ARSENAL FORWARD

[ckhan]

Silly Season is upon us:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2385606/Luis-Suarez-blasts-Liverpool-breach-contract-failed-Arsenal-bids.html?ico=sport%5Eheadlines

[Cocorite]

Ey, ah hear Arsenal going 'an win de whole ting dis year . . .dais true?

[Dansteel - The Iceman]

Ey, ah hear Arsenal going 'an win de whole ting dis year . . .dais true?

Maybe if we get Suarez, and he doh jump out heself again with some insane act. And we get some depth in defence and midfield. I would expect a title then.

[Dansteel - The Iceman]

Luis Suárez: Liverpool should honour their promise to let me leave

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/aug/06/luis-suarez-liverpool-arsenal-transfer

• Liverpool striker says he will submit transfer request
• Uruguayan claims club broke promise to let him go
• 'All I want is for Liverpool to honour our agreement'
• Suárez misses friendly in Norway with foot injury


Sid Lowe   
The Guardian, Wednesday 7 August 2013   



Luis Suárez has pleaded with Liverpool to fulfil the promise they made a year ago and let him leave Anfield. The Uruguay striker insists that he is prepared to submit a written transfer request by the end of the week if the club continue to block his move to Arsenal. Speaking for the first time since Arsenal made a £40,000,001 bid for him, Suárez told the Guardian he believes that he has been left little alternative.

Suárez claims the club told him they would let him depart if they failed to qualify for the Champions League this season and that a clause in his contract allows him to leave should someone make a bid of more than £40m. He says he has the backing of the Professional Footballers' Association and that he his prepared to take the issue to the Premier League to force his exit and move to the Emirates before the transfer window closes on 2 September.

"Last year I had the opportunity to move to a big European club and I stayed on the understanding that if we failed to qualify for the Champions League the following season I'd be allowed to go," he revealed. "I gave absolutely everything last season but it was not enough to give us a top-four finish – now all I want is for Liverpool to honour our agreement."

At the heart of the battle is the "release" clause that was included in Suárez's new contract, signed last August. Liverpool have denied that the contract obliges them to sell to any club that more than £40m.

Arsenal were acting according to what they understand to be Suárez's contractual status and the Uruguayan last night again insisted that there is a formal agreement that he could go. "I have the club's word and we have the written contract and we are happy to take this to the Premier League for them to decide the case but I do not want it to come to that," he said.

"I don't feel betrayed [by Liverpool] but the club promised me something a year ago just as I promised them that I would stay and try everything possible to get us into the Champions League.

"They gave me their word a year ago and now I want them to honour that. And it is not just something verbal with the coach but something that is written in the contract. I'm not going to another club to hurt Liverpool."

The clause is sufficiently ambiguous to leave doubts over how the stalemate will be resolved. Suárez's camp saw £40m as the threshold price at which Liverpool would have to sell, something that was publicly revealed by Arsenal's £40,000,001 bid.

The bid, though, tested the clause and revealed that Liverpool saw £40m as the point at which they must start to negotiate, not the point at which they are obliged to sell. The PFA has been consulted about potential mediation in the search for a solution.

The letter of the law is one thing, the spirit of the law is another. Suárez clearly feels let down by what he sees as a broken promise. Nor does he speak lightly; the doubts continue over the best way to proceed. Suárez says he was reluctant to reach this point. But he believes that the message that has come out of Anfield has not always been entirely true and that being portrayed as someone who just wants out has not always been fair.

Brendan Rogers, the Liverpool manager, insisted that he had spoken to Suárez and publicly claimed that the Uruguayan understood and accepted the club's position. Those were remarks that surprised the striker when he saw them. The two men had indeed spoken but when they did Suárez made it clear that he wanted to go and felt that he was entitled to do so.

Liverpool fans argue that having supported him through thick and thin, mostly thin, they deserve greater loyalty. The club and most supporters backed him when he was charged with racially abusing Patrice Evra and biting Branislav Ivanovic. Walking away is no way to repay that. Two suspensions have led to two lengthy absences that have hurt his club – 18 games in total. He still has six games of a 10-match ban to serve.

And yet the reaction of fans over the past few days has been far from rejection, even now, even with his determination to depart so clear. Suárez played at Anfield on Saturday and took part in an open training session held at the stadium on Monday. Both times he was cheered by supporters. They appeared to have decided that they would do all they could to persuade him to stay. Nowhere would he be embraced like this.

But he disputes suggestions that he has lacked loyalty and says most fans would understand his position. His performances allow him to build a case: 51 goals in 96 appearances, 30 last season. In terms of talent, or commitment on the pitch, few doubt him. The problems have been elsewhere. He also notes that Liverpool could make an enormous profit on the £22.8m they paid Ajax for him in January 2011. Besides, loyalty cuts both ways and he was swift to paint his decision as a purely professional one.

