Arsenal 4-0 FC Porto: We're Back!

After tonight's performance, all I can say is we're back. Back to our best form, back to winning at home, and back to actually working hard as a team to get a great result. I wasn't able to see the first half other than highlights at halftime, but I saw the entirety of the second period and it was highly impressive. We were passing the ball well, linking together well, and dominating possession. Porto never really had but one chance in the second half; we were excellent.

I could go over each player and give them a rating, but for space's sake I won't. However to summarise, Adebayor and Van Persie played well, both taking their chances tonight instead of missing them. Walcott was excellent, and as Fabio Capello was in the audience, he did himself good as far as the national team is concerned. He ran by players with ease and never looked hassled on the ball, always composed. The rest of the midfield also was excellent. Fabregas passed well as always, Denilson was good, and Nasri was also excellent, showing on a few occasions, especially with the 25-yard bullet that was just saved, that he isn't afraid to shoot. I'm so glad we replaced Hleb with Nasri.

The defence was also good, with Clichy especially standing out. Even Gallas and Toure weren't horrible, although to be fair they didn't have much to do. And Almunia had a very solid night, commanding well, picking up lose balls, and distributing well. Come to think of it I can't think of a single game this season in which he hasn't looked excellent. How he is kept out of the Spain side, I don't know. Sure, Casillas and Reina are good but what about even putting Almunia on the bench or playing him in a low-level qualifier? I don't understand Spanish football sometimes (let's not even get into why Fabregas wasn't starting at EURO 2008).

So all in all a good match. I had a feeling we would bounce back after the defeat to Hull, and that's exactly what we did, in emphatic fashion. This will give us some much needed confidence before our trip down to Sunderland on Saturday and hopefully that confidence, along with the lesson in not being complacent that the team learned against Hull, will allow us to win comfortably against Roy Keane's men. Until then,

Fab 4

Highlights: http://www.boxofficefootball.com/arsenal-v-fc-porto-uefa-champions-league/

Preview - Arsenal vs FC Porto: Nasri Fit Again!

Finally after what has seemed like an eternity, Samir Nasri is fit again for this Tuesday's match against Porto. And goodness knows we could use a change of players after the miserable defeat to Hull at the weekend. Nasri's return will hopefully mean that Eboue will be rested after a horrible weekend. You know, I was really starting to think Eboue was steadily improving this season after an (offside) goal and some decent performances across the midfield. But after his terrible display against Hull, a game in which he showed all of his old weaknesses, my hope in him has been last again.

As for Porto, my instincts tell me this will be a very hard fixture. It's plain that they, along with us, are the favourites to get through the group, and this assumption was bolstered by their fine win against Fenerbache on matchday one. As I see it there are two possibilities for tomorrow's match:

1. We struggle with confidence after surrendering our impressive home record, and the team feels a sense of disappointment and a feeling that they have lost the home fans' support. Being at home will only make them feel bad, and their performance will be an uninspired and dispirited one in which we lose two on the trot at home.

2. The more likely and obviously more desirable possibility. We win by one or two goals and the team plays valiantly at home wanting to prove themselves capable of winning everything and start a new proud home record. Looking at how this team has responded to previous defeats and setbacks in the last year or so, I think this possibility is more likely to happen and obviously it would help restore confidence throughout the squad.

Prediction then? If scenario no.1 occurs then we will lose 1 to 2-0. If no.2 occurs then we will win 2-0 or 2-1. Either way. I think it's going to be a tight game and one that will not be easy, but I think we can just snatch victory tomorrow. Until then,

Fab 4

Arsenal 1-2 Hull City: Despicable!

I'm gutted. Absolutely gutted. I'm disappointed we lost, not so much the fact that we lost to Hull (which in itself is pretty sad) but mainly the fact that we lost at home. Just earlier in the day I was talking with a friend about Arsenal's home record and how impressive it was. Only one loss in all competitive matches at the Emirates in history. Now we've lost that record, and we haven't lost it in a respectable manner, such as a loss to a big four side, but we've lost it to a side who have never been in the Premiership in their history before this season. This defeat hurts.

I don't really feel like reliving the match, so you'll have to visit Arsenal.com or somewhere for a match report, but so sum it up it happened just as I and many others warned and worried that it might. We had chance after chance, opportunity after opportunity, and only one goal to show for it. Then Hull hit back through an unstoppable shot and by exploiting this side's great weakness: corners. I hate to lay the blame on anybody, but Gallas was (and has been) terrible at defending corners. Time after time he fails to mark his man effectively. He simple hangs on to the striker and watches him head it into the net. It happened at Fulham, and it's happened again. Now, it's not as if it's all Gallas's fault-the rest of the team also fail at defending corners-but our French captain has been the cause of both deciding goals in our two defeats this season. He seems to save or win us matches with his perfectly timed goals, and lose us matches with his horrid defending. I dunno, maybe in that way he really is a true captain in that he quite literally wins and loses us games.

Regardless of who is to blame and how bad we played during this loss, Hull deserve some credit. They played well and defended excellently. They used the exact strategies I predicted they would and they used them to perfection. So good job Hull, you deserved what you got.

Finally, and quite strangely, this loss makes me excited about Tuesday. Every time we lose, and our confidence is expected to drop, we respond emphatically. We seem to play excellently in our next match as if we're out to prove we can still be world-beaters. Just look at this season: after our defeat to Fulham we won our next two games scoring seven goals in the process. After the disappointment in Kiev we went on to beat Bolton 3-1 and go top of the table. So after this disappointment I believe there is a good outlook for Tuesday. The team will be out to prove themselves still world-class and we will be at home in front of our fans, and the lads will want to start a proud new home record. Until tomorrow,

Fab 4

Preview: Arsenal vs Hull City

This weekend we face Hull city and thanks to the week-long rest that our first team got thanks to the League Cup, they should all be fresh and fit for Saturday's match. The injury list continues to include Nasri, Diaby, and of course Eduardo & Rosicky. Also, Song will not play this weekend thanks to an injury he picked up on Wednesday. This seems to indicate that it will indeed be Denilson startling alongside Fabregas in the centre of midfield. Here's the probable lineup:

Almunia
Sanga-Toure-Gallas-Silvestre/Clichy (if fit)
Eboue-Fabregas-Denilson-Walcott
Adebayor-V.Persie

Now there is of course the chance that Bendtner could start in place of Van Persie due to his excellent scoring form as of late, but I think it's more luckily that the Dane will come on as an impact substitute in the second half. Also, as you see above, I think that Sivestre has a good chance of starting this weekend. But this all depends on how Clichy heals up today and tomorrow morning. If he's fit, he'll probably play about 60 minutes or so before being replaced with Silvesre, thus allowing the new signing to ease his way into the team. However if Clichy's not fit, then it's obvious that Silvestre will be thrust into the team. It's sometimes hard for older players to adapt to a new system of play, but thankfully Man Utd's style of off-the-ball movement isn't extremely different from our own so his learning curve should be short.

