Liverpool’s day-after thoughts: Andrey Arshavin is the clear example that spending money can pay off
As I was reflecting on the game yesterday evening, I so much kept on comparing this 1-2 away win with last season’s win at Stamford Bridge with the same scoreline. That one was a game which we could have easily lost but luck(Robin’s first goal in an offside position) and then magic(Robin’s second goal) saw us battle past Chelsea.
Yesterday’s was a very similar game where luck(the own goal) and then magic(Andrey’s strike) made sure we take full advantage of Saturday’s results and I would be a hypocrite if I’d say I’m not happy for getting all three points, but at the same time, I’m very worried for the near future as I see the same worrying signs I saw last year after that Chelsea win.
Massive Win
Regardless from which angle you look at it and regardless how it was achieved, this will go down as a massive win, a massive morale booster and a massive signal sent to all those who thought we were out of the title race after the 3-0 defeat against Chelsea.
As always, though, it’s all about understanding what went wrong in those first 45 minutes so as to avoid making the same mistakes again. Aaron Ramsey seems to be the best option for the midfield and should start ahead of Denilson and Abou Diaby, although my fear is that Aaron may not be compatible with Cesc. Also, if Theo Walcott is not yet ready to start, he should be kept on the bench and used when the game is put to bed.
I like Theo, I like his speed, the way he twists and turns, but at the moment he’s not ready to start. Yesterday, Samir Nasri on the right and Carlos Vela on the left would have been a much better option to start with and with December’s busy schedule, I hope to see such changes on the wings.
Andrey Arshavin
Last year it was rumoured that Arsenal paid £16m for the Russian, a fee which we’ve rarely seen Arsene Wenger pay in the last year or so, yet unfortunately, in today’s football, if you want to buy quality, you have to pay. Don’t get me wrong, I agree with Arsenal’s mentality not to spend like crazy the way other clubs do, but sometimes you need to put your hand in your pocket and accept the rules of the game.
I don’t know who Arsene should sign this January but I do know we need a strong, physical presence up front. Make no mistake, if Nicklas Bendtner recovers from injury and stays fit, then maybe he can be the one, but if not, someone needs to be signed and therefore money should be spent, just like last year with Andrey.
Looking Forward
Will Arsenal underestimate Burnley? Well they did underestimate West Ham(after taking a 0-2 lead) and Sunderland away from home so Wednesday’s is a game we should not take lightly. I’ll be back, as always, with the preview.
Until then, take care.
![[Video] Blackburn vs Arsenal highlights: Big win as we go second in the table!](http://www.thegunninghawk.com/wp-content/themes/arthemia-premium/scripts/timthumb.php?src=/wp-content/uploads/video.jpg&w=80&h=80&zc=1)
In many ways we did what we had to do to win the match, it was not pretty, but rather gritty. I do agree with you Chris that I am not sure Ramsey is greatly compatible with Cesc as he seems like a totally different player when Cesc is not in there. He can learn though as Nasri and Arshavin have adjusted to playing with Cesc and not being the focal point of the attack. I would like to see Ramsey get a few games with the full first team in place of Denilson to see what he can go. He is going to have his ups and downs, but really offers so much more potential than Denilson. The one thing Diaby has on them (as has been said often here) is a physical presence Ramsey and Denilson do not.
Denilson is pushed around often (not good for a def mid) and is one of the worst headers of the ball I have ever seen at this level. That and his penchant for giving up stupid fouls like the one that gave up the goal on the free kick. He is OK in possession, but Ramsey has so much more potential there and is also very good at going forward. Denilson has scored two great goals, but really doesn’t offer much on the dribble in the attack. Ramsey’s biggest issue is going to be whether he can be adequate enough defensively at his young age.
In terms of Walcott vs Vela I fail to share your enthusiasm for Vela at this point in his career. Yes he is a skilled player, but is far too weak and one dimensional right now. Walcott gives us so much more (experience, pace, versatility, strength on the ball, defensive ability, etc.) than Vela right now. In my opinion the only way he is going to get fit enough to really contribute consistently is to start and play 60 plus minutes, 20-30 minutes as a sub won’t do it right now. Whether he has a great match or not does not deter from the fact that defenses have to account for him which leaves more space and opportunity for the others.
