Who Plays Centre-Back Tomorrow?

So we've seen a shot of our BFG, Mertesacker, training ahead of tomorrow's clash with the Blues at the Emirates. It was feared the BFG would be out for a little longer, but do we need to risk him against the league leaders?

Simply put... no.

As we all expect Chelsea to sit back and for the countless times of mentioning the West London outfit to 'park the bus' and camp out around their 18 yard area, they can catch us on the counter attack. This would be a perfect fit for Gabriel to come into the team who had an exceptional game against Reading, yes it was Reading, but in semi-finals and the FA Cup you need to be at your best.

The boss even mentioned Gabriel in his pre-match comments:

"He’s ready [to step up]. He came on in the FA Cup semi-final and I think if Per is not ready, Gabriel will start."


Gabriel will provide speed, anticipation and aggression to be able to sustain any counter attacking from Chelsea. Mertesacker has improved since Koscielny has returned on a consistent basis, but I and probably most Gooners would feel more comfortable with both Gabriel and Koscielny being able to press Chelsea high up the pitch with Coquelin in front, this will allow Arsenal to win the ball back quicker and right onto their defence.

It's Gabriel and Koscielny for me. Who do you think should pair at the back tomorrow?

It's Good to be Back, How Times Have Changed, and Chelsea on Sunday

First thing's first - it's been a while since my last blog post, September 2011 to be exact. During that period of absence I have to admit it's been the most frustrating period in my lifetime as an Arsenal fan and I somewhat expected the same outcome every year, we'd pretend to challenge and then fall away, because of this I wouldn't expect us to win every game like in the past - we were no longer favourites. yes our football was still to a good standard, but it wasn't the counter-attacking team who played 'sexy' football.

Knowing that it is never easy supporting the Arsenal, as they never make it easy on and off the pitch, but the whilst at the same time during 2011-2014 Arsenal have promised so much and have yet failed. We've lost key players and never truly had a squad depth capable of coping with injuries to the first eleven.

During these years we've had to hold back spending and selling our best players every year to cover the loan from building our impressive stadium at Ashburton Grove. The signing of Mesut Özil signified that we could now and go out and make a marquee signing. The German gave such a lift to the fans, the players, the club as a whole, as it showed we could compete with the best in signing world class talent, and he is world class, no matter what Michael Owen says, and yes he is better than Raheem Sterling. We won a the FA Cup last season and with the help of Özil we got to Wembley, the game against Everton comes to mind.

To truly confirm that we had passed selling our best players and now able to relax the purse strings without any financial consequences, the signing of Chile's best player and one of Barcelona's top wide men, Alex Sanchez, proved that we had moved forward and that we can now afford to buy at least one top world class talent every summer.

As we've seen the team has grown strong with an array of attacking players from Giroud, Welbeck, Alexis, Cazorla, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Walcott, But what we have to special thanks to is Francis Coquelin being recalled from on loan at Charlton Athletic. He has been that solid dependable defensive midfield we've missed since the days of Gilberto.

We now see a squad just a few world class players from truly challenging for the title next season, and Sunday against Chelsea will be a true test of whether Wenger can finally challenege Chelsea with Mourinho in charge. With Wenger not having beaten a Chelsea side managed by Mourinho, this would be the best opportunity to do so. Chelsea aren't playing great football and only need to secure points here and there and Mourinho wouldn't want to lose this one and will most likely park the bus in front of their goal to nullify our attacking threat.

I expect us to have too much for Chelsea at home on this occasion with such a competitive squad looking to start the FA Cup final, this match will be a great audition in who to take into the big games. I think the team picks itself at the moment with Opsina, Bellerin, Gabriel (Mertesacker injured), Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Cazorla, Ramsey, Özil, Alexis, Giroud.

It's great feeling to be a Gooner again, and even if the other lot down Seven Sisters still don't think we can challenge for major titles, we shall see next season.

Gooner Till I Die.

Park Chu-Young to Sign Today

Arsenal are to announce the arrival of South Korea's captain. The striker is 26 years-old and is at an age that he can slot straight in the the first 11. Park is arriving from French outfit Monaco, so he's familiar with the pressure of performing for a big club.


