Vermaelan In, Who's Next?

The following article was written by our guest writer, Jamie Wright, a professional sports writer.

Central Defence Strengthened, Now for the Central Midfield

During the Premier League last season it was obvious Arsenal were conceding far too many goals to challenge for the title. Scoring goals wasn’t an issue, but problems at the other end of the pitch meant it was a disappointing season finale. The Gunners scored the same amount as Chelsea and Manchester United but conceded 13 more than both their rivals.

The signing of centre back Thomas Vermaelen has come as no shock to Arsenal fans but is a great signal of intent from the Arsenal board and manager. They have recognised a problem and have hopefully rectified it by signing the full Belgium international.

At only £11million it seems to be another astute signing by Arsene Wenger. When you consider Glen Johnsons £18million move to Liverpool this week, it seems fair to suggest that Wenger is never going to pay over the odds for his players. Thus, he avoids putting the club in any financial difficulties.

Now the defence has been strengthened, it is time to add depth to another key area in the Arsenal first team - the central midfield role. With a long term injury to Cesc Fabregas last season, it was left to Alexander Song, Denilson and Samir Nasri to make this position their own.

Although they all had a reasonable season, it is fair to say the defence was exposed many times. Solid performers in past campaigns such as a Gilberto Silva, Mathieu Flamini or Patrick Vieira would have provided much more protection for the back four.

Denilson is shaping into a great defensive midfielder but when compared to Manchester United’s Michael Carrick, Chelsea’s Michael Essien and Liverpool’s Javier Mascherano he isn’t quite at their level. If Wenger is looking to spend more money this summer I believe it has to be in this area and finally replace the void left by Mathieu Flamini last summer.

A few names I’ve seen mentioned frequently on message boards are Marcos Senna, Yaya Toure and Jeremy Toulalan. Any one of these names would provide a platform for our creative and flair players such as Fabregas and Nasri to perform on and would add valuable experience to a young midfield.

If Arsenal are going to improve their chances in the Premier League next season, surely it’s the central midfield that needs some strengthening next? Give us some of your thoughts.

Vermaelen Signing A Signal of Intent

So it's finally been officially announced over at Arsenal.com that we've signed Thomas Vermaelen, the centre back from Ajax who was also last season's captain in Amsterdam. I have to say, I'm thrilled with this signing; he is just the type of player we gooners have been saying for months and months that we need: a big strong centre half with great leadership abilities who can dominate in the penalty area and lead the defensive line. And more importantly, this signing is a big signal of intent from Arsene Wenger.

It's signals our intention to challenge for silverware next season. We needed to strengthen our defense to challenge for honours next year, and now we have done just that. If we stop leaking the goals, and with new players like Arshavin we continue to score boatloads of them, then we will truly be genuine title challengers.

It signals to the Arsenal supporters that Arsene Wenger has identified the weaknesses in the team and is looking to rectify them. Le Boss said at the close of the season that he would analyse the team and see what more we needed to challenge next season, and it looks like he has now done that and is underway looking for new signings.

Finally, it signals that the next few months could actually be an exciting time for we gooners. The last few transfer windows have been admittedly depressing. We haven't signed too many exciting players, and when we have, their arrivals have been offset by the departures of several other major players.

This summer we have seen Sanga, Clichy, and Fabregas all publicly resisted the advances of foreign clubs, and the only players who I can see possibly leaving are Gallas, Adebayor, or perhaps Senderos on a permanent basis. And to be honest, I don't think too many of us would shed a tear if any of them were to leave us.

So we've got only players we wouldn't particularly hate to see leave looking like they may depart us, and now we've signed exactly the type of player we've all wanted, with more perhaps on the way. This is an exciting time to be an Arsenal supporter. I personally can't wait to see what's coming next! Until next time,

Fab 4

Jan/Feb Will Define Our Season

Hey all. The fixture list for next season has today been officially released; you can see the complete list over at the dot.com. It looks like the hardest parts of next season will be the beginning portion and then January and the beginning of February. So January and February could quite possibly make or break our season next year.

We open with a tough trip away to Everton, and that is followed up by a home game against Portsmouth that is sandwiched between the vital Champions League group stage qualifiers. Then, after the qualifiers comes an away fixture against Manchester United at Old Trafford. This reminds me of the 2006-07 season when we had the Old Trafford fixture in the beginning of September as our fourth match. We won 1-0 on the day thanks to an Adebayor goal; let's hope for a similar result on August the 29th.

After that is a series of fairly winnable games before we finally face Tottenham at home on the 31st of October. A Halloween night fixture at the Emirates, but hopefully this time we'll do better than last year's corresponding game, also in October.

We face Chelsea at the end of November at the Emirates, and then go to Liverpool on 12 December. The rest of the month features the regular fixture congestion, and it may serve to injure one or two of our best players, as this time so often does. But we will want them back quickly for the turn of the new year, as the vital month of January begins.