Yes mate, I’m afraid the midfield is still a very big question mark.
I prefer to be realistic after a game like Liverpool’s and time will come when the other team will not be as wasteful as Liverpool and will finish us off if we repeat such a dreadful first half.
Chris I have problem with please don’t take it personally but you are rating Vela too high to his quality he haven’t prove himself in our team. And reading my comment you will say that he never gets first team chance in our team but we have another youngster in our team who is also not getting first team chance but he is very very promising and you also rate him very very high and I don’t have any problem with that and that player is Ramsey. But as I said you are rating about Vela is very high remember the game against Olympiacos he had two great chances but neither taken by him he could have finished the game but he did not yes he is good player but not the way you are describing. Denilson is out for Burnly game so Diaby will start that’s okay.
Kedar, Carlos Vela can be judged in a proper way when he gets plenty of games as a left winger, not as a central striker mate.
i think vela has more experience than walcott…he’s a national team regular, has played in mexico, spain and england. and u can see from both their movements on and off the ball, that vela has a better footballing brain. he’s sharper and knows when to move in to space and which space to move in to. walcott’s really fast and stronger than he looks but…well it seems he has no decisiveness. no killer instinct. he passes the ball when he’s clear to shoot and shoots when someone else is in a better place. vela don’t make mistakes like that…but he needs to be a little stronger. needs to play more to learn more about english defenders as well.
more than the article I like your thoughts mark ,vela has a loooooooooong way to go. well, Theo’s qualities you made a good point yourself .On saturday it was Theo and his pace which produced the OG from Johnson.When fit he can frighten any defence not only in England but also in the whole of Europe
dare i say it van nistelrooy would be the perfect signing to try and steal us the premiership this year. i know he can’t play in europe but neither could shava last year and i care more about the league anyway. we sign van nistelrooy and we have a REAL shout of the league i think
I’m honest when I say I have no idea who the “special one” for this transfer market, I believe Steve will be launching a poll on this soon.
Van Nistelrooy? Wenger said he has no intention of going for him I read.
Edin Dzeko.
I know he can’t play in the champions league, but with bendtner back we can rotate them around. We need him more for the league anyway.
I know he’d be the most expensive player we have ever bought, but look at what we ge in return (something arsene always evaluates)
1. Size and top-notch heading ability
2. Great foot skill, can score with either foot and play our one-touch game
3. a poacher in the box…a top scorer a finisher and a killer…something we miss in van persie.
4. We keep Cesc and Arshavin happy…our two best players happy is a good thing.
Id love us to go for luis suarez. Although hes not a big target man, hes similar to van persie and he looks strong enough. He has great skills and an excellent goalscoring record in holland.
yeah, but that is holland, and it’d be nice to get another big man to compliment our little speed demons.
van nistlerooy is way past his prime and was constantly injured in la liga…how long do you think he’d last in the epl?
Absolutely bang on target Ryan, Van Nistelrooy would be best option for us. He will give minimum 1 year that’s enough
And he won’t cost us much.
We won and that win should keep us warm for the next game for now we need to win our game and hold our win by a crook or a hook it was well done who is next
Lets keep the faith and hope we can manage til january transfer this team can do it.4 me eventhough mistakes are showin there is stil room 4 improvement so far we don’t drop points anymore
I agree with most of what you said in this article, minus the criticism of Theo, and the true performance of Cesc.
regarding Cesc, i think he had one of the most appalling games i have seen him play in the past 24 mths, and was highlighted when it was clear that of Nasri him and Denilson he took the longest to adapt to Lucas and Mascerano physical play. The deference between cesc in last nights game and the game against Chelsae is that Lucas couldn’t find his own attacking game while marking Cesc, something Essien was able with relative ease, and was able to contribute in attack while keeping Cesc unbalanced in defense. As great a player as he is, he was lost, marked out of the game for long periods in both halves. it has to be said that while it isn’t easy to break Fabregas, there is a growing list of world class DM who can cause him trouble, and the great ones can go on to dominate his area of the field. not many, but a few can. he did however show as much class as Arshavin, as one pass was all he needed, and one good shot was all Arshavin needed.
