Blogs are about opinions.  Or so I am told.  Well I am about to open myself to ridicule and abuse by giving my opinion on Andrey Arshavin.

Before I get stuck into my gushing love fest, let me say that much of what I will say is based on memories rather than research and facts backed up by figures.  And I apologise in advance for factual errors.

I read this article standard.co.uk/sport/football/arsenal-outcast-arshavin-is-ready-to-retire-at-just-32-8565388.html … and I have to admit, I felt like I had been slapped several times with a large wet fish.  It was akin to the moment I realised that I had watched Dennis strutting his stuff for the last time.

Now I am not for one moment trying to compare Andrey to Dennis.  That would be more than a step too far, but the little chap has given me more joy than any player since The Ice Man hung up his unfillable (is that even a word?)boots.

Just the sight of that impish little fellow brought a smile to my face.

He has in the last two years been MIA.  It has been a fall from grace that beggars belief.

With his talent he should have been an all-time Arsenal legend.  Well he isn’t, and he wont be.  But why not?

I watched him in Euro 2008 and he was quite simply unplayable.  When he stood outside the Emirates and declared “I am a Gooner now” we had a genuine world class talent on our hands.

Guus Hiddink said “Arsenal don’t realise what a great player they have gotten”.  On the evidence of his first 6 months at the club, few could have disagreed.

I honestly believe he was the most talented player at the club.  And that is quite something when you think that both Fabregas and Rosicky were also on the books.

He was a huge factor in us turning the season around and securing our customary Champions League berth.  Something that had looked very problematical prior to his arrival.  And, as I recall, scoring four goals away at Anfield in the process

The following year if not first name on the team sheet, he was likely second.  He scored and assisted at a tremendous rate, and for months played as a lone striker.  Something I am sure he didn’t want to, yet never once did we hear a murmur of dissent.

So what the hell happened?  What went so badly wrong?  It’s depressing me just thinking about it!

There are a few theories.

One of which is that he just got fat and lazy.  To this I simply say: “Oh please,do me a favour”

So to the important stuff.   This is what I think, if you were wondering!

First off I believe that his spell leading the line did him and his confidence no good at all.  He was, for the good of the team, doing a job totally unsuited to his style of play and his mind set.  So instead of feeling like a vital contributor to the team, he felt like a passenger.  Something that he likely never felt before.

The next big blow to him was Russia – for whom he was the Captain and star – failed to qualify for the world cup.  He admitted at the time this hit him hard.  Just how hard I don’t think we ever appreciated.  I suspect he saw it as his big tournament.  What should have been the pinnacle of his career.  Perhaps he never really recovered, who knows?

The fact remains that he was never the same player. He flickered, but never really shone again.

There is no getting away from it – you need more than just ability to be a truly great player. You need fight and determination. Perhaps something a bit thin on the ground for Andrey.

There are some who say Arsene ruined him by never giving him a run in his best position.  I don’t hold with that.  He played wide left, in a somewhat free role, for club and country.

I think that there was a fundamental difference in the way Andrey thought he should play, and wanted to play the game, and the way Arsene required him to play.

He is a high risk, high dividends player.  He said in an interview I read that he believes if you want to win, you have to take chances and risks.  When you accuse him of losing the ball you also have to balance this against the number of chances he creates.  In Euro 2012 he created more chances for Russia in his three games for them than the rest of the Arsenal players did between them.  That included such players as RVP, Rosicky and The Ox.

However Arsenal play a possession game.  I remember him coming on as a substitute for us when we were trying to hold on to a one goal lead.  That night he had 100% pass completion.  He could do it.  I just don’t think he wanted to.

He is often accused of not tracking back and being lazy.  Well let me explain that because you don’t do the former, it does not follow that you are the latter.

I once had an argument with a belligerent chap on twitter about him being lazy in a particular game.  When I pointed out that despite him leaving the field around the 80 minute mark, only Mikel Arteta had run further.  I was met with a flurry of insults.  But the facts were there in black and white .

When he lost the ball he did not immediately run after it and try to reclaim it.  Sometimes he put his hands on his hips while he looked to see what space to move into for when one of his team mates got the ball back for him.  That’s why he was often so well placed to turn defence into attack.  I think he saw it as the job of the midfield to cover the full back ,rather than his.  Clearly a lot of our fans – and likely the manager – disagreed with him.  Perhaps even I do, too.

If you want someone to scurry around chasing the ball, buy Scott Parker, not Andrey Arshavin.  But popular opinion of the supposedly ‘knowledgeable’ (that’s sarcasm, by the way) masses, condemned him as being lazy.

He even got blamed for us conceding the decider against United last year, despite it more being the fault of Vermaelen and Song.

I recall that was the very game that his introduction as substitute had been greeted with a chorus of Boos.  Apologists for this scurrilous behavior claim it was not him being booed, rather the substitution.  Well I saw his little face when he heard them, and it looked to me that he was  surprised and upset.  Also I have never had an explanation from these apologists as to why, when his name was read out as a substitute at the next home game, that too was booed.

I have to say that had I been standing next to one of these people who think part of the ticket price is to buy the right to act like a complete bastard, I would have expected a trip to either the Magistrates Court or Casualty, or perhaps both. That incident proved to me that although we have some of the best fans in the country, we also have some of the worst low-life scum imaginable.

That was also the game that despite him tracking Valencia all the way into the box .  Always a step behind and unable to make a clean tackle (which it being United, anything else would have resulted in a sure penalty and red card), he did prevent him shooting, but could not stop him laying the ball off to an unmarked team mate. Perhaps he should also have been marking them, whilst dashing to the goal line to make a clearance?

I remember my good friend Stew Black saying at the time

“How can people criticise our plucky little Russian for doing nothing more than trying his best for the team?” 

Well they did.

