Clash of the Titans – Er, Well Sort Of.

Let's Get It On!!!

There was a time in the not so distant past when a gathering of Arsenal and Manchester United were a prize fighter’s dream. Meetings like this harken to tales of pizzagate, tunnel fights, and battles for EPL supremacy.

While the the challenge for EPL supremacy has laxed up, a meeting of these two staples of English football is always something to feast on. Last season in the EPL, Arsenal won the first meeting and in the second drew against a side looking to stay fit to win the title. However, it was in the two Champion’s League Semi-Final matches where the chasm between the two teams was oh so evident.

In the second leg of the semis it took only 11 minutes for the Mancurians to break open the game that resulted in Patrice Evra labelling it “men against boys.” And oh boy was it ever. From every aspect of that series across two legs the Gunners were thoroughly outclassed.

But that was then and this is now. Last year, Christiano Ronaldo was our chief antagonist, sinking an amazing free-kick that noone thought had any business going in. Ronaldo if you live in a cave is now featuring with Real Madrid. Gone also is Speedy Gonzalez like Tevez. If you remained in that cave over the summer you may not have heard but he is plying his trade with that other Manchester team.

Also gone are Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure, two, from all indications, malignant tumors in the dressing room who sorely fouled up the attitude of the team.  Like the lesions they are, they now find themselves cutoff and also with the other Manchester team.

Manchester United did not start out of the blocks this season and maybe to some people’s surprise have struggled especially at Turff Moor where a cracker of a shot sent them to their first loss of the season at the hands of Premier League Debutantes, Burnley.  Without Ronaldo and Tevez, the attack is relying on Rooney and Rooney. I kid – Rooney, Berbatov and newly acquired project Michael Owen. It was only in last week’s win against Wigan that a striker not named Rooney scored a goal.

Additionally, the title holders look a little weak at the back as Rio Ferdinand, he, of the Christiano Ronaldo school of bathing suits and daisy-duke shorts (I shudder just at the thought of it) – is out. He is likely to be replaced by Johnny Evans. Who is also questionable with an ankle injury that could require surgery. If he doesn’t feature, look for either Wes Brown or John O’Shea to be tapped to fill in. While Vidic and Neville are fit to play, they are just back having featured for the first time this season during last weekend’s tie versus Wigan.

When it is all said and done this is an all together different United than we are used to seeing. They’ve struggled a little, but who wouldn’t with the departure of two huge goal producers. Berbatov still has to prove himself and Owen is not the same player he was at Pool. So it falls to Rooney, who quite nobly has taken the mantle thrust upon him, to be the standard bearer for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side.

The Arsenal also are a different team this season than last. This time for all the right reasons. The departure of Adebayor and Toure could prove to be a master stroke by Wenger. The team seems more focused and resolute and the friction that was supposedly surrounding these two players no longer exists.

Arsene has moved away from the 4-5-1 and 4-4-2 of last season and gone with a 4-3-3 that was part of Barcelona’s run to their treble season. By all indications this has led to the resurgence of an Arsenal attack that seemed to struggle a lot last season. In the two EPL matches this season, the new formation has garnered 10 goals. Throw in 5 from the Champion’s League clashes and the squad has scored 15 goals in 4 games.

Arsenal have also improved in the back. There were a lot of nervous people lamenting the lack of height and strength in the back four last season and more so this season when Kolo Toure left for the riches of Man City. However, it seems that the Gunner’s only summer signing (so far) Thomas Vermaelen has proved to be every bit worth the £10 million he was signed for. The man simply has shown his mettle and experience (at 23). He has seldom seemed out of position and in a 15 second span in Wednesday’s CL clash headed away no less than 3 cross-ins. Throw in the tackle at Parkhead that was pure class and it looks like Arsene has done it again.

Also different this season is the constant theme of closing down on the ball. Last season the Gunner’s seemed intent on only one thing – pass, pass, pass and pass some more, then when you puke do it all over again. Now the Gunners are showing the ability to lock in on the ball and defensively close down on the play. In every match there are no less than 2-3 men attacking the ball and closing out the angles before a play can go in. Leading the way, the likes of Song, Arshavin and Robin Van Persie.

