Villain Turned Hero: Arsenal 1-0 Portsmouth

In the space of three days, William Gallas has gone from villain to hero for Arsenal. On Friday, his unnecessary tackle on Aston Villa's Agbonlahor which resulted in a penalty ultimately ended up costing us the match when it turned the tide towards Villa. But now today a confident and determined header from the very same man won us the match, and he is again a hero.

It's hard to keep track sometimes of all the vital goals that William Gallas scores for us. Yes he's moody, sometimes silly in defense, and was a less-than-perfect captain, but he's our best defender, and sometimes our best attacker. I simply cannot understand the cries of "sell him" from so many gooners. He's experienced, can be superb, and often comes up with match winners like today. Isn't that in essence what we need right now?

But getting back to the game, I have to say thank goodness for Gallas's goal, because we really weren't looking like winning it otherwise. Our play was flat, we lacked some creativity, and it wasn't until late in the game when the game stretched and Carlos Vela came on that we created a great deal. I feared we might be lacking today, and it turned out to be true, but thankfully a good set piece bailed us out.

It was a nice win in the end; it's good to remember what a win feels like, and I'll be happy to take a good old one-nil to the Arsenal any day if it means all three points. The win moves us temporarily back into fourth, and we can end the year on a high note as we prepare to start 2009 in the right way.

2008 has been a tough year for us, as we went from favourites to win the title last season to underdogs to finish fourth this. But perhaps with some new personnel and some new inspiration, coupled with a string of good results, 2009 can be the year in which we finally again win a trophy.

I don't haver much more to say today: a win is a win. It wasn't pretty but it was three points and that's all we need. Don't forget, you can get now all the Fab 4 Arsenal news and views sent direct to your mobile phone for free, please Click Here for details on how to try out this great service! Until next time,

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Gallas Ruins It For Us & Portsmouth Preview

Well there's really not much to say regarding our performance at Aston Villa on Friday other than it was awful. For a while I thought we might just have rode our luck and won the game, but again we showed some poor defending through our former captain William Gallas, and his idiotic tackle cost us the game by turning the tide of the match.

Cursed as we later were with the ultimately bad luck of Villa's centre back Knight rocketing a shot into the back of our net like a seasoned striker, the goal should never have mattered. When Agbonlahor got free into some space on the right side of the box just past the sixtieth minute, it really wasn't any major threat. There was no support in t he box, and the arriving ones were being covered quite adequately by our own defenders, but for some reason Gallas decided that he should chop down the Aston Villa striker.

A penalty ensued and after that we had to defend for the rest of the match. I somehow knew we weren't going to hold it after that, but the terrific defending against Liverpool at the Emirates gave me a bit of hope. But it was unmerited and we just lost out on all three points in stoppage time.

The one bright spot, if one can ignore Gallas's stupid tackle and our midfield's lack of ideas, was Bacary Sanga. He was everywhere, and even bicycle-kicked a shot off the line to prevent a goal in the first half. He kept Ashley Young out of the match and was constantly clearing away the ball when others in the defense were unwilling or unable. He was the man-of-the-match by far for us, and I'm hoping he can put in an equally good performance against Portsmouth tomorrow.

And speaking of that match Sunday, whose brilliant idea was it to put two matches within two days of each other? This will be a true test of stamina for the lads, but luckily there will be some respite with the F.A. Cup tie against Plymouth to follow this weekend. Still though, I'm really worried that our already jaded team will have no energy, no creativity, and no class tomorrow. I'm hoping I'm wrong.

To aid matters is the fact that we're facing the team in probably the worst form and confidence in the league. Portsmouth will of course bring with them their manager, who I hope will receive a rousing applause Sunday: Tony Adams. Yes, Mr. Arsenal is back to try to beat us, but with any luck (which we probably used up all of it when Aston Villa hit the post three times Friday) we can come away with a win.

A match between two dispirited and understrength sides awaits our eyes tomorrow, and here's hoping we can come out the better of the two tomorrow. Finally, don't forget that you can now get all the Fab 4 Arsenal news and views sent direct to your mobile phone for free! Click Here for details on how to try out this great service! Till next time,

Fab 4

Christmas Finds Us Struggling...

First of all, on behalf of Fab 4 Arsenal, I want to wish all of our readers a very merry Christmas, wherever you're reading from. It's a special time of year, and often it is used as a time for reflection. That's exactly what we're going to today, as we look at where we are at Christmas this year as compared to last year.

Maybe it's a bit of an unfair comparison, but one that I think is merited. How is it that in one year the squad and their performances have changed so much? This time last year we were top of the Premier League by just a point or two over Manchester United who were nipping at our heels all through December.

The squad was suffering a little fatigue and we had just come off a disappointing loss at the Riverside to Middlesbrough. The 2-1 disappointment was our first loss in the league that season, and only our second in all competitions (the other being to Sevilla in the Champions League). But nevertheless we were still top and we headed into Christmas really believing this was our season, the one where we were to finally reclaim the title.

Whilst our attack and defense were basically the same as this season's, it was the midfield that was making the difference. Fabregas was in the form of his life, Flamini was playing excellently, Hleb and Rosicky were doing the work on the wings, and they were supporting the front men of Adebayor and Eduardo with deadly efficiency. We went on to draw at Portsmouth on Boxing Day, giving up the lead in the league, before reclaiming it with an emphatic 4-1 triumph over Everton to close out the year.

This season, Christmas finds us struggling. We have already lost five times in the league, and seven times in all competitions. We sit fifth in the table and the Premier League title is only a dream now. Our midfield had consisted of Fabregas, Denilson, Song, and Nasri, but now Fabregas has been injured and will be missing for months. So now we are left with Denilson, Song, Diaby, and Nasri, with possibly Eboue, as our first choice midfield. Up front Adebayor and Van Persie may be playing well, with the latter in outstanding form, but without the creativity in midfield we are lacking.

So in one year we have gone from sitting atop the league with the best midfield in the Premiership to sitting fifth in the table with a midfield that a mid-table team would be proud to have. My how times have changed, and for all of us gooners it has been a sad thing to witness the downfall of this side from what it was.

But there is hope in the future, although it may have to wait until April or May to occur. With all of our long-term injured players back by then we will quite possibly be looking at a midfield containing Walcott, Fabregas, Nasri, and Rosicky, with perhaps a newly-signed centre midfielder. In attack, Eduardo will be pushing Ade and RVP for a spot and at the back, the players such as Djourou will have continued to grow into superb players, conceding only a few goals.

This rosy future is a very real possibility, and although it may come to late to win us the league, we may just be able to make a strong push for the Champions League or the F.A. Cup, and if not we will have next season to look forward to, a season which will quite possibly have a very different landscape due to the worldwide economic troubles which seem to be threatening the existence of every major club except for us. Maybe Arsene Wenger had it right all along, and maybe once the dust clears we will be the only club with either money or good players.

We shall see, but until then we gooners will just have to do the same thing we should always do: throw our full support behind the club, through thick and think, good times and bad. This may be a rough spot we're going through, but I'm confident that it will only be but a small moment, a moment to forget in our very bright and promising future.

Merry Christmas to all!

Fab 4

Fab 4 out for Four Months

Today the news officially broke concerning Fab 4 - Fabregas's injury. It was confirmed by Arsene Wenger that our captain will be out of action for about four months, putting his return around April. So just how devastating is this loss and can we still win something this season without our midfield maestro?

Well losing Cesc at this point in the season is huge. This is just the time of year when we need a good leader and fine example in the team to show the whole squad how to play and what determination to show. We have all wondered what it would be like if Fabregas finally did leave the club and moved to Barcelona. Well here is our chance to find out.

Over the next four months, at least two of them will be without Walcott as well, which is the other of the two midfielders besides Cesc that has kept this team going this season. So we are now faced with the possibility of a midfield full of Nasri (our one last creative hope, but one that tends to get injured a lot), Denilson, Song, and Diaby. I'll be honest here: this frankly scares me.

When it's just these players the midfield never creates anything, the passing is sloppier, there is no penetration, and defensively we are a bit weaker. Maybe no one else has noticed, but Fabregas has been doing the job of both a defensive and attacking midfielder this season. Without him these duties fall to two different players in Denilson (for attacks) and either Diaby or Song (for defense).

