August 13th, 2012
FC Koln 0 – 4 Arsenal (Vermaelen 5, Podolski 15 (pen), 43, Gervinho 62)
Match Report | Highlights
Arsenal’s first goal had all the hallmarks of Steve Bould…
That corner routine was classic Arsenal – near post flick on from one centre-back to the other. Â Clearly the new assistant has been drilling them on the training ground.
Lukas Podolski looked good in that number nine shirt …
It had been widely assumed Podolski’s squad number was yet to be announced because he was waiting for Robin van Persie’s number 10 shirt to become available. Â Perhaps we’re merely waiting to sanction the sale of Park Ju-Young before handing him the number nine shirt he wore in such style yesterday. Â Podolski began the match on the left-flank, but showed a real willingness to tuck inside, and a goalscorer’s instinct to net twice against his former club. Â The first was a typically German (ie. accurate) penalty, and the second a sweeping finish after a great one-two with Kieran Gibbs.
 Olivier Giroud wore 12…
…and yet is every inch a traditional number 9. Â This guy is huge, and yesterday his hold-up play and interlinking was fantastic, whilst slightly sharper shooting would have seen him grab a goal or two. Â I was hugely encouraged by the two new strikers, and Theo Walcott’s constant threat from the right gave us a consistent attacking threat.
Santi Cazorla is a class act…
…just as we knew he would be. Â As expected, he played at the tip of the central midfield trio, spraying passes to either flank with consummate ease. Â I don’t want to heap pressure on the lad, but something tells me we will look back on his signing as one of the steals of the summer.
The Ox’s evolution to central midfield is well and truly underway…
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has made almost all his pre-season appearances as a central midfielder. Â Despite impressing as a winger last season and at the European Championships, it’s clear Arsene likes the idea of deploying him as a deep-lying midfielder, where his footballing intelligence and driving runs can be put to more frequent use. Â It’ll be interesting to see where he is deployed when the season proper gets underway.
Gervinho has had a fantastic pre-season…
I’ve been one of the Ivorian’s sternest critics, but I take my hat off to him: he’s knuckled down and been one of the best performers of our pre-season period. Â There was the trademark terrible miss yesterday, but there was also a fantastic goal and some very effective dribbling. Â Signs of improvement and adaptation? Â Let’s hope so.
Our squad looks to have a lot more depth…
Although the line-up changed almost entirely at half-time, there was little discernible difference in quality between the two teams. Â We have options all over the pitch, and if we can keep our players fit then we certainly have a squad capable of coping with the rigours of a long season. Â There are still issues to resolve, but there is an overwhelming sense of optimism around the club. Â Roll on Saturday.
July 25th, 2012
Arsenal’s pre-season campaign got underway in earnest yesterday as the squad took on a Malaysia XI in the first friendly of our Far East tour. Â A relatively strong side started the game, captained by Thomas Vermaelen, and with a midfield featuring the stringy, unfamiliar figure of a fit Abou Diaby. Â Andre Santos played in the front three. Â I could not love that man any more.
The team, suffering from both the rustiness and the oppressive heat, actually went in at half-time 1-0 down after a cracking long-range strike from Azmi Muslim beat a stranded Vito Mannone.
The second half saw a raft of changes. Â Alex Song took both the armband and control of the midfield, and it was his pass that set Nico Yennaris away to square for Thomas Eisfeld to tuck in a late equaliser. Â There was even time for a winner, with Chuks Aneke’s deflected strike deceiving the keeper after a neat one-two with Ignasi Miquel. Â Video highlights are available here. Â The squad have now flown on to China, where they will play against Manchester City in a showpiece game on Saturday.
There’s very little to gleam from a game so early on in our preparation, but it must be a terrific experience for the likes of Eisfeld, Aneke and Miquel to be spending this time in and around the first-team. Â Whilst we all clamour for signings, the emergence of young talent from within the squad is an important tradition of the club, and one we should look to preserve. Â Speaking of young talent, I was particularly struck by the performance of Ryo Miyaichi yesterday. Â The Japanese winger was a constant threat from the left flank, and looks to have matured significantly during his time at Bolton.
Whether Ryo stays at Arsenal this season or heads out on loan again will depend largely on who else arrives. Â All the chat at the moment is about Spanish midfielder, Santi Cazorla. Â It’s an interesting one. Â Cazorla was one of two players (Juan Mata being the other) earmarked to replace Cesc Fabregas last summer. Â In both instances, Arsenal were financially outmuscled. Â Mata ended up across London at Chelsea, whilst Cazorla remained in Spain with moneybags Malaga.
