teams that have managed to concede the fewest goals have been crowned champions of England (2009 Manchester United—24 goals conceded, ’08 Manchester United—22, ’07 Manchester United—27, ’06 Chelsea—22, ’05 Chelsea—15, ’04 Arsenal—26, ’03 Manchester United—34).

As you can see, a big factor for winning what seems to be one of the hardest competitions, apart from obviously scoring more than 90 goals, is to concede less than 30 goals.

That, however, looks beyond the currently drowned in trophy-drought Arsenal.
Why you may ask? Well, because Arsene Wenger’s team is still a few steps away from being complete.

While the men carrying the red badge showed enviable skills in attack, they somehow failed to curb the goal galore at the other end of the field. Since the famous “Invincible” season which the Gunners finished without suffering a single defeat, they have performed under the requirements set by their own genius.

Last season, Arsenal conceded 41 goals, the one before 37, in 2008—31, ’07—35, ‘06—31, ‘05—36. The matter of fact is that Wenger’s men have been conceding more than 30 goals in every season after their last Premier League triumph.

But before pessimism envelops us, we must remind ourselves of the transition that Arsenal has been going through since that undefeated run in 2004. The erection of the new Emirates Stadium undeniably delayed the rebuilding of the squad due to financial issues, but also opened new doors for further development.

Now, Arsenal is gathering the fruits off the tree that was planted four years ago (Emirates Stadium was opened in 2006). Things are slowly returning to normal, and although the team is still incomplete, it is in no way far from it.

Wenger has managed to put together a squad capable of inflicting deadly damage to any opposition. But that has not been enough, and the French tactician knows it. The time has come to smooth out the defense.

Last season’s partnership between William Gallas and Belgian revelation Thomas Vermaelen managed to defy the critics.

Following consistent good performances by the two, Arsenal’s carefree life at the back was cut prematurely short by an injury of William Gallas which uncovered the insufficient defensive depth.

That shook the defensive stability, and eventually Arsenal finished the league third, having conceded 41 goals in the process.

A fast forward up to now, and we see that little has been done to alleviate this pain.

An exodus of experienced, but considered by some unfit to play due to their age, defenders has occurred.

William Gallas, Philippe Senderos, Sol Campbell, and Mikael Silvestre bid their farewell to the Arsenal cause. The signing of Laurent Koscielny has put the fans’ minds to rest for a while, but certainly more needs to be done to avoid a repetition of last season’s scenario.

And I’m not saying this only when considering the defensive depth of the team. With one more defender, the depth will be sufficient, and if not, the problem will possibly be delayed up until the winter transfer window.

The thing is that the defender needed must be the right one.

At the moment, Arsenal has three capable and of similar mould central defenders: Thomas Vermaelen, Laurent Koscielny, and Johan Djourou—all of them posses pace, strength, and good positioning. This type of defenders would fit perfectly well into the dynamic style of play that Wenger is obviously trying to implement.

The facts are that Vermaelen has the tendency to go forward, Djourou has been tested as a midfielder in preseason, and Koscielny is still adapting, so we must wait a bit for him.

Their speed supports the dynamism and allows them to go forward when set pieces are involved. If the attack is unsuccessful, for example, they can hurriedly track back to prevent any damage from counter-attacks.

Add Song, who can also track back to help them defend, and things look bright on paper.

So far so good, but what lacks is dependability—a defender that does all the little seemingly insignificant things and stays responsibly back at all times; a tall defender preferably with above average speed and very good positioning. Not someone to organize the defense, but someone who is stable and consistent at doing his defensive responsibilities; someone in the mould of Steve Bould, for example.

This way the other defenders will feel safe to contribute to the attack of the team.
The only one I can think of, and that Arsenal have in the current squad, is Johan Djourou. He fits the bill, but his injury proneness might create headaches as the new season starts.

A good way of dealing with this problem is by buying one more defender of those depicted qualities. If Le Professor does that then the team would be only one step away from completion—and that would be the goal keeper step.

With the new fascinating emblem that the Emirates Stadium is, the leverage has drastically multiplied, and as time passes by it will continue to do so.

Let’s just hope Arsene Wenger will listen to the advice of one of his ex-players, Tony Adams, and will put the final brick into the defensive wall.

You never know, the title might be one central defender away. Just the right one.

Szczesny and Mannone: The Pill for the Goalkeeper Headache

Amidst tons of expectation from the fans and Arsenal supporters, the holder of a Master of Science in Economics – or dare I say Master’s in Economy— Arsene Wenger has to find the solution of what seems to be turning into a long-time problem—the one of the goalkeeper.

The last couple of seasons have been all but a fairy tale for Arsenal when it comes to this position.

Many hope that the numerous blunders from the two first-team favorites, Manuel Almunia and Lukasz Fabianski, will force Le Professor to rethink the situation.

In a way, they might be right.

Wenger just might be looking to solve this problem during this year’s summer transfer window.

