Stop Whining About a Striker; Everton Preview

I was supposed to go in for work today but then my senior emailed saying I don't have to. God bless her soul. Which also means I can write about Arsenal, and let my views be read by random people who come across my website, and never actually read anything. If I reek of desperation for this blog to be read by someone, it's because I am desperate. Desperate enough to appreciate people whose comments on blogs and discussion groups are along the lines of 'We should get Falcao. And since he's injury prone we should get Cavani as backup. F*** Giroud.' Okay, I'm only joking. I'm not that desperate. 

But that does bring me to this oft-mentioned point about how Arsenal need another striker. Almost every moron with a twitter account says it, and tabloids add fuel to the fire by linking us with every random striker that exists. So let's just put transfer rumours aside, and quote Arsene Wenger:

'Up front we don't need anymore'

Ordinarily that would definitely mean Arsene Wenger isn't looking for another attacking player. No winger, no striker. He didn't say 'we aren't looking at anyone at the moment' nor did he say 'we're ready to do business if something comes up'. No, he simply and clearly stated that Arsenal doesn't need an attacker. So as far as rumours are concerned, the simple solution for all the grievances, misgivings and disappointment that someone might have (on account of the fact that we didn't buy Johnny Superstriker Jr.) is to simply stop reading tabloids. It's good for health, really. Of course, my intention in writing this is not to throw water over your hopes and dreams about Johnny Superstriker Jr., rather it was to analyze this striker business.

Anyone who has ever read this blog (one can always hope), or my tweets (yes I tweet these days strangely enough) would know that I like Giroud. His 16 League goals, and 22 overall is not bad at all. Plus he provides a bunch of assists, and also lead to what I firmly believe is one of the greatest goals ever (the Jack Wilshere one against Norwich last season). His style is such that he holds the ball allowing all our midfield talent to do their stuff. That being said, he's not clinical, misses a lot, and isn't in that elite bracket of strikers plying their trade today. He's good at what he does, but he is no game changer. Good, but not great. 

Our need for attacking reinforcement became apparent with the minimal number of goals we scored last season. Giroud for all the things that he does well, scoring 30 goals a season isn't his thing and Sanogo is still young and yet to score competitively for Arsenal. So it might appear strange that Wenger hasn't bought an out and out striker this season, nor does it look like he's buying such a player. The most obvious answer is because he bought Sanchez (by this time most people are already shaking their heads disdainfully).

Sanchez isn't Cavani, he isn't Falcao, nor is he someone like Costa or Lukaku. Sanchez is a creative forward, capable of playing all across the front three. He isn't an out and out winger, he isn't a traditional No. 9 like Giroud or Cavani, he is what I like to believe a creative striker. He can create and score, he isn't a target man, but someone who widens play and isn't static. For everyone who would have loved Luis Suarez last season, there's a reason why Liverpool wanted Sanchez as Suarez's replacement. Suarez was the best striker in Europe last season by a mile, and the fact remains he barely played in that No. 9 position. He played all across the front three for Liverpool, and wasn't he prolific?

Sanchez, whether he plays on the right, the left, or upfront has the qualities of a typical Wenger striker. Think about it. He has the pace, he can dribble and he's creative. His 19 goals in La Liga last season are proof that he has an eye for goal. People say that he's not tall enough, or well built enough to be a striker. He may only be 5'7 but he's got a stocky frame. The next time you watch Sanchez play, watch him defend. He's got an awful amount of strength, and if I dare say so, is made for the physicality of the Premier League. I've always thought that Walcott would make an excellent striker, if only he had the upper body strength. Walcott has pace, excellent movement, he knows how to run in behind defenders. He'd be a pretty decent striker against smaller teams. But against the bigger ones, he'd easily be overpowered, and shunted off the ball. Sanchez has the quality which prevents Walcott from being a striker. 

That's the reason why I don't see Wenger buying another striker, especially a target mine like Cavani. Because he already has a striker, the type which he likes. And think about it. Wenger's greatest strikers, his best ever, none of them were target men. They were pacey, creative forwards. Starting with Anelka, then Henry and finally (even though I hate saying so) Van Persie (Bergkamp always played a slightly deeper role for Arsenal so I'm not counting him). They weren't players who would head the ball, or be a 'fox in the box'. In the words of that dutch skunk, they were 9 and a halfs. 

I expect to see Sanchez start a game up top for Arsenal sooner or later. Sanchez and Giroud are Arsenal's equivalent to say Aguero and Dzeko. Additionally, in purely numerical terms, we have the further additions of Sanogo, Walcott, Campbell, and even Podolski to a certain extent. None of them are first choice strikers of course, but in pure backup terms, they aren't bad either. The striker question has already been answered this summer in the form of Sanchez. What we need to do is wait for Sanchez to acclimatise to his surroundings and his teammates (Seriously, Cavani isn't happening. Get over it).