As for the match, I don't think we can go into it expecting to cruise to a win. Hull's manager seems to be one who will deploy his team against us in Sam Allardice-esque fashion. That is Hull will be playing very physically and will look to break down our play in midfield. Now, if Hull decide to actually play football against us then we will walk away easy winners, as they aren't that good technically. It's if they adopt the style I believe they will that we will have problems. With nothing to lose, expecting a loss, and hoping to scrape a draw, I can easily see them deploying Birmingham-like tactics against us.

Some of you may remember the match against Birmingham in January where we dominated the first half, got a penalty, and went into the break 1-0 ahead. Shortly after the break Birmingham equalised thanks to some sloppy corner defending. They then packed their penalty area with as much as ten players at once, and although we were close to scoring every 30 seconds or so, they resisted and held us to a 1-1 draw at home. I think this type of strategy may be the same on Saturday. Hull will defend with their lives and hope for the lucky goal themselves through a long-ball approach. The team will have to be at their very best tomorrow to beat Hull, but I think they can do it. Who knows, maybe Hull will play like they did against Wigan when they lost 5-0 and we'll crush them. But I don't think that's very likely. I'm going to predict a 2-0 result and hope for more.
Until tomorrow,

Fab 4

News Roundup: Clichy & Silvestre Fit

Hey there. Just three main news points I want to cover today, and the first is the one from the title. According to Arsenal.com, it appears as though Clichy's shin will have hopefully have healed enough to play. Here's what Arsene Wenger said today:

“I am really pleased that Gael is available. He had a training session today for the first time and he should develop well in the next 48 hours.”

Sounds promising enough. Le Boss has also revealed that Silvestre will be fit for Saturday as well as Van Persie and Walcott, who picked up small knocks. However, Alex Song took a real beating to the hip on Tuesday and may not be fit for Hull this weekend; it all rests on a fitness test later today. So with Clichy a minor doubt, we may see Silvestre's debut in an Arsenal shirt Saturday.

In the second piece of news is that "Fab 4" Cesc Fabregas has been talking about both Jack Wilshere and Tuesday's match. Here's what he had to say:

"I do not think Jack needs any advice because his family are taking care of him and his head is in the right place," said Fabregas of Wilshere's mental toughness (a phrase invented by Arsene Wenger of course).
"If it went the other way and you could see things were not going right, then maybe you could say something to him. But we are not worried about Jack because he has got the qualities and the head to do it."
About Tuesday's match, he said:
"It was sensational. Everyone played their part and were fantastic. There were 56,000 fans at the stadium and they were really entertained.
"It does not surprise me or the rest of the team because we play with them in training every day and we know what they can do. Of course you are excited to see them play together in a real game, but you are not surprised by their quality.
"I hope this can turn out to be the greatest generation. There is definitely the potential in this side to do that because we are so young, even the players already playing in the first team - Denilson, (Alex] Song, I am only 21, Gael Clichy looks 30 and he is only 24. We all hope we can all keep progressing. With this manager, you know if you play well you will be in the team, so it is up to us to do it."

Your right, Cesc, this very well could be the greatest generation. Just look at our potential strike force (see yesterday's post) to see an example of all the potential this side has.

Finally, Arsene Wenger has talked about something that I have been noticing but trying to keep to myself for fear of jinxing our current form. He said of the defense,

“We have defended very well. It has not been noticed yet but we’ve only conceded those two goals from two corners. In open play we are quite solid. That, for me, is a good response and a good explanation for the team attitude in the squad.
“What makes me happy at the moment is that we have a good combination of defensive balance and offensive efficiency,” said the Frenchman. “Sometimes when you work on defending better you lose a number of goals. But at the moment we are combining the two and it means when everyone puts the effort in we still can be very dangerous going forward.”

I have noticed this as well and if you look at the record this season, of the three goals in all competition, two were (as Wenger said) from corners, and the other was a penalty. So we have not yet conceded a goal in open play. I hope this trend continues.

Last season we conceded 31 goals, the largest amount of anyone in the big four. Arsene said numerous times that this was one of the main reasons for our inability to win the title last season, a point which I don't think any of us gooners will disagree with. However so far this season we have been excellent. Now before we get carried away it's important to remember that we haven't been handed any major challenges yet this season save perhaps Dynamo Kyiv (for whatever reason). So it's too early to tell if this good defending will become a habit this season, but if it does, I'm quite confident that we will walk away with the title come May. Defense wins championships, and when you combine it with a deadly offense such as we have, you are almost guaranteed to win trophies.

Here's hoping that our defensive form continues and we are able to walk away with the title,

Fab 4

Our Future Strike Force?

I've been doing some thinking lately about who will be our regular strike force in five years or so. Now, obviously I think we can all envision Adebayor leaving us at some point in the next few years, and judging by his antics over the summer I wouldn't be surprised if during summer next he is off to some "superpower" club such as Barcelona or Milan. Also, I worry about Van Perise and Eduardo. Hopefully Eduardo returns as good as he was before his injury but I just have this horrible niggling feeling that it may take him a year or two to return to his best. Van Persie is constantly injured and must be considered a treat to have. He, like Rosicky, will likely be someone who we almost forget about because of constant injuries but when he plays every once in a while will be good.

So, let's assume for the purposes of this argument that it is the bginning of the 2010-11 season. The World Cup has just ended, Adebayor is gone, and Arsene Wenger is starting the last year of his contract. I believe that Walcott by then will be a regular in the English national side and he will have had a spectacular World Cup despite the English team falling out in the quarterfinals. So, we'll be left with Eduardo, who is past his prime and may have been sold, Van Persie, who missed the World Cup because of injury and may have been sold as well due to unreliability of playing time. This leaves us with three main strikers (not counting the young back-ups we will have bought or produced from the youth academy by then).

The strikers are Bendtner, Walcott, and Carlos Vela. After watching the Carling Cup game last night I am truly excited by this. I believe the our three strikers will rotate depending on the team we're facing and fatigue. Vela will be like our current Eduado in his cool and calm finishes. He'll use his fancy Mexican footwork to beat player after player before finishing with ease. Then comes Walcott. He will race by players with his blinding speed and be very Henry-esque. The new no.14 will act just like the famous one. His speed will allow him to get in behind defenders, and after beating them he will finish with a trademark curling shot around the keeper in a fashion eerily reminiscent of Thierry Henry. Finally, we'll have Bendtner, who'll be just like Adebayor is today but better. He'll be the target of our aerial balls (crosses most likely, or perhaps a long ball as Plan B), he'll be strong, agile, able to beat player on the basis of both skill and strength. He'll then finish just as Ade does now and will be the perfect pairing for either Vela or Walcott.

Assuming this is the future of Arsenal's strike force, I believe it will be one of the most potent in the history of the Arsenal football club, and perhaps the history of English football itself. Vela and Walcott will be unstoppable and will rip defenses apart, scoring 15-20 goals each, and Bendtner will be the target man who scores 20-25 goals a season just like Drogba and Adebayor do due to sheer fox-in-the-box finishing and neat one-two's with his strike partner. Do the math and as a whole we'll be getting 50+ goals a season from our strikers alone, never mind midfield. Add in goals from there and we will be an unstoppable attacking force. It won't matter how many goals we concede, we'll just score 2 or 3 more.