Tons of words have been written about who might be the right man for the job.

Italian goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu (23), Slovenian international Samir Handanovic (26), long-time transfer-linked Sebastian Frey (30), Manchester City’s Joe Hart (23), aging Australian Mark Schwarzer (37) and even French talented keeper Hugo Lloris have all been associated with Arsenal’s next No. 1.

It has all been speculation so far.

The problem proceeds to daunt the idealistic minds of the fans.

Something has probably escaped us.

Arsene Wenger has always been known for sacrificing a lot to give a chance to upcoming youngsters.

What has changed?

All of the above suggested goalkeeper, with the exception of Mark Schwarzer, would serve the exact opposite of what Wenger stands for.

Almost all of them are bellow the age of 30. That means that by buying either of them Wenger will be obstructing the development of the two talented and young goalkeepers Wojciech Szczesny and Vito Mannone.

Last season, Mannone managed to record five first-team appearances, most mainly due to the injuries of Manuel Almunia and Lukasz Fabianski.

He served the team very well. At times, he even looked more stable than Wenger’s first choice in front of goal.

During most of his season though, the young Italian goalkeeper played for the reserve team where he went from strength to strength, showing obvious signs of speedy improvement in the process.

Despite being very young, Vito has managed to demonstrate great maturity and promising skill, leaving him with only one visible down point, his inexperience, which is the only factor keeping him away from the first team spot.

The other option Wenger has is the Polish talent Wojciech Szczesny.

Much could be said about the young footballer.

He spent a fruitful loan spell at Brentford, managing to impress many with his high-quality performances in the process of 18 appearances for the club. His Arsenal youth-team displays drew countless praises from youth coach and Arsenal legend Steve Bould. With suitable qualities like authoritativeness, quick reflexes, and great off-the-line intuition, Szczesny simply cannot be dismissed for the first team spot that easily.

Presented with those two gems, the French manager will have a brainstorm on his mind as to whether he really needs to buy a goalkeeper from elsewhere. Both of the youngsters have expressed their inextinguishable desire to play a role for the Arsenal first team.

Recently, Szczesny stated on the official website that he is willing to stay at the club for the new season rather than to leave on another loan spell. If this doesn’t show he is ready for first-team football then I don’t know what will.

In the midst of all the endeavors for improvement, Wenger is presented with a pill to alleviate his goalkeeping headache.

Could it be that that the key to the chest is so near that he cannot see it?

I doubt it.

Buying any of the aforementioned transfer-linked goalkeepers will discontent the future world-class keepers Arsenal already possesses in their ranks.

With the right guidance, they will be world-class.

One of the choices, however, seems fitting in enough. And it has come as a surprise to many why Arsene Wenger was even considering the signature Mark Schwarzer. His presence in the club could buy one more year in safe environment for Vito Mannone and Wojciech Szczesny to develop.

They are certainly on the right track.

Will Wenger buy them time or will he lose them by buying a young long-term goalkeeper? Time will tell.

What’s Wrong with France?

Problems inside the French contingent continue to arise as they ostensibly edge towards failure in South Africa. Following two negative results and strife among the ranks, eventually resulting in the exclusion of striker Nicolas Anelka from the

French squad, France is in a very unfavorable position to reach the final stages of the competition.

They are currently third in the group, trailing three points off Uruguay and Mexico who are first and second respectively.

The French national side is officially in a crisis. They have failed to perform anywhere near to the way they did in the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Cup when they became champions.

In 2004, the team led by Jacques Santini fell victims of a very defensive Greek side that eventually, and to the surprise of many, conquered Europe.

Santini was released and Raymond Domenech was brought in to replace him.

The new manager experienced some success in the 2006 World Cup. His move to bring Zinedine Zidane and Lilian Thuram out of retirement proved to be the right recipe for success. France reached the final, but lost to Italy by penalties. Zidane was picked for Best Player of the Tournament leaving no doubt as to who was responsible for this success.

Since that moment, France has all but had pleasurable times. Stumbling in the group stages of the 2008 European Cup championship and barely managing to qualify for this year’s World Cup is just the tip of the Iceberg of Trouble.

Many have come to recognize the controversial and bizarre techniques of Raymond Domenech. A keen admirer of astrology, the Catalan-born manager has refused to call on footballers under the star sign of Scorpio – Robert Pires springs to mind.

On more than one occasion, Domenech has stated that he considers astrology when forming the French national team. Now, while astrology is an entirely different topic of discussion, we have to take a look at the results to see whether it actually works.

Under the tenure of Raymond Domenech, France’s one and only success dates back to 2006 when they reached the final of the World Cup. But a further glimpse reveals that the real reason for that accomplishment lies in Zidane’s feet.

Undoubtedly, France still misses Zinedine Zidane. They lack the player who can lead and inspire them to victory with sheer class, breathtaking skill, and stable leadership.

