Go West

A small shred of positivity to emerge from the media centre at Arsenal this week as they've announced a pre season trip to America.

This visit will take the form of a friendly against the New York Red Bulls on the 26^th of July, a match that is set to be the Gunner’s only match outside of Europe during the summer. New York of course makes for an inviting prospect for a long-weekend to cheer on the boys, and whilst tickets are yet to be announced, for those able to make it out there it will surely prove to be a memorable trip.

Arsenal last faced the Red Bulls in the Emirates cup in 2011, a game that was drawn 1-1 as I’m sure you all remember…..anyway, there will certainly be some great sentimental value in this reunion at the very least.  Henry’s contract with the Red Bulls is due to expire at the end of this season, and whilst he insists that his playing days are not over, who knows whether there will be another opportunity to see him play against his old team. At the ripe old age of 36 surely enough will be enough very soon, although as I type this the seemingly immortal Ryan Giggs does spring to mind.

So this could possibly be the last chance for Arsenal fans to catch a glimpse of one of the greatest players to have ever worn the shirt, maybe one of the greatest to have ever played in the premier league.

This is the first time Arsenal have travelled to the US in 25 years, a seriously long time when you consider that there was no Premier League or indeed Champions League at that time. The popularity of ‘soccer’ in the US faces stiff competition from the well-established national sports out there (apparently they would rather watch rounders or adverts for two hours but there we are), but this season’s huge broadcasting deal with NBC is surely a promising development. If you weren’t already aware, this season NBC are broadcasting every single Premier League game. I spent the first 3 weeks of this season out there, and it was nothing short of glorious to be able to park myself in front of the TV for the duration of the weekend without having to worry about what game was on where, or if at all.

This apparent rise of football in the US has sparked suggestions that the time is right for Arsenal to establish a greater presence across the pond in order to reap the benefits of an increasingly lucrative market, and this tour surely shows that Arsenal’s top brass agree. 

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A Case for Kim

 
Kim's have dominated the press lately.

Vogue made the controversial decision to feature Kim and Kanye on their hallowed front cover, a decision which sent shockwaves around the world.

How could they feature an overhyped reality tv star on the pages usually reserved for figureheads, leaders and fashion icons.

A 'celebrity' whose fame derives from a sex tape made half a decade ago. A woman who would have and should have disappered into the fog of anonymity but through selling her soul to the devi MTV has acquired stardom and riches for nothing other than having a big ol' booty.

Our Kim is just as controversial, if not more so and the similarities don't end with their shared notoriety. Kim Kallstrom, Arsenal's latest signing also arrived in the public eye amidst unusual circumstances, a loanee until the end of the season who would miss most of it due to a back injury sustained pre-signing?!!
 
Like KK, our Kim also made a name for himself from a young age when he filmed a sex tape rose to prominence as one of Sweden's best midfielders.

Have a read of the brilliant 'I Am Zlatan' and Kallstrom features throughout. Well established on the international scene, Kallstrom is also one of those players whose higlight reel on Youtube features more than just tap ins, sidewards passing and tackles (honestly some players really shoudn't have one, its just taking up valuable cat playing the harmonica space).

Kim's Highlight Reel

Just like Kim Kardashian Mrs. Kim West, Kim Kallstrom has a penchant for global giants. KK went for Ray J, Reggie Bush and Kanye West, Kallstrom for Lyon and Spartak Moscow before tying the knot with Arsenal his sugar daddy, his eeerthang.

If we could film Kallstrom astride a superbike, Arsene Wenger caressing his naked torso we would, but we can't so the imagination will have to do in the meantime. If the lyrics of 'Bound 2' ever meant anything they surely do with our Kim, we only hope Arsene proves man enough to hold him down.

This could be the start of a beautiful relationship, not the kind that's characterised by night-vision cameras, duvet covers and a whole lotta ass but with resolute defending, finesse for the through ball and a bit of experience to add to the BFG and Flamini's worldliness.

We'd like to see Kallstrom start against City, let's give him a run out and give Arteta a rest. The guy has been busting a gut all season and its starting to show.