"They defended me, just like I defended them on the pitch. The players have always supported me and I'm grateful for that. It's the same with the supporters. I got a great reception at the weekend and I am grateful. I don't think the supporters are angry – I think they understand a player when he has the ambition to triumph at the highest level.

"When you are at a club for as long as you are together you stick up for each other but that does not give the club the right to go back on their commitment."

Last summer Suárez turned down the chance to move to a Champions League qualifier, understood to be Juventus, and he is not prepared to wait another year.

"I'm 26. I need to be playing in the Champions League. I waited one year and no one can say that I did not give everything possible with my team-mates last season to get us there."

He continues: "It is not as if I am asking to move to a local rival. And I would not consider moving to a club outside the Champions League. I have made my desire to move known in private various times and now it feels like the time for me to make it public.

"I have to put my career first. People say Liverpool deserve more from me but I have scored 50 goals in less than 100 games and now they could double the money they paid for me.

"Liverpool will always be special for me: my daughter was born here. [Last summer] was the moment to show my loyalty to Liverpool and I did. [Liverpool] gave me my chance in England and stood up for me throughout my ban. I know I have made mistakes in my time here but I have apologised lots of times. This is not about that. This is about the club having agreed to something both verbally and in the contract which they are now not honouring.

"People may accuse me of showing a lack of loyalty but last season we told Liverpool there was interest from a top European club but they told me: 'We've got a new coach and we're going to push for the Champions League.'

"I spoke with Brendan Rodgers several times and he told me: 'Stay another season, and you have my word if we don't make it then I will personally make sure that you can leave.'"

Now the story has changed. "Liverpool is a club with a reputation for doing things the right way," Suárez says. "I just want them to abide by the promises made last season. Some of [my team-mates] say to me: 'We cannot understand that if you have it signed that you can't leave.'"

But that is not the only story that has changed. Arsenal's interest and Suárez's apparent willingness to move to the Emirates sits uneasily with his previous insistence that the problem resided largely with the English media: London is in England too. Anonymity may prove easier in London than Liverpool but that is not an explanation Suárez offers for the contradiction. He instead suggests that it was merely the inevitable answer to an inevitable question. In any case, he says this is about football, not infamy.

"I was asked a question: 'Would I want to play for Madrid?' It's like anyone asked if they want to change jobs and move to a bigger company. Everyone aspires to the highest levels and all I did was give an honest answer: 'Yes, I would.' On the same day I gave that interview Pepe Reina said the same thing about Barcelona and nobody mentioned it. But if I do it then it means I am disrespecting Liverpool. It has always been the same: one rule for me and another for everyone else.

"I had just arrived in Uruguay where the press are very good to me because I am one of theirs," he continues. "They asked me about the press in England. What am I supposed to say? Of course I don't like the fact that my wife goes to the supermarket and there are photographers. But I realise that the press attention is the same wherever you go."

The bid from Arsenal stings, though. Suárez's response is simple: "My priority is Champions League football. This is about me doing what is right for my career at this moment in time.

"Right now the Premier League is the biggest and most important league. My record shows that I'm not the kind of player who wants to change clubs every season and I would have no problem playing in England for many more years. If we are just talking about the level of the football and the way the supporters are then it is an incredible league. Any player in the world at the moment would like to play here."

But it is a different league, the Champions League, that hangs heaviest: this is a theme to which he returns often. "I feel I have done enough to be playing in the Champions League at this stage of my career," he says. "Now there is an option for me to do that and I want very much to take it. I went a long time at Ajax without playing many games in the Champions League. I am ambitious, I want to be there."

Liverpool continue to be adamant that the Uruguayan is not for sale and have scoffed at the offer made by Arsenal. But Suárez's decision to speak out, a decision he has been contemplating for a while, may change the situation.

The club's principal owner, John W Henry, spoke at a supporters' event in Oslo, where Liverpool play Valerenga on Wednesday without Suárez who is injured. His comments followed a statement which denied he and Tom Werner were negotiating the sale of the club. "I don't know why people ask us if we are selling the club or the best players, because we are not," Henry said. "We like to buy stuff, not to sell."

Rodgers, answering questions before Liverpool's game in Norway, responded to more queries about Suárez by insisting the club's position had not changed. "Luis picked up an injury in the open training session at Anfield yesterday and along with a number of other players we decided this game was too much of a risk for him. He will have a scan.

"I will tell you what I have been saying all summer — he is an incredible player. We have had a couple of bids from one club which has been no where near the valuation of what he is worth in this market, so there is no change in that. We have no intention of selling one of the best players in the world to one of our rivals. Luis is very much a Liverpool player and there is no real value in discussing it unless someone comes close to the valuation.