The aging Thierry Henry and William Gallas have little left to provide, especially if they are not included in the first team on a regular basis. Even the presence of players who have potential to be match-winners does little at the moment. The young and talented Yoann Gourcuff is one of those players, as is Franck Ribery, but we are yet to see them put the full weight on their shoulders.

On top of it all, the rigid methods of Raymond Domenech do little to alleviate the difficulties in the team. His decision to overlook Karim Benzema and Samir Nasri has brought him a hefty amount of criticism from everyone.

And the results are for all to see – a draw and a defeat puts them just one step away from flying back home in shame.

The drab atmosphere surrounding the team was further emphasized by the ejection of the Chelsea striker Nickolas Anelka. Reports claim that Anelka was angered by the manager’s decision to substitute him at half time during the clash with Mexico. The resulting verbal outburst brought him the axe.

But where does the problem lay really? A look deeper would reveal that the worms had already started eating the rotting apple even before that incident.

The piling pressure has been as a result of inadequate decisions of the manager. His unwillingness to ameliorate the picture was overt during that match with Mexico. While his side was losing, all Domenech did was stay on the sideline and stare blankly. Being uninterested and inactive is hardly the best you can do to solve problems of a similar mould.

In truth, the French team has a problem. They lack inspiration.
It could be the conflicts or the stress; this can be only guessed. But in any case, if they don’t inspire themselves in their last match of the World Cup group stages, some radical changes would have to be made.

One of the first steps would be axing Raymond Domenech for a man with a better football mind – Lauren Blanc.

Things look gloomy at the moment in the French contingent and even though the host nation, South Africa, is not what one would call a football giant, I can see them snatching some points away from France.

In the best possible scenario for the French, someone will rise to the occasion to inspire his team-mates.

But that would hardly save Raymond Domenech’s place at the driving seat of the French national team. His peculiar reign is inevitably coming to its logical end.

Tottenham Dents Arsenal’s Title Hopes: A Disappointed Fan’s Rant

Hello and good bye. Hello to the readers of this article and good bye to Arsenal’s title hopes. What a suitable way to end them though: to lose against one of your fiercest rivals. Nevertheless, I have nothing against the Spurs.

They played their game and won. It makes that win look even more respectable after their hardships in the FA Cup, losing to Portsmouth after having played for a long tiring 120 minutes.

They defended perfectly, in a very organized manner. Well done, Harry Redknapp, and well done, players of Tottenham. You deserved your win.

But what side did you play against?

A side that had 8 days to rest; a side that had to rely on its reserve team after being crippled by injuries. But this is no excuse. All the teams with the title in mind have pretty much the same number of matches. What I was shocked about was how almost the same players who made an inspiring come back against currently the best team in Europe, Barcelona, looked so helpless this time.

Since the beginning of the match Arsenal looked sluggish. Sure, they had more possession of the ball, but the attack was as dull as a stick. They passed the ball in the centre of the park but met the well-organized defense of Spurs with a surprising lack of inspiration and creativity.

It only took ten minutes for the Spurs to exploit their North London rivals’ main weakness.

Manuel Almunia came out to collect what seemed an easy ball, but unknowingly why decided to punch it. The ball was met by the volley of the young revelation of the match Danny Rose. Almunia still had a chance to reach the ball, but slipped and failed to counteract, the ball passing just an inch away from his fingertips and into the goal.

It was one of those baffling mistakes that we have seen a hefty number of times this season. But, hey, Arsenal has come back from behind after similar stuff. Why not now? Well, not this time. It took me some time to perceive that.

Samir Nasri was not himself.

He rarely dribbled or attempted to use that killer dribble that he possesses. His passing was under par. His creativity – in the past.

His team-mate Thomas Rosicky was down there with him. He attempted a couple of shots which turned out to be very disappointing.

Emmanuel Eboue reminded me of that infamous match of his against Wigan in 2008: too many inaccurate passes and unsuccessful dribbles, just far too many mistakes.

Abou Diaby and Nicklas Bendtner were pretty much like twins tonight. Both of them were terribly slow and ineffective. Diaby’s strength was useless against the massive pressure that the Tottenham players amounted every time he received the ball. The Dane up front was almost completely cut off from the rest of the team. He should have tracked back more often. Not to say that his feet were sluggish at best.

The only thing that was exciting about him was his chewing gum. It was fun to watch how calmly he chewed that gum while things were going the wrong way.

The only light beam in all that darkness was the man who returned from a long time out of the game, Robin van Persie. How unfortunate for Arsenal not to have had a footballer of this quality at their disposal throughout basically the whole season.

Immediately after his involvement in the game, the Arsenal attack gained another dimension. A couple of defense-splitting passes reminded us of what the team had missed. But as it most usually happens inspiration can be stopped only by inspiration from an opponent.

Heurelho Gomes is the name. He made three superb saves to keep his team in the lead, two of which from a terrific and on-fire Van Persie.