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A Penchant for Woodwork

Barely had we time to sit down and say hi to those around us when we were 1-0 down to a well-worked Bony goal. I say well-worked, sorry that shoud've read easily-worked goal as Britton was allowed to meander into our half of the pitch and towards the sixteen-yard box without as much of a sniff of opposition.

A mr. whippy special fired in towards the six-yard box and Bony didn't need telling twice. Soaring hi above Vermaelen, the Ivorian nailed the header centre of the forehead into the back of the net. Szczesny barely moved a hand.

Dressed in their away kit of royal purple and yellow, Swansea looked like a footballing equivalent of the LA Lakers playing with all the pomp and swagger of the NBA.

1-0 down 10 minutes played how would the team react. We've already covered the fans' less than inspiring performance at yetserday's match but what of the players?

In typical Arsenal fashion we only started retaining possession and searching for goal having already conceded, the goal acting as a smelling salt to our collective concussion.

We were able to work the ball into several good areas throughout the first half, yet the crosses never found their target partly through ineptitude and partly because Giroud acts like a handsome magnet eternally attracted to the front post....er hello? intelligence? you there mate?

It's no good wagging your finger as if to say 'see I told you I was right'. Giroud coud've had 2 or 3 more goals had he mixed his runs into the box. Both Sagna and Gibbs served up a couple of peaches that floated across the six-yard box reaching their apex around the middle of the goal, Giroud meanwhile was insistant on making life difficult by making the same run over and over.

1-0 down and the second half began in much the same vane as the first. Plenty of possession with little cutting edge. Aside from a couple of great runs from Rosicky and the Ox there was little to get excited about.

Our equaliser came once Wenger brought on Podolski to replace the Ox, a decision we didn't agree with at first considering Al was our most offensive-minded player. Maybe he's in the red, or purple or whatever, but either way the substitution had an immediate effect. Podolski is always looking to unleash the Kraken on his left-boot and suddenly there was a bit of anticipation in the air.

His goal came following a driving run from Gibbs (Arsenal's best player on the night) who cut the ball back across the six yard box where an on-rushing Poldi spanked it home.

That was the difference between the first and second half. Whereas in the first the crosses were a little errant and Giroud was on his own dry humping the front post, the second saw more focused placing of the ball as well as more midfielders willing to gamble.

Before we'd had a chance to regain our seats Arsenal were suddenly two goals to the good. Podolski having observed Giroud's penchant for woodwork slotted the ball near post and guess what! That's right HFB was there to poke it home, queue lots of finger wagging.

It seemed as though Arsenal had shaken off the weekend's poor result and were back to winning ways. Alas it was not to be as once again more Arsenal cliches surfaced to scupper our title hopes. Just as we always seem to play better having gone a goal down, so too do we never know how to see out a game until the final whistle. In a game that was weirdly reminiscent of our match against Southampton we fought hard to come back from a goal down, did even better to take the lead but then decided to hand possession over to our opposition inviting pressure.

We were unlucky as any own goal is, but we simply shoudn't have been in the position to concede that late in the game. Szczesny's save ricoched off Flamini who was helpless to prevent it, but the move shoud've been ended far further up the pitch even if it meant Podolski making the necessary foul to nip it in the bud. A bit of nouse and grit that's what we've been mising since Rambo and Wilshere's injuries.

On that note it was good to see Kallstrom make a nice professional foul and he looks to be a decent player, his physical presence is a refreshing addition to our diminutive midfield. We would like to see him feature against City on the weekend as although its obviously too early to get the measure of the man he certainly looks the part.

It can't be any worse than 6-3...can it?

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Be Supporters

The atmosphere at the Emirates has never been fantastic. It has afforded us great nights in the shape of our Champions League encounters, London Derbies and old rivalries. But when the teams we face are considered inferior the atmosphere often hangs on a knife edge.

Such was the case yesterday where emotions were riding high after a 6-0 maulling against Chelsea. The Arsenal faithful were expecting an immediate response agaisnt a side who are cruising along in midtable.

What really gets to me is the fact that people just expect a dominant Arsenal performance. The premier league is the best league in the world for a reason and that is because any team on their day is capable of causing an upset.