Apparently we stole Park at the last minute from Lille, where he was about to have a second medical for the club. This could destroy our chances of getting Eden Hazard, if we were ever to go for him.  


Chu-Young is set to be handed the number 9 shirt, which to many was an unlucky number. Hopefully he can make it his own.

Arsenal's new number 9

Arsenal have paid £2.6 million up front and a the a potential £1.7 million in bonuses could be added on top in the initial fee. Park will earn £170,000 a month at the Emirates.

A Divorce Between the Fans and the Club

It seems ever since our move from Highbury to the Emirates, us loyal fans have had a slow divide between the board and manager. It seems the move to the Emirates just came before the economic crisis, which effectively made it more difficult for the fans to afford renewing their season tickets or memberships. The club however never decided to reduce the prices of their tickets for the economic downturn, only until VAT tax went down to 15% that they followed suit.


So the club kept on raking in large amounts of profit whilst loyal fans may not have afforded the price of a day out at their beloved team. In the 2008/09 season, people who had paid to see the likes of Denilson, Song (different player back then), Diaby, Bendtner, Eboue week in week out due to injuries and lack of investment, struggling for a win in every game in the winter period, fans started to raise their voices ever so slightly.


The cracks opened, and with cracks they'll always be more likely to get bigger and more noticeable. Back then we were in our 3rd season at the Emirates and we were expected to be settled by then after the year before we came close to winning the title before collapsing at the end (see a pattern?). The team needed investment for the new season and only Arshavin was brought in as a fix it, and that has been the only marquee signing in a while and he managed to help us secure a champions league spot.


The season after promised more yet again but we failed and the same last season. Every year passing by the team has been known to falter at the last hurdle and the opportunity of buying players with experience has arisen many times, yet Wenger is always after super quality.


What is super quality? The likes of Messi and Ronaldo are super quality. What Arsenal need is a just quality experienced players who know how to play their position and get stuck in. In other words a team player who will give their all. The fans know this and can see where we are going wrong with the players we have and ones we need.


This is why the fans moan and groan along with the ever increasing booing and demonstration/protests. It's not because they hate the club, it's because they care and the fans have become distanced with the disillusioned board and manager who aren't acting quick enough on transfers to secure the players we need. Peter Hill Wood isn't exactly helping matters between the relationship of the fans with the board by saying:




"As Arsene said, we are looking to buy some players but we are not going to do our business in public. They are going to have to be bloody patient – as we are."

“It is frustrating for both the fans and Arsene and the board."




Bloody patient? Manchester United have pretty much bought big signings this summer and they won the league last year with a not so great team and now they'll win it with the likes of De Gea and Ashley Young added.


The booing on Sunday just shows nothing has changed since last season apart from Gervinho giving us something to look forward to until he disappears to the African Cup of Nations. The chanting at Fulham away at the final game of last season, "Spend some f****** money!", shows what we haven't done this summer. All with below bar performances in all our pre-season matches this year, it shows no confidence for the season ahead.


Fans will start and most likely have started (like me) to wisely use their money for more useful purposes rather than on a club interested in making money and bringing in through kids. That project youth is now over and proven unsuccessful apart from Wilshere coming through and we should just go out and buy what we need.


Arsenal is just a frustrating club to support at the moment, and I believe we won't even make top 4 this season if we remain like this. Especially if Fabregas is sold, the last of our world class players would have left. The new Stadium has fed into greed from the board and left us fans separated, with us losing our club we used to love so dearly. Now I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes a club we love to hate.

Tribute To A Great Player

Today sees former Arsenal striker and Arsenal legend's current team New York Red Bulls at the Emirates Cup facing our beloved Arsenal. This man is none other than Thierry Henry. As much as I'd want us to secure the Emirates Cup (which I'm not too bothered about). I would more than love for Thierry Henry to score today against us just to remind us of how a great finisher he was. The admiration he'll get will be aplenty. So in awe of this world class striker, I have a video of all his 226 goals for Arsenal from the very first to the very last.

Enjoy!

Stewart Downing... Really?

Firstly I don't see what Wenger sees in Downing and how he can improve us. However could this prove to be what Arsenal do need. An England International who has been around form a young age from his Middlesbrough days.


