EPL Match Day 2: Arsenal v Emirates: Match Preview
So kiddies who can tell me who this – what was the last year and who scored the only goal the last time Liverpool beat Arsenal on home turf? If you said the year 2000 and Titi Camara you are right. Next question when was the last time Liverpool won at the Emirates. Duh it’s a trick question. They’ve never won at the Emirates.
But with everything going on right now could there be no more opportune time for King Kenny and his rejuvenation Liverpool project to snap up 3 points? Well, thanks to the schedulers of the EPL, we get to find out early on Saturday.
I’d be kidding if there wasn’t a serious sense of concern about this tie. Let’s go down the list of missing Gunners shall we – Alex Song (3 game ban), Gervinho (3 game ban), Jack Wilshere (injured), Diaby (ankle) Kieran Gibbs (injured) Aarmond Traore (injured), and Johann Djourou (never got off the bus – injured). Throw in the sale of Cesc Fabregas and we’ve already got a list of missing players as big as the team itself.
The interesting thing about this tie though is that our favourite ingrate Samir Nasri could actually start the game. While talks between Arsenal and Man City continue, there is a rumour that they’ve hit a snag. The snag – agent fees. And frankly, it could scupper the deal. I am also guessing that Nasri telling people his preferred destination would’ve been United, Madrid or Barcelona (he didn’t have the DNA) isn’t helping matters either. But as you’ll see in my line up later, adding him to the squad gives us some necessary skill in the middle of the pitch.
And why shouldn’t he play? He’s healthy. He has shown in the pre-season and in training sessions an uncanny professionalism and performed his job as best he can. You never know. If he plays and does well he may have an epiphany and decide he likes it at the Arsenal (okay not even I could resist not laughing on that one). Who knows, right? More interesting though, is what happens if he starts, what will the fan reaction be? Even better, what happens if scores an equaliser or the winner? Hmmm? That should make the sound around the Emirates interesting. Especially in light of the new Samiar Nasri chant – with the C U Next Tuesday ending.
For the massive overhaul at Liverpool they are not without their own issues and could present the Gunners with some opportunities. For as good as their first half against Sunderland was last week – their second half was pitifully inadequate (sound familiar). Suarez is by far their best player and is only going to benefit from Adam and Downing being on the team. But the £35 million wonder boy is a bender a way from losing his spot on the team. Additionally, if you thought our back four problems are huge, you haven’t watched any Liverpool matches. They’ve moved to shore up the LB position with Enrique but with Agger and Caragher in the middle and Flanagan on the right there could be issues.
Young Flanagan (obscure Cocktail (the movie) reference) will have his hands full with Arshavin who has shown that he is ready to play this season. Liverpool are one of his more favourite teams to play against too. Caragher and Agger don’t handle speed well and if Nasri plays along with Walcott we will have our chances. The key will be to take them and force Reina to work.
But the key for Arsenal will always be the line at the back and with Gibbs out Jenkinson gets a baptism of fire on the right with Sagna moved to the left. I wish we had a whole team of Sagna’s. He is so good at what he does and so strong. How can you not like this guy. He is in my opinion the best right back in the league. And as Ashley Cole dips in form he could very well be the best back in the league.
Koscielny and Vermaelen continue to impress and improve and they will need to be at their best against a good opponent and with a new defencive midfielder in front of them. With Song out serving a three game suspension for being stupid, 19 year old Emmanuel Frimpong gets the start in the middle of the pitch. Frimpong had some impressive moments in the pre-season and has been called on twice by Wenger to solidfy the defence in the last two matches. He seems comfortable on the ball and is a big brute of lad. Whether he has it in him at 19 to be a presence in a match like this remains to be seen. But that we will see as he takes the pitch tomorrow.
All in all, it has not been a good week for the players, the manager or the fans. There is a lot of concern, anger, and worry. Whether Arsenal can rise to the occassion is something yet to be determined. We’ll get a good sense of the mettle of this “new-look” Arsenal in the next week (3 matches to play). In other words every match will feel like squeaky bum time.
How the Match Should Play Out:
From the look of it everything points to a Gunners loss at home. But as I mentioned Liverpool aren’t without their own issues. I am really looking for Arsenal to come out quick and try and snatch an early goal. They can open up the game that way and stretch out the scousers defence. Liverpool will seek to take advantage of their height on set pieces and crosses into the box with Adam and Downing trying to exploit the Gunners weakness there. I certainly expect them also to test out Jenkinson and he will get a baptism by fire from Suarez. I see Liverpool up 2-1 mid way through the second half with a Robin Van Persie rifle equalizing late.
Players to Watch:
Arsenal: Andrei Arshavin. The Russian playmaker has taken a lot of stick, especially from me. But there are signs that he back. He has been up for all the matches he has been in and was well rested from not having to play on Tuesday. He likes playing against Liverpool. Look for him to come up big.
LFC: Luis Suarez. Before Kun arrived in the EPL, I had Suarez duking it out with own RvP for Golden Boot honours this season. He is an impact. I hope King Kenny doesn’t make this game all in the air. If he does Suarez will not be an impact.
Probably Starting XI:
Injuries and Suspensions:
Arsenal: Gervinho (suspended – 3) Song (suspended – 3) Wilshere (ankle) Diaby (ankle) Gibbs (hamstring) Djourou (hamstring) Eastmond (ankle)
LFC: Gerard (groin) Johnson (hamstring) Skrtel (calf) Aurelio (achilles)
Leading Scorers:
Arsenal:
LFC: Suarez (1)
Last Meeting: (EPL)
Arsenal: 1
LFC: 1
Goals For:
Arsenal: 0
LFC: 1
Goals Against:
Arsenal: 0
LFC: 1
Last Five:
Arsenal: D
LFC: D
Goal Difference:
Arsenal: 0
LFC: 0
Match Official:
Referee: Martin Atkinson
Broadcast Information:
US: ESPN2 0745 AM EST
UK: Sky Sports 2 1245 BST
GAMEDAY CHAT: It’s Open!!!!!!
www.youaremyarsenal.com/gamedaychat
YAMA Prediction:
Arsenal: 2
LFC: 2
[donate]
85 comments
Leave a reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Very interesting article on what Cesc brings to Barca.
http://www.goal.com/en/news/1717/editorial/2011/08/16/2617774/with-the-signing-of-arsenals-cesc-fabregas-barcelona-could-begin
I read in an interview that Juan Mata turned down Arsenal and Tottenham because Chelsea had more ambition. So now it has got to the point where experienced players don’t even WANT to come anymore. Sigh. This was all so damn avoidable.