"Luis is a wonderful player, but this is a bigger project than just him."

[Tenorsaw]

That defence still in tatters.  They still need a solid pairing of centerbacks.  Vermalen always hurt and the German lacking pace real bad.  Plus, Wenger continues to play tight wad when it comes to signing a world-class GK:  he had a chance to go after Reina and Julio Caesar, and did not pull the trigger on any.

[Dansteel - The Iceman]

That defence still in tatters.  They still need a solid pairing of centerbacks.  Vermalen always hurt and the German lacking pace real bad.  Plus, Wenger continues to play tight wad when it comes to signing a world-class GK:  he had a chance to go after Reina and Julio Caesar, and did not pull the trigger on any.

Only City concede less goals in the last season. If that is tatters what about everybody else? Merts is slow but his intelligence and composure makes up for it. Koscielny is a striker eater. We need proper depth though.

[Cocorite]

Ey, ah hear Arsenal going 'an win de whole ting dis year . . .dais true?

Maybe if we get Suarez, and he doh jump out heself again with some insane act. And we get some depth in defence and midfield. I would expect a title then.

Aah, a thoughtful man. But it promises to be an exciting fight at the top.

[Dansteel - The Iceman]

Tim Stillman's column on  Arseblog

http://arseblog.com/2013/08/arsenals-priorities-for-the-season-ahead/

Arsenal’s priorities for the season ahead

In years gone by, the first day of the football season was the ultimate, uncontested red ring on the calendar of the football fan. All anticipation was geared towards that sunny Saturday afternoon in mid August. Minutes and hours were counted as it approached, trembling hands hovering over desk calendars with the pen, aching to consign each preceding day to history with a big red cross. What’s strange is that, this summer, the 17th of August seems to have become a mere afterthought in our summer schedules.

All eyes, minds and tongues are concentrated firmly on September 2nd and the close of the transfer window. Even this week’s Champions League playoff draw has been relegated to a mere ornament in the pantheon of Arsenal discussion. This is not a criticism you understand, just an observation. Whether it’s is a consequence of modern football’s obsession with largesse or Arsenal’s total entropy in the market to this point, I will leave you to decide.

Arsene Wenger’s chequebook challenge (which sounds like the shittest game show ever incidentally) will indisputably be his most scrutinised. However, other issues remain “marked as unread” in his inbox. For some, the solution will have to be sought via Arsenal’s oak-paneled boardroom. For others, it will be fair London Colney where we lay our scene. Either way, here are what I deem to be Arsenal’s most striking priorities for the season ahead.
Develop Jack Wilshere into a true number 10.

Wright > Bergkamp > Henry > Fabregas. You can track the lineage of Arsenal’s lynchpins under Arsene Wenger. The men who could turn the game at the flick of a boot. Some Dutch bloke did that quite nicely for us for a year too, but the name pencilled in to succeed Cesc Fabregas’ throne was Jack Wilshere. Injury has delayed his coronation and now Jack finds himself, unwittingly, at the crux of a tactical quandary.

Much of Arsenal’s good form at the end of 2012-13 can be attributed to the “double pivot” of Ramsey and Arteta in midfield. The “runner and sitter” midfield combination is as old and fabled as the “big man / small man” axis of centre forward fame. Their twin, complimentary presence was at the heart of our defensive improvement. Wilshere’s great strength is in his ability to carry the ball from deep with his easy, balletic glide.

However, he is neither “runner” nor “sitter.” The reason he is effective from deep is almost entirely because it suits his attacking qualities, rather than the team’s defensive need. I also don’t think he has quite developed the qualities to sit at the head of Arsenal’s midfield triangle yet. Jack is a great ball carrier from deep, but I don’t think he’s a swivel headed defence splitter yet. It doesn’t suit him to receive the ball higher up the pitch, where opposition focus is more keenly trained.

Potentially, Wilshere could play deeper alongside Arteta for games against bus parking opposition. Yet you feel Jack is far too special for such an understated and occasional role. I prefer Cazorla out wide because it corresponds with his love for drifting around the pitch. The ‘trequartista’ role does not cater as well for his wandering tendencies for my liking. You feel that the role at the head of the midfield three is begging for Jack to make a giant arse groove in it. Arsene needs to marry the need for getting the best out of Wilshere with getting the best out of Arsenal.
Balance defence and attack

I would like to think Arsenal’s late season run imbued them with the tactical flexibility to vary their approach. For home games or matches against defensive opposition, there probably isn’t the same need to adopt Ramsey as Arteta’s Rottweiler in midfield for instance. Wenger opted for a back to basics, cautious approach at the end of last season because he realised that his defence had more cohesion than his attack.