The future is bright, and there should be nothing but optimism from Arsenal supporters right now. When our youth side beats a team 6-0 and Carlos Vela scores a hat-trick to open his scoring accounts, you know the future is one to look forward too. Until next time,

Fab 4

Report: Arsenal 6-0 Sheffield Utd

Just finished watching the match on Arsenal TV. Overall we played one of the best games, if not THE best game I have ever seen the Arsenal youngsters play. They looked dangerous throughout, and Bendtner and Carlos Vela were particularly impressive. I also thought the entire midfield did well passing and keeping the ball, and the defense, especially Gibbs on the left-hand side, played very well.

Highlight: The best part of the match was when Carlos Vela scored his three excellent goals. I felt the first one was by far the most impressive; chipping the keeper in that fashion is something that I can only imagine Thierry Henry doing regularly. Arsene Wenger said at the beginning of the season that Carlos Vela was more like Eduardo than anyone else, and I admit I had my doubts: he looked very impressive on the left wing at Osasuna, but Le Boss knows best and tonight he showed what he is capable of. He's quite possibly the best player to come out of Mexico since Hugo Sanchez himself all those years ago.

Worst Bit: To be honest there weren't really very many if any at all. I suppose the lads could have been better with their set pieces: some of the corners and free kicks tonight were far from top quality, but it's hardly enough to distract from the overall team play which was excellent.

Overall: An excellent match overall. Arsene Wenger said after the match that this was probably the best he's ever seen one of his Carling Cup sides ever play, and I have to agree with him 100%. I certainly didn't foresee 6-0, but it just shows how strong the youth setup is at Arsenal. If, and it is a bit of an if unfortunately, but if we are able to keep this squad together, in 5 to 10 years we could be looking at one of the most successful Arsenal squads in history.

The outlook is bright for our young squad, and I must say, it is at times like these - sitting top of the table, scoring 11 goals in the last four first team matches, and watching the youth team beat a first team from only one division below by 6-0 - that I am glad I'm an Arsenal fan. Proud to be a gooner for life,

Fab 4

Review & Preview: Are we destined to win the title?

Sorry about the lack of daily posts since Friday, but it was a busy weekend, which unfortunately caused me to miss the Bolton game. However I did see highlights and read match reports and reviews, so I know what happened, but more importantly I know what the win up north meant: we're top of the league.

Yes, with the win Saturday, and Chelsea's subsequent draw at home to Man Utd, we're top of the league for the first (and hopefully not last) time this season. All of the sudden the media don't hate us anymore, and in fact I read one article in I think it was the Guardian which mentioned that because Arsene Wenger used the word magic, we are probably on course to win the premier League. But then, that's what the English media does, and a few weeks from now they'll be saying we're on course to finish mid-table. But for this week at least, I'm enjoying the lessening of media attacks on Arsenal.

Of course the other thing to love is this (the league table). It doesn't happen very often (though I wish it would) but for this week at least we and Sp*rs are at opposite ends of the table. We are of course first, and even though Tottenham are often dreadful they aren't often last while we are first. Truly then this is a moment to savour.

It seems like now for the last two seasons in a row we have surprised the critics, and perhaps ourselves by finding ourselves top of the league by mid-September. Hopeful this time around though we've learned our lessons and are more prepared for this year's title push. You know, I truly to see history repeating itself this season and last, and I've noticed it since March, when we started our slide out of first; now my prediction that history would repeat itself is hopefully coming true. It's a similarity which has been missed by many Arsenal commentators and I hope this does indeed happen. Here's what I mean:

We seem to mirroring the events of exactly five years ago. In the 2002-03 season, we led the league for most of the season (i.e.-2007-08) but then a series of events and bad results in spring saw us lose the title to Manchester United despite playing well enough to win it for most of the season (i.e.-2007-08). We won the final few games of the season, but it did nothing other than give us a bit of pride after giving away the title (i.e.-2007-08). Then came the 2003-04 season (i.e. 2008-09). We took an early lead of the Premiership and went on to win the title unbeaten. Now obviously we won't go unbeaten this season (we lost at Fulham) but do you see the parallels? I hope against hope that history is repeating itself and we are destined to win the title this season, and if we do, my history repetition theory will have been proved correct.

Now a bit about this Tuesday evening's match. According to Arsene Wenger, we may be fielding our youngest ever Carling Cup side with Song and Djourou being our "experienced veterans". Here's the quote:

“There is a possibility [it will be the youngest side ever],” said Wenger. “In the first team there are many players around 20. In the Carling Cup we will keep a few in there but the side will be more between 16 and 19. At Arsenal you can say 20 and 21-year-olds are the experienced players.
“You are likely to see Gavin Hoyte, Abu Ogogu, Aaron Ramsey, Mark Randall, Jack Wilshere, Fran Merida and Carlos Vela. Maybe Bendtner will play. Song, Djourou and Lukasz Fabianski will be the experienced players. But you will have players like Emmanuel Frimpong and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas so it will be a very young side.”

There you have it then. We are going to see a very young and inexperienced side line up on Tuesday night, but then when do we not in the Carling cup? I'm looking forward to the match, and I'm going to be positive and predict 2-0. To be perfectly honest, these matches with our youth players are almost impossible to predict, but we've become accustomed to seeing the Carling Cup sides Wenger puts out do well, so Im' not too concerned.

Until the match review, I'll be watching the Sheffield Utd game with interest.

Fab 4

Preview: Bolton vs Arsenal

Well, tomorrow we face Bolton Wanderers but the big news around Arsenal is not the upcoming match but instead the news that Stan Kroenke has joined the Arsenal board. I won't bother to link, you can find it anywhere you find football news, but this is a big bit of business by the Arsenal board. Kroenke seems to be now a very trusted and very rich member of the board and I though he didn't sign the "lockdown" agreement last September, the club should be safe because of Stan's good relationship with the board. I'm frankly excited by the news, and I hope that Kroenke's stature and presence in the board will deter future buyers of the club (especially that fat bloke from Russia, Usmanov was his name?!?).

On to the match preview. To be honest there's not that much to preview. For some reason we always struggle up north, but I just have the feeling this won't be the case this weekend. Just as Arsene Wenger likes to point out, we always seem to respond to a disappointment the match before with a big match on the weekend, especially near the beginning of the season. So after the disappointment of only drawing in Kiev Wednesday, the lads will be looking to get a big result and prove they can still win big.

With that said however, I still think Bolton will give us a bit of a hard time. I think 2-0 would be likely, but even 1-0 would work. Of course I said this about Wednesday's match as well, and look what happened, but I believe this weekend will be different for the reasons I stated above: the team will want revenge.

So here's hoping for a good result then. I unfortunately won't be able to watch the match, but maybe I can record it... Anyway until next time,

Fab 4

News Roundup: Nasri, Diaby, Silvestre Still Out

So today three of our Arsenal players faced fitness exams and none of them passed. According to Arsenal.com all of Nasri, Diaby, and Silvestre are all still out. Silvestre and Nasri should be fit for the game against Hull next Saturday, but Diaby will be another two weeks. I don't know what it is about the club that means anyone who comes here gets injured, but it may have something to do with our fast, physically-demanding style of play. On the bright side, at least Van Persie isn't out for a month for "fracturing a fingernail during a particularly intense recreational activity": table tennis.

