Warning Shots

A visibly pumped up Jack Wilshere celebrates his stylish equaliser against City

The tables were turned on Arsenal this weekend as the Gunners conceded a late goal to deny them victory against Manchester City in a thrilling 2-2 draw at the Emirates

A second win for the Gunners was snatched away in the 83rd minute of a highly entertaining encounter when City defender Demichelis found himself unmarked at a corner, powering a late header into the net.

Arsenal showed fantastic resolve to battle back from 1-0 down in what will surely be one of the most high-paced, all-action matches of the season.

Arsenal lined up as follows: Szczesny, Mertesacker, Debuchy, Monreal, Koscielny, Flamini, Sánchez, Özil, Ramsey, Wilshere, Welbeck 

A debut for new boy Danny Welbeck (or 'Dat guy Welbz' as the players and social media has taken to calling the striker) and an impressive one at that. Welbeck played the no.9 position beautifully winning headers when required and making incisive runs in behind.

Welbz hit the post in an early effort after some superb pressure from the midfield forced an error. A poor back pass played the striker clean through where he showed composure to deftly flick a lob over an onrushing shampoo model turned goalkeeper Joe Hart, but had to watch as the ball turned off the inside of the post and back into the arms of the England No.1

Welbeck and 60,000 Arsenal fans share a moment of disbelief as the Arsenal striker's chipped effort hits the post

The Gunners were made to a pay for a host of missed chances when in the 28th minute City launched a blistering counter-attack, neatly finished by their talismanic striker Sergio Aguero, who looks to be over the injury problems that plagued his world cup and early season form

The sides went into halftime with the score still at 0-1 to last season's champions, however Arsenal looked the more likely to score throughout the half, the City goal coming against the run of play.

Not to be disheartened by the blow, Arsenal pressed on in the second half picking up where they left off, pressuring the City defense with plenty of neat one-touch possession in the final third.

Jack Wilshere and Alexis Sanchez both had their best games in an Arsenal shirt doing everything right. They chased back possession, broke through tackles and looked hungry for a victory. The physicality they brought to the match is something we haven't seen for a long time; check out this from Wilshere on Samir Nasri.

The equaliser eventually came in the 63rd minute when Wilshere was released on the edge of the box, beating a defender with a feigned shot and drag on his left foot leaving him face-to-face with Hart on the near post. Cue one of the finishes of the season so far in a chip that left the City keeper bamboozled, flapping his arms like a toddler trying to catch a ball.

After that the pendulum had definitely swung in the reds favour and Arsenal had attack after attack, whilst defending well. Nasri replaced Lampard at halftime who looked for all the world like a spent force, his major contribution in his 45 minutes on the pitch was receiving a yellow card for a tactical foul on Ramsey.

Lampard struggled to match the pace of the game in his debut for City

Sanchez got the goal to take Arsenal into the lead on 74 minutes, Arsenal's second of the afternoon and the Chilean's third in as many games for his new club. Wilshere got the assist with a speculative header back into the box which looped over the City defense finding Alexis unmarked at the back post. His first time side-footed volley was a thing of beauty, powering past Hart and into the roof of the net.

For all their effort to get back into the match, Arsenal's intensity dropped off after taking the lead. As is so often the case with Arsenal sides there is a resolve to fight back but worryingly the same defensive frailties which have cost us league titles in the past are creeping back in.

City fought to get back into the game. After winning a corner with 10 minutes to go, a good cross found Demichelis completely unmarked on the penalty spot, the Argentine taking the chance well, guiding the ball into the top right corner. It looked as though Szczesny and Flamini got in each other's way a bit and perhaps the Frenchman may have been able to head the ball off the line had the keeper not got a hand to it.

I thought Arsenal had shaken the tag of poor defensive side after last years dominant display by Koscielny, Mertesacker and Szczesny where the Gunners kept the most clean sheets in the league. Four matches played and Arsenal have already conceded 6 goals, scoring 7.

Chambers came on as a late substitution after Debuchy had to be stretchered off. The Frenchman appeared to over stretch himself chasing a ball and landed awkwardly, rolling his ankle. Debuchy injury reports vary between 2 to 3 months out, but knowing our luck don't hold out for a speedy recovery. This means that Chambers will start right-back with Bellerin promoted to the bench, leaving us with no outright cover at centre back.