Signing three new attacking players last summer, Podolski’s fitness problems, the desire to freeze out Walcott early in the season, followed by the placatory move to play him at centre forward, meant Arsenal were dysfunctional in the final third. The new attacking players have had a season together now (hopefully, they have world class reinforcement to look forward to as well!), so Arsene will probably look to release the handbrake.

I believe Arsenal need a greater creative presence in their squad. Part of this requirement can be met with the development of Wilshere as stated above. However, I think another tricky winger should be on the shopping list. Arsenal have let Gervinho and Arshavin leave this summer. Both of whom were, in theory at least, meant to be penetrative players from wide with the ability to stretch stubborn opposition. Podolski and Walcott are finishers, not creators.

Chamberlain’s jinking run to set up Giroud against Norwich in April may provide hope that he can really kick on and develop into that player. But I’ve a feeling he prefers playing in front of defences rather than seeking to power through them. Arsenal need to replace the (hypothetical) skillsets they are losing in Gervinho and Arshavin. Wenger will want to concentrate on restoring Arsenal’s attacking threat. Steve Bould will need to be a critical friend to ensure that Arsenal’s defensive responsibilities aren’t neglected in doing so.
Address contract situations

Decisions are going to have to be made with some key players. Unless the club have been incredibly discrete behind the scenes, Per Mertesacker, Wojciech Szczesny, Mikel Arteta and Thomas Vermaelen have two years left on their current deals. Given Arteta’s age there might be less urgency from both parties to renew. You would imagine the club will want to tie Mertesacker and Szczesny down as quickly as possible. Fabianski has one year left but you get the impression all parties would be satisfied for his contract to run down.

Sagna and Rosicky have one year left and again, given that both are over 30, the urgency isn’t quite so great from either side. Vermaelen is a different question. Were it not for Arsenal’s inability to sign defensive reinforcement to this point, or indeed for Vermaelen’s injury, I think Arsenal might have been open to selling their captain this summer. As it stands, he pretty much has to stay. For now. Wenger and Gazidis will have to deal with these situations as the season progresses.
Add quality to the squad

There’s no getting away from it, Arsenal needed quality reinforcement even before they drove their band of undesirables into the woods and set them free. The squad is light on numbers as much as anything at time of writing. The cause for Arsenal’s hitherto uninspiring window is anyone’s guess. Maybe Arsenal are finding that the calibre of player they require to compete at the level to which they aspire is difficult to capture.

It’s one thing having the readies, it’s quite another convincing clubs to sell. I still fancy that we need three more players even if we are successful in our pursuit of Suarez. I’ve no doubt it’s very, very hard to buy four quality players in one transfer window. I know I wouldn’t be able to do it. Arsenal pay the manager and the CEO very, very well indeed because their job is difficult. They’re paid so well because their employers believe they have the ability to execute such complex tasks.

[Dansteel - The Iceman]

How Arsenal have been shaping up for 2013/14

http://arseblog.com/2013/08/how-arsenal-have-been-shaping-up-for-201314/

Is it not possible that, before even adding to the squad, Arsenal are a better team than they were last season? It’s not what fans want to hear but that underlying principle is what Arsene Wenger has chosen to make the focus for his preparations for the new season rather than get dragged into the melodrama of the transfer market. On the other hand, it feels like he’s dithering, uncertain just how to use the £70m warchest supposedly at his disposal.

Secretly, it is said that Wenger has lost a little love for the transfer market and he has recently claimed there is little value available – either the prices are at “a very high level or no level at all,” he says. “That’s a big, worrying truth. Until now [this summer] you had £40m, £50m, £60m [fees] or nothing at all. It’s been under £10m or around the big numbers. I don’t think that’s very healthy.”

What we do know, however, from the pre-season games is that this is a healthy squad and that additions can only improve them further. Results in Asia were promising, but then the same problems resurfaced at the Emirates Cup before ending on an upbeat note with a 3-1 win over title rivals Manchester City. We learned that two seasons on, an Arteta-less Arsenal is a still a little worse-off Arsenal, and that not just a striker, but a defender and perhaps a creative player are required. Below, highlights just how Arsenal are shaping up – on the pitch – for 2013/14.

An Improved Olivier Giroud

Even as the players marched off the pitch after a rain-soaked match against Vietnam – a game which Arsenal won 7-1 – the fans weren’t quite satisfied, so Olivier Giroud decided to give them more. In front of a crowd of 41,000, he stripped off his shorts and flung them into the crowd. Actually, this story has no relevance to the rest of the post but my God, is he a handsome fellow.

In that match Giroud scored a hat-trick, a very classy one too. Indeed, all his goals in pre-season, eight in seven matches, have been impressive* indicating an improvement to the one part of his game that sorely needed work – his finishing. Last season, Giroud’s conversion rate was at a measly 10.3% (a good striker should hope for a conversion rate of about 18%).

