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Arsenal vs NY Red Bulls, 1-1: Full time analysis and player ratings

Written by Chris on July 31, 2011 – 22:30

The Gunning Hawk - ForumEmirates Cup 2011

With Samir Nasri covering his mouth from the cameras at the end of the game, maybe as a sign of things to come next week, this year’s edition of the Emirates Cup comes to an end with zero wins, two draws, three goals scored and three conceded.

With five games played so far and one to go, this Arsenal side is yet to convince in pre-season and all the question marks pending over the future of Cesc and Samir are not helping either. Also, yet again we had to witness some shocking defending as Emmanuel Eboue and Marouane Chamakh just stared at Juan Agudelo who easily made it into our penalty area before crossing the ball for the equaliser.

Some will say it’s only pre-season, it’s just a friendly game. Well, it is important to understand that pre-season is one of the most important periods of the season as it is the time of the year when new players settle in, old mistakes are supposed to be corrected and most importantly, the best possible formation is identified ahead of the official games.

As it is, if you ask me to pick eleven players for our first official game of the season – away at Newcastle – I would struggle to find eleven faces I 100% believe in. The defensive department is as hilarious as it was last season, the midfield lacks creativity and in the final third we struggle to score goals. I mean no disrespect, but New York were pathetic back there, basically gifting us the ball to score yet we never took advantage of their mistakes.

Also, next Saturday’s game against Benfica now takes a different shape as it is pivotal to use our best possible formation and get a result to lift our morale because the boos from the crowd at the end of today’s game means that this season could easily start in the same fashion as we ended the last one.

To conclude, it was nice to see Thierry back at the Emirates, older, with less pace but still as sharp as ever. His first touch, his vision and his commitment are always a joy to watch and I’m sure many will agree with me when I say that even at the age of 33 he is better than some of our current players in the squad.

As always, whether you agree with my ratings or not, submit your own at Arsenal Interactive and make sure to share them on Twitter and Facebook.

Match Video Highlights

Match video highlights are available in the Videos section of our website. If not there yet, rest assured they will be up in a matter of hours.

Player Ratings

Szczesny: 6,5 – Did well to twice deny Thierry, first in the first half and then in the second. Maybe, just maybe, a bit too slow to leave his goal when we conceded.

Koscielny and Vermaelen: 6 – Virtual spectators for the entire game as New York adopted the “park the bus” approach knowing that a draw was enough to win the game.

Sagna: 7 – Excellent. With no defending to do, Bacary’s job was to be an asset when we pushed forward and I must say he today delivered a number of very interesting crosses.

Gibbs: 6,5 – Made a number of very good runs on the left but most of the times the end product was very, very disappointing. Also, way too easy the way Dane Richards surged past him in the 72nd minute of the game.

Song: 6 – Quiet game for Alex who contributed in midfield but guilty of giving the ball away cheaply in the 69th minute.

Wilshere: No Vote – For obvious reasons.

Ramsey: 6 – Made a number of very good runs in the penalty box early on, including one incorrectly stopped for offside. Blasted high a golden opportunity on minute 26 and forced a save from the goalkeeper in the 46th minute. Not much from him in the second half.

Rosicky: 7,5 – Impressive. Did well to win the ball in the 14th and 20th minute of the game, tried his luck from long range minutes later, delivered the set piece for Robin’s goal, produced a top class pass for Gervinho who should have scored in the 42nd minute and more of the same in the second half. Granted, he made mistakes in the last part of the game but I want to believe it was due to fatigue.

Gervinho: 6,5 – Lively. On the counter one can easily see that he’s an important asset to have on the pitch. Should have scored, or passed the ball to his left, in the aforementioned 42nd minute chance.

van Persie: 7 – Shot saved after some great build up play in the 15th minute, great pass for Aaron who was wrongly flagged for offside, again turned provider for Aaron with some good work on the left and of course scored our only goal of the game.

(Subs)
Afobe: 6,5 – I loved what I saw from Benik but knowing Arsene, he will probably prefer Marouane to him when the season starts. The youngster did well on the left and showed good skill in 21st minute when he drifted in the center.

Vela, Arshavin, Eboue, Chamakh, Bartley: 5 – No impact whatsoever on the game. Emmanuel looks like one who doesn’t belong here anymore and Kyle, well, I don’t blame him for his eagerness to impress.

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  • Gunner12 says:
    August 1, 2011 at 6:39

    What I rally hope is that we star strong as every season….. but not get any lona ter injuries that will ruin oír season.

    Reply to this comment »
  • maturks says:
    July 31, 2011 at 22:58

    Afobe can have an impact like Anelka did years ago. His movements off the ball, his pace and technical ability makes him a gem in the making. This was the first time I saw him play and was really impressed. Methink he should be part of the first team and get chances for CC and Fa cup games.

    Reply to this comment »
    • stephen says:
      August 5, 2011 at 23:23

      what are you talking about, they should be boo-ed, how much money are they getting and not taking shots, same ol same ol from them, i love arsenal but you have to show frustration as a fan, not pretend everything is ok when its not. diaby even said last year that he was amazed that the fans were not booing them.

      Reply to this comment »
  • frankie boy says:
    July 31, 2011 at 23:00

    I know its only a friendly, But at times looked lackluster, I am truely scared what gonna become of us tbis season we will be lucky to finish in the top 10.

    Buz I still love the arsenal even though we are now medioca.

    Reply to this comment »
    • santori says:
      August 1, 2011 at 7:43

      Lack of urgency.

      Too much intricate passing the ball around in the second half.

      I hope Gervinho doesn’t catch Arsenalitis because you can see a difference in his approach. He is keen to get the ball moving directly and quickly toward goal and ready to take a shot in a fraction of a moments notice.

      No spurprise when he and RVP were taken off, that our attack was blunt and it afforded NYRB instantly more possession to come into the game where as they were spectators before.

      Reply to this comment »
  • GunnerEye says:
    July 31, 2011 at 23:12

    Well,Good defense !Koscielny and Vermaelen very good ,i would like to see they work out on epl ..Poor Arshavin, Eboue, Chamakh and Bartley ,totally useless at field

    Reply to this comment »
    • santori says:
      August 1, 2011 at 7:45

      They have been solid together.

      In both matches, we look rock solid with both of them in place.

      Also Sagna who was excellent.

      No surprise that Wenger reserved his faster set of defenders 9Koscielny, Sagna and Gibbs) for this game with Henry in it.

      The moment Eboue came on, it was a disaster out right and NYRB instantly had more penetration.

      Which begs the question why is he even getting playing time? Wasn’t he rumoured on his way out?

      Reply to this comment »
  • javea says:
    July 31, 2011 at 23:20

    Afobe was a waste. This is not the season trying another static youngster especially in the attack. Ok we will concede the goals but we could score more if we have better players up front. With Afobe the movement is zero playing from the wing which doesn’t help the team at all.

    Reply to this comment »
  • Gunman says:
    July 31, 2011 at 23:21

    I can understand the Anger. but if fans keeping boo-ing and putting so much pressure on this team how do you expect our 20 21 yr mids to not crumble ?

    yes we have not won for 8 ish yrs now but It is wilshere 2nd year Ramsey proper first year maybe,traore,gibbs etc ….so Its really Silly to put so much pressure on them guyz.