One goal near the end was not enough to clear the shame off the Gunners’ faces after this terrible performance. Arsenal looked totally clueless and unmotivated for the bigger part of the game.

While some will make excuses with the explanation that key players such as Fabregas, Gallas, Vermaelen, Ramsey, and Song were out, I think slightly differently. This side had to prove themselves. Something they completely failed to do.

What was scarier was the lack of passion, a total lack of passion.

I’m much more willing to forgive my team after losing 3-0 after playing their hearts out on the field. That, however, did not happen tonight. The silly mistakes are part
of the game, but passion is what this game is about.

Come on! You are playing against you fiercest rival in a match that you have to definitely win to get your first title in five years. If that doesn’t motivate you then I don’t know what will.

Not all was hopeless though. I cannot skip to give credit to Gael Clichy for his stamina and to Van Persie for his exquisite skills. Thomas Rosicky was unlucky, and so was Thomas Vermaelen who sustained an unfortunate injury so early in the match. That battle-scarred veteran Sol Campbell was a joy to watch too. He gave his best and tried to rally the troops, unfortunately to no avail.

Another hard-to-swallow year. But hope seems to have become an inseparable component of the soul of the Arsenal fan. So, we’ll wait. Maybe Chelsea will stumble. You never know.

Premier League High-Tempo Style: Arguments For and Against

In the last several years, one league has stood up with its dominant philosophy on the European international stage: the English Premier League.

Why? The answer is simple: higher tempo of playing, the superior fitness that stems from it and the mentality to never give up until the final whistle is blown.

But looking into the prevailing style of this so enormously successful league, we see it has disadvantages as well as advantages.

What are they, you may ask?

Here they are:

Pros

Firstly, it must be noted playing at a higher-than-usual tempo requires almost perfect body fitness. Faced with a strenuous battle with himself, a football player must be well prepared beforehand. The importance of a successful outcome is thus placed on the preparation, or the training.

Undeniably, footballers from the English Premier League are fitter than their counterparts abroad. Constantly pushing for perfection, their bodies begin to resemble those of athletes rather than the bodies of people who simply exercise regularly.

They can’t be blamed. Modern football in England requires for a player to have a totally fat-free body with muscles well used to continuous energy-consuming work.

Alternatively, if one stops to think for a second, it makes perfect sense. The ramifications of the use of such peculiar style are beneficial, both financially and in terms of popularity, for English football.

The higher dynamics of this style will make it much more appealing to eye. Hence, the popularity worldwide will rise significantly.

Another ramification comes from the fact when people recognize this superior fitness of the footballers, they would expect them to fully fulfill that potential. Referees, as part of that group of people, do not differentiate from that opinion.

They allow a more direct, more physical style of play which will lead to less interruptions of the game. I could easily, with a hand on my heart, say that I watch more football – the quintessential meaning of it – in England than anywhere else in the world.

Apart from that, the dynamism of football that is played and the superior fitness the players develop in result of it allow a distinct advantage to English teams on the international competition stage.

How many times have we seen an English club progress to the final stages of an international competition – such as the Champions League, for example?

I am in no way saying that this is the only factor for that to happen, but it certainly is up there with the rest of the defining ones.

However, like everything else, the dynamic style of play has its disadvantages too.

Cons

It has been proven that accession of fitness is in direct ratio with the increase of testosterone in the blood. Testosterone is the hormone responsible for muscle and bone growth, but it also affects the mood.

Most often the more of the hormone someone has the more signs of aggression he will show.

Yes, better fitness, coupled with an approving nod from the referee, equals a more aggressive style of play.

This is one of the main disadvantages of the direct style of play that is worshiped in the Premier League. Not one or two ghastly injuries have we seen following a little more than usual aggressive encounter.

That exertion to the maximum is often the biggest causing factor for lighter injuries even. During every season, in England, an astounding amount of injuries are sustained by players. Especially near the end of the season when almost all have been squeezed out of the athletes and their bodies begin to crumble beneath the cumulated stress.

Despite defying all believes, the human body is not meant to take so much stress, a fact proved annually by the increasing number of injuries that occur.

Another negative effect that stems from the direct high-tempo style of play is the type of battles that occur on the field. A more dynamic game, in which the players move at all times, especially if organized pressure is applied in order to get the ball back in possession, would benefit battles in the sort of one versus two players rather than one versus one. With football being a team game, players must cover for each other, help each other.

In this way, if they have the sufficient fitness to keep burning that energy, we, the fans, would be most likely supplied with one player trying to out-battle the two or three facing him.

This, nonetheless, put the emphasis on defensive football and also restricts the usage of technique and tricks as they are rendered almost useless.

Drawing the Line

Football in England has become a huge commercial business in which rarely the health of footballers is taken into consideration. The satisfaction of the fans and customers has become more important.

High-tempo direct style of play has something tantalizing about it that lures people to enjoy its pure tension-charged atmosphere and pay more and more to watch their favorite teams exert to the maximum while they sit comfortably in their chairs.