That striker went a little bit long didn't it? Anyway, we've got Everton vs Arsenal on tonight, and after the 3-0 humiliation last season, I hope we finally show what are made of (I mean it can't get worse right). Our away trips were well documented, and Everton is perhaps our first actual test of the season. I'm willing to strike off the Besiktas match on account of the conditions, but Everton is our first league test. I really hope we manage to fix the deficiencies in creativity we've had for the opening two matches of the season.

While Ozil is in the squad, he probably won't start, even though I really think his role is being missed. With Santi Cazorla looking indifferent so far, we need someone to create those chances. Assuming Ozil doesn't start, I'd bring in Chamberlain, because he's looked great in his substitute appearances, or maybe even Rosicky. The creativity has to come from somewhere, and these are players who could help. I would also start Sanchez up front, but I don't really think that's going to happen so soon in the season.

Arteta is injured, so Flamini comes in his place, and I really wish we don't feel Arteta's absence too badly. Chambers is probably going to start again, and he'll also face his first big test in the form of Lukaku. We'll definitely know more about Calum Chambers after tonight. On a more advantageous note for us, Ross Barkley won't be playing, so Everton might be devoid of some creativity too. That being said, I can never wish ill for Everton because they're a great club, run in the best of ways, and have probably the best and nicest managers in Roberto Martinez. There's a great piece about him on ESPN which you really should read.  

It's going to be a tough match of course, but if we finally manage to gel as a team, three points should be manageable. I'll of course be cracking bad jokes through the course of the match on twitter if anyone wants to read them. 

Hope it's a good match.

'til next time

Community Shield etc

I haven't written in a week or so, and my only excuse is that I am now an employed lawyer. This week is still relatively okay, but next week onwards it's going to be late nights/early mornings at work. If only I could write about Arsenal all day long, and go for matches, and tweet...Oh what a life that would be.

Anyway, so we've now won the Community Shield again after a really long time, and that's of course a reason to be happy. The fact that we hammered Manchester City is an even better reason to be happy. While the Community Shield is only a peg above a friendly, and even lower than the Capital One Cup in terms of its value, yesterday's match was still a good indicator of where the current Arsenal squad is in terms of its fitness and preparedness before the season officially starts next weekend. 

Before getting into larger consequences, a little on the 3-0 whopping which those Manchester Sheikhs received. We started excellently it must be said, and the first half half was full of possibility. Of course Manchester City had a somewhat make shift defence with Clichy, Kolarov, Boyata and Nastastic, while the rest of their squad could have started any Premier League match. It had the usual Yaya Toure, Dzeko, Nasri, Navas, and apparently an in form Jovetic. So all those saying that City had a horribly weakened team are somewhat off the mark since we were missing three of our guaranteed starters in Ozil, Mertesacker and Walcott. Perhaps the City players didn't really care, perhaps Yaya Toure was still dreaming about his birthday cake. Not really our fault. Our midfield trio of Arteta, Wilshere and Ramsey bossed Toure and Fernando, and we were definitely a class above City.

The first goal was a classic Cazorla goal, where he got the ball from Sanogo, did a Cazorla-esque trick and powered low into the right corner. Our second goal scorer of the night was of course Aaron Ramsey. Wilshere let Sanchez loose with a nice pass, who further passed to Sanogo. Sanogo nicely held up the ball for Ramsey to enter the box, make use of a fantastic first touch and score the second of the night. At half time Sanchez (who while showing some deft touches and good running, still didn't seem exactly match fit) and Sanogo (who had an average match but still managed to play a part in two goals) were replaced by Chamberlain and Giroud. The tempo dropped in the second half, and we had an organised performance rather than a continuance of the jubilant first half. Then Giroud scored an absolute belter, and it was game over for City.

In terms of performances, everyone had a great night. Chambers played at Centre Back again, and it must be said that I'm delighted with our 19 year old. He was strong, good in the air, and read the game rather well for a teenager. His versatility makes him a really good prospect, and on the basis of what we've seen so far, he can definitely slot in when either Koscielny or Mertesacker need a break. Debuchy had a really good competitive debut, and led some nice attacks down the right hand side. Although he was largely untroubled defensively, he did make a fine block to prevent that Nasri fellow from scoring. Our midfield trio of course bossed their city counterparts. Ramsey of course has been at a top level for a really long time, but yesterday Wilshere showed glimpses of coming back to his best. He was authoritative, distributed the ball well and seemed to play like a person who knows it's time to perform. 