Frankly, as much as I hope this brings the best out of these youngsters, I honestly don't think they alone will be good enough. I think now more than ever before me must sign a new defensive midfielder. And I think the very player responsible for taking out Fabregas should be the one we sign: Xabi Alonso. Alonso is both a midfield worker and defender, but is also a very creative player. I think a partnership of either he and Denilson or he and Song would work wonders in midfield, both allowing the other to show their strongest attributes.

But we mustn't get our hopes up. Arsene Wenger is very hesitant to buy anyone, and even if he is hiding behind his now customary "I haven't seen anyone special" montage and he really is planning to buy, no one will replace Fabregas. This may yet be the defining point in our season on all fronts, Premiership, Champions League, and F.A. Cup: how will this team play without Cesc Fabregas? Over the next four months we'll find out exactly what this team is made of.

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Fab 4

A Hard Earned Draw: Liverpool Report

First off, I should apologise about the lack of updates over the past week. But I should also give full credit to the Emirates crowd yesterday. I can't remember ever hearing them be so vocal and show so much support from the team. Especially excellent was the booing of the referee and Liverpool players after the scandalous Adebayor decision. If we can show that kind of support for the team every week we may be on our way to something special this season. But now, onto the game.

And what a game it was.

By now you surely will have seen either the game or highlights, so I won't go over all the action, but it's worth pointing out that this game did have a number of extraordinary moments, including a wonderful goal by Van Persie which put us in the lead initially. It seems that this team have figured out that we need to not only play good football but also winning football, and the recent long balls over the top have been extremely effective, and so it was with the Van Perise goal.

It was a superb pass from Samir Nasri (finally fit again) and then our Dutch frontman took it down beautifully before rocketing in a shot at the near post which was simply too fast for Renia to even react to in time to save it. It is this kind of excellent finishing which we all know RVP is capable of and I hope we can see more of it in the coming weeks. It was very Henry-like in its quality.

Following the goal Liverpool got a lucky equaliser by lobbing a ball over the top and hoping someone would run onto it. And in the ex-Spurs player Keane they did, and he finished powerfully. We really didn't deserve to be even with Liverpool because at the time we were playing much better.

In the second half the game was there to be won until the referee entered the scene. Booking Adebayor twice for very minor offenses got him sent off and we spent the rest of the half defending the draw. It was disappointing we didn't have a real chance to go for the win, but all credit to the team for holding onto the draw. Fending off Liverpool attack after Liverpool attack is something I'm quite sure we couldn't have done a month ago, but now we're finally starting to show a bit more defensive resilience.

And there there was the really bad bit, and I mean the really bad bit. Because of a senseless Liverpool tackle, our skipper Fabregas was clobbered into and his leg was, let's say, severely damaged. He didn't play the rest of the game (and accordingly our attacks became less fierce) and it looks like he may be out for as long as Walcott or longer. We'll have to wait and see tomorrow morning, but I'm really worried about the team now.

Without Fabregas we are extremely one-dimensional. This season it has become apparent that without one or both of either Walcott or Fabregas, we become unable to effectively play. In fact I can't remember a time when we have played well at all this season without one of them, so this may well be the final straw in our Premier League challenge.

I've been saying reluctantly for weeks that our title bid was over, but with the way the other big four have been dropping points I was starting to believe we might just have a chance. But unless we can somehow recover from the loss of Fabregas and find that attacking inspiration from elsewhere, I can't see us even pretending to challenge for the title. It looks like we may have to fight it out with Aston Villa for fourth and hope for a good Champions League run.

So we came out of the Liverpool clash battered and bruised, missing two of our main players (Fabregas and Adebayor) and still 8 points behind the scousers. It wasn't a great evening, but if their are any positives to take from the night, they are that we didn't lose and we showed a great deal of defensive improvement. Let's hope we can use this to start grinding out results until Fabregas returns.

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Do We Need a Defender or a Midfielder?

The question I pose today is which position we need to strengthen more. Do we need a new central defender who will be strong and authoritative at the back or do we need a new defensive midfielder who will protect the back line and allow Cesc Fabregas to get forward into attack?

Fab 4 Arsenal ran a poll last month asking you, the readers, which position was in more dire need of strengthening. The results are below:

Goalkeeper 8%
Defense (CB) 47%
Midfield (CM) 41%
Attack 2%

I think the results speak for themselves: most gooners realise that in order to win anything this season we will either need to strengthen the defense or the centre of midfield. More of you believed that a change in defense was needed, but is it really a new centre half that we need?

Opinions on Arsenal blogs all over the internet are split between those believing a new centre back is needed and those believing that a centre midfielder is the answer. I will state my position flat out and invite you to either agree or disagree with me in the comments below.

In order to win something this season we need to acquire a new defensive midfielder, a player like Flamini or Viera who will protect the back four and allow Fabregas to get forward. Now let me tell you how a new defensive midfielder will solve both our problems in attack and defense.

A new defensive partner for Cesc Fabregas will allow him to get forward into the attack more often and with greater effect. Cesc this season has been forced into doing the job of both an attacking midfielder and a defensive one. He has covered for Song or Diaby or Denilson and collected the ball deep in midfield. This means when he has been launching his passes, they have been going to players farther back on the pitch and the build up play has become much slower as a result.

Also, Fabregas's drop deeper has negated him as an attacking output. In contrast to this point last season where Cesc had numerous goals to call his own, this season he has only found the back of the net once, and that was from a corner. He is shooting from deeper (which increases the likelihood of a miss) or he is not shooting at all.

A defensive midfielder would take over the defensive job that Fabregas is doing now and would allow our captain to rejoin the attacks and provide his killer passes and rockets of shots that he has become so well known for. The team would be putting away more chances.

A defensive midfielder would also solve our defensive problems. Since he would be cleaning up in midfield, our centre backs would be less needed to help patrol the midfield. There is currently no barrier between our centre halves and our centre midfield. This means that once a player beats Fabregas or his current partner, then the centre backs have to race forward out of position to steal the ball and clean up. If they don't they allow the opponent way too much space in which to work.

A lack of defensive midfielder is pulling our defense out of position and higher up the pitch. And seeing as only Gallas can really track back at pace, and he still often loses those races, then we are being opened up again and again.

No, a new defensive midfielder will not add height to our defense or increase our aerial ability, but I believe that these problems are fixing themselves right now. With the addition of the tall Djourou to the heart of defense, we are dealing much better with aerial balls. We kept Chelsea quiet, and it was Gallas's fault that Aliadiere was able to score on Saturday, not Djourou's.

The centre of our defense is getting better, but it will not heal completely until we add in a defensive midfielder. I sincerely hope that Arsene Wenger has realised this and will look to buy in January. Le Boss noticed the defensive problems and put in Djourou to great effect. Now all we need is a new centre midfielder, and I believe once we get that we will once again be genuine challengers for honours this season.

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Fab 4

Middlesbrough Never Did Collapse...

A disappointing one-all draw today, but one that I feared was coming. Looking at our previous results against 'Boro and seeing our current form I really felt before the game that this was going to be a draw, and so it proved.

The team never really looked up for the game today. Although we started brightly and had some of our old flair back at times, such as when Van Persie narrowly missed the target, we just were never in it after our goal. Middlesbrough soon equalised and the team looked flat afterwards.

I was positively baffled as to why Arsene Wenger refused to make a change after about the 60th minute. It was clear to me that we weren't getting anywhere and we weren't creating enough, and finally with ten minutes to go Bendtner was put on, but it didn't end up making any difference.

After the game Arsene Wenger said he was hesitant to make too many changes because he expected Middlesbrough to tire and open up. I too expected them to collapse and around the 70th minute it looked like they were doing just that, but alas, they held their shape and held onto a draw. They never did collapse.

So where does the result leave us? Liverpool went on to draw at home to Hull, so we didn't lose any ground on them, but Aston Villa won their match 4-2 meaning we are now one point behind them in fifth (incidentally with the exact same GF and GA record). It's really starting to look like a repeat of the 2005-06 season where we were around fourth or fifth in the league all year but made it to the Champions League final.

I think we have to accept now that we aren't going to win the league unless all the three teams ahead of us suffer a massive collapse and we somehow put more than three wins in a row together. We are horribly inconsistent right now and we simply must beat Liverpool next week to even stay in touch with the top.