This an altogether different team and like Furgeson said today,

“I couldn’t understand why they were written off,” said the United boss.

Well Sir Alex neither can anyone else.  And if they did write them off, then they are suddenly rethinking it.

This is an important match to both teams. Man U are eager to show that they’ve righted the ship and that last week’s emphatic win over Wigan was the start towards their 4th straight EPL title. Arsenal are keen to show that wins over Everton, Pompey and Celtic are true indications of the team’s potential. Whatever each team is vying for, it is likely to be a cracking match.

In 40 ties of the Wenger/Furgeson era, Furgeson has a slight edge with 15 wins over Wenger’s 14. 11 were draws. In previous season’s this matchup could very well mean the title. Well, while its August and very hard to say what impact it has, it still does have that potential. Liverpool and the Mancurians already have losses. Chelsea and Arsenal do not. A win by Arsenal and the season is already validated. A loss and Manchester United are back in charge. Either way, there is an interesting story here.

Injuries:
Manchester United: Ferdinand, Obertan, Rafael, and Hargreaves

Arsenal: Fabregas, Rosicky, Walcott, Djorou, Nasri

Possible Lineups:
Man U starting XI: Foster; Neville, Vidic, Evans, Evra; Nani, Scholes, Fletcher, Valencia; Berbatov, Rooney.

Arsenal starting XI: Almunia; Sagna, Vermaelen, Gallas, Clichy; Song; Eboue, Diaby, Denilson; Arshavin, Van Persie.

How is it going down?

This is hard to call coming so early in the season. Arsenal are the real deal and should figure in the title challenge – much to everyone’s chagrin. However, the absenece of Fabregas in the middle cannot be underestimated. He has been absolutely fantastic. But the squad is now built to be interchangeable. And there are plenty of attacking options in the squad.

United have yet to hit their pace but counting them out even with their early struggles is ridiculous. A Ferguson managed side is never out until the last day of the season. This man knows how to prepare a team.

Gunner to Watch?

I have to agree with Goal.com – Thomas Vermaelen. If he can handle Rooney and Berba/Owen then you will know that he is the futre of the Arsenal defense and will go a long way to moving the club towards winning some silverware this campaign.

Score: 2-2 If it were at the Emirates – 2-1 to the Arsenal.

Game time 12:15 EST on FSC

Popularity: 7% [?]

Battle of Britain Part Deux

Battle of Britain Take 2!!!

Is it a tale of what happens in Scotland stays in Scotland or is it a happy ending that results in our continued run in the UEFA Champion’s League? Well, only 90 minutes on the pitch will tell.

After taking two very important away goals off the Hoops (okay only one was off the Hoops the other was off of Gallas’ rump) last week, every prognosticator, including this one, are making the Gunners heavy favourites to advance to the group stages of the Champion’s league. A loss for Tony Mowbray’s men mean’s European relegation to the newly launched Europa Cup (oh joy).

Coming into this match up 2-0 might lead some to believe that team is focused on the next EPL match against fellow big four squad Manchester United. However, Arsene Wenger is preaching focus for this match and not looking foward.

“We have to give absolutely everything,” he said. “It is a more important game than Saturday for the club, by far, because tonight you cannot catch back. Saturday, even if you drop points against Man United, you can always catch back, you have 35 league games still to go.

“If you miss your game against Celtic you have zero, it is a massive game,” he added. “It’s not job done yet – it’s job to do against Celtic, a job to finish. We have done a big part of it and we want to get over the line.”

By all indications, Wenger is set to start a very strong side with one notable exclusion. Captain Cesc Fabregas is out definitely for the tie nursing a sore hamstring. It is expected that Welsh wunderkid Aaron Ramsey who replaced Fabregas this past Saturday against Portsmouth will slot into the spot.  Even with Ramsey’s promise, the loss of Fabregas cannot be understated.