I really hope Wilshere makes it this season. Last season was one of progress, and this season he must move forward from there. Of course to expect Ramsey levels of improvement would be ridiculous. But if Wilshere can consistently play without getting injured, he would give the manager a definite selection dilemma. As of now his position in the squad isn't exactly fixed, or assured for that matter. But if a Ramsey-Wilshere partnership can work, it's going to be a stable one for years to come. On a slightly negative note, Koscielny had a slight injury and he might miss the start of the season. That means we definitely need a new central defender since Vermaelen has also departed, and Monreal is a left back. 

Which brings me to Vermaelen. I think we all knew he was going to leave this summer. To be a club captain, in the prime of his career and barely get a match must be infuriating. To Vermaelen's credit, he was completely professional, and never whined or echoed his frustrations in public. Mertesacker and Koscielny are our best defensive partnership, and Vermaelen simply wasn't good enough to displace either of the two. Despite the fact that he barely played last year, he now has a 5 year contract at Barcelona, one of the best clubs in the world, where in all likelihood he's guaranteed to start. It's fantastic for him, and while he isn't good as our current starters, he still remains a pretty good defender. I suppose everyone should wish him the best of luck, and I do hope he succeeds at Barcelona. He did leave a nice message for Arsenal and the fans, and as it turns out he was the first Arsenal captain since Vieira to lift a trophy. 

All said and done, we've had a pretty short pre-season because of the World Cup, and while we still have one or two question marks about places, the team by and large seems fit and raring to go. Which is excellent, since I haven't seen Arsenal play competitively since several months. The World Cup was excellent, but as one of those guys on Arsenal Fan TV stated 'it's all about the league munnn' (the same guy who said Giroud shouldn't do 'poom poom' before matches).

Till next time. 

PS: Sorry for the slightly dyslexic post and a complete lack of structure. Was reading up on contract drafting while writing the post. Oh the life of a lawyer. 

Sanogo Dances, Arsenal Parties and Alexis Joins In

To the half dozen people stumbling onto this blog by accident, I haven't written in the past few days because my job has finally begun. My hotshot, busy law firm job has begun after a seemingly endless summer. Yes, I'm an Arsenal fan who provides (hopefully) sound legal advice. Which also may be a good way to get people to read this blog after all.

Anyway, last night's Emirates Cup match was quite fun. A somewhat experimental Arsenal line up decimated a Benfica team, which to be quite honest was a pale shadow of last season's treble winning team, in a 5-1 victory for the Gunners. Having had its important parts being scrapped and sold, Benfica was outclassed, humbled and embarrassed by an Arsenal squad where a lot of players were eager to show what they were made of. Of course, Benfica by no means are a poor team, and to see the Arsenal players run rings around them was hugely entertaining, and hopefully a sign of things to come.

The starting line up was Martinez, Bellerin, Chambers, Monreal, Gibbs, Flamini, Campbell, Ramsey, Rosicky, Ox, Sanogo, solid if not the brilliant. Apart from Gibbs, the back five was largely young and/or experimental. The last I remember Martinez playing was that lovely 7-5 match against Reading, so not exactly happy memories of defensive breach. Monreal is a substitute left back, Bellerin an academy player and Chamber's debut performance in a slightly unfamiliar role. The midfield was suitably experienced, while the front three comprised of Chamberlain returning from injury, a scoreless Yaya Sanogo and Campbell's debut in an Arsenal jersey. Of course, the lack of experience didn't show. It looked as if the entire squad was a well gelled unit, and everyone played their part. I'll try and analyse the highlights of the match.

The biggest highlight was of course, our much maligned, four goal hero Yaya Sanogo. It took several matches, substitute appearances, criticism and 27 minutes last night for Yaya Sanogo to score his first for Arsenal. Ramsey (as he has done so often in the past year) beat his marker, made a run down the right flank and squared towards Sanogo. Sanogo had already made a nice little run, and since the ball was slightly behind him, back-heeled into the goal. Which was followed by a super dance (definitely looked practiced) and three more goals. He even tripped after scoring the fourth just to prove that it wasn't some sort of dream. Or maybe he was just doing his best Gerrard impression. Anyway, the fun part was watching him grow into the game. As has happened sometimes in competitive matches, Sanogo started on a slightly plodding note, a few misplaced passes here and there, dwelling around a bit. That first goal seemed to unleash his demons, and by the end of the match his long legs were taking on one, two, three Benfica defenders. 