Not just that, delving into those numbers see him wildly erratic inside the box. He took 64 shots from the central area, scoring 9 goals but only at a conversion rate of 14%. Hardly an improvement from his overall figure. Not just that, a lot of his shots were off-target, below, (and his headers were mainly straight at the goalkeeper). As a comparison, Luis Suarez was just as uncouth around the box but scored more goals: 23 at a conversion rate of 12%. But filtering those shots he took from the central areas of the box, and his conversion rate jumps to 26%.

I feel it’s important to make the distinction of where Arsenal’s strikers (and potential strikers) shoot from because it’s the least spread of any Premier League side – most of the shots are very central. Giroud must improve and so far the signs are promising.

*Actually recounting those goals, they have been of a startling variety including a deft flick, an Ibrahimovic-style swivel and shot, a power header, a half-volley across the goalkeeper, a chip, an overhead kick, an edge of the box curler and a lob over the ‘keeper.

Pressing matters

In the two Emirates Cup games, we saw two different pressing performances. Both games saw Arsenal broadly used the same strategy: press with a 4-4-2 with the midfielder playing highest up closing down with the main striker. The players behind, therefore, were detailed to get tight to the opposition so that the pass through is made difficult. In the 2-2 draw with Napoli, Arsenal used Tomas Rosicky as the highest midfielder and the pressing up the pitch was exemplary. Against Galatasaray, though, it was less excellent.

However that was expected given that the game was played a day later but the pleasing part, that is until Didier Drogba came on, was the defending around the penalty area. Much of that owed to the presence of Mikel Arteta who was missing against Napoli. In that match, both Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere shared that role and as a result, Arsenal were often exposed, especially on the break, when the ball was played through and there was nobody to protect the defence.

Arsenal put a more complete performance in the 3-1 win over Manchester City both up the pitch and around their own box, yet it’s hard not to think about whether Arsenal have a contingency plan for when Arteta is not available. The Wilshere-Ramsey partnership against Napoli reminded me of the partnership between Flamini-Fabregas – in 2005/06, not the one that went close to the title two years later. Hopefully, the much rumoured transfer of Bayern Munich’s holding midfielder, Luiz Gustavo, might alleviate such worries.

Let Jack be Jack

Even Arsene Wenger has admitted that Jack Wilshere’s short-term role is not obvious. The fact that Wilshere can do everything – tackle, dribble past opponents, make crucial passes – make it less clear and indeed, in pre-season, he played all three midfield roles: in front of the defence, in between and as the playmaker. In a sense, it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t underpin his best role just yet; he’s got so much talent that he will naturally move between positions and still contribute.

Wenger knows he’s crucial and the stats concur: last season, Wilshere was involved in the most Premier League goals – not simply in assists or scoring but starting attacks whether through a pass or tackle. He’s central to the way Arsenal will play next season.

Cool runnings

Two players stood out last season for what they did without the ball. Aaron Ramsey made himself an indisputable starter for his role as the “runner” alongside Mikel Arteta, breaking up attacks and making strong burst forwards. While Theo Walcott has always been a reliable outlet for Arsenal’s passing game. The pair impressed in pre-season and combined with each other twice against Manchester City to prove that they will be key players next season.

The first saw Ramsey play a delightful through-pass to Walcott to score and for the second, they exchanged a one-two before Ramsey applied the finishing touch. Both players have been derided by sections of support in recent times but they are showing they can be crucial to the team for the way they transform Arsenal’s tippy-tappy system.

Bringing sexy back

Arsène Wenger’s tactical reputation has been predicated on his insistence on playing the game one way: “his way”. Last season, though, he showed his willingness to be flexible (something, to be fair, he has been more willing to do since 2005/06), reverting to a pragmatic approach. It was a design based on efficiency, greater organisation and communication at the back, and very reliant on taking what little chances the team creates. It wasn’t always pretty but it was certainly efficient.

But it must not be forgotten why Wenger chose to go with this approach. Yes, their Champions League future was in great danger but also their football – the Wenger way – looked for once, very vulnerable and the players lacked the confidence to execute it properly. Wenger said focusing on the defence slowly helped regain their confidence and subsequently their results.  “That’s where we’ve improved the most,” Wenger told Arsenal Player. “It’s very important for the confidence of the team that we have such a [defensive] stability. As I said many times, we are an offensive team, but you are only a good offensive team if you have a good defensive stability. In the last two months that was much better.”

There’s no doubt that Wenger will take that approach on to the new season, as we’ve seen in the pre-season games, and hope that Arsenal’s swagger going forward returns. We’ve seen signs; the understanding between the British core in particular looks promising, and in periods in pre-season, the team has moved the ball about beautiful and at a high tempo. Somewhere along the line though, we’ll see that pragmatic approach altered to get more out of the attack. It’s inevitable. Wenger wants his team to play quickly, the players pinging the ball off each other and using Giroud as a fulcrum.

