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Arsenal 0 – 0 Sunderland: Cazorla could be the signing of the season

922 comments August 19th, 2012

Arsenal 0 – 0 Sunderland
Match Report | Highlights | Arsene’s reaction

I suppose it was inevitable.
The day after Robin van Persie departed to join Manchester United, Arsenal failed to break down a resilient Sunderland side. There’s a painful irony about the fact that the Dutchman is capable of just the sort of incisive, efficient penalty-box play that Arsenal plainly lacked. We had all the possession you could ask for, but our final ball and finishing was not up to scratch.

Olivier Giroud should have won the game.
On as a substitute for Lukas Podolski, the Frenchman was set free by Santi Cazorla, only to skew his shot wide with his right boot. Would Van Persie’s chocolate leg have fared better? We’ll never know.

Arteta looks most likely to inherit the ‘Song’ role.
In an unfamiliar-looking central midfield trio of Arteta, Diaby, and Cazorla, it was the more senior Spaniard who played the deepest. With Song on the verge of completing his move to Barcelona, it’s likely Arteta will continue in that role for most of the season. It’s not a dramatic change from last year – he tended to have a deeper starting position than his counterpart from the Cameroon anyway. The bigger question is whether or not we’ll be able to cope without Song’s considerable physical presence. I’ll have plenty more to say about Song’s departure – and his likely replacement, Nuri Sahin – once those deals are confirmed.

Cazorla could be the signing of the season.
I’m not particularly prone to hyperbole, but this guy has everything. Apart from height. And the ability to fly. I mentioned in a previous blog, but his two-footedness is quite extraordinary. Whether passing or shooting, it is genuinely difficult to tell which foot is stronger (for those who want to know, it’s his right). He’s creative, dynamic, and looks like he’ll score goals too. In fact, he reminds me of Cesc. As compliments go, that’s a pretty big one.

The balance of the front three will be essential.
Arsene said after the game that he felt the attacking trio of Gervinho, Podolski and Walcott had lacked a little creativity. He sees all three as ‘strikers’ – players whose game is typified more by movement off the ball than incisive passing on it. In future, against teams who park the bus as snugly as Sunderland did, he may look to deploy someone like Cazorla, Rosicky or even Arshavin in the front three to provide a bit of variation.

Stoke is a massive game just two weeks in to the season.
Lose there, and we have just one point from six. With Van Persie and Song, two of our best players last season, heading through the exit door, it won’t take much for talk of a ‘crisis’ to begin. Indeed, if you watch or listen to Sky’s Sunday Supplement, we’re already in the midst of one. To be fair, I don’t think that programme has considered us ‘out of crisis’ since 2005, so I’m not sure that counts. A creditable result at the Potteries, however, and wheels of positivity will begin to turn.

Thoughts on Song tomorrow.

RVP to United is painful but unsurprising

425 comments August 17th, 2012

Arsenal fans know more than most that, in football, loyalty is a lie.  Putting your lips to the badge is almost always a Judas kiss; a horrible precursor to an inevitable betrayal.  All that said, there is something particularly painful about losing Robin van Persie to Manchester United.

It’s partly to do with the individual in question.  Here’s a guy who claimed to have grown up an Arsenal fan, admiring the exploits of his idol Dennis Bergkamp.  In his eight years at the club, Van Persie seemed as dedicated as anyone to Arsene Wenger’s policy of sustainable success.  Arsenal, in turn, were good to him, showing tremendous patience throughout years of injury problems, resulting in the rewards of last season and a 36 goal haul.  I will confess that as the season drew to a close, I firmly believed the dutchman would sign a new deal.  It turns out that what we were witnessing was not a glorious blossoming, but a bittersweet swansong.

What makes this divorce particularly painful is the third party: Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United.  Over the years, Fergie has tried to snare several Arsenal players – most infamously, Patrick Vieira.  In the past, such moves seemed improbably.  United and Arsenal were simply too close in their rivalry and their status.  Now, for the first time, one of our assets has been prised away to Old Trafford, and it stings.  Arsenal fans will claim Van Persie left for the money.  They’ll chuckle at the fact he’s ended up at a team that probably wasn’t his first choice.  But the uncomfortable truth remains that he’s joined a club where he stands a better chance of winning the trophies that have eluded him for so long.