Daniel Cowan, who runs a much respected blog (North London Is Red ) and a person who knows a thing or two about the game, once summed it up in a tweet to me when he said “people don’t understand his game. It’s not about 100% effort 100% of the time”.  I agree, he simply is not built physically for that. He is about bursts of extreme effort.

But don’t tell me he is lazy.  And don’t just take it from me.

“LadyArse ‏@LadyArse 19 Jan

Francis Coquelin, when asked which Arsenal player is the best trainer replied “Andrey Arshavin works really hard”

Also Arsene himself recently said that he cannot accept the criticism of him being lazy and not caring.He in fact said “I am not having that said about him.its not true”

When we played Reading in the Micky Mouse Cup, in the 120th minute he picked the ball up on the halfway line and burst into the box, skipping past umpteen players on the way, he smashed the ball at the goal.  By fluke it hit a players heel on the line and landed at Theo’s feet.  Goal. Let me repeat – that was the 120 minute mark.

Anyway, I am sure that no one who thinks he is lazy, now thinks any different.  But I don’t care.  Because I think they are idiots.

His last telling contribution was when he came on as a substitute for a whole two minutes, on a ploughed field, cunningly disguised as the Stadium of Light, and threaded a ball through the eye of a needle for the Old King Henry to poke in the winner.  An extra two points and a win that had we not won them might well have seen us condemned to Europa Thursdays.  A moment of magic, if ever there was one.

Finally, a bit of pure unsubstantiated speculation on my part.

Some have suggested that RVP had it in for some players.  Those players who did not bow to his will and fan is enormous ego.  Ramsey and Andrey, apparently, were two of them. If that is the case I understand . Why should Arshavin bow down to any player?  And if he did not like Judas, then that’s a good thing as it turns out .  He was right not to like the prick.  It could though explain his rapid exclusion from the team when Judas was king.

I love Arshavin and I will miss him more than anyone.

Perhaps even Dennis

A few of weeks ago I was talking about Arsène’s contention that we had ten cup finals ahead of us and that he intended to do his darndest to see that we win every last one of them. I loved that he said that because it shows how clever and brave he is as a manager and what chumps some others are by comparison.  Think about Villas-Boas’ comment “They are now in a negative spiral in terms of results — it will be extremely difficult for them to get out of it.”  Thanks Andre; I hope Steve Bould stuck that one on the wall of the changing room. Of course if we had gone on to lose the next two games he would have looked like some kind of visionary genius and the insufferable pretenders from the Lane would have had reason to sink to even greater depths of self delusion. But of course we didn’t. The poor man has been been scraping the foo-yung from his ginger beard ever since and no doubt regretting those rash words. You don’t inspire your own players nor your own supporters by snide denigration of your rivals. Especially when they have either overhauled you or left you behind consistently for many many years. Oh and if they are managed by a man with enormous footballing nous and huge experience, you’d have been wiser to  just smile sweetly , clench your cheeks together and shut up. I actually know that some Spud fans were shaking their heads when he said it and I can guess why, after all  it made me think – ‘Oh yeah? You fucking think so do you?’ and I’m sure our players and coaching staff had a similar reaction.

Compare if you will, the rashness of AVB’s downhill spinning top baloney with Arsène’s ten cup finals remark. It gave me a little shiver down my spine. Made me really realise that we are here at the sharp end of the season and we have to fight for every single scrap that each opponent may let fall our way. That we need to dig deep for ten games. Either deep into our mental resources and sheer bloody mindedness as in our last 20 minutes of competitive footy or dig deeply into our glittering pirate’s chest of shiny passing and shooting skills as we did in the 250 minutes before Per’s telescopic leg failed him at the Hawthorns. Because that’s where we are right now. Three cup finals down.  270 must win minutes played. Eight wonderful, glorious, lovely goals scored and a miserly two conceded. Two away wins, one home win. So far so good. Now look, before you all gang up on me please understand that there is no hubris here, no AVB style chicken counting from me at all. I know full well that we have a very long way to go and seven cup finals still to play. But there does seem to be a little bit of strain , a few cracks beginning to show in the pretenders to our throne. Both Chelsea and AVB’s downward spiralling Spuds have looked somewhat shaky of late and I have to believe that is in part down to us piling on the points and pouring on the pressure.

Arsene’s remark certainly put his own players under pressure, but what did it say to them and to us? I think it said ‘here it is, a really big ask. Ten cup finals in the toughest league out there. And I’m laying on the line . Not talking about what our rivals might or might not do, not trying some feeble ‘mind game’ on anybody else.  I’m saying that we have a massive job ahead of us and by saying it I am telling you publicly that I believe you can do it. One final at a time.’

And by God the team has come out looking like they’re ready for a fight in each match.  And for us supporters he’s given a real meaning and edge to what some denigrate as another failed season. Let’s be honest we all want to win every trophy and every August I hope and believe that we will. It’s the joy of following football as a sport, you get reborn every summer and each close season sees all your hope and belief entirely rekindled and fired up in readiness for the next go around. OK so this time there is only one thing left to fight for. A top four finish is for me more than the league cup and just shades the FA cup – you may see things differently, if so feel free to disagree with me,  I can take it. European qualification is third choice on my list of five targets when August comes around. But here’s the thing, there’s a whole lot of clubs dream of a top four finish in the Prem and we are one of the few capable of getting there. We have seven finals left and while we would like our rivals to do that vertical downhill spinny thing a few more times just to ease our way (it adds spice after all), whether they help us or not this season looks like going all the way to the wire and as a football fan you simply cannot ask for any more than that.

