A game that resembled a productive training session (Sparta Prague (h) reaction

The clock showed 6 minutes 54 seconds when Tomas Rosicky put the 3rd round qualifying tie beyond doubt. After this goal the game was put way beyond any doubt. Any nerves were settled and the Arsenal faithful were in for an easy night. It was a pity the players felt this way aswell. Sparta put up little or no fight at all and it almost became a training game for the lads in red. Arsenal played it around and at times became lethargic and allowed Sparta a rare venture forward. Otherwise it was a simple exercise of keep ball with the odd flourish into the opposition box. Unfortunately the players never moved out of first gear and a second goal didn’t really look on the cards.

Half time arrived with every Gooner in the Emirates Stadium sitting pretty with their overpriced drinks (which have got smaller and gone up in price) and hot dogs (aids dogs as my mate calls them). The second half started better with the home team pressurising Sparta into errors. However this didn’t last long and he routine passing became the main aim for the players. Only when Cesc Fabregas and Emmanuel Adebayor were brought on did Arsenal’s play increase in tempo and did we look dangerous going forward. Theo Walcott got a chance down the middle and Wenger gave Eduardo a chance to shine on the left of midfield – more on that later – while Adebayor partnered Theo. The game livened up in the final ten minutes and funnily enough coincided with a large chunk of fans heading for the exit with 13 MINUTES LEFT TO PLAY. Fabregas played Eduardo on the wing and he easily beat his man with a clever change of pace. Not only the creativity to beat his man but he had a cool head and great vision to pick out Fabregas who in turn found the bottom corner.

Denilson was brought on for a quick flourish and our last goal had a Brazilian feel to it. Denilson played a one-two with Adebayor and then picked out Brazilian born Eduardo with a perfect cross and the Croat found the far corner with a neat volleyed finish. The final whistle came and the Arsenal fans roared out one last appreciation as the players left the field.

What were the positives and negatives? Positives first: Theo finally showed what he can do. The 18 year old has blistering pace and when he uses it many will struggle. He did well to create the first goal and looked dangerous throughout the first half. Abou Diaby was brilliant in central midfield, mixing strength and power with skill and technique, no better than his nonchalant back-heel when running towards his own goal as last man. Eduardo was very good when he moved to the left. He looked lively and beat his man quite easily. He could be one answer to our lack of width. He also got his first competitive goal which will be a load of his mind.

The only negative was we were a little sloppy in defence against a very weak Sparta Prague side. T times we looked a bit shaky but it was no major problem.

We are now 12 consecutive games unbeaten and go into Sunday’s home match against Portsmouth with a lot of confidence.

A Lack of Urgency In The Team Right Now? (Manchester City Reaction)

Having watched yet another lacklustre first half at the Emirates on Saturday afternoon I began to wonder. What has happened to the days when we shot right out of the blocks and the game was over after 30 minutes? Last season the players could explain they had just moved to a new ground and it would take time to get used to the new added length and width of the pitch. However after 1 full season there this excuse no longer can stick. I worry now that Arsenal as a team seems to lack that sharpness and edge we really requite with our style of football. A few seasons back games were won by half time. The players came out and went at teams so fast they couldn’t cope and the rest of the game was simply routine. I know counter attacking football is harder with teams sitting back with 10 men behind the ball but there isn’t the energy we’ve seen in previous seasons. Manchester City were top of the league after 3 straight victories having not conceded a goal. This match was never going to be open and true to expectations City were very difficult to breakdown. Yet the way Arsenal played did not help. Yes, every time an Arsenal player was bout to shoot a City player was there to block off the shot but the Arsenal players seemed so monotonous. It is both an issue regarding the team as a whole and the players singularly.

Regarding the whole team it seems to me that the play is so slow and they don’t have the urgency to move up the gears. Rarely have I seen Arsenal burst out in the first few minutes and frighten teams at home in the last 2 seasons. It takes the players time to settle into the game and sometimes the opposition has taken the lead already. City could have taken the lead three times in the first half on Saturday but were wasteful. One would think this would kick Arsenal into life but a change did not materialise. Hleb was very sloppy, giving the ball away and he simply refused to try and beat his man. Rosicky picked up the ball at times wide on the left and instead of driving at the City defence he looked to pass. I will look at these players more closely later but the main problem here is that the play slows down and the opposition can regroup and hold their shape without any problems. Too many times promising positions are created but then too many intricate passes are made with no yards being made. Eventually the ball remains still at players feet while they look for a forward option. No one makes enough runs and the play goes square or even back. Only when a team goes ahead do Arsenal realise they need to move around, create space and want the ball. When they get it they finally move it quicker and start to open up defences.