To jump all over the players, to boo them off at half time (and yes there were a considerable number of 'fans' boo'ing) isn't going to make them play any better. In fact it is more likely to have the opposite effect and cause our players to play within themselves, fearul of taking someone on or making an incisive pass incase it loses us possession and the baying crowd strike again.

We tend to lose sight of the fact that the players are just ordinary men, extraordinarily talented with a football at their feet, but ultimately just a group of blokes who are running around a football pitch. Their glamorous lifestyles, media exposure and vast wages create a boundary between them and the fans that must be ignored come matchday.

Imagine the players were your friends, sons, fathers would you boo them off the field when they'd had a bad start to the game?

We are here to support the team. Support being a word which implies lifting morale when the chips are down. It's no good deriding the players, slagging off the club and the manager all throughout the first half and then when we go 2-1 ahead start singing Arsenal songs with tears in your eyes arm-in-arm with your best mate.

It's actually quite worrying how fickle we have become the last couple of seasons. Week in week out the public opinion of Wenger changes, one week the fans behind me converge on how shit Giroud is, then the next bemoan Wenger for not playing him over Sanogo or Podolski.

If you think the players have been inconsistent this season you should hear some of the fans I sit next to. This is a reciprocal relationship, we make the team play better by supporting them no matter what and in return those performances make us feel like supporting the side with greater enthusiasm.

This is an example of how the fans' frustration over transfer policy, high ticket prices, and focus on finishing in the top four over winning a trophy is being vented in the wrong places. The team are there to play, picked as part of a squad of players. It's no point boo'ing if someone makes a poor pass. Boo the board, write letters, stage protests, incite an action to re-evaluate our spending policy but we must all support the players week in week out as a way to hold on to some semblance of what our great club used to be and still can be.

Our analysis of yesterday's match coming soon...

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The Ice is Beginning to Thaw

The last time Wenger's tenancy was seriously called into question, the debate revealed a divide amongst the Arsenal faithful.

On the one hand were those who blamed Wenger for our inability to finish higher up the table, failing to win any silverware for almost a decade and losing our best players season after season.

On the other were fans who saw Wenger as the best candidate to weather the financial storm our club was facing, having to repay enormous debts running into the hundreds of millions. In fact our fourth place finishes were evidence of his brilliance rather than his failure.

Whilst other managers were spending between £30-80 million every season yet failing to make any real improvement, Wenger was making the club money whilst retaining Champions League football.

However this season has marked a shift in the club's and the fan's expectations. Perhaps it was Gazidis selling Wenger down the river by declaring that we were finally ready to compete with the big boys in terms of financial power.

Perhaps it was our storming start to the season which flamed the fans hopes that finally after long last our drought was over.

In actual fact Arsenal have been in hibernation for the best part of 6 years, and now that the ice is starting to thaw our senses are dulled and our killer instincts are slow to return.

This is the first year that Arsenal's spending has outweighed its return (from player sales alone). Look at the other sides above us and they are all hundreds of millions in debt, having spent far more on bringing players in. figures for last 5 seasons

Look at City, as Mancini attested, Pellegrini's title contending side is made up predominantly of players that he signed two or three years ago, with the addition of several other multi-million pound acquisitions in the shape of Negredo, Navas et al. By signing one or two world class players a season, City are close to building a side that is completely unrecogniseable from the one they fielded 4 or 5 years ago.

Chelsea too, with the exception of their defense are almost completely different to the side which took to the field 3 or 4 years ago.

Liverpool and Tottenham too.

Now look at Arsenal: Sagna, Gibbs, Wilshere, Ramsey, Flamini, Rosicky, Walcott, Ox and the like have been featuring in the side for the best part of half a decade.

Only this season have we made our first acquisition of a world class talent. We would argue that with the purchase of 2 world class players a season for the next 3 years we will have a side that will be more than equiped to finally take on the sides who have spent (in Chelsea's case) close to £1 billion on players in a decade.

You could certainly make a case that Ramsey, Ox and Wilshere have the potential to be great, great players. So too that our defense is one of the best in the league, however what has become apparent is that the diference in quality between our first choice 11 and the team we fielded against Stoke, Tottenham and Chelsea is vast.

We have to sign a marquee striker, a quality fast-paced winger, a 6ft plus monster in CDM and a reserve centreback who is capable of doing the same type of job as Mertesacker.