As long as money is pouring into the kitty of the FA, they wouldn’t care if a player has sustained an open fracture, a head trauma, or anything else as ghastly.

The philosophy they had undertaken has brought the FA popularity. The English League is one of the most popular leagues in the world. Along with that, its clubs reap success in international competitions. But looking at the big picture, it’s obvious the philosophy is still a work in progress.

Ultimately, the style which the footballers will use on the field is directly influenced by what the fans want to see. Is that good or bad? It’s subjective.

Dissecting Arsenal and Barcelona: What to Expect at Camp Nou

What a memorable night for football Wednesday night was. Both teams, having similarities more than differences, produced a feast for the eyes on this Wednesday night. Drama, in all its forms, entertained us—the beauty of football, just the clean sense of it, glued the eyes of millions glued to the TV screens.

Barcelona showed once again why they instill fear into their opponents, with this style of play, players, and coach. Chelsea and Manchester United will nod their heads in approval when I say Barcelona is drop-dead dangerous.

However, they will have to overcome an underestimated the young yet, I have to say, experienced side.

Arsenal will have their share of problems, but Barcelona will too. What are they exactly? Here are a few of them:


Arsenal’s Pains

Andrey Arshavin, the Russian magician, will probably miss the highly-charged return leg in Spain. Arsenal’s captain Cesc Fabregas will also miss it, along with injured first-team choice William Gallas. That, with the fact the Arsenal’s most dangerous striker Robin Van Persie will be missing, restricts the choices of Arsene Wenger to zero.

No one from the Gunners’ camp would like to see the one dimensional Arsenal that this lack of first team players may cause at the Camp Nou. It will only make life much easier for the Catalans—and they would love that.

On top of that, the vulnerability of the Arsenal defense was exposed by Barcelona—those long balls proved too hard to decode for Alex Song and Thomas Vermaelen.

The fact that the partnership is likely to be the same for the return leg raises the question just how much work do Song and Vermaelen have to do before they reach the level of understanding that existed between the Belgian and Gallas? Zlatan Ibrahimovich’s two goals will certainly ring the alarm bells for Wenger and the players and will push them to improve their game and mutual understanding in training.


Barcelona’s Pains

Barcelona, similarly, will miss both their first-team starters at the back: Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol, hardly a problem you can easily disregard.

The hopes of Arsenal are raised even more by other significant factors.

Despite the razor-sharp attack, Barcelona is vulnerable in the air, as we all saw. The absences of the short Arshavin and Fabregas may prove to be not as important as initially thought.

What matters, and key to exploiting that specific weakness of the Catalans, is the availability of the good headers in the team: Thomas Vermaelen, Nicklas Bendtner, and Abou Diaby. If the team plays a well-organized game, at the back, with precise execution of the crosses aimed at those exact players, and efficient use of set pieces, they might just snatch it away from the current cup holders.

Another potential problem-causing issue for Pep Guardiola’s team is their weaker physiques. We all saw how they pushed themselves to the limit until the 70th minute at the Emirates, and then they crumbled. I would argue the reason they conceded the first goal was more due to fitness than to psychology.

The team’s physical energy limits were drained due to their incessant attempts to win the ball and keep it in their possession. Every time when Arsenal won the ball, or attempted to make a counter-attack, at least three Barcelona players were at them, trying to close them down, and win the ball back.

While being a very effective part of total football, this tactic is very tiring to the players.

Wenger ingeniously kept the extremely quick Theo Walcott for the closing part of the game when the players clad in yellow were beginning to breathe heavier. The potential choice for the England national side was a big pain for the Catalans, ripping through the left side of their defense like knife through butter. The England manager, Fabio Capello, who was watching the match, must have been impressed.

If Arsenal manages to keep things at status quo until 60th, 70th minute favors might start to turn their way in the final period of the game. Of course, the result from the first leg will complicate things a bit as they will have to score to proceed to the next stage, but as the young Gunners have proven with this stunning comeback, it is not out of their reach.


Conclusion

Barcelona are the clear favorites. Arsenal has much to avenge for against this specific enemy, but it will not be about that this time. It will be about proving their worth against probably the best team in the world at the moment.

After Wednesday night’s performance, which is just the tip of the iceberg of a long and strenuous work, it’s a safe bet to say the young players at Arsenal have learnt a lot and have grown enormously, mentally as well as physically. For this reason, I claim they are much closer to winning anything this year than a year or two ago.

It only remains for them to go and give it all at Camp Nou. If they manage to win it, they will deservedly become one of people’s favorites to win this year’s version of the Champions League.

Will Hull City Be Dirty against Arsenal: Let’s look at the Statistics?

Hull City is currently standing 19th with 10 matches to go until the end of the season. Arsenal, on the other hand, is third and in the eyes of many pundits, potential champions. Both teams have all to fight for—different goals but equally determined to achieve them—which further emphasizes the importance of this clash on KC Stadium.