Imagine having secured mid table tedium a few weeks back and just playing out the remaining fixtures. Of course the matches themselves might be exciting but the season would be effectively over for you. We are one of a very few clubs at the absolute pinnacle of the English league system who have a big old prize still to aim at and the way Arsène laid that out for us has really whetted my appetite for the home straight. And I’ll tell you what, the players look like they’re up for it too. We’re so lucky to have experienced campaigners like the incomparable Tomáš Rosický and the unruffleable Vice Captain Fantastic Mikel Arteta to help steer the ship through the rocks and rapids which will no doubt try to sink us, but more than that all the new faces that so disrupted our progress way back in the autumn of last year now look like a team. A special mention for Nacho Monreal here who has had literally no time to settle but looks like he was born in the red and white. What a buy he turned out to be and be honest not one anybody saw coming. The squad is in pretty good shape, obvious and tragic injuries aside, and we have some pretty phenomenal experience and young talent on the bench these days.

So as far as my flu addled brain can make out we have made an impressive start to climbing this particular hill, there is a long way to go but every week brings more excitement and more drama and every week the results around us become harder to predict. If I still drank I’d raise a glass to you all and say what a joy it is to have you along for this crazy ride, and if you’ll allow me, I’ll make just one small prediction. If we do pull off the unlikely but not impossible ten cup finals, we will have laid the perfect foundation for the next campaign. The self belief that every squad needs will be in place and the bond forged between the artists on the pitch will make 2013/14 a truly mouth watering prospect.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. One day at a time as we say in AA. Or one final at a time as we say at The Arsenal.

Hello and welcome to this week’s round-up.

First up is the tragic tale of illness, sabotage, friendship and woe that was Arsene’s sore throat. His illness forced him out of the pre-match interviews and thrust Steve Bould into the limelight. Was Arsene faking it because he just couldn’t be doing with it? Did Wenger see it as a funny way of squeezing an impression of the spuds manager into an interview? Did Bould somehow infect his boss’ food with the flu virus because he just wanted a go?

Well, no. Probably not.

Santi Cazorla Titanicked the Arsenal awards this month, picking up the prizes of best player and best goal for March. His shaped effort into the bottom corner against Reading was the favourite amongst the voters. Cazorla has been playing most of his award winning football form left this month. Previous players who have gone from the centre to the left of the Arsenal midfield have gone on to sit on various benches throughout Europe or even straight to the fridge. All eyes will be on the Spanish magician’s waistline and agent.

Theo spoke to Arsenal player about his burning desire for a trophy. This may offer some insight into his latest injury, and with Dr. O’Driscoll likely to have prescribed a cream, it should clear up in the three to four days. Theo went on to say that he’d trade all of his appearances to lift a trophy with Arsenal next season. Unfortunately for Theo, when we do win a trophy, and he is held to his word about giving back his appearances, he won’t have played enough games to qualify for a medal.

Nacho also gave an interview to the official site. It’s not as easy to tell when somebody is drunk in a foreign language but when talking about Arteta and Cazorla, Monreal said “Those two guys! Where are they right now? I need to tell them I love those guys so damn much”. The full-back, clearly emotional, went on to say that his new manager gives him confidence by playing him even though he is new. The tears ran down his face as he looked deep into the camera and sang Wind Beneath my Wings.

Then came match-day. We were away to West Brom and fans seemed to be more hopeful than confident. The speculation which suggests that Napoleon Dynamite is running the Arsenal twiiter account was all but confirmed when they teams were grumbled out: “Same players as last week…god!” The line-up was the same but the tie looked a very different proposition. Gervinho’s streak continued as he earned himself an assist for the first goal. Tomas Rosicky scored his first headed goal bringing his total headers for the club to 5 and

his career total to 8. Aaron Ramsey had a pretty funny miss at the end of an excellent bit of football. Giroud flicked it down and, even though you can clearly see why it happened, how on earth did he poke it wide? Gutted!(Welsh accent) Ramsey, having a good performance, more than made up for his fluff by setting up the one they call The Little Mozart for his second goal of the afternoon. Rosicky’s first touch set him up to thump a volley which brought a good save from Ben Foster. The ball bounced once and Rosicky smashed it home. The tide turned in the game when a chipped ball over the top exposed the poor positioning of a player who you expect to be more astute. Per was wrong-sided and, in overestimating his stilts, didn’t get near the ball and cleared Shane Long out. Straight red, get Vermaelen ready! Morrison scored the penalty and our cruise to victory was now looking more like a draw. It took a lot of fight to cover the ground against a team with this new-found belief. We weren’t playing our best Wengerball but we were winning a football match. Sometimes that’s enough. It finished 2-1 to The Arsenal and the spoils went the way of the Gunners.

And finally, with two home games coming up against Norwich and Everton respectively, Theo and Jack couldn’t have timed their returns to the team any better. They manager is hopeful that they’ll both be included but will they want to sit and talk about Wrestlemania with Szcesny and Vermaelen? A lot of players are in form and the proverbial selection headache will be troubling the manager. I daren’t write about how the table might look should we take all six points. The march to third continues!

That’s all for this week, thanks for reading.

Up the Arsenal!

 Today a piece written for the excellent You Are My Gooners  blog by @Swales1968 .I would like to thank him for allowing us to revisit it and them for their fantastic work

I suppose it depends on how you define positive, I could sit here and type a list of things that I think are good at Arsenal today. In doing this though I would be leaving myself open to the ranting of people with a negative view of Arsenal.

It is easier to find the negative in something rather than to look for the positive’s and this is where blogs twitter and forums excel. You put up a post about a player and you will soon find over two thirds finding something wrong with what he is doing.

When we post something seen as positive are we posting that everything in the Arsenal garden is rosy or are we saying yes there are problems but we can see the bigger picture in all this and the positives outweigh the negatives.

The positives are there but are either shouted down with the same overused quotes or the responses get personal. It is rare to get a reply to a positive point without one of these two things happening. You can go onto certain football forums put something positive on there and be verbally abused within 2 posts.