Arsenal's injury misfortune has followed them into the 2014/15 campaign despite appointment of new fitness coach Shad Forsythe

There were moments in Saturday's premier league clash with City where I thought this side could be the best Wenger has put together in over half a decade.

The team had pace, power and skill throughout and although a relatively small signing, Danny Welbeck already looks like the missing piece in a handsome jigsaw puzzle of awesomeness.

There were, however, also moments where I thought this team is still missing something to make us true championship contenders, particularly in defense.

A very interesting and worrying statistic is that Arsenal have conceded a headed goal in all four of their matches so far this season. I think this is because of the changes to our fullbacks, compared to last year.

In my opinion Debuchy offers so much more going forward than Bacary Sagna. We saw on the weekend how the Frenchman drew a foul after he skipped past Milner with a clever dummy. That is something Sagna would never do, always looking to cut back inside, slowing the attack down.

However on the flip side Sagna is a better backs-to-the-wall defender than Debuchy, with a greater aerial athleticism that meant he was more adept at dealing with high balls late in the game, even scoring a couple of headed chances last season.

On the other flank Monreal is by no means the quality of Kieran Gibbs, who really has followed in a proud tradition of Arsenal left-backs, a position Wenger unquestionably knows how to scout for.

Although Monreal is of a high pedigree, having been plucked during the mass clearance sale at Malaga along with Cazorla, he always looks a little out of sorts and frantic and was definitely targeted by City.

Combine this with a license for the full backs to get forward and Arsenal have been left exposed countless times already this season. A moment's carelessness in possession, a misplaced pass when we are committed to attacking and the opposing team only have to beat three players en route to the Arsenal goal.

To leave you on a positive note, Arsenal have now scored 5 goals in two matches against City (3 in the Community Shield) suggesting that as an attacking force we are right up there capable of dissecting one of the best defences in the league.

Let's hope we can balance the side a little more and rack up those clean sheets, starting with Dortmund tonight and Villa on the weekend.

Thanks for reading!

Everton v Arsenal Match Review

Two goals in the final ten minutes saw Arsenal enjoy a thrilling comeback against Everton at Goodison Park yesterday to keep their unbeaten record in the league intact.

The Gunners managed to recover from an abysmal start to the game where they were outplayed for most of the first half.

Arsenal lined up as follows: Szczesny, Mertesacker, Chambers, Debuchy, Monreal, Ramsey, Wilshere, Oxlade-chamberlain, Flamini, Özil, Sanchez


Surprise inclusions for Chambers and Oxlade-Chamberlain were surely huge votes of confidence in Arsenal's young English talent. Many expected the centre-back pairing of Koscielny and Mertesacker after its effectiveness last season.


Cazorla and Giroud's demotion to the bench came as something of a shock, particularly considering the pair's fine scoring form of late and wealth of experience against top sides compared to Chambers and the Ox.


The first Everton goal came as the result of slack defending at the far post as Ozil, in his first appearance since returning from a summer break, allowed the Everton fullback to nip in front and get to the well-placed cross first.

Everton should have had a second soon after when striker Mirallas was through on goal, but under pressure from an onrushing Szczesny he screwed the effort wide. A let off for Wenger's men.

The second goal came somewhat fortuitously for the Toffees just before the stroke of halftime. Lukaku appeared to have pushed Mertesacker from behind to gain possession before playing in Naismith who was about half a yard offside. Nonetheless Naismith controlled well and tucked the ball between the legs of our Pole in the Goal.

At 2-0 Naismith's effort looked as though it would be the crippling blow in yet another defeat to a top 6 side, the classic failings of this team looked to have followed them into the 2014/15 campaign.

However yet again this season, Wenger was quick and decisive in changing his side around. At halftime he brought off Alexis Sanchez in order to rest the Chilean who is clearly taking some time to accustom to the league's relentless pace. In his place he brought on Giroud who has been so effective in the number 9 role.

The second half began far more promisingly as Arsenal dominated possession 60% to 40% peppering the Everton goal (we had 13 shots in total). The old adage goes that a 2-0 lead is often the hardest to defend tactically and from the 45th minute Everton looked to sit deep and defend. This allowed Arsenal to gain in confidence and eventually it paid off.