Now history would suggest that we don't go out and buy more than one or two players per transfer window so we're not expecting this to happen, however half of that quota must be met this summer, whilst the second half the next.

The question is do we still trust Wenger to be the man to sign the right type of players by being savvy enough to spot them and being ruthless enough to bring them in at any cost. Similarly as this season has shown does he have the tactical ability to outsmart the likes of Mourinho and shake off the hoodoo of teams like United.

We say yes. In an era that predated the petro clubs, an era that predated the ability to simply buy trophies through fielding a team that cost the equivalent of five of your opposition put together Wenger was second only to Sir Alex Ferguson.

Now that the playing feld is beginnning to be levelled we must give Wenger the chance to bring in an Ozil, a Draxler, a Griezman every transfer window until our squad is as strong as those we're fighting against.

Shake up the backroom staff, change the fitness team, bring in new scouts (whoever was responsible for Park, Squillaci and the like must surely be gone by now) but allow Wenger to attract the big names, continue coaching our stars like Ramsey, Wilshere and the emerging talents of Gnabry and Zelalem whilst building a side that can look to dominate the league in the same way we did with Wenger at the helm in the early noughties.

We're praying for success in the FA Cup as it will buy Wenger time enough to prove his doubters wrong and show signs that we have improved. The improvement is there for everyone to see but because of injuries we'll never know just how far this side could have gone.

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Missing Pieces of the Puzzle

This has to have been the most bizarre season yet as an Arsenal fan. The football climate is more changeable than a Spring day, with emotions riding high one minute only to be followed by abject disappointment the next.

Last week was one of those weeks in which our title hopes were rejuvinated with a solid victory over our North London neighbours, and with confidence riding high our misery was all the more painful after we were roundly beaten at Stamford Bridge.

Wenger said something in his post match interview which was definitely more than a little worrying. To paraphrase, he essentially argued that one win and one loss yields a greater return than two draws.

Now obviously Wenger was looking to try and bring some positivity back into the room, which is part of his job as a motivator. He is forced in public to look largely at the positives in order to keep up morale amogst his players.

Logically and from a cold, statistical viewpoint (a perspective Wenger is renowned for taking) three points is indeed better than two. But the argument falls short in a great number of ways.

No offence to Tottenham but the minimum we would have expected this season is four points from our two fixtures. Had it not been for a Sigurdsson wonderstrike to claim victory over Southampton, Spurs would have failed to win in 5 games, amidst a season in which they have struggled to find form. Bale-less and with a dip in form for players like Lennon and Townsend, Tottenham look even more moist than Chamakh's hair.

The team to take points off of was Chelsea. They were the real litmus test of how good a side we truly are and look what happened.

It's no good saying that three points is better than two, that's incidental a result of beating a team we should expect to beat. The sign of progress is standing up against the sides who have finished above us the last few seasons. Our record against the three teams above us in the league is pretty much awful, 3 points against Liverpool, 1 against Chelsea and 0 against City (although we are yet to play them at home). From a possible 15 points against our direct rivals we have earnt just 4 and many wouldn't back us to take 3 more against City.

Our table-leading form at the start of the season was achieved through beating the teams we were supposed to beat, plus an outstanding display against Liverpool at the Emirates.

The final piece of the puzzle has got lost underneath the sofa again, maybe it fell through a crack in the floorboard, maybe the dog ran away with it and its now buried in the back garden next to a pile of shit.

Who knows, but it certainly hasn't been slotted into place. That would've been the case had Arsenal achieved a draw against United away, rather than concede a soft set-piece, or got the winner at home to a Chelsea side who parked the bus.

Instead we wilted under the pressure, which is crazy considering we then went to Bayern and got a draw, and could have done the same at home, if not better, had Ozil converted a penalty.

On our day we can play the best football the league has to offer. With every player fit and a full squad to choose from I trully do believe we are the best side in the league, the first half of the season proved it. Ok we lost to City and United but we were still top because we were able to do a job against lesser sides. Since the festive period when we lost Ramsey and Walcott and not long after Wilshere and Ozil we lack the potency to claim those vital points that provide a cushion for the tougher tests.