The cheers that he's got were both on account of the performance, and because it was surprising. The thing with Sanogo was that he was much maligned last season, sometimes quite unfairly. He's a striker, and he's supposed to be scoring, but in his scoreless performances last season (especially the one against Wigan), the good things that he did went amiss. His appearance in the FA Cup final against Hull, changed the match for us. And while it was a very tactical substitute by Wenger, the player was up to the task. Sanogo's movement has always been up for everyone to see, but fail to notice. People might say all four goals last night were by and large easy tap ins. But that type of movement cannot be taught. You either have it or you don't, and to the best strikers, this knowledge of the game, where to be, to predict where the ball is going to land, comes naturally. By the end of the match, he was even beginning to show his technical ability. It was of course a meaningless friendly, but if Sanogo manages to continue from here, he can be an important weapon in Arsenal's holster. 

Most of Arsenal's best attacking play last night was the result of Sanogo, Campbell, Bellerin and Ramsey. The way all four of them connected was a joy to watch, especially considering the fact that the four of them have barely played together. Campbell showed what the hype was about. Quick, pacey, a lot of individual ability and a definite eye for a pass. His first goal in an Arsenal shirt was super volley. He did look a little unfit at times, but based on last night's performance and Arsene's words after, he's definitely going to be a part of the Arsenal squad for the coming season. Bellerin was largely untroubled at the back, but we got to see his attacking talent and it was definitely exciting. Ramsey of course has been in great form for some time. At the other end of the pitch, our new 19 year old, Chambers acquitted himself quite well at centre back. With persistent rumours of Vermaelen's departure, Chambers might be one of the most valuable signings this summer. 

And then Alexis Sanchez stepped onto the pitch.

And the stadium roared. 

And birds crashed into poles as they too were awestruck by the magnificence that is Alexis. 

Sorry, just trying to create a bit of drama and all. But yes, Sanchez entered, and every Arsenal supporter in the stadium (and several at home) cheered in delight. For the 18 minutes that Sanchez was on the pitch, he showed some glimpses as to why we spent 33 million on him. There was that pace, that dribbling quality, some nice runs, and good work rate. The entire affair had a happiness inducing, well choreographed feel to it. Like bacon wrapped dates, where you first taste all the meaty goodness and then that amazing sweetness. First being entertained by talented squad players, and then getting a glimpse of a true superstar. 

Wenger hinted that Sanchez may play 45 minutes today against Monaco and that is something everyone is looking forward to. At the same time I really want to see more of Campbell and Sanogo, after last night's performance. I know it's still only preseason, and actual competition is very, very different. But with Giroud, Sanchez, Campbell, Sanogo, adding a bit of Walcott and Podolski, we may have a pretty tremendous attacking frontline. It's not like Manchester City's existing star-studded affair, rather a good mix of youth and experience, eager to show what's in their arsenal (bad pun intended). 

Depending on how early I get off work tomorrow, I'll try and write about the Monaco match. 
Till then enjoy your Sunday.

PS: Bacon wrapped dates do exist. Come to Bombay if you ever fancy a taste. 

Chambers Arrives at English Prices

Arsenal.com finally confirmed what Arsene Wenger had already confirmed a day or two ago, with Calum Chambers completing his transfer to Arsenal. This is now our fourth signing in what has possibly been our most productive transfer window ever. Chambers is essentially a backup for now, to cover the positions of right back, centre back and central midfield, and knowing our ever continuing romance with injuries, he's bound to get more than a few games this season. 

A fee rumoured to be around £11 million, potentially rising to £16 million has been mooted, and while that's definitely steep for a 19 year old with limited top class experience (which I shall get to in a bit), we're paying more for potential rather than performance. Chambers has played against us and in that game he seemed like a pretty solid right back, and his versatility means that he provides both competition and backup at several positions. This is actually a typical Wenger signing. The first two signings this season, Sanchez and Debuchy were full internationals with a wealth of experience in top flight football (not very Wenger-esque) . Ospina was a typical, bargain gem, but with Chambers, Wenger has once again spent big on potential rather than on experience. 

Case in point, take the two former Southampton youngsters on our books, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Walcott came in as a 16 year old, for a cool £9.1 million, while we coughed up roughly £12-15 million for Chamberlain. Walcott of course has more than justified his transfer fee, and is a guaranteed starter when fit. And although Chamberlain has yet to justify a high transfer fee, he's only 20 and the potential he has shown thus far suggests that he's going to follow in Theo's footsteps. Of course it's going to take time for Chambers to start playing regularly, let alone performing regularly. It took Walcott a good 4-5 years before he started contributing regularly in terms of goals and assists, and as a defender, it's naturally going to be a while before see young Calum perform regularly. What his final position is going to be is anyone's guess, but it has been mooted that he could be a future centre back or a holding midfielder. 