    I know we are all Desperate to win trophy but , Boo-ing them is not gonna make it better and i have a feeling this cud happen a few times this season.

    just My opinion

    Reply to this comment »
    • Hunter says:
      July 31, 2011 at 23:47

      “I can understand the Anger. but if fans keeping boo-ing and putting so much pressure on this team how do you expect our 20 21 yr mids to not crumble ?”

      Well this has been the problem for the last 6 years. our players are too weak mentally to deal with any sort of adversity. If they don’t want to hear fans booing then they should step up their game and stop crumbling when it matters most. Did booing make them fall apart in the Carling Cup? Did booing make them drop group games in the champions league that had us drawn with Barca?

      The answer to all of these questions is no. The problem is weak minded players and a manager who treats them with kid gloves instead of honesty. I have never in my life heard a manager say that he isn’t going to buy players because it will stop the growth of younger players. If the player is good enough (like Wilshire) he will play his way into the squad. These players expect to be handed everything because that’s how Arsene has treated them. They don’t seem to get that to be winners it takes focus, commitment and dedication. No one is going to hand you success, you have to work hard for it.

      This garbage about this team “fulfilling its destiny” of winning the league title is exactly the type of take we don’t need. Our manager needs to tell them it’s been 6 years and you either perform or you are gone. Period.

      Reply to this comment »
      • Gunman says:
        July 31, 2011 at 23:51

        I agree with most things you said but putting them under excessive pressure wont make them play better, if at all it will have any effect, it would be negative.

        All I am saying its unfair for players who have been here for couple of or three Season to carry the baggage of 7-8 years without title.

        Reply to this comment »
        • Jacka says:
          July 31, 2011 at 23:54

          And this is why you shouldn’t invest in kids. You need hardened vets

          Reply to this comment »
          • Kofi says:
            August 1, 2011 at 0:19

            I keep asking myself what liverpool would do with fans like arsenal has

            Reply to this comment »
        • Simmer 10 says:
          August 1, 2011 at 0:47

          They’re professionals not children FFS!

          Reply to this comment »
        • inja says:
          August 1, 2011 at 2:20

          then its wengers fault for putting the pressure on them…ultimately, he is the one who is deciding everything.

          Reply to this comment »
      • Gunman says:
        July 31, 2011 at 23:57

        “Our manager needs to tell them it’s been 6 years and you either perform or you are gone. Period.”

        This is exactly my point. how many of them have been there for 6 years ? Not Walcott,Ramsey,frim,Verm,Kos,Szcz,gibbs etc etc

        But I agree with u criticizing Wenger and If you blame wenger I can understand but not the young players.

        Reply to this comment »
        • Hunter says:
          August 1, 2011 at 0:23

          I would say Theo and Gibbs are borderline because they have been around a while. The others simply aren’t quite top level yet and that’s what we need at the moment. For every one of those young players we have players who have been in the squad far too long and been pants. Arsene has lost any good will to keep on with kids in the squad who he clearly has no idea how to motivate.

          People seem to forget that we are Arsenal. One of the top 5 most valuable clubs in the world. We are not some training ground for U19’s so they can make a name for themselves. No are we an experimentation lab for a policy that clearly isn’t working. We need to get back to being one of the best in the world and not a team that is satisfied with clinging to 4th place and calling that successful.

          Reply to this comment »
          • Gunman says:
            August 1, 2011 at 1:40

            I agree but really all ur points are mostly against Wengers policy and probably justified too.But Some feel we probably dont have the cash reserves to match ManC etc so in that sense Wenger has done well. Wenger has done great with new stadium. Liverpool has been crying for new stadium for years but cant build it. Spurs cant afford it either so they beg for stadiums. Valencia cant afford to complete their half built stadium. And still we are very very competitive and really unlucky not to win trophys.U cant blame wenger if players dont show character on big occasion sometimes.Or players like hleb flamini decide to abort ship at wrong time for arsenal.

            On the Other hand ,What Wenger did giving Song and Denilson so many games in 2008-09 season was pathetic as they were absolutely Pants then and It felt he was Simply using Arsenal to develop them. And he has done that a lot sacraficing arsenal for Player developement.In fact we had to rely on Villa to lose form to come 4th that season. Thats pathetic imo.
            And he has been a waste in transfer market lately too with chamakh and Squillaci and not replacing Almunia at right time.

            So jury on wenger is stilll out.But personally I am more anti-weng then Pro as of now.

            you say theo are gibbs are borderline but really this wud be frst proper season for Gibbs as frst choice and maybe 2nd 3 rd proper season for theo; ramsey , wilshere,frim,koscielny,szcz all these are top class young players. I mean At that Age those guyz force almost all teams to Park the bus against us including ManU and Its sometimes diff to play against teams doing so.Hence watching them bieng boo-ed coz of Wengers Fault or others who havent Delivered in past , and having to face that baggage I felt sorry for them Lads

            Reply to this comment »
            • Hunter says:
              August 1, 2011 at 3:24

              I understand what you are saying and I think we agree won about 98% of things here.

              The issue of funds is not an issue anymore and really hasn’t been for about a season and a half. According to the financials we had at least 30 million as far back as 2 years ago so there is no reason we couldn’t have replaced Almunia and brought in a TOP class defender. Not Koscielny who is basically no farther along than Ramsey or any of the rest but a very top level defender. This easily could have been done for less than 30 million. Hell Stechlenberg is going for less than 10. Imagine where we would have been without Almunia’s cock ups in previous seasons. In my opinion Arsene has lost the plot and he has about 30 days to get it right and if he doesn’t I will be firmly planted in the anti-Wenger zone.

              Reply to this comment »
              • Gunman says:
                August 1, 2011 at 8:39

                Yeah Agreed.I Just Hope he Finally gets it right this Time.

                Reply to this comment »
      • Simmer 10 says:
        August 1, 2011 at 0:22

        To true @ hunter , wenger is the problem it’s his team and they are tactically and mentally weak! Unfortunately this is the year the wheels fall off!

        Reply to this comment »
      • javea says:
        August 1, 2011 at 0:27

        Totally agree with you Hunter. Why was Afobe taking corner kick and Song taking the free kicks today ? The corner kick was so pathetic it was like a pass to the defender at the near post. The worst was that the rest of the players weren’t even ready for it. The Song freekick went straight to the wall. When did he become a free kick taker ? Why does the manager allow these things to happen ?

        Reply to this comment »
        • Hunter says:
          August 1, 2011 at 1:05

          I wish I knew. It’s like he has absolutely no control anymore. You have players slagging of the club, others walking around the pitch during games and he does nothing at all about it.

          Reply to this comment »
          • santori says:
            August 1, 2011 at 7:53

            The issue here is we’ve been punching above our weight for 6 years now.

            Seriously with the ineperience we’ve had to rely on, it is more of a surprise that we have remain this competitive.

            We do not simply have the resources of City, Chelsea or United.

            As such the youth academy was a very good investment and ise decision.

            Not many other teams can come to rely on both being able to spend in open market and/or groom quality from within.

            You say our youth system is a fialure yet it has produced Jack Wilshere, Keiran Gibbs and Theo Walcott (to some extent), all Engalnd’s future.

            A cursory look at Liverpool will serve to illustrate how they have let their academy system go to pots in the interest of quick fix and are now having to pay for it (quite literarily) and are suffering from a lack of depth and balance.

