It’s another one of those ‘big week for Arsenal’ weeks. For the first time since the defeat to Liverpool, we have two home games in a row, and a chance to generate some crucial momentum before traveling to White Hart Lane for a match that will have a great impact not just upon North London pride, but also on the battle for fourth place.
First up, it’s Bolton. After the trip to Blackburn, it’s another one of our supposed bogey teams. And, just as Blackburn were prior to our visit, they’re a side widely purported to be in a bigger crisis than even ourselves. I’m sure a few pundits will have a good old chuckle about this being a “relegation six-pointer”. The truth is that both teams are in need of the points, but for very different reasons.
Bolton’s ambitions won’t reach higher than mid-table. For Arsenal, beating the Trotters, Olympiakos in midweek, and then Spurs on Sunday would do much to put our disastrously rocky season back on an even keel, and see us push on back towards Champions League qualification.
Early team news is that we’ve lost Yossi Benayoun and Johan Djourou to slight strains picked up in Carling Cup action. Both should be out for around a week. Bacary Sagna has recovered from the knock picked up at Blackburn, whilst Aaron Ramsey has suffered no repercussions from his return and is fit to start. Arsene also expects Thomas Vermaelen and Abou Diaby to be fit for our next game after Spurs – Sunderland, on October 16th. There is no news yet on Jack Wilshere – no assessment can be made until he comes out of the plastic boot in a couple of weeks’ time.
The absence of Benayoun means there’s a chance Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could earn a place on the bench tomorrow. You can read an in-depth Q&A with him on Arsenal.com, in which he talks about his desire to push on and play in the more prestigious competitions:
“If you don’t aspire to achieve these things then you are not going to go anywhere. Whenever I get the call, I will be delighted with it. You have got to push to become part of the squad more regularly and that only comes with hard work and impressing when you get the chance.”
He certainly did that on Tuesday night, and would be well deserving of a place in the matchday squad if Arsene felt there was room. Time will tell. We have a big squad at the moment, so it’s far from guaranteed.
In the end, it was an enjoyable night out – apart from the fact I managed to tumble down about three rows of seating when trying to make a quick escape by hopping over the man in front. If you saw a tall man in a blue hoodie go tumbling with kind of pirouettes and spins more commonly associated with a fouled Cristiano Ronaldo, then I confess that was me.
The spins and flicks from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were far more impressive. After a quiet first 45, he came to life in the second half, thumping home a crucial goal from range as well as terrorising the opposition full-back with some searing sprints to the byline. The difference between Chamberlain and Walcott could not be more clear: the newer addition is much more prepared to drift inside and get involved with build-up play, spraying thirty and forty yard passes effortlessly across the pitch. He’s far less reliant on pace, and possesses far greater technique. Undoubtedly, a huge prospect.
And yet, his Man of the Match award was possibly a little generous: across he ninety minutes, the performance of Francis Coquelin probably warranted recognition. Since arriving in 2008, the holding midfielder has always looked a neat tackler with tidy ball-skills. Yesterday, in a 4-4-2 formation alongside Emmanuel Frimpong, he demonstrated that some time playing at full-back and a spell on loan in Ligue 1 have seen him add power and energy to his game. Yesterday he charged from box-to-box, winning the ball back and using it simply and efficiently. It seems the Old Trafford mauling has not scarred him.
Honourable mentions also go to Kieran Gibbs and Yossi Benayoun, who grabbed their first Arsenal goals, and Ignasi Miquel, who looked far more assured than his experienced defensive partner, Johan Djourou. Lukasz Fabianski, too, won’t have worried compatriot Wojciech Szczesny with an unconvincing display.
Ryo Miyaichi got twenty minutes but didn’t have time to make a notable impression, whilst the game may well once be remembered for the Arsenal debut of the giant Chuks Aneke. Chuks is, in every sense, a huge star at U-18 and now Reserve level, with that exciting combination of technique and tallness that draws inevitable comparisons with Patrick Vieira. He’s more of an attacking player than the Frenchman, and an enormous prospect. He only got a few minutes in stoppage time last night, but it wouldn’t surprise me if we see him again before long.
Given our disastrous league form, some see the advent of a Carling Cup campaign as an ill-timed and unnecessary distraction. To me, it comes as a great relief, and a chance to see some fresh talent at a time when the first-team appears to be stagnating.