A further glimpse at the statistics also shows that Hull has managed to gain only four of their total 24 points playing away from home. They are strong performers when they are playing in front of their own fans.

Despite that, their defense is also one of the weakest in the league having let the ball roll past their goal line for 59 times so far—only Burnley has a worse defense with 61 goals.

On the other side of the river, Arsenal is flying high at the moment. The Chelsea and Manchester United defeats are surely beginning to fade in the midst of their last four victorious matches in the league.

Their goal-scoring joy against Porto at the Emirates stadium and the qualification for the quarter-finals of the Champions League will give them further moral boost for sure.

Still, the match is expected to be a hard fixture for the Gunners. Hull City are traditionally inconvenient opponents due to their physical no-nonsense style of play—an approach that Arsenal has been having its share of problems with.

In the last match between the two teams in December, when Arsenal won 3-0, the tension was evident.

Hull City’s manager Phil Brown used tactics which aimed to leave no room for the technically-talented Arsenal players. An occasional attempt to provoke the more impulsive players of Arsenal was a bit unconventional but actually made sense from the weaker team’s point of view.

The technically less talented team has no choice but to do exactly that in the hope to snatch some valuable points to help them in their battle for survival.
Logical as it is, however, there are limits and I’m sure most of us know them. Referees are usually the ones who decide what’s allowed or not, what’s right or wrong.

Another interesting statistics that may help us to determine the fashion this match will be played in is the Fair Play table on the official website of the Premier League.

Arsenal are currently placed first, which means they are the fairest team; Hull City are placed 19th, same place as their actual position in the league table. That raises the question: Just how efficient are the physical-approach tactics?

The importance of the match puts some doubts as to whether Phil Brown will deviate from his ordinary slightly-dirty, as I may call them, tricks. Still, as their actual league position reveals the inefficiency of such approach, will we see something different from the Tigers?

Despite his confrontations with manager Phil Brown, Arsene Wenger recently stated that he holds much respect for him as a manager—a statement that shows that Wenger is ready and will prepare his team for the occasional harder than usual tackle that may come out of over-commitment.

But the referee will have the final word on just how much aggression is considered acceptable. The tension is there and both teams have all to play for: the right conditions for an electrifying clash are there. I, for one, hope it all goes in favour of football.

Do you think Phil Brown will adopt the same techniques as last times, or will something change?

Arsenal’s Britannia Stadium Battle: A Catalyst for Reinstating Self-Belief

I am not going to talk about Aaron Ramsey’s injury—all kinds of opinions have flown around the web so far. I am not going to talk about the result and the three points that Arsenal managed to snatch from that battle—and I mean the literal meaning of the word battle—on the Britannia Stadium either.

I am going to talk about team spirit, change, experience, motivation, and mentality.

Just before the game with Stoke, it was believed Arsenal had a chance for the title. And why wouldn’t it? They had the easiest match program of all their title-rivals with only one potentially harm-causing game—the one against fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur on their own stadium.

While it was expected the match against Stoke to be a hard one, no one really believed that it would be much harder than what their first initials impressions were.

Arsenal was, literally, in for a battle.

It did not come as a surprise to see Stoke fighting in all areas of the field, causing all kinds of troubles to Arsenal. Then something happened, something familiarly—if I may call it this way—horrific.

Another terrible leg-break—this time to youngster Aaron Ramsey.

It was an event that revealed the real growth of maturity of the Arsenal players.

Facing yet another shocking sight, it was normal to see scared, distraught, and filled with ghastliness faces. The reactions were expected, but how the players responded was a completely different thing.

Nicklas Bedntner, still visibly shocked, stayed with Ramsey along with Stoke’s Glenn Whelan, and tried to comfort him. Emmanuel Eboue joined him only seconds later. Thomas Vermaelen was holding his face trying to make sense of the horror he had just witnessed. Later in an interview, he said: “I heard a strange noise and after that I saw his [Aaron Ramsey’s] leg.”

The shock was everywhere. Cesc Fabregas, the team captain, was angry at first, then confused, and then worried. Almost all players were holding their heads.

As the commotion of the initial shock started to fade, the players on the field were left with questions. What were they to do now? It is then when signs of maturity and mental strength began to spring up in the Arsenal team.

Gael Clichy, calmness returned, started to rally the troops up. He patted Vermaelen on the stomach saying, “Come on, come on!”

As Ramsey was still being tendered the Arsenal physios, Vermaelen was trying to regain control of himself. What I saw seconds later startled me. Still covering his mouth with his hands, thoughts visibly flying in the Belgian defender’s head, he frowned, picked his head up, and all was gone except determination.

There was not a trace of emotion left on his face. He was once again the Verminator.
The match resumed and there was work to do.