Downing had very good stats last season for Aston VIlla (and we know how much Wenger loves his stats!). He could provide us with an out and out left winger who does track back and has the ability to beat his man with pace. Even if Downing was not to beat his man he has a brilliant delivery and can whip in crosses. If anything Wenger is looking for a more direct approach rather than the usual side to side passing, which has caused moans and groans at the Emirates as we can't break defenses down (unless in Europe).

More celebrations like this with Arsenal?

At a fee of around £18 million reported to have been bid It's somewhat unusual that Wenger could go in for the likes of Juan Mata for a similar price. However Downing is a long seasoned Englishman with plenty of experience under his belt.

I can only believe it to be paper talk as usual, but it would be interesting to see the system changed and freshened up a bit at Arsenal.

Last of the Invincibles Departs

So the first exodus of players at the Emirates has started. The French and Toulouse born and left back, Gaël Clichy, has parted ways with Arsenal after 8 years at the club. A consistent performer who always gave 100%. His new destination is that of About Diaby's long lost cousins club, Manchester City.


A player who was bought in from Cannes, with a reputation as an attacking left back, but who mainly played in front of Ashley Cole whenever he came on off the bench in his early days. Clichy managed to make enough appearances in the 2003-2004 unbeaten season to claim a winners medal in the Premier League and to this day was the last 'Invincible' left remaining at the club.

Still have a smile on his face come end of season?

As far as I'm concerned the loss of Clichy isn't a big blow as Cole was replaced, who was a much better all round left back than Clichy, so Clichy he can be replaced as well. However this has left a void for any player to make it his own place in the starting line up. I don't think any 'left back' currently at the club (Gibbs, Traoré) can quite cut it yet for a whole season. The thought of Vermaelen being moved to a make shift left back is one I dread to think about. Why take him out of his best position just to fill a hole is beyond me.


Arsenal have been linked with Aly Cissokho from Lyon, who moved from Porto in 2009 to the French outfit. However a 23 year-old isn't really saying he's any better than Clichy. At least replace class with class. But I can't judge the guy as I haven't even seen anything of him. The thing is I could easily name world class right backs, but i can't think of many left backs who we could attract. If someone along the lines of Sagna's defensive ability with the crossing of Daniel Alves, now that would be a dream.


I'd like to say thank you to Clichy for serving the club this long, 8 years in this day and age is quite loyal and a long time. However I do not wish you the best of luck. Who in their right mind would want another club to do better than their own?


The search for the next best left back continues... (maybe get Winterburn out of retirement?).

August is a Tough One

Every football fan can't wait for the opening day of the Premier League to get rid of the boredom of a vacated summer of football without a European Championship or World Cup to entertain us. Tiresome pre-season friendlies fill the void slightly, how ever it's competitive football us fans await for. Oh what a wait us Arsenal fans have in hand for our opening month to the league campaign!

Arsenal have one of the toughest fixture lists out of any team in England and six points out of nine would be a great start. The curtain raiser for Arsenal is at St. James's Park against Newcastle United. After the first 45 minutes last season, we would be going in to this match very confident, having been 4-0 by the time the referee blew for half-time. The second-half proved one to forget. But with every fresh new season comes new optimism and this match has no title/relegation odds baring on it, with no real form from either team. It could easily go either way.

With Arsenal finishing fourth last season it has given the Gunners an extra two games in qualifying for the UEFA Champions League group stages. These matches are just before the tough home match against Liverpool and then sandwiched between Liverpool at the Emirates and to then face the champions Manchester United at 'The Theatre of Dreams'.

We haven't won at Old Trafford in the league since Adebayor scored to win 1-0. That was back in the 2006-2007 season. That seems like an eternity now. Liverpool at home last season was a difficult affair, making hard work of it, to then earn a penalty in injury time and go 1-0 up. What came next was unbelievable but honestly typical to then go and give a stupid penalty away moments later. To give the game up so cheaply when a win seemed more than likely, that just ended Arsenal's season completely mentally.

This season we could come out of August looking in a dire position, but on the other hand Arsenal could be facing a much easier task by the title run in. But didn't we think last last season? Let's just hope it'll be a cracking start to the season!