Tonight there will be a mix of relatively experienced talent, and new faces. Â Lukasz Fabianski ought to make his first appearance of the season in goal, with Johan Djourou and Carl Jenkinson making their first starts since the Old Trafford debacle. Â Alongside Djourou, the ball-playing centre-half Ignasi Miquel will continue his development, whilst Kieran Gibbs could well be recalled after sitting out the game at Ewood Park.
In midfield I expect Coquelin and Frimpong to form a no-nonsense pairing, with the intriguing flair of Ryo Miyaichi, Park Chu-Young and Alex Chamberlain, all making their full debuts, behind target man Marouane Chamakh.
It is the trio of debutants who fire the imagination most. Â After signing just before deadline day and instantly collecting a flurry of international goals, we’re yet to catch a glimpse of Park. Â Tonight he’ll most likely play just off Chamakh, and it’s this versatility that Arsene thinks will make him particularly useful as the season progresses:
“Park is good in every area.  He is good in the air, good technically, he is mobile and that’s why he is an adaptable striker who can play up front behind the striker.
That’s why we went for him. What I like with him is that he is very mobile and that’s the basis of our game.”
If I’m not mistaken, it’ll be the first time an Asian player takes to the field for Arsenal since the days of Junichi Inamoto. Â And there’ll be two of them. Â Left-winger Ryo Miyaichi will finally make his much-anticipated Arsenal debut. Â Ryo trialled with the club only last season, only to break his leg, delaying any move till January. Â Unable to get a work permit, he then moved on loan to Feyenoord, where he impressed enormously, before joining up with the first-team squad this summer. Â He’s made a huge impression in training and Arsene is convinced he will make the breakthrough to the full team before long. Â In the meantime, the Carling Cup is a perfect opportunity to adapt to the English game:
“We have to give him time and not put too much pressure on him but he is a fantastic player. Â We want to do things properly with him and not to rush him too much.
He has pace, attitude, efficiency in what he is doing and complete commitment.”
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain already has one appearance under his belt: an ill-fated cameo at Old Trafford. Â On his first start for the club, he’ll be keen to erase that memory and make a positive impression on the supporters.
It’s easy to forget that Chamberlain was our most expensive buy this summer, with a fee that could rise as high as £15m.  He’s clearly incredibly highly-rated, and as a quick wideman bought from Southampton, has drawn comparisons with Theo Walcott – comparisons which Arsene has been quick to dispell.
What’s clear from the little bits of Chamberlain I’ve seen playing for Southampton and for England U-21s is that he’s a far more accomplished technical player than Walcott. Â I’d liken him more to a Samir Nasri type: a stocky, powerful dribbler who can create and score goals by coming from deep.
I’m excited to see all three talents, and hope they can contribute to creating a positive atmosphere a ground which, with any luck, we can carry in to Saturday’s game with Bolton. Â If you wish to dwell on the gloom of our affairs in the league, then you can read Arsene Wenger and Ivan Gazidis telling us lots of things we already know.
I won’t profess to know too much about our opponents, Shrewsbury, but they’re in decent form and currently occupy the third automatic promotion spot in League Two. Arsenal.com has a neatly prepared scouting report on them – it seems the main threat will be provided by left-winger Lionel Ainsworth.
I expect this inexperienced Arsenal team to get the win, and hopefully provide some mouthwatering glimpses of potential. Â Some of you will be cynical about a tomorrow that never comes, but let’s not allow the travails of the first-team to impact upon the promise of these youngsters. Â They need and deserve out support tonight, and beyond.
With all the fuss over deadline day, I almost forgot there was a round of internationals to be played last night. Several of our new boys were in action, with strike pairing Robin van Persie and Park Chu-Young grabbing the headlines. Park scored an excellent hatrick against Lebanon, before RVP went one better by netting four in the Netherlands’ 11-0 win over San Marino. Follow the links for video clips.
Whilst the level of opposition has to be taken in to account, it’s always good for a striker to score goals, and Park showed his potential with a variety of finishes: a stretching volley, a powerful header, and a neat finish across the keeper. He looks like he can score all kinds of goals, which is more than can be said for Marouane Chamakh – who, at the moment, can’t score any.
As a rule, it seems our players have been more successful in their internationals than in their recent club form – and the good news is that so far I’m yet to hear of any injuries. English fans will have enjoyed watching Theo Walcott give an impressive performance on the right-hand line of Fabio Capello’s new look attack, with his driving run helping to create the third goal for Wayne Rooney. In the same group another Brit, Wales skipper Aaron Ramsey, scored in a 2-1 win over Montenegro.