In all three games played (2 EPL – 1 UCL) Fabregas has been amazing, showing great skill and ability in creating forward momentum for Arsenal’s attack. Even when he doesn’t score, Fabregas is featuring in nearly every one of the build-ups to netting a goal. You need not look any further than the sweet pass to Denilson against Everton that unlocked the troubled side at the 26th minute and started the goal flood.

That being said, the team has many attacking options and a midfield of Song/Diaby, Ramsey and Denilson isn’t as bad as some others out there. Again, Wenger looks to roll out the 4-3-3 that has been so fluid and so effective thus far. I expect one change to the formation from last week with Eduardo starting in place of Bendtner. While the Dane has been effective, he looked a little out of sorts against Celtic last week. So I expect this to be one change from the starting XI from last week.

Whichever team he selcts it is very important that the efficency of the squad at home continues. Both for the sake of the match and for the season.

“For the sake of our season we have to be strong at the Emirates. Any time you are weak at home it has consequences for the game and for the season.”

It is an imperative then that Arsenal followup on this past weekend’s performance (4-1 drumming of Pompey). Remember last season, woeful slip ups at home abain, Hull, Villa, Fulham and Sunderland were part of the reason that our lock in the big four was in question.

As as easy as it looks for Arsenal, it looks equally as hard for the Bhoys from Glasgow. Prior to matching up with Arsenal, The Hoops were down 1-0 against Dynamo Moscow and went on to win the next leg 2-0. However, Tony’s boys need to score three at the Emirates in order to advance.  Mowbray is pushing his boys to score early as he believes such a goal would unnerve the Gunners and their supporters which in turn would favour the green and white side from Glasgow.

Celtic will still be without Stephen MacManus and Barry Robson. Landy N’Guemo, who picked up a second yellow in the last week’s tie at Parkhead, is suspended, so Scott Brown could feature in his place. Additionally, you can expect that opposite to last week, Scott McDonald and Marc Antoine Fortune will start.

With Fortune and McDonald and the desperation of the Glaswegians, we should expect the game to be open from the start. No feeling each other out in this one. It will be an immediate pressing attack. Should Arsenal score first, it is over. Conversely if Celtic score first it could be a long afternoon.

All that being said, I do believe the attacking options for Arsenal are much more than Celtic can handle. Our defencive four are growing together very well with Gallas and Vermaelen gelling into (hopefully) a very formidable pairing. With Arsenal having all cylinders clicking, I expect to see a very fluid game with the Gunners coming out 2-0 at home with a final aggregate score of 4-0

Probable Starting XIs

Arsenal: Almunia, Sagna, Gallas, Vermaelen, Clichy, Song, Diaby/Ramsey, Denilson, Arshavin, Eduardo, Van Persie/Bendtner

Celtic: Boruc, Hinkel, Caldwell, Loovens, Fox, Brown, Donati, McGeady, McDonald, Fortune, Maloney

A FINAL WORD:

For Arsenal to win today, as much as I like the spreading around of the socring duties – I want to see a striker get off the mark. Ideally I’d like to see Arshavin get off the schnide. It would be nice to see his first goal of the season be in the Champion’s league. As happy as I am that Adebayor is gone and as up and down as he was – 5 goals in last year’s CL run is nothing to look away from.

For Celtic to win, Boruc needs to be big. I absolutely loved this guy last week. If not for him, the game by the opening 10 of the second half would’ve been 3-0 and well out of reach. He attacks the ball well, is a big presence in the net and he does a very good job at distributing the ball to his team mates.

Match time is 2:30 EST and will be shown live on FSC.

and finally – - – - As much as I hate being on the Dole (out of work), I love the fact that I have alread seen more CL matches this season then I was able to watch last season. Speaking of which – anyone know of an advertising or marketing organization looking for a marketer?

Popularity: 4% [?]

Portsmouth v Arsenal or Things I Think I Know

Is this really necessary?

Portsmouth comes into this tie with a lot of history against them. No Portsmouth side have beaten Arsenal since 1958. No Portsmouth side have beaten Arsenal at home since 1955. Also consider that Portsmouth haven’t scored an away goal in about 10 hours (8 or so matches).  They’ve not won away in 2009 at all.  Their last win against a big four opponent? A 2-1 win against Pool in 2007.