So it was an expected and only slightly damaging draw today, if very disappointing. We could have won it but Middlesbrough stuck to their game and didn't give up. Maybe we can learn a lesson or two from them...

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Players Are Back Already? Middlesbrough Preview

It seems amazing to me that somehow every single player who was out with injury has recovered in time to travel to the Riverside on Saturday. True injuries like we often experience often take two to three weeks to recover from, but all five of ours disappeared in a week. Almost makes you think they weren't really injured. Almost makes you think that Arsene Wenger deliberately put out a weakened side against Porto, doesn't it?

Well, whether the injuries were genuine or not at least the squad is mostly back for this fixture. It's one that we haven't had that much luck with over the past few years. Ever since we crushed them 7-0 back in 2006 we haven't beaten them again. In fact, for those that don't remember, last season's corresponding fixture, also at the Riverside, was our first League loss. Oh for those days again, but alas, they're behind us now.

Now we've dug ourselves such a deep hole due to our lack of defensive midfielder (which has in turn unbalanced the defense), that we almost certainly won't be able to climb back out. I'm the eternal optimist so I'm not going to say it's done and dusted, after all Chelsea last season came from 9pts behind us to finish two points ahead of us at years' end. So it is possible, but unfortunately we aren't Chelsea, and unless we get the long string of wins for which we are overdue, then I don't see us catching the league leaders.

If we are, however, to make a run, this Saturday would be a great place to start. They have almost become a bogey team over the last couple of years, Middlesbrough, and beating them at the Riverside would give the team the confidence they need to beat Liverpool next week. But a win will certainly require a mighty effort on the team's part. We will have to strike first and strike early to beat them, I predict.

Middlesbrough will gain confidence over time if we fail to take advantage of our chances, and their chances of nicking a winner will get higher and higher. I'm predicting a tight affair Saturday afternoon, and I'm really worried that we are going to again drop points. The only thing that eve gives me a shred of reasonable hope that the lads will be able to control the game and pull out a result is that Cesc Fabregas is still 3-0-0 as captain. He was out of action during our loss to Porto and maybe that signifies that his leadership is required out there.

I certainly hope our Spanish skipper holds that charm and can motivate the players as is so evident needs to be done every match. I'm hoping for the best and expecting the worst this weekend. Don't forget, you can get now all the Fab 4 Arsenal news and views sent direct to your mobile phone for free, Click Here for details. Till later,

Fab 4

Would We Beat the Invincibles?

The simple answer is no; in our current form we wouldn't stand a chance. However there are times when this side can produce some stunning football, like when we beat Man Utd. When we do so we are capable of beating anyone on the planet. But in order to see if we would be able to beat the 49rs on our best day, let's look at the two styles.

First, an analysis of the Invincible's style: The style at the time was a quicker, if less attractive, style of play. Play could be built up slowly through the center when Bergkamp dropped into midfield to become a playmaker, but most of the time our play went wider. We had two excellent wingers, Pires & Ljungberg, and the worlds best left back at the time Ashley Cole (I hesitate to spew forth ugly names for him here out of respect for the fact that he was once a decent human being).

Balls were won back by Viera, Gilberto, Edu, or Petit, and then passed quickly out to the wings where our wide midfielders would race by opposing players by either speed, skill, or an overlap from a fullback. The wingers would then drop in and cut towards the goal. And with Henry drifting out as well to collect balls, a one-two would be performed between Henry and either Pires or Ljungberg in which the attacking winger would then be in on goal and score.

This doesn't even mention the counterattacks. As soon as we won the ball in our own half the ball would immediately be played back and forth between our wingers and speedy central players until the ball was into the opposing penalty area in a matter of seconds, where a player who had run his legs off to get down the field would duly arrive and tap it in.

I can still remember it now: "Arsenal collect the ball from the corner, Viera out to Pires. Back to Viera, out to Ljungberg. Arsenal racing forward now, Henry. Out to Pires, back to Henry, played to Ljungberg, in on goal, cut back to Henry, AND HE SCORES!!!" It took a matter of 15 seconds. Do you remember it as well?

As the Invincibles were broken up and new young players came through the system, our style of play changed to what it is now (for reference, watch the second leg against Milan last season at the San Siro for a perfect example of our current system). Let's discuss just what it is now.

Now our build up play is slower. Instead of breaking down the wings at speed, we tend to want to work it down the middle. With our new style, we keep possession a lot better than the invincibles. A feature of our neat passing game is the neat passing triangles that are formed every few seconds in various shapes and places on the pitch. We work the ball down one side and if no openings occur then we pass back, start over the triangle passing and work it down the other side.

We slowly keep possession and probe for openings, the play being dictated by the brilliant Cesc Fabregas, until we finally split the defense and race in on goal.This style inherently scores less goals, but is much more attractive and can produce some stunning football.

Don't get me wrong, we still score boatloads of goals on our best days, but the style is less quick and more technical. Often our players get so into the passing game that they are afraid to shoot from distance but instead want to score the perfect goal, or walk it into the net. This is sometimes our undoing, and was during the barren years of 05-06 and 06-07 in which we made no challenge for the title. The team is now less afraid to shoot and slightly more direct, but it still occasionally falls victim to the walk-the-ball-into-the-net syndrome.


So there we are, the two styles in contrast. One could very well argue that our current style is far inferior to the incvincibles style - a judgement based on number of trophies - but Arsene Wenger believes that the current style is more attractive, more Arsenal. Arsene has said that the team now plays with the style he has been trying to implement since the beginning of his career, but I'll leave it up to you, the reader, to decide if this style is better or worse than the invincibles; we certainly haven't been winning any more trophies!

Thanks for the read, or re-read if you've been a long-time reader (I posted this article back in October), and don't forget, you can get now all the Fab 4 Arsenal news and views sent direct to your mobile phone for free, Click Here for details. Until next time,

Fab 4

FC Porto 2-0 Arsenal: No Real Surprises

I have to say that the loss tonight didn't really come as a surprise to me. With the squad in the shape it was (a bad one) and the match meaning very little I had a distinct impression before the match (and one I shared with you) that we were going to struggle. And struggle we did.

It was a 2-0 defeat but it could have been a lot worse. We were second-best the whole night and Porto really played us off the park. They wanted this win more and they got what they deserved. The only thing that kept it from being 5 or 6-0 was our defense, which straggly was not that bad tonight.

Yes, we did concede from another corner, but the player who was to blame was Diaby who, with all his height, was caught ball watching and completely ineffective, allowing the Porto player to jump right over him. And a midfield giveaway resulted in the second goal, so in neither goal was the defense to blame.

In fact, I thought they were quite excellent tonight. It seems like we have found our central defensive partnership in Gallas and Djourou as the Swiss dealt wonderfully with the balls over the top and Gallas was experienced and tracked back well. Also, Eboue looked excellent in his natural position of right back and really proved to me at least that RB is the only position he should ever be played in: he is class there and despicable elsewhere.

But besides the defense it was a dismal night. The midfield was quite obviously patched together and it showed: we were weak in the middle and our flanks offered us nothing. Up top Vela was actually quite solid, but Bendtner once again failed to impress. If this lad wants to be first choice he's going to have to start playing better. It isn't so much the lack of goals from him that I'm seeing wrong, it's his bad positioning, his tendency to unnecessarily drift out right, and his overall lack of sharpness in and around goal. He'll have to improve.

But something that the media will be going crazy over for the next few days will be the fact that we finished second in the group. Never mind Chelsea did the same thing, we are the ones who were 'dismal' and 'disappointing'. The fact that we didn't win the group will be seen as a major failure in the side. But this is ridiculous. Even if we had finished top we wouldn't have had an easier route to the quarterfinals. Just look at who we could have:

If we were first: Inter, Sporting, Athletico Madrid, Villareal, Lyon, or Real Madrid.
As we are second: Roma, Panathinaikos, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, or Juventus

Looking at the choices, I'd rather we had finished second; oh wait, we did! Not so bad after all then that we finished second, is it? Not at all, and there is absolutely no reason for any of we gooners to fret over this result. Let's put it behind us and move on to more immediate matters such as the trip to the Riverside this Saturday.