Had we beaten Stoke say,  then our loss against Chelsea wouldn't have ruled us out of contention for the league. As it stands however our title challenge is effectively over.

Back to those missing pieces of the puzzle. What shape do they adopt? In my opinion we are missing two pieces. The first takes the shape of a world-class marquee striker. Enough with stop-gaps and experiments, enough with a striker who is more pass machine than goal machine. We need someone who gets a hard-on at the thought of banging the ball into the back of the net, not a hard-on when he looks in the mirror or sees the latest advert for GHDs.

I read a great article today by Arsenal blogger Le Grove who makes a good point. Our squad is full of international stars, those who have won international tournaments (Cazorla), Bundesliga titles (Podolski) La Ligas (Ozil) and players who could have done the same but have remained loyal to the club (Wilshere, Sagna, Ramsey et al). They know how to win, and can win when playing in successful systems.

That's why the second piece of the puzzle takes the shape of an backroom overhaul. What the hell are our fitness staff being paid for. They obvioulsy feel like they need to earn their keep by running our players into the ground, overpreparing them to the extent that by the time the season comes around their bodies are at breaking point, literally.

Steve Bould I like, his record speaks for itself. Bringing him in last season has had a positive effect on players like Koscielny and Mertesacker who have thrived with the shake up to their training methods. The players are capable, hungry and talented, what they need is to be kept fit, paced throughout the season, rotated when necessary and not brought back from injury too soon (think Walcott playing three full matches in the space of ten days). Similarly they need to be surrounded with fresh faces, people who have new ideas and those who can both aid and challenge the manager in helping him prepare for matches in the same maticulous way others do.

Finally the squad itself is almost there, this season has shown that we can go a long stretch of the way, what has proven to be our downfall is stamina. That is the job of the coaches and the manager to see the bigger picture that enables the players to concentrate on the immediacy of the moment.

Swansea up next, and if you look at our remaining fixtures we should be aiming to win them all (a realistsic target) as well as take a point from City. In that instance we will finish strongly and at the very least have a good crack at the top two as well as widen the gap between ourselves and those outside the top four.

The plan is to look back at this season as our interim moment, when the pieces began to fall into place even if they currently resemble Sloth (Dirk Kuyt) out of The Goonies. The players have shown that they can launch a serious assault at the title, they've had their taste of the adulation and pressure that goes along with leading the league for an extended period. All thats left is finding our next Henry/ Ian Wright/ RVP to bang in the goals when others dry up and a coaching staff who can keep the players fitter for longer.

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Swansea Preview

Right then. With just two days to gather themselves following a deeply troubling result at Stamford Bridge, Arsène’s boys are back home and back in action against Swansea. With our title hopes now all but extinguished, the pressure is still on to finish the season with the kind of form we showed before Christmas and spare ourselves any further embarrassment.

One thing we do have going for us in this crucial comeback game is that our opponents come into the tie on the back of some poor form in a generally disappointing season by their standards of recent years. They have failed to win since the 8^th of February, and have taken just 8 points from their last 10 games. Arsenal remain undefeated at home in the league since our first game against Villa, and Swansea haven’t won on the road since beating the sinking stone that is Fulham in November. On paper then this is a game that we should be winning with ease, however if there’s one thing we can take from Saturday and other similar performances this season  it’s that this Arsenal team can be far from reliable.

With a suspension after Saturday’s game and no-one tipped to return just yet our squad  looks set to thin out even further for Tuesday’s match. In an attempt to redress Mr. Marriner’s extraordinary howler, Gibb’s red card suspension will however surely be transferred to Oxlade-Chamberlain, adding to our ever-growing list of midfield casualties.

In the reverse fixture last September the game was won through goals from Serge Gnabry and Aaron Ramsey with notable performaces from Ozil and Wilshere. It is extremely worrying then that 3 of those players are unavailable for the match this time around.

While many are rightly outraged by our limp and frankly embarassing showing at Stamford Bridge, what is only too easy to forget is that our team is absolutely ravaged by injury. Imagine facing a Chelsea side without three or four of their best/ most dangerous players. A side without Hazard, Schurle, Oscar and Lampard say, is, well, a whole lot less intimidating.