Walcott on the other hand, while not his usual self, was clearly off his usual pace, and balance, and clearly lacks form. but he was instrumental in both goals by simply being switched to the left side. regarding the own goal. glenn johnson was out of position. it was theo’s quick rotation to the center of the box that threw off glenn johnsons composure as he wasnt chasing back into the box to clear the ball but to cover walcott, and the ball hitting his foot in the process.
He was instrumental again as it was more clear in the second goal. if you watch closely the interchange of arshavin from center to the top of the box, and glenn johnson following Theo inside, by the time Johnson realized the cross was coming in, he was already caught out of position leaving Arshavin only needing to create room for the shot. it was a very intelligent bit of football from a player who in my view is often guilty of having worse tunnel vision than even Wright Phillips. This was a tactic Van Persie has mastered, and is in tradition with Berkemp, Henry, and Pires, and i have to say it was quite impressive to see Theo finally use his head to play instead of his speed.
If he keeps doing what i saw from him yesterday, he’ll be the main striker by the end of the season. He just needs to start scoring goals against weaker opposition to build his confidence in front of goal, and in no time he’ll be racking up the tally of Henry. his shear speed will get him goals against the likes of Wigan, and wolves, the technicality he showed last night will get him goals against the Elite.
SPOT ON SHAWN!!!
Hello everybody..I read about how lucky we were in the first goal..And Chelsea was lucky in the 0-3..Arsenal needs a great striker,but first of all needs FIRST CLASS GOALKEEPER!!We can continue with such wasted goals against us..And Arshavin is one of the five best players in Europe at this time!!
Shawn Walcot is not good enough to start for Arsenal,he may be in a few days/months/years but currently his touch,control,vision,passing are not even close to being good enough.
i think people critiquing him need to look closer, i’m actually usually one of the biggest critics of Walcott. If you were to re-watch yesterday’s gave, you will see that both goals were a direct result of his runs. and on both occasions he took 2 defenders with him, one agger, and once carra, and both times Johnson. what separates the likes of Torres, Rooney, and Henry from the likes of Defoe, the Coles, and Hesky. is technical ability. which is why all the latters only have one or 2 good seasons while the others can do it season after season. and it is what separates Walcott, from Wright-Phillips. you need to give credit where credit is due. and he earned it yesterday. so i’m giving it. he aesthetically bad yesterday but technically did the right things.
Shawn, it is technical ability and decision-making where Theo falls short; Torres, Rooney and Henry don’t tend to dribble into defenders to have the ball stripped away, all have far better close control if not the pace and physical ability of Walcott. What he is capable of is an unmatchable burst of speed. If he had technique and improved skill on the ball, he’d be a monster.
I wouldn’t compare Theo with Wright-Phillips just now, as SWP is probably the best player on Man City and has been on terrific form all season long, something that cannot be said for Theo. I just hope our man can stay fit for a few matches, shake off a bit of the rust on him and start to polish his game up.
That technical ability is what i was refering to in theo’s effectiveness last night. like i said, when people see the replay, they’ll see it, but both goals were direct result of his play. not to take any credit away from arshavin and Nasri, fabregas’s assists. all i am saying is that yesterday he proved that his technical play is coming around, because it has always been what he has lacked, and i’d like to correct u on SWP. opta stats will prove that you wont find him on any top 10 or most top 20 lists in anything other than dribbles, he by definition is what we call pure tunnel vision as less than 10 percent of his dribbles result in assists, and his pass success rate is below many of the top midfielders in the league. he looks good to watch but his stats say he’s often ineffective (outside of the occasional great game) statistically. and is incapable of interchanging, and lacks technical ability. he’s a one dimensional player and can be shut down by any good left back.
I didnt read this comment before posting – I agree with what you said then about rooney, torres etc – that is a major difference
But Shawn if we are talking about technical ability don’t talk about Henry’s and Torres, Defoe best technical ability I have seen in only one player that is Dimitar Berbatov he is fantastic in sense of technical ability I think no one is greater than him.