However, in the intervening twelve months, the fountain of oil money that funded the Malaga revolution has seemingly dried up. Â The likes of Cazorla, Ruud van Nistelrooy and, crucially, the Spanish taxman have all gone unpaid. Â Understandably, the two-time European Championship winner wants out.
It’s hard to know just how real our reported interest is. Â The player’s camp might be stoking the fire in order to force Malaga in to paying Cazorla the money he is owed. Â Equally, Arsene might genuinely be moving to snare a quality player on the cheap. Â I hope the latter is true: Cazorla would be a terrific signing, and add a much needed option in the central attacking midfield position as well as in wide areas.
Of course, half the time we have to be more worried about keeping the players we have, which is why it’s such terrific news that Laurent Koscielny has signed a new long-term contract. Â His improvement last season was dramatic, and this is due reward.
Till next time.
July 14th, 2012
Incredibly, Arsenal are already back in action. Â As far as I’m aware we’re the first Premier League side to play any kind of friendly this summer. Â And if that weren’t enough, we don’t just face off against one side today, but two: after 45 minutes against Anderlecht, we will play a further 45 against hosts and top flight newcomers Southampton.
It’ll be a very unfamiliar Arsenal side. Â First-teamers Gervinho, Chamakh, Djourou, Santos and Gibbs are all included, as well as the likes of Coquelin, Bartley, Lansbury and Mannone. Â The rest of the squad will be made up with youth-team players.
It’s possible triallist M’Baye Niang will be given a run out. Â If you don’t know too much about Caen’s teenage forward, you can read French Football Weekly’s profile of him here. Â Caen have confirmed that Niang is on trial at Arsenal with their permission, and as yet no bids for him have been received, despite reported interest from Francophiles Newcastle.
Arsenal.com aren’t showing the match live but will be tweeting updates @Arsenal. Â If I can get a stream working I’ll try and do some stuff over on @Gunnerblog too, but it may be I have to wait to see highlights on the Sunday. Â It’ll be a fairly low-key affair: Arsenal don’t play another friendly for 10 days, and presumably we will use the opportunity mainly to help these players build their stamina.
Presumably when we face Southampton we might get a glimpse of our new away kit in action. Â The purple and black hoops have received a bit of stick from some fans. Â I have to confess I’m not really too bothered about what our kits look like: my attitude towards them is defined more by the results we achieve in them. Â If we win something in that kit, I’ll love it, pure and simple.
Of course, winning anything at all is going to be tricky, what with our star players wanting to leave all the time. Â In this recent interview, scout Gilles Grimandi as good as admitted that Olivier Giroud was bought with half an eye on Robin van Persie’s potential exit:
“Was the recruitment of Olivier Giroud made ​​to compensate for his departure? Yes, we work to avoid being cornered. But we do everything to keep him [Van Persie] and we want him to stay.
If there’s a great offer and if he wants to leave and it will be difficult to keep him.”
The pressure on new boy Giroud grows daily. Â If Van Persie leaves – and in my opinion that is by far the most likely outcome here – the burden the Frenchman will have to shoulder will be immense. Â And as each day goes by without news on Theo Walcott’s contract, that situation gets more perplexing too.
It’s going to be another one of those summers…
August 7th, 2011
Arsenal lost their final pre-season friendly of the summer 2-1 to Benfica last night, sparking widespread panic among Gooners and initiating a witch hunt for Sebastien Squillaci. Video highlights here for those that are interested.
A little perspective is required. Missing from the squad were:
Laurent Koscielny, Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri, Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott, Abou Diaby and Carlos Vela
That’s without mentioning Emmanuel Eboue and Nicklas Bendner, who could yet remain at the club.
Even so, in the first half we were on top, and indeed went in at the interval ahead thanks to a goal from birthday boy Robin van Persie, who lashed in Kieran Gibbs’ cutback. Gibbs was one of the real pluses, showing tremendous energy to break forward in to the box, as well as composure once he arrived. Gervinho also looked lively, as he has done throughout pre-season.