Cazorla and Campbell were both introduced on the 75th minute and suddenly the missing pieces of the jigsaw slotted into place. Campbell brought pace and sharp movement, whilst Cazorla is peerless in looking after the ball in the opposition's final third.

Ramsey, Cazorla and Ozil began linking up well, evidently picking up where they left off and this drew Everton even more central freeing up space for Arsenal's wide players.

The Welsh Jesus finally got the scoring underway in the 83rd minute and suddenly Everton began to look panicked. A great development in this Arsenal side and what I believe is a direct result of their FA Cup final comeback is a real resolve to keep fighting until the final minute.

Our reward came in the 89th minute when Monreal caught up with an overhit cross before sending in a beautifully weighted effort of his own that found the newly highlighted hair of Olivier Giroud who did superbly well to hold off Distin and send the ball whizzing into the net.

In his post match interview Arsene Wenger said: "We had a mountain to climb but we did it well. We came back with togetherness, with calmness and we didn't panic. we came back late but it is a strong point for us."

Ze Germans Aren't Coming

The news has come through this morning that Arsenal's returning heroes and world cup winners Per Mertesacker, Lukas Podolski and Mesut Ozil are to miss the start of the premier league season.

The trio who featured in Germany's triumphant campaign in Brazil are still on holiday after a long and tiring season, particularly Ozil who played his first full season in the premier league and featured in all of Germany's world cup matches, a season which for the Arsenal playmaker has stretched from August 2013 to July 2014.

The news will not come as a huge surprise but hearing it directly from manager Arsene Wenger is an affirmation that although eligible to play, Arsenal's German players will be rested in order to allow a comprehensive preseason build up.

This is due to a FIFA imposed mandatory four week break for players who feature in the world cup finals, meaning that players involved in the tournament's last game will not return to training until 4 days before the start of the new season on August 16th.

Whilst many Arsenal fans will be disappointed and a little apprehensive at the prospect of going without two of our key players for the season's opener against Crystal Palace, I believe that this is the logical precaution the manager must take to protect our most valuable players from injury.

By Wenger's own admission last season's title was lost due to injury to our key players. At one point Ozil, Ramsey, Walcott and Wilshere were all ineligible to play through injury which ultimately cost us our first title since 2004.

It is, however, very likely that both Mertesacker and Ozil will play in Arsenal's second game of the season against Everton as by then they will have had nearly two weeks to prepare. My only concern is that whilst others will have had a full preseason to get up to match speed and fitness, our German players may take some time to adjust.

I suppose that's the price you pay for having three world cup winners in ya team....get innnnnn!!

For more Arsenal news follow us on twitter @thelovelyreds

Thanks for reading!

Leave, Leave Situation?

David Moyes' sacking on Tuesday has caused the question of our own manager’s destiny to resurface. However inevitable you feel the United board's decision was, this was certainly a historic moment. The club that once boasted the longest serving and most successful manager in pretty much the entirety of footballing history now finds itself looking ahead to a future plagued by the same managerial uncertainties as virtually every other club around, where the man at the helm is never more than a few bad results from getting the boot. The question is, to what extent are Arsenal still an exception to this rule?

A quick search for the stats on the longest serving premier league managers currently active will reveal some truly eye-popping statistics. In the post-Fergie era Arsene Wenger now stands alone and that has surely put him under even more scrutiny than ever before. Many have suggested that with regard to our impending cup final Wenger now finds himself in a leave-leave situation. Should we win, he will be presented with an opportunity to leave on a high, having finally ended Arsenal’s trophy drought. Were we to lose, Arsenal's inability to deliver on a promising first half of the season will sink the club's collective confidence to new depths, even lower than after the loss to Birmingham in the League Cup final.

In today’s cutthroat game Sir Alex and Monsieur Wenger are certainly rarities, and perhaps even relics. Indeed mercenary-managers like Mourinho and Guardiola seem to relish the challenge of taking an already world-class team and a massive pile of cash, winning everything in sight for a couple of years and then buggering off again. The art of sticking with a club and trying to build a succession of quality teams like Ferguson did and Wenger, well, tried to do seems to now play second fiddle to a kind of professional box ticking. It isn’t about how many times can you can win the league, it’s how many countries you can win it in.