“what separates the likes of Torres, Rooney, and Henry from the likes of Defoe, the Coles, and Hesky. is technical ability”
I disagree with that completely. None of rooney, torres and henry are spectacular technically. Defoe is at least on the level of those you mentioned technically and if you mean carlton cole id put him there too.
The difference is mental strength and consistency. Henry would be up for it so often, and when he got the chance was always ready. In big games he would often do very little, but somehow hed find a way of getting on the scoresheet. Torres is probably quite similar in that respect.
Rooney is not on their level finishing-wise, but again is always up for the game and his movement off the ball is superb.
For technical ability defoe and carlton cole are superb (Heskey is rubbish). They can both control incredibly difficult balls – maybe better than rooney; and defoe in particular on his day can score from anywhere. He just doesnt have, or hasnt shown till now the capacity to keep doing it week-in week-out like henry, rooney and torres.
I agree with ur comment about walcott vs liverpool to some extent. His movement in particular was good. I dont think it was so special as to justify a place given his previous performances for the club.
I think he could be a good player in the future though. It depends if he has that mentality – but I think wenger sees that in him, and thats why he persists. Technically hes fine – on a similar level to henry imo. He just needs to stop trying to do things that are beyond his ability all the time.
i think henry is/was a much more pure finisher than walcott will ever be. Unless he makes dramatic improvements to his finishing and quickens his decision making, he will always be out on the wing (where i wish he would imrove his crossing)!
Sorry Davi but have to disagree totally with you there… the reason Rooney, Henry, Torres etc are better technically is for the exact reason you gave that the likes of Defoe, Cole etc are not quite as good… consistency. We can all trap one out of 30 high balls well but what makes proper players better is that they do it consistently. They have better technique. A wider array of skills to deal with the ball. I honestly cannot think of a time when Rooney has not controlled a ball. He is the best at it I have seen… much, much better than Defoe etc. As for Henry not being technically better than Carlton Cole that is a ridiculous thought. I sort of understand what you mean but the ability to show your technique in a real match situation is down to how much technique (and confidence, fair enough) that you have. But if you cannot show it, maybe you have not got it…
“I honestly cannot think of a time when Rooney has not controlled a ball. He is the best at it I have seen”
That’s odd because honestly Ive seen him miscontrol it and mis-kick it quite a few times. In some areas his technique is awesome I admit. Volleys for example hes exceptional at. But his basic 1st touch is nothing special – very good obviously, but nothing special. His dribbling skills are also average. He can move the ball into space well, which is more about confidence, but he wont beat any decent defenders 1-on-1.
Torres and henry as well are similar in that regard. Carlos vela has a much better 1st touch than any of them from what Ive seen. Like ronaldinho he doesnt need to concentrate, the ball just sticks to his foot.
“But if you cannot show it, maybe you have not got it”
I disagree with that as well.
Many players have said rosicky is one of the most technically gifted players theyv come across. Van persie said he is the most gifted player hes ever seen I believe. Yet, as much as I like him, you wouldnt say hes the most effective footballer in the world.
You see at times he has a lot of talent, but you wouldnt say he was THAT good.
Arshavin is another good example. Like henry, doesnt possess amazing technical skills. His first touch has let him down on many occasions, and he doesnt always execute the passes perfectly. But when hes in a really good shooting position, or a killer ball is on, he rarely messes up. Its because hes a winner, its in his mentality.
agree with you but he still has a lot to improve on
Theo needs time, yes, but not years
No I think Theo does need years… and he has them… problem is we’ve had him for three years already but thats between the ages of 17-20… way too young. I actually think Theo needs to be more humble. He talks like a regular first team player, too often to the press… he should be more like Ramsey or Gibbs. Humble, quiet and focussed. I don’t get the impression he is completely focussed on football… not in a bad way but the pressure of being the next big thing has overwhelmed him… Get rid of the yellow boots, shut up and compete for a place in the team. He could really do with being a sub and playing in the FA Cup with a few outings in the prem… he is more dangerous in the Champs league where the fouling is more cynical and defences generally slower and higher up the pitch… I still think he can be a great, great player and he is no worse than Henry at that age. Very few strikers start well and carry it on… Anelka is one, but not that many others
Completely agree. I think theo needs to concentrate more on doing the simple things right in the games rather than trying to be the hero all the time.
