Transfer Deadline Day

Today is the 31st of August and it is the last day to complete transfers. The countdown has started and although this year transfer activity has been somewhat subdued with the exception of Real Madrid and Man City, there can still be a lot of surprises at the very end.

Although Arsenal have had a brilliant start to the season, I still think Arsenal are short in a few areas especially defensively. We need a back up defensive midfielder and a central defender. A goalkeeper wouldn't go amiss with the shaky start Almunia has had to the season. Arsenal would need to sort out the situation with Senderos before the end of the transfer window although I would rather we keep Senderos and get rid of Silvestre.

Arsene Wenger last season compared the transfer deadline day to a game of poker. I hope he has some tricks up his sleeve to win the poker game. Last season we made a huge transfer coup landing Arshavin on deadline day, I hope today would be equally productive.

Arsenal lose to United

Arsenal looked to be cruising to victory against United until they hit the self destruct button. This has happened once too many times with Arsenal going in front against teams in the big 4 only to collapse late on in the game. It makes you wonder if Arsenal have the big game mentality. Arsenal were clearly better than United in the game, the players were in control of the game and then a couple of moments of madness and they trow away the game. I know it might seem reactive to this game but it makes you wonder if Arsene shouldnt add a character to the team before the transfer window closes.

The officiating was a farce in my opinion, Mike Dean handed out the most cards last season and gave away the most penalties. He was true to kind in this game dishing out yellow cards for fun to both sides. When it came to making the crucial penalty decisions, he denied Arsenal a clear cut penalty and gave United one on the other end. The last major decision he took was to send Arsene Wenger to the stand for a rather innocuous kick of a bottle at the touchline after Arsenal were rightly denied a goal in the dying minutes. I am very angry about the officiating but I am more angry that Arsenal lost a game they never should have lost in all honesty.

Wenger post game interview

Clash of the titans

Arsenal face United in an English premier league game at old trafford tomorrow. It would be the first meeting among the big 4 and it promises to be an exciting game. It is a chance for Arsenal to really put their marker down as challengers and at the same time put United to the sword. A win for Arsenal would put us 3 points ahead of United with one outstanding game.

It is hard to forget the embarrassment faced by Arsenal against United at home in the semi final of the champions league. Manchester United completely dominated and outclassed Arsenal in that game. I can still remember the silly comments by Evra after the game. All I can think of is revenge the last couple of days, it is time our boys show Manchester United that they are now men.

Tactically United controlled both games in the semi finals of the champions league. They cut Arsenal off in the midfield and attacked Arsenal with pace any time they won the ball. This United team however is a different team without Ronaldo. It is interesting to see if they can play the same type of speedy counter attacking game without Ronaldo. It is important that the Arsenal defenders control Rooney because he is really playing like a man with a point to prove this season. Thomas Vermaelen seems to be relishing the opportunity to face Rooney tomorrow.

On the injury front, there is a bit of bad news, Cesc Fabregas is not fit enough to travel to Old Trafford. The team would definitely miss the influence of their captain, he has been in excellent form to start the season and has been quietly pulling the strings from midfield. The other players would have to step up like they did against Celtic.

Now unto the controversial Eduardo situation, I have been a big supporter of retrospective punishment and I was in support of the suspension Dida received for this ridiculous play acting.

I think it would be hypocritical to oppose the suspension simply because it involves an Arsenal player. However similar punishment should be handed out to other players that dive in future or else Eduardo would end up being a scape goat.

Injury news for the weekend

Theo Walcott's Nike Ad

A tale of an unfortunate dive

Arsenal beat Celtic by 3 - 1 and finished the contest 5-1 on aggregate. The first goal of the game was scored by Eduardo from the penalty spot. The penalty was awarded for an embarrassing dive by Eduardo and sadly that has become the story of the game.

The second goal was a brilliant goal that included an audacious back hill and an Eboue finish. The 3rd goal was scored by second half substitute Arshavin while Celtic had a late consolation goal with what was basically the last kick of the game.