It's already packed with F.A. Cup and Carling Cup fixtures, but in the League we face Everton and Bolton before the potential difficulties really begin. A midweek trip to Villa Park on 27 January is followed by a weekend fixture against Man Utd. Then we face Chelsea and Liverpool in succession, after which the F.A. Cup and Champions League resume.

So this period of matches really will define our season. After that, the run-in is surprisingly easy, and if we can survive this potentially deadly string of matches, then we will be in the best position of anyone to win the league comfortably. So assuming that we can start the year well, stay in the title running until January, and then come through this difficult fixture lineup unscathed, we can quite possibly say hello to a Premiership trophy.

The easy league run-in will also be a boost in our Champions League and F.A. Cup challenges, assuming we're still in both by this time. We'll quite possibly have the chance to rest our best players for the relatively easy league matches, and save them for when we really need them. So who knows, next season could be a glorious one. With the right signings and a good beginning to the season, we should have no problem claiming our first pieces of silverware in five years.

So I think in order to be successful next season, we will really need to hit the ground running, and have a fantastic start to the season. Difficult league matches and the vital Champions League qualifiers must all be won, and if they are, and we are able to keep our title tilt going, then come the defining matches in January and February. It looks like either way, we're going to be in for an exciting time next season. Till next time,

Fab 4

Fab 4 Arsenal's Player of the Season

I know I said last week that we'd spend the week talking about the player of the season, but I think the time has come to stop dwelling on last season and look forward to next. But before we do so, we'll take one last look at least season by revealing our Fab 4 Arsenal Player of the Season. We'll count down the top five as chosen by our readers over the last few weeks in the poll over on the right. And of course, my own opinions will be factored in as well. So without further ado, here are the top five players of the season, in descending order.

5. Cesc Fabregas
This is perhaps the lowest ranking that Fab 4 himself has ever gotten in a season review of the best players. But to be honest, it's deserved; this wasn't the best of seasons for the young Spaniard. It started off with Cesc returning late in August after a lengthy break from his exploits in EURO 2008. But when he returned, he was not in top form. He looked like a shadow of the player from the year before, and just wasn't up to his best. Then came November and the Gallas-losing-his-captaincy fiasco. In the end, Fabregas was named our new club captain, and with the extra responsibility, he picked up his performances somewhat. But he would soon be injured against Liverpool, and it kept him out until March. When he returned, he looked like the Cesc of old; the layoff was exactly what he needed. He ended up notching 10 assists by year's end, and looks to be a major player for us once again next season.

4. Manuel Almunia
Almunia had an excellent season for us, and I look at it as, for me, the year he became a top keeper. He was remarkably consistent for us this past season, and fully deserved to be the number one. There were of course the weak moments, but they were few and far between, and definitely overshadowed by his great performances, such as against Fenerbache in the Champions League, or most especially against Man Utd at Old Trafford in the same competition. Our Spanish keeper this season was consistent, solid, and truly became a world-class goalkeeper.

3. Denilson
Denilson is a player that as a gooner you seem to have loved or hated this past season. Criticisms levelled against him were many, but the one most used is that he isn't a fighter like Flamini, and this isn't as effective. How wrong they are. Denilson is the type of player who works behind the scenes, doing a spectacular job without doing anything visually spectacular. The stats don't lie: Denilson completed more passes this season than anyone else in the Arsenal squad, and in fact more than 90% of the Premiership. He made more successful tackles and covered more ground than Flamini did last season, and even got more assists. He didn't just replace Flamini, he did better than the Frenchman. It isn't his lack of ability that makes him disliked among some supporters, it is his playing style. But I've said it once, and I'll say it again: if his less-aggressive playing style is getting better results, then who is to say it's not the superior one? Denilson was fantastic this past season.

2. Andrei Arshavin
It's quite the accomplishment for a player who only made his debut for the club in February to even be considered for player of the season. And for him to get second place in our poll (with 1 out of every 4 fans calling him the player of the season at the time of writing) is an even bigger accomplishment. But put simply, Arshavin was just what we needed. He was signed at a time when our attack was sterile. Our defense had been improved vastly, but at the cost of great, flowing attacking. Arshavin helped bring that back, and when he made his Premiership debut against Blackburn, scoring a spectacular goal as his first, we all knew he would be something special. His four goals against Liverpool at Old Trafford proved his class, and he was easily our most dangerous and inventive player of the last few months of the season. In this case, Arsene spent big, and it payed off brilliantly. He will be a key figure for us next season.

1. Robin van Persie
With almost 50% of the vote, RVP was by far the most popular choice, and it's one I agree with. Our best player of the season was clearly Van Persie. This season he completed his first full season in three years. No major injury layoffs, no delayed returns from those injuries: he was almost always fit, and he showed what all of us knew he could do should he ever have a full season fit. He was our top goalscorer, top assist leader, and in every sense, top player. He showed fantastic skill time and again, and he proved to be the most technically gifted member of the squad.