When he starts to play to his abilities he’ll become more consistent and much more of an asset to the club – he did this quite well against liverpool I thought
well then wouldn’t you say thats mainly england national team, media, and fans fault for praising him for absolutely nothing he hasn’t really done nothing major yet, yes his got potential but he just needs to keep his head down, i think this world cup got to his head because he thinks that he is the key to it or something, he just needs to forget about the world cup to be honest i want him to go, but i dont see him getting infront of aaron lennon
Yes, I agree that is a major part of i – but it’s also arsene’s fault for playing him every time hes fit, when there are players who are better or deserve a chance just as much as theo.
Hes only slightly better than players like merida and wilshere currently imo and that’s because hes had the benefit of 3 years extra 1st team experience. That doesnt make sense now does it? Surely with 3 years extra on top of them he should be much, much better. I just dont see that currently, and I think wenger has made a mess of it giving him too much 1st team exposure too early.
Edin Dzeko.
I know he can’t play in the champions league, but with bendtner back we can rotate them around. We need him more for the league anyway.
I know he’d be the most expensive player we have ever bought, but look at what we ge in return (something arsene always evaluates)
1. Size and top-notch heading ability
2. Great foot skill, can score with either foot and play our one-touch game
3. a poacher in the box…a top scorer a finisher and a killer…something we miss in van persie.
4. We keep Cesc and Arshavin happy…our two best players happy is a good thing.
Also lets lick up someone like veloso. Not to replace song, but to partner with him. Denilson and diaby are garbage…let’s offload the dead weight. You keep song in front of the back 4 with fabregas as an advanced play-making attacking mid, with veloso sitting behind him as a deeper play-maker, and deep-shooter and solid defender. He is stronger and 10x better both defensively and offensively that denilson and diaby put together, and way more versatile.
We also need another CB once senderos leaves. I would love someone like sakho or micah richards. A strong fast bully, who will physically outmatch bigger strikers.
Lastly, and i know how very very unlikely it is…we NEED a class goalkeeper. Of all the TOP clubs in the world right now…we have BY FAR the WORST keeper in the bunch. We have a really good defense…we just lack a dominant keeper to organize and back-up our defenders. If we had a solid keeper, people would be saying our defense is up there with Chelsea.
My top picks for GK replacement: Akinfeev, Lloris, Patricio, and maybe maybe mandanda.
I agree with all of your proposed transfers (veloso,sakho,akinfeev,dzeko) …I did tell in a previous post the same players as you…there are many good players that can be bought out there but they are expensive (i don’t think that one of those is under 20 or 25 mil) and we are lucky if wenger buys a player this january…if we had a gk, a better def midf and a striker now (or rvp) no one could stop us…maybe we buy one of those now and 2 more in the summer…I just hope we can keep the players we have now (most of them)
Walcott is a great player! Have the critics forgot what games he did last season? The game with liverpool was his first or second as a first eleven from the beginning of the season and u expect him to make wonders? It’s the same thing with vela…give those guys a breather…I don’t think anyone has pacience right now including myself but we must because we don’t have a choice…
We don’t have much choice with the injuries we have and now Walcott and Vela will shine if they score a goal to build confidence at least in the easier games…they must stay fit and give their best…They can be the finishers we all want..
By the way great tactical analyzing by SHAWN on theo..some fans don’t see those things..it’s so important that certain players to create space for others and theo is doing that with his runs..he puts pressure on defence and he drags players to mark him…yes he’s not that sharp now or fit and he does not have the dribbling and technique but he will after a few games..i’m sure of that…
Let’s keep faith!
I agree on theo…he needs to buckle down and stay injury free. He is a sprinter that needs to work on the football side of things. Unfortunately for him i never see him leaving the right wing to play as a central striker…not in our current system especially.