We saw how that approach may work in the 2-2 draw against Napoli where Arsenal played without a defensive midfielder. Instead, in the middle, Wilshere played alongside Ramsey and while the football was more entertaining, The Gunners were continuously exposed on the break. The team also stretched the pitch very wide when attacking and pushed both full-backs forward, going at odds with the new pragmatic approach which is all about compactness.

It will be intriguing to see how Arsenal’s style develops as the season progresses. Because it must not be forgotten that this is still a very new team with players such as Giroud, Cazorla and Podolski, not to mention Arteta in a new role, still learning how to play with each other. As such, Wenger has cause to be optimistic; with a season under their belt, Arsenal are a better team than last season – before signing any players.

[Bitter]

Giroud!

[Bitter]

The contrast between the refs in this game and the liverpool game is stark.
All kinda wild tackle pelting in this game, A red card is likely

[Bitter]

Ref is crap in this game.
What Luna get a card for?

[Bitter]

Wow
the 2nd yellow was for intent?
Koscielny never touch the man.

the ref is helping arsenal screw themselves.

[Dansteel - The Iceman]

Bad day at the office. Still need an alternative to Arteta and more teeth in attack. The ref really killed us but we have 16 days to address the problems of the squad.

[ckhan]

REAL TALK from Arsenal FC Fan Talk

http://youtu.be/7gSFEaI4HdA

[Dansteel - The Iceman]

REAL TALK from Arsenal FC Fan Talk

http://youtu.be/7gSFEaI4HdA

The lack of transfer activity is feeding the poisonous, defeatist atmosphere around the club. I am waiting till the end of the window before I decide what I think of Wenger and the club. But they need a backup for Arteta BAD!

[rotatopoti3]

Dat ref should be banned...

real novice refereeing....

steups...and I not even ah Arsenal fan

[Peong]

So now every selling club can smell the desperation and Arsenal will have to pay top dollar for whoever they want.
Management have to be doing this on purpose. Maybe they want to save that 70 mil to buy cristiano next year.

[Dinner Mints]

So now every selling club can smell the desperation and Arsenal will have to pay top dollar for whoever they want.

I kinda assume that was what keeping dem back in the first place. Clubs hear 'Arsenal have money now', trying to squeeze dem and dey breaksin. Just speculating, though.

[Bitter]

So now every selling club can smell the desperation and Arsenal will have to pay top dollar for whoever they want.

I kinda assume that was what keeping dem back in the first place. Clubs hear 'Arsenal have money now', trying to squeeze dem and dey breaksin. Just speculating, though.

That is Ivan Gazidis fault. If you trying to make deals, you don't start by saying "I have plenty money", and then try to negotiate a decent price.

For the most part, I don't believe 90% of transfer talk, the British media famous for "linking" players with clubs based on what they perceive is the need.

The fans also seem to think of it as monopoly money, or like trading players on FIFA 13. Because the only bid we know that actually happened is for Suarez, my thinking is that Arsenal were hoping to trigger what they thought was the transfer clause in his contract and then sign other players once they saw that Arsenal were serious.

Now, b/c of the way this transfer window is (and it's not like there was a whole lot of activity with the big clubs - just a lot of talk), they will have to make it past the CL qualifier vs Fenerbahce before they can sign anyone.

So far, the only transfer "target" that I was surprised they didn't spring for was Gustavo.

A real question to ponder, is not so much the transfer activity, but the injury report. Why do so many Arsenal men go down every season?
Is it a body type thing? A training issue?

Check the list - 25 players: 1/3 Injured.

Szczesny
Fabianski

Defenders:
Sagna - Injured
Mertesacker
Vermalen - Injured
Koscielny
Monreal - Injured
Jenkinson
Gibbs - Injured

Midfielders
Rosicky
Arteta - Injured
Wilshere
Ramsey
Cazorla
Diaby - Injured
Frimpong
Miyachi - Injured

Forwards
Podolski
Giroud
Walcott
Oxlade-Chamberlain - Injured
Sanogo
Park
Bendtner - Swolen Head

[Peong]

So now every selling club can smell the desperation and Arsenal will have to pay top dollar for whoever they want.

I kinda assume that was what keeping dem back in the first place. Clubs hear 'Arsenal have money now', trying to squeeze dem and dey breaksin. Just speculating, though.

Same squeeze that Man U, Man City and Chelsea get from selling clubs.  Arsenal seem to not know how to manage it well.

[grimm01]

So now every selling club can smell the desperation and Arsenal will have to pay top dollar for whoever they want.