His goals against Liverpool and Chelsea in the first half of the season come to mind, as do his goals against Everton and Stoke in the latter half. And it wasn't just his goals; he was the top assist leader, and always seemed to be our most creative striker. He played almost like Dennis Bergkamp at times with his ability to either select the perfect pass, or take the shot and score himself. He truly has been a fantastic replacement for DB10, and should he stay with us next season we will have one of the most dangerous strikers in the Premiership at our disposal. When a player scores or assists every goal for the club for an entire month, as Robin did in January, then he is deserving of player of the season. And the fact that his was a mere highlight of a wholly outstanding season wins Robin van Persie the choice as our Fab 4 Arsenal Player of the Season.

So that wraps up our season review articles. This week we'll return to reporting the latest Arsenal news, and offer opinions and insights in a refined and polished way as always. Thanks to all those who read this article, and have also checked out our other season review articles. It's time to say goodbye to the 2008-09 season and look forward to next with optimism. So with disappointing, but also fond memories of last season and the progress and growth it brought to our team, see you next time;

Fab 4

Season Review: The Course of Our Season

Sorry for the big delay in getting this up, but computer issues prevented me from doing so. Today is the final Season Review article, looking at the season as a whole and the future of the Arsenal football club. We've looked at the players, good and bad; we've looked at the tactics and the manager himself; now it's time to review the season as a whole. How was it, where did it leave us, and how will it be remembered in the future?

The season began with some doubts. Sure, we had been major title challengers the year before, but over the summer we had lost some key players, and didn't look like we had replaced them adequately. Perhaps many fears were confirmed when we lost 1-0 to Fulham in only the second match of the season, but just a few weeks later, following a 4-0 thrashing of Blackburn, we were top of the table once again, and what was more, Tottenham were rock bottom. It was a great week to be a gooner.

But over the next two months it all fell apart. We suffered losses to Stoke, Aston Villa, Man City, and Hull, and a disappointing draw to Tottenham after being one minute and stoppage time away from victory. By mid-November we found ourselves fifth in the league, and the title was a no longer an option. This was rock-bottom, the point where it didn't look like things could get much worse. And so we started to rebuild.

Into January we went, and our defensive problems sorted themselves out to be replaced by offensive problems. Arsene Wenger broke the back to sign Arshavin on deadline day to cure our problems, but he couldn't play right away, and we continued to struggle to score goals, recording four successive 0-0 draws in the league.

But then it all came together. We started attacking again. Fabregas, Walcott, and Eduardo all returned. Arshavin began playing, and with big victories over West Brom and Blackburn, it looked like we were well and truly back. We made it to the semi-finals of both the F.A. Cup and Champions League, and we reclaimed fourth in the league comfortably.

But by then Villareal and Wigan had happened. We didn't lose either game, but what we did lose was our first-choice defense. Gallas, Clichy, Almunia, and Djourou were all lost, and as a consequence we leaked goals once again. And then our inexperience showed when we were dumped unceremoniously out of the F.A. Cup and Champions League.

So it ended on a low note, but your final analysis on the season will rest on whether you are a glass-half-full or half-empty supporter. I am the former, so here's how I see it:

It was a year of growth. We had lost some major players over the last summer, so we had to rebuild. And rebuild we did. After hitting rock-bottom in November, we turned it round in spectacular fashion, going over 20 games unbeaten in the league (our longest streak since the famous 49), and making the F.A. Cup and Champs League semi-finals. In the end it is lack of experience that cost us the silverware, but we gained so much this season.

Players like Denilson, Song, Gibbs, Walcott, and even Almunia, all made spectacular progress and development this past season. Arsene Wenger has said we will look to shape up the defense next season, so with all the young players gaining experience this season, the older ones returning (e.g. Rosicky, Eduardo, possibly Gallas), and the new ones fitting in (such as Arshavin and any new summer signings), I think we have fantastic potential next season.

We don't need major changes, just slight ones. One or two signings; that's how close we are to major silverware, and just think: when our players return from injury and our new signings come into place, we could have players such as V. Persie, Eduardo, Fabregas, Arshavin, Nasri, and Rosicky all on the same pitch together. How mouth watering is that?

So all in all 2008-09 was not a year to remember for trophies or any sort of silverware; but perhaps next year or the year after we will look back on it as the year that began our trek the the summit of English football once again. The year which turned around so dramatically, and matured the players we have so much, that in the years to come, it turned out to be invaluable. Next season, we'll find out just how influential this past season really was, and I have a feeling we'll find out it was a positive step in the right direction.