            It’s simple to blame the policy without thinking of the benefits they have produced for us.

            OTOH, players alone are not the only issue.

            What is more crucial for us and worrying is that we lack tactical options and that certain defenisve maladies have not been fixed.

            …this points to a systemic issue within the coacing set up that has as as yet not been addresssed.

            Reply to this comment »
  • Kylmis says:
    July 31, 2011 at 23:21

    6.5 for Gibbs, it’s not right, he played decent game and deserves 7.0. For me this lad is already much better than Clichy were. Kieran is only 21(soon 22). And defenders are at their best somewhere around 25-29. He made few mistakes last season, but at this pre-season he has looked very sharp and focused.

    Reply to this comment »
    • santori says:
      August 1, 2011 at 7:54

      He was good and aggressive going forward but less so covering at the back. hard to compare but I thought Traore had the more balanced outing.

      Reply to this comment »
  • Hunter says:
    July 31, 2011 at 23:21

    I just can’t see us having a good season at the moment. We don’t have a striker who wants to get into the box so it’s pretty much impossible to score from and early cross or an early ball in because no one is there to receive the pass. Sagna put in some excellent balls but too often it was no one or one attacking player trying to win the ball against 4 or 5 defenders.

    Based on what I have seen of Afobe today and in the reserves he needs to be promoted. In my opinion he brings something different with his direct running and ability take on players. I would rather see him in the team before either Chamakh or Diaby. I really don’t understand why Arsene refuses to use strikers as strikers instead of wing players. I would love to see Vela given that role up top with RVP behind. Vela showed he can finish but the wing is not his strong suit just like it wasn’t the right place for Bendtner.

    I am really disappointed that Bartley has only gotten 10 minutes so far. I don’t blame him for the own goal as it was the other two who watch the cross get played in who were really at fault. I would like to see him given 45 minutes minimum with Vermaelen to see how they get on during this next match. He was excellent last year with Rangers both in the Scottish league and in the champions league.

    Rosicky was excellent. He looked tired at the end but he was one of few who was probing and trying to create something. Quite a few of the others looked like they couldn’t be bothered. He look miles better than Nasri did yesterday and actually better than Ramsey today as well.

    Although Gervinho missed a good chance as soon as he left we lost our ability to be dangerous on the counter. In my opinion he is better than Nasri because he doesn’t kill the flow of play when the ball gets to him. I am still think Nasri needs to go and if a foreign team makes an offer of 15 million or more we should take it and not look back.

    Word is that AC Milan has made an official bid of 35 million for Cesc so we will see if Barca want him or not. This should finally put an end to this garbage until next summer. If Cesc does stay he definitely can no longer be captain. Arsene needs to stop giving the captaincy to players who don’t deserve it. I never thought I would say this but Gallas was actually a better captain than Cesc. He might not have gone about it right but he cared about winning and didn’t put up with slack performances. He called players out for not putting in a real shift and that’s why he and Arsene butted heads. Arsene treats them all like babies and makes excuses every time they don’t perform. We need a captain who will get people motivated and call them out when they aren’t getting it done. Right now we don’t have a person like that anywhere in the club.

    Reply to this comment »
    • rodders says:
      July 31, 2011 at 23:36

      I agree with you! However, I think TV5 may be that player. And Gervinho may speak up as well… I’m fairly gutted to see Fab and Nasri leaving, but Wenger has allowed them to be bigger than the club. Time to move on!

      Reply to this comment »
    • Ashburton_Grove says:
      July 31, 2011 at 23:40

      RvP can lead just fine as captain until someone like Samba comes in.

      Reply to this comment »
    • Simmer 10 says:
      August 1, 2011 at 0:50

      @ hunter you are reading my mind!

      Reply to this comment »
      • Hunter says:
        August 1, 2011 at 1:07

        I try mate. Sometimes I know I might come across a little negative but I am a realist. I expect the best from my club just like I expect the best form myself. Anything less from the manager, the board or the players is simply not good enough.

        Reply to this comment »
        • santori says:
          August 1, 2011 at 8:01

          I agree.

          Bartley should have gotten more playing time.

          Gervinho has a different mind set and keeps it simple with a straight eye for goal. We tend to otherwise complicate things and arsenalitis sets in.

          Chamakh looks very blunt at the moment which is a concern. Afobe looked lively and should get a shot. I’m not sure if I’ll rate him as high as Diaby though as the Frenchman (although erratic) gives us another capability in driving through the middle (and he does weigh in with goals…if he isn’t injured)

          With regards Nasri and Fab, I think (as we all know) Wenger is in somewhat of a bind. I think he was expecting Fabregas to lose fiath and would have been prepared to let him go (proviso Barca meet minimum valuation for their oft vaunted Barca DNA) but I don’t think Wenger was expecting such resistance from Nasri with regard contract renewal.

          I’m not sure Fab will go to Milan. If Barca doesn’t meet the valuation, he will stay in which case Wenger may then opt to sell on Nasri. Therefore we may yet see another winger (or striker if Chamakh continues current trajectory)

          Reply to this comment »
  • nicky says:
    July 31, 2011 at 23:31

    Have patience all you Gooners. A whole month of the Transfer Window remains open.
    Wenger knows our shortcomings and our needs. We know nothing about the deals being planned behind the scenes. Big signings are on the move, both inwards and outwards.

    Reply to this comment »
    • Jacka says:
      July 31, 2011 at 23:55

      Proof please

      Reply to this comment »
  • Gooner50 says:
    July 31, 2011 at 23:34

    Agree with most of your ratings, but thought Song played better than a 6. Today (compared to yesterday) the team showed much more energy, cohesion and purpose – unfortunately they did not take their chances. After substitutions we lost bite in attack, we lost energy in midfield and started to give the ball away.

    I thought Rosicky in central midfield today looked much more effective than Nasri did in the same position yesterday.

    Reply to this comment »
    • Ashburton_Grove says:
      July 31, 2011 at 23:45

      Blame Wenger for having too many natural CM’s: Fabergas, Nasri, Ramsey, Rosicky, Diaby
      Blame Wenger for having too many natural CF’s: RVP, Chamakh, Bendtner, Walcott, Vela
      and blame him for all our failures, for that matter.

      Reply to this comment »
    • santori says:
      August 1, 2011 at 8:05

      Song was extremely solid for us. To me he underlined his importance today.

      We were solid at the back with Song, Vermalen, Koscielny and Sagna.(+the threat of RVP, Gervinho helped)

      NYRB were vitually out played and non existent for the first 70 minutes

      As soon as they took off RVP and Gervinho, I had the feeling that Vela (poor) and Chamakh (ineffetual) would afford NYRB the opportunity to come forward and put pressure on our backs.

      Compounded with Eboue in place of Sagna (andthe inexperience Bartley) it was almost an ‘accident’ waiting to happen.

      BUT we paid for our over complicated efforts from 45-70 minutes. It doesn’t help to take a gamble at the back with a one goal lead but I suppose this is pre-season.

      Reply to this comment »
  • gooner14 says:
    July 31, 2011 at 23:57

    BTW just saw Joel Campbell play for Costa Rica…I don’t like him at all. He’s lazy, doesn’t track back, plays only to poach, and doesn’t work hard. Didn’t see any extreme release of pace either. If Arsene buys him, then it will be utter hypocrisy. If you blame Arshavin and Bendtner for being lazy wait until you see this guy. This guy is worse than ruud. He just doesn’t know what playing with a team is. I’d try to pick up the spain u-20 rodrigo…so fernando torres like when he was at atletico.