I’m disappointed that the self-professed ‘Gooner’ would so readily join a rival, but I’m not surprised.  Footballers are just doing a job.  Never allow yourself to believe it means any more to them than that – you’ll only get hurt.

Considering that his departure has been inevitable for some time, I feel Arsenal have handled it well on several counts: they have kept it relatively quiet in the media; they have got the deal done before the start of the season; and at £24m they have secured a very reasonable fee for a 29-year old with brittle legs and a year remaining on his deal.

Van Persie’s replacements, Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud, are already in place.  Whilst Nicklas Bendtner and Park aree both certain to depart, it’s looking increasingly like Marouane Chamakh will remain at the club to play second fiddle to Giroud as a target man.  It’s possible another forward will come in, but it’s by no means a certainty, or a necessity.  We have been preparing for life without Robin for some time now.

Preparations are going well.  We have a stronger squad than last season, even without the Dutchman, and can look forward to watching an exciting new team take shape.  As for Van Persie?  Well, he’s about to destroy whatever legacy he might have had at Arsenal.  From talisman to traitor, so swiftly.  That’s footballers for you.  Disappointing, but no surprise.

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FC Koln 0 – 4 Arsenal: Podolski off the mark as Arsenal show off strength in depth

216 comments 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.  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.  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.  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.  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.  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.  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.  As expected, he played at the tip of the central midfield trio, spraying passes to either flank with consummate ease.   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.  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.  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.  There was the trademark terrible miss yesterday, but there was also a fantastic goal and some very effective dribbling.  Signs of improvement and adaptation?  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.  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.  There are still issues to resolve, but there is an overwhelming sense of optimism around the club.  Roll on Saturday.

For your consideration: Thoughts on Cazorla, RVP, & Song

39 comments August 11th, 2012

Hello all. I write this from the Edinburgh festival, where I am making my way through a mostly fun but occasionally torturous month of work. I have been meaning to sit down and write this blog for some time. Finally, having pretended to be meeting a fictional family member by the name of ‘Gavin’, I have found the peace and quiet required to do so.

Let’s begin with the most exciting news of the past couple of weeks: the signing of Santi Cazorla. I was rather deliberate about not talking too much about the Spaniard’s potential signing. This was in part because I had no substantial information to add, but also because it all sounded a bit too good to be true. A Spanish international midfielder for just £12.6m? Surely not. Even now that the deal has gone through, I won’t really believe it until I see him run out in red and white.

It’s clear that Arsene has been a long-time admirer of the player, and now he’s got his man, twelve months later than originally intended. I’ve bored you before with my observation that Arsenal never signed a replacement for Cesc Fabregas last summer – the deeper deployment of Mikel Arteta made him more of a stand-in for the injured Wilshere. Now, in Cazorla, we have one: a playmaker with experience, class, and match-winning ability.

Most independent observers of last year’s La Liga will tell you that Cazorla was the best Spanish midfielder outside the top two. When I’ve watched him, the thing I’ve most been struck by is how genuinely two-footed he is: at first glance, it is almost impossible to tell whether he is right or left-footed. Inevitably, this makes him a dangerous prospect in the wide positions, as he can go both inside and out. However, I expect he will start his Arsenal career in a less familiar central role. Not only are we already well stocked in wide areas, but Tomas Rosicky is injured and will not be fit for the start of the season. Cazorla should be able to slot in beside Arteta and Song to form an impressive midfield triumvirate.

Whilst Malaga’s financial plight made the fee far from extortionate, it’s still a massive signing for Arsenal. When you add his arrival to that of Podolski and Giroud, it’s even bigger. So much so that fans seem far more relaxed than previously about the future of Robin van Persie.

There’s no doubt in my mind that the Dutchman intends to leave Arsenal this summer. The recent comments of Alex Ferguson convince me that he has probably arrived at some sort of provisional agreement with Manchester United too – they wouldn’t risk the embarrassment of going public with the bid if they thought there was a chance RVP would reject them.