Why is there such a split within the Arsenal fan base? How can people see the same football club in totally different ways? It would be easy for me to blame forums, fanzines, blogs etc. For their views carry a lot of weight amongst the fan base. Could this be down to the Arsenal fans wanting some answers? Or is it a change of attitude from Arsenal supporters going from hoping to win a trophy to demanding they win a trophy?

But what answers to what questions, what do Arsenal fans really want? The quote most trotted out by the negatives is “no trophy for eight years” this is of course true but is that the be all and end all of supporting a football club? If so why do fans go to watch Barnet every week that is not for the trophies so why is it a benchmark at Arsenal?

Today is a bit of a combo post with the post match being covered by @positivegunner with an additional tactical view from our friends over at “OOOh! To Be A Gooner!!” …(all gifs used are via @arsenalist)

I am very rarely nervous about an Arsenal match and yesterday was no exception at least for the first 70 minutes. I think the last time I’ve been truly nervous was Udinese away due to the importance of the game and the following game at Old Trafford due to how many players we had missing due to injury or suspension or both (and we all know how both went). I genuinely think the current Arsenal squad has the quality to beat anyone in the league on their day and yesterday was no exception. Until the 70th minute we were easily the better team and barring an outstanding tackle to deny Ramsey (After he took just a split second too long on his shot) and a few good saves and blocks from the West Brom goalkeeper and defense, the game looked won.

We showed a range of qualities all over the pitch with a confident Gervinho getting after their defense time and time again to the magnificent Rosicky and Cazorla driving us forward while we look assured at the back with Monreal looking like a player who has been around in this team and this league for many years. All this despite not playing to our fluent best with occasional disjointedness showing. We were in total control of the game with a quality brace from Rosicky, after some fine work from Arteta, Gervinho and Ramsey on his two goals. There was even a moment of magnificent defensive intelligence from Mertesacker where for the first ever time, I’ve seen a defender intentionally use his back to break up an attack while having the presence of mind to avoid a handball and get the ball away from danger.

All this changed in the 70th minute however with a great pass over the top putting Mertesacker in an unenviable situation where any decision he took had a huge chance of failing. He could have either backed off the player, thus giving him a clean path to goal in the hope that the keeper would handle it, or he could attempt a last-ditch saving tackle, and ward off the danger instantly while risking a potential sending off if he were to fail. He chose the latter option, and one that he can’t be blamed for. In the end, it was a matter of a few centimeters that was the difference between a goal saving tackle that we would have been lauding (like Gibbs in the same fixture at the tail end of last season) and a sending off that put us under pressure. Word on twitter was that this was his first ever straight red in his professional career which is a remarkable statistic that basically tells me that such an incident is more often than not a successful tackle for him, but it just wasn’t to be on this day.

The sending off of our best defender this season and the penalty conceded for the first time in a while made me nervous and I doubt I was alone at that. We had our captain who could be brought on but a man down against a team that was growing in confidence while chasing just a goal difference was a dangerous situation to be in for the last 20 minutes plus added time. West Brom attacked with purpose and used the young and fairly impressive Lukaku to great effect to trouble our defense (although his glaring miss was costly). Those 20 minutes and a further 5 minutes of added time did feel like forever, with hearts pounding and nails getting bitten to the point where there was nothing left but we saw it through.

An easy win had turned into a game that required tremendous mental strength, resilience, fight and bravery and these were the characteristics that the team showed in abundance. They say it is a mark of champions to pull out a gritty victory like that and that is precisely what we did, a true testament to the team’s spirit and something that further underlines the promise I see in this team in the longer run and for future seasons to come. The closest West Brom really got in the end was a Lukaku chance that he blazed wide as the defense held strong with impressive defensive performances from Koscielny, Arteta and Monreal after the sending off and great stability from Fabianski who in the past had built up a reputation of lacking that kind of mental fortitude in a pressure situation.

In the end a combination of attacking drive for the first 70 minutes and defensive resilience in the last 25 showed our spirit and we came out with an invaluable 3 points that for the time being puts us 4th and within touching distance of Spurs who are now under tremendous pressure. There were good performances and positives that could be taken all around from the game including one from OptaJoe that revealed that we’ve not lost a game that we’ve taken a lead in all season. and the impending return of Wilshere and Walcott to the squad as confirmed by Arsene in the post match means we look even more potent for the last few games. And speaking of Arsene I must mention how good it was to hear the fans chanting out his name as vociferously as he did, and this tweet is a fitting answer to those in opposition to that moment.

Looking ahead, we have a flurry of fixtures a week from now with Norwich, Everton and Fulham coming up ahead of the return of Judas and results in those three games could see us comfortably third with both Spurs and Chelsea having to face City during that time and eventually having to play each other as well. It is also especially promising that this good run of form has come without needing the contribution from quality players like Vermaelen, Wilshere, Walcott, Podolski and Szczesny and to me this indicates that the team has had better quality in depth than most have given it credit for, and much maligned players like Ramsey and Gervinho have just needed confidence to show their real ability.

Now for some tactical talking points by Abhishek Ghising (@A_Ghising) in Tactically Yours :-

0-70 mins: Both teams lined up with similar 4-2-3-1 formations. Arsenal started brightly and passed the ball around the pitch, picking up from where they left off in the previous match. A standout feature of the performance in this time were the runs made by the attacking midfielders in and around the opposition box which made it difficult for the opposition to track their runs and created plenty of space to exploit. Giroud played as the target man and used his strength well to hold the ball up while making clever movements in and around the opponent’s box, and the Baggies’ central defenders, especially Olsson, were having a tough time containing the Frenchman. The Gunners looked dangerous on the counter too mainly because they kept a good shape even when not in possession.