Of course, Chambers coming in means that Jenkinson's game time is going to radically be cut short. It has been mooted that Jenkinson will go on a loan, rather than sold, and West Ham seem to be ahead of the pack in achieving his transfer. It's a shame really. While he hasn't been a failure, not even close to one, he hasn't shown enough to be a regular starter. With Debuchy being the first choice right back, Jenkinson would only be a backup and with the arrival of Chambers, perhaps not even that. At his age he needs to be playing regularly and that's why a loan move might do him a lot of good. It hasn't been suggested that he's going to be sold, and this maybe a make or break season for him. If he performs regularly, at a level required while out on loan, he'll definitely be called back to his parent club. Wenger trusted him enough to give him a long term contract in December 2012, and if Chambers does end up playing in a position other than right back, as has been suggestion, Jenkinson may go on to become our first choice right back for years. I'd definitely like to see that happen. 

Now onto two things not exactly Arsenal related. One of course is about the mass exodus at Southampton. Lambert, Lallana, Shaw, Lovren, Chambers have all left Southampton, with potentially a few more on their way out as I type this. That's almost an entire team! One decent season, and teams above them have pounced like vultures to rip apart a good team. One can't help but feel bad for Southampton supporters. By all means they have a lovely set of supporters, and had a good team filled with home grown players, who played nice football. Southampton are unfortunately a victim of their own success. Usually teams unable to compete at top financial levels, are robbed of their stars (something I've witnessed first hand as an Arsenal supporter) but this is a baffling case where an entire team has been dismantled. If the club and the manager's policy is that they don't want anyone who doesn't want to play for them, it's courageous, daring and stupid all at the same time. Hopefully, Southampton will bounce back. They have a good academy and they've managed to get top level prices for every player they have sold. If all the money in is put to transfers, that's a massive £100 million the manager has at his disposal. 

Which brings me to my final point about the ludicrous prices for English talent. We bought Chambers, a 19 year old right back with very limited League experience and no European experience whatsoever for £16 million. Shaw, a left back was bought for £30 million. In comparison, Debuchy a right back, a full French international in the prime of his career was worth only £10 million. Lallana, a 26 year who scored 9 goals last season, never started for England in the World Cup was bought for £25 million quid. Sanchez scored 19, got his country to the Round of 16 and cost a mere £7 million more. Toni Kroos cost £5 million less than Lallana. The strangest bit is that English players have always been outrageously expensive, and sometimes it almost feels like they're simply bought at silly prices just by glancing at their nationality. Ashley Young and Stewart Downing both cost £20 million, while a player like Andy Caroll has raked up roughly £52 million in combined transfer fees (£35 million: Newcastle to Liverpool + £17 million: Liverpool to West Ham). The entire thing becomes a farce when you look at England's rubbish performance at the World Cup. These players, bought at huge prices all contributed to a grand total of zero win in three games and two goals. Enner Valencia, a £12 million buy for West Ham scored more than the entire English team. Tim Cahill and Gervinho scored as much! 
Premium prices for not so premium players seems to be the order of the day in English football. And the worst part is that it doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. 

Okay, enough ranting about the ills of English football. Since I didn't start the post with this, I should at least end with it:

Welcome Calum Chambers!

World Cup Finals!

Good evening ladies and gents.

It was pointed out to me that despite my apparent promise of writing a short post, the previous one was rather long. This time I can happily promise that it will be a short post since there is literally nothing Arsenal related going on at the moment. The Sanchez news seems to be dying down, and since there's nothing real to report, there are endless rumours being processed with increasing speed. For example, why is Jackson Martinez being linked to us anyway? The bigger question being, who cares?
There's a nice interview that the Mirror posted with Arsene Wenger, and he talks about all things football. It's great to see the manager talk about football with such a neutral perspective , and you can see the great love that he has for the game. He talks about coaching methods, how to deal with young players, even compliments Louis Van Gaal and you really should check it out. 

Coming to the World Cup, it couldn't get any worse for Brazil last night. Despite playing much, much better than what we've seen of them, they still ended up losing 3-0 to that disgusting Dutch team, meaning they finished fourth at home. It's a wonder that the Brazilian supporters haven't rioted yet (and on the basis of the booing in the stadium one could tell that they really wanted to). To take a cricket parallel, it's like India hosting the world cup and finishing fourth in the most humiliating manner ever. There definitely would be riots in that case. Robben of course was at his diving best (as he has been throughout this world cup), and was the main reason for the first two goals: a soft penalty, and what seemed like an offside play. Oscar was carded for simulation when it seemed like he should have gotten a penalty, and by the time Netherlands scored their third goal, the Brazilians were almost begging for the torture to end. You can't help feel bad for the Brazilian players and the supporters, since the latter have really been the heart of this world cup. Then again, conceding 10 goals in two matches is not going to win you jack.