A similar trend can be seen with players, who are readily swapping huge paycheques for obscene paycheques, and something about winning silverware, at the slightest hint of glory/enough money. Steven Gerrard’s unerring loyalty to Liverpool had bordered on the professionally insane until about 3 weeks ago when it became apparent that, holy shit, Liverpool may actually win the title, but I don’t think this fairy-tale ending will see the likes of Lewandowski and Falcao deciding to make their future career decisions with more integrity. On the subject of Falcao, were Athlético to win La Liga and the Champions League this season it may well serve as a cautionary tale to those looking to jump ship…or maybe not, because money.

On the other hand it will be most interesting to see whether Jürgen Klopp does indeed decide to spurn United’s advances over the coming weeks, and if so how long he stays at Dortmund in the years to come. Having managed the club for several years now, turning them into a truly formidable European outfit, he has now reached a critical point in his time there. Will he move on to pastures greener, having made a name for himself, or is he in it for the long haul?

Bearing all of this in mind and the inherent issues surrounding predicting the future, it is of course extremely difficult to say whether Wenger should leave at the end of the season. However we really can’t afford to rush the period of transition, and the key thing is that we have the right man for the job lined up when he does eventually call time. We can certainly learn a lot from United on that front.

Don't forget,  for your chance to win a signed Santi Cazorla boot follow @thelovelyreds on twitter and RT our competition message. The competition runs until Friday 9th May at which point a winner will be announced. Good Luck!

For more Arsenal and football content follow @thelovelyreds on twitter and tune into the blog everyday for original content. Thanks for reading

Hull, Referees and a Lovely Reds Giveaway

Sunday's match against Hull was billed as a warm-up to the FA Cup final due to take place next month. Arsenal vs Hull two teams who have enjoyed success amidst the throws of knockout football yet who have stuttered at times to find consistent league form.

Hull are not to be underestimated, boasting a strong midfield with players such as Huddlestone, Livermore and Meyler who, if required, are able to play flowing passing football.

Our FA Cup hopes are boosted by the fact that Hull's strike partnership of Long and Jelavic are both cup tied and therefore ineligable to play in May, however both started at the K.C. stadium last weekend which was some initial cause for concern given Long's pace and Jelavic's physical presence.

As was evidenced with Swansea's Wilfried Bony our defense can be suceptable to well-placed crosses, however fears were allayed with the inclusion of Koscielny who is now fully fit and should spend the rest of the season cosied up next to his big German soulmate.

The one time Long did find himself in space, running in behind Koscielny, he wasted the effort by attempting a shot from a difficult angle, miscuing and sending the ball into the stratosphere.

As well as this boost to our defense, our midfield saw the return of the messiah, the ethereal Mesut Ozil. Anyone who doubted his jaw-dropping quality will have to think twice about their appraisal as the German clearly made a huge difference, allowing Ramsey to adopt a more creative role safe in the knowledge that Ozil and Cazorla could back him up.

The young German should have had a penalty early on. In a move spookily similar to that against Bayern, Ozil, running down the left side of Hull's penalty area, pulled a neat turn with the inside of his left boot jinking between two Hull defenders. Looking at the replay it was clear that Elmohamady's leg made contact and Arsenal were unlucky not to get an early opportunity to take the lead.

After seeing off some retaliatory pressure from City, Arsenal found their flow, playing the kind of football we haven't seen since Christmas. Suddenly our one touch passing was back, and Ramsey and Ozil's willingness to cover every blade of grass in search of space ensured that Hull's back four were always busy.

This coupled with Giroud's physicality meant that holes soon began appearing deep in Hull's half. Ramsey pulling the strings followed the run of the ball between Ozil and Cazorla, running in close to the Spaniard ensuring he lost his marker before pulling away in between the centre back and left back. A well timed through ball from Santi found the Welshman in space, before he slotted it home to the rupturous applause of the away fans.

Another classic goal to add to the several we have scored this season. It really is upsetting to think how different our season may have been had even half of our injury list been fit. Any combination of Ozil, Ramsey, Wilshere and Walcott would have been worth at least an additional 4 points in the second half of the season, keeping us within reach of the title. Add a proven, pacey goalscorer in the Summer and we're even more dangerous.

The game settled back into a more regular rythym and Hull began to find their feet after Ramsey's opener. Meyler and Long combined well to create space for Livermore,  whose shot cannoned off the post next to an outstretched Szczesny. A close call for Arsenal and a reminder to keep pressing for a second.