It’s official, Nasri going for City medical as per arsenal.com.
Oh. and Wilshire is being worked on by our medical staff, I just read he could actually be out 2 MONTHS.
Scott Parker. NOW.
@stag133,
Just curious Stag, why the double posts?
@Caribkid, I don’t double post Carib… I type a post, and it tells me “you’ve already said that”… and posts it twice. I have no control over it.
@stag133,
Mmmm, as you’re the only who consistently does it, you probably have some control over it. You just choose not to exercise that control. Some sort of meta comment on Wenger’s bloody-mindedness? Or just your own?
@Caribkid, I don’t double post Carib… I type a post, and it tells me “you’ve already said that”… and posts it twice. I have no control over it.
@stag133,
That’s weird, probably just a funky setting somewhere.
@Caribkid, I often get the same problem that Stag has. Except I don’t get a notice about having already said that, it just does it.
Oh. and Wilshire is being worked on by our medical staff, I just read he could actually be out 2 MONTHS.
Scott Parker. NOW.
no chance we don’t cash in on Nasri…
the Board will NEVER allow 23 Million to walk away for free at years end…
no sooner do I see an article about Nasri flying to Udinese… but BOOM…. Nasri at ManCity, … sale imminent TODAY.
In the meantime, we’ve signed NOBODY.
60 MILLION to spend.
7 days to do so.
Go gettem Arsenal.
What do you think? we’ll sign 1 player? 2? 3? or the 4 we need and should sign?
what are the chances we will spend all 60 Million?
60 Million to 1?
Hazard 20 Mill. M’Vila 12 Mill. Cahill 15 Mill.
Even if we bought those 3… we’d still be 13 MILLION ahead in the profit world.
woot woot. the board’s pockets win again, no matter what happens!
I’d LOVE to be wrong… and see us go on a spending spree with all 60 Million… 4 or 5 players IN.
MAKE IT HAPPEN.
It would shut up all the doubters and speculation… and show some damned AMBITION.
no chance we don’t cash in on Nasri…
the Board will NEVER allow 23 Million to walk away for free at years end…
no sooner do I see an article about Nasri flying to Udinese… but BOOM…. Nasri at ManCity, … sale imminent TODAY.
In the meantime, we’ve signed NOBODY.
60 MILLION to spend.
7 days to do so.
Go gettem Arsenal.
What do you think? we’ll sign 1 player? 2? 3? or the 4 we need and should sign?
what are the chances we will spend all 60 Million?
60 Million to 1?
Hazard 20 Mill. M’Vila 12 Mill. Cahill 15 Mill.
Even if we bought those 3… we’d still be 13 MILLION ahead in the profit world.
woot woot. the board’s pockets win again, no matter what happens!
I’d LOVE to be wrong… and see us go on a spending spree with all 60 Million… 4 or 5 players IN.
MAKE IT HAPPEN.
It would shut up all the doubters and speculation… and show some damned AMBITION.
THE ARSENE ARSENAL CONSPIRACY
Hate to say it, but Arsene’s downward spiral has just accelerated year after year and it’s now inevitable that he has reached a point of no return.
Sadly, it almost seems like he is trying to actively wreck Arsenal rather than help.
Here’s my Machiavellian super plot of the day:
Fact 1. David Dein is a very good friend of Arsene. Arsene was photographed sliding down an inflated tube on his yacht this summer. Dein actively defends Arsene in Newspaper.
Fact 2. Darren Dein is the agent for Arsenal’s most prized possession, Cesc Fabregas.
Fact 3. David Dein was fired by the current Arsenal Board.
Fact 4. David Dein sold his shares to Usmanov.
Fact 5. David Dein was initially hired by Usmanov to direct his Arsenal acquisition through Red & White Holdings.
Fact 6. Board snubbed Usmanov and went with Kroenke.
Fact 7. Arsenme basically knew he would be losing Cesc and Nasri this year but only brought in potential players for the future. Did nothing to address immediate needs.
Fact 8. Supporters are up in arms with Kroenke, Gazidis and the Board.
Fact 9. Usmanov has still continued to buy shares for higher prices than Kroenke even with the uncertainty about Arsenal’s future growth.
Fact 10. Clichey was sold without a direct replacement although they could have gotten Jose Enrique for cheap.
Fact 11. Even though the squad was thin, Vela was loaned out, Bendtner given permission to leave, Bartley (most experienced of the young CB’s) re-signed and loaned out, Botellho although eligible for Euro Passport was also loaned out again, and one of our most versatile squad players in Eboue was sold.
Fact 12. Some obscure publication comes up with a well publicized story that it’s all the fault of the Board and their penny pinching and basically absolving Arsene of blame.
Fact 13. Income is down as Churn is up, attendance is down, match day revenues from concessions are down, CL games can’t be sold out, fans are booing, AST and AIS Clubs are dissatisfied.
Fact 14. If we don’t beat Udinese this week we will be out of the CL and stand to lose anywhere from 20M to 40M quid based on last year’s results. Will also result in loss of advertising and match day revenue related to CL.
Fact 15. Major re-negotiations for naming and uniform rights are coming up in 2012. Failure to reach the CL, not finishing in top 4 and depleted attendance numbers will result in significant loss of potential revenue from those sources.
Semi – Fact 1. Based on any economic model I have ever seen this will result in a severe drop in share value.
Semi fact 2. At this point Kroenke will be shitting in his pants as he sees his money being flushed down the toilet.
SPECULATION 1: Usmanov, the friendly benefactor, bails out Kroenke by buying out his shares at basic cost.
SPECULATION 2. Now in possession of 98% of the shares, he dissolves the Board and rehires Dein and keeps Arsene.
SPECULATION 3. At that point he reduces ticket prices to recapture the fan base.