    Reply to this comment »
    • Hunter says:
      August 1, 2011 at 1:10

      We could do with a poacher actually. If we had Ruud in this squad he would have scored 50 goals a season with the chances we create most of the time.

      Reply to this comment »
      • gooner14 says:
        August 1, 2011 at 1:25

        i agree with you on the poacher part, this guy does have an eye for goal…but he missed a golden chance….think adebayor/bendtner like with alot more walking around.

        Reply to this comment »
        • santori says:
          August 1, 2011 at 8:08

          Not convinced with the Costa Rican.

          A bit unlikely but there might be an opportunity still for a Benzema IF we sell either of Cesc or Nasri.

          I think if we sell Cesc, then we may want to bring in a midfielder.

          If we sell Nasri then a winger or a striker.

          Since Gervinho is proving extremely effective coming in through either wing, then I would prefer a striker and someone direct with power. Benzema fits the bill. If real are to sell him, he may still be around 20-25m but I would think Wenger may just take a gamble on a big ticket item here, especially after losing a big gun.

          Reply to this comment »
          • Hunter says:
            August 1, 2011 at 9:23

            There is something really annoying about this situation with bidding for this striker………………………

            We are will take a million pound gamble on a totally unproven player but we wouldn’t stump up and extra 500k to bring in Scwarzer last year so we could replace Almunia? What is wrong with this picture? Complete ass backward thinking by the manager.

            Reply to this comment »
  • Christian says:
    August 1, 2011 at 0:00

    Well, not sure I agree with all here, but:

    Szczesny: 6,5 – He did good, but I don’t like us gambling all on such a young keeper, but I personally think he will do better then Gea in United this season.

    Koscielny and Vermaelen: 7 – You shouldn’t give low scores on players because the opponent plays defensively. Both are calm and very good CB’s, I am not worried with them together at the back, more worried if one of them get injured so we need one more quality experienced CB.

    Sagna: 7 – Excellent.Enough said really, by far our best defender at the moment. Carl J will do good as a backup for him so not worried about this position at all.

    Gibbs: 6 – I like the guy, but he gets unfocused and out of position to easy, has to use his speed to recover, and I am not so sure that will work with the much higher pace and pressure in PL, so I would prefer an experienced LB for this season at least, even with Traore as a backup.

    Song: 6 – A bit sloppy today, and if it had been a PL game this behaviour would have been a disaster, but I fully expect him to get better when it really matters. He will do well and Frimpong will be a good cover for him.

    Ramsey: 5.5 – Yes, good runs and when attacking he is good, but lord did he send his passes many strange places today, both long and short, seeing chances where no other player saw em and slowing down the play along with Rosicky, and with the loss of Wilshere he looked a bit lost at times. I give him a low score because I expect more from him, this was one of his weakest games so far in my book.

    Rosicky: 5,5 – I agree somewhat with what your saying, but he holds up the play a bit, to many short passes and him and Ramsey did not look to have a great connection. And yes you can say his errors that grew to be many late in the game is because he is getting tired, but I would rather say frustrated and tired and thats a very bad combination, one we have seen before, using his arms to hold and push, meaningsless passes where no one is and so on. We lost games because of that last season, and thats the problem, those errors give out plenty free kicks and penalties. I think he is past his prime and should be below Wilshere, Ramsey, Nasri, Fab and the rest. Personally I would prefer if we just sold him.

    Gervinho: 7 – This is a very good player, he suffered without Wilshere and others to give him the well timed passes, he had a few, but he is still getting used to the rest and will be a massive help this season.

    van Persie: 7.5 – He can score, he can assist, he can pass and he can even defend. Best player on the field and an almost boundless energy, I will pray every day that he won’t be injured, one season without any injuries and we can very well be champions, he is really that good.

    (Subs)
    Afobe: 6,5 – I cursed when I saw him come on, irritated that we where gonna play a “new” player so late in our preseason. I am rather amazed, he grew into it over time and got better and better. Not that he didn’t do strange stuff, but he had energy and will, and several times he rounded defenders like they where made of salt.

    Bartley: 5 – I feelt really sorry for Bartley, I hope he get some chances later cuz I got what we need of will, height and strength,

    Arshavin : 5 – Not much action today, but he will do well for us this season, generally he looks more fit and more happy and that is good.

    The rest I won’t bother to comment on, but one new CB, maybe a new striker and ofc replacements if Fab ( I doubt very much he will leave) or Nasri (Much more likley, this is where Mata comes in) goes and we will be stronger then last year and you can say what you want but United is weaker, Chelsea is weaker and Liverpool will use time to get half the team settled before challenging for anything and with all those heavy weak technical players they will be slaughtered in Champions League anyway. City will be stronger. We got a good 15-20% of winning the league, that is not to bad ;)

    Reply to this comment »
    • Kylmis says:
      August 1, 2011 at 10:27

      Chirstian did you even watch the game?

      Reply to this comment »
  • serge says:
    August 1, 2011 at 0:03

    what did Chris mean bye “wilshire – for obvious reasons???” what happened

    Reply to this comment »
    • reuben says:
      August 1, 2011 at 1:11

      He was taken off in the seventh minute :(

      Reply to this comment »
      • santori says:
        August 1, 2011 at 8:09

        Slight knock. Just a week out. Might be good in hindsight.;)

        Reply to this comment »
  • Eduman says:
    August 1, 2011 at 0:06

    Arsenal will not win anything with Arshavin and Van Persie. Please wake up.
    Fabregas, Eboue, Sqillaci., Rosicky, Song and Nasri please go NOW.
    Mr Wenger another Tony Adams and Marin Keown at the back please plus 1 left sided mid-field player who can hit an accurate 40yd ball in the blink of an eye to excape the pressing game – the team will then take care of itself. Walcott and Vela up front. Hello championship.
    You mentioned the esteemed Mr Henry, and the reason he was esteemed was his PACE and he DIDN”T F#@$ AROUND IN THE BOX. Unlike Arshavin and Van Persie alias the crab brothers.

    Reply to this comment »
    • gooner80 says:
      August 1, 2011 at 6:47

      I guess you wanted to be original with this comment,you manage that, but what are you talking about????

      Reply to this comment »
    • kiwigunner says:
      August 1, 2011 at 7:58

      I really hope you’re taking the piss. RVP is a champ

      Reply to this comment »
      • santori says:
        August 1, 2011 at 8:10

        Not to mention he has sustained his goal scoring form even in the pre-season friendlies which is a great sign.

        18 goals a half season is not to be laughed at.:D

        Reply to this comment »
        • Hunter says:
          August 2, 2011 at 2:53

          RVP does score goals but the original post is correct on one part. We screw around far too much in the box with the ball instead of shooting it. As soon as we are near the 18 we should be thinking shoot. If there is not a pass on when you look up have a go instead of passing it backward to midfield and losing possession or starting all over again.

          Reply to this comment »
  • Jack says:
    August 1, 2011 at 0:14

    Even know it was only a friendly i feel we really need as well as a centre back(obviously) a poacher who can be at the right place at the right time and ready to put the ball at the back of the net i mean lets face it chamakh is looking more and more like a much lazier bendtner and every time are poor full backs and wingers cross the ball in the box they look ridiculous because none of our strikers are at the end of it.