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Fab 4

FC Porto Preview: Play Eboue!

If Arsene Wenger is to prove to both the supporters and Emmanuel Eboue himself that he still believes in the Ivorian midfielder, then I think he has to play him on the right tomorrow night. Certainly in reading the comments here the last couple of days I get the sense that most gooners believe the same thing: that Eboue deserves a chance to redeem himself.

Well, I don't really think we'll have to worry much about Eboue playing Wednesday night as he will be one of the few senior player in the team. Both Clichy & Sanga have been ruled out, as well as our striking pair of RVP & Adebayor, our captain Cesc Fabregas, and both Toure and Nasri. This means that we will be extremely underhanded and may just be playing some of the Carling Cup kids against the Portuguese champions.

Our squad may well look something like this:
Almunia
Hoyte-Djourou-Gallas-Silvestre (or Gibbs)
Eboue-Ramsey-Denilson-Diaby
Bendtner-Vela
Which isn't horrible, but does leave us without either quality fullbacks or too many playmakers.

My prediction, then, is that we will struggle tomorrow night. I can only hope that Porto, and indeed Arsenal, will play like at the Emirates, but I can't honestly see that happening. In fact, were this a Premier League game, I would be predicting defeat.

However, what might possibly save us is that this is not a Premiership game but a Champions League game. We always seem to excel in the Champions League no matter who we are playing against. I can only really remember two matches in the past three Champions League seasons where we have played actually that badly, and neither of those matches were very recently.

Our style seems more adapted to Europe because teams, especially when they are at home, tend to attack us. And as strange as it sounds, when you try to attack and score on Arsenal, you lose to Arsenal. Conversely when you try not to lose against Arsenal, then you can beat them. Porto, I predict, will be coming out and trying to win so as to finish top of the group, and that will play right into our hands.

So yes, I think we can get a result from this match but it won't be easy. We will have to stay focused and some of the younger players will have to step up and perform excellently. It's time to see just what these young players are made of when they are thrown into the cauldron that is the Estádio do Dragão.

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Get Fab 4 Arsenal Anywhere

Hey readers. I don't usually like to advertise, but I've got some great news for readers of the blog. You can now get Fab 4 Arsenal news and views, plus scores, sports news and much more sent direct to your mobile phone using a free mobile application called Natajak.

All you need to do is CLICK HERE, register for Natajak, and install it on your mobile. Fab 4 Arsenal will be preinstalled so you will get any news updates and posts we publish sent directly to your phone. Natajak can also be used to text, email and even share photos (phone permitting). Natajak make no charge for the service and most people on all in data tariffs can use it entirely for free. Natajak works on most mobiles that can access the internet and works just about anywhere in the world.

So feel free to take advantage of this service and get Fab 4 Arsenal wherever you go. Once you've done this, please feel free to go over and post your messages of support for Eboue in today's post. The treatment of him was over-the-top and needs to change.

Thanks for your support, and enjoy Fab 4 Arsenal on your mobiles!

Fab 4

Show Your Support for Eboue

Show your support for Emmanuel Eboue below by posting a message of support in the comments. Anyone who feels the jeering, booing, and other treatment of Eboue Saturday against Wigan was wrong, feel free to express it below by letting us know what you thought about it (keep it civil, please).

Arsenal are a club of class. We have a rich history, the best manager in the world, we play the best football, have the best stadium, and our fans are the most loyal of anyone - or are they?

The treatment of Emmanuel Eboue against Wigan was absolutely disgusting. We are better than this; yes he was having a hard night, and yes we were all tense and nervous that we wouldn't get the result, but that is no excuse to literally boo a player off the park.

I will admit that Saturday night, Eboue probably had one of his worst games ever in an Arsenal shirt. He gave the ball away, didn't track back right and looked out of sorts. However, such things have happened to multiple other Arsenal players in the past.

I remember one particular match just a couple of years ago. We had just signed Alex Song and debuted in the league against Fulham. He went on to have an absolute stinker and he cost us the match. We gooners thought at the time that Le Boss had made a huge mistake in buying him and he should have been sold immediately. But we didn't boo him off the field, and Song has now grown into a player who is often first choice in midfield or backup in defense.

Why then is it acceptable to boo and jeer Eboue? Yes, I know he's unpopular with the fans, myself included, but I think it was despicable that he was incessantly booed and was stripped of all confidence. Arsene Wenger may have been criticised for taking him off, but I agree with it. Eboue could no longer play and was a danger to the team, and it's almost entirely the "Fans" fault.

If you truly support a club you never boo your own players. That is below us, below the Arsenal Football Club. We aren't supporters of a team like Liverpool who boo their players and manager on a regular basis, and we aren't Chelsea supporters who can't even be bothered to come see a Champions League clash just because it's against weak opposition. We are gooners, and we have class, so why don't we show it a little more often.

So often the team has to pick up the fans rather than vice-versa. We are called "supporters" for a reason: we're here to support the team and help them on to victory. We are supposed to be the twelfth man for the club, so we need to start acting like it.

To anyone reading this who went to the game and booed Eboue: you should feel ashamed of yourselves; I'm certainly ashamed of you, and so are the millions of other gooners out there who don't have the opportunity to watch the Gunners play live at the Emirates. They would never boo like you did, so if you can't support the team, give your tickets to someone who can.

We are the Arsenal Football Club; we are a club of class; so show it. Support Eboue and all of our other players next time you attend a match and actually pick the team up for once. If we all do this we may actually win something this season because the players will feel like they've got a real reason to win: to do it for the fans.

Again, please post your comments of support below and let's hope that this unfortunate incident is never again repeated.

Fab 4

Arsenal 1-0 Wigan: Nervy, But Important

And yes, it was indeed a very nervy finale to a game we absolutely deserved a win from, and we got it. Of course if you believed the commentators and nearly everyone else it was a win we were lucky to get and we should now be losing confidence from the substandard performance.

I don't think that could be farther from the truth. We dictated the play and had four or five clear-cut chances to score, one of which was taken quickly by Adebayor. He may have his rough days, but you can't deny his quality when he is presented with a simplest of goals as he was today. As long as he can at least do that he's as valuable a player as any in the squad.

Van Persie also had a good game today, but lacked a bit of sharpness, especially when he was played in brilliantly by Fabregas and contrived to miss it. Luckily it didn't end up costing us anything.

I didn't really see any other standout performers. Clichy and Fabregas were good as always, Sanga was excellent, Djourou did well to win balls in the air (the next Senderos when he was in form maybe?), and overall the team played well.

The only disappointing aspects of the game were obviously that we didn't score more, but also we started to panic in the last 20 minutes defensively. We weren't awful as the commentators would have you believe, but we were a bit nervy and anxious. We weren't our usually calm selves and maybe that invited a bit more pressure from Wigan.

Oh, and Eboue was awful. Whilst I don't necessarily agree with the incessant booing of him and cheers that took place when he was substituted, I think he did play awful. He has never been that good for us anyway, and coming back from injury today he was even worse; one time passing the ball right to Wigan which led to a decent chance on goal, and then the next time stripping Toure of the ball and delivering a brilliant pass right back to Wigan. Yes he was out of position but he was awful today and I only hope he can return to whatever form he calls his best quickly.

But all in all, a satisfying win. It may not have been a vintage performance, but in the end all that matters is the three points, and that's exactly what we got today. So well done lads, now on to the Champions League in midweek where we will look to end our group play with a bang in Portugal, already being through. I'll preview that closer to the match, and I'll also be re posting one of our most popular articles to date in the next few days: one that takes tactical look at our style of play verses the Invincibles'. Should be interesting; until then,

Fab 4

We Should Beat Wigan, Right?

That right there is the question. By every account we should have no problems against Wigan Saturday afternoon. We have the better squad, better players technically, we're a bigger club, we're higher in the table, and we haven't finished below them in the league for decades. But then again, that's the same thing that could have been said before the defeats to Fulham, Hull, and Stoke City.

Of course, I don't expect the loss in the Carling Cup in midweek to have any effect on the game whatsoever, seeing as the first team and reserve team's results never seem to go hand-in-hand. This leaves the squad with essentially our last match being against Chelsea. We of course won spectacularly there, but now we have to make the now dreaded drop in opponent quality to Wigan.