SPECULATION 4. Increase number of available shares and make a share offering which is used to pay off the debt.
SPECULATION 5. Sell the naming and uniform rights to his company for a piss load of money.
All of a sudden our coffers will be flowing again without debt payments. With increased attendance and match day revenues we will have more money than the Royal Family. Enough to go out and buy the best players needed to complement the host of good young players we have in the stable like, Ryo, Ox, Wilshere, Ramsey, Miquel, Bartley, Gibbs, Jenkinson, vermaelen, koz, Cz, Campbell, etc.
HMMMMMM! I will leave it up to you guys to decide how plausible this is , but it sure sounds good to me.
If my theory is wrong there can be no conclusion other than Arsene has lost his mind and is a raving lunatic.
Current score: 0
@Caribkid,
A great read Carib but I believe this is really about Arsene being stubborn and set in his ways rather than so devious. Love the plot though.
@arthur3sheds,
When the fuck did you switch sides ? Or am i confusing you with some other AKBer ? If I am not wrong, i remember you bashing me as a doom monger / jinx in GDC :D
@dubspecialist,
No I ‘m a “realist” dubster ;-) LOL
You’re no Monger, I was kidding you, you sounded so depressed you sounded like a Monger.
But anyway I am a Hippie by birth, no changing tha. Doesn’t mean I wont criticise our dear manager, as much as I respect him. I am sure this is not the first time I have called him stubborn either.
@Caribkid, wow CK, well written although I will go with the lunatic option :)
but I will add one fact & one semi-fact to your theory.
–Dein’s son also helped Henry’s move to Barca.
–When Dein was pushed out, Wenger thought about quitting but Dein asked him to stay.
I am sure Dein thought Wenger staying would be good for Arsenal.
Nelson, cue laughter…,
If Arsenal make the CL, then Arsene could easily say:
“we should great character. I am convinced this team will succeed. So I will not buy anyone else.”
On the other hand, if Arsenal fail to make the CL group stages, Wenger could just as easily say:
“I tried to sign quality players but they only want Champions league football. So I will have to sign those players next year.” Ivan will nod blankly and then go out and then try to calm fans with the biggest piece of spin in the Ministry of Truth’s 6 year history.
So no matter what happens on wednesday, the on-field future of Arsenal football club could still suffer more. While the financial side will stay fine for a while. Ivan and company will try to lure new fans with cheap tickets or other means to fill the stands. Look for more tickets to be available to American fans this season.
Unfortunately, there is no third option. Although only Platini could provide it by banning English clubs from European football for 5 years. That way, we won’t have to see Arsenal suffer in Europe nor have to see Man Utd or Chelsea [insert hated English team of choice] try to get some Euro glory. The CL could then comfortably be an endless cycle of Barca vs Real rivalries with each passing year demonstrating an even more childish Jose getting more annoyed at failing to overtake Barca.
But that third option can’t happen. Too much money at stake. Meanwhile the twitter voices will get louder in the coming days and #spendsome…..money will be trending globally until Aug 31.
@sachin, LOL! Those two statements are so typically Arsene, he is a spin doctor in his own right.
“Playing Nasri could make financial sense for Wenger” so says the Independent – this is the imbecilic nonsense we have to suffer and exactly why I do believe the Board (Kroenke) has stepped in on this matter.
Option 1: Keep Nasri and he goes at contract-end
Upside – he’s available for CL and rest of this season (if that really is an upside?)
Possible upside – he helps AFC qualify for the CL
Downside – 23m lost in transfer fees
Possible downside – dissatisfied player stinking out the house and he may not influence CL qualification
Option 2: Sell him to ManC
Upside – 23m in transfer fees
Downside – he’s with a rival
Option 3 (did not happen): Sell him earlier and replace
Upside – 23m in transfer fees used to buy replacement / greatest chance to qualify for CL
Downside – none
Option 3, to me, was a no-brainer. I can only think Wenger is too close to some of his favourites and isn’t able to see the wood for the trees. It seemed rather obvious to most that Nasri was doing a Flamini or an Adebayor. He’s never had the character of a Cesc. So….. why not flick him? Why not buy Mata? If Gervinho was a replacement then just flick Nasri, and use the 23m to bolster other areas of the team and pay down some debt. Why this ridiculous eleventh hour nonsense? What do we gain except a consolidation of the opinion that we are incresingly inept and indecisive at player management.
AFC should put a stop to the twitter nonsense by young players such as Wilshere and Frimpong. Twitter-speak is even lower than blogging and the club needs to bring in some controls….. like ‘don’t do it’.
@Kiwi, I agree. It has gotten silly recently with Frimpong exchanging words and then seeing Jack tweet last week at half-time about his tactical solution. Although Owen did that last week as well and I am sure Fergie will have a word with Michael. But at Arsenal…
That article is laughable really. Every season around this time the relatively few AKB’s left – who can’t face reality and admit their beloved Wenger is a loon who has lost the plot – cook up some theory based on some supposed insider ; an ‘insider’ that has a similarly unhealthy attachment to Wenger and as a result twists whatever information they get to suit their agenda and absolve Wenger of the mess he’s created.
Although the board are guilty in terms of being complicit and being happy to play along with Wenger’s lunacy, make no mistake that he’s the one pulling the strings, and in fact positively thrives off being essentially, a massive, massive twat:
“I am a passionate person. It excites me sometimes to fight against the tide, against a lot of things. At the moment things are great, as I have a lot to fight for”
Yep, really the words of someone being hamstrung by the powers above. In fact all his words over the years paint the picture of someone with too much control of the club – rather than not enough.
@Mazza,
EXACTLY.
Yet a lot of AKBs will believe that crappy article.
Ah well.
Murder she wrote….on sunday
oh and de Gea = Almunia or Flappy part 2 except he manages to keep out the near post shots
@dubspecialist, except that United are Top of the League and Champions… and we are shit with or without Almunia!
you can guarantee if DeGea keeps playing poorly, he will be replaced by someone in January with a proven track record.
@dubspecialist, except that United are Top of the League and Champions… and we are shit with or without Almunia!
you can guarantee if DeGea keeps playing poorly, he will be replaced by someone in January with a proven track record.