This is not to excuse the drubbing we recieved, to concede 6 goals as a professional outfit is indicative of a disastrous performance throughout, backroom staff included. However just as the defeat we saw agaisnt Chelsea in the Capital One Cup, this was not a full-strength Arsenal side, far, far from it. Although the scoreline read Chelsea 6 - 0 Arsenal this was not the same Arsenal side that was dominating the premier league for the first half of the season.

Back to this Tuesday's encounter and amidst our midfield worries, Swansea will look to the recent return of  Michu and Shelvey to give their squad a much needed boost. Michu in particular will have fond memories of his last trip to the Emirates, when he scored two late goals to hand the tie to Swansea. Alongside their top scorer for the season, Wilfied Bony, this is certainly not a strike force to be scoffed at, but provided Mertescielny haven’t been  reduced  to quivering wrecks after a haunting weekend we should be able to cope. 

So far this season our post drubbing form has been mixed. After the 6-3 result against City we came back strongly, drawing with Chelsea before going on a long winning streak. However the 5-1 against Liverpool was followed by a mixture of wins, losses and draws in a part of our season which saw us slip down to fourth place and drop out of the Champions League.

Admittedly our fixture list has lightened significantly after a period that included Liverpool, Manchetser United, Bayern and Chelsea all in the space of a month. If we are to launch one final bid at the title we now have to win at home to City as well as the remainder of our fixtures, starting with Swansea.

This game is a great opportunity to steady ourselves as we head into this season’s final straight. We can only hope that our players have managed to put Saturday’s humiliation behind them and that we can record a comfortable victory before welcoming Manchester City next Saturday. Wonderful.

Our Season So Far - Left Side Defense

Thomas Vermaelen       

This season has not been one of TV5’s best. This has not been down to his poor performances, but rather due to the consistency of our other two centrebacks. When Vermaelen has been called upon this season, I think he has done an admirable job. He has only been involved in 11 games, 5 of which were from the bench, but he has looked far more like the man we signed from Ajax, rather than the man who went missing last year. It seems as though a loss of form at a crucial point in our season last year has cost him his starting place, however he is our club captain for a reason. There was a time when Vermaelen was up there as one of the best in Europe, so it would be a shame to let him go when there is obvious talent beneath his doubt. I would like to see him tried in a CDM role against opposition where their number 10 is a distinct threat. He has the aerial, positional and tackling ability to succeed in the role, as well as a hammer of a left foot which could let fly on rare forays forward.

Rating 7/10

Laurent Koscielny         

Kos is the boss and has been magical this season. He has been one of the club's stand out players and should make the team of the season for a lot of football fans. Kos has come on leaps and bounds since a rather uncertain start to his Arsenal career. This was not helped by having to marshal the defense alongside players like Almunia, Djourou and Squillaci, but now alonside his giant German soulmate Koscielny is imperious. He always shows 100% commitment every single match even when his counterparts are flagging. His ability to read a pass and step in to intercept has been second to none, often carrying the ball forward to start off our next attack. My only criticism of him has been his lack of prolificacy in front of goal. Obviously I understand his main role in the side isn’t to score goals, however, he seems to have every other part of his game down, and as he has proven in previous seasons, he has an eye for goal. One goal is simply not a good enough return, considering he features in every one of our set pieces which is why he doesn’t receive a 10.

Rating 9/10

Kieran Gibbs                

Gibbs has been massively unlucky this season, playing the best football of his career for a team top of the table for so long, and yet being overlooked in the most recent England call-up. Gibbs has been a key player for us this season, with many starting to believe he can fill the void left by Cole many years ago. He is part of a back four that has never lost when they’ve completed 90 minutes together. Thinking back to the first Bayern game, you can see how much of an impact he has on the team. Within a short period of him coming off injured, the player he had been keeping at bay so admirably managed to free himself and win Bayern the penalty whic ultimately lost us the tie. We look solid with him and vulnerable without him. He’s developed good balance to his game, knowing when to get forward and being caught out of position much less often. He has been more effective too when he is forward, getting in much better quality crosses than in previous season. If he can further develop his crossing ability he can become a world-class left back. 

8/10