    BUY MATA,JAGS AND a ”falcao” type poacher.

    Reply to this comment »
    • santori says:
      August 1, 2011 at 8:13

      I don’t think Mata is our answer. Too short plus we have a surfeit of players like him.

      I’ rather we bring in someone who an play wing but also cover @LB just in case, someone like Bastos.

      Falcao may poach well in Portugal but I don’t know if he will be as effective in the more physical EPL. No thanks.

      Reply to this comment »
  • Jack says:
    August 1, 2011 at 0:15

    and somebody needs to tell song to stick with one haircut.

    Reply to this comment »
    • santori says:
      August 1, 2011 at 8:14

      I liked his mutton chops.:)

      Reply to this comment »
  • Hapinem says:
    August 1, 2011 at 0:25

    wenger buy defender or enjoy ur booing days in emirates

    Reply to this comment »
  • Simmer 10 says:
    August 1, 2011 at 0:26

    This team is unfortunately weak, It’s going to be a interesting season!

    Reply to this comment »
  • van persie keep it healthy says:
    August 1, 2011 at 0:31

    today Arsenal players had fun with playing football because if all of you watched the game you will understand that after the 1st goal all of the players played for the crowd,and if they wanted to score another goal they would have scored.So dont be worried,this season it will be good for us if mata and samba comes and van persie stay healthy.

    Reply to this comment »
    • santori says:
      August 1, 2011 at 8:15

      No Samba.

      Wrong player for us.

      Reply to this comment »
      • A.M says:
        August 1, 2011 at 9:09

        Actually why not santori? Ok fine probably we could lose him if he DOES sign for a month due to the ACN, but we will lose a few others too in Song, Chamakh as well. Plus, he’s a leader in his own right, has a monster of a physique, ok probably a lil slow but a combination with him and Verm certainly cant do us any harm rite? And he could even probably be behind Kos, BUT CERTAINLY INFRONT OF DJOUROU AND THE DAMN SQUID!!! He knows his way around the EPL already which saves us the adaptation period. He will even come cheaper than Cahill, which I actually think is over hyped

        Reply to this comment »
  • Francis says:
    August 1, 2011 at 0:32

    For me, Afobe:was a delight to watch. He played confidently and I hope he will have time on the first team. I liked Song,Sagna, Van Persie and Gervinho. Rosicky:was impressive for most of the game. Ramsey was ok, but I like his willingness to shoot — too many of the players on Arsenal prefer to pass the ball than shoot even when inside the box. Gibbs needs a lot more work if he’s going to hold down his spot effecively. The first team played well for most of the first half and beyond, but there was a marked deterioation inthe level of play after Arsene substituted players in the latter half of the game.

    Reply to this comment »
  • jason says:
    August 1, 2011 at 0:34

    Time for a reality check Red Bulls hardly had any challenges on our goal and one of the few they score dont get me wrong im happy it was atleast Henry who helped score it but still our defense looks awful.

    Reply to this comment »
  • mark says:
    August 1, 2011 at 1:09

    afobe wwas exciting. he could become a really good player.
    rosicky was excellent and i think he was the reason why the whole team was so fluent. he was driving everything and not taking his foot of the accelerator. perhaps he could have a big impact this season.
    overall the team looked very sharp and individually all the players looked sharp. i think a bit harsh on gibbs. other than the tackle where he overcommitted i think he had a good game and between him and traore we have two promising left backs.
    gervinho didnt have a great game but hes so dangerous and i think hell score a lot of goals.
    our defensive pressing was very good too with NY rarely able tto get forward.
    again though, silly turnovers hurt us.

    Reply to this comment »
    • santori says:
      August 1, 2011 at 8:21

      There was a bit of misplaced nostalgia when it was announced that JET was being sold on.

      As you can see, there is tremendous pressure from the Academy which is a good thing for us.

      Wenger has got to get the balance right between buying experience from outside and developing talent from within.

      We saw jack emerge last season and he is only 19. Had we heeded the knee jerk reaction to simply buy, he would have not been afforded the opportunity to come through.

      It’s a tricky issue but overall, I would be happier to have the option of a great academy than not.

      OTOH, certain positions (particularly @CBack) take longer to master and could well do with the benefit of experience brought in.

      Reply to this comment »
  • Salvage says:
    August 1, 2011 at 1:09

    When the crowd boos, I wish they would make it clear that its directed at Wenger and not the players. You can only give what you have. If Wenger assembles them, he should be the one to be booed and not the boys as they just cant do more than their abilities.

    Reply to this comment »
    • Hunter says:
      August 1, 2011 at 3:29

      I have to say some of the boys deserve to be booed. Not really today though. But Nasri, Cesc, Diaby, etc. are probably going to get booed and they will deserve every second of it.

      Reply to this comment »
  • gooner14 says:
    August 1, 2011 at 1:26

    if chamakh doesn’t shape up i am gonna start calling him schmuck from now on. seriously why do all of our signings have a shit second year?

    Reply to this comment »
    • A.M says:
      August 1, 2011 at 9:16

      Ill tell you why mate, because regardless of who we actually sign sometimes, all their abilities are forced to be given up to accommodate the Arsenalitis. The ones who can shoot start forgetting how to shoot, the ones who can head start forgetting how to head a ball (see chamakh) and the ones who can dribble forget how to dribble. Arsenalitis means to pass pass pass till kingdom come

      Reply to this comment »
  • grimmswengertales says:
    August 1, 2011 at 1:28

    wenger surely HAS to buy 2 centre-backs……we desperately need some strength at the back. If no quality players arrive and cesc and nasri leave…..its 6th place for me.

    Reply to this comment »
    • santori says:
      August 1, 2011 at 8:24

      No. One good quality Cback wil be sufficient.

      TV and Koscielny have been solid both yesterday and today. Djourou has his moments but paired with the right partner, he is capable. Bartley is promising and should also be pushing for a place.

      One solid experience CBack with leadership skills is what we need. It will allow for our younger Cbacks space and time to continue to develop.

      Arsene has tried the quick fix it ruote and applied band aid with Silvestre and now Squillaci.

      What we need is an experience senior man WITH quality.

      Reply to this comment »
    • Chris Chapman says:
      August 1, 2011 at 14:56

      I agree that we need to buy at least one, maybe two, center backs..EXPERIENCED.. But the bottom line is we need to wrap games up by scoring goals. All this pretty passing around etc is nice to watch but, remember last season, does not produce enough goals!! Yesterday we should have been 3, maybe 4 goals up. The reason we are so deeply analyzing every goal we concede, is because we should have scored alot more ourselves.

      Reply to this comment »
  • billp79 says:
    August 1, 2011 at 1:41

    yeah- great tactic by Red Bulls to sit and wait for our subs….exposes our depth…hmmmmm.

    Still we should have enough depth to beat a team which would be mid to upper championship team at best…

    Starting XI is easy….its the bench that is troublesome with our schedule and injury history…not to mention cock-ups…two by freshman already…and Djou ’s not helping his cause…

    Gervihno RvP Nasri
    Willshire Song Ramsey
    Gibbs Vremy Kos Sagna
    Czszny

    on bench
    Chamahk, Arshavan, Cesc (injury), Theo, Rosicky, Miyachi
    Djou, Frimpong, Diaby (injury), Jenks
    Fabs

    work in progress
    Vela, Traore, Afobe, Bartley, Manonne (Rosicky did the dirty work in this game, that Vela needs to do…but Rosicky is getting slower…only manging due to his tactical awareness…I thought that this was one of his better games though)

    to forget
    Squillaci, Eboue, Bendtner, et al.

