August 16th, 2011
You may feel there’s a little hyperbole involved in today’s headline. I don’t.
This is a huge game, in a huge week, in a huge month for Arsene. With Cesc Fabregas’ transfer to Barcelona now finalised (you can read details of his press conference, including praise for Arsene, Jack and Ramsey here), fans will be looking for some hope to cling to. A resounding victory against Udinese would provide just that.
It would also, of course, help us towards Champions League Qualification. Should we fail to progress, it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Cesc money used to compensate for the financial losses incurred by not eating at Europe’s top table. If we do qualify, not only will we have money to spend, but we’ll also have the tour of Champions League football to offer potential acquisitions.
It won’t, however, be easy. Udinese finished fourth in Serie A last year. Like us, they have lost their best player to Barcelona (Alexis Sanchez), but they still have some great players, such as Antonio Di Natale, who has finished as the division’s top goalscorer for two seasons running.
Arsenal, meanwhile, go in to the game with a weakened team. Already shorn of Cesc, we lose both Samir Nasri and Robin van Persie to suspension. Tomas Rosicky also faces a fitness test, meaning their could be a huge creative burden on the trio of Arshavin, Walcott and Gervinho. Hopefully they have enough in them to carry it. There are some suggestions that Nicklas Bendtner could be included – if he is, I can only assume that’s because he is moving to a club where a Champions League cup-tie would have no cost.
Whether Nasri would’ve played tonight anyway is in some doubt. Yesterday, via twitter, he launched a stinging attack in the fans who sang abusive chants at him against Newcastle. It feels very much like a parting shot thrown as he heads out the door – if and when Nasri goes, he won’t receive anything like the fond farewell afforded to Cesc.
Nasri did join in Arsenal training yesterday, as Arsenal.com showed us on this free video, which also revealed the startling and disturbing news that Alex Song insists on training naked from the waist down:
Each to their own, I suppose.
Perhaps it was some kind of protest against his charge from the FA. Arsenal have also decided to appeal Gervinho’s red card, which strikes me as unwise. Unfairly provoked though he was, he did commit a red card offence. Hopefully his appeal won’t see his ban extended on grounds of frivolity.
Song’s partner in silliness, Emmanuel Eboue, is about to leave the club after Galatasaray confirmed they were in talks with the player. A source close to the deal gave me an amusing footnote to this one: Eboue landed in Turkey last night, expecting to be met by the Galatasaray chief exec. Meanwhile, the CEO is landing in London, expecting to meet Eboue there. Only Eboue’s exit could occur in such comical fashion.
Arsene Wenger will not be allowed to take his place on the bench tonight due to a one-match touchline ban. Hopefully those who join him in the stands remember that the players out there in and red and White all take pride in playing for Arsenal. They want to be here, and they need your support. This is a huge test.
Come On You Gunners.
August 12th, 2011
Greetings all. Wipe away those tears and sit down for your second blog of a big day for Arsenal. It’s been busy for me too, but I’ve managed to keep an eye on the traumatic events at our beloved club.
First up, at 9am, was Arsene’s press conference. Reading the quotes coming in I was quite sure that our manager had cracked under the strain and gone completely mad. A couple of choice quotes:
“I expect nobody to leave the club.”
“At the moment we have too big a squad – We are not in a position where we are short of players.”
Naturally the twitterverse was up in arms about this. It seemed for all the world as if The Emperor was indeed well and truly naked, and frankly it was becoming a little awkward and embarrassing.
Until, that is, I saw the video. You can have a watch of it here. It proves that, as ever, context is everything. The familiar curl of the lip and the twinkle eye instantly give an entirely different reading to what Arsene says.
He’s playing a game. And the aim of that game is “give nothing away; disturb the squad as little as possible before the Newcastle game”. And, on reflection, he does it rather well.
Of course it’s frustrating for us as fans – when Arsene communicates with the press he communicates indirectly with us, so when he tries to pull the wool over their eyes he simultaneously deceives supporters – but he has his reasons. What’s very clear to me is that Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri due to depart imminently. Both players have accordingly been left out of the squad for tomorrow’s game at Newcastle.
If you believe some reports, the Cesc deal is already done. There are conflicting stories coming out of the two clubs on this one, and the smart money is on the move being finalised on Monday. I for one won’t be saying my goodbyes until he’s definitely off. We’ve put up with this one for so long that another 48 hours or so isn’t going to hurt.