Our current system also is the reason why i think Eduardo and vela haven’t been having an easy go of it. Vela and eduardo are second strikers and play around and with a main target striker…meaning they don’t have to play with their back to go, which neither of them is accustomed to doing. I think that if they were paired with bendtner in our more traditional 4-4-2 that we would see an dramatic increase in their productivity. However, I believe our current system has much improved our defense’s susceptibility to counter attack. Adding someone like dzeko to our squad in our current system would allow our NUMEROUS attacking mids to play off of him…particularly arshavin and nasri. The flow of goals would return.
and it’s exactly for this reason that I think Theo will feature in tomorrow’s line up against Burnley. . . . . I pity the person who will be marking him coz Theo will be a rocket down that right flank
I don’t really care if Wenger doesn’t sign a striker, but I have a big problem with him sticking with Almunia. He’s consistently playing terrible and manages to F*** up at least 3 times every game that can cost us a goal. The only thing he has going for him is “experience” but that doesn’t mean a thing when your crap. Wenger either has to give the younger guys a shot or buy a top keeper in the winter transfer window and perhaps a midfielder cause Song loses the ball too often with his bad passing;
Agree that almunia is garbage and that lloris or akinfeev need to be brought in.
I have to vehemently disagree with your assessment of song, who has been our most improved and most consistent performers. As far as his passing ability…he has provided many goal scoring opportunities and assists. This last game our whole team was bad especially in the first half. Also, you have to realize that he is supposed to be getting support from either diaby or denilson, which has been virtually non-existent. He has been superb and quality…i am just worried when he leaves for ACN.
agree with you about song because when we play 4-3-3 the 3 in midfield are meant to playing specific roles, song sitting back, denilson pushing up and down regularly whilst cesc pushes up more than defending however still defending when major threats are happening, but song has been incredible this season only 1 or 2 mistakes his made but other than so happy to see 90% of the fans appreciating him unlike last year and the year before that
It’s not that I don’t appreciate how good Song’s been playing, and I agree he’s been one of the most consistent players, but he losses more then his fair share of balls in the midfield because of his bad passing and bad ball control. He’s been great defensively though and always goes hard to win balls which I like. However, we can’t afford to be giving up so many counter attacks because of his bad passing. Hope, he improves in that department.
We probably should not get carried away and should spend more money. Wenger likes things done his way and that will never change. Liverpool is a prime example of when money spent goes wrong.
Last year after the Chelsea game we went on a huge unbeaten streak with Fabregas out for months and we were relying on Diaby, Song, Denilson, Bent 26 etc. We do need a striker, we do need a defensive midfielder and we also need to take positives out of this. Man Utd & Chelsea have also won games where they weren’t convincing, they recieve praise for being able to do so.
Sorry guys, I love the little fella but the truth is Theo is not good enough for our squad. Yes I know he’s been injured but outside of that, taking past performances into account, he has offered us hardly anything in his time here. He rarely has a good game and never has two good games in a row. His first touch is sloppy and he never seems to be comfortable on the ball. When he looks about him to make a pass to a teammate he forgets where the ball is and loses it, but worst of all I am absolutely fed up of the guy hiding. He hides in so many games it is too frustrating. He never jumps for headers and if things are not going well for us, don’t expect Theo to be the one to step up (ok champs league Anfield 2 seasons ago but not often). Basically he doesn’t have the spirit to be a top class player. I look at Ramsey and see a hunger and bravery in the way he plays, I’ve never felt that with Theo. It’s a shame because I really wanted him to do well, but its just not happening. Arsene asked for more aggression from him but I just dont think he has it in him. Please please please Theo prove me wrong!!!
Again I will conduct my comment about Walcott…
I am sorry to say it is 12 millions down the drain… He is one dimensional and,post for post,a mile away from Lennon (and it kills me to say that)…
Both Edouardo and Walcott have signed new long term contract !!! I mean what is the deal? Edouardo will never find his best again and Walcott,well, let’s wait and see…
The fact is we are in need of strength, depth, and power… Which we do not have….!!!