    Rosicky and Arshavan will be cup only players soon…but we need those…to provide cover as well…

    Reply to this comment »
  • Adam says:
    August 1, 2011 at 1:43

    Although these games are only friendlies I am still worried. Vela, squillaci, djouriou, eboue, chamakh not good enough. I like both Gibbs and Ramsey but they shouldn’t be 100% starters yet. We need 2 new centre backs, left back, solid defensive midfielder, and another prolific striker. If Robin gets injured we are screwed!

    Reply to this comment »
  • sam says:
    August 1, 2011 at 1:49

    in my opinion arsenal needs 4 new players but first send chamakh on loan back to france and squillaci. plus cesc and nasri have become bad apples, we won nothing with them anyway.
    then buy a top defender, not jagielka, samba maybe cahill, a top striker and 2 more players to replace our 2 troublesome superstars.
    tall midfielders have helped us win games in the past and have also helped us from set pieces. nasri and cesc wanting to leave the club is an opportunity to change the team.
    since we dumped direct box to box midfielders for short tricky one we have won nothing.
    also arsene’s stubborness of keeping players who failed to settle kills arsenal. how can we win any game with arshavin,nasri, chamakh and squillaci in the starting line up? it put burden on others. surely squillaci and chamakh will be happy to go back to france, it didnt work for them and keeping them will cost us dear.

    Reply to this comment »
    • santori says:
      August 1, 2011 at 8:29

      You are dreaming. We don’t have it to get 4 top players (which BTW does not include Cahill or Samba)

      We need a CBack.

      Then IF either of Cesc or nasri leaves, we may get a midfielder (IF cesc ) or a winger or striker (IF Nasri)

      2 more max.

      Reply to this comment »
  • gunnerwong says:
    August 1, 2011 at 2:43

    As long as Wenger doesn’t address the defensive failings,he is a danger to Arsenal. He is too obssessed with doing things his way which has over the last six years been shown it is flawed. He is deluding himeself that it will come good this coming season.
    Ant team aspiring to win trophies and compete at the highest level must have a top quality gk not someone learning as he goes along. If Arsene insists on Arsenal as the finishing school,be prepared for howlers as in the cc. Next we need have to have a solid defence.
    BTw the way the gunners play is nothing new.We all know they take too many passes. Wenger should watch the top 100 goals scored in the epl,spanish,german and Italian leaues.
    Perhaps he will learn a thing or two.Arsenal are the only team in these leagues practising the most passes to shoot or score.That is why they will continue to lose leads and games and finally the board will decide it’s time to lose him rather than the club.

    Reply to this comment »
    • santori says:
      August 1, 2011 at 8:43

      Tactically we need changes. Buying alone won’t solve some of our issues.

      I agree that we need a moredirect approach mixed in with all that possession.

      My big worry for Gervinho is that his fresh approach will get diluted or influence by the team in time.

      But all this talk about Wenger having to buy a new CBack is tedious.

      He (of all people) knows it. The question is will he short change himself again with the wrong CBack.

      IMO, we need someone with grit and experience but someone who is also a natural voice at the back.

      I am unconvinced by Samba (mobility) or Cahill (Just don’t think he is that good)

      If Chelsea move for a new CBack, then Alex will prob come on market. 29/30, he is the right age to afford our young defenders time and space to mature.

      He has plenty of power in his shot (useful for our recently tame free kicks), good at set pieces and has the ability to add some calming reassurance at the back when the chips are down.

      Best of all, he will cost much less than Cahill (IMO 8-12m)

      Reply to this comment »
  • GunnerEye says:
    August 1, 2011 at 2:48

    We are going to win EPL champoin with this squad
    Szczesny

    Koscielny Vermaelen Kieren Gibbs

    Sagna Nasri

    Fabregas Wilshere

    Wolcott RVP Gervinho

    Reply to this comment »
    • sam says:
      August 1, 2011 at 3:36

      no we won’t!
      arsenal first 11 is a good team and can beat anyone including barca. the problem with arsenal is the b team thats totally useless. they failed to beat the likes of leyton, ipswich in the cup and first team members had to play extra games and that caused tiredness and injuries till the team collapsed.
      the line up is good but i will agree with you if a benzema-ish and mata-ish kinda player are on the bench and can come in to change the game. even a lukaku. but if we still have bendtner, diaby, squillaci, eboue who’ll even come in to make things worse, forget it!

      Reply to this comment »
    • Simmer 10 says:
      August 1, 2011 at 4:09

      Sorry gunner eye, you cannot win with player’s who don’t want to be at the club!

      Reply to this comment »
      • santori says:
        August 1, 2011 at 8:45

        Although despite “not wanting to be at the club” and missing a lot of the season through injury, Fabregas still managed to weigh in with the most assists @14 last season. ;)

        I’d keep him on my bench wouldn’t you?

        Reply to this comment »
  • Bouba says:
    August 1, 2011 at 3:13

    Chris for once I agree with your ratings.

    I would have give Song a lesser grade, because he plays more like an offensive midfielder and can not stay as a cover… He would not be my first choice anymore.

    For this reason, I would prefer Frimpong to be promoted… I know it might be a bit early to do that ( he has not much experience ), but the only way he is going to learn his tread, is by playing…

    Frimpong, despite his young age, is a “old school” CDM and that’s what we want… We don’t want an adventurous defensive mid ( Song ) who will leave spaces open for the opposition, especially when they are counter attacking.

    Still, we met the same problem as last season. We can not kill a game… Still playing with “that boring” passing malarky, senselessly with no results. No one takes his chance from a distance !!

    That is why I wanted a clinical striker, a 25 goals season striker ( not Van Persie as he drops too much ), a box player… With our play, even an excellent striker from the championship would do miracles.

    We absolutely need something in defence or I see the catastrophic consequences again…!!

    We are just weak defensively… A zonal marking in corners? That’s just suicide and we know how many points and “stupid” games we’ve lost.

    Anyway, Wenger seems passive and not worried about the situation… He was talking about fatigue and “lake of sharpness” ( as usual ) which his understandable as they are still getting back into physical shape…

    But there is a sentiment of deja vu…!!!

    Reply to this comment »
  • Bouba says:
    August 1, 2011 at 3:20

    Sam I agree with your views, but that’s a long shot …

    Wenger will never buy 4 players even if we happened to loose Nasri and Fabregas.

    I am not even sure he will buy a new defender ( Djourou and Squillacci are just pains and useless ).

    Van Persie is our main striker even thought we all know that he will get injured and miss his fair share of games.

    Gibbs is still tender and do not have the shoulder to be first choice.

    Loads of issues, Is Wenger going to address them? I can answer that for you: NO.