We know that the squad has had real problems beating so-called "easy" teams this season, so how are we going to be Wigan Saturday, and if we do win, why will we have done so?

The main thing we have going for us Saturday is that we are at home. Wigan at home has usually been a fixture we have won, and if the crowd actually make some noise during the match, the players may actually take heart from them and play harder.

Wigan will be pressing us hard physically, and we will have to break them down technically if we are to beat them Saturday afternoon. Our best chance may be to draw them out and hit them on the counter, but my fear is that this will be Wigan's exact strategy, and if it is and they are not tempted to come out then we will have to resort to Plan B. That is, cross it in for an Adebayor or Bendtner to head in. It's a strategy we frankly don't use enough and I think we may need to adopt in order to beat teams like Wigan or Stoke.

We seem to be able to counter attack excellently and work the ball out to the wings well. Now if we can just get some quality crosses in against Wigan I think we can beat them. But in reality, with our inconsistent form this season, I don't know what to predict. Will we win? Quite possibly. Will we drop points? Possibly. You just can't tell this season, and that's why we won't be winning the Premier League title this season.

Here's hoping for a good game against the Latics, a willingness to go to a Plan B if needed, and all three points and the end of the day. Till then,

Fab 4

One Down, Three to Go

So the youth team is finally out of the Carling Cup. That's one chance for silverware gone, and three to go. Of course there will undoubtedly be those gooners out there who will bemoan the fact that we let such a winnable competition slip through our fingers, but those same people were probably saying before the match that win our lose, it was just fun to the Carling Cup squad play.

I felt, and still feel, the same way. The Carling Cup is nothing more than a fun diversion. Only in England does a fourth competition like this exist, which leads many of the big clubs to write it off and not really worry about winning it. I don't believe we ever really write off this competition, but we also don't waste our first team on it.

I really like Arsene Wenger's youth policy in this tournament. I think that it's a great way to let our young players feel what it's really like to play in a a major cup competition in from of real crowds and against real, challenging opponents. And year after year we are treated to some real joys of matches.

The young players aren't afraid to try the cheeky skill move. They don't know that it's sometimes silly and unnecessary. And yes, it sometimes gets them into trouble, but it's a joy to watch the innocence of youth out there on the field. These players are hungry for wins, fearless, always willing to try something, anything to get them a goal, and they are determined.

Unfortunately that determination and exuberance isn't always enough. And so it proved at the Turf Moor last night. The kids were up against determined opponents, a fiercely loyal crowd, and a freezing night. And they came unstuck. It was bound to happen eventually, and it wasn't as if we didn't play well, we just weren't clinical enough. And it cost us. But the good thing about it is the players involved have now learned something, learned a valuable lesson in just what it's like to play against this type of opponent.

In this Carling Cup campaign we saw spark, imagination, brand new players emerge and shine. We saw determination, we saw the learning process of these players first hand, and best of all we saw the future of the Arsenal Football Club. These players who scored nine goals and conceded only two in three matches are our future, and on the evidence of this year's cup run, we have a wonderful future ahead of us.

Now we turn it over to the first team for the remainder of the season. They could learn some lessons from the kids, most notably a determination and must-win attitude. Here's hoping they can apply those lessons and we can get something from those other three competitions.

Fab 4

Great Win At Chelsea! Will It Help?

After a fantastic win yesterday at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea, the media have put us back in the title race. According to the papers, and even our own players, we are back in the hunt for our first Premiership title since the Invincibles. This result is just like Man Utd should have been and will inspire confidence and belief in the team that will propel us to new heights this season and almost certainly result in a trophy.

Or will it?

I find myself doubting that this win really means much in our title challenge. I said a few weeks ago that it was over, and I haven't changed my views. We can win it, but it'll take some enormous blunders from Liverpool and Chelsea to hand us the title. Also, I fear that this win will produce an almost identical response form the team as after the big win over Man Utd.

We will crush Burnley in the Carling Cup tomorrow and then we will likely stumble at Wigan on the weekend. Remember the 0-0 draw last season against them at the JJB Stadium? Their pitch was despicable and they defended for 90 minutes to earn a draw.

In order to win against Wigan, I honestly think the first-team will have to put in a performance every bit as tough and determined as against Chelsea, perhaps even better. Because there is something about the our last two wins that has been bugging me in the back of my mind: we didn't deserve either of them.

So don't get me wrong, I realise that that is how one wins a title: getting undeserved wins. But the fact that we were, against both Dynamo Kyiv and Chelsea, rather unimaginative and toothless suggests to me there is a real problem in the side attacking-wise. We couldn't break through Kyiv except by one lucky (skilled, but lucky) long ball from Fabregas which Bendtner slotted home, and we were being crushed by Chelsea until our offside goal leveled us and knocked the confidence right out of Chelsea.

Frankly, we are, at the moment, playing very badly, and yet winning matches. Perhaps this is just one of those phases in the year when this happens: it often does in the November-December timeline. But what happens when we can't break a team down and we get punished for it? Example given: Home to Aston Villa and away to Stoke. Let's hope this is fixed soon.

But turning our attentions to Burnley tomorrow night, I don't think we should have many problems. Yes, they will do all they can, and they did beat Chelsea, but if our youth players can sweep aside a full-strength Wigan, they shouldn't have any problems with a Championship side like Burnley.

The thing with the youth team is that they are just so determined. Unlike the first team this season (unless it's against a big-four club), our Carling Cup teams are determined to win. They put it all on the line and play as if their life depended on a victory. They are fearless and skillful, not afraid to showcase their talents, even if it does sometimes get them into trouble. They have exactly the characteristics that a title-winning side must have, and for this reason, I believe that this may be the year we once again lift the Carling Cup.

Add to this determination and excellent mentality the fact that Silvestre will be fit and starting Tuesday to bring experience to the back line, and I think we could be in for a real cracker tomorrow night. Predictions? At least a two-goal margin of victory and progress to the next round of the Carling Cup. Until then,

Fab 4

The Big One: Chelsea Preview

Tomorrow at Stamford Bridge our new captain Cesc Fabregas will face his first Premier League game as captain of Arsenal. What a game to introduce yourself as skipper. He's had a good week, Fabregas, winning his first game against Dynamo Kyiv on Tuesday and putting Arsenal in the last 16 of the Champions League, but that was just a tonic for the nerves compared to what awaits us at Chelsea. Our Premier League season will be made or broken tomorrow night.

If we win we'll "only" be seven points behind Chelsea, but a loss will place us thirteen behind. To be honest, I have thought for a couple weeks now that our Premiership title challenge was over, but there is the possibility that a win at Stamford Bridge, combined with an excellent string of results into the new year, could put us right back in it.

Am I really anticipating a title challenge? No. I think we ought now to focus on the things that we still can easily win, the Carling and F.A. Cups for instance, and also focus on the Champions League. All we need to really do in the Premiership is stay in the top four, which, despite the challenges from Aston Villa, and perhaps later Man City, shouldn't be too hard to do.

The bottom line is we need to win silverware this season. And to do that our young side, who live off confidence, will need a big win under their belts; and there's no better place to get it then by beating Chelsea tomorrow. This team seems to raise themselves for big matches like this one, and my only hope is that they do it again tomorrow.

We've only beaten Chelsea once in the last 13 games against them, but that win came last year, which signifies to me that this is as good a time as any to beat them. Add to that the fact that Chelsea's fortress seems to have come down in recent weeks with losses and poor draws at home, and I think we really could get something from this match.

So what will it take to win tomorrow? Well, we'll need to play just as we did against Manchester Utd if we want anything from the game at all, never mind a win. Our side this year just are not as mentally strong as last year, but I think that with Fabregas now leading the ship they may be a bit more cool-headed than the past couple of weeks. Plus the squad is high in confidence right now, and that will probably lead to better football.

A neat passing game combined with some defensive determination, and most of all confidence, will give us the path to victory tomorrow night. We are being written off by everyone, just the same as before the Man Utd game, but we surprised them there, why can't we do it again? We seem to love to be written off, because when we're written off nobody expects anything from us, and then the pressure is relieved. This lets us play our neat football and sweep teams aside. We have no expectancy to win tomorrow, so that means we might just do it.