The game itself wasn’t particularly brilliant; Celtic battled hard, closed Arsenal down and tried to stop Arsenal from playing without particularly threatening Arsenal at the other end. Arsenal on the other hand didn’t have to push too hard for a goal considering the advantage they brought back from Celtic park.

It is rather unfortunate that the story of this tie has become about Eduardo’s dive. He was booed during the game and it was good to see that Arsenal fans did not condone that type of behavior. Hopefully Wenger would have a quiet word with him. On a side note, the penalty didn’t decide this tie; it was over after the first leg.

Arsenal-Celtic Preview

The big one is this weekend but first order of business, dispatch Celtic. Unfortunately Cesc Fabregas would not be available for this game. The young Arsenal captain has been inspirational this season and he has returned to the form he showed at the start of the 2007/2008 season.
Wenger is considering playing Aaron Ramsey in his place and it would be a big opportunity for him if he is picked for this game. Aaron Ramsey is quite different from Cesc Fabregas, the way he plays reminds me of Steven Gerrard. He is very mobile, a decent passer and he isn't afraid to take a punt from distance. A few other young players should also get their chance in this game and hopefully they would not disappoint.

The game should still be more of a formality considering the result Arsenal picked up at Celtic park. However Celtic have not given up all hope in this game (or at least that is what the players say to the media). Celtic defender Gary Cadwell thinks if they can nick one goal, it would change the whole complexion of the game. He also says they would be physical and try and bully Arsenal, hopefully the boys would be ready for whatever Celtic trow at them.

The defenders have to be very professional in this game unlike last weekend when their sloppiness gave portsmouth a few opportunities and a glimmer of hope. Although the defence has visibly improved from last season, Arsenal have only kept one clean sheet this season and ironically it was against Celtic. On the other end, Arsenal have been scoring goals for fun with 12 goals in the first 3 games of the season. If Arsenal can score against Celtic, the tie would be over anyway because Celtic would have a mountain to climb. I am really looking forward to this game especially as some of the youngsters would have a chance to shine in this one.

Wenger pre Celtic Interview

The complexity of Diaby

Abou Diaby scored a couple of good goals in his last game for Arsenal in the game against Portsmouth. In the wake of that victory, Arsene Wenger had this to say about Diaby.

On Abou Diaby’s similarities to Patrick Vieira...

"Abou is a more offensive player but if he decides to play defensively he is exactly like Vieira. At some stage when Gallas moved out I put Denilson centre back and put Diaby central midfield in a defensive role. And he looks completely similar to Patrick to win the ball back. But he is a guy who has a quick transition from defence to offence, from box to box, that is his fantastic strength, to change quickly. Nobody can go with him when he has that, when we are on the counter-attack. He is fantastic."

On the frustrating time Diaby has had...

"He has been out for nine months. He has been here three years and I have seen that today he played his 100th game so that means he has been out for a long, long time. He has had little problems and he worked very hard this summer. This could be Abou’s year, it could be his season because he prepared well, he looks very sharp, very strong, he has all you dream to have to play in the Premier League."

Emmanuel Petit also compared Abou Diaby to Patrick Vieira in a new article in the mirror following the game. Considering what a massive player Vieira was, I think it is a very flattering that Diaby is being compared to Vieira.

When Abou Diaby was signed, it looked like he was naturally going to fill the Vieira role, everything seemed to be going according to plan until he got a nasty injury against Sunderland that completely halted his development. Since he returned back from injury, he hasn't exactly gone on to fulfill the initial promise he showed when he signed for Arsenal.

Abou Diaby is a very interesting player, he has good physique, excellent close ball technique and good with the ball on his feet. Unfortunately, football is about the bigger picture and that is the aspect lacking in Diaby's game. He holds unto the ball a bit too long, tries to dribble too much, he isn't really much of a passer and he really doesn't see his teammates on the pitch. In my opinion Abou Diaby would be an excellent player in 5 aside football game but on a bigger pitch, the flaws in his game get exposed.