On the opposite coin you have an Arsenal side that has lost only once in the EPL in 2009 (jan through August). Are coming off of two very impressive wins. Have a second squad of players that could all be starters at Portsmouth.  In the last 19 meetings (league and cup) Arsenal are an astounding 11 wins and 8 draws against Portsmouth. The Gunners, even the reserves will have loads of confidence coming into this match.

What’s all that mean? Well, if you believe the old gaming addage that you still have to play the games – true – you do. But realistically, this should be a match that poses little threat to the Gunners. It should also be a match that allows Arsene to rest some of his squad from last weekend and Tuesday’s CL tie. I expect the likes of Gibbs, Wilshere, Vela, and Eduardo to come out. I also expect to see Vermaelen and Gallas out there. I think Wenger will be eage to give them reps to continue to build a solid center tandem.

I am also eager to see on Portsmouth Niko Krancjar. I really like him. He plays the ball well and does a good job in the midfield. I know Arsene has been fond of him and even as late as last January he was a supposed target. I expect that as Portsmouth go under the likelihood of him leaving will grow. If Niko were to come to the Gunners, maybe this January or next summer.

An now for Things I Think I Know:

1. Yes Man City won against Blackburn but their defence was woeful and if not for Shay Given Blackburn could’ve easily walked away with a 2-1 or 3-1 win. City will not make the big four

 2. Man U have 3 points out of 6. Last season after 5 matches they had 5 points out of 15. They went on to win the season. They should still be considered dangerous

3. Chelsea have had to comeback in both wins. While resiliency is good too, gifting goals to better teams is going to hurt some time

4. Arsenal are two games in and are better than last year, I am not ready to say they will win the league. Ask me again after 2 months

5. I love David Moyes ethic of standing by his decision to keep Joleon Lescott. Though by now, I think the lad is done. Should the  board decide to sell him without Moyes input – Moyes will walk.

6. Liverpool are a freakin nightmare. They are putting the fun in dysfunction. Blame it squarely on the American owners and their inability to run the club or understanding of running a Premier League club.

7. Rafa Benetiz is the most annoying manager in the EPL – followed closely by Mark Hughes

8. Thomas Vermaelen is the real deal

9. Andrei Arshavin will be the best player in the EPL this season

10. EA Sports is ridiculous for not supporting its PC franchise as well as it does its console franchise. The platforms have plateaued in their abilities while PCs continue to crank up the performance of games

Popularity: 4% [?]

Let the Battle of Britain Begin

Let's Get It On!!!

Well, here it is some mere 72 hours since the likes of Denilson, Vermaelen, Gallas, Fabregas and Eduardo thourougly wiped the Goodison park pitch with the likes of the David Moyes Toffees. The onslaught that was hoped for but not expected has caused some of the prognosticators to rethink where Arsenal may wind up in the EPL standings. But let’s face it lads, that is all old news.

Tuesday 18 August 2009, sees Arsene Wenger’s boys start the long and arduous journey for UEFA Champion’s League Glory. Win both legs and move on. Lose and it’s EUROPA Cup for us. Pretty simple. The opponent for this match is no pushover. 42 time SPL winner Celtic are bouyed after one of their first away wins in Europe against Dynamo Kiev.

The Hoops are also coming off a very comfortable 3-1 win over SPL rivals Aberdeen. The now move onto the daunting task of carrying that success over to this week’s match against our Arsenal.  And while they are likley to be regarded as underdogs for both legs, its no doubt that Mowbray’s boys can give us fits if the play us right.

The squad has firepower and a little European history behind them beating both Man U and Milan at Celtic park in recent memory. Their wingers are as skillful as any in the EPL and Arsene believes that this Celtic squad are good enough to compete at the upper level of the EPL. Additionally, the first leg is at Celtic Park where the Hoops have proved to be very hard to beat.  Throw in what is sure to be an electric atmosphere and the work for Arsenal is sure to be hard.