Also on Arsenal.com, Adebayor says that the team is benefiting from Gallas's experience and his goals are helping as well. The goals certainly are helping, but you notice that Adebayor didn't say anything about Gallas's leadership, just his experience...

Finally, Le Boss has revealed why he spoke to the ref after the game Wednesday. It was for precisely the reason I suspected. Here's what he said:

"I wanted to understand how we were going to play three minutes of injury time, and then only had one minute,

“Every referee looks to have a different computer to calculate the injury time. I still do not know and really understand how it works.

"It looks like [it happens] through inspiration of the referee and he could not explain it. He just said it was enough.

"When we got to 1-1, there was no game any more. We were on top, they looked very tired, but the game was finished because of the interruptions for injuries and stoppages. You could feel the game was there for the taking, but we had no more opportunity to play."

I also felt all the timewasting was unfair, and I was quite sure the referee would allow the game to go on for four or five minutes because of the stoppages for subs and injuries. But because of another biased referee (who also, remember, awarded that 50-50 penalty that was not) we didn't have the chance to press for a winner. This isn't the Premier League so I can't say the ref was a Man Utd supporter, but he certainly was unfair.

I'll write a match preview tomorrow but that's all the time I have for today. Until next time,

Fab 4

Dynamo Kyiv 1-1 Arsenal

Well, I write this having just turned off the match and my first feelings are those of disappointment. We controlled the game for most of the match and created several clear-cut opportunities, but couldn't break through until the 88th minute, and by that time Kyiv had drawn level through a contentious penalty. Here's what happened.

Early on, we took charge and looked lively. Van Persie had a few chances early on but didn't finish any of them, but the best opportunity came when Adebayor was gifted a bad pass from Dynamo Kyiv. The Togolese striker raced inside the penalty area, dodged a challenge, and was one-on-one with the keeper, but fired it over whilst trying to curl it into the top corner. But from how close he was, all he needed to to was hit it hard and low and we would have been one-nil up.

Soon afterwards Dynamo Kyiv had a good spell of possession that was frankly a bit worrying but none of it came to anything. Shortly thereafter Arsenal had another great chance to take the lead. Adebayor got free on the far side of the penalty area and sent in a lovely floated chip to the near side of the box where Van Persie awaited. Instead of executing a difficult volley, the Dutchman cleverly laid it off for an arriving Fabregas, but the midfielder's shot was scoffed and it fell right into the keeper's arms.

You felt at this point that Arsenal would have to get a goal sooner or later but at half-time it remained 0-0. As the second half started, Kyiv had many of the better chances and were eating up possession. Then in the 64th minute, it was Dynamo and not Arsenal who grabbed the lead.

As Dynamo launched another attack, the ball was lofted into the box where Sanga was marking a Kyiv striker. He and the offending player struggled for position, and the striker, Vukojevic fell over. The referee pointed to the spot, but it was really a 50-50 challenge which Sanga was very unlucky not to win. I thought it was fair, but the referee didn't and on the ensuing penalty, Dynamo's Bangoura scored.

After the goal Dynamo timewasted as Arsenal pushed and pushed for an equaliser. Bendtner and Eboue were brought in for Song and Sanga and we went to only three at the back, all in an attempt to get level with Kyiv. Arsene Wenger was visibly frustrated, and I was too as our attacks kept failing and Dynamo kept timewasting unpunished.

Finally though in the 88th minute, Walcott got free on the right, crossed the ball in towards at least seven or eight Arsenal players and this time we got a touch on it. Gallas was the one who ultimately tumbled it over the line, scoring another important goal for us. Hate the guy if you'd like but again and again he saves our butts with goals.

The match ended with more timewasting and Arsene Wenger had a nice long talk with the fourth official afterwards about it. But it is what it is. At least we didn't lose, but we certainly didn't make a huge impression upon Europe tonight. One positive though, (besides not losing) was that Man Utd also drew 0-0, albeit to Villareal. So we're not the only ones not starting strong. We'll still be the ones attacked in the media though, but I'm used to that.

Ratings:
Almunia-7: Looked pretty good tonight bar one mistake which could have led to a goal, but overall solid.
Sanga-6: Didn't do much tonight and was substituted late on. Good defensively though.
Toure-5: Where was he? He passed fairly well and defended okay, but was really absent.
Gallas-7: Scored the winner (again) but also made a few mistakes defensively, one of which led to the possesion for Kyiv that won the penalty.
Clichy-5: Good match fresh back from a minor injury. But he was caught out of position a few times.
Walcott-7.5: Absent for long periods of the game, but when called upon was excellent. Provided the equalising cross.
Fabregas-6: Probably one of his worse games in an Arsenal shirt. Good passing throughout but went unnoticed and not at all influential.
Song-5: Okay passing-wise but was rightly substituted in the second half.
Denilson-6: Quiet but alright. About as influential as Fabregas, which isn't that good.
Adebayor-5.5: Not a good night at all. His one good play was the chip to Van Persie, but his horrible missed chance summed up his night.

Subs:
Bendtner-4: Absent. Enough said. (Must have had three touches on the ball all match.)
Eboue-5: Was alright and not Eboueish (always a good thing) but failed to make an impact.
Vela-4: Same as Bendtner, but even less touches.

Looking forward to Bolton this Saturday, we didn't get any big boost from this match like I hoped we would, so we'll have to go up north with only determination and not much confidence to face an annoying Bolton side at the Reebok. Until then,

Fab 4

Preview: FC Dynamo Kyiv vs Arsenal

So Wednesday night's match will see us taking on the Ukrainian side Dynamo Kyiv. Our record against former Soviet states in the Champions League is frankly dreadful. We've never won in six matches against eastern European opposition, but that's a record we'll all be hoping will be broken tomorrow night.

In team news ahead of the match tomorrow night, it looks like Eboue and Clichy will have both recovered in time to face Dynamo Kyiv. According to Arsenal.com, the two wide players who both picked up knocks at the weekend have travelled with the squad to Ukraine and one would expect them to start.

I was really worried about losing Clichy as we don't really have a replacement for him until Slivestre gets fit, which he has not done in time for the match tomorrow. Hopefully Clichy will be fit enough to start. And as for Eboue, normally I couldn't care less whether or not he gets to play, but with the injury situation such as it is, with both Nasri and Rosicky out (the latter with no current prospect of returning), Eboue is a player we need to stay fit.

Of course, there is the possibility that Carlos Vela could play wide midfield opposite Theo Walcott, but with Arsene Wenger seeing him as mainly a centre forward Eboue will likely get the nod.

As for tomorrow I'm predicting that we will win comfortably. In the back of my mind I can see that maybe we might struggle, just because of the hostile atmosphere and our record against eastern European sides, but logic tells me that we will win comfortably.

I think 2-0 is a fair prediction; it won't be an easy match but I think with our current form at the moment (11 goals in the last three games) we will be able to snatch victory. I wouldn't be happy with a draw mainly because it wouldn't signal our intentions in the competition very strongly, and that is something I think Arsene Wenger wants very much to do. If we can get a good solid result in Kiev tomorrow night, we will have established ourselves as contenders, and the other teams in our group might just get a bit more nervous about facing us, which is always a good thing.