In Manchester, Roberto Mancini said still were “still working” on a deal for Nasri, but conceded it was “not easy”. I’m sure a few million pounds would smooth over any difficulties there.
In his pre-game interview for Arsenal.com, Arsene was asked about Birmingham centre-half Scott Dann. He said:
“He is one of the centre-backs we look at.”
We know Phil Jagielka is one of the others. Hopefully Arsene’s ultimate decision is driven by quality rather than value.
According to The Guardian’s Richard Williams, Arsene later told the newspaper journalists there was no deal for Juan Mata and none was likely, whilst reports of an agreed fee for Jadson are premature.
Finally, the club today announced their squad numbers for the 20011/12 season. New boy and possessor of “exceptional qualities” Alex Chamberlain inherits Denilson’s 15, suggesting the Brazilian probably won’t ever be back, whilst Ryo Miyaichi takes 31, Jenkinson 25, and Szczesny downgrades his 53 to a 13. One the major reasons for the delay in announcing the numbers was that Gervinho wanted compatriot Eboue’s 27, but the club were waiting for the right-back to be sold. Now, they’ve decided to just give it to him anyway, leaving Eboue without a squad number. It’s safe to assume he’ll be joining Cesc and Nasri in leaving the club before August is out.
Right. Tomorrow I’ll be back with a piece more focused on the Newcastle game and the season ahead. Till then.
July 27th, 2011
You know the season is well on the way when Arsenal start picking up injuries. A squad which is already braced for several departures in the next month has been hit by a couple of injury blows.
The first bad news is that of a cruciate ligament problem for 19-year old Conor Henderson. The Irish midfielder was filling in at left-back against Cologne when he twisted his knee in the final seconds. Arsenal.com say he’ll miss “a minimum of six months” – the player himself has already written the season off on his official Twitter account. It’s a shame as the very fact he was in Germany was indicative of how highly Arsene rates him. Hopefully he can follow the lead of Emmanuel Frimpong, who suffered a similar injury only to fight back in to first-team contention a year later.
Theo Walcott also returned home early from the German training camp with an ankle problem. Arsene said:
“It is an ankle injury that comes and goes. We need some more investigation because sometimes he’s completely free of it and sometimes it affects him. But we had to send him back because he couldn’t practise any more.”
Whilst it doesn’t sound like a serious problem, any recurring injury is a bit of a worry, and without wanting to panic anyone it sounds like the sort of thing that might require surgery to resolve. However, I’m sure Arsene will want Theo fit at the start of the season, so any major treatment will doubtless be put off now.
If Theo does miss the opening games, Arsene could be reliant on Russian forward Andrey Arshavin, who has targeted 15 goals for next season. Although the player has been heavily linked with Galatasaray, I can’t see him being allowed to depart at a time when the futures of fellow playmakers Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri are in so much doubt. Arshavin has looked sharped in pre-season and could be an important senior member of the squad in 2011/12.
Another player heavily linked with Galatasaray was Ivorian full-back Emmanuel Eboue. However, the latest news from the Turkish media suggest his move may be off after Arsenal raised their valuation of the player to £7m. That seems an improbably high price, so at this stage it could just be media tittle-tattle.
One man who is definitely loping towards the door is Nicklas Bendtner, whose Dad suggests he is inundated with offers. Personally, I don’t care he goes so long as we get a decent fee – one that is reinvested in the squad.
Reinvested, perhaps, in one Juan Mata. Valencia and Spain’s attacking midfielder has been consistently linked with Arsenal throughout the summer, and with the Cesc Fabregas saga coming to a head, Madrid-based daily Marca have suggested we’ve gone as far as to meet the buyout clause in his contract.
Mata would certainly meet a lot of the criteria for replacing either Cesc or Nasri, but for now let’s take these stories with a pinch of salt. So many times in the past we’ve questioned the authenticity or motives of Marca when printing stories about our players – this very morning they also ran a story suggesting Cesc is on “strike”, which simply isn’t true.
Finally, raise your mug of tea because Gunnerblog is seven years old today. Thanks to all who have read, through its many incarnations. Lets hope we can make this year the best of all. Any maybe have a trophy too.