But this is nothing new to Arsenal. Last season saw the Gunner play in the pit that is Roma. Everyone knows the inherent problems playing in Rome but the crowds in Italy are in my opinion more riotous than any EPL or SPL club and if Arsenal can go in there and win on Penalties than I do not think the 60,000 screaming Scots are going to matter much to our lads.

Additionally, there is talk that the Gunners may overlook this Celtic squad. Whilst Arsenal in recent years have shown a propensity for ligthening up against lesser EPL squads, their ability to be cream of the European class is uncanny. Arsene has built his squads recently to play in Europe being the only silverware he has not collected.

However Arsenal are after to a cracking start after crushing Everton. Surely, Celtic fans were jubilant after their easy win only to be less so after hearing of their next opponents win down south of Hadrean’s wall.

This is not going to be a match like Arsenal are used to when facing the likes of Twente. Celtic do pose a real threat and as Almnunia has said it will be real disappointment should Arsenal fail to go through.

Celtic should be without Glenn Loovens and Stephen MacManus, while Shaun Maloney and defender Garry Caldwell return fit. Their expected starting XI are: Boruc, Hinkel, Caldwell, Loovens, O’Dea, N’Guemo, Donati, McGeady, McDonald, Fortune, Maloney.

For Arsenal, the usual suspects are still out, Rosicky, Nasri, and Walcott. Diaby is back and should feature. There is some back and forth as to whether or not Fabregas is fit to play with one press outlet reporting he is 50-50 for the match. Should he play the starting XI likely are: Almunia, Sagna, Gallas, Vermaelen, Clichy, Song, Fabregas, Denilson, Arshavin, Bendtner, Van Persie.

Who to Watch:

Celtic: Aiden McCready – bagged a brace this past weekend.

Arsenal: Andrei Arshavin – he was cup tied last season. This year no such luck for his opponents. Look for him to feature well on Europe’s biggest stage.

Prediction: Weather the first 10 -15 minutes. Play the game like this past weekend and control the ball and we should be in for a 2-1 win. However, I do think that this game will be a bit of struggle and I think it will be a 1-1 tie going into next week’s match at the Emirates where Arsenal will run rampant over the Hoops.

The game is being broadcast at 5:00PM EST on FSC. Kickoff is set for 1945 BST.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Arsenal v Everton or Here We Go Again!

A New Beginning or A New End

It seems the rite of summer for most Arsenal fans recently is lamenting the lack of momvement in the transfer window and wondering way glaring issues aren’t properly addressed. Well, arm-chair prognostication is still going to go on regardless but this Saturday, Arsene’s army gets rolled out again to end the 4 year silverware drought the team has experienced.

The nemisis of the day? None other than Everton. Annually they are cited as one of the two or three teams that could supplant the Gunners from their perch in the top 4 and every year they wind up 5th or 6th.  The story is exactly the same this year. 

Everton are an image of consistency amongst of a sea of change. Continually lacking the funds to make wholesale changes that could change the club’s fortunes, the team does well because it is coached well. David Moyes, is a gaffer to be respected for what he achieves with his team. Last year that consistency paid off with a trip to the FA Cup final losaing to Chelsea.

Moyes has put his boys through the paces and it looks like he will roll with a 4-5-1 formation. While he tested other, this one seemed to offer the squad the best chance for success.

Goodison park should be a rocking place and they will be firmly behind their boys as a fully fit squad get ready to square up against our boys. News out of the Emirates isn’t all great as the injry list is already growing – Rosicky, Nasri, Walcott, Fabianski, Djourou are all expected to be out of the lineup. The only good news is that recent transfer Thomas Vermaelen is fit and should feature in the back 4.

The new formation gets rolled out against Everton as Wenger shifts to a 4-3-3 to support the attacking options he has. I expect the front four to be Arshavin, Van Persie and Bendtner. The midfield anchored by captain Cesc Fabregas and supported by  Song and Diaby. The back four Sagna, Gallas, Vermaelen and Clichy. Almunia features in goal. On paper the squad doesn’t look bad but, Song and Diaby are still growing and their ability to hold the midfield and allow Fabregas to support the attack is still in question. Each has considerable talent but the fruits of it have yet to be fully recognized.