@stag133, yup..actually they already have a pretty decent replacement in lindegaard (basing this on his pre-season performance when ManU played their US tour)
I have to agree Kiwi. This is all about Arsene being stubborn not the board being tight.
I have always agreed Arsene is stubborn but I would not have thought he would ignore the obvious signs of last seasons demise. I would have hoped that he would look at the start of this season and see the obvious need, but…. he wont.
What makes me the most annoyed is that he should have taken it for grabted that Cesc was off and had a replacement already worked out. However he appears to have tried to penny pinch on Mata’ buyout clause and ended up strengthening the opposition.
Why was all the faith, trust or whatever you want to call it placed in Nasri. He is not worth wasting 12 mill on. Sell the so and so and buy a replacement! I cannot see the intelligence in that decision at all. The guy is not that good, that he is worth £20 mill for a years service.
I agree with Kiwi again in the fact that Arsene’s strategy is based on saving face now. It is obvious for all to see that the youth policy needs far more balance than Arsene is prepared to give. However he still insists on spending large amounts of money on unproven young talent.
AOC is not ready for the first team neither is Jenkinson it seems so where are the players brought in to improve the first team? If he thinks these additions were going to get us closer to the Manc and Chelsea then he must be delusional.
I think Arsene will leave at the end of the season on his own, if he doesn’t get any silverware. I would love to see him shut all the doubters up and win something decent but… not at this rate. If he leaves I will not be sad but I will not be happy either, but regardless I will respect the guy for what he has done for our great great football club.
@arfasheds,
Common term for his disease is “Delusions Of Grandeur”. He is now in the stage of self denial which has resulted in acute mental paralysis and a profound inability to accept reality.
:) :)
@Caribkid, LOL thats a bit steep Carib :-D
If the team doesn’t change drastically — with three big ready-to-go signings — we’re are seriously in shit.
So depressing because it was all avoidable.
Amidst all the uncertainty, one thing you can know for sure, Wenger will not deviate from his current mindset. If he could change, it would have happened. He can’t change – it’s not a matter of intelligence (or lack of) it’s a matter of how the human mind works. He’s invested such an enormous amount of energy and his whole professional credibility into this ‘project’ that to make a fundamental strategic change is unthinkable. His mind won’t allow him to contemplate other options. That’s why the worse our situation gets the deeper we seem to submerge into this ‘project’.
No, we’re all strapped in to this rollercoaster whether we like it or not. It’s like being onboard a plane at 30,000 feet and being told that the senior pilot is unconscious and his co-pilot is a reformed alcoholic and the plane’s flight path is about to cross an area of severe turbulence. What to do?
Don’t be fooled by board conspiracy theories. Do you honestly think there is enough collective thinking and will at board level to dictate transfer strategy? If so, why did they sign the cheque to purchase Oxo? Perhaps the roaring success that is Theo Walcott convinced them? Makes no sense. No, Wenger is the architect of where we are. Conspiracy theorists will abound in these latter days of Wenger’s reign. It will become increasingly popular to ‘explain away’ his actions and inaction. And an element of our support-base will lapp that up. It’s nicer to think the mean and faceless Board is at fault rather than apportioning blame to the ailing image of a once-was-successful Wenger.
So how will the end come? This board will likely want Wenger to impale himself so that they aren’t tarnished as ‘responsible’ for his sacking – so my guess is it will most likely take a painful crash. Maybe being ousted from the CL will do it – maybe not. It takes balls to sack an iconic manager and this Board hasn’t exactly demonstrated an appetite for united, decisive and courageous action. If it did (have balls), we wouldn’t be so far into this wilderness period. No, they’ll wait until we’re in even deeper doodoo.
@Kiwi, Does Wenger have a huge pay-out clause in case he is sacked? Or is the pay-out the rest of his contract amount? If so, then given how the board likes to sit on money, they won’t want to pay extra money out. So they might hope Wenger quits on his own or hope things get to a point where Wenger is basically forced out. I like to think the board will also continue to sit around and do nothing. They, like Wenger, will hope the ‘bad luck’ injuries stop and players continue to show their ‘mental strength’ and refs get calls right. It won’t be long before all those returning from injuries will be like new signings.
Regardless of what the board vs Wenger stories that may crop up, none of them can explain the team’s ability to throw away games in previous seasons. The team is in Wenger’s image and the on-field failures are his. And like you said, the board are also to blame for failing to show initiative and allowing Wenger carte blanche in terms of team control and also for allowing Wenger to get whichever young player he wants, no matter the transfer cost.
@Kiwi,
Kiwi,
I agree with most of that, with the only deviation being you’re not talking about just any human mind. Plenty of us are able to adapt and evolve in our thinking. That, in fact, is how humanity has come to survive. When something doesn’t work, most of take what we learn and try something else. We grow.
So what kind of mind stubbornly sticks to a faulty plan? What kind of mind refuses to acknowledge flaws in his thinking, despite all available evidence? This isn’t about how *all* minds work. Just some.
I re-post the list of symptoms of a narcissistic mind that I posted on the last thread. This is the kind of mind we’re dealing with.
A person with narcissistic personality disorder may:
React to criticism with rage, shame, or humiliation
Take advantage of other people to achieve his or her own goals
Have excessive feelings of self-importance
Exaggerate achievements and talents
Be preoccupied with fantasies of success, power, beauty, intelligence, or ideal love
Have unreasonable expectations of favorable treatment
Need constant attention and admiration
Disregard the feelings of others, and have little ability to feel empathy
Have obsessive self-interest
Pursue mainly selfish goals
@vibe4arsenal,
Wenger down to a tee.
As I said above, a simple run down of Wenger’s reactions to certain events/opinions – which reveals his narcissistic tendencies- tells you everything you need to know about the veracity of these apologetic ‘exclusives’.
@Mazza,
Dude, once again, I bow in the direction of your foresight years ago. You knew he was driving us into a ditch, then out of that ditch, into an iceberg, then over a cliff. And by the end of this season, we’ll probably be looking back at the fall off the cliff and thinking ‘Man, we had it good then.”
@vibe4arsenal,
Yep. Wenger is Stallone in Cliffhanger, veins in the forearms bulging, resigned to his fate, trying to desperately hang on…..