Please feel free to read the rest of our Season Review articles, all of which can be accessed from the Season Review main page. Next week our Season Review articles will be replaced by our Best Players series, revealing the top five players of our past season. You've no doubt seen the poll on the right, but if you vote now your vote will affect the final results, which will be factored into our choices for the Fab 4 Arsenal Player of the Season. So vote now and have your say; and watch this space next week for the Best Player articles. Till next time,

Fab 4

Season Review: The Manager

Note: Regular readers may notice that the site has undergone a redesign as of yesterday evening. Hopefully the design will seem a bit more streamlined, a bit more professional, and will appeal to readers as much as it appeals to we redesigners (yes there are a few)!

Today's article in our continued Season Review series focuses on our manager, Arsene Wenger. How did he perform this season? What decisions did he make right; and which were wrong? Did he make the right signings at the right times for the right amount of money? And did he correct our shortcomings in a timely and effective manner?

The place to begin the review is the summer signings. Many argue that Arsene Wenger did not do enough over the summer transfer window. I would argue that he tried to, but ultimately he came up just short, through no fault of his own. The signing of Samir Nasri was brilliant, and exactly what we needed to replace Hleb: a player with all his trickery but who could actually score a goal or two. Ramsey was always going to be one for the future, and Silvestre was a player who was supposed to add height and experience to the backline. In theory he was the perfect signing; in practise, he was far from.

Wenger also tried to sign a central midfielder during the transfer window; a fact that is often overlooked by Wenger-bashers. All verified reports said that he made a couple of bids on Liverpool's Xabi Alonso, but the asking price was just too high for us. We undoubtedly could have paid the transfer fee, but to spend what would have been required would not have been worth it in the long term.

So the transfer window slammed shut, and we made due with what we had. We discussed tactics in detail in the last Season Review article, so I won't go over it too much, but instead I'll skip ahead to the 3-0 loss to Manchester City. This was, as I said before, the turning point in our season. Arsene Wenger admitted later on that this point, more than any other, was when he looked long and hard at his entire plan and strategy to see what had gone wrong. He settled on the defense.

Now, anyone who has said that Arsene could not coach defense, was, I believe, proved wrong. Over the next month, he trained our defense and tweaked our tactics so well that we conceded next to no goals for months afterwards. Our problem however became scoring goals. So when January arrived, Wenger ignored all the incessant cries for a reinforced defense (he knew that it would now be good enough, provided our defenders remained fit), and he instead went after A. Arshavin. He knew that the Russian playmaker would be exactly what was needed to liven up our attacks and get us scoring goals again.

He broke the bank on Arshavin, and spent (according to some reports) more than the Arsenal football club had ever before spent in order to secure our new playmaker. And it paid off. Arshavin was brilliant, and before long we were scoring goals again.

Meanwhile, Le Boss changed our tactics to a more defensive 4-2-3-1, and it continued to pay dividends. When our backline, however, was decimated by injury, there was nothing Arsene could do. He brought in the best we had in reserve, but it just wasn't enough, and it ultimately may have cost us the chance at silverware.

Now, has Arsene Wenger noticed this fault in our side? And did he notice how we spectacularly collapsed against Chelsea and Man Utd at the critical junctures? Will he move to address this issue? Yes, it seems he did notice, and will fix the problem. In a strangely candid interview after the Man Utd loss at the Emirates, he said he would analyse the team, and any signings made in the summer would be experienced players, because, and I quote, when referring to young players, he said "we have enough of them."

Arsene does indeed know, and all those calling for his head are complete and utter idiots. He cares about the Arsenal football club deeply, and now I think he may have come to realise that the youth experiment of the last few seasons will either need to end or be readjusted in order to once again lift a trophy. I think we can look forward to a fantastic season next year as long as Arsene Wenger remains at the helm.

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to check out past Season Review articles and see what's upcoming during our Season Review Week by checking out the Season Review main page. Also, don't forget to visit our Twitter and Facebook pages, and follow and become a fan of Fab 4 Arsenal! Till next time,

Fab 4

Which Ex-Gunners Have Done Better Since Leaving?

The following article was written by our guest writer, Jamie Wright, a professional sports writer.

Which players have improved their fortunes since departing Arsenal?

Arsene Wenger has always had to deal in the transfer market within his means. He has had to make shrewd signings where possible and try to return a profit on players who may have surpassed their peak.

It is interesting to look at some big names who have left Arsenal recently to see if they have re-discovered their form at their current employers.

Arguably, Arsenal’s greatest holding midfielder was Patrick Vieira. Signed for £3.5million way back in 1996 the French World Cup winner was superb in Arsenal’s double winning 1997/1998 and 2001/2002 seasons. He was sold in 2005 for £13.75million to Italian giants Juventus. He helped Juventus retain the Italian Championship in his first season but from then on he hasn’t rediscovered the form shown at Arsenal in any way shape or form.

Now playing for Inter Milan he is often a bench warmer and has only made 33 appearances in 2 seasons. Arsene Wenger made £10million profit through transfer fees for Vieira and with 9 years' service and playing his best years at the club it was good business by Wenger.