From the outside it looks as if Arsenal are waiting for a bidding club to hit a trigger point – probably somewhere around the £20m mark. If that happens, Van Persie will go. If it doesn’t, he’ll stay and see out his contract. The latter option is feasible: I don’t think he’s the type to kick up and fuss and refuse to play if he doesn’t get what he wants. However, my gut instinct is still that he will be gone by August 31st. It might go all the way to the wire.

I made my peace with Van Persie’s probable exit a while ago, but I am a little worried about the reports of Barcelona’s interest in Alex Song. Whilst I admit he has flaws, I’m a big fan of the Cameroon midfielder, and unlike with Van Persie I cannot see an obvious replacement within the squad. Ironically, if Barca do get Song, they are likely to field him as a centre-back rather than a midfielder. Arsenal remain in a strong position: Song has three years remaining on his deal. However, We know that Barcelona like to do their business in the newspapers, and this one could get quite ugly.

For now, though, I’m not going to dwell on the negatives. We face FC Koln tomorrow afternoon, and it’ll be a first chance to see Podolski, Giroud and Cazorla in an Arsenal shirt. The new season is just around the corner, and there’s cause for optimism. I’ll have a report on the friendly for you on Monday.

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Cazorla makes more sense than Sahin

755 comments August 1st, 2012

Hello folks.  Apologies for radio silence.  Serves me right for trying to use a radio to write a blog.

In the time since we last spoke, Arsenal rounded off the Asia tour with a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City, and a 2-2 draw with Kitchee SC.  The latter through the Kitchee sink at us, and exposed almost as many defensive frailties as our Premier League rivals.  There’s much work to do, and it’s worrying that only one official pre-season fixture remains in which to tighten up at the back and introduce the new strike pair of Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud.

There were, however, some positives on the tour.  We’re used to the defensive problems, but there were some less familiar sights, such as Gervinho being efficient and productive, and Abou Diaby not limping.  Now we return to London and the hard work continues – away from the pitch, too.

In recent days we’ve been heavily linked with two Spain-based midfielders: Malaga’s Santi Cazorla, and Real Madrid’s Nuri Sahin.  It’s well known that Arsene is a huge admirer of both players: he attempted to sign Cazorla from Villarreal last summer, and six or so years ago named Sahin as the world’s best teenage talent.

The need for Cazorla is clear.  Despite selling both Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri last summer, Arsene’s didn’t buy a direct replacement in the form of an attacking midfielder, choosing instead to rely on Aaron Ramsey and Tomas Rosicky across the course of the season, with mixed results.  Cazorla would fill that gap and add an extra dimension to the side – and, at a reported £16m, be an absolute bargain.

At first glance, the signing of Sahin would be a little odd.  He plays a deeper role than Cazorla, without being a destroyer.  It’s an area in which Arsenal are seemingly well-stocked.  If there is anything in this story – that of Arsenal pursuing a left-footed, box-to-box creative midfield player, then one has to wonder just how worried Arsene Wenger is about the amount of playing time he’ll get out of Jack Wilshere this season.

If a deal for Sahin was imminent, I doubt the player would have flown to America with the rest of the Real Madrid squad.  There seems to be a significantly bigger fire at the heart of all this Cazorla smoke, and Malaga’s financial troubles could hold the key to us nicking their prize asset on the cheap.  I had a brief chat with a journalist from Malaga Hoy last night, and he told me that people around the club accept that the player has decided his future is with Arsenal; it’s now just down to the two clubs to reach an agreement.  Whether or not that’s possible will depend on how desperate Malaga are to bail themselves out – I can’t see Arsenal bidding much more than the current £16m on the table.

Arsene has already confirmed that messrs Park, Bendtner and Squillaci will soon be on their way, and there are a couple more who could face the chop.  And that’s without mentioning the precarious contract situations of Robin van Persie, Theo Walcott, and even Alex Song.  It’s going to be a busy few weeks…