Not long to go now!
I remember well the demise of George Graham. He looked out of ideas and out of juice (sound familiar). And yet, one of his last noteable statements to the press was “that he felt as fresh as a daisy”. The levels of denial and pressure seem to perfectly correlate.
GG had just brought in a trio of footballing luminaries – Hartson, Kiwomya and Helder (anybody remember their Arsenal careers fondly, if at all!). Then he was sacked. The managerial X-factor was just not there. He’d used up his powder, or maybe it got damp, and the mix (at Arsenal) no longer worked.
It’s horrible to watch Wenger looking so silly and so alone. His greatness, forged over seven stella years is being dulled by a famine of seven years which will end in his unsightly exit. What a shame. And yet….. these things at the highest of levels seem to end this way – the exceptions are incredibly few. The euphoria of being at the pinnacle, the rarified air, seems to mess with ones character and judgement.
The mostly hidden qualities of teachability and a certain humility that all great performers need to achieve longevity are the hardest to retain. This is what makes Ferguson’s sustained success so jolly enthralling even to an ‘enemy supporter’. Ferguson has been prepared to learn and relearn his art and to include others in a way Wenger so clearly has not. Where Ferguson has clearly used the talents of many 2ICs and worked with varied and challenging ownership arrangements and STILL enjoyed success Wenger has seemingly and increasingly circled the wagons ever-tighter – absolutely convinced (in a manical way) that HIS way (bizzarely described as “our values”) is the only way.
Alas, the warning signs are in neon. The empty seats in the stadium, the tickets that can’t be (on)sold, the look of delusion on the fans who do suffer to go, and the boo’s all show the Board and the CEO (in his nonsensical role) that Wenger doesn’t have it in him to reinvent himself (let alone this team) at Arsenal. Maybe a break and a new challenge will see Wenger revitalised? Or maybe the pattern of collapse at The Emirates and the earlier one at Monaco hints that his time in club management are over. Time will tell.
@Kiwi, he does look lost, but I would wager the board are equally at fault, if not more… maybe they hold the purse strings, and they’ve let this charade go on …
Interesting theory purported by Arsenal Times. Makes for an interesting read.
http://www.thefootballnetwork.net/main/s378/st170548.htm
@Caribkid,
Hmm. That was an interesting read. Makes it seem much more like the Board’s fault than Wenger’s. Either way, we need a David Dein type to act as a go-between b/w the 2 parties and by god GET THINGS DONE.
@Caribkid, Interesting….At the moment we need bodies so you could argue that the board is correct and that “average” signings would suffice to at least stem the tide of dissent among the supporters while maybe having helped us in these early matches. A secondary problem is that perhaps the board has lost faith in Wenger’s ability to distinguish between average and superior players given some of those that were put on (relatively) high wages, didn’t produce, and who now we cannot pawn off….
The bottom line is that Arsenal cannot compete with teams that are willing to double or triple the wages of promising players who might not even make their first 11. Until that changes we will continue to see our best players lured away….And it will only change when the Sheiks and Oligarchs (and “national” or bank supported) teams say “enough!” to their (financial) losses and create fairness measures (salary caps) like we have in US sports. David vs Goliath events are fun on occasion (and football is great in that on any given day the smaller teams can eke out results), but when the second best 11 are reserves on the top team (not yet, but the trend is that direction) it does a huge disservice to the fans….
@HighburyTerraceSteve, Our payroll is among the HIGHEST in the world. We overpay medicore players like nobody else does, and that’s what makes transferring them so difficult…. you can’t transfer Denilson, because his wages are so high…
I’d actually not sell Nasri … and let him walk for free at the end of the season…
First of all, what do we lose? the club loses the transfer fee?
I DON’T GIVE A FECK. Its NOT my money, and the club is all about GETTING YOUR MONEY, INTO THEIR POCKET.
He might be our BEST offensive player.
IF … IF HE AGREES to stay and play like he did yesterday…
Let him stay… knowing he’ll be free to go anywhere he wants next year…
Never in a million years will Arsenal NOT sell a player that will walk away for free…. the likes of Nasri.
They will get 20+ Million. They will cash him in to United or City.
Squillaci? We have NO CB’s… I’d let him stay, unless we buy someone… otherwise, we’ll run out of players at the rate we are going.
What do we have? 10 days left in the window?
Arsene Wenger and the Board… you folks SUCK…. you are RUINING the Arsenal Football Club.
Interesting: IN an attempt to show the benefit of technology in football, journalist Tony Long has looked back at last year’s EPL season. Had technology been used – Arsenal would’ve been 2nd in the league.And a whole lot of other teams would’ve finished differently:
The full article is printed below:
Arsenal would have been runners-up in the Premier League last season and Blackpool wouldn’t have been relegated if match officials hadn’t made mistakes. (See table at bottom).
These are the headline findings from extensive new research that re-examined 713 ‘significant’ incidents – penalties, goal line incidents, offside goals – across the Premier League’s 380 games in 2010-11.
Arsenal ended up fourth with 68 points but should in reality have won 72 points and finished second to Manchester United.
Manchester City should have won nine fewer points than they did and finished fourth.
Blackpool and Birmingham should have avoided relegation while Wigan and Wolves should have been relegated along with West Ham. (West Ham should have had seven more points than they actually got but would have gone down anyway).
The research was conducted by broadcaster and journalist Tim Long for his radio documentary, Beyond The Goal Line: Football’s Technology Debate. The programme explores the need for technology, and how officiating errors can make a material difference to clubs, and versions are being aired in Australia and Britain.
The point was not to be critical of referees – because it is accepted they do their best in good faith – but to illustrate how even simple television replays can highlight erroneous decisions. Replays have shown this again this weekend in the Premier League, for example at Arsenal and Sunderland.
Long spent 250 hours analysing the 713 incidents, each of which on their own could or did lead to a goal. Of these, 361 involved penalties given (or not), and 152 involved goals given (or not) as a result of offside calls.
‘That isn’t a massive amount of incidents when you think about it, fewer than two per game on average,’ Long tells me.
‘So supposing there was a system that allowed the video evidence to be reviewed at the time, looking at these things wouldn’t necessarily take a long time.