A second Arsenal goal came in somewhat controversial circumstances. Perhaps it's our bias but Arteta's 'foul' on Jelavic would have been very soft, if anything there was less contact than between Ozil and Elmohamady so at least the referee was being consistent.

As it happened, Arteta's tackle disposessing Jelovic was the springboard for an old-school good ol' fashioned rip-roaring adventure in counterattacking. Finding the ball at his feet Giroud did superbly to cut back freeing himself of the attentions of Hull's defense. Positioned between the right side of the penalty box and the touchline, the HFB saw an onrushing Ramsey (who had sprinted 60 yards once Arteta had won the ball back) chippping in a cross aimed for the Welshman. As it happened Ramsey's chested control fell a little long, which would have ended the move had Podolski not arrived just in time to launch a laser-guided volley into the bottom right corner. Harper didn't even move.

Such is the potency of our German winger, who now has 4 goals in two games, that Giroud's dry-spell is not affecting our results.

After some fairly uninspiring midfield play between the two sides, Arsenal struck again and yet again through another pacey, technical move. Monreal, whose involvement did initially cause me some worry (let's face it he's no Kieran Gibbs) had an outstanding game, keeping Meyler in his back pocket all game and doing well when turning defense into attack.

For our third goal Monreal made a good, penetrating run down the left flank before cutting the ball back towards the edge of the sixteen-yard box. The clever cut back found Ramsey ina  few feet of space, however the Welshman's shot was saved by Harper despite his blocked vision. However the Hull keeper failed to hold on to the ball and as it squirted free of his grasp, Podolski was at hand, yet again showing his experience in positioning, to tap it home.

3-0 to Arsenal and by this point we were cruising. Giroud could have added a fourth (I currently have a bet that he will score 16 or more league goals this season - he's on 14) when a strong gust of wind held up a back pass. Giroud met Harper just as the Hull keeper tried to clear, the ball reboudning off the Frenchman's sculpted thigh and towards goal. The angle was tight and the ball about to escape Giroud's reach for a goalkick when he managed to get a toe to it, however the ball lifted and agonisingly struck the crossbar.

A let off for Hull but annoying for Giroud whose hard work and persistance should have earnt him a goal. 

With 20 minutes to go Wenger decided to mix things up replacing a battle-wearied Giroud with the Ox. His impact was immediate and urgent and with his first real impact on the game should have had a penalty (that's two we should have been awarded in this game alone). Cutting between two players, the Ox's quick feet proved too much for Davies who added the finishing touch to another foul by Rosenoir which had already threatened to stop the young Englishman mid-stride. Again the referee waved away the claim, however there was not much of a response from the Arsenal players or fans considering our comfortable lead. Had the game been tighter however, then the referee's poor decisions at either end of the match would have been a huge talking point.

On a side note I think there is a real danger of referees achieving too much autonomy in the modern game. The culture of respect is such a worthy one, considering that referees are often terribly abused during games, hounded and threatened by players, fans and coaches alike, but there is a worry it could go too far the other way. A referee should be accountable for their decisions, either give them the technology to get it right or allow criticism.

Ban abusive gestures and remarks by all means but managers and players should be allowed to air their honest opinion about the referee's perfomance after the game otherwise a poor referee is able to hide behind  a screen of immunity.

It is my opinion that this shift in treatment is beginning to affect the game at lower levels aswell. Playing weekly Sunday League and 5-a-side matches I have witnessed a paradigm shift in the way referees treat the players they are officiating.

I would never condone swearing or shouting at a referee, hoever there have been several occasions where the sentence 'I'm the referee and what I say goes' has been uttered without a hint of irony. The referees are there to officiate a game, not dictate it and there should be an open forum for discussion with the referee to give them an honest appraisal, especially at amateur level where the quality of refereeing is about as consistent as the players themselves.

Perhaps it is because there is such a strict control on what managers can say in their post match interview that words can often boil over into malice. Mourinho's post-match interview following Chelsea's defeat to Sunderland is a prime example. If there is a way for managers to be honest then perhaps a simple "the referee was poor from our perspective" would suffice as opposed to a lengthy tirade laced with sarcasm.