In a few hours the World Cup final is going be played, and while I'm not sure if I'm watching it at home or not, I really am quite excited. Of course I'm going to support Germany. I've been supporting the German national team since 2006 and more importantly, it's got three Arsenal players in the form of Per Mertescker, Mesut Ozil and Lukas Podolski. Argentina have none, and I'm not particularly fond of Messi. He's always seemed to me like that brilliant but whiny kid in school who deserved a kick every so often. Besides, it's really hard to not support a team with Per in it, whether he's playing or not. What I'd really like is that Ozil takes a corner and Mertesacker heads the ball in as the winning goal, and our BFG running around with that expression of glee I saw after we won the FA Cup. That would be something. 

This World Cup has been really good, and in my opinion the most entertaining since the time I started watching the football world cup. There have been so many memorable moments, so many heroes, in general it has been so much fun. I hope the final lives up to the grand world cup that has preceded it. 
I'll maybe cover it tomorrow. 

That's it for today I suppose. I shall take leave with a picture of what I think has been one of the many memorable moments that have taken place thus far. 

New Midfielder; World Cup Preview; General Ramblings

Well hello to you all on this beautiful Saturday. It's pouring here in Bombay, and I'm listening to Cemetry Gates by the Smiths (lovely, lovely song), and while the rains might ruin my evening plans, the entire atmosphere at present is quite beautiful. 

Today is going to be a short post because there isn't much to write about at all. The Sanchez euphoria still hasn't died down (how can it?), but we must definitely be looking at other aspects of the squad by now. I have no clue what's happening as regards the whole right back situation. Most people thought that they'd announce the signing of Debuchy before Sanchez, but they announced the big one first and people have generally started assuming that Debuchy is an Arsenal player. Well, that's not the case till it's official (even though Lee Dixon says that he's an Arsenal man), and we're being linked to random right backs. One is a 20 year old Atletico Madrid youngster, the other is some 29 year old Egyptian fellow with a rather unfortunate name. What this means for Jenkinson, I'm not sure. Best to stay off the topic of a right back till there's an official announcement of some sort. 

To add to it, there is the avid rumour mongering of a new holding midfielder. Perhaps not as pressing as a right back, but an important position to complete our (hopefully) title-challenging squad. So thus far we've been linked to Khedira, Lars Bender and to a much lesser degree Morgan Schneiderlin. I've seen a fair bit of Khedira, watching the odd Real Madrid match and seen him play for the German national squad, while I'm a little embarrassed to say that I've only seen Schneiderlin play against Arsenal and haven't seen Lars Bender at all. But to figure out what we need in that midfield role, we must look at what we have. 

At present we have two players who can play as the holding midfielder, Arteta and Flamini. While we all like Flamini for what he brings in terms of his tackles and tenacity, he faded impact-wise in the second half of the season. Flamini is a good bet for a tackle, and a few broken bones of opposition attackers, but in terms of controlling play, he isn't the best candidate. Which brings us to Arteta. A lot of times Arteta was criticised last season, unfairly for the most part. The criticism itself was never consistent in terms of merit. Sometimes he was criticised for slowing down play, passing backwards rather than forwards, and the rest of the time he was criticised for not being strong, fast enough or going for those bone crunching tackles. Which essentially means that a lot of people don't really understand Arteta's game. 

Since that deadline day panic in 2011, when a host of random players crawled in (Park Chu Young, forever immortal), Arteta has been one of our most consistent and important players. His game isn't based around tackling and strength, but more along the lines of Mertesacker's play, where he's an astute reader of the game. Arteta positions himself to prevent counterattacks, and when our fullbacks push up to support the attack, Arteta tends to stay behind, almost making it a back three. Apart from his reading of the game and positional play, he's also a pass master. Metronomic, he keeps possession of the ball, and allows play to flourish. 

That being said, Arteta possesses neither pace nor strength. Several times last season (particularly those nightmarish multi-goal losses), he was outrun, or outmuscled, leading to a goal being scored against us. To be fair, there were several other factors that resulted in those losses, but the fact still remains that he is devoid of pace, and at 32 years of age is hardly going to play for a long time. So what essentially do we need? I might face some flak for this, but we possibly need a slightly quicker, younger version of Arteta. 