‘I wanted to explore the extent to which decisions about offside goals or penalty calls did, in fact, even themselves out or not, and how they made a difference to the end of season table.’
Stoke would have won two more points but these would have been sufficient to finish four places higher in the table – and win an extra £3m in prize money from the Premier League.
Examples of wrong calls included the decision that famously left Wenger ‘too disgusted to speak’ in March — when a perfectly good goal from Andrei Arshavin at 0-0 against Sunderland was chalked off in error by linesman Andy Garratt. That cost Arsenal points.
Another decision Long considered was the clear handball by Nemanja Vidic as Manchester United played Arsenal on 1 May. Coincidentally, the same linesman, Andy Garratt, was involved, failing to spot that Vidic had denied Robin van Persie a clear opportunity to score with his head.
As it transpired, Arsenal beat United in that particular game so the bad Vidic call didn’t make any points difference to Arsenal or United, although Arsenal’s goal difference would almost certainly have been better by one with a good decision.
‘Actually a lot of the significant incidents I looked at were called correctly at the time and the analysis simply ratified the good calls,’ Long says.
‘More than 500 of the decisions out of 713 were right. But that still leaves just over 200 wrong calls in significant incidents over the course of the season.
‘And while not all those would have changed a result, quite a few of them would have done so.’
.
@DaAdminGooner, Just watching the end of the VERY entertaining Bolton-Man City match. (Is Clichy hurt or just earning his salary on the bench today?….) Very attacking play from City, led by El Kun and David Silva, with “best ever” performances from Dzeko and the former Villains (Milner and Barry). They look a force, but maybe not completely perfect at the back…..
The article is interesting, and I’ve come to expect anti-Arsenal bias amongst referees. Already, just two weeks in, and we’ve seen some massive injustices (the Barton joke-fest….Maybe he and Alex Song should both have been sent off for the scissor tackle and calf-stomp?….) and the lesser ones (‘Pools goals both being slightly offsides)…..
Oh well….If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that dominating performances and dominating supporters lead to refs giving the benefit of the doubt. At this time Arsenal (and our supporters) do not intimidate refs in any way, so we have to expect the worst and an uphill climb in all situations….
@DaAdminGooner,
And if there was technology, we might not have gone Invincible in 2004 either. Nor reached the CL final.
Everyone plays under the same “no technology” paradigm.
Just a couple of things –
1. As you all may know the deal between Nasri and City has stalled and possibly collapsed. The issue is £3 million in fees his agents want. Man City are refusing to pay thisbecause they believe they are paying a premium on a player who has one year left on a contract. Reports are now saying that Nasri could actually stay.
2. Arsenal have had a €20 million bid for Rennes DM Yann M’Villa knocked back. Don’t know if they will go back. If Arsenal succeed in getting him it could signal a formation change with Arsenal reverting back to a 4-4-2. Frankly, I feel if you like Vierra you will like M’Villa.
3. Juventus are said to be interested in Arshavin. I’ll leave it at that.
4. Squillaci is reportedly gone – cut. I am trying to confirm.
5. Classify under you can teach an old dog new tricks – Vermaelen has been offered a new contract that would take him through the 2015 season.
@DaAdminGooner,
1. I’d have thought this was bad news if you had told it to me before today’s match. But seeing as though our squad is threadbare, and that he played decently well considering all the circumstances, I’ll take him. He could walk next summer for free but so what?
2. Don’t know anything about M’Villa, other than that he has a cool name. But I’d be a little concerned about having to field 2 strikers the whole year when we have trouble fielding 1.
3. If we were to go to 4-4-2, we should keep him.
4. Good. Let him go for no money. He’s a waste if he couldn’t even make the bench today.
5. Good. An awesome player and leader. Give him the money and sign him.
@DaAdminGooner, DAG, any injury updates? The way Kos could barely walk off didn’t look good. And what’s the latest with Wilshere?…..
What can I say, besides hello to Arthur…..
The situation at the club is dire and inexplicable. The talk about “money to spend” rings absurdly hollow and I don’t see us paying inflated prices this late in the window. On a personal note, I cannot subject my family to the mood that I bring when I get up absurdly early to watch a match like that and then see what I saw….I tried to tell myself (by halftime and then when we went down to 10) that really only a point was at risk, as we NEVER looked to actually have a chance at victory…..It didn’t work…..
Here’s the thing: beyond the ridiculous patching of the squad with teenagers, we really seem to have zero ability to play possession football and create chances, so what are we trying to do? RVP and Theo can touch and move, but they were both very ineffectual yesterday (as was Ramsey). And the feature of our only match with a goal (Udinese) was that Arshavin didn’t play. Any hope for Andrey rests purely on memory (as it does with Chamakh). And then, of course, our other options (Nasri and Bendtner) both want out…..Are we going to cup tie these boys on Wednesday? Maybe Gervinho (a cheapish, early signing this summer, indicative that there might have been more….) will (magically) create something good up front with Theo and RVP? I guess we should be thankful that none of them are injured…..yet…..
But back to yesterday…..One could argue that we got hamstrung with the subs when Kos hobbled off, but (as so many have noted) Frimpong’s red card seemed inevitable, though you can see why AW didn’t go for the other option (Lansbury–!?!) earlier. But why not take him off (and/or Arshavin) and just play on the break with Ox and/or Ryo? It’s probably a question of (old) expectations exceeding (the new) reality, but, given the injuries, suspensions and Cesc’s departure, we really should just be parking the bus and hoping to play on the break. Wednesday will be the PERFECT opportunity to go for this strategy, as will the “match” (and I use the term loosely….) at Old Traffford…..Yet I expect we’ll persist with some idea about our “sumptuous” football, needlessly exposing our (makeshift, threadbare) defense when we should probably be playing for nil-nil…..Who would’ve thunk it?…..
Sorry for the negativity, but I’m failing (at the moment) to see a plan, let alone a silver lining…..
One of Wenger’s post-match quotes:
“The target is to have a good team and good players. You can spend money and have a bad team,”
Well well, not such a suprising result. The gloom is expected, not surprised about the low turnout.