It was also heartening to see Tomas Rosicky’s willingness to pull the trigger, albeit unsuccessfully, early in the half. It was a combination of these factors which led to the first Arsenal goal. Arteta played a  beautiful lofted ball from near the half way line, which found the in-form Gervinho. The Ivorian twisted and turned Gareth McAuley one way and then the other and then back, before unleashing a shot cum cross into the 6-yard box which found the head of the Little Mozart Tomas Rosicky. The excellent run of the midfielder was interesting because he went around the last defender to get in front, instead of running straight to meet the cross. Giroud also played his part in creating the space by taking a defender with him to the far post.

One noticeable difference from the previous game was that the left flank was a lot more active, offensively, in this game. Nacho Monreal, the Arsenal left fullback had an excellent game and pushed the West Brom midfielder back at every given opportunity which blunted the Baggies’ right flank. Sagna was in more of a generous mood and the Baggies looked to attack more from that side through ex-Gunner youngster Jerome Thomas but didn’t have the quality to make it count in the final third. However this meant that Arsenal could counter from that flank and one such break led to Ramsey finding space and he fed the surging Rosicky who duly doubled Arsenal’s lead.

Even though Shane Long tried to press the Arsenal defenders and tried to make space by dragging them out of position, Koscielny was up to the task and easily mopped up the loose balls. The four Arsenal defenders played a high line which caused the West Brom attackers to stray offside pretty often. It was clear that the back 4 moved as a unit and were sure of each other. West Brom tried to change things by bringing in Romelu Lukaku and Rosenberg for Dorrans and Jerome Thomas and playing with 3 men up front. This improved the attacking effectiveness of the Baggies.

70 min-end: One lapse of concentration found Long in space between Sagna and Per, and the German’s tackle got the man instead of the ball resulting in a penalty and sending off. After conceding from the penalty and going a man down, Arsenal changed their shape to a 4-4-1, with Giroud playing up front. Defensive reinforcements were brought in as Arsene Wenger took off Gervinho, Rosicky and Cazorla, bringing in Vermaelen, Gibbs and Coquelin respectively. Arsenal then squeezed the game by narrowing the width and playing more compactly, thus forcing the Baggies to play from the flanks. Monreal was particularly effective in shutting out most of the attacks from his side, and hence West Brom had to attack from the opposite flank more. The Gunners showed tremendous defensive discipline to blunt the West Brom attacks and except for a moment or two of the ball landing in dangerous areas and a missed chance for Lukaku, they were able to see out the game without any major threats. This shows a renewed adherence to compact football when defending as a team, the likes of which, was seen in the first few games of the season.

Other than Per’s glaring error, the rest of the players had a very good game and they stuck to basic football without trying anything fancy, which made it easier to close out the game after the sending off incident. Although Rosicky was the standout player after bagging a brace, I would put Koscielny’s name alongside his, for the Man of the Match. Koscielny bossed the Baggies attackers and was instrumental in keeping the Arsenal goal safe and allowing the attacking players to stamp their authority on the game. It must also be mentioned that Ramsey is truly blossoming into a complete midfielder and he showed both the offensive and defensive sides of his game to good effect. Arteta marshaled his troops admirably and nullified the Baggies midfield with his positioning and tackles, especially in the final 10-15 minutes of the game.

The Gunners would do well to build on this win by sticking to playing a compact game of high intensity. Since Per will be missing the next game, it us up to the captain to return and iron out any defensive frailties that creeps in. Attack wise, Arsenal look good and just need to be more clinical in front of goal.

Today’s preview is from Vidur Sawhney, the main man among our friends over at “OOOh! To Be A Gooner!!“

So I’m sitting here staring at my laptop at the end of a very tiring day, pondering about how to proceed with the preview for the match tomorrow. And as with all exhausted my minds, my thoughts are wandering down every path imaginable. It’s got me thinking about how we’ve reached here. Boy, WHAT a season it has been thus far. For a defeatist, a naysayer, a cynic nay a moaner doomer, the summary of our journey is “we suck, we won’t win, sell everybody, buy everybody and Wenger out!”.  Well, if you’re one such person, I request you to kindly give yourself a swirly. Your head truly belongs there.

It certainly hasn’t been an easy season. We started the campaign on a good steady note with a set of solid defensive performances, but slipped up in the middle as the team’s relative unfamiliarity and lack of chemistry and cohesion began to show. The best of teams have off days; you just can’t win them all and a couple of missteps along the way saw the confidence drop. Add the “encouragement” from certain sections of Arsenal “supporters” to that (rather miserable) mixing pot and you have the recipe for disaster!  Ordinary teams would crumble in a similar situation. But on the contrary, we got back up in time, dusted ourselves off and have gone back right into the thick of it. We’ve shown our mental strength, heart and desire, and we’ve started to come together as a team, showing the chemistry and cohesion that was lacking earlier in the season. We’ve also started to prove why we’re a cut above many others (though quite how people earlier in the season could fathom us finishing below the likes of those like our opponents today is beyond me). Currently on a streak where we’ve gained 19 points out of the last 24 and are on a run of 3 straight wins across all contests, we’ve picked the perfect time to go on a good run of form as we get to the business end of the season.

We have eight fixtures left to secure our Champions League ambitions, and I’m prepared to bet my left nut we’ll make it there as always. While the team just needs to get its head down and do its job in every game, I would also like to beseech each and every one of you to do your job as well. How? Simple, just get behind your team wholeheartedly and vocally whether it is in the stadium, at the pub or in front of your TV or Laptop. The team has the quality but it can use all the positive vibes and support it can get to give it an extra edge to push it smoothly into the Top 4 which makes a potentially promising summer (if you take heed of all the smoke from various directions) into a certainty.

