Nasri - Kaka - Forget 'Arsene Knows'..... 'George Knows'

The pressure is building on Arsenal and the board to go out and buy the players we need to push for a top 4 spot, and face it we aren't no no shape or form to mount a title challenge this season.


Nasri played yesterday against Liverpool, but to be honest we were short on first team players, so he had to play. But talks seem to have broken down and now it looks like we're going to keep him at least till next summer. But also it is reported that the deal will be completed and this is only a minor hick-up over a £3m signing on fee.


On the sale of former captain and head figure Cesc Fabregas, we no longer have a star player in our ranks. This has lead to rumours of Kaka being targeted by Arsenal. This is one player who would fit into the team to bring back the counter attacking days of Arsenal.

One of many stars at Madrid... can be the star at Arsenal!

I can't see this one happening , although Kaka seems to spend a lot of time coming off the bench for Real Madrid. His wages would be a factor that won't even have Arsenal consider a bid for the Brazilian International.


Former Arsenal manager who won that famous league triumph on the last day of the 88/89 season at Anfield has had said the following on Arsenal's current circumstance on Radio Five Live Sportsweek programme:

"They need experienced, outstanding players and I think they need about another three in the side at the present time."


The Scot added, "They've got the money, let's sit down, get some of these players in he's supposed to be after and let's see if they can start winning trophies again."


"They have big signs at the club saying 'Arsene knows'. Well I hope he does," added Graham.


"I think he's going to be there this season. I think he's under a little bit of pressure just now from the fans.


"But I think Arsene, if he sits down and is honest with himself, he'll put it all back together again. But he needs to do some hard thinking."

"Please get the the cheque book out Arsene. I think they need another centre-half, I think they still need a strong, outstanding, experienced midfield and I still think they need an out-and-out striker like a (Thierry) Henry."


You tell them (Arsene and the board) George!

TEAM LINE-UP: Arsenal v Liverpool

The team line-up has been announced for Arsenal. Looks like I got my prediction spot on. We also have a lot of youth on the bench. Here's the line-up


Arsenal:


Szczesny, Jenkinson, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Sagna, Frimpong, Ramsey, Nasri, Walcott, van Persie, Arshavin


Subs: Fabianski, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ryo, Miquel, Chamakh, Lansbury, Bendtner

PREVIEW: Arsenal v Liverpool

Match Preview

Arsenal v Liverpool

Barclays Premier League,

Emirates Stadium,

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Kick-off: 12:45

1 match down, 37 remains. As much as people thought not winning on opening match day away to Newcastle was a poor result, St. James’s Park is a tough place to go and win. So that point could prove significant, or usually we’ll moan dropping silly points. But that was game 1.

On to match week 2 and we have a really tough first home game of the season in the league. Liverpool at home is always a funny one. It depends which Liverpool turn up. They were poor last week at home to Sunderland, which was a game of two halves for them, conceding a wonder strike from former Gooner and Brum player, Sebastion Larsson.

Arsenal had a tough run out in midweek in their 1st leg of the Champions League at home to Udinese. I have to say Udinese looked really strong against us, especially in the second half. We lost a few player to injury during that game, Gibbs came off at half-time, who is looking more injury prone than our very own RVP. Djourou came on for Gibbs and then a few minutes later managed to come off as a precaution. Even now Rosicky is being rested for today’s match. Wenger & Co. must have pushed the lads really hard this pre-season.

Today we have the following absent from our squad; Gervinho and Song are starting their three match suspensions, Wilshere, Diaby, Gibbs, Traore and Djourou are all injured, with Rosicky rested.

This means we have no left back, which will probably either see Sagna move to left back, or Jenkinson slot there. I don’t think Wenger would want Vermaelen at left back, as he’s gelling well with Koscielny, and that’s the key to our two clean sheets so far this season. The midfield seems quite week, especially with no longer Fabregas sitting in that midfield, and all the injuries, we’ll have to rely on one man who will be in the squad today, Samir Nasri, who has gone from being one of our best players and having a good relationship with the fans to being the villain. But I for one would like to see him play, we can’t rely on Frimpong, Ramsey and Lansbury. Although that seems a great future midfield, it won’t do for today.

I foresee a well fought match; it’ll be a much tougher match than last season, which saw us gain a penalty in the last minute of play, to secure what we all thought was going to be a 1-0 win. However the now departed Ivorian, Eboue, now plying his trade at Turkish outfit Galatasaray, decided to clumsily give away a penalty after the most manic two minutes ever at the Emirates, from what would have been a bore 0-0 draw anyway. If there’s any excitement like those two minutes throughout match today, then I’ll be keen to watch this.

Probable line-up:

Szczesny

Jenkinson      Koscielny       Vermaelen     Sagna

Frimpong      Ramsey

Nasri

Walcott                                               Arshavin

Van Persie

Prediction: Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool

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PREVIEW: Newcastle United v Arsenal

Match Preview

Newcastle United v Arsenal

Barclays Premier League,

St. James's Park,

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Kick-off: 17:30

So it begins! (No not the line from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (King Theoden). The new season has finally come around and I am glad it has. Not the fact it's Arsenal playing competitively again, just good to see something to look forward to on the weekend.

Our squad numbers were released the other day and new signings Gervinho, Miyachi, Jenkinson and Oxlade-Chamberlain have been given numbers 27, 31, 25 and 15 respectively. As you can see Chamberlain has taken Denilson’s number and Gervinho has got his number he wore at Lille taking Eboue’s number who isn’t even in the squad,which means he must be about to move. Szczesny has been promoted to number 13 after wearing number 53 last season. Emmanuel Frimpong takes the number 26.

On to today’s game and it’s a tricky one. Newcastle came back from being 4-0 down last season at St. James’s Park to come back in a half to 4-4. You get one off games, so I can’t see it happening this time. If anything I can see Arsenal starting off quickly after a relatively poor pre-season. Maybe because the players have been pushed harder this year in pre-season training, they haven’t had much energy to play in those games, albeit aginst tougher competition to play against too.

Newcastle have had ups and downs with owner Mike Ashley in charge, more downs than ups. The likes of Joey Barton and Jose Enrique, now at Liverpool, haven’t helped the situation up on Tyneside. With no relative form from either team it’s a clean slate to start fresh with optimism for the new season and both teams will be eager to get their first win and 3 points on to the league table.

For Arsenal we have had unrest at our club too. Fabregas looks likely to be off any second now to sunny Spain. Nasri too will follow suit but to a much more cold and wetter environment up North in Manchester (Sky Blues not the Red Devils). If fact the move for Nasri could be a blessing in disguise, as rumoured a straight swap including Nasri for Carlos Tevez could emerge, I don’t believe that story one bit, but I would take that move any day!

Walcott is back in the squad after his injury in pre-season looked like he’d miss the opening game. Our squad looks a little thin in the middle, with Nasri, Fabregas, Wilshere and Diaby all out. This leaves Song, Frimpong, Ramsey and Rosicky as natural midfielders. However the first eleven should be strong enough against a Newcastle side who I think will probably get relegated this season.

The key man today will be van Persie as he has a tremendous goal scoring record away from home at the moment; in fact he can’t stop scoring anywhere. We’ll have to see how this one plans out as opening games of any season, results can be very surprising.

Probable line-up:

Szczesny, Sagna, Djourou, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Song, Ramsey, Rosicky, Gervinho, van Persie, Arshavin

Prediction: Newcastle United 1-2 Arsenal

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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!