The attack is solid and features good support coming off the bench, Eduardo, Vela, Ramsey, adnd future star Wilshere. The midfield will still likely benefit from a more experienced holding midfielder and the back four has to be considered tighter with a fit Vermaelen. Though were the squad to add Hangeland at some point, the Gunners would have to be considered for a serious challenge on some silverware.

Overall, this a game that the away squad have to put an emphatic mark on. A resounding win with a ton of possession will likely go along way to making people believe we are on the right track. A draw or loss and the pitch forks are likely to be out and the prognasticators that predict a Man City usurption will grow more vocal.

The first month is beset with minefields both from a domestic front and in our bid for European glory. Any misstep this early in the season and the effect could be huge.  We go against a strong Everton side, followed by Celtic in UCL, Portsmouth and Celtic again, then Man U and we kick September off again heady challengers, Man City. Realistically, a squad with our talent should figure for at least 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss domestically, and a draw and win in the UCL. Anything less than that and this could be a long season.

Well, here it is lads, we’re off an running!

Popularity: 4% [?]

Does Arsene Really Know Best? – A Look Ahead at the 2009/2010 Season

Does Le Professor still have the touch?

If the recent performance at the Emirates’ Cup is a precursor for the 2009/2010 season then the lads from Ashbourton Grove might be better off than people expect. Let’s remember that the 2008/2009 campaign started with a 3rd place finish at the Emirates’ Cup and showed us all the agony we were in for last year.

The run up to this year has been frought with nervousness as want-way starlets have been sold to oil-rich Manchester City. Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure, both who have had issues at Arsenal are now part of the new group for that other Manchester team. Additionally, Phillipe Senderos is close to a move to Everton and Emmanuel Eboue could well be on his way to Fiorentina.

All this with only Ajax defender Thomas Vermaelen being our only signing to date.

With all this going on and the general apathy felt by some fans last season, pundits (real and arm-chair) are beginning to wonder if Arsene really knows best? In past years we have seen succesful Arsenal squads built on the beautiful football crafted by the master teacher, called Le Professor. However, since the Invincible season of 2004, stars like Henry, Viera, Pires, etc, were sold off and new and younger talent identified and brought to battle in the EPL. The fruits of this policy haven’t paid dividends yet and after 4 seasons of no silverware people are beginning to wonder about Le Professor’s plan.

There is a lot riding on this season. Many of the youthful players who were part of the surprising run from November to May of last season are going to be expected to deliver on their promise. Players like Rosicky and Eduardo, fresh from long convalesences will be called on as the season progresses to add to the Arsenal attack. Theo Walcott, who burst on the stage for Sven Goran Erickson and the national squad, needs to develop more than his speed. Robin Van Persie is going to be needed to build on his run from last season and be the “man” in terms of the attack.

Arsene Wenger looks set to roll out the squad using a 4-3-3 formation this year. This was the formation that was used by treble winning Barcelona as they won their league, the Spanish Cup and the UEFA Champions League. Given the overall tilt in favor of the attack at Arsenal and the flow of which they play football, Arsene thinks that this is likely the best formation for the club.

This formation will get one last test at the upcoming friendly against Valencia to make sure the squad understands its inner workings and that overall the squad are comfortable with it.  Still there seems to be a problem with the backfield four and the midfield three and even Wenger admits he would like to see a tightening up between the two.

Therein lies the crux of the problem for Arsene’s young Gunners. In order to tighten up between the two groups, a strong holding midfielder will be required to make that happen. Right now our options are Alexandre Song, Samir Nasri or Diaby. Nasri is out due to a fractured tibula and Song is improved but in my estimation still an unproven entity. Diaby – well let’s just say, I still think he has some way to go to prove he deserves first team time.

What is needed is someone with the strength and ability of a Vierra or Flamini. And no – brining Patrick Vierra back (as much as I love him) is not the answer. This midfielder has to be able to support a roving Cesc Fabregas our gem of a playmaker and the likes of other midfielders, Denilson, Ramsey, Merida, and Wilshere. Arsene however, is finding it hard to fill the spot.