Moving onto this week’s game; we face West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns this Saturday, in what promises to be an exciting encounter. For us. We’re in a rich vein of form as we travel away to the West Midlands and I can see us easily getting three points from the fixture. The team have been putting together one assured performance after the other, and I feel that the Bayern Munich game was a turnaround point for our season. We’ve only lost one game in the previous six, and have gained 20 points of the last 24 that have been up for grabs and we currently find ourselves in a very promising position; just two points adrift of fourth place in the League with a much simpler fixture list in the closing stages compared to the two immediately above us.

The Baggies on the other hand, started the season with a bang under new manager Steve Clark. But as with all middle table teams, they’ve not been able to maintain any consistency as the season wore on and find themselves in an unenviable eighth position in the league. Their current form is rather abysmal, losing 3 and drawing another game out of their last 6. Furthermore, the absence of Mulumbu, their primary midfield enforcer due to suspension will seriously hurt their chances against the quality we have in our midfield.

Last time we faced them, we beat them rather easily at the Emirates with a 2-0 scoreline that actually flattered them considering the number of chances we had. The Baggies will be undone on account of three factors today: Our defence will nullify Lukaku, their midfield will be neutralised by our central trio who will have them chasing shadows with their passing movement and possession (further limited supply to Lukaku), and we’ll play swift, attacking football that the Arsenal have always been synonymous with. We should get the three points and watch Bale FC crumble without their first team tomorrow against Everton. You heard it here first. UTA and have a great weekend everyone.

Another post from our now official partnership with the Facebook group “OOOh! To Be A Gooner!!” (more commonly known as OTBAG) – This one by Abhishek Nair (@AbhishekNair18)

Arsenal’s midfield commander, Patrick Vieira after serving 9 brilliant years at North London, finally departed in 2005 and was swiftly replaced with a largely unknown quantity, Abou Diaby. The young Frenchman joined Arsenal in January 2006 from Auxerre in a deal worth close to 2 million pounds.No one ever dared to question Arsene Wenger’s buys, as the tactician often purchased relatively unknown players and molded them into superstars, like our very own French contingent of Henry, Petit and Pires.

Diaby made his Champions League debut against Real Madrid in the Round of 16 clash in 2006 as a substitute and that was when the world got a first glimpse of the talent the young Frenchman possessed. The Gunners went on to win the game 2-1. The midfielder was further influential as he provided a useful assist in Arsenal’s 4-0 drubbing of Fulham and scored his first goal for the Gunners when he featured in the 5-0 rout of Aston Villa.

Set to pick up the reins from Vieira, the talented Diaby seemed  to have settled in quickly and looked like the perfect replacement for Vieira. The former Auxerre man proved to be having the mettle in him, to be the driving force of the team whilst representing defensive solidarity.

Everything seemed perfect for Arsenal’s newest acquisition, but that changed on the 1^st of May 2006 when Arsenal took on Sunderland. Wenger’s men were cruising with an unassailable 3-0 lead when the world witnessed a moment of madness in the closing moments of the game. Dan Smith needlessly went in with a two footed challenge on Diaby, leaving the Frenchman with a fractured ankle, and that has had a devastating effect on the player ever since. The timing of the injury proved to be crucial as Diaby missed out on the Champions League final against Barcelona, which saw Arsenal go down 2-1.

Despite this huge setback, he looked to have returned strongly back in the 2009/2010 season, making 40 appearances, walking into the France national team for the world cup and rightly earning his current contract that many choose to unfairly curse him for. Sadly, there is arguably no one accursed by fate, as our very own Abou Diaby. His injury problems recurred again in the 2010/11 season with another reckless challenge by Paul Robinson further exacerbating his injury issues and forcing him to undergo surgery on his ankle in 2011. This was followed by a long rehabilitation process that involved travel to consult specialists as far and wide as Qatar and New York.

Looking back, barring the season when he renewed his contract, the midfielder has struggled ever since he got injured by Smith’s horrendous tackle and has failed to get a consistent run in as injuries proved to be just around the corner, unfortunately.  It felt like just yesterday, when a smiling Diaby with his long strides played a neat ball over three Brighton defenders and his compatriot Olivier Giroud scored in Arsenal’s FA Cup triumph against Brighton not too long ago. The world came to a standstill a few days ago when Diaby’s injury news broke out. The Frenchman injured his knee during training and subsequent scans confirmed that the player tore his anterior cruciate ligament.

The injury would keep the French international out for 8-9 months approximately and has hit the player at a time when his club needed him the most. Diaby managed to make 15 appearances this season for the Gunners and has had a telling influence whenever he took field.

Early in the season everyone at Arsenal Football Club were delighted at the sight of a fully fit Abou Diaby, with the latter looking strong, energetic and most importantly looking prepared to take the team forward after Robin Van Persie’s departure. The midfielder certainly put in a Man of the Match performance as he played a key role in the Gunners 2-0 victory away at Anfield.  Arsenal did look like a top side that day and with their performances that followed. Diaby’s influence on the team grew steadily. Move forward to September, the Frenchman got subbed off early in the game when Chelsea visited the Emirates as the Gunners went down 2-1 in what was a closely contested game, and there, Diaby was sidelined for 3 months. The midfielder had just come back from a calf problem that kept him out for 3 weeks and was just getting back to his best before calamity struck yet again.

Abou has been a disciplined lad, who’s learnt to take care of his body after injuries have threatened to cut short his career on numerous occasions. One just can’t blame him and can term all this just plain and simple, unlucky.

Arsenal have always been by Diaby’s side as he has struggled in his 7 year career at the Emirates with fitness problems. Wenger commented on the midfielder’s special talent when he said “Diaby has long strides. He’s the closest to Vieira we have found in a long time”.