I kinda assume that was what keeping dem back in the first place. Clubs hear 'Arsenal have money now', trying to squeeze dem and dey breaksin. Just speculating, though.

That is Ivan Gazidis fault. If you trying to make deals, you don't start by saying "I have plenty money", and then try to negotiate a decent price.

For the most part, I don't believe 90% of transfer talk, the British media famous for "linking" players with clubs based on what they perceive is the need.

The fans also seem to think of it as monopoly money, or like trading players on FIFA 13. Because the only bid we know that actually happened is for Suarez, my thinking is that Arsenal were hoping to trigger what they thought was the transfer clause in his contract and then sign other players once they saw that Arsenal were serious.

Now, b/c of the way this transfer window is (and it's not like there was a whole lot of activity with the big clubs - just a lot of talk), they will have to make it past the CL qualifier vs Fenerbahce before they can sign anyone.

So far, the only transfer "target" that I was surprised they didn't spring for was Gustavo.

A real question to ponder, is not so much the transfer activity, but the injury report. Why do so many Arsenal men go down every season?
Is it a body type thing? A training issue?

Check the list - 25 players: 1/3 Injured.

Szczesny
Fabianski

Defenders:
Sagna - Injured
Mertesacker
Vermalen - Injured
Koscielny
Monreal - Injured
Jenkinson
Gibbs - Injured

Midfielders
Rosicky
Arteta - Injured
Wilshere
Ramsey
Cazorla
Diaby - Injured
Frimpong
Miyachi - Injured

Forwards
Podolski
Giroud
Walcott
Oxlade-Chamberlain - Injured
Sanogo
Park
Bendtner - Swolen Head

At this point it has to be training methods. Look at how much up-time RVP and Fabregas getting since they leave the Arsenal, and they were the poster children for the treatment table. Diaby might want to ask for a loan for when he get better.

[Dansteel - The Iceman]

So now every selling club can smell the desperation and Arsenal will have to pay top dollar for whoever they want.

I kinda assume that was what keeping dem back in the first place. Clubs hear 'Arsenal have money now', trying to squeeze dem and dey breaksin. Just speculating, though.

That is Ivan Gazidis fault. If you trying to make deals, you don't start by saying "I have plenty money", and then try to negotiate a decent price.

For the most part, I don't believe 90% of transfer talk, the British media famous for "linking" players with clubs based on what they perceive is the need.

The fans also seem to think of it as monopoly money, or like trading players on FIFA 13. Because the only bid we know that actually happened is for Suarez, my thinking is that Arsenal were hoping to trigger what they thought was the transfer clause in his contract and then sign other players once they saw that Arsenal were serious.

Now, b/c of the way this transfer window is (and it's not like there was a whole lot of activity with the big clubs - just a lot of talk), they will have to make it past the CL qualifier vs Fenerbahce before they can sign anyone.

So far, the only transfer "target" that I was surprised they didn't spring for was Gustavo.

A real question to ponder, is not so much the transfer activity, but the injury report. Why do so many Arsenal men go down every season?
Is it a body type thing? A training issue?

Check the list - 25 players: 1/3 Injured.

Szczesny
Fabianski

Defenders:
Sagna - Injured
Mertesacker
Vermalen - Injured
Koscielny
Monreal - Injured
Jenkinson
Gibbs - Injured

Midfielders
Rosicky
Arteta - Injured
Wilshere
Ramsey
Cazorla
Diaby - Injured
Frimpong
Miyachi - Injured

Forwards
Podolski
Giroud
Walcott
Oxlade-Chamberlain - Injured
Sanogo
Park
Bendtner - Swolen Head

At this point it has to be training methods. Look at how much up-time RVP and Fabregas getting since they leave the Arsenal, and they were the poster children for the treatment table. Diaby might want to ask for a loan for when he get better.

Actually RVP was fit for 1.5 seasons before he left. And Cesc doesn't play nearly as much at Barca

[Fyzoman]

Ah feel for Arsenal with the bogus PK

However on a positive note...I did kinda forget how friggin good Jack Wilshire is!!!! Waaaayyyy this fellah is naked fire!!!

Anyway good luck to The Gunners...we just keep rolling along

[Dansteel - The Iceman]

Wilshere and Ramsey partnership still a work in progress

http://arseblog.com/2013/08/wilshere-and-ramsey-partnership-still-a-work-in-progress/

At some point in the future, it will be known as the ‘Gabriel Agbonlahor paradox’; how one player, struggling to live up to his promise, inexplicably raises his game every time he faces Arsenal. The reason he enjoys playing against Arsenal, however, is because he’s readily able to expose one of Arsenal’s big flaws: the team’s vulnerability to the counter-attack.

The warning signs were there in pre-season where Arsenal were exposed continuously on the break by Napoli. Arsene Wenger expressed those concerns post-match saying that a midfield of Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere “gave too much distance to Napoli’s players, and we marked them from too big a distance.”