So I hope we can get a win tomorrow. I think with our current run of form we should be able to get a victory with little problem, but we will have to work for it. Once again, I predict 2-0 but I'm hoping for more. Until then,

Fab 4

Blackburn 0-4 Arsenal: Review

Blackburn 0-4 Arsenal
Van Persie 9,
Adebayor 45, 78 (pen), 89

Saturday's match was one that I and many other analysts predicted we would have a hard time of. I expected a narrow win in which Theo Walcott and Adebayor would score. Well, Theo didn't score but he did get a marvelous assist, and Adebayor not only scored, but got a hat-trick. It was a surprising and yet very satisfying afternoon.

I was, on this occasion, forced to watch this match over the internet on Sopcast due to it not being shown on any of my TV channels, but it was fine as the quality of the stream was excellent.
After kickoff we only took about five minutes to settle in and almost immediately we were ahead. After some excellent footwork from Theo Walcott on the left, the young Englishman delicately placed a spot-on through ball towards Van Persie who duly slotted home. It was a composed finish, but Walcott's run around two or three defenders was excellent. You could tell the man was oozing confidence.

After the goal we had a few more chances, but the rest of the half was mainly spent keeping possession. However there was some good defending throughout including a few excellent saves from Almunia.

Finally, as we moved into stoppage time at the end of the first half, Arsenal decided to keep possession and kill the clock. But after about 20 passes, Denilson sent in a cross from the left-hand flank that Adebayor headed home. It was a wonderful way to enter the dressing room.

The second half began and it was more of the same. Arsenal kept the ball well and dominated possession. With ten minutes to go, Eboue was tripped up inside the penalty area (a fall that was NOT a dive as some have said) and Van Persie allowed Adebayor to get his second of the day.

A few minutes later a delightful through ball from Aaron Ramsey sent Adebayor in one-on-one and he rounded the keeper to complete his hat-trick. A wonderful afternoon for the Togolese hit man and one that may have won back a few fans.

Overall I was pleasantly surprised by the performance and result. I expected things to be a lot harder than they were. Blackburn did indeed try to rough us up, but the Arsenal players fought right back; Denilson was especially aggressive in response to Blackburn's physical approach, but it was all for the best.

The win leaves us in third place in the league behind Chelsea and Liverpool (who of course beat the Mancs earlier in the day 2-1). Surprisingly Hull sit fourth, a situation that won't likely last more than this week. So far, and to my great surprise, we've conceded the least goals of any team in the league, with the goal scored by Fulham our solitary goal conceded. Now, I don't believe this really says too much about our defense seeing as we've hardly had difficult opposition, but I must credit our defensive performance against Blackburn as being quite good.

The only negatives from the match are the fact that we appear to have lost both Eboue and Clichy to injuries. Clichy is of course the big loss, but seeing as Silvestre should be fit by Wednesday, he will likely make his Arsenal debut at left-back. I can't wait to see how he performs, but I'm disappointed he has to fill in for Clichy, as our first-choice fullback has been excellent so far this season.

But returning to the Blackburn match, I thought it was an excellent complete performance. We dominated the game, Ade got a much needed hat-trick, and we've now scored 12 goals in the last four competitive games this season and only conceded one. Surely a great way to start our season, and on an even happier note, except for the Champions League matches, we won't have a seriously difficult fixture until this end of October. It really is a good time to be a gooner. A match preview will appear here tomorrow. Until next time,

Fab 4

Preview: Blackburn vs Arsenal

Time for a match preview of Saturday's match, Blackburn Rovers vs Arsenal. It's a match that we are certainly capable of winning but I'm a little worried about it for some reason. But before I share my thoughts, here are the stats:

Last season's results:

1-1 at Ewood Park

2-0 at the Emirates

Current League positions:

Arsenal: 4th (6pts)

Blackburn: 10th (4pts)

Current Form (Premier League):

Arsenal: W-L-W

Blackburn: W-D-L

Blackburn have registered one league win in five seasons against us, and lost eight of the 10 fixtures. Morten Gamst Pedersen scored in the only victory; 1-0 on 25 February 2006 at Ewood Park.

Blackburn:

Have not suffered consecutive losses in 23 Premier League outings, since before Christmas when West Ham (h), Wigan (a) and Chelsea (h) defeated them in successive matches.

Have not lost a home league game in 2008.

Have conceded one goal in each of their last seven home league matches, and not let in more than a single goal in 13 since the 0-4 loss to Aston Villa on 28 November.

Arsenal:

Have won all but one of the last nine in all competitions; the exception being the 1-0 away loss to Fulham on 23 August.

Have lost only one of their last 16 league games against North-West opposition; 2-1 to Manchester United on 13 April 2008.

Final interesting facts for Arsenal:

Emmanuel Adebayor is a hat-trick shy of 50 goals for Arsenal.
If selected:
New signing Mikael Silvestre will be making his 250th Premier League appearance - all previous 249 were for Manchester United.
Kolo Toure will be making his 200th Premier League appearance - all for the Gunners.
Theo Walcott will be making his 100th club career appearance (Southampton and Arsenal).

This is the 101st league meeting between these clubs.
Blackburn and Arsenal have met seven times in two seasons; the Gunners have won four, drawn two and lost one. We will be hoping for our fourth win in six league visits to Ewood Park.

And now for the preview. Blackburn are not in the greatest of form but they always give us trouble merely because of their aggressive style of play.

Blackburn are called the "bullies" of the Premiership for a good reason. In the past they have always tried to be as physical as possible to beat us. They seem to think in the words of Arsene Wenger that the "only way to beat Arsenal is to kick Arsenal". This of course led to the now infamous incident between Fabregas and manager Mark Hughes a couple of years back. Good for Cesc I said on that occasion.

Hopefully under Paul Ince Blackburn won't be as physical as they usually are, but their games thus far have not convinced me that will be the case.

As for Arsenal, Nasri was injured during the week and may not play Saturday. If he's not fit we may have a selection problem. Certainly Walcott will start (after his exploits for England how could he not?), but our other wide midfielder will be the question. If Nasri stays injured I think we may see Walcott on the left and Eboue slot in on the right. Obviously I'd love to see Theo on the right where he seems to play best but Eboue can only play on the right and we don't really have any other wide players available. My team Prediction:

Almunia

Sanga-Toure-Gallas-Clichy

Eboue-Fabregas-Denilson-Walcott

Adebayor-RVP

I'm predicting a tight and tense affair Saturday afternoon. Blackburn will again be physical with us and some of our younger players may find it hard to cope. But I think that even with the resistance we won't have a problem scoring. I can see Adebayor and maybe even Walcott slotting in a couple between them, but I'm worried that Blackburn will score. Our defense hasn't looked rock solid (to say the least) and Blackburn will probably break through it. The game will likely play out much like the Carling Cup game between us last year.

My prediction:

2-1 to Arsenal, Adebayor and Walcott scoring after Blackburn take a first-half lead.