Back to Hull and given how convincingly we won away from home there is real hope for our first silverware in almost a decade. This has to be the year. The return of Ramsey and Ozil has been a massive boost which will hopefully see us through to fourth place and a trophy which would, let's face it, be a marked improvement from last year. Although we would barely scrape into European places yet again, I think it would be a minor miracle considering our injury list and run of fixtures in February, whilst winning the FA Cup would allay the tension which has gripped the Emirates for half a decade.

In exciting news, for your chance to win a signed Santi Cazorla boot follow @thelovelyreds on twitter and RT our competition message. The competition runs until Friday 9th May at which point a winner will be announced. Good Luck!

For more Arsenal and football content follow @thelovelyreds on twitter and tune into the blog everyday for original content. Thanks for reading

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...

For more Arsenal and football content follow @thelovelyreds on twitter and tune into the blog everyday for original content. Thanks for reading

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.

For more Arsenal and football content follow @thelovelyreds on twitter and tune into the blog everyday for original content. Thanks for reading

Let's Kick Racism out of Football (but let's also kick Giroud...alot)

If last weekend's match against Sunderland showed Arsenal at their attacking best, then today's match at Stoke was a far cry from those heady heights witnessed against the Black Cats.

After a cagey start fraught with misplaced passes, the first 20 minutes offered little to either set of fans, with perhaps the best chance falling to Stoke who executed a fast-paced counterattack following an Arsenal corner that was easily cleared. Walters was deemed offside however the effort had Szczesny scrambling across the goal line.

Stoke's Wilson then had a free header at the back post after he was left worryingly unmarked by a defense that seemed strangely ununified. Thankfully Wilson seemed caught in two minds, heading the ball straight at Sagna, Mertesacker making the eventual clearance.

It seemed as though Arsenal were frustrated due to their own erratic play and a referee who was quite happy to allow the now customary game of 'let's see who can kick Jack Wilshere the hardest' continue throughout the match. The physicality of the game spiralled as it played out. This was characterised by a frankly disgraceful decision by the referee who missed a clear sending off for Stoke's ..... when he stamped on Giroud's ankle, before bizarrely giving a free kick against Arsenal.

We had to wait until the 32nd minute for our first real chance, coming when Podolski was released with an incisive through ball. However the German, under pressure from the Stoke defense rushed the shot, failing to even hit the target.

The game was ultimately decided by an innocuous incident in which Koscielny was deemed to have handballed inside the penalty area. Whilst we can understand why this was given, as Koscielny's arms were raised, he was less than a yard from the ball and had virtually no time to move his hands out of the way. Yet another rigid rule which should be open to change given circumstance considering there was no intention on the part of the defender to handball.

This was a game decided by exceptionally poor refereeing. What is frustrating is that because the referee missed such a vast quantity of small, seemingly meaningless fouls and trips on our players none of them will be mentioned in the media. The game, mired in Stoke's reversion to Pulisesque tactics of aggression never got going and it was so obvious that Stoke were out there to intimidate, leaving the boot in time and time again. Yet when a referee has a poor game which favours the Gunners the clamour to highlight those poor decisions is so predictable to the point of hilarity.

Giroud fell to the ground, fouled for the umpteenth time yet the clock still only read 36 minutes played. Having been stamped on you would have expected the referee to brandish a red card for the offending player, yet to the incredulity of our striker the referee's arms indicated a foul had been given against the Frenchman, for what? There was no logic in that decision, it was made purely based on the sounds of the baying crowd and the notoriety of this fixture which portrays Stoke as a team for the English man's man and Arsenal as the soft foreigner. Football can be very difficult to referee - especially managing your subconscious prejudices - so we all understand when the more creative and optimistic side get the benefit of the doubt with some decisions. I was very happy to see that Stoke got this benefit throughout...

Stoke did expand the run of the game with their fair share of the possession. In the 41st minute Whelan forced a strong save from Szczesny, a low drive from the edge of box. But the half time whistle blew just as Rosicky seemed to be onto a promising break which happened to characterise the remainder of the match.

But perhaps we're looking at this from the wrong angle. I like to think that the highly scrupulous Stoke players felt Giroud had done himself, his fans and the team such a moral injustice of late, that they just had to express the due response in the way they know best: stamping it out. Like let's kick racism out of football, but let's also kick sexual moral corruption out, literally.