A good move would be to go for a striker in January (Not much choices as the best ones are involved with big clubs already and please no Suarez! we don’t want another midget)…
Then in the summer get another CB and a defensive Mid ( Wenger has inquired Hazard from Lille and Matuidi from St Etienne)…
Yes we are in touching distance of Chelsea and Man U,but we need to win at Burnley and stop waisting points against second rate sides (Hull,Bolton,Burnley,Birmingham,etc…)…
Wake up Wenger, the mercato is upon us!
Herbert on what u said about hazard and matuidi i really do hope we get them especially hazard. I would also like to take this oppotunity to scream out what ive been screaming out since forever…. Goalkeeper-LLORIS(ALMUNIA IS GARBAGE), Mid-fielders- MATUIDI ,HAZARD,AND KHEDIRA(HAZARD IS BRILLIANT, MATUIDI IS SONG’S BACK, KHEDIRA IS EXCELLENT. Defenders- MERTESACKER OR MEXES OR VAN DER WIEL(MERTESACKER IS BIG AND TALL, MEXES WAY BETTER THAN TRAORE AND SO IS VAN DER WIEL). Strikers- I’LL BE REALISTIC AND SAY MAYBE GIGNAC, PODOLSKI OR DZEKO.( GIGNAC IS A MATCH WINNER ,PODOLSKI HAS POWER AND CLASS,JUST IMAGINE HIM IN AN ARSENAL SHIRT. DZEKO…. WELL SOMEONE JUST SUMMED IT UP FOR ME, HE’S GOOD VERY GOOD,BUT WHY I SAID IM BEING REALISTIC ABOUT THE CHOICES IVE MADE IS THAT THEY ALL PLAY FOR CR*P TEAMS AND WOULD EASILY MAKE ARSENAL LEGENDS.
We need Dzeko and Blaize Matuidi those are just enough for our team as we wait for our injured players to recover and find their way back into the team.About goalkeeping i think Wenger needs to bring back Mannone who is strong and to me he proved it in the few games that were handed to him.Almunia i think is not psychologically fit and strong after the bout of illness that kept him out of play for awhile and that is why we need Mannone who is strong physically and will get experience from such exposure, period.
This january transfer window is a lot different to other years.It’s a question of demand outstripping supply.Who would have thought the so called top four would have lost so many matches after only 15/16 games.United and Chelsea will try and strengthen and knowing that RVP is out for almost the season, and Bedntner’s comeback has been delayed by a month, a striker not CL cup tied is a priority as well as a central defender as Senderos is surely on his way out.
I wouldn’t hazzard to guess who we may buy,but Wenger may be sometimes stubborn but he must have his scouts out now and could well be finalising things as I write.
We have been fortunate to be right in the mix,and wholesale changes are not the answer,but it would be a miracle to believe we can carry on without more striking power.Theo is still a long way off to prove himself,especially in his favoured central position and Vela hardly ever gets a chance to start.
transfer thoughts:
why not david villa? too small? too expensive? or both? one thing is for certain–i’d hate to see man u get him!
i’d also like to see the coach purchase another defender and keeper, both of which are over the age of 25. some additional size, heft and experience back there would help (probably required to raise a trophy, despite what the professor believes).
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tomorrow thoughts:
burnley plays very well at home. so it could be a tough match.
it looked as if some players were hurt on sunday, but haven’t seen anything on that as far as it impacts tomorrow’s fixture.
fock all of yall with this fockin van nistelrooy that old goat cant cut it n forget vout cup tie becoz we still got bendtner whi will b bcak in time for cl n eduardo n vela but we can do wilt carlton cole tho big strong holds d ball up n is english but the main man wenger should b buyin iz the brazilian from porto hulk . hes d real deal n would b a hit at arsenal
I agree with you Brandon, Carlton Cole would be the perfect striker for Arsenal…
He is tall,powerful,skilled and has an eye for goal (as a matter of fact when he is not playing West Ham just does not exist so to speak)…
Whatever the price we should get him for January and he will be available for CL…
hey chris what time do you release your match preview for burnley?
It’s scheduled for today, Wednesday, noon UK time