Arsenal will continue to keep the faith in Diaby just like they did with Van Persie and hope one day the midfielder will be able to put his unfortunate affair with injuries past him. The club is facing trying times and the Dutchman moved on, but rest assured the modest individual Abou is, he will definitely repay the trust shown in him, in every possible way.

We are saddened by the news of the 9 month layoff but we need you Abou, recover soon. COYG!

Today is a Brucie Bonus day,Adrian Clarke has been good enough to allow us to post an article he recently wrote for BT’s Life’s a Pitch.

And we thank him very much

Also there is a tactical analysis of the reading game from our friends on the  facebook page “OOOh! To Be A Gooner!!“ (more commonly known as OTBAG) by Abhishek Ghising (@A_Ghising)

First,friend of the blog and former Arsenal player Adrian Clarke

Five common Arsenal myths shot down

It doesn’t take much for Arsène Wenger and Arsenal to get a pasting these days. Seizing on the Frenchman’s failure to bring the Gunners silverware in eight frustrating seasons, a lengthy queue of angry critics can be guaranteed to appear online, on the radio, on TV and in the press, frothing and fulminating over every dropped point.

Some of the negative assessments have been fair and entirely justified, but many observations have been extremely wide of the mark. Having watched every second of Arsenal’s season so far, here are five common myths and misconceptions I’d like to put straight.

Wenger doesn’t do tactics
Inside the Emirates Stadium it’s true to say the Gunners only have eyes for themselves. How they play is all that matters. This can be their strength, but it’s also been their undoing at times when they’ve left themselves vulnerable to the qualities of certain opponents.

To claim the manager has no tactical acumen is, however, grossly unfair. In testing away conditions at Stoke, Liverpool, Manchester City, West Ham, Sunderland, Bayern Munich and Swansea, Wenger came up with sensible off-the-ball game plans that his players delivered immaculately. Highlighting the dangers, he ensured they were snuffed out and just two goals were conceded on those trips.

The Gunners don’t often stray too far away from 4-2-3-1, but this season we have seen three at the back, a more positive 4-1-4-1 at home in selected matches, and even the occasional 4-4-2. Those who say Wenger doesn’t do tactics aren’t looking closely enough.

Arsenal don’t cross the ball: they try to walk it into the net
In previous seasons there was a clear obsession with scoring the perfect goal. That’s no longer the case. In fact, they have swung over 575 Premier League crosses in 29 matches, placing them well ahead of Man City, Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool and higher than two-thirds of the division.

It’s the accuracy of those deliveries that needs to be fine-tuned. Not that it’s a problem for the rather misunderstood Lukas Podolski – a player of supreme efficiency who boasts one of the best accuracy percentages of anyone in the top flight when it comes to crossing the ball. Considering the Gunners have been accused of lacking punch in the final third, it’s amazing to think that Podolski, Theo Walcott, Santi Cazorla and Olivier Giroud have 57 goals between them already this term.

Per Mertesacker is a carthorse
The German has been Arsenal’s most consistent defender this season. A January dip in form exposed his lack of pace at times, and for a while his confidence and decision-making were affected, but overall he’s been a calm, intelligent presence in the heart of the Gunners back four.

Statistically he’s Arsenal’s strongest and most powerful figure, winning more duels in the air and on the ground than anyone else, and he’s also the most secure, conceding one foul every three (yes, three) matches.

Currently, Mertesacker’s partnership with a rejuvenated Laurent Koscielny is unbeaten in six Premier League outings, while contrastingly in his absence, the side has on average conceded two goals per game. Without their dominant German presence Arsenal simply aren’t as safe. He’s no donkey.

Giroud isn’t good enough
Comparing Giroud with the not-so-dearly-departed Robin van Persie is unfair. Not only are they two men at very different stages of their careers, but they also have completely contrasting styles. The French striker is raw and is in no way the finished article, but he’s not the useless hitman some would have you believe. He’s a player with spunk and spirit, he creates chances, and in all competitions he has 15 goals to his name.

He’s good enough. And if he’s competing with another top-class striker for a first-team spot next season, I feel his game will develop enormously.

Arsenal don’t have balls
When you recall the disappointing displays against the best sides this season – Manchester United, Man City, Chelsea and Tottenham – it’s easy for people to question the character of the players. “They’re not up to it,” they say. With the exception of André Villas-Boas’ Spurs, with all due respect Arsenal should be behind the top three clubs, given their spending levels. I’d put those poor performances down to quality rather than attitude, so it’s nothing that a bit of summer investment can’t fix.

I also say this safe in the knowledge that nobody in the Premier League has conceded fewer goals away from home, and that no one has scored more goals in the final 10 minutes of matches than Arsenal all season.

Myths and misconceptions – there have been a few

AND

Arsenal vs Reading-A Tactical Analysis

In a must win game against Reading at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal produced a masterclass in attacking football that destroyed the Royals and ensured a thumping win for the Gunners.

The win has helped the Gunners to remain within touching distance of the top 4 spot which, now, is the main priority for the season.

Let us examine some areas where the game was won

1. The midfield: If there was ever a display of good, attacking, dynamic midfield play, this was it. From the very outset, it was clear that the Arsenal midfielders were constantly changing their areas of influence to make marking difficult for the opposition defenders.

Santi Cazorla started on the left flank, and switched positions effortlessly with Tomas Rosicky who was playing behind the target-man Olivier Giroud. On the other flank, Gervinho and Ramsey were doing the same. As the game wore on, all 4 players were taking up dynamic positions in the midfield which stretched the Reading defence. The wide players drifted towards the centre taking a defender along, which opened up space behind them. The central midfielders thus found lots of room on the flanks from where they could attack the opposition goal.

Mikel Arteta did a wonderful job of shielding the Arsenal back four, even joining in attack whenever he got an opportunity. He completed a game best 99 passes.