Roma midfielder, Danielle De Rossi has rejected a supposed bid and Roma have listed an asking price of about 30 million Euros which is well above what Arsene has ever dished out for a player. Phillipe Melo, who seemed like a perfect fit, was eventually sold off to Juventus and Xabi Alonso who Captain Cesc Fabregas championed for just signed with Real Madrid. Until Arsene finds someone for this position or one of our current players comes out of the wood work to show that they have the mettle for the position, then this will still be seen as a weak spot and could be an area for potential explotation by our opponents.

Arsenal however, are not lacking for attacking options. Robin Van Persie is coming off of one his best season’s at Arsenal. Russian goal machine Andrei Arshavin who scored at will against Liverpool, will be here for a full season and seems set for certain EPL stardom. Eduardo is back and his clinical touch seems to still be there as exhibited in the friendlies he has played in this pre-season. The mexican wunderkind, Carlos Vela, shows what we had hoped for from Ade, ice in the veins and the ability to make goalies and defenders looks silly. Throw in Rosicky, Ramsey, Wilshere, Fabregas, Bendtner,  Walcott and from strikers to attacking midfielders our attack could be as lethal as any we have ever had.

However, all this could be thrown in to jeopardy, if Van Persie goes back to being crocked every other week, Rosicky and Eduardo aren’t as healed as we had hoped and Walcott doesn’t develop beyond his blistering speed. The kid has the skills, but he is still young and still makes basic mistakes in and around the penalty area which has led some to liken him to Adebayor who wasn’t the best of finishers. Additionally, our attacking options are lacking in size. With the departure of Adebayor, our only size up front, currently, is the great dane Nicholas Bendtner. Again, Nick is developing and still has some room for improvement but when he does score he shows real power and ability. He needs to improve on his first touch and some work around the net but overall good things should be and are expected from the striker.

With the lack in size up front it is no wonder that Arsene is out looking at Bourdeaux striker Marouane Chamakh. He fits the size requirement, listed at over 6 foot tall. He has shown improvement in his strike ratio every year and has experience and strength that we need up front. However, as of right now no move seems imminent. Bourdeaux values the striker at around 12 million Euros and Arsene has bid 5. Chamakh himself has come out and blasted his side for holding him hostage and has told him if they don’t let him go he will leave of his own accord next year when his contract is up. With the two stances from Arsenal and the player himself, Bourdeaux look set to come off their stance and settle for a price of around 7.5 – 9 million Euros.

With a strong attacking capability we still have questions remaining regarding our defencive back four. If any game was clearly evident of our deficiencies in the back it was the 4-4 Liverpool game. At the 90th minute up a goal - we should’ve been in lock down mode and unfortunately our back four could not stop a quick attack from Liverpudllians.

In fairness it should be noted that only Bacary Sagna and Kolo Toure were part of the crew that ended the season, and Toure was not in form. William Gallas our volatile CB, was out with a a leg injury. I am in the minority, but ever since Gallas lost the captaincy, he was more solid, strong and showed the odd propensity for scoring. Bacary Sagna is by far the best RB in the league. He has pace down the side and most times is strong against all opponent. Gael Clichy who spent a lot of time out is returning on the left side and solid LB. His injury though did prompt the emergence of Kieran Gibbs. As a LB the 19 year old showed a lot of skill and when moving the ball forward  showed great skill in feeding forward. His biggest flaw – inexperience – and it was never more evident in the CL Semi-Final against ManU – he got turned inside out and fell down allowing Ki-Sun Park to score. The good thing was that and until the end of the season he was hardly ever caught out of position. 

Our weakest defencive point was at CB. With Toure in and out and Gallas out we had to rely to heavily on Mikhael Silvestre and Johann Djourou. Djourou has the makings of a competent CB but still needs time in the reserves to devleop. Silvestre is clearly past his prime and was constantly part of the reason why goals were scored when defencive lapses occured. Sir Alex Fergueson wouldn’t let a player go to an arch rival without good reason and frankly he knew what we were getting and it showed.