There are a lot of people who keep shouting for that big player, with pace and a lot of strength, where he can fly into a tackle, push players off the ball, destroy bones etc, etc. No we do not 'need' such a player. Our defense has improved a lot in the past few seasons, and that's down to Arteta. Remember when we had Alex Song? The big guy, always ready to go in for a tackle. Remember how woeful our defensive record was due to his positional indiscipline? He did get a lot of assists, but he failed in his primary job of assisting the back four. 

So that brings us to the question of what we need. I reckon a player who possesses Flamini's crunch in tackle, but at the same time Arteta's game knowledge and passing skills. A player who can prevent attacks, but at the same time facilitate play. I know, it all sounds very fairytale like, but in essence that's what the requirement is.  I've heard several people say that we should get a player like Vidal, the complete midfielder who can tackle and attack. We shouldn't, period. We already have a player like Vidal, and his name is Aaron Ramsey. Similarly, a lot of rumours about Khedira. I like Khedira, I really do. But from what I've seen of him (granted, it's not every much), Khedira is at his best when he's making those box to box runs. If we assume that Aaron Ramsey's spot as the box to box player sitting alongside the holding midfielder is fixed, then a player like Khedira might not be his ideal partner. Arsenal require a player who is going to sit back, cover the two central defenders while the rest of the team is attacking. I'm not sure Khedira is that player (especially taking into account transfer fees and his astronomical salary). Since my knowledge of Bender and Schneiderlin is quite limited, I'll refrain from talking about those two (Squawka did a fairly good statistical analysis of the three players which you can find here). Hopefully the boss picks a good player. 

Coming to the World Cup, we've got the fairly pointless, third place match between Brazil and Netherlands on tonight. I don't see the point to be honest. When even World Cup runners up tend to be forgotten, third place is hardly a trophy (insert fourth place trophy jokes). In light of recent horrors, it would be quite cruel to make Brazil play again.Then again, with nothing to play for, the two teams might actually put on a show. Well, that's the hope anyway. 

On a completely non-football related note, I was left in a state of shock today morning when blogger informed me that the Sanchez post had received close to 170 views, taking the total blog views to upwards of 600. It might sound petty, but for me it's a pretty big deal and a thank you is definitely in order. I know I'm being greedy, but I hope some of you reading this may comment/follow the blog. I don't mind posting the link in the comments sections of Arseblog and LeGrove, but I'm pretty sure the owners are going to block me soon on account of spamming. You may laugh, but I'm fairly certain that the moderators at Here is the City have blocked my comments (screw them, the quality of articles is pathetic anyway). 

Till next time....

We Got Us a Sanchez

As is customary during the summer transfer season, I generally google search the term 'arsenal' and read all the news articles linking us with every footballer on the planet. In years past the narrative was something along the lines of Arsenal being linked with a lot of players, players other people have heard of, and then signing Park Chu Young. Last summer was us being linked to a lot of players, rumours of a medical, and then the player signing for Napoli. This summer, we've been linked to a lot of players, rumoured medicals, and we sign Alexis Sanchez..........WHAT?!

It's not even deadline day, and we've already bought a world class player? Doesn't sound like Arsenal at all. Of course, the Sanchez rumours had been going on for sometime now, but most people refused to believe it till appeared last night on Arsenal.com (the link has been provided for people still in disbelief). First things first, we have a great player. He's powerful, pacey, glorious dribbling ability, has a wicked shot, has played at a top level, and at the age of 25, his best years are still ahead of him. A lot was written about our attacking play last season, how we were devoid of pace without Walcott, how Giroud was our primary finisher with everyone else on the team being a creator, how we only managed to score 66 goals. Arsenal was crying out for a top class attacker, and in signing Sanchez, our attacking woes may have been solved.

From a pure footballing view, Sanchez has a lot to offer. He can play anywhere across the front three, on the flanks, as he's done for Barcelona, just behind the main striker as at Udinese, or even as a classic striker as we've seen him do for Chile. And let's face it, he was rather impressive for Chile. Where he finally plays is of course up to the boss, but he's flexible enough to play anywhere. He scored 19 La Liga goals from the wings last season, behind only Messi, and would go a long way in creating one of the best strike forces in the league, and perhaps even Europe. Furthermore, Sanchez has a great work ethic. Continuously haggling defenders, tracking back, for Chile he was the first line of defence. As far as transfer dealings go, 30 something million pounds for a player of Sanchez's ilk is pretty much a no-brainer.