The bigger problem facing Abou Diaby at Arsenal is figuring what his best position is on the pitch. He isn't really defensive enough to play as a defensive midfielder yet he isn't dynamic enough to play in a more offensive role in the midfield. Arsene Wenger has played him in central midfield, in the defensive midfield, as a supporting striker and even on the left wing. He really hasn't found his niche in any of this positions and that has somewhat down his development. However the new 4-3-3 formation presents an opportunity for Diaby to finally establish himself.

Watching Abou Diaby score those 2 goals against Portsmouth reminded me of what a talented player he is but he has to be consistent and establish himself this season because he is not a kid anymore. He also needs to shake off these niggling injuries that have kept him in and out of the team for the last couple of years.

Arsenal seek consistency

Arsenal have had a brilliant start to the season but now the hard part, maintaining the consistency needed to win the title. In the past the team has gotten excellent results in difficult games but lost focus in the easy games and dropped unnecessary points. I attribute that to the lack of maturity and experience of the team. A title winning team has to pick up points from the smaller sides in the league with relative ease. Manchester United picked up 58 points out of 60 against the bottom half of the premier league table last season. That was the secret to their success, crushing the little guys. The last time Arsenal won the title, the team made winning the games against the minnows of the league like clock work, in fact they went through the entire season without losing a game.

Those were the days

In a few hours Arsenal face a team that has been regarded as early candidates for relegation. Portsmouth are in a mess financially, they are facing a take over by an Arab businessman that apparently is the first Arab businessman without money and the confidence of the squad is at an all time low. Arsenal have to go into the Portsmouth game with the right focus, attitude and mentality and come out with the maximum 3 points. Anything short of that would be a huge set back in Arsenal's premier league aspiration this season.

Arsene Wenger in his pre-game press conference suggested that the premier league starts to that shape after 10 games. The fixture list to start the season hasn't been particularly favorable to Arsenal but the first two results have put Arsenal on the right track to have a brilliant start to the season. Speaking of injuries, Carlos Vela is out for the next month with ankle injury while he blamed Theo Walcott's dual role for his injury. On signings, he says he is not looking to sign Hangeland but that should come as no surprise after watching Vermaelen in the first two games of the season. However he says we are a bit short defensively and he might add a defensive player. I am assuming it should be a midfield reinforcement although Arsenal also lack a bit of depth at the back. It is 11pm in Miami, I think I need to end my ramblings about Arsenal and catch some sleep.

Theo Walcott gets a tatoo

Injury news for the weekend

United downplaying the loss of Ronaldo but are they as good as they were last season?

I watched Manchester United against Burnley a few hours ago and I have to say that United are just not the same team without Cristiano Ronaldo (and Tevez). I know there is a school of thought that United usually start the season slow but I think there is a deeper problem, this time they might never take off. I would stick my neck out and say that this wouldn't be the last game they would lose against smaller teams in the league this season. There is just not enough quality offensively to be able to compensate for the loss of those two player. Wayne Rooney has been trying to do it all on his own but he is just not capable of single-handedly carrying a team.

In the last 3-4 years, Alex Ferguson built his team based on the individual brilliance of his forwards and their ability to run at opponents and take them out on counter attack. Ronaldo was a key component in this system, he could play on the left hand side, right hand side or centrally in the attack. He had speed, strength, power, athleticism, ball control, balance and he had uncanny ability to score goals with his head and both of his feet. Although the other players contributed their fair share of goal scored, Ronaldo was still like a one man wrecking crew and he scored loads of goals against the smaller teams in the league. He scored 91 goals in the last 3 seasons, Alex Ferguson hasn't done enough to replace his production but he has also not replaced his skill set. I noticed United are now trying to play a more passing game rather than the running game that was very successful the last 3 seasons.