Some argue Vieira has never been replaced, until Mathieu Flamini stepped up to the mantle in the 2007/2008 season. However, Arsenal's ‘apparent reluctance’ to offer the Frenchman a reasonable salary pushed him out the door to sign for European rivals AC Milan. Flamini or ‘Fla-money’ as he is known in some Arsenal circles suffered a difficult start to life in Milan and was considered a utility player during the first half of the season. Luckily for Mathieu, the ageing Milan squad suffered some injuries and he managed to play a large part of the second half of the season as a tenacious right back.

Mathieu still has age on his side though and if he plays regular football in his central midfield role he could become a world class player. How much would Arsenal fans love to see Flamini of old back playing alongside Cesc Fabregas again next season?

One of the biggest disappointments in recent years to all Arsenal fans was the sale of Thierry Henry. Signed for £10million in 1999, Henry became Arsenal’s all time leading goal scorer. His pace, technique, arrogance and flair made him one of the best foreign imports the Premier League has ever seen.

His sheer determination to win the European Cup forced him to seek his dream elsewhere and Arsene finally decided to cash in on the French international for a reported £20million in 2007. Playing for Barcelona he also found it difficult to re-discover his goal scoring touch at the Nou Camp and was deployed on the wings for many of his appearances. However, this campaign he has been an influential part of Barcelona’s treble winning season assisting Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto’o to amass over 100 goals. Henry may actually be viewed as one of the few players who has gone on to more success since leaving Arsenal.

Other players who have upset the football odds by struggling to find form are Alexander Hleb and Robert Pires. Is it that Arsene Wenger can get the best out of his players or does he have the ability to know when his players have peaked? Please share your thoughts on this debate!

Feel free to add your comments below, and email us if you would be interested in guest blogging yourself! The email address can be found on the right side of the page.

Season Review: Tactics

For today's Season Review article, we'll look at the tactics of the 2008-09 season. Now, I'm not one to say that I know better than Arsene Wenger when in comes to tactics, but sometimes it was clear he got them just plain wrong, while other times, he was spot on. Specifically, this review will focus on our formations and team selections of the course of the year.

Perhaps one of the most odd tactical choices of the season came in the very first game against West Brom. Diaby had been injured, and either Denilson or Cesc was out, so Eboue was played at Defensive Midfield. And to be honest it looked like a stroke of genius. He had a great game, looked solid, and it left myself and many others thinking he may be the answer to the DM problem. But then against Fulham when he was played there again he utterly failed, and put in a performance bad enough never to be played there again. Shame really.

We started this past season much the same as we had finished the one before, tactics-wise. Still playing through the centre, working it round the edge of the penalty area, and still having fairly good effect. Our 4-4-2 was of course a given, and it looked certain to stay that way when we went top of the league after beating Blackburn. However when November approached it all fell apart. Injuries came to the fore, and our defensive weaknesses made any good attacking threat we had irrelevant.

The end of the first phase of our season was surely the 3-0 defeat to Man City. It was at this point that we hit rock bottom, and in an interview later in the season, Le Boss would admit this was a turning point, the point where they went home and looked long and hard at the squad to figure out what was wrong. They settled on our defense as the weak spot, and went about strengthening that.

Over the next few months we clearly worked long and hard on our defense, and our tactics became slightly more negative. We were back to the old days of winning 1-0, and this was the product of both more reserved attacking, shorter passes, a less-direct style through the centre, and the fullbacks staying back more than ever. No longer were they encouraged to constantly bomb forward on the wing, but only to do so as occasion required. The effect was to make our back four a back four again rather than a back two. And the result was our conceding less goals.

However our defensive problems now sorted meant we now had the opposite problem: we couldn't score any goals. Arshavin was brought in on deadline day in January, but before he was fit to play we recorded four 0-0 draws in a row. Our defense was great, but now try as me might, we couldn't score. And in addition to this, or perhaps the cause of this, our passing style had become sterile. We weren't playing with a flowing style, but rather the kind of passing style one puts on at the end of the game to close out the match. A kind of keep-ball that is frankly boring and frustrating to watch.

But then with the return of Eduardo in the F.A. Cup, and the subsequent debut of Arshavin in the league, our flowing football suddenly and miraculously returned. And to top it all off, our defense remained solid. Results turned around remarkably, and it was perhaps capped off with that excellent win over Blackburn in the league, 4-0. By this time, our tactics had changed from a 4-4-2, to more like a 4-2-3-1. This was to provide more defensive stability, and it was working. Combined with our now excellent attacks, the formation worked perfectly.

But then when injuries hit against Villareal and Wigan, and our backline was decimated, all the defensive formations in the world couldn't help us. We could still score goals, but our problem was once again our defense. And that is how it remained for the rest of the season. We scored goals without a problem (with the exception of the frustrating 4-1 loss to Chelsea), but except for the 0-0 draw with Man Utd in the league, our defense was once again weak. Perhaps only our now-defensive tactics saved us from conceding boatloads in the final few weeks.