Andrey Arshavin‘s impressive dribble set up Russia’s winner against Macedonia, whilst Bacary Sagna and Laurent Koscielny only made the bench for France as they saw off Albania.
The same was true of Per Mertesacker, which is fine with me - I’d rather him rest than run the risk of injury. The other two new boys, Mikel Arteta and Andre Santos, are not on international duty, so should arrive at London Colney in the next couple of days to join the rest of the squad for training.
There’s a lot of debate about whether or not Arteta can match Cesc’s class on the pitch, but he’s certainly very classy off it. Yesterday he spoke to Sky Sports News about his transfer. He spoke with great humility and honesty about his departure from Everton – it was clearly a difficult decision for him, somewhat akin to Cesc’s departure from Arsenal. Hopefully he will show the same loyalty and commitment to us as he did to Everton. You can see the video here.
The night before the senior internationals, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain made his debut for the England U-21s, and impressed, setting up a couple of goals including this beauty from loanee Henri Lansbury. Now that we’re almost a week on and I can mention the game without wanting to cry, I ought to say that I was quite impressed by his little cameo at Old Trafford. Despite the circumstances he showed some real guts, going on a couple of mazy runs and spraying one nonchalant fifty-yard pass across the pitch. Although the signing of Yossi Benayoun (who captained Israel in a 1-0 defeat to Greece) will nudge him a little down the pecking order, he looks like he’s ready to fight for this place. The Carling Cup tie with Shrewsbury on the 20th looks like a chance for him to make his first start as an Arsenal player.
Yesterday the club named their 25-man squad for the Premier League. I say 25; it was actually 22. Chamberlain is one of several players who do not have to be named due to their age.  The only surprise is that Manuel Almunia is a) included and b) still here. I’m guessing he couldn’t find a club to match his wages. Still, at least it means we have plenty of depth in a position that provided us with no end of trouble last season.
There are a couple of transfer stories doing the rounds, suggesting we made enquiries for Yoann Gourcuff and Clint Dempsey. I’m sure that’s true: Arsenal clearly had an extensive list of targets and had to explore them all. I don’t know about you but I’m still recovering from the madness that was transfer deadline day. There was no blog yesterday, and if it’s alright with you I might take Sunday off too. To be honest, I’ll probably do it even if it’s not alright with you, because I’m just horribly inconsiderate. I’ll be back in force next week with some in-depth pieces on our new players ahead of the Swansea match.
Only a week until we get to see the new boys in action…
Well, we were promised transfer activity this week, and now we’ve got it. Southampton’s 17-year-old winger Alex (Oxlade) Chamberlain has signed for Arsenal, for an undisclosed fee.
Depending on who you believe, Southampton stand to receive either ten, twelve or fifteen million pounds for the player, depending on performance-related clauses. One things for sure – it exceeds the £9m we ended up paying for Theo Walcott, with the Saints themselves saying their previous transfer records have been “blown out of the water”.
He’s clearly a player of real potential, and as such is a welcome addition to the squad. However, it’s a signing that’s taken me a little by surprise, despite Arsenal’s long-term interest in the player. When you look at our squad, we’re not lacking in wide attackers: Nasri, Arshavin, Gervinho, Walcott, Rosicky, Miyaichi and Vela can all occupy those positions. With a fee of this size, it’s hard to see us loaning Chamberlain out, so perhaps the rumours that Carlos Vela and Miyaichi may be set for temporary moves abroad have some truth to them.
There will doubtless be fans who are frustrated at Arsene’s willingness to pay such a high price for a teenager when he baulks at similar fees for established internationals. I share that frustration. All I can say to that is that I hope Chamberlain is the first of several new faces, the rest of which will be slightly more experienced than the young Englishman. Of our three summer signings thus far, two have only ever played in League One. Intriguingly, the other, Gervinho, has played in the similar-sounding but significantly more competitive Ligue 1. I can’t be alone in hoping we still get that Premier League-hardened defender we badly lack.
For now, however, we welcome Alex Chamberlain aboard the good ship Arsenal. An ankle injury has held up his pre-season, so I don’t expect him to be in contention for a few weeks yet. Having followed the same path, the press will doubtless be hailing him tomorrow as ‘The New Theo Walcott’. If, however, you want a more considered view of the player, you can read this piece – Ready Or Not: Alex Chamberlain, from January.
Or, indeed, have a gander at the video below. More tomorrow.