However, at that time, that partnership was considered to be an experiment; a mock test of the midfield that we’re likely to see regularly deployed in the future. However, inactivity in the transfer market and injury to Mikel Arteta forced Wenger’s hand earlier and in the first game of the new season, the young duo started together in the heart of the midfield.

For 30 minutes they looked comfortable with Wilshere involved in the goal which gave Arsenal an early lead. But then the inexplicable happened, as Agbonlahor went on a mazy run and was later brought down by Wojciech Szczesny for a penalty. After Christian Benteke put in the rebound, Arsenal lost control. Aston Villa had countless breakaways opportunities in the second-half and as Arsenal failed to take their chances, Villa exposed them.

Defeat, and the way it happened, was a massive blow to the work Arsenal did last year and indeed, in pre-season on their shape. The Gunners are playing a formation that more closely resembles a 4-4-2 than the 4-3-3 that it did in previous years. There a number of reasons for this. Firstly, the players have changed. The old system was built around Cesc Fabregas and the direct passing style he brought, so Wenger has altered it so it suits the qualities of the players at his disposal. He says this is a team that flourishes on “a game based on very quick combinations” therefore moving to a 4-4-2 (4-2-3-1 might be better) allows the players to play closer to each other.

The second reason is that the pressing has changed. Tomas Rosicky works in tandem with Olivier Giroud to close down the defenders while their team-mates behind look to get tight to the opposition. The idea is that it then becomes more difficult to pass the ball through. Yet, the issue against Aston Villa was that there was a lack of tactical clarity when the ball did get through, particularly on the counter-attack.

A lot of it was Arsenal’s own undoing despite the fantastic game-plan that Paul Lambert executed. For Aston Villa’s second goal, Arsenal piled numbers forward but left no protection back when the visitors stole the ball off Santi Cazorla. The third goal was a carbon copy of the one Michu scored last December in the 2-0 defeat when Arsenal chasing the game, left nobody back for the corner-kick. For Koscielny’s second yellow-card, both full-backs got forward at the same time – something Arsenal had worked hard on to correct last season but it seems it’s less of a priority this season (judging by the pre-season games).

But to understand the malaise, one has to look at the way Arsenal conceded their first goal. There was simply nobody taking responsibility and by the time Arsenal realised Agbonlahor had drifted into a pocket of space, he was already running at pace at the heart of the defence and there was little time to react. Normally, there’d be Mikel Arteta there and players like Koscielny instantly feel more secure. Therefore it was probably naïve for Wenger to expect Wilshere and Ramsey to hold the midfield together in the first game of the season. In time it might work but the respective strengths of the two players are in a way, negated with Arteta.

Wilshere actually had the stronger game, attempting to hold his position and in rare moments we did see his trademark burst from defence. But he was the one who put Cazorla in trouble in the lead up to Aston Villa’s second goal with a square pass. And while Wilshere is a good passer, it probably should have been Ramsey who took the main responsibility for distributing as it suits him more (and he has played the position more recently). Instead he tried to resume the role that he played alongside Arteta, using his energy to break down attacks and driving forward when he should have held his position more.

Indeed, you can make the argument to say that Ramsey’s running to cause disorder only worked last season because he had, alongside Arteta, the balanced structure. For the lead up to Aston Villa’s first penalty, Ramsey was the one found wanting as he was caught up the pitch when Agbonlahor drove forward with the ball.

As a result, Wilshere was caught with acres of space to defend (and he probably should have adjusted his position quicker to meet Agbonlahor’s run. Instead, the Villa striker had all the momentum to skip away).

Arsenal’s unbeaten run at the end of last season was built on a pragmatic approach; a design based on efficiency, greater organisation and communication at the back (and very reliant on taking what little chances the team creates).

Starting Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey together in midfield so early in the season was, even if he had little choice, a bit like ripping up that formula.

[Dansteel - The Iceman]

Good win today. Big step to the group stage. Horrible kick to the head for Koscielny. Possible skull fracture. The hits just keep on coming yes!

[Dansteel - The Iceman]

Qualification finalised. 100% qualifier record preserved. Time for signings Wenger! We getting anxious!

[ckhan]

We link with everybody and their granny but no one has signed on the dotted line. Is pace between now and Sep. 2nd. Every year as of late is the same drama!

[Dansteel - The Iceman]

Flamini signed officially on a (you guessed it) free. Still a decent player and satisfies me as I wanted a backup for Arteta but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed after trying to sign Gustavo and Lars Bender.

Now where's my striker Wenger?

[Dansteel - The Iceman]

Waaays boy! Group of Death for we yes! Dortmund, Napoli, Marseille. Tough games ahead!