The defensive tactics were the same, and the flowing attacking style had remained good, but what killed our defense in the final few weeks of the season was the injuries to our defense. All the major players who had improved so much defensively over the winter months were lost to injury, and our backup players, while good, were not good enough to maintain a defensive standard worthy of a big four club. However, the overreaction to the last few weeks from many a gooner has surprised me. Let me make it clear: our defense is fine, when fit. If anything needs to happen in the transfer window it is perhaps the signing of some good reserve defenders, adequate ones who can keep up our level of defense we should have become accustomed to.

So there we are, a tactical view of the season. We started out the year in a 4-4-2 which was weak in defense, and we ended it in a much more defensive 4-3-2-1 which maintained the ability to attack. It could well be how we line up next season, and if our players are fit and ready, we have seen enough evidence to prove that the tactics will work. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to check out our Season Review Main Page to see what's coming up and what has passed during our continued Season Review week on Fab 4 Arsenal.

Fab 4

Season Review: Most Improved Players

For today's part of the 2008-09 season review, we'll be taking a look at the four most improved players over the course of this past season. Who has proven themselves to be first-choice, and who can, on the basis of this season, look forward to next with confidence?

Perhaps the most improved player of all was Denilson. Opinions seem to be definitively split on our young Brazilian midfielder, but I personally believe he has come on in leaps and bounds this season. The stats show he has actually done better than Flamini did last season. In roughly the same number of appearances, he has made more tackles, more interceptions, completed more passes, and covered more of the pitch than Flamini did last year. The Premier League Actim Index lists him as our best player for this past season.

Now, Arsene Wenger has said in the past that he loves stats. He bases much of his signings on stats, he looks at players' potential through them, and he compares players with stats. I like to do much the same, and when the stats say Denilson is better, who am I to disagree? Denilson and Flamini are two very different players, clearly, both with differing playing styles. And because they are not the same, many gooners mistake this for Denilson being inferior. But if the stats say he has done better, than perhaps the Denilson style of play is better after all.

Next most improved is Alexandre Song. During the first half of the season he looked alright, but not really any better than last season. However, in the second half of the season, when his playing time became more and more common, he started to grow into a much better player. He often partnered Denilson in the centre, and he really took on the role of midfield enforcer. When Cesc returned and Denilson was dropped, Song kept his place alongside him, and I believe this is when he took off.

Song and Fabregas started to develop a real partnership. Song is seems to be bred for defense, so his tackling was always going to be good, but playing alongside Cesc seemed to bring out his passing attributes a lot more. He became a more rounded player, and ultimately I think he could well be Cesc's partner next year without any problems at all. And best of all, when Song was deployed at centre half, he looked comfortable and confident, as good or even better than Kolo Toure. So Song has proven this season to be an excellent defensive midfielder, perhaps even first choice, and a very adequate backup center-back.

So our centre of midfield, then, has greatly improved over the course of the past season. But who else has improved? I could mention any of the younger players, from Wilshere, to Ramsey, to Vela. But the young player closest to the first team this season became our young left back Gibbs.

K. Gibbs was really thrust into action when Clichy was injured. Silvestre could play there, but I think the boss wanted to keep good speed and attacks going on the left wing, so Gibbs was played there instead. He developed slowly, made a few mistakes, including the now infamous one against Man Utd, but otherwise he looked solid. In the first leg especially, he had Ronaldo in his pocket. The Portuguese winger was completely taken out of the game for long periods of time, and Gibbs has to be credited with at least some of that.

By the time the season was over, Gibbs looked quite as good as Clichy, and I believe he could really give our first-choice left back a run for his money next season. Clichy didn't have the best of years, and if Gibbs plays as well as he has been, then Gael will really have to pick up his game to keep his place.

The last on our list of most improved players was a tough one for me to decide. Ultimately it came down to Gallas and Almunia. Gallas of course had the really rough beginning of the season when he was still captain, but after he was stripped of skipper status, he played better than ever before. He looked like the Gallas of old, the one who had played so well at Chelsea before we signed him. But ultimately his antics before December lost him the place in my review to Manuel Almunia.

Our Spanish goalkeeper honestly had a good year last year, but this year he stepped it up again. There were of course the occasional mistakes (Tottenham in October comes to mind), but every major goalkeeper makes those; just look at Petr Cech this season. But if we are comparing Cech to Almunia, I believe the Spaniard was better. He was more consistent, played better, and pulled off more reflex saves than the Chelsea player.

I believe this season has seen Almunia change from a decent keeper to a world-class one. He's still susceptible at crosses and corners from time to time, but what keeper is without a weakness? Certainly no human ones. But the moment that I realised Almunia was world class was in his outstanding performance against Man Utd at Old Trafford. I think if we had gone on to win the tie, his performance would have gone down as legendary status to gooners. He was a one-man wall, and single-handedly kept us in the tie with a chance to turn it round at the Emirates. We may have failed to to take that chance, but I won't forget how much Almunia did for us, both in that particular tie, and the season as the whole.