Wenger’s men knew that they had to overcome the shock. Memories from the match against Birmingham two years ago when Eduardo da Silva’s leg was almost split in two still haunted them. They weren’t able to recover from the shock then, played with lack of desire caused by the fear that the sight of an open fracture instilled in them.

This time it was different. They put their fears aside and finished the game off.
Close to the end of the game, Cesc Fabregas demonstrated why he is captain of this team.

He took the penalty that was given by referee Peter Walton with composure that a stone would have been proud of. Later, he even dared to demonstrate just how Tony Pulis’s tactics worked, which earned him a few colorful phrases from the Stoke city manager—an action that might as well have earned him a yellow card.

Thomas Vermaelen capitalized on his determination by scoring a goal. You could see just how much this game meant to the Gunners as they celebrated the goal in a fashion much similar to the celebrations of goals scored in the final minutes of the Champions League final.

It meant a lot. And how couldn’t it?

It wasn’t just goal. The meaning was much deeper.

It was a triumph of their characters over the most difficult of obstacles—the fight with oneself; it was a reinstatement of their self-belief.

The goal was the climax of a test of mentality. Arsene Wenger was right: His team is much more mentally tough than one year ago. The unity is unbelievable.

The smiles were for all to see. Team captain Cesc Fabregas went on to congratulate his team-mates on a job well-done, and then he and Clichy called everyone over and had a group hug.

Britannia Stadium was a battle ground. Arsenal left casualties there, but they came out of the skirmish stronger. Aaron Ramsey is a cause now. And the Premier League title still waits for its next engraved name.

It might just be Arsenal FC.

Chelsea’s Devastating Home Defeat Revives Rivals’ Title Hopes

Today, at Stamford Bridge, we found out just how important really Petr Cech is for Chelsea. The myth that Chelsea is different than the others teams from the Big Four when it comes to the presence of more than one key players in the quad was screamingly busted.

We witnessed just how important the role of the imposing goal keeper of Chelsea is, just how much influence he has on the defense, and how different the team looks without his presence.

Mancester City played it really smart. They used counter-attacks.

In one of those, it was diminutive Carloz Tevez who scored to level the earlier opener of Frank Lampard. The first half was Chelsea’s; well, at least when it came to statistics.

Not much time passed after the second half had resumed and another illogical thing happened: Craig Bellamy took full advantage of his speed on yet another counter-attack by the Blues (light blues) and made Cech’s unfortunate substitute Henrique Hilario look bad for the second time in the match.

Petr Cech’s substitution should have done better—there was no doubt.

Seventy-six minutes of statistic-defying ended when Juliano Belletti deservedly earned a red card by tripping Gareth Barry inside the penalty box. He was the last man – a red card was mandatory. Tevez further strained the nerves of the Chelsea players by materializing the penalty—3:1 for Manchester City.

The final part of the match was basically a demonstration of frustration and inability by the Chelsea side to counter the unfavorable fate that befell them on the day.

Michael Ballack’s nerves gave way, earning him another red, after a hack on double-scorer Carlos Tevez which brought the desperation of his team-mates to a maximum. It was then absolutely logical for Manchester City to score a fourth. Bellamy was the one who did it.

In the end, Mike Dean decided that two red cards were too much and presented Chelsea with a penalty. Too little, too late though. The final result 4-2 is just what Arsenal and Manchester fans (both big clubs) have been waiting for.

In case Manchester United and Arsenal succeed in their challenges this weekend, they will be one and three points, respectively, from the currently-in-pain leaders Chelsea.

The defeat was surprising, but predictable, in a way.

The statistics were firmly in favor of Chelsea, whose Stamford Bridge was like an unconquerable fortress up until now. Other teams have managed to defeat Chelsea in front of their own fans only three times in the last 97 games—defeats at the hands of Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City.

These are numbers that defy the events of today, but numbers that cause both pain and joy to football fans—pain to Chelsea’s fans and joy for those who may see this as an opportunity.

It was also predictable because of Petr Cech’s absence. The stability and calmness that he offers his team-mates will be hugely missed. Chelsea’s player can only hope for his speedier recover for them to keep their title-challenging chances alive.

Chelsea must now try their best to pick themselves up after this serious blow to their confidence, and Arsenal and Manchester United have all to play for, once again.

The title race is not over. It has just began.

Barcelona to Sign Francesc Fabregas in the Summer [Satire]

The headlines tell the whole story: "Francesc Fabregas is leaving for Barca", "Cesc reaches verbal agreement with Barcelona", "Fabregas will leave Arsenal for Barca", "Barcelona set for Fabregas swoop for 50 million."

The day is tedious. The office is tedious. Arsenal lost last night. Barcelona is the same old Barcelona. Francesc Fabregas was born in Barcelona. I have no ideas, but I have to come up with an article until the end of the day.

Hold on! I will write an article about Barcelona’s desire to get Fabregas. It won’t hurt anyone as they want him anyway, and my colleagues have wasted tons of paper on the story already. And it is the truth anyway.