The addition of Thomas Vermaelen from Ajax was a step in the right direction to strengthen us. He is a true CB with the ability to play out on the left side. Though that is a rarity. From the early looks, this guy is a workhorse. Big and strong and what looks to be a bit of a nasty streak in him. It remains to be seen whether or not that translates to EPL success but I am hopeful that he will pan out.

Wenger still looks like he might add more strength to the defencive four with the team being linked to Borussia Dortmund starlet – Neven Suboptic. At 6’2″ and 20 years old. This guys looks like the real thing. He has shown presence on the international level and in 33 appearances with his Bundesliga club scored 6 goals. But goals are not what we need back there and its presence and he has it. A back four consisting of Sagna, Vermaelen, Suboptic/Gallas, and Gibbs/Clichy would fare pretty well.

We take our final look at the goalie situation. Manuel Almunia has established himself as a true number one. His biggest weakness to some is an inability to feed the ball well as the team moves up. He is the type of goalie who doesn’t extend himself to far so as to get caught out of position.  The goals he has given up aren’t very weak ones and frankly, the ones he did have to be tied partially to the weak defence in front of him. Lukasz Fabianksi saw increased playing time last season, featuring prominently in some rather big games – the FA Cup tie versus Chelsea and the EPL match at Anfield. In each game his weaknesses were exploited and goals given. Against Chelsea, Florient Malouda’s first goal wasn’t sent with any strength, Fabianski was out of position and the ball squeaked on through but it was in the eventual game winner that Fabianski etched himself in FA Cup lore.

Coming out of the net reminiscent of Jens Lehmann – Fabianski went to take on a streaking Didier Drogba, who deked him out and had nothing but grass between him and an easy touch to the back of the net. Again in fairness to Fabianski – the defence were caught pinching up to press the attack and Didier was fed a nice long ball from Lampard.  But once Fabianski overcomitted it was clear for everyone he would be beat.

So what does this all mean for 2009/2010? Well, that is a very good question. Overall I think the team is going to surprise people. I like the 4-3-3 and think it fits nicely with our squad and the way we play ball. It plays to the teams overall attacking strength and could allow for the emergence of Walcott and Arshavin as the work the sides for either Van Persie or Eduardo.  While defence is still light – it is not aged, it is not weak and it is slightly improved over last season.

The only team around us to make any significant improvement is Man City realistically can Mark Hughes handle the egos of the players he has? How does he handle playing all the strikers he has? Additionally, he did nothing to the midfield. Gareth Barry while good is in my opnion on the down side of his career. Robinho – is simply put a petulent child. Defensively Man City are seriously weak. A run to the top four while it looks good on paper is not likely to happen any time soon. And if they miss out completely on European football – how long till all those new signings start thinking AC Milan are like Beyonce?

The big four are pretty much unimproved with no major signings and lots of losses. Man U lost significant output from the loss of Ronaldo and Tevez. Their squad is cagey and experienced and still have to be considered favourites until someone proves otherwise. Chelsea is a big question mark. Nothing major has happened there except the bringing in of manager Carlo Ancelotti. The club are still getting older and it is evident in their defense. However, their preseason form has been impressive and the do look more attack-minded than they have in recent times. Liverpool are a strong side with a good manager however with the loss of Xabi Alsono in the middle the playmaking ability of Torres and Gerrard could suffer as they have noone strong enough to replace what the spaniard brought to the team.

Overall, I think the status quo remains the same – the top four will be the top four and the rest will fight for Europa cup. I do really think that if Arsenal display the same form they did from November to May of last season then they will challenge where most people do not expect them to. If the team stays healthy (overall) then they could be in the running for silverware in the league and in Europe.

Alot rides on this season. If we do not end up with any silverware, you can expect a lot of changes – players will leave and it is likely that the board could see that maybe the boat has passed Arsene by. Or it could cause Arsene to rethink his youth policy and try to completely rebuild the team.

We shall see.

I expect the starting XI to be (assuming no new transfers):

Almunia

Sagna – Gallas – Vermaelen – Clichy

Song – Fabregas – Rosicky

Arshavin – Van Perse – Walcott

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