Alexis Sanchez's footballing abilities aside, this transfer is pleasing for numerous other reasons. One of them is that no one is upset about Cesc Fabregas going to Chelsea anymore. Well, not as much at any rate. It was a known fact that Arsenal required a goal-scorer, and if 30 million pounds are spent on Sanchez rather than Fabregas, so be it. It was the necessary transfer, rather than the luxurious one. We had a problem in terms of goals. We addressed it. Another rather admirable aspect about this entire transfer was the efficiency of it.

Unlike the torturous summer of 2013, where we were simply bouncing from one transfer target to the other, this summer the club and it's officials settled on a transfer target, negotiated with one of the biggest clubs in the worlds for one of it's best players, and quickly signed him up. There was no dithering of old, no haggling, no endless talks. People talk a lot about the Ozil deal, but in my honest opinion, there's a huge difference between the two transfers. Ozil was a deadline day signing, after a summer of transfer dithering. I understand that he only became available after the Bale transfer went through, but it wasn't necessarily a planned one. Higuain, then Suarez, and then finally Ozil. This summer presents a different scenario altogether. It would appear that there are definite transfer targets, and the club is doing it's best to get them. Of course, the Ozil deal would have helped provide those in charge of transfers the requisite experience to conduct deals at such a top level, but the club itself deserves a lot of credit for conducting it's affairs in an efficient manner.

In my opinion, the most pleasing aspect of this entire transaction is that Arsenal is now looked at as one of the big boys once more. If Ozil's transfer was a hint as to what Arsenal's newfound financial power is capable of, then Sanchez's transfer is definite evidence of that. It means that last summer's record transfer wasn't a one off, rather the first in what can only be deemed as the flexing of the club's financial muscle. A lot has been said about the new Puma and Emirates deals, how the club could compete at a much higher level than before, and the club is putting money where it's mouth is. Ozil's transfer was pleasing as to how unexpected it was, and Sanchez's transfer is even more significant since we know what to expect now.

Of course, not every player coming in is going to be world class, or cost upwards of 30 million, but there is something comforting in the knowledge that when there is a need for a world class player, and such a player is available, the club is competent enough to buy him. At the centre of it all is Arsene Wenger. He may have come under a lot of criticism over the years for apparent penny pinching, buying bargain players, but 2014 was always going to be the year when Arsene would have substantial resources at his disposal, and thus far he has more than lived up to expectations. When you're competing against teams with unlimited resources such as Manchester City, Chelsea, PSG, and teams with resources greater than yours such as Manchester United, getting players such as Ozil and Sanchez cannot be easy. It would appear that Wenger is the difference. Despite what some supporters (and non-supporters) may say, he continues to be one of the most respected managers in the world, and getting top class players requires them being convinced of our club and it's abilities. To say that our manager has been convincing, would be an understatement.

Admiration aside, our transfer needs aren't over. We still need a Right Back (Debuchy seems pretty close), a holding midfielder and a back-up keeper at the very least. But for now, we should enjoy the fact that for the second summer in a row, a world class player has donned an Arsenal jersey. It's the dawn of a new Arsenal, and while the wait to see the actual team in action is agonising, the future is definitely an exciting one.


Welcome, Alexis Sanchez, our new No. 17.

PS: Sorry Nacho, hope you're ambivalent between No. 17 and 18. 

Why Now?

There is often a joke amongst several long time Arsenal supporters, especially those who don't stay in and around North London (or England) for that matter, that a huge majority of supporters of Chelsea and Manchester City would ditch their clubs the minute they stop winning, that is to say, the minute their respective sugar daddies cut of their proverbial supply of sugar. Or for that matter, a lot of Manchester United supporters are only supporters because they know nothing about football, except that they've heard of Manchester United. For a long time, the oft cited 9 years, a lot of starving Arsenal fans (metaphorically starving, you know, trophies yada yada) got by stating that at the very least we're 'proper fans'. You know, sticking by the club through thin and thick, always wondering when glory days would return, when we could fart in Mourinho's scowling face. Well, it kind of did, since we won the FA Cup (except for the last part. You don't need a trophy to fart in Jose's face). 

And after living, breathing, crying, laughing, tearing my hair (from an already receding hairline) on account of Arsenal, I've finally, long at last decided to start my own Arsenal blog. Why you ask? Well, mostly because of narcissism. I like my opinions more than anyone else's (except for these guys: http://arseblog.com/ ). That and the fact that I simply got tired of fighting with bums who sound like Piers Morgan. I mean, spending ages writing posts explaining tactics, the word count being equivalent to an actual blog post does get tiring. So here's my humble attempt at writing my own blog. Let's see how this goes.




PS: If you do end up reading this, and want to write as well, please let me know. As long as you're not a complete idiot and/or Michael Owen, you're welcome to contribute.