    Reply to this comment »
  • Devi says:
    August 1, 2011 at 4:37

    Wenger’s stock has fallen since 2004. If he were to quit tomorrow,there won’t be a queue for his services . He has only himself to blame for the current problems with Arsenal.He is resistant to change and believe me he will have to pay the ultimate price if he doesn’t alter his philosophy.
    All the top players are getting frustrated with his management style and tactics .The one dimensional and predictable style will play into the hands of NU,Pool and MU. When MU drew Arsenal in the 2009 cl,the red faced was happy and he remarked knew how the gunners played. It aint surprising the gunners lost 1-3.It’s obvious to all except the FM.
    He better know his all out attack and high defensive line is a recipe for a swift counter by other teams. These teams just need three or five passes to score leaving the FM red faced,The gunners need 1000 yes one thousand passes to shoot and score.
    Arsenal will be lucky to get three (3) points from the first three games.I hope I am wrong .
    Btw it’s no use winning games in autumn and top the table only to collapse in April /May.

    Reply to this comment »
    • jason says:
      August 1, 2011 at 4:58

      Not completely his own fault im not a fan of Arsenals defense atm but how i see it.

      2007/08 we had the quality to win it but not the experience we lost flamini and hleb, a year later we lost Toure, adebayor, then gallas and now its clichy and maybe more.

      Arsene Wenger cant spend big in the short term due to the new staduim so he needed the loyalty of his players and i believe they have let him down .

      Reply to this comment »
      • santori says:
        August 1, 2011 at 8:32

        I don’t agree with your assessment on Wenger. I would think there will be many teams more than happy to pickup a manger who can guarantee at minimum CL qualifications 14 seasons straight.

        OTOH, I do agree that his tactics need an update (Mostly his staff). I’m not saying his anywhere near poor but I do think he needs better options particularly against teams sitting deep.

        Reply to this comment »
  • JB212 says:
    August 1, 2011 at 4:37

    Today showed us that Chamakh certainly adds nothing to our attacking game.
    He’s a more “technical” Target man who rarely aggressively tries to get his mullet head on the end of decent/good crosses that have recently been coming into the box.

    Bendtner for all the stick he got was a goalscorer. I’d much prefer him than Chamakh and firmly do and always have believed that Bendtner could of been a 15-20 goal striker for us with ease. He’s got confidence. Something our squad lacks and believes he will be a success unlike most of our players right now. ALTHOUGH he missed a golden chance against Barcelona he’s proved he can score goals. Just give him a run in the team and you’ll see it, but sadly you’ll see him become a 15-20 goals a season striker at another club.

    Vela is not a winger, just as Chicarito is nothing more than a poacher for United. Fergie knows Chicarito isn’t a winger or wide player but a central striker who needs to be fed the ball to score so plays him in that way and look what the reward was. Only Wenger can’t see this yet with Vela. He’s constantly shown he’s a potent finisher, a good dribbler and has good pace and movement but yet he’s still played in a position where he is uncomfortable.

    Rosicky. One of my favourite Arsenal players who I believe will show what he’s really about if he’s given a chance in that “Cesc” role (we really do need to find a new name for that position LOL, I guess AMC will do for now). Today he had a decent-good game. He didn’t slow down the game like Nasri or Ramsey often do. He played at a higher pace than Fabregas usually does. Although he doesn’t have the vision of Fabregas, he has a higher work rate and is good in the tackle although he does get a little bit “handy” at times. His direct style of playmaking is a positive in my opinion, also that trick he does when he twists and turns suddenly in another direction whilst injecting pace into his dribbling often leads the opposition in the other way whilst a runner is able to sneak in behind whilst he finds them. LOVE THAT. He also isn’t afraid to shoot. Give him a run and watch them goals and assists rack up.

    Ramsey’s not ready to assume that “Attacking Mid”/”AMC”/”Cesc :/ ” role. He could be employed in the deep playmaking role that Wilshere currently occupies for now till he gains his sharpness. He misplaced many through balls today. Like you said, I like his tendency to have a crack at goal.

    RVP. Do I need to say any more, we all know about this guy. One criticism of him though is his set pieces quality. It’s decreased quite a lot. We should be over joyed about getting freekicks in his range but nowadays I don’t have any confidence that he’ll be pinging them into the net from freekicks anymore.

    Gibbs had a decent game. Would still prefer Traore. But none the less, the fact that they split Arsenal supporters in half, can only add to the competition which will lead to better performances. Hopefully.

    Gervinho’s play so far has made me think he’s a more technical and just generally better version of our current super runner Walcott. He’ll be given a similar role in the team, he’s not an “Attacking Mid” that’s played out wide (like Nasri’s claims to be) or like Arshavin. Him and Walcott on the flanks with RVP and Rosicky in the centre supporting them with Ramsey/Wilshere supporting they should be able to clock up quite a lot of goals.

    We definitely need a centre back in. We don’t need two, Djourou playing alongside Koscielny seemed more confident and assured of what he was doing, Squillaci brings the worst out of Djourou and Koscielny. If we could bring in a centre back it would be between Gary Cahill and Cristopher Samba (the two most people opt for nowaday’s LOL). I’d be more inclined to chose Samba due to his physique and rawness in defence, something we don’t currently have.

    In the midfield trio, Frimpong and Song look like a good enough axis for the defensive, tough tackling position. We’re linked to the Argentine Biglia, he seems like a good player, wouldn’t mind signing him (the more the merrier), he would just add to competition. So the “Song” and “Wilshere” role has the following players that can be rotated into those positions:

    Song, Wilshere, Ramsey, Lansbury (Hopefully), Diaby (if he can stay fit, I believe he can be a monster beside Song and behind Rosicky), Frimpong, Biglia (Hopefully we get him). Wenger should be aiming for all four competitions so a big squad is going to be needed with heavy rotation.

    The top of the triangle can be filled by Rosicky. I truly believe, if I given the chance he’ll shine. Ramsey and Arshavin can be used as rotation players in this position if need be.

    Out wide is where we’ll need to improve greatly if we lose Fabregas and Nasri.

    We currently have: Walcott, Gervinho, Arshavin who I consider good enough to be played there regularly. Bringing in Mata would be a BIG bonus, as well as Miyaichi getting a work permit. We would then be sorted for the two wide positions in our upfront attacking trio.

    The central position of the attacking trio is a concern for me. Robin van Persie is the ONLY TOP QUALITY striker we have. We have other good strikers at the club such as Vela and Bendtner. I’ve never really rated Chamakh. Bendtner I spoke about above. I believe is the closest thing we have to a lower ability fusion of Henry and van Nistelrooy. He has good first touch, flair, pace like Henry (not the same level – don’t shoot me) and the finishing, movement and just poacher like ability that van Nistelrooy had (again, not the same level — meh he was a United player). He can be used centrally just as Chicarito has been used centrally; the playmaker of the team just picking him out through movement and the team not expecting him to hold up play, just get the ball and score. I would like to bring in someone like Hulk from Porto or possibly Falcao who are strong, quick, good finishers. Robin van Persie, Bendtner, Vela and one of those two (maybe Benzema too) would make me a chuffed Arsenal supporter although I can see Bendtner being replaced with Chamakh in that mini list of mines.

    We have till the end of the transfer window to sort our team out, hopefully Wenger gets rid of dead wood such as Squillaci, Eboue, Almunia etc and also sells Fabregas and Nasri and brings in Samba, Biglia, Mata, preferably Hulk. and we’ll be sorted, especially with some decent youth players that could be used as stop gaps when in emergency situations.