Fabregas will have to lead the troops like a true inspirational leader and the troops themselves will have to raise their game to the highest possible level in order to win. Our Premier League hopes, whatever they are, are hanging in the balance at Stanford Bridge; but win or lose we will still be the Arsenal, and still well capable of getting a trophy this season, whether in the cups or Champions League. So let's not overplay the importance of this game too much: let's just enjoy it and see what happens.

Fab 4

And So It Begins: 1-0 to the Arsenal

The "new era" at Arsenal, as so many are now calling it, has officially begun, and it started tonight with One-Nil to the Arsenal. Perhaps the famous scoreline is a sign of things to come. Perhaps we're turning over a new leaf and we'll be competing for major honours at the end of the season. But there is one thing I have to say about tonight's win: it was really less than inspiring.

An excellent win to be sure, but we looked unimaginative and flat throughout. It just seems like over the last few weeks we have been too obsessed with keeping the ball in the opponent's final third rather than actually doing anything with it. This was the case again tonight when we continued to get nowhere fast. In the end we were unable to break down the Dynamo Kyiv defense and our goal came off a long ball (although give full credit to our new captain Fabregas as his long free kick forward was absolutely fabulous.)

Of course Dynamo Kyiv deserve some credit as well. Part of the reason we couldn't break them down is because they were so compact and determined to keep us out. And their counterattacks tonight were at times deadly. Luckily though we were able to stop them from scoring (barely: Almunia made a spectacular save to keep the score level right before we took the lead), and Bendtner was cool, calm, and collected as he took Fabregas's ball down and finished crisply.

But if there were a number of negatives, there were also a number of positives from this match. Fabregas, now wearing the captain's armband, returned to his form of old and had an excellent game. You just get the feeling that with the responsibility of being the skipper, Fabregas will put in, if it's possible, even more determined and heartfelt performances. I think this really could be the dawn of a new era. A new Fabregas, a new team spirit, and hopefully at the end of the season, a new piece of silverware for the trophy cabinet.

So an old scoreline, progress into the last 16 of the Champions League, and perhaps the beginning of a dawn for Arsenal. I'm taking the optimist's point of view on this and saying that this is the beginning of a wonderful rest of the season. Certainly if we can use the confidence gained tonight and draw on all of our reserves to get a win against Chelsea on Sunday then we will truly be back in the fight. Until next time,

Fab 4

Fab 4 is Captain at Last!

Yes, it's official. Cesc Fabregas - "Fab 4" - is our new captain. Arsene Wenger revealed in his pre-match press conference today that Fabregas will take over as captain starting with the Champions League fixture against Dynamo Kyiv tomorrow. I'm really, really excited about this appointment and after that dreadful last 9 days this is a welcome source of good news.

I have to say that for a while I have been hesitant to suggest that Fabregas be our new captain. For I believe perfectly legitimate reasons, I have felt that Fabregas was too young to captain and if given the role of skipper too much pressure would be put on his shoulders. I suggested Toure instead of Fabregas because of both Toure's experience, leadership, and long-time service to the club.

But the events of this year have changed my mind. Toure has been very much out of form and has been dropped by Arsene Wenger in favour of Silvestre. He has been only a shadow of his former self, and if he can't play, how can he be an on-pitch leader? Also, Fabregas has been feeling more and more like a captain this season. When the team is down, he picks them up. When we are in desperate need of some sort of inspiration, he provides it. When he scored the equaliser in the 1-1 draw with Sunderland last month, it just felt to me like a captain's contribution. Fabregas feels like the new Mr. Arsenal, and at 21 he is following in the path of Tony Adams, the great Arsenal legend.

I have never really disliked William Gallas, that needs to be said. But perhaps Gallas was never really meant to be an Arsenal captain. Arsene Wenger took a risk last year in making Gallas captain; it was a risk designed to temper Gallas and make him more committed to Arsenal. On the first account this plan failed. On the second, I believe it worked. Gallas never seemed to have any inclination of quitting Arsenal, and, as evidenced by his antics in last year's Birmingham game, he took Arsenal's performance, good or bad, to heart and made Arsenal's problems his problems. But as much as he may have been committed to Arsenal, he is not a natural captain; his character doesn't allow it. He's committed, but maybe too much so.

This is wonderful news and it's filled me with excitement. This seems to be the start of a bold recovery plan by Arsene Wenger. Anyone calling for his head needs to shut up and stop calling themselves an Arsenal supporter. Arsene knows. In the last few weeks he's reshuffled the back line to attempt to shore it up, he's taken the armband away from Gallas, and he's given it to probably the new symbol of Arsenal: Cesc Fabregas. Who would've believed me if three years ago I told you that little 18-year-old Cesc Fabregas would be, in November 2008, Arsenal captain. It's a bold and daring move by Arsene Wenger, just like his last captain's choice. Now we'll see if this one turns out for the best.

I don't want to talk about the loss to City at the weekend, and there really isn't too much to say about Dynamo Kyiv tomorrow except this could be the beginning of a revival. We'll see, but I think that Arsene Wenger's recovery plan starts with a win tomorrow, inspired by Cesc Fabregas, followed with a determined, Manchester Utd fixture-like performance against Chelsea at the weekend. We'll see.

After a week in which we lost two matches, our captain, and Theo Walcott until February, at least we have gained something new: a brand new, determined, creative, and committed Arsenal captain in Cesc Fabregas. I can only hope this will inspire both the fan base (let's sing our hearts out for our new captain at the Emirates tomorrow), the club as a whole, and especially the Arsenal team. Good luck lads.
Fab 4: the new Arsenal captain.

Fab 4

Gallas Out? Saturday's Gonna Be Huge!

The latest reports coming out are that Gallas has been stripped of his captaincy and dropped for tomorrow's match against Man City. This could well be true, but before you either start celebrating or lamenting this fact (depending on your opinion of the Frenchman), I would look at the validity of this argument first of all.

The article came out of French Football who also claim that the replacement for Gallas this weekend will be either Almunia or Clichy. This alerted right away to the fact that this might now be true. Although Almunia is second vice-captain (behind Toure), Clichy has never once been mentioned as a possible captain. Also casting doubt on this particular piece of news is the fact that Arsene Wenger surely knows that if Gallas loses the captaincy he's probably out the door in January, and contrary to what some believe this is not a good thing: goodness knows we can't afford to lose any more central defenders as we're desperately short already, and wouldn't Arsene Wenger realise this?

While quite revealing, Gallas's comments were rather unnecessary. What kind of leader announces their group's internal struggles to the public? Certainly not a good one, and I don't really see what Gallas was trying to accomplish by doing so. I can only think that this is just a reflection of Gallas's character. Here's what I mean.

Gallas is someone who can get rather emotional and isn't afraid to "wear his heart on his sleeve" when he gets upset. He speaks his mind and is very open and frank. He tries to be a good and effective leader but isn't naturally cut out for it. He may have a very assertive personality but his tendency to speak what's on his mind makes him less than effective sometimes. This comes out in interviews a lot as well. Gallas will get so fed up with one thing or another that he will say just what he's thinking to the media, not thinking beforehand about the consequences of doing so.

Does this making a horrible person? No, it's just his character, and that cannot be easily changed. Does this make him unqualified to be the Arsenal captain? That is where the debate lies, and if the reports are true, Arsene Wenger may have finally decided that it means he is indeed unqualified. Come February, Gallas may well be off.

But where does that leave us for Saturday? It appears that it is tomorrow that we will find out if French Football was telling the truth. If Gallas is playing however, then he and Silvestre will likely lead the backline with perhaps Song or Djourou slotting in at right back. We have now Walcott and no Fabregas in midfield tomorrow which leads me to believe that we will be highly ineffective. Other than the fact that they are the only two players who this season seem capable of changing a game, Man City are very susceptible to quick wingers this season, as their fullbacks are not equipped to handle them.

We have lost that particular advantage and we'll have to deal with who we've got. With Van Persie I believe returning tomorrow we may play either a 4-3-3 or a 4-4-2 like the one below:

Almunia
Djourou-Gallas-Silvestre-Clichy
Denilson-Ramsey-Song-V. Persie
Adebayor-Bendtner

Will we win tomorrow? We'll see, but one thing is for sure: it will be a game filled with goals. Neither of the two teams know how to defend and neither can help attacking with all their might. We will be in for one entertaining afternoon. Until then,

Fab 4

The Truth Behind Arsenal...