“On Monday, Barcelona announced that they will sign Arsenal’s skipper Francesc Fabregas. The transfer is highly desired by all surrounding the club of Barcelona. The expected transfer sum is believed to be in the region of £27 million.”

Good start. Hey, I have learned my trade well. I could have revealed that Barcelona are to hold presidential elections in June and the Fabregas issue may just turn out to be the potential stimulus for a successful election of a new president.

Hm, how do I continue? Oh, yes, I remember; Xavi Hernandez said something about Cesc a couple of days ago. I can certainly squeeze that in. It will give more credibility to my article. Hey, I’m smart.

“Barcelona’s midfielder Xavi Hernandez urged the Arsenal play-maker to join Barcelona. He said , ‘We demonstrated in the final of the European Cup that it isn’t true [that they can’t play together].

‘I especially hope that Cesc comes. He is a football player with Barca DNA and he is showing at Arsenal that he is on another level."

Good. Oh, here is that new guy.

“Good morning, John...Nothing, writing an article. You know how it is...What are you writing about today? The train crash in Belgium? Oh, good luck with that then, John. Have a nice one.”

Rookie fool. Writing about the truth is an oldie. That’s not where the honey is. He will learn when he gets a couple of knocks on his thick head. Anyway, back to work. Where was I? Yes, Fabregas and Barcelona.

“Fabregas reaffirmed his love for Barcelona, making the possibility of the move highly probable.

"I have never hidden the fact that I want to return to Barcelona. Since I was nine months old, my grandfather would take me to the Barca stadium and all my life I have worn the Blaugrna colors.”

This tiny bit that I excluded about him coming back after he retires may come back at me, but hey, I guess no one will ever notice. And I quoted him in the accepted way. That’s what matters.

“Barcelona’s aspirations for Cesc started when the Spanish U-16 national, at that time, fit the shoes of injured midfield general Patrick Vieira, managing to impress everyone with stable, quality work.

“On top of that, he set a record as the youngest player ever to play first-team football for Arsenal at the age of 16 and 177 days.

“The deal is expected to materialize in the summer.”

Job done. Print this, Mr. Editor and give me my money. I have squash at five. Hell, yeah.

Will Arsene Wenger’s Avowal Lead to Changes in Arsenal’s Team for Sunday?

What a wonderful thing the truth is. It favors change for the better. What better basis to build on than the truth?

Arsene Wenger has taken a step towards building on the truth after frankly admitting he carried a significant part of the fault for the defeat at the hands of title-challenge rivals Manchester United.

The Gunners were defeated 3-1 in front of domestic crowd, but that was not the worst part for them. The worst part was they were tactically outplayed by a team that consists of, more or less, players of similar mould when it comes to talent.
Wenger stated on the club’s official website:

“I cannot say I got it right when you lose 3-0 [against Chelsea] and 3-1 [against Man United], I have to say I got it wrong,” he said. “But in terms of team selection, I’m not sure.

“We lost the games and I am responsible for the results of the team. When you lose a game, you feel responsible. Of course, I want our fans to go home and be triumphant. When they go home and cry you feel responsible.

“I don’t feel we have been overrun, I feel we have put ourselves in the position where we are open to counter-attacks.

“We lacked a little bit of patience as well. Even when we came out at 2-0 at half-time, we were in a rush to go forwards. Let’s get back to 2-1 and then we see. Even at 3-1, we could have equalized in the last ten minutes”

It must have come as a shock to many football fans to see such a statement coming out Wenger’s mouth. The man has been known as being stubborn to a fault, apart from being optimistic to a fault.

Wenger’s admittance of past mistakes, gives the Arsenal fans some hope that he will probably tweak the team’s approach for Sunday’s game against current table leaders Chelsea.

Hope is also partially boosted by the fact Abou Diaby, whom is having a fitness test today, is likely to return to provide wider options in the midfield for Wenger. He can inject variety in both attack and defense with his box-to-box runs, strength, and size.

However, not Diaby but a more defensive style of play with the wise usage of counter-attacks, similarly to what United did in their Emirates conquest, could turn out to have bigger influence on a positive outcome for Arsenal.

Chelsea is a dangerous team which has a hefty number of potential match-deciding players—Frank Lampard, Diddier Drogba, Joe Cole and others— but a strong, organized defensive display rather than the usual of style of play may prove to be the more adequate approach to the game.

Potential problems might stem from individual errors of some of the Arsenal players – errors, however, which can be compensated by a strong team-work effort.
If Arsene Wenger goes into the game with the sword pointed at the right direction, the edge might as well sink into Chelsea’s heart in the end.

Otherwise, Arsenal will find themselves trailing by nine points and in a very difficult—and once again disappointing—position.

Come Sunday, Wenger will have his chance to redeem himself against another tactical mastermind—this time Carlo Ancelotti. He would certainly hope to postpone similarly baring acknowledgments of inferiority, which go inseparably with football, for other less-fortunate times.