Archive for July, 2010
July 8th, 2010
Hello all. I’ve just got back from Durban and watching Spain’s slightly underwhelming victory over Germany. What a stadium though.
In the two days I’ve spent on the N3 motorway, a fair amount has happened. It’s been a particularly good couple of days for Robin van Persie – not only has he played a pivotal role in the Dutch national side reaching the World Cup Final, but he also be about to inherit God’s squad number, as Arsenal.com have revealed he’s due a change from the number 11 shirt he’s worn since arriving. To be clear, God is Dennis Bergkamp – William Gallas is merely an earthly conduit of the hallowed 10 shirt.
I was obviously disappointed not to see Cesc got on last night – but he still has a few days left to oust Pedro and earn a start against Van Persie’s Holland in the World Cup Final. Two Arsenal players in the Final makes it a big day for Arsenal fans. Whether they’ll both be at the club come the start of the season remains to be seen, but Barca are looking increasingly unlikely to find the extra millions required to prise Fabregas away.
One player who will be here for the forthcoming year is Laurent Koscielny. The centre-back has signed a long-term contract for a familiarly undisclosed fee. It’s a signing almost as unsurprising as Marouane Chamakh’s arrival – we’ve known this was coming for some time.
Koscielny will wear the number six shirt, and arrives having previously been voted Best Player in Ligue 2 for the 2008/2009 season by his fellow professionals – an honour once also received by one Pascal Cygan. Hopefully his Arsenal career is more successful than that of the unfortunate Cygan.
Worryingly, he cites his weakness as “physical strength” – we’d better get him on the creatine and bulking up right away.
With Arsene suggesting the search for defenders will not end here, it’s unclear if Koscielny is a starter or not. Regardless, Sol Campbell looks to be on his way, with the latest speculation suggesting he’s in talks with Sunderland.
Arsene Wenger has been forced to deny giving an interview to a Kenyan newspaper in which he all-but-confirmed Manuel Almunia would be losing his spot as number 1.
Sky have released their schedule, and as Goodplaya points out, seven out of our first eight away games will be on British tv. They’re obviously hedging their bets that they’ll catch an upset. It’s a decent shout.
Only a few days left of my trip now. I’ve loved every minute, but I’m ready to immerse myself back in to the helter-skelter of English football once more.
July 4th, 2010
Gerard Pique has upped the ante in the tug of war between Arsenal and Barcelona over Cesc Fabregas. He told the Daily Star Sunday:
“I have known that Cesc wanted to join Barcelona for many years – but now it is more than about wanting to do it. Now it is something he feels he must do.
The World Cup has not been a good thing for Arsenal. It has meant that he has been spending every day with myself, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Victor Valdes – and he has made his feelings very clear to us.
He is keeping his mind focused on Spain but his heart is in Barcelona. I think already in his heart he is wearing a Barcelona shirt next season.”
Watching Spain last night, it’s clear that the World Cup will have given Fabregas a taste of what playing Barcelona might be like. At one point, he was joined on the pitch by seven Barcelona players. Pep Guardiola is watching his team’s pre-season unfurl in South Africa.
Last night Cesc was out in a Johannesburg nightclub with his team-mates. He left early, but the bond between the Catalan contingent was clear. He is, in many respects, far more one of them than he is on of ours.
That said, I still doubt whether or not Barca have the financial muscle to force us to sell. We would need an offer of £50m or above to renege on declaring Cesc’s unavailability.
Unless, of course, the player makes public his desire to leave. That could make his position untenable. The month after the World Cup could be painful.
July 2nd, 2010
Hello all. It feels like an age since we last spoke. How’ve you been? Or, as my South African hosts, might say, “Howzit?”
I’ve just returned to Johannesburg after a few days spent observing an altogether different kind of game at the Kruger National Park. Tonight I’ll be at Ghana vs Uruguay – my third Ghana game of the tournament. I feel like one of their own. As I mentioned last time I dropped in, I’ll be submitting World Cup stuff to threeandin.com. Check it out if you’re not already World Cupped-out.
Arsenal have unveiled their new home kit, and like the away it’s something of a winner:
Nice to see Arsenal stubbornly including Cesc Fabregas in all press releases, too. I haven’t been able to follow the news quite as closely as I’d like, but my impression from afar is that Arsenal remain resolute in their determination to keep their captain. Bad luck, Barca.
Fabregas is one of only two Arsenal players left in the World Cup, along with Robin van Persie, whom Arsene Wenger has tipped to “make a difference” against Brazil today.
In transfer news, Laurent Koscielny will arrive imminently to help amend the squad’s defensive deficit after the expiration of the contracts of French pair William Gallas and Mikael Silvestre. Sol Campbell also looks likely to be on his way, with Celtic prepared to offer him the captain’s armband and the security of a two-year deal.
Joe Cole wants to stay in England and the Champions League, which the leaves the triumvirate of Arsenal, United and Spurs all very much in the running. The London clubs still look the most likely destination.
A few rumours have Eduardo on the way out, and with Van Persie, Chamakh and Bendtner all likely to be ahead of him in the pecking order, it makes sense. One wonders if there’s just too much baggage surrounding him at Arsenal now, and if he’d be better packing it all up and taking it elsewhere. Surely not Aston Villa, though. For starts, he’s neither English nor likely to be hilariously overpriced, so Martin O’Neill can’t be interested.
It’s nice to drop back in. Hopefully I’ll be able to do so more frequently between now and my return to England on the 14th.
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