So there you are, our four most improved players: Denilson, Song, Gibbs, and Almunia. Each has proven themselves able to raise their game, and each continue to prove that our current investment in youth development does have its rewards. Don't forget to check back tomorrow for the next installment in our season review series, and be sure to check the Season Review Main Page for a look at what is still to come. Till next time,

Fab 4

Season Review: New Signings & Flops

So to kickoff Fab 4 Arsenal Season Review week, let's first take a look at our new signings and the biggest under-performers this season. Did Arsene Wenger's moves on the transfer market work, and who or why not? And just who deserves the title of this season's biggest flop (and do they deserve to go or stay next season)?
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But before we begin looking at our signings, let's look at who we let go over the summer, and see if they would've helped us to silverware. There was first Flamini, who had left us even before the end of last season. Would he have helped? Absolutely; and I think that letting him go must be one of Arsene Wenger's biggest regrets. He and Fabregas had what Arsene described as the best central midfield partnership in all his time at Arsenal. The two worked perfectly together, and we looked unstoppable when both were in form. We missed the Frenchman this season.

Next was Gilberto Silva. As much as I liked the guy, I don't think this loss was terrible for us. I'll admit, when Flamini officially left us I was hopeful that Gilberto would be able to step back into his old first-choice role and play great once again, so when he decided to leave I was terribly disappointed. But in hindsight, I see now that he had lost much of his old magic; not just because he wasn't first-choice anymore, but also because of his natural ageing. Ultimately I don't believe he would've helped us too much this season, and we gooners may well have been calling for his departure by the end of the season. At least this way he parted on a positive note, and can be remembered fondly.

Alex Hleb was the final major departure of the summer, and to me the least missed one. We immediately bought his replacement in Samir Nasri, and Hleb went on to have a terrible season with Barcelona, so bad he didn't even make the bench for the Champions League final. Hleb's trickery and excellent vision were surely missed, but ultimately he was adequately replaced, and I don't believe his staying around would've really done anything to help us this past season.

So that wraps up the departures; how about new signings? There was first of all Aaron Ramsey. I believe the jury's still out on our young Welsh midfielder. He's still only 18, and though he isn't progressing as fast as Cesc did, how can we expect him to? Fabregas was a one-off, a player who peaked very early in his career, and could still go onto becoming one of the best ever. Ramsey on the other hand shows great promise, but will, I believe, develop on a more normal growth-curve. We'll start to see the best of him in two or three years, and when we do, it could be great. He is quite possibly the long-term replacement for our Fab 4.

Bischoff was also signed, but I think we can safely say he too is one for the future. He played one first-team game in the Premiership this season, and didn't look bad, but also didn't look spectacular. He certainly didn't influence this season, but may in the future; only time will tell. However, our next major signing did influence our season, and he did so quite dramatically

Samir Nasri was for me our first "big" signing in years. Many gooners had never heard of him, but seeing as I had, I viewed this as a big a coup as was signing Arshavin in January. I had seen Nasri play in France before, and was blown away by his skills and potential. They called him the "next Zidane" and I could actually see it. Of course, being the sensation that he was, I assumed a club like Man Utd or Barcelona would come in and snatch him up before we could even dream of getting him. So imagine my delight when I heard we were on track to sign the Frenchman. Needless to say I was excited at the prospect.

And he has done wonders for us this season. Scoring on his debut, with the first goal of the Premiership season made him an instant favourite, and when that was followed by his continued excellent performances, the two goals against Man Utd in November, and his later revealed ability to run the show like Cesc, he was perhaps one of our most influential signings. He did have a bit of a burn out by the end of the year, but I think his first season can be looked at as nothing but a success.

Silvestre on the other hand was a complete failure by comparison. I understand why Arsene Wenger brought him in, and I agreed with his reasoning, especially considering the man cost less than a million quid; but he ultimately failed to deliver. I can see why Man U were willing to sell him, as he was hardly a spectacular signing. For the future, I'd love to see him stick around, but only as a second- or third-choice defender.

Arshavin doesn't even need elaboration by me. He was simply fantastic, and his both his four goals against Liverpool and that goal against Blackburn will love long in all Gooners' memories. He proved, I believe, once and for all that big signings can and do work; and if we make another one like Arshavin, we may be top dogs in the Premiership once again.
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Who then were our flops this season. I already mentioned Silvestre, so I won't go into more detail there, but I think we can agree he was one. The next was Abou Diaby. Yes, he had a good game or two (the one in Turkey comes to mind), and was not terrible, but ultimately we could've done without him this season. He was too indecisive on the ball, had a bad first touch more often than not, and never fulfilled his potential to be the next Patrick Viera. I had high hopes for him this season, and he failed to meet every expectation of mine. In my eyes, a flop.