The second half was, of course, a different story. Benfica dominated and only a string of saves from Lukasz Fabianski prevented it from becoming a rout. However, it is worth pointing out that for the majority of the second 45 the XI we had on the field was:
Fabianski, Jenkinson, Squillaci, Vermaelen, Traore, Frimpong, Ramsey, Lansbury, Gervinho, Miyaichi, Chamakh
With the exception of Vermaelen and Gervinho, and possibly Aaron Ramsey, this was essentially a ‘Carling Cup’ side. None of the others can expect to be first choice this season – and the players themselves acknowledged that they had an off night, to say the least:
However, it is worth saying that the performances of Squillaci and Chamakh underline the fact that there are areas of the squad where we seem very short of depth.
If Nicklas Bendtner does leave, it’s vital he’s replaced. And even if we retain our current quartet of centre-backs, there’s plenty of room for a step up in quality there. As others have suggested, you don’t have to be “super quality” to enhance this Arsenal squad.
Arsene’s pre-game interview in Lisbon suggested we were on the verge of adding at least one player this week. Of course, comments like that run the risk of generating mass panic if we don’t. Whilst I’m as desperate as anyone else to see us bring in new players, we’re now less than a week from the big kick-off, and I’ll be getting as excited as anyone else about the prospect of facing Newcastle with our current crop of players. As things stand, even accounting for injuries, we could be seeing:
Szczesny; Sagna, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Gibbs; Song, Ramsey, Nasri; Gervinho, Arshavin, Van Persie (c)
It’s an XI good enough to go to St. James’ and win. And, crucially, it’s a side significantly better than the one which lost to Benfica last night.
August 1st, 2011
It should have been a day for celebration. One of Arsenal’s most cherished sons, Thierry Henry, returned home to a rapturous reception. In a neat piece of symmetry, as we looked back at the career of one our all-time greats, a young striker hailing from Dagenham, Benik Afobe, was making his debut. And, with Arsenal leading thanks to a Robin van Persie header, it should have been rounded off by Arsenal lifting their own trophy in their own stadium.
Unfortunately, Henry had other ideas, splitting the defence with a typically precise pass to invoke a move that ended with Kyle Bartley turning in to his own net. Immediately, the atmosphere soured, like coagulated milk. The unpleasant stench of last season enveloped the Emirates, and the full-time whistle of a friendly game was met with booing. Yes, booing.
I can’t condone that at all. The Emirates Cup is a “Cup” only in name – otherwise our previous successes in it would mean we wouldn’t be accused of any kind of trophy drought. It is an exercise in two things: fitness and revenue. The players run around, the club make some money, and Emirates get to plaster their name all over something else. Whilst a positive performance is always a boost, the result, ultimately, doesn’t matter.
I can, however, understand the frustration. The boos were not so much for conceding an equaliser. Nor were they for failing to win another, admittedly pointless, trophy. They were boos born out of what has been yet another painful summer, in a year when Arsenal fans really needed it to go more smoothly. They were boos which were almost as articulate an expression of the concerns around the club as this piece by Amy Lawrence.
There’s still time for the situation to be rectified. There’s still time to find a resolution to the Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri stand-offs and redress the balance caused by any departure. There is time to add an experienced centre-back, or maybe even a left-back. But it is running short. The season is now less than two weeks away. Events at full-time yesterday showed that Arsenal fans are still deeply hurt by the back end of last season. The players are too, and even they are clear about wanting reinforcements. In the next couple of weeks, the manager has a chance to take decisive action, regain everybody’s trust, and make the home crowd feel that little bit better about that 6.5% extra they’ve paid to watch us in the coming months.
It’s important to remember that the game was not without positives. Gervinho continues to impress me with his direct running and movement off the ball. Having a wide player who is prepared to dart through the centre and in to the six yard box will add something to this team.
Robin van Persie looks sharp, whilst having Thomas Vermaelen fit again is a huge boost to the squad. Afobe also made a decent impression on his first-team bow, albeit in unfortunate circumstances, as Jack Wilshere was withdrawn with an injury. It doesn’t seem like a serious one, and if it means he can miss out on international duty with England then that’s probably no bad thing.
It was fantastic to see Thierry looking, in my opinion, happier than he ever did in a Barcelona shirt. Arsene had planned to give him 5 minutes in an Arsenal shirt, but the rules forbade it. That’s no bad thing: I’ve got enough memories of him in red and white to last a lifetime. There’s never been a more electrifying sight than Henry in full flow. We’ll be lucky to see his like again.
Right, that’ll do for now. Something tells me there could be plenty more to say come the end of this week…
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