Despite the terrible officiating we were as a team sub-standard. Fast forwarding, what for me is the difference between Arsenal and some more competitive sides at times, a half with a lack of urgency and lack of resolve. We didn't fight tooth and nail. We were idling, waiting for the Arsenal clutch to bite. Sadly, it ended amongst other bouts, with Giroud being stamped on yet again, by one Charles Adams, the fine squire and personified messenger of justice. That mental image feels so right.

No it actually ended with Sanogo struggling to hit the target at the end of the most exciting bit of football of the match. Damn that was hard to watch.

For more Arsenal and football content follow @thelovelyreds on twitter and tune into the blog everyday for original content. Thanks for reading.

The One's That Got Away

Wenger is arguably one of the best managers in the world at recognising talent from a young age.

He is also renowned for seeing something in players which others fail to, reinvigorating the flagging careers of many professionals to blistering effect.

However nobody is perfect and Wenger is guilty of having let some absolutely world class players slip through the net throughout his 17 year tenure.

He has undoubtedly brought more in than let go but TLR coudn’t help thinking what our team might’ve been like today had we been diligent enough to get those elusive starlets to put pen to paper.

Here’s a list of 5 ones that got away:

         

1) Zlatan Ibrahimovic

While still playing for Swedish outfit Malmo FC Zalatan and his agent Mino Raiola made the trip to London Colney to meet with Wenger. Zlatan himself admitted to being overawed by the likes of Bergkamp, Henry and Viera and was eager to open talks with the manager. Wenger requested that Zlatan take part in a trial to which Mino replied ‘Zalatan doesn’t do trials’ before storming out taking the young Swede with him. Zlatan went on to join Ajax and has since played for Europe's elite sides.

2) Gareth Bale

The man who single-handedly kept Spurs in contention for fourth spot last season and who is now lighting up La Liga was very nearly a Gunner. Back when Bale was a stringy teen playing as left-back for a prodigious Southampton side that gave us Walcott, Wenger had the option to sign Bale for an absolute steal. At the time Wenger didn't sign Bale, stating 'We didn't sign Bale because we already had Clichy'....looooooool 

3) Petr Cech

      

      Arsenal had agreed both fees and personal terms with the promising goalkeeper in 2002, who was plying his trade in the Czech first division with Sparta Prague. Yet issues surrounding work permits (a breaking point for many subsequent transfer attempts) saw Arsenal pull out of the deal. Instead, Cech joined French side Rennes where he impressed enough to draw the attention of other premier league clubs, eventually signing for the West London Oil Drums.

       

 4) Yaya Toure 

With older brother Kolo playing first team football with Arsenal, little (hah) brother Yaya was brought to the club. Yaya even played in the famous red and white for a youth side game before issues surrounding work permits once again forced Arsenal to make a decision. Toure ended up joining greek side Olympiakos before going on to become Viera v2.0 with the limited edition 'free kick' accessory pack.

5) Cristiano Ronaldo 

The now twice FIFA World Player of the Year admitted, 'It's true. I was an inch away from signing for Arsenal. I saw Arsene Wenger three times with my mother. It was very close to being a done deal.' According to Ronaldo's agent, Jorge Mendes, a clutch of high-profile clubs, including Arsenal and Manchester United, were keen to sign the youngster from Sporting Lisbon. Whilst still nothing more than a promising talent the young Ronaldo was shown around London Colney and was even given an Arsenal shirt with his name on the back by Wenger. The Gunners  agreed a fee thought to be worth around £4 million for the Portuguese winger. However just as things looked as though they were heading towards an agreement Manchester United came in with a bid that far outweighed Arsenal's, having been so impressed in a friendly with Sporting Lisbon.     

    

Add those players to our current squad and this is what you get.... we know, we know.....

Goalkeepers: Petr Cech, Wojciech Szczesny Defenders: Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Sagna, Vermaelen, Monreal Midfielders: Ramsey, Özil, Bale, Toure, Ronaldo, Wilshere, Chamberlain, Cazorla, Rosicky, Arteta, Flamini Strikers: Ibrahimovic, Suarez, Giroud, Sanogo

Daayyymmmmmm that's hot.

For more Arsenal and football content follow @thelovelyreds on twitter and tune into the blog everyday for original content. Thanks for reading.