I think it would be unfair to talk about yesterdays game without giving some credit to Burnley. I was very impressed when I watched them beat a young Arsenal team in the Carling cup last season. They also beat Fulham and Chelsea in the competition and gave good account of themselves against Tottenham. They are a very positive team that likes to pass the ball around and play possession football. They didn't just defend against United yesterday, they attacked when they had the ball and caused United all sorts of problems. However there were things they could do against United yesterday that they probably wouldn't have tried a year ago. They kept a high line and pushed forward several times during the game but United didn't have the pace to punish them. United are just not the same team without Ronaldo and if Ferguson doesn't sign a replacement for Ronaldo, I cant see United being a front runner for the league this season.

Rugged and Dogged performance hands Arsenal a two goal advantage

I remember watching Arsenal against Sparta Prague a couple of years ago in a very physical champions league qualifier. It was obvious after that game that the team was ready to challenge for the premier league. I felt the same way about this team after yesterday's game. What made the performance even more impressive was the way Arsenal controlled the tempo and flow of the game. The maturity and poise shown by the team was quite outstanding. The players were patient, moved the ball around and looked very comfortable in possession. They didnt give in to the physical approach of the Celtic team or the intimidating Celtic Atmosphere.

The foundation of every good team is being defensively solid. The personnel change, the new formation and an improvement in the team attitude towards defending makes Arsenal a more solid outfit compared to last season. The signing of Vermaelen was a master stroke but more importantly the partnership with Gallas looks to be flourishing. They seem to be on the same wavelength and compliment each other very well. The 4-3-3 formation has given the team the team a better balance and Song has been excellent playing the defensive midfield role. Finally I think the most crucial improvement in the team defensively is the team pressure all over the pitch.

Arsene Wenger feels Arsenal collectively dominated the game. I think he has really drilled this team in the summer and the improvement in the team is quite tremendous. However the team has to maintain the same type of team effort and commitment over the course of the season to achieve the type of consistency required of a team that wins titles.

Arsenal at celtic park tomorrow

Arsenal face Celtic at Celtic park tomorrow in a crucial champions league qualifier for the money spinning group phase of the champions league . I am a bit worried about the game because Celtic seem to be inspired whenever the big boys from Europe come to their stadium. They have done well in recent years against Manchester United, Barcelona and Milan. I still think Arsenal should be able to get a good result at Celtic park but it wouldn't be a walk in the park. I expect a very determined and committed Celtic team and the atmosphere would be very intimidating.

Wenger speaking about the atmosphere had this to say about his team

"You expect a massive support at Celtic,"
"Scotland is always a very special atmosphere, a special noise in the stands. But we have played everywhere in Europe and we can deal with that. It will be down to us and how well we play."We don’t go into this game with fear. We go with respect for Celtic, but we know it is a very important game for us and we want to come home with a positive result.
"I always prepare my team first with determination and not with fear. We have played everywhere and have good experience in the Champions League. But every game is different and we know what we will face on Tuesday night – a very determined Celtic team with quality."

The injury news is not very promising, Diaby is set to return from injury but the trio of Cesc Fabregas, Denilson and Sagna are minor doubts for the game. Theo Walcott is also out of the game with a back problem he was carrying while away with England on international duty. According to Wenger, the test results on the injury was negative which is some positive news. Irrespective of what team Wenger puts out against Celtic, Arsenal should be able to pick up a decent result that would put them in good stead to qualify when Celtic come to the emirates staduim.

4-3-3 Formation makes Cesc Fabregas effective like Denis Bergkamp

It is a strange topic comparing a midfielder to a striker but there is one thing Cesc Fagregas has in common with Bergkamp, the Pass. Denis Bergkamp was gifted with the vision and the ability to make defence splitting passes. Cesc Fabregas has the same quality, the uncanny ability to read the game and his passing ability is second to none in the game. He can ping 40 yard pass accurately as well as a 5 yard pass with the right amount of pace and spin on the ball.