First of all, unrelated to the topic of today's piece, I wanted to express my displeasure that Theo Walcott was injured. Surely you've all heard it by now, and I think it's a big blow to our chances of winning...uhh...whatever the heck we're still in the hunt for winning. To be honest, that doesn't mean the league, which leaves us with the Champions League. And if we get a draw in the next game at home to Dynamo Kyiv then we're through to the Round of 16 which doesn't start until February. So in hindsight Theo's injury doesn't hurt us in the Champions League or cups, but will do some major damage in the league, and the confidence (or lack thereof) from the weekend matches will spill over into the cup competitions. I hate international friendlies...

But onto the major issue; Gallas has come out to say recently that all is not well in the Arsenal dressing room. These comments were obviously mainly because Gallas was tired of everyone blaming him for Arsenal's failures this season, which I don't think I've ever done myself (Gallas isn't at the root of our problems, not even close). But what he said was the most revealing. Here's a small snippet:

"When, as captain, some players come up to you and talk to you about a player ... complaining about him ... and then during the match you speak to this player and the player in question insults us,
"There comes a time where we can no longer comprehend how this can happen. I am trying to defend myself a bit without giving names. Otherwise I'm taking all the blame. It's very frustrating. I'm 31, the player is six years younger than me.
"There was a problem at half-time at Tottenham.The only thing that I could say at half-time was 'Guys, we resolve these problems after the match, not at half-time.'"

There are currently four players "six years younger" than Gallas (25). They are Robin Van Persie, Emmanuel Eboue, Eduardo and Bacary Sagna. So who is it you ask? Well, obviously it's not Eduardo as he's been injured forever and wouldn't have been around to be a disruption. And I highly doubt it is Sanga, as he seems more like a quiet and good-spirited player.

This leaves Eboue and Van Persie. Eboue could very well be the man, and I'm not going to rule him out, but I tend to think it's Van Persie. He seems to be of the character of someone who could potentially be a big disruption in the dressing room. Remember how quickly he seems to rise to anger sometimes?

The problem if it's Van Persie is that he's a massive player for us. If we were to lose a currently fit Van Persie it would be a big blow, as he is probably the most technically-gifted player at Arsenal right now (although a strong case could be made for Fabregas). If the problem is Eboue I say chuck him right out. He's not terrible, but since moving to midfield it has become obvious he doesn't have that much to offer. He's a good solid backup player, but if he's disrupting the team, he's off in my opinion.

But this reveals what the big problem is behind the team right now. There are obviously problems on the field, but they can be fixed. The problems behind the scenes however are often much harder to correct, and responsibility must now fall squarely on the shoulders of Arsene Wenger to make things right.

I think it's time for some sort of impassioned speech or change of strategy from Arsene Wenger. This may well be the defining moment of our season: there is discord off the pitch and inconsistency on it. The time has come for Arsene Wegner to prove to everyone that he is truly a great manager as we all believe he is and set things right. He has the power, and hopefully the know-how, and he needs to address it right away.

We will see over the next few weeks if Le Boss has sorted everything out, but until we see some more concrete evidence all we can do is hope for the best. I know I am, and I encourage each of you to as well. Till next time,

Fab 4

Is Arsene Crazy?

Just a small thought today that has been on my mind the last few days. Even though I said Sunday that I believed Arsene Wenger realised what the problem was in our team and was taking steps to fix it, a quote of his after the game just baffled me. Here it is:

"Not really [I don't regret not bringing in a player over the summer], we had no player we really wanted and for now we have no regrets.
"You cannot explain the own goal of Gael Clichy by the fact we haven’t got an experienced player in midfield.
"I think we were not, as a team, sharp enough to dictate the pace and be dominant in the fight [against Aston Villa]."

If he's serious about not wanting any particular player then he's either downright lying or he hasn't got a clue. This would rubbish all reports of him trying to sign a central midfielder over the summer and would make all those quoted saying he was liars.

I just wonder if maybe Le Boss has lost his drive after so many years in management. He is so determined to make his goal of winning a trophy with such a young team a reality that I think he may be forgetting that we need to also have a strong traditional team blended in with the young one.

I'm the last person you'll find disagreeing with Arsene Wenger's youth philosophy, I think it's brilliant, and it's become my personal philosophy whenever I build a football side myself in my limited manner. But I also realise that sometimes I need to strengthen a certain position or bring in a bit more experience to make the team work, and Arsene doesn't seem to want to do that.

There are signs (such as signing Silvestre) that Wenger knows some more experience is necessary in the team and he is moving to add some more. But doesn't he also see the need to get a new midfielder? Think about it: with the replacement of Flamini in midfield this January, we will have the same team as last year, except we will have traded an obsessive-dribbling Hleb for a dribbling and shooting Nasri. We'll be better off than last year; all we need is a new defensive midfielder.

I sincerely hope Arsene Wenger hasn't lost the plot, and I refuse to believe he has, but with comments such as those above, I begin to wonder. It's international week so you can expect one or two more opinion articles this week before the Man City game this weekend. So until next time,

Fab 4

Our Premiership Bid is Over: Aston Villa Report

As optimistic as I can be I still don't see how we can win the Premiership title this season. After the terrible loss to Aston Villa yesterday I was left speechless. I was practically in denial that we had loss but it finally hit me that we have now lost two matches at our supposed fortress, the Emirates, already this season. With four losses out of 13 we have the record of a mid-table team or at best a UEFA Cup one.

Unfortunately we must face the fact that we are now out of the race for the Premiership title. Only a miracle, such as a spectacular collapse by every team in front of us, will win us the title this season. I have to admit it has gotten extremely frustrating to see the other three big four clubs win every week while we struggle. We are supposedly challenging for the title and yet we have failed to establish any credentials.

So who is to blame for the 2-0 loss yesterday? I think it's a matter of bad circumstances. I've heard that the players are to blame for not having enough desire and determination to win. I've heard that it's Arsene Wenger's fault for tactically failing us and refusing to buy the players we need. But while both these assessments may or may not be true, I believe our problem is another, entirely different one. I've talked about it before, but I had never seen just how true it was until yesterday.

Look back at both of the teams that have been successful over the last eight years. The 2002 double-winning team and the Invincibles both had a strong defensive midfielder, Viera, who protected the defense and worked hard in midfield. When we reached the Champions League final in 2006 we had an in-form Gilberto to do the job. When Gilberto fell out of form last season Flamini took over and did an outstanding job and we accordingly dominated the Premiership until February.

This season we are lacking this particular quality. Neither Denilson nor Diaby can do the job required because as well-skilled and good-intentioned as both are they simply aren't good enough and don't know how to fill in there. We desperately need a defensive midfielder right now and I'm afraid that by the time January comes around it may be too late to save the season.

The only player available right now is Stephen Appiah, but reports that we were trying to sign him were found to be rubbish. Both Appiah and Arsene Wenger when asked denied it, and I fully believe them. Arsene Wenger is the owner and creator of our style of play. Think what you want but he knows better than anyone else who will fit into the Arsenal system. If he says he's not trying to sign a player then that means the player in question will not work with our style of play. Arsene knows, at least in this case; Appiah would not fit into our Arsenal system and so he was not signed.

But what annoys me to no end is when I read or hear that Arsene Wenger doesn't realise our midfield deficiencies and he is tactically unsound. Look at the evidence to the contrary. We can't see behind the scenes at the club or Arsene Wenger's thoughts, but there are enough glimpses into what's really going on that it is so easy to piece together I'm surprised that not many people have noticed it.

Arsene knows Denilson will not work as a defensive midfielder. As evidence look at the fact that Wenger has now used a 4-5-1 for the last three matches in a row (all at home, I would add, where we are supposedly best). Obviously injuries played a part but what about yesterday when Arsene had two strikers again? He stuck with a 4-5-1 for the defensive stability it brings.

