October 7th, 2014 09:32pm
GilbertoSilver
Last night, Andrew from Arseblog and I hosted the first ever live Arsecast Extra at the Union Chapel in Islington.
What with it being some of a venture in to the unknown, we recruited Amy Lawrence and Philippe Auclair to lend some support. Their insight and eloquence, as well as the warmth of a lovely crowd, made for a thoroughly enjoyable evening. For those of you who couldn’t make it, there’s a full 90 minutes worth of chat about the Chelsea game, Mesut Ozil, and the formations and future of Arsene Wenger. Thanks to Amy, Philippe and all who attended.
Don’t forget, you can subscribe to the Arsecast Extra on iTunes by clicking here. Alternatively, you can dodge the elays and subscribe directly to the feed URL.
–
Thanks to Jason from Humans of Arsenal for the photograph from last night. An interesting project, and well worth a look.
October 2nd, 2014 12:35am
GilbertoSilver
Well, that was very enjoyable indeed. I’m on holiday at the moment, so forgive me if this entry is a little shorter than usual.
Thank God we got Danny Welbeck…
It hasn’t been the subject of much discussion, but Yaya Sanogo has missed every Arsenal match since transfer deadline day with injury. Had Welbeck not been secured at the 11th hour, Arsenal would have been strikerless for the entire month of September.
I felt Welbeck had enjoyed a solid enough start to his time with us. Last night, however, his Arsenal career exploded in to life. The England international notched the first hat-trick of his career to dispatch Galatasaray and earn us our first three points of the Champions League campaign.
After the Tottenham match, Wenger insisted that if our collective game was good then Welbeck would score. That hypothesis was validated last night, with Welbeck flourishing at the point of a slick Arsenal attack.
Welbeck is fast. Faster, it transpires, than any of us – including Arsene Wenger – initially thought. Ever since Welbeck signed, we’ve wondered how we might terrify defenders by partnering him with the equally quick Alexis and Walcott. Last night, we got an idea, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain performing admirably as Theo’s understudy.
Welbeck’s second goal was the one that sticks in the mind. Latching on to a loose defensive header, he raced away from his marker, showcasing speed and muscularity, before opening up his body to sidefoot in to the far corner. There was an audible gasp from the Emirates Crowd. For a split-second, the Arsenal fans thought they had seen a ghost.
He’s not yet at a level where he can produce this kind of performance every week. However, it’s a glimpse of what he can produce. It’s not what he is, but it’s what he might be. It’s very exciting.
In the week Olivier Giroud agreed a deserved new deal, Welbeck delivered a devastating demonstration of why I believe he could be a superior option as our centre-forward.
I’m not going to join the naysayers…
…who’d have you believe that our victory was down purely to Galatasaray’s incompetent. I’ve seen us fail to beat plenty of incompetent sides in the past – last weekend, for example. This win is significant because it was one of the few times this season that Arsene got our attacking alchemy right. The combination of pace up top and Ozil central is something we need to stick with.
There was one down-side…
Wojciech Szczesny’s sending off was silly. He didn’t need to go charging out at the feet of the attacker in such reckless fashion.
Tempting as it is to come down hard on Szczesny’s impetuous nature, it’s worth remembering that the great Jens Lehmann was guilty of similar moments of madness. That didn’t stop him remaining first-choice keeper throughout the unbeaten season. The best goalkeepers are often slightly eccentric. The balance between talent and temperament is a difficult one to find.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain deserves special mention…
Over the past month, The Ox has played himself in to the first XI. He is an example to any player currently out of favour. He made a positive impression with a series of energetic cameos, and when handed the opportunity to start games has made himself undroppable. Lukas Podolski & co could learn a thing or too from that.
September 30th, 2014 11:43am
GilbertoSilver
I’m interrupting my holiday on the stormy isle of Mallorca to bring you the latest Arsecast Extra, recorded between Dublin and the wee town of Pollensa.
Unsurprisingly, the focus is primarily on that slightly underwhelming 1-1 derby draw. We discuss the bizarre team selection, Flamini’s costly error, and our feelings about a slightly disappointing start to the campaign. It’s a barrel of laughs.
Don’t forget, you can subscribe to the Arsecast Extra on iTunes by clicking here. Alternatively, if you want to subscribe directly to the feed URL you can do so too (I’m told this spares you the dastardly delays from iTunes).
Haven’t had time to put together a proper blog on the game – I actually missed a good chunk of the first-half due to delayed flight – but here are some other bits and pieces I wrote for it.
On Alexis Sanchez, for ESPN:
Alexis calculates that his drag-backs and dribbles are a chance worth taking. In future, Wenger must show similar courage in his team selections.
And on a potential solution to our midfield injury problems, for Bleacher Report:
Oxlade-Chamberlain was excellent against Tottenham, with his powerful running posing a constant menace to the Spurs defence. However,Wenger has long insisted that the England international might develop into a top central midfielder. The spate of injuries could be a chance to test that theory once again.
Galatasaray tomorrow. A win is needed. Come on Arsenal.
September 25th, 2014 11:38am
GilbertoSilver
As part of my role as Bleacher Report’s Arsenal Correspondent, I spoke to Ryan Bailey about what Arsenal need to do to say in the top four for this video.
Even if you don’t agree with my analysis, it’s impossible not to be won over by the funky backing track.
September 25th, 2014 12:32am
GilbertoSilver
As you may be aware, the Arsecast Extra is headed to the Union Chapel in Islington. And, as Martin Tyler would excruciatingly shout before cutting to Ray Winstone’s disembodied head, IT’S LIVE!
It’ll take place on Monday October 6th, which is the day after we are scheduled to thrash Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Doors open around 7pm, the recording starts at 8pm. I have promised to do some even more preparation, and there will be a special guest joining us too.
Tickets for the event are on sale now and going like rather warm and delicious cakes. They cost £10 + booking fee. The podcast is being recorded in the bar, so space is limited — I believe the age requirement is 18+. Hope to see some of you there. If you can’t make it, fear not — it will still be uploaded as a podcast as usual.
CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS
It’s only bloody sold out. Exciting times, look forward to seeing some of you there.
Next Posts
Previous Posts