Bury The Hatchet

There’s been a buzz surrounding this Saturday’s match against Stoke and as per usual it’s for all the wrong reasons.

Since the day Tony Pulis arrived at the Stoke training ground wearing nothing but a basbeall cap and smile on his face, things took a turn for the worse in the North...

Despite enjoying a successful start under Sam Allardyce v2.0 the club began gaining a reputation as a side whose primary tactic consisted of out-muscling the opposition and crowding the penalty area on set plays.

This inevitably endeared them to other football sides....

But there was one with whom their ‘style’ of play was particularly frictitous, that of Arsenal whose own way of playing the ball along the ground in passing triangles coudn’t have provided a greater antithesis.

Similarly Wenger’s preference for technically gifted midgets provided just as much of a physical representation of this difference as did the stats.

Thankfully we have since shaken off the label of ‘weak’ side owing largely to the signing of Mertesacker, Flamini and Giroud who are quite happy to stick the boot in when required.Others have grown into this more resilient side, we all know Wilshere likes to get a bit lairy at times, while Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sanogo take some effort to dispossess.

However there was a time when players like Almunia, Djourou, Fabregas, Nasri and Ramsey occupied the Arsenal spine and for all their wonderful ability (not you Almunia or Djourou) were often targeted  as a side who would crumble in a scrappy game.

Of course we weren’t helped in an era in which referees thought a return to the good ol’ days of Chopper Harris and Vinnie Jones would be a good idea and often allowed a succession of bookable offences to go unpunished.

This inevitably lowered the tone of those matches considerably and often saw the Arsenal players reduce themselves to the level of the opposition, seeking retribution in the face of an apathetic referee.

In some equally frustrating yet more unfortunate instances the referee's unwillingness to stamp out (pun intended) the foul play sometimes lead to particularly nasty fouls going in, think Eduardo or Diaby.

On the 27th Feb 2010 the match between two opposing football ideologies came to a head, the Stoke players no doubt fired up Pulis, their own fans and a subconscious desire to prove themselves physically saw Ryan Shawcross make a rash challenge on a young Aaron Ramsey.

Many of you will know what happened, and will have seen footage of the break which to this day makes me feel a bit queasy even thinking about it.

Ramsey, whose career at the time was progressing at a faster rate of knots than Wilshere was hospitalised and ruled out of action for 9 months.

 

It took the Welshman a couple of seasons to fully recover and find his best form which we were all enjoying immensely until his injury against West Ham has since ruled him out .

Every year we play Stoke home and away and every time the pre-match furore surrounds the war of words between Arsenal and Stoke fans. The Stoke fans shoudn’t have a leg to stand on in this, considering it was their player who almost ended the career of another, yet they somehow draw on Ramsey’s refusal to accept an apology immediately after the incident as some kind of scandal.

Let them have it, if that’s all the straw they have to clutch then TLR pities them, I mean it can’t be fun supporting Stoke or even living in Stoke so if posting things about Ramsey and Arsenal helps them sleep at night then we should leave them to it. Consider it a gift people of Stoke, but one you can’t take to the pawnbrokers and exchange for a pack of fags or a tin of special brew.

Ramsey won’t be playing, Arsenal are a completely different team to last season and Stoke have a manager in Mark Hughes who is actually trying to change their style of play for the better.

We say let’s bury the hatchet (right into Shawcrosses fa..) no we really mean it. This feud can’t go on for ever. Our travelling fans will no doubt receive a fair amount of abuse but our message to them is support the team, ignore Shawcross and the Stoke fans and enjoy the football.

Who knows it could even be a match in which we simultaeneously outmuscle and outplay them as we now possess a potent combination of resilience and brilliance that is shown by our huge number of clean sheets this season.

Shawcross, Ramsey and everything that period of our club’s history stood for is in the past. We have come back stronger, more determined and hungrier than ever. Let the players show that through their football and the fans urge them on. Stoke and Pulis have gone backwards...significantly, for them those torrid days were a golden era of course they will try and rekindle those emotions as it means they’re still relevant.

This match is billed as an unwitting derby of sorts, a fact the media inevitably exacerbates to create a hype out of something that shoudn’t still exist.

For more Arsenal and football content follow @thelovelyreds on twitter and tune into the blog everyday for original content. Thanks for reading.