I think we can get the three points from this match, we'll just have to work for it. Also, with Liverpool and Man Utd playing each other this weekend, the teams may draw (it's a likely prediction) and that would put is in the top two or three. Here's hoping for the best this weekend,

Fab 4

News Roundup: Nasri Injured Again

I hate internationals. I truly do. Arsene Wenger once said international weeks are like when a friend borrows your car, wrecks it, and then returns it to you and tells you to fix it. That's exactly how I feel about them as well. This week Nasri was injured whilst on duty for France. He didn't play in midweek and isn't expected to feature for us this weekend. He's already been out once this season but returned in time for the start of the Premier League campaign. It doesn't look like he'll be so lucky this time out. Silvestre is also out of the equation as is Carlos Vela. Here's the full article from Arsenal.com.

In other news, Arsene Wenger has ruled out a possible move for Stephen Appiah. This is too bad as I thought the Appiah deal was a good one: we'd be making a profit either way. Oh well, I guess maybe we can hold over until January with the central midfielders we've got. This report though rubbishes rumours that we are eyeing a move for the Brazilian midfielder Mineiro. I didn't believe it in the first place. There are no quotes (Sky Sports "understands" that the move is possible) and the man in question is 33 years old. If Silvestre was old this guy is ancient. It will never happen.

That's about all for today. There's really not much news at the moment. Everyone continues to praise Theo Walcott but as I already did an article on him yesterday I won't provide you with any more quotes. Tomorrow I'll have a match preview up as we look forward to our encounter at Ewood Park against Blackburn. But is it something to look forward to or something to dread? I'll reveal my thoughts on the question tomorrow in the match preview. So until then,

Fab 4

Walcott: Hat-Trick Hero!

For those who missed it, Walcott scored a hat-trick during England's 4-1 win over Croatia earlier tonight. Yes, you read that right, hat-trick! Theo was the outstanding player throughout and deserved his goals. He is truly the next English superstar. Step aside Wayne Rooney...

That's all, I just wanted to congratulate Theo on making his nation proud and making a name for himself on the international stage. Maybe there's a very good reason why Walcott inherited the famous no.14, we may be looking at the next Thierry Henry. But let's not put too much pressure on the lad, he's only 19 after all and needs time to develop. But until then, THEO, THEO, THEO, THEO!!!

If you haven't, go ahead and read the League Prediction article which I published a bit earlier, it's a good read. Until next time,

Fab 4

League Prediction 08/09

Well, it's finally time to write up my predictions for the Premier League season 2008/09. Using mainly the BBC Premier League Predictor (useful, that) I produced a final league table by entering in all the predicted results. To add to the realism of the results I of course added a few suprise results here and there and one or two shocks but possibilities. I of course expected Arsenal to triumph (this is an Arsenal blog) but in order to make it fair, Arsenal had a fair few draws and losses. Below are the final standings along with my prediction and a few other final stats I came up with.

Final Table:

1 Arsenal

2 Chelsea
3 Manchester United
4 Liverpool
5 Manchester City
6 Aston Villa
7 Blackburn Rovers
8 Portsmouth
9 Everton
10 Sunderland
11 Tottenham Hotspur
12 West Ham United
13 Newcastle United
14 Middlesbrough
15 Wigan Athletic
16 Bolton Wanderers
17 West Bromwich Albion
18 Fulham
19 Hull City
20 Stoke City

Detail:

1 Arsenal

No suprises here perhaps, but when I was calculating the results, Arsenal for a while looked on course to finish second. According to my predictions, Arsenal will lead the league early with their easy schedule, but in November they'll give it up. Eventually, though, Arsenal will win it back, and presuming that injuries don't hit us hard, we'll be back atop the league by March or so after keeping close to the leaders. Our schedule will put us far enough ahead that we will only need a point from our matches against Chelsea and Man Utd in May to secure the title, albeit by only 3 points. But of course if injuries ravage us like they did at the end of last season, then we'll be looking at 2nd or 3rd.
2 Chelsea

Chelsea are going to be the main threats to our title. According to my results they'll lose their current lead but get it back just before December and then hold it, barring the odd week Man Utd top the table, until March. They will stay hot on our heels until May when the match at the Emirates between the two teams will prove decisive. Hopefully results stand this way. Chelsea look to be stronger than Man Utd this season and they've brought in some dangerous players, including Deco, a man who's been playing wonderfully for them thus far. He's like our Nasri: excellent right from the start this season.
3 Manchester United

Man Utd made almost no attempts to stregnthen their squad until deadline day when they brought in Berbatov. But I don't think that will be enough for them. United are clearly struggling without Ronaldo, much as they did at the start of last season without Rooney. If either of thise players falls out due to injury for any period of time this season, Man Utd will not retain the title. My prediction sees them hanging around with the front two all season and leading the league for a week here and there. I have them as finishing 4-6 points off the champions.

4 Liverpool

Liverpool are not going to be a threat this season. True, they have F. Torres, but they had him last season and didn 't do miraculous things. Their purchase of Keane doesn't seem to be helping tremendously either and they actually sold many of their good players over the summer, replacing them with players such as N'Gog, an unknown youth from France. I predict they'll struggle to keep pace with the "big three", as they will be, for most of the year. Near the end of the season a strong push from Man City will threaten their Champions League spot, but they'll just survive.
5 Manchester City

Mancheser City are not going to make the Champions League next year. Until January they'll just be hanging around 6th or 7th, but during the next transfer window it will all change. Their new billionaire-owners will probably buy them a whole new starting eleven and they will have multiple world-class players at the squad, all highly overpaid. This will allow them to have big four-type results for the rest of the season, but they'll still come up 3-5 points short of 4th place. I believe next year though they will replace Liverpool in the big four due to Liverpool's crushing debts and inevitable selling of players to cover the costs when their American owners bail out.

6 Aston Villa

Aston Villa are definitely going to make it into the UEFA Cup this season but will have to fight a late surge from Blackburn to do it. It is my prediction that they'll finish roughly level on points with the Lancashire side but will finish 6th on goal difference. Villa have a pretty good squad and normally I would predict them pushing Liverpool for 4th, but with the purchase of Man City by the Abu Dhabi group, all that is changed and they will have to settle for 6th.

7 Blackburn Rovers

As I said, Blackburn are going to be serious contenders for the UEFA Cup spots. As long as a big four club win the League Cup this season they'll probably make it in no matter what, but just in case they will be pushing hard for league qualification. My predictions showed that they will be mid-table for most of the first two-thirds of the season due to a hard early schedule, but they should be able to mount a surge by the end of the season and push Villa all the way for a UEFA Cup spot.

8 Portsmouth

Portsmouth will also be in the mix of teams fighting for UEFA Cup spots. In fact my prediction puts them just 1-3 points behind Blackburn & Aston Villa. They will probably be in 5th or 6th for most of the year, but a harsh late-season schedule will hurt them. Under Harry Rednapp Pompey will definitely be a force this season, and hopefully our own Armand Traore will shine for them whilst on loan and come back ready to fight for a place in the Arsenal first-team.