    Reply to this comment »
    • santori says:
      August 1, 2011 at 8:35

      Samba, Biglia, Mata, Hulk, with the exception of Mata 9whom I think is too short to give us a good balance at present), noen of them are quality.

      And you want to sell both Nasri and Fabregas? Good luck even qualifying for the CL.

      One of Nasri or Fabregas will be retained.

      Reply to this comment »
      • JB212 says:
        August 1, 2011 at 12:19

        Yes I fully stand by my point in wanting Fabregas and Nasri gone. My point is, Cristiano Ronaldo ( a player Man Utd more than relied upon ) , wanted to go R. Madrid, Fergie let him, they won the prem next season, the team began to play with more confidence (individually), collectively and with more balance.

        Another reason for me wanting Nasri to go is because I don’t want players at the club believing they can hold the club and Wenger to ransom over their wages, such as Rooney. It will lead other players to try their luck at the same thing and will probably become a cycle around football clubs in the world. Wenger needs to stamp his authority on these players and let them know they’re staying till the contract THEY signed is finished UNLESS he’s had enough and wants them to move on.

        The team tend to rely on Fabregas tooo much, he’s the best playmaker in the world right now so it’s understandable, but it saps creativity from others in my opinion, he gives them confidence but hearing all this stuff about him wanting to leave, him not taking part in pre-season due to “injury” can’t be good for his reputation at the club.
        We’re a club filled to the bring of players who enjoy threading a pass through the eye of the needle, if they can all step up then the impact of Fabregas leaving won’t be as bad.

        About my selection of players I want in not being quality, look at the Man Utd team. Carrick, Valencia, Berbatov, Fabio, O’Shea, Brown, Evans, Lindergaard, etc. They’re NOT quality. Man Utd’s squad this season was lower in quality than ours this season, those players and others at the club just have more passion, grit, “know-how”, fear, determination and pressure to succeed. Porto one the Champions League with a squad that wasn’t better than ours, didn’t have as much quality. They’re good players. Most “Quality” players are at clubs where they won’t be leaving e.g. Ronaldo, Messi, Rooney, Iniesta, Pique, Vidic, Torres, Gerrard, Villa. There are others such as Ribery (Ribery would be a dream move for me if he came to the Gunners but Wenger won’t take the chance with him) Robben, Montolivo, De Rossi, Chiellini, etc who “might” be tempted but their clubs won’t let them go for anything that we can afford. So we go down a rank pick up players who have the potential to be quality in our side such as Samba, Biglia, Mata and Hulk.

        Hulk has shown countless times passion and determination in the Portuguese league and am sure he’ll be determined to prove himself in the Prem, just like Biglia who desires to show his talent on a bigger scale will be determined to play at a high level.

        The only place where I truly believe we need height is at the back. Barcelona, destroy’s much more physical teams than them e.g. Man Utd, R. Madrid etc.
        We have beaten the likes of Stoke etc, with miniature technical players who are able to exert their skill in a way that physical players can’t cope.

        Reply to this comment »
  • Nellie Enuh says:
    August 1, 2011 at 5:32

    Rosicky’s game dropped in the end part of the game because Van Persie walked pass him and gave vermaelen the arm band and he could not hide his shock and disappointment at that!!

    Reply to this comment »
    • A.M says:
      August 1, 2011 at 9:29

      wow this is an amazing insight :)

      Reply to this comment »
      • javea says:
        August 1, 2011 at 11:43

        Also he was frustrated every time his team mates failed to close down the opponents at their own half when Arsenal lost the ball. But unlike other so called big players in the team Rosicky simply got on with his defensive duties. I think they have been practising this on the training ground and it would only have been fair if AW and coaching staff instructed to the other players to apply this during the game. There were patches in the game when all the Arsenal players were simply running after the ball whilst Redbulls just knocked it about in their own half.

        Reply to this comment »
  • serge says:
    August 1, 2011 at 7:13

    i dont think it was our defenses fault for conceding the goal, henry put a beautiful ball through which would have even beaten the best defences in the world. we just didnt create enough chances which shows how much fabregas means to us

    Reply to this comment »
    • santori says:
      August 1, 2011 at 8:37

      Henry certainly still has the touch and his intelligence is masterful.

      I absolutely enjoyed his effort at goal from the free kick. It’s something we’ve looked rather weak in of late.

      But Eboue (or Chamakh) should have been tracking the incoming attacker. Poor defending.

      Reply to this comment »
      • serge says:
        August 1, 2011 at 9:23

        yes agree, henry is still an amazing player.

        and blaming eboue and chamakh for that goal is just harsh! it was too slick, fast and direct.

        Reply to this comment »
        • Chris says:
          August 1, 2011 at 9:24

          Come on Serge, they just stared, like two statues.

          Reply to this comment »
          • serge says:
            August 1, 2011 at 14:57

            unless we had clark kent defending we wouldnt of stopped that

            Reply to this comment »
  • yob says:
    August 1, 2011 at 8:13

    why are arsenal not wearing their red socks as advertised, im just saying.

    Reply to this comment »
  • Segzeal says:
    August 1, 2011 at 10:00

    Common guyz, its pre-season friendly and all they are working on is fitness and all round team performance. I really dont expect much because at some time in those games, they tired out and you could see that in Frimpong late in the second half of the Boca game. I’m glad we didnt win though cos here in Nigeria, all our rival fans say is “thats all you are going to win”.
    More so, i agree with GUNMAN there, we have had issues with building a new stadium and monetary aspect but we can do a lot better in the transfer market and i hope a deal for Mata and a defender happens soonest because i cant wait.
    When the season starts, the competitions begins to enter the clubs and players and we will see who fits the Arsenal XI. Lets support our Arsenal.

    Reply to this comment »
  • Segzeal says:
    August 1, 2011 at 10:09

    Read this guys,

    ( Wenger then went on to discuss why transfers have hit a standstill for Arsenal.
    “At the moment you have two categories of movement, one from zero to 10 million, and one from 30 to 50 million. We are in between,
    “In between nothing happens at the moment, there has been very little movement. All over Europe our industry is basically in a very bad financial situation. All the clubs who live from the money which football generates do not buy.
    “The only clubs who buy at the moment in Europe are ones who buy with money which is not generated by our industry. There are two categories of club – those who travel with sweat and those who travel with petrol. We are those who travel with sweat.”
    Here Wenger seems to be distinguishing between clubs like Man City, and clubs like Arsenal. Clubs like City can buy with money that has been gifted to them by an owner. We do not have that luxury. We have to make do with the money we generate from our business model. But there is something else worth noting in what Wenger is saying. He says that we are in between 10 million and 30 million. This is encouraging. This means that Wenger is actually prepared to spend above £10 million. This definitely opens up the possibility of transfers such as Mata, Benzema, Samba and Jagielka. Of course Wenger will not buy all 4, but the fact that he has stated that he will spend in the region of 10 to 30 million is encouraging.)

    What does that say? Anybody?

    Reply to this comment »
  • lee says:
    August 1, 2011 at 14:59

    Anyone else think frimpong deserves a start against newcastle?

    Reply to this comment »
  • Daniel Wong( Hong Kong) says:
    August 2, 2011 at 1:41

    Henery says Arsenal without Wenger is unthinkable. Well they said the same thing about him. We have to about the thinkable. That is unless Wenger strengthens the defence,the gunners aint in a position to challenge for the epl.

    Reply to this comment »
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