I must say I am surprised Arsene did not learn from last seasons end of season collapse, as stubborn as I think he is I thought it would be a wake up call. Instead he says we were “close” last season! Damn.
I think my prophecy that we would not make top four this season may well come to pass. Wilshere is a big miss Ramsey still has a boyish inconsistency that I don’t trust.
Jenkinson and Myaichi as much as I am impressed by them are not going to get us any closer to the Mancs and Chelsea. So we have only one major addition Gervinho ( I have been surprisingly impressed by him.) but lost two major players. I have really developed a disliking for Nasri though, but I think we can get a better replacement, some one that can run in behind like Gervinho and will not slow down our play habitually.
Well the only good thing about our present slump is I can get more match tickets at Red Level for me and my dear wife. Always look on the bright side of life ;-)
@arthur3sheds,
Of course we CAN get a better replacement for Nasri, but to think Arsenal actually WILL? I’ll believe it when I see it.
@arthur3sheds,
“I think my prophecy that we would not make top four this season may well come to pass”
——————————————————–
You’ve got some cheek. A hippie trying to claim doomer points ;)
@Mazza, LoL Mazza nice one
BBC says we had just 47% of possession.
This is the FIRST time I can remember Arsenal actually losing the possession battle against English opposition.
No offense, no defense, no depth, no world class players and we can’t even do the possession sideways thing anymore.
Dire times.
2-0 loss at home. I suppose that’s not bad for a League Cup match where our kids got to gain some experience. Say what?…. That was league match?!
What about the likes of Szczesny (21), Ramsey (20), Lansbury (20), Frimpong (19), and Jenkinson (19)? Oh. You say those are the best players Arsenal F.C. has to offer now? I see….
This is what happens when you play teenagers: one gets two yellow cards, then another blasts the ball off the chest of yet another and into our own net.
Anyone reminded of the CC final by the first goal today?
Anyone notice how even in our most experienced area of the pitch- the front line (RVP, Arsh, Theo)- we still have no one to play a high line, stretch the D, get into the box and onto the end of crosses, etc, etc? Virtually all our crosses today had no one on the end.
I’m not blaming any of our players for any of these problems. For the most part, they are doing the best they can with the skills they have.
This was actually the first game I’ve watched this season. The combination of Arsenal’s utter BS and Comcast’s recent crackdown on illegal downloading/streaming has resulted in my decision to only watch games I can get on TV. Did anyone see ESPN pre-game feature with Arsene?
Interviewer: “Do you still believe you can win the league with this squad?”
Arsene: “Of course.”
Gimme a break already. You think a team that had 5 players b/w the ages of 19 and 21 playing significant roles, has had a near-constant 4-year long injury crisis, and lacks depth and EVERY single position is good enough to win the league?
Go away and give me my club back.
@ChicagoGooner,
Well said.
The AKBs across the blogosphere are extra quiet today. With the trips to Udine and Manchester coming in the next 7 days, even the “head-in-the-sand” folks know it is going to get really ugly really soon.
@ChicagoGooner,
“Go away and give me my club back”
True That.
Arsene has become bigger than the club.
Lossing to Pool is certainly a lesson for us. Its only the 2nd league game of the season for god sake.
I am really really sorry to say this. The best way at this current moment for Arsene to wake up, is for us to lose to Udinese and Manchester United. This might cause the AKB’s to wake up a bit and smell the crap too.
If we had done things on our side better and still loose, I personally think the fans would still accept. In this case, Arsene is just putting unnecessary risk for this club to go below than the top 4. Where is our ambition? Do we not care to win the league again? Do we not care about the fans? Are we not the customers? A business with no customers are nothing. And I am hoping the fans in London would do their part too of skipping matches until we get this sort out!
well, I predicted the score correctly. wish I didn’t.
I DVR’d it, just watch a good portion of it… fast forward a bit here and there.
my impressions are… Nasri, we really need a player like him… he played fairly well for someone who wants to be elsewhere.
– the forwards got ZERO service … there is not enough creative play in our midfield, and we have no experience there either… we won’t scare any team in the league.
– the defense was decent… but alas, another injury with Koscielny going down, and it looked like Jenkinson also got hurt at the end.
– who the hell is going to fill in now with all these injured players?
did they beat us down? no, no way… but Liverpool got the win away… and we are going to have 1 point, after 3 games in the league, just like I said we would.
United will beat the hell out of us… don’t expect any mercy.
I’d be distraught in a normal season, but when you expect to lose… you don’t really get worried about it…
If we aren’t going to buy anyone… and try to win something… I’d prefer we sell RVP, Nasri, Arshavin… anyone that CAN be sold, and just go with the kids… they do play with passion at least.
oh well.
First loss to Liverpoo at home in ELEVEN years!
Am out on the west coast so the game was at 4.45am. No way in hell I was going to wake up that early to watch this Wenger sh%t team. (Even on the east coast at 7.45am, I still wouldnt wake up early to watch this drivel.)
First thing I thought when I woke up …. remembered there was actually a game ….. and checked the scores was “Great! At least now the fire under Wenger’s ass would be hotter!!”
That is the state our club has descended to.
A state in which half the fans dont mind the team losing now so that the club would change its transfer policy (greed).
The days of Arsenal having a strangle hold on my schedule are O.V.E.R.
PS: The Man U match would be hilarious in so many ways.
PSS: FIRE WENGER!
Did anyone notice the tremendous amount of EMPTY SEATS all over the stadium.
The fans are speaking in a manner which will be felt deep in the pockets of those retards called the Board.
Kroenke must be having a hissy fit as he envisions his share value dwindling into nothingness.
@Caribkid,
Yup….. I doubt there were more than 40,000 people in that stadium.
Infact, with those numbers we didnt need to leave Highbury!!!!
@Fred,
What are the numbers actually?
Will we be able to make 11 players for Utd??
@OziKenyan,
Ozi, What are you worried about? We got a bunch of under 20’s that needs match practice.
How hard is it to get a red card and score an own goal and NOT win :)
A bit more on Frimpong:
Things I like:
-I like that he has the confidence to shoot from range
-Seemed to do well in tight situations, using his body to make space and getting the ball tidily to his teammates. Forward passing was also decent
-Built like a tank
-Not shy to tackle
-Won’t hesitate to get in the oppositions face
Not so much:
-Won’t hesitate to get in the oppositions face (double edged sword eh)
-A bit rash (inexperience, but who’s going to mentor him and help him grow??)