9 Everton

Everton were very good last year, looking very likely for a while to steal Liverpool's Champions League place. But over the summer the squad was somewhat depleted, with Everton really only bring in one major name: Louis Saha. But Saha is past his prime and Man Utd let him go happily. With less players, Everton have little depth, and only one major signing to speak of, the Mersyside club will have a hard time repeating last year's success.

10 Sunderland

Roy Keane has revolutionised Sunderland, and with the signings of many many players over the summer, they will finally crack the top-ten. Cisse, Diouf, Malbranque and others will certainly add to their stregnth, and defeating Tottenham the other week showed how much better they are this season. My prediction has them hanging around between 10th and 15th for most of the year before making a final push for 10th and succeeding.

11 Tottenham Hotspur

The Spurs (or Spuds, or a number of other unpleasant names, take your pick) may have decieved some pundits in the summer with their high-profile signings, but a bad start to the season has shown everyone just what to expect from our next-door neighbours this season. As usual their attack will score them quite a few goals this season, but their horrible defense (unstregthened in the summer) will lead to their downfall when they tally up one of the worst goals-conceded records in the league. Too bad for them, I suppose all that their fans will be clinging to this season will be their 5-1 victory mugs and t-shirts they bought last season. They'll probably still be singing about it in five years or so like it's something to be proud of to beat our reserves.

12 West Ham United

West Ham will be the suprise of the start of the season as they have an extremely easy schedule until November. Assuming a new manager is brought in they will actually be in the top four until November. After that, though, they will falter and begin to have problems. It will be a drop all the way to mid-table that will be their fate this season. Last season it was sometimes fun to watch them just to see Freddie Ljungberg playing for them. But now with the Swede gone West Ham are boring again and I won't be suprised at all by a 12th place finish.

13 Newcastle United

Kevin Keegan is gone and owner Mike Ashley was caught on TV illegally drinking gallons of beer at the Emirates. Newcastle just don't know how to run a club, and my prediction is that they will remail 10th-15th all season long. They just are too unstable to make a serious challenge for anything anymore and when a club keeps the services of a player like Joey Barton you know they don't know a thing about team management. The decline of Newcastle Utd towards relegation status will only continue until some stability is established.

14 Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough will be mid-table all season long. Even with the excellence of Alfonso Alves, who I believe will be gone in January, things at the Riverside just are not good enough. The manager is excellent, but squad looks weak, and the only good player they brought in over the summer was Justin Hoyte. I love Hoyte as a person because of his commitment to Arsenal over the years, but it does say something that he's first-choice at Middlesbrough when he was only second or third-choice here at Arsenal.

15 Wigan Athletic

Wigan benefit from having players like Emile Heskey, because only he and others like him are keeping Wigan up. Accordnig to my prediction, Wigan will be flirting with relegation all year and will only finish 2-5 points above the drop in what will be a close relegation battle. The squad is pretty weak and the ground they play at can at times be herrendous (e.g. February when we drew them 0-0). Only some good, steady management will allow Wigan to play consistantly this season and avoid the drop.

16 Bolton Wanderers

I really wish Bolton would be relegated, and my prediction has them just 1-4 points ahead of 18th this season, but they the simple fact is this won't be gone this year. All the teams in the bottom three are just plain worse than them and that alone is what will keep them up. Strangely enough my prediction has them surviving just because they will become masters of getting a draw. I only had them marked down for about 3 wins or so, but many, many draws will keep them alive for another year. May we hope that one of those draws isn't against us this season. They always give us trouble and they play pretty dirty. It was amazing they didnt get a single red card last season, but in their relegation battle this season that will likely not be the case.

17 West Bromwich Albion

West Brom will just survive this season, but my predictions actually have them around 15th for most of the year. A tough end-of-season schedule will condemn them to a relegation fight, but I believe they'll survive; barely. West Brom arguably played the most attractive lower-tier football of anyone last season, but this isn't the Championship. In the Premiership they've already found it harder to play like they were last season, and when a team cannot play the way they want to, they will always suffer; just look at us when our passing game breaks down.

18 Fulham

Fulham were miraculously saved by a whisker last season, but I don't believe it will happen again. They sold or loaned out most of their American players over the summer, and to be honest they were they only ones who looked particularly impressive last season. I'll admit though that if they can consistantly perform like they did against us when they beat us 1-0 a few weeks ago they'll survive. But they won't and we all know it. They just don't have the quality nessesary to maintain such fitness levels all season long.

19 Hull City

Hull were everyone's favourites to be the new Derby this season, and I include myself among that bunch. But a promising start to the season made me rethink their fortunes. They will still be relegated, but at least they won't finish last this season. According to my prediction though, they will concede the most goals in the league this season, shipping between 75-85 goals.

20 Stoke City

Stoke will ultimately finish last this season, but they will only be 1-2 points behind Hull City if it's any consolation. They have simply looked awful this season and there's nothing there for me to believe that's going to change. They are a team which belongs in the Championship, not the Premier League. Stoke fans will have about 30-35 goals to cheer about this season, but that will be it as they are relagated in late April.

Well that concludes the League Prediction. The top three are the only real question this season, with any one of Arsenal, Chelsea, or Man Utd winning it. Hopefully it'll be us, and we can banish the critics once and for all. If you agree, disagree, or just like to type things then please feel free to comment. Until next time,

Fab 4

News Roundup: Adebayor Snubs Togo

Well, I almost didn't get a chance to do the news roundup. I was busy at Uni but luckily I was able to have the spare time to post this bit. Let's get onto news then...

First up, as the headline reads, Adebayor has snubbed Togo. Apparently he is refusing to fly to Zambia for Wednesday's WC2010 qualifier. This is because of the continued row between the Togolese players and Togo's football association. Adebayor is undoubtedly Togo's best player and they will suffer greatly without him, but at least he won't be coming back injured since he won't play a part.

Next up, Theo Walcott was talking today about his playing style. He was being asked questions about his performance for England the other night (which as I said was excellent). He responded by comparing his development to that of C. Ronaldo's. Here's the quote:

"Some people are negative about my final ball," said Walcott.
"Sometimes it's not too bad but I am learning and I do practise in training every day. I have had quite a few assists as well.
"It is like Cristiano Ronaldo, he came to Manchester United in his first year, showed some brilliant tricks and he is 23 and the best player in the world. I am not saying I will be like Ronaldo, I will be myself.
"The main thing he (Wenger) told me was to be more aggressive on the pitch, win the ball back and get at defenders and not to have any fear," Walcott added.
"That is the main thing I have taken to my game this year.
"I give the England team a different aspect by getting behind defenders. There are some world-class players who can play right wing but I give them a different option."

Well said Theo, you truly are England's future. If England decide to play Beckham over Walcott on Wednesday night than I'll be deeply disappointed. No matter what anyone says, Beckham is and old has-been as far as I'm concerned. When a player decides to trade the glamour of Real Madrid for the obscurity of Los Angeles Galaxy then you know he's in decline. Walcott brings pace, tenacity, and pure youth & adventure to the national team, something it desperately needs.

In the last and cheeriest news of the day, Eduardo has spoken about a return date. Said he:

“My leg is getting better all the time and I hope to be back playing again by Christmas.
“It has been a long road to recovery, and there is still a lot of hard work left to do, but everything is going well and I should be back playing again soon.”