Next was Nicklas Bendtner. No, contrary to most fans I don't hate the guy or wish him to be sold. I've seen great potential from him this season and at times he's been really good. So he should be kept here to develop, as I don't believe he will peak for another three or four years, but this season he did not peak, and was not one of our better players. If one match summed up his season it was the 4-0 win over Blackburn. He showed great potential and ability by putting himself into countless one-on-one situations and other opportunities to score, but he failed to put any away. This was Bendtner's season: great potential, and one to keep for future seasons, but ultimately a failure to deliver this season.

One could say that Toure and Eboue had less-than stellar seasons, and an argument could be made for Adebayor as a flop as well, but when compared to the three players above, I believe they did alright. But next season we'll need to see an improvement from all of the flops and almost-flops if we are to seriously compete for honours.

Look for the next part of our season review tomorrow, and remember to check out the main Season Review article to see what else is coming up this week. Till next time,

Fab 4

Season Review Week

Well, just as I was beginning to write up the season reviews, I noticed that Arsenal.com are also making this week their season review week. Maybe I'm in good company then, or maybe I was just too lazy to do it before the dot.com. Either way, let me preview what's coming up this week on Fab 4 Arsenal.

We'll start our season review by looking at the players. Two articles on them, one detailing both the most improved players of 2008-09, and also the standout players. But our first player review article will focus on how much of an impact (or not) our new signings made to the season, and also who flopped this season.

After the player reviews we'll look at first our tactics this past season, then the manager. Is Arsene Wenger still the right man for the job, and why or why not? Did our tactics work this past season, and did they change at all through the course of the year? All questions to be answered in this part of the review.

Finally, I'm planning a final review of 2008-09; a look at the season as a whole. Was it a successful one, what did we learn, and where do we go from here? All my final thoughts onthe season will be in this last article.

And then next week I'll do a countdown of my choice for the top 5 best players of last season. This will depend on my own opinions and those expressed in the poll on the left-hand side of this page.

So make sure you visit Fab 4 Arsenal daily this week, as we'll be having the next part of the season review up each day. Also, make sure you follow us on our Twitter page, and become a fan of Fab 4 Arsenal on our Facebook page. And of course, watch this space this week for all parts of our season review. Till next time,

Fab 4

What Did the Last 3 Weeks Teach Us?

Apologies for the lack of recent posts...I should have said beforehand that I would be out for three weeks, but I didn't, so apologies to regular readers. Anyway, I'm back now, and ready to review those last three weeks of the season. Specifically, what did we learn from them?

The game against Chelsea was first; I did do a full match report on it, but I feel I should point out once again what I think we should have learned from the match. We learned just how good this Arsenal team are, and at the same time how unlucky. I don't think there can be any doubt that we dominated the game against the Chavs, and yet we were battered 4-1. How can something like that happen and it not be bad luck?

Sure, blame the defense, but remember that we were missing three of our first choice back five. No team missing that many quality defenders is going to defend at a top level. I get so tired of hearing how bad our defense is, when if you actually look at it our defense is quite excellent. We hardly conceded at all in the months from January to March, and then when the injuries came we started defending badly again. How can one honestly expect a patched-up defense to play as well as a first choice one? It's unrealistic and ridiculous.

Chelsea, then, taught us that football is not always fair, and that anti-football can indeed win the day sometimes. It's unfortunate, but it's the reality of modern football. At least we can take comfort from the fact that we dominated the game and with some better finishing surely would've won.

Man Utd was next up, the game where the Mancs sealed their Premiership crown. Well, United were simply toothless, and for 90 minutes we were the better team, with more energy, more shots, better passing, and much better possession. We really did deserve to get something out of the game, but I was simply proud to watch the lads play so well against the team that is supposedly so much better than us. They weren't on the day.

The Stoke game to end the season restored some pride more than anything else. There was surely cause for concern before the game began that our makeshift defense might have problems with the Delap long-throw, but in the end it had little effect on the game. We went out and battered Stoke, completely destroying them within 45 minutes. The second half was always going to be a stroll in the park, and we didn't need to create any big chances to be impressive: we simply had to enjoy the last 45 minutes in the Emirates sunshine.

Ultimately I think what we learned in the last three weeks was that this team really are not far off the top in England. The league table may say otherwise, but we outplayed Man Utd and Chelsea and were very unlucky to get the results we did, and then we destroyed Stoke in surely one of the most comfortable games of the season. We learned that this Arsenal team is a good one, and if we can hold it together this summer and get a decent start to next season, we can once again be a top challenger for honours.

Thanks for reading; I'm planning a multi-part season review in the next few days, and to help it along, I hope you'll all vote on our new poll on the right-hand side of the page, asking you who was the best player of our season. I'll review my picks in part of the upcoming review, and look at yours as well. In the meantime, make sure you check out our new Twitter page, and watch this space for more.

Fab 4