Denis Bergkamp started out as a traditional second striker but as he grew older and lost his pace, he became more and more like a playmaker. He stopped scoring a lot of goals but he was the link man between the midfield and the attack.

Cesc Fabregas on the other hand is a traditional midfielder but he has his flaws. He isn’t very good defensively, he isn’t very physical, doesn’t have a lot of pace and lacks athleticism. He therefore needs a strong defensive midfielder beside him to be effective in a 2 man midfield. In the 2007/08 season he played alongside Flamini and it gave him the freedom to go around the pitch and express himself without worrying about defensive cover behind him. Unfortunately last season he had to play alongside Denilson and his game suffered. Arsene Wenger has taken a new approach with the 4-3-3 formation and I think Cesc would be the biggest beneficiary. It gives him the license to roam and get around the pitch without worrying too much about defensive duty at the same time he has the opportunity to use his strongest quality, the Pass.

The morning after

After a win like yesterday, you get excited and feel like you have finally arrived. I saw the game a second time and got my kick out of it but it is over and it is time to move on.


Arsenal face Celtic in a very difficult champions league qualifier at Celtic park on Tuesday. The game is very important and would decide if Arsenal make it into the group phase of the champions league. Although the Scottish league is not very competitive, Celtic have done very well in the past against Manchester United, Barcelona and AC Milan. Hopefully Arsenal put up a good performance and keep the momentum going from the Everton game. By the way, I am off to see United and Liverpool play.

Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.

I wasn't optimistic going into the season but what a brilliant start to the season by Arsenal. I am not a big fan of the 4-3-3 formation especially with Bendtner playing on the right. However when the game started, the team looked really comfortable moving the ball around. Then it started raining, raining goals that is and it just wouldn't stop. By the end of the first half Arsenal were 3 goals up against Everton in Goodison park. At the end of the game, Arsenal had scored 6 goals. The only blight on the game was Arsenal couldnt keep a clean sheet.

Tactically I thought the way the midfield was set up was perfect because it played to the strengths of the players. Song anchored the midfield and did an amazing job playing the holding role in central midfield while Cesc and Denilson were given free roles. Denilson has been criticized a lot the past year but I think restricting him to that defensive midfield role was part of the problem. Denilson in my opinion is a box to box player and he is better when he is given a free role further up the pitch. Finally Cesc Fabregas led like a captain and put his stamp on the game with 2 goals and 2 assists.

My man of the match was Vermaelen which is rather ironic because I was very critical of the signing. I thought he was too short, too young and came from a poor Ajax defence. Today, Vermaelen looked very calm and collected at the back, he competed in the air against the taller Everton players and was excellent when the ball was on the ground. The defence still looked shaky during the game but it was good to see a defender that could actually defend and he looked comfortable defending unlike Kolo Troure who looked to be in a state of constant panic the last couple of years.



Talk about Arsenal not finishing in the top 4, I think today Arsenal put their marker down on the title challenge. I still think we need a couple of signings to freshen things up and improve the depth of the team but I am no longer as worried as I was before the start of the season.

Arsenal Season Preview

I have been trying to avoid doing this but the English premier league season starts tomorrow and I have no choice but to do a preseason preview. I am looking forward to the new season although I am a bit worried that Arsenal haven’t done much in the transfer market. I wouldn’t let that take the fun away, I am going to enjoy the new season good or bad. I am not sure the Arsenal is good enough to challenge for the league title but there is still a lot of talented players to look forward to like Arshavin and Cesc Fabregas. That is enough reason to be excited about the forthcoming season.

Arsenal Nike Ad

Jack Wilshere


Who says there are no talented players at Arsenal...

I cant wait for the new season

First blog entry

It is the year 2009 (its almost over) and I finally got to creating my own blog. I am new to this and I have no clue where to start but I still think it would be a fun ride anyway. Hopefully I would be able to squeeze out time from my busy schedule to update the blog daily.