Also, there are multiple sources who said after the summer transfer window that Arsene Wenger tried to sign at least three different top-quality defensive midfielders, including Xabi Alonso on deadline day. But he was rejected in every case. A few months later more evidence was brought to light that supports this fact. Arsene was asked about transfers and he said that it isn't as simple as everyone thinks it is to buy a player. More often than not when a big club wants a player the other club will charge immense prices or refuse to let the player go. This makes it sound like Wenger had experienced this recently, as indeed he did when he failed to sign at least three different midfielders in the summer.

Arsene Wegner also realises our weakness in youth. Two facts back this up: first is the obvious one when Arsene said after the Villa match that we are not consistent enough to win anything right now. Inconsistency comes from youth, and a more hazy piece of evidence came to light a few weeks ago when a player's agent (can't remember the player) denied reports that his player was being targeted by Arsenal by saying that he was informed that Arsenal were right now looking at more experienced options, moving away from youth for the time being. If this is true then it reveals that Arsene Wenger realises that the inconsistency of youth is costing the team right now and he's looking to add more experience to the squad.

So Le Boss realises what's going on and has a plan to fix it. But where does that leave us right now? I'm afraid that we need to accept that our bid for the Premier League title is now over. If not, then it will be by January in our current form. So let's forget the Premiership and focus on the trophies that we still can win. I think the Champio0ns League is very winnable. We are practically already in the knockout stages and all we need is a 0-0 draw at home to Dynamo Kyiv to ensure our place in the last 16. By the time of the knockout stages we will have already (hopefully) bought who we need in January and will be doing well again. Also, we could very well win the Carling Cup this year at current and if both of these challenges fail then we could still go for the F.A. Cup.

If Arsene Wenger, and indeed the rest of us, realise that the Premiership is now out of reach then we can still go on to win some things this year. I hope against hope that this happens and Arsene really does know. Keep the faith, and keep supporting Arsenal through thick and thin. I'll be there along for the ride,

Fab 4

Aston Villa Preview

Tomorrow is our fixture at home against Aston Villa, the last in the series of four straight home matches. I'm hoping we will come away tomorrow with all three points, but I'm not entirely confident. However when you look at the form of the teams, I'm predicting a win tomorrow.

We all know about our form. Last week's win over Man Utd certainly helped the confidence around the club and I have a feeling that that confidence will spill onto the field. Remember that our first team has had a week long break which included watching the reserves beat up Wigan 3-0. Surely that's a morale boost. Add that to the fact that Eduardo returned to training Wednesday and the squad's probably in excellent morale.

Then we have Aston Villa. We all remember what happened in this corresponding fixture last year where the second city club almost beat us after we scored an own goal in the first half. Only a Bentdner equaliser in the last attack of the game saved us from losing that day, and that proved, at least to me, that Aston Villa are now a force to be reckoned with.

But their form has been patchy at best lately and despite the fact that they are currently fifth in the table, their position lies entirely on early-season results. They've lost two in a row in the Premiership and don't look the strongest outfit right now, but as is so often the case, visiting the Emirates will surely revive their form (I hate how it always works that way).

But I just have this feeling heading into tomorrow's match that we will see a match similar to when we beat Bolton or Blackburn. We looked strong right from the offing in those matches and we won them both comfortably, despite the expectations that we would struggle. I should be expecting us to struggle tomorrow but for some reason I'm not. It feels like it's going to be one of those comfortable wins and we will continue to put pressure on Chelsea and Liverpool to not slip up and let us gain points on them. I'm hoping this is true.

So I can't wait for tomorrow. Finally, a 3pm kickoff again (how rare is that with Arsenal?) and a great venue for the match. Let's go out there and look for a win tomorrow afternoon,

Fab 4
(After 2 months of blogging we've finally reached the 50th post with this article. Thanks for your continued support and thanks to our loyal readers who keep coming back!)

What Needs to Change?

Despite the good feeling instilled in all gooners after the wonderful Carling Cup win Tuesday and the win over Man Utd last weekend we have to face the hard facts: something in the Arsenal first team needs to change. Don't get me wrong, I'm the eternal optimist and I still think we can win both the Premier League and the Champions League this season, but to do so a bit of change is needed. Here are my thoughts on just what those changes should be.

Let's work our way forward from the back. First, the goalkeeping situation. Contrary to the perhaps common belief, I don't think there is a situation in goal. I stand by what I said about Almunia a few weeks back when I said he was a fine keeper, well capable of doing the job in goal. Face the facts: every goalkeeper has his bad spells and Almunia just happens to be in one right now. Remember that only a few weeks ago he was a hero, putting in some excellent, perhaps match winning, performances. Now he's had a blip in form, but who's to say he won't get out of it?

And here's the positive side effect of Almunia's head injury against Man Utd (which by the way he is reportedly 70:30 for this weekend): Fabianski has been allowed the chance to shine. To be honest I really don't fancy him in goal merely because of his young young age for a keeper. But with performances like those against Wigan he is seriously giving Almunia a run for his money right now for first-choice keeper. No, we don't have a world-class keeper the likes of Casillas or Buffon, but we haven't for years. Not even Lehmann was considered world-class when he was here, so why are so many so worried about Almunia?

Second, let's look at the defense. Many point to this area as the one we need to strengthen. I would agree with this view, but only halfway. Here's what I mean by that. I agree with everyone that our defense at the moment is dreadful. Gone are the days of 1-0 to the Arsenal; in fact I don't even remember the last time we got a lead early and held it 1-0 to the end of the match, it's been that long. The defense is terrible at defending set pieces, they are afraid to just hoof the ball away (save Silvestre, who seems to have it ingrained within him that he is never to pass it out of defense), and they are conceding far too many goals. It's gotten to the point that we can't even be sure a two-goal advantage will be defended with a minute plus stoppage time remaining.

But unlike so many out there who think that a new centre-back is the answer, I believe, as Arsene Wenger seems to, that the players we have are just fine. Gallas can produce wonderful defensive displays on his night (look at the Man Utd match), Silvestre is a clam experienced head, we have the two best fullbacks in the country, and Toure when in form is an excellent defender. That doesn't even mention the younger players like Djourou or Song who can also put in impressive performances. Just where would we add class to the back line, who, on form are all outstanding individual performers?

The answer is nowhere. I believe the solution to our defensive problem lies within that last sentence: "outstanding individual performers". The problem with our back line is that they have not been properly coached. This lack of coaching has led to all the errors on-field and has led some to believe a new player is required. The facts are that even if a new player were brought in, he alone could not change how the defense plays as a team, only a good leader or an excellent defense coach can do that. And Arsene Wenger is simply not a defensively-minded manager. We need someone like a Martin Keown who will come in and teach the lads how to play defense. They're all wonderful players, and with the right coaching we could have an excellent defense again.

In midfield I believe only one thing needs to be added: a ball-winning central midfielder who will allow Cesc Fabregas to get forward and who will add cover for our back line until it is repaired. If there's one player we sorely miss this season it's Flamini. Gilberto was past his prime and Hleb was replaced with the new Pires, Nasri, but Flamini was never replaced. It is a fact that Arsene Wenger tried and failed at least four of five times over the summer to bring in a new defensive midfielder, so he obviously realises this area needs strengthening. And I wouldn't worry too much about any comments he may make about not necessarily needing to sign anyone in January. An economically smart manager like Wenger knows that if teams don't think Arsenal are desperate for a midfielder but that they merelyh want to sign a player as an extra, then the prices come down. It's a very basic but very intelligent ploy to lower player prices, and I'm sure that Arsene knows there is a problem here.

With a new defensive midfielder we will again have bite in midfield and be able to be more competitive. This leaves us with attack, where I don't believe there is a single problem, and nor do, judging by this site's current poll, any other Arsenal supporters. With Adebayor, Van Persie, Eduardo, Vela, and Bendtner our attacking force is as lethal as ever. All we need now is a strong midfield to support the strikers and give them balls to feed off of and score from.

So there are in effect only two changes that need to be made on order for us to be genuine challengers for honours this season. First we need to sign a good quality central defensive midfielder who will play like Flamini, and second, we need to bring in a top-quality defense coach who will teach this defense how to play.

With these changes I believe we will be serious challengers on all fronts and we may finally get another piece of silverware. This is the fourth season on since we last won anything, and we are all feeling that hunger for titles. But only four teams or less and win a trophy each season, and with the changes I have outlined, I believe we can be one of them.

Fab 4