Great news, and the prospect of an excellent Christmas present. I'm just glad we're getting Eduardo back at all, never mind when, but hearing that he'll be back before the new year is great news. Hopefully he'll be able to return to his former heights in only a matter of time.

That's it for this news roundup. Tomorrow I will probably have up the league predictions. Until then,

Fab 4

Squad Profile: Strikers

In today's final installment of Fab 4 Arsenal's Squad Profile articles, we're going to take a look at Arsenal's strikers. Now at the time of Thierry Henry's departure it seemed pretty evident that we were no longer going to be getting 30+ goals from our strikers during the season, and that the team as a whole would have to be stronger and score more goals in order for us to compete. While this is partially true, we in fact did end up getting 30 goals from the striking department last season, and it was all thanks to one man who we will talk about shortly. On to the review then...

Eduardo da Silva no.9

Pos.: CF (centre forward), SS (supporting striker)

OVR: 86 (see key at bottom)

Analysis:

Get well soon Eduardo. It's a phrase I utter not only because of my concern for the player but also because Eduardo was astounding for us last season. He, like Arsene Wenger predicted, had a hard time of it during the first half of the season last year while he adapted to the English game, but when he finally adapted, around the end of December, he exploded into goal-scoring form. Smashing in goals almost every week, including some composed goals against Everton and Burnly (in the F.A. Cup) and an amazing goal against Manchester City in February. But then it all went wrong, terribly wrong. Thanks to a certain Martin Taylor, whose Birmingham team have since suffered the "Arsenal Curse" in terrible fashion, Eduardo was left only minutes away from losing his entire foot. Only some quick miracle work from the doctors at a local hospital allowed Eduardo any chance of returning. When he finally does come this autumn we as Arsenal fans must hope that he will return to his goal-scoring form. One thing is for sure: he's earned a place in many an Arsenal fan's heart.

Robin van Persie no.11

Pos.: SS

OVR: 87

Analysis:

Robin van Persie is probably the most technically gifted player at Arsenal. He's the best pure footballer we have at the club and can be, along with Fabregas, our best player on the pitch. He has a powerful left foot, sumptuous volley, great eye for goal, is never afriad to have a go at goal, and provides killer passes. Unfortunately RVP seems to be made of glass. He has played less than 30 games for Arsenal in the last 2 seasons. His lack of fitness is frankly alarming. He must know the Arsenal medical staff intimately and is probably mates with all of them; in fact he may know them better than a few of his Arsenal team-mates. When van Persie graces the pitch on form (he is often off-form right after an injury, as is to be expected) he is amazing, and I think every single Arsenal fan may have one major wish for this season: Robin van Persie stays fit. If he does, and stays on form, we may well make a serious bid for silverware on multiple fronts this season.

Carlos Vela no.12

Pos.: CF, LWM (left-wing midfield)

OVR: 80

Analysis:

Our young Mexican starlet could well be a superstar of the future. Carlos Vela is seen by most insode and outside observers as the biggest young talent to come out of Mexico since the great Hugo Sanchez. He possesses great ball control, trickery on the ball, good passing, and promising developing finishing. Vela was used on the left wing by Osasuna last season while he was on loan there but is seen by Arsene Wenger as one in the "Eduardo-type" mold. He has so far only used Vela as a centre forward this season and I must say he has performed admirably there. His cameo against Newcastle in the last 20 minutes of our 3-0 win was impressive. He wasn't afraid to run at players, he seemed to be able to hold onto the ball even in a crown of players, and he wasn't afraid to shoot, although unfortunately none of his shots came to anything on this occasion. However in the future I can see his finishing, along with Theo's, improving. In five or six years, assuming both stay at the club until then, Vela and Walcott could well be our very very potent attacking lineup. Theo would provide the speed and good finishing and Vela would provide the passes and Eduardo type fox-in-the-box finishes. We have a possible lethal attacking force building at the club.

Emmanuel Adebayor no.25

Pos.: CF

OVR: 87

Analysis:

Adebayor was the answer to Thierry Henry's departure. Scoring 30 goals for us last term made him the obvious successor to Henry in goals scored, but has a completely different playing style than our old French marksman. He likes to drift left like Henry, but when he does he inhibits his best attribute: his height and strength. Adebayor adds another dimension to our attacking play which never existed when Henry was here. He is a big tall target man, similar to Drogba, who can head in goals with the best of them. Nowadays Arsenal's fullbacks (and Eboue if he's playing) like to pump in crosses, which, when he is there, Adebayor more often than not gets a head to. Ade can also dribble fairly well, but often resorts to brute strength to get by players. In addition Ade is deceptively fast; his long legs move in great strides which creates the illusion that he is moving at fairly average pace when in reality he is moving at very fast speeds. However, for his antics over the summer surrounding a wage increase or possible transfer (which very likely could have been all made up by the English press) has lost him the support of some fans. I however hold no grudge against our Togolese striker. Even if his comments weren't made up (which I believe mostly were) he has regained my support when he agreed to stay with the club and put on the Arsenal shirt. Even if I didn't approve of him at all I would never boo the man. He's an Arsenal player, and no matter what he did in the past, every member of the team deserves our full support.

Nicklas Bendtner no.26

Pos.: CF

OVR: 81

Analysis:

Bendtner is best described as the "next Adebayor". He's a big tall fellow whose eye for goal is improving every month. He put in a series of impressive performances in pre-season when he partnered Carlos Vela in attack, including, not that it meant much, a four-goal showing against Burgenland during our 10-2 victory. Bendtner like any other young player needs time to grow and develop, but he certainly has the makings of a great striker in the future. If there is one negative thing to say about our young Dane, however, it is his at times hostile temperament. He reportedly has few if any actual friends in the dressing room, they are all merely colleagues. Also, his spat with Adebayor last January showed that he and Ade don't get along very well. All this being said, if Bendtner can put aside his differences with the rest of the team he could be a great Arsenal player of the future.

That concludes our Striker and squad review. It seems then that the Arsenal team is hardly lacking in attacking talent (which Arsenal team ever has been?), but the defensive frailties can sometimes let us down. Arsene Wenger reportedly made three attempts to sign a defensive midfielder during the summer, and he also reinforced the defense by adding a 31 year old experienced Frenchman into the team. Arsene knows that we need better defensive stability, and contrary to some reports, he is trying to fix the problem. Until January though (assuming Appiah doesn't sign) we'll just have to gut it out and try to play with the squad we've got. Keep the faith, Arsene knows, and for all we know, this could be our year...

With the squad review finished you can all look forward to not only the usual News Roundups every day or so, but also a look at the league, and my predictions as to final placings. Until then,

Fab 4

Key:

0-29: Sunday league player

30-49: Non league or youth academy level.

50-59: Plays at League One or Two level.

60-69: Growing prospect or ageing star close to retirement. Championship level.

70-79: Mid-to-Bottom table Premier League level. Good, solid, but not world-class.

80-89: Belongs at a big four club. Top quality player, very good.

90-99: Legendary. Only players who are, were, or could be one of the best players of all time in their position fall into this category. Examples include Pelé, Henry, C. Ronaldo, Baresi.