This game probably saw a prototype of the style of play Arsene Wenger wants his team to play. The Gunners were pressing the opposition high up the pitch which caused the Reading players to give the ball away cheaply, time and again. Special mention must be made of Aaron Ramsey who was instrumental in setting up the attack. He made a telling 4 key passes and completely shut-out Karacan and Guthrie in the Reading midfield.

Leigertwood had a busy game for Reading and he was completely out run by Messrs Cazorla, Rosicky and Gervinho. He did, however, make a lot of interceptions but the dominance of Arsenal was such that in the end he could not influence the result. Due to the high pressing game that the Gunners employed, most of the action happened in the opposition half, in and around the D.

2. The flanks: The right flank of Arsenal was a treat to watch. Sagna, Gervinho and Ramsey tormented the left sided players of Reading. The fullback Nicky Shorey, in particular, had a torrid day, as he had no answers to the constant onslaught. With Rosicky and Cazorla also joining in, there was very little joy for Reading. The Arsenal players were allowed time and space on the ball and it was only a matter of time when the scoreline reflected this.

Interestingly, the left wing of Arsenal did not see much attacking play, with Nacho Monreal content to nullifying the Reading attackers. Robson-Kanu was the only one who looked like causing some trouble to the Arsenal defence and his fortunate goal due to a tussle with Monreal was the only highlight from Reading’s point of view.

3. Defence: Mertesacker and Koscielny had a relatively easy game and dealt with everything that Reading threw at them. Since Reading were choked of the possession, there were hardly any dangerous balls played in for the Reading striker Pogrebnyak. Mertesacker in particular marked him out of the game easily. Koscielny looked busier of the two due to his involvement in defensive duties on the left side of the defence. Most of Reading’s attacks were taking place on that flank and Koscielny did a good job of dealing with them.

That the Reading defence had to resort to last ditch blocks tells the entire story. It’s a nightmare to defend against constantly moving attackers. More so when the attackers are technically sound and do not lose possession easily. The Royal’s defence didn’t make things easier for themselves by losing the ball cheaply on quite a few occasions. Had the Arsenal attackers buried their chances more clinically, the scoreline would have been a lot more embarrassing.

The introduction of Oxlade-Chamberlain and his direct, pacy brand of football created immediate problems for Shorey and Mariappa, with the latter conceding a penalty. The defence was unsettled by the effective passing of the Arsenal midfielders, which coupled with the direct play of Gervinho/Ox became unplayable at times.

Conclusion: Even when Arsenal face better opposition than Reading, they can stick to this brand of football and reap rich rewards. Discipline is the key here; and hard work. If each and every player on the pitch works his socks off and doesn’t allow the opposition time and space with the ball, we would be getting a lot more results in our favour. We need to press high up the pitch and not allow the opposition midfielders much time and space in possession

Hello and welcome to this week’s round-up.

First up is the tragedy that is Abou Diaby’s injury situation. He has torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and will soon have surgery. This terrible news only serves to compound the theory that if you continue to smash players’ legs in half, only some of them will ever recover. It will be a reported ‘eight to nine months’ before Abou will grace our midfield again which is comfortably enough time to meticulously plan and carry out the ending of one Dan Smith. Chin up, Abou.

The finals of the Next Gen tournament were on at the weekend. The four remaining teams were The Arsenal, Sporting Lisbon, Aston Villa and the Russians. Each game was to be played in one stadium, over one weekend. It wasn’t the worst Italian pitch an Arsenal team has played on in recent years but this thing was sub-par. It was three over par! Despite an exciting first half, the young Gunners eventually lost out in the semi-final to Chelski and again to Sporting Lisbon in the third-place-playoff. Aston Villa went on to win it and we congratulate them, but only to maintain the appearance of graciousness.

It was announced this week that the team will go to Japan as part of this year’s pre-season Asia tour. Having seen the dancing on last year’s tour, one may safely assume that there will be more activities. This could see the team learn about extreme focus as they attempt to master the ways of the Samurai. Arsene Wenger said: “I have many good memories of my time working in Japan and the success I enjoyed with Nagoya Grampus. Yes, I have a little bit of regret for selling Thomas Cruise to Torquay. He’d have love it.”

The international break finally let up and Arsenal were at home to Reading on Saturday in what turned out to be a masterclass of passing, movement, spirit and flair. The cycling official did what he could to assist our hapless opponents but it was going to take more than denying Giroud a clear penalty and refusing to book Reading players for nasty fouls to curb the Arsenal enthusiasm. Rosicky was perpetually in motion, Ramsey was sharp and efficient and Arteta was the boss in the most dynamic display we’ve seen from an Arsenal midfield in quite some time. The first goal came from Gervinho’s natural prowess as Santi drove a low ball across goal. The Ivorian’s run was perfectly timed to tap home the first goal. In true goofy-weirdo style, Gervinho hit the roof of the net. 1-0 to the Arsenal! It was about how many from that moment on as Santi and Giroud were assisted by Gervinho runs and simple, square passes. Santi bent his around two players and into the bottom corner while Giroud allowed the ball to run across his body and thumped it low and back across the keeper. Reading got one back in what must have felt like a win on a scratch card but the game was up. The Ox came on and almost immediately won a penalty which was calmly, yet forcefully slotted home by Arteta. 4-1 to The Arsenal! Gervinho was as directly involved in almost everything threatening as Tomas Rosicky was in almost everything beautiful. A tough away fixture against West Brom will be the next task to negotiate as the march to third continues.

And finally, club captain Thomas Vermaelen has declared himself willing to “give everything” to win his place back in the Arsenal team. The skipper may however have inadvertently roused the interests of Manchester City when he said: “I’ve played many games in my career, and spending two on the bench does not mean the world is on fire.”

That’s all for this week, thank you for reading.

Up the Arsenal!