-Tackling could be tidier
-Defensive positioning could be better
All in all, it’s a shame that we have to try him by fire and throw him straight into the deepend.
@OziKenyan,
“-A bit rash (inexperience, but who’s going to mentor him and help him grow??”
Great point Ozi. He has all the trappings of a future world class player but no Viera type mentor to help in making him a complete player.
If nothing else, we should have brought in Keown and Viera back to the club this season to help with the kids.
Losing this game is probably the best result in the long run. If they drop out of the CL and lose to Man U then Arsene can’t really have any excuses not to buy new players. Or can he?
The defense looked pretty good until Frimpong was sent off, but there is absolutely no creativity in this team. The midfield is a black hole where offense goes to die.
Also read that Arsene has no plans for Squillaci. Although I do wonder how he would look next to TV5. Everyone seems to look better next to him.
@David Eshenbaugh,
“Although I do wonder how he would look next to TV5.” I’d sooner leave that untested.
And how dare you challenge Wenger to run out of excuses! We’ll simply “narrowly miss out” on players who will have chosen to go to CL playing clubs instead (and sadly it might have more truth to it than most excuses)
@OziKenyan, I’ve been waiting for years for him to run out of excuses.
@David Eshenbaugh, If we do NOT make the group stages of the CL, we will NOT buy anyone of note.
The loss of revenue from NOT making the CL group stages, will mean we can’t spend the money we made on Cesc… because the board and club need to make MASSIVE profits. Winning is not important.
@stag133, Did you see all the empty seats? Profits take a big hit when no one shows up. Investing is the only way to fix that.
@David Eshenbaugh, David. The game was a SELL OUT. The seats are all SOLD for almost ALL the matches. Yes, they are losing revenue on sodas, beer, food, and merchandise… but the match tickets are sold.
@stag133, Not for long. The stadium was half empty near the end. Sure, there are always people who leave early, but I’ve never seen it anywhere close to that empty with 20 minutes to go. People pay to go see their teams win and have a good time. When the teams are bad, that stops. When that stops, that’s when profits go down. Sure, there are exceptions to that, but usually it’s in places where there isn’t much entertainment. London has lots of ways for people to spend their money. I’m not a huge fan of Stan and his moustache, but he’s a pretty smart businessman and I’m sure he can see the corellation.
@David Eshenbaugh, If we do NOT make the group stages of the CL, we will NOT buy anyone of note.
The loss of revenue from NOT making the CL group stages, will mean we can’t spend the money we made on Cesc… because the board and club need to make MASSIVE profits. Winning is not important.
Predictable scoreline..
On the plus side, in spite of all, defence looked half decent. Jenkinson did well, Sagna same on the worng side, Vermaelen is a monster, Miguel handled the pressure well.
Frimpong has potential but inexperience clearly showing. Out of Utd game.. Maybe Lansbury to start now? Been wondering why he hasn’t been given more of a chance.
Theo.. lol. He was Theo. Nuff said… Arshavin frustrating, RVP largely absent. NO CREATIVITY. Mata to Chelsea rumors are depressing.
@OziKenyan,
You hit the nail right on the head with your comments Ozi. TV was brilliant. Hope he doesn’t get frustrated and want to leave.
@Caribkid, Shame on me for generalizing and stereotyping and throwing round assumptions, but like Sagna, TV seems like one of those guys who will fight on through the hard times. Not to say his patience is limitless, but I’m not too worried bout him..
And M’Vila definitely in the box-to-box mould. But seeing as Wenger encourages his DM’s to roam and attack, this makes him ideal.
Arsenal Starting XI: Szczesny, Sagna, Vermaelen, Koscielny, Jenkinson, Frimpong, Ramsey, Nasri, Arshavin, Walcott, Van Persie
Liverpool XI: Reina, Kelly, Enrique, Agger, Carragher, Lucas, Adam, Henderson, Downing, Carroll, Kuyt
That’s right Nasri starts and Suarez is on the bench.
@DaAdminGooner,
Even with our injuries Squillaci doesn’t make the bench. Miquel gets the nod over the Frenchman.
yawn.
no signings for Arsenal.
yawn.
Rumor is, we won’t sign anyone until we have advanced to the group stages of the CL. If we don’t advance, we won’t sign anyone of note.
Is that the definition of a team with ambition? What about the FA Cup and League? do they not matter, 1 game into the season?
For all you folks that say… oh, Chelsea and Spurs haven’t done much…. Chelsea is now going after Mata… you remember, the guy we were supposed to get…. and that’s if they aren’t able to get Modric from Tottenham.
Tottenham you say? Adebayor is going to Spurs… and they are apparently close to signing Diarra from Real Madrid.
Folks. These are REAL PROVEN PLAYERS. Better than ANYTHING we have in our team right now… they would ALL start for Arsenal right now… or would factor strongly in our first team.
It says 1000% this club will take the 60 MILLION and put it right into the clubs bank account… if we lose the CL tie with Udinese. The fact that we’d wait until that plays out, is PATHETIC. I hope the fans throw batteries at board members… hurl insults at Wenger… chant, sing and scream … ALL MATCH LONG…. at the club, the manager, and the board… come late, leave early, PROTEST…
the silence will be deafening… if we lose or are losing this match.
I think its 2-0 Liverpool.
But I wouldn’t wake up and watch this team at 7:45am right now… not a chance in hell.
An utter embarrassment is what this club is right now. They should be ashamed of themselves, their GREED, and their actions and non-actions.
Like you DAG, I see a draw although I think it will be 1-1 after Arsenal steal a late goal after an indifferent first half. That result should lead to a post match comment about mental strength from you know who.
It is a good thing the game is early (too early for some of us) but better to see if the world will end first thing in the morning.
If other clubs keep signing players rumored with Arsenal, then the mess will only get worse. If rumors are to be believed, Chelsea will have Mata soon for less than what Arsenal will get for Nasri, that is when Nasri finally leaves.