The second half is ALWAYS an improvement. Whether Wenger says something I don’t know as I don’t have access to the dressing but all I know is something changes. There is more urgency and the players go for it. If something is said then pre match discussions need to be addressed. Something before maybe isn’t working and the players don’t listen enough to prepare themselves. Are the warm ups too easy and laid back to get the players pumped up for the first 45 minutes. Arsenal don’t do passing exercises where they have to exert some energy and other teams do. These teams are ready and come at us and pressure the play. Maybe Arsenal should try this but Wenger trusts his pre match routines so I cannot change these, I just feel these maybe the answer as to why Arsenal is lethargic. By almost wasting the first half the team is left with far too much to do in too many games. There are only a certain amount of times a team can comeback and win, as we found out last season with countless draws at home.

When analysing the whole team I’ll start with the defence. The ball was passed to Kolo Touré who almost every time looked to play a long high ball to Adebayor. Adebayor looked lethargic after his injury and was rarely going to win anything in the air against Dunne who is taller than him and Micah Richards who has a fantastic leap along with awesome strength. Touré needed to add some variety to his play. Against a 5 man midfield we required someone to bring the ball out and drive at the midfield and defence. This in turn opens up space and new options arise. A perfect example of this is when Touré ran at the Fulham defence and won a penalty. I would love to see him do this a lot more rather than ‘hoofing’ the ball up to a striker finding it hard to win the ball in the air. It was hard to analyse the right back position yesterday. Sagna only lasted 18 minutes and Flamini isn’t a natural full back. He got into the positions but seemed to lack ideas out wide. Had Sagna got into these positions maybe scoring opportunities would have been produced. Gael Clichy has been in outstanding form both defensively and going forward. His endless energy created a goal against Sparta Prague. There are things I would like to see him do aswell as making these lung bursting runs. His delivery and decision making in the opposition half could be looked at. The crosses are always around the same area and rarely do we score from them. Clichy has the ability to surge into the box and this draws defenders across, thereby leaving space in the centre for the strikers and on-rushing midfielders. This is just one example of one dimensional play sometimes and if we can mix it up a bit, goals will flow even more.

Moving into the midfield now. Cesc Fabregas once again saved Arsenal and gave us the three points. The problem Cesc had last season was goals and now he seems to be getting them. The run for the goal was brilliant, creeping in unnoticed. He didn’t do this however in the first half and I would like to see him make more runs. Alexander Hleb is probably the most frustrating player for any Arsenal fan. In the first half yesterday Hleb got the ball countless times. He always looked for a square pass and never once tried to beat the left back. Not once did he test to see how solid the left back was. Rarely did his square passes give us any better option than going at the defender would have done. It opens up space in the middle if he succeeds and this was the problem yesterday, the defence was too tight to break down City. He also seems to have a phobia to shoot. When he was down the centre he took a few more shots but from the right he simply refuses. Many times he had more space than many had had but continued to look for the pass. In the second half Hleb caused so many problems because he went at his man who was troubled by his quick feet. Wenger obviously said something at half time but why should it take him so long to realise he has the quality to cause the opposition troubles. He won a penalty and created a goal just because he took a few more risks.

On the other flank Wenger likes to have Tomas Rosicky cutting infield. Ideally this should leave Rosicky moving into a role just off the strikers to do the playmaking role alongside Cesc. It also gives him chances to shoot from long range as he drifts inside. He is best when he is let loose to run at defenders. Yesterday Rosicky however didn’t seem to want to carry the ball. He wanted to offload it early. The advantage of going at defenders is the high backline is forced to drop, defenders lose their positions and scoring opportunities can arise. Second half Rosicky carried it a lot more and lo and behold space and chances came about. Again it seems the first half doesn’t motivate the players, they maybe feel they can win a game all in the second half.

Up front Adebayor was new from injury so I wont criticise him too much. Him and RVP couldn’t really do too much to be honest with the lack of service and good defending from City. It was the midfielders’ job to try and help the attackers but as said they failed to do so first half. As the midfielders joined in a lot more with more urgency the strikers had more space to try and score.

To summarise: the City game showed there is a lack of urgency un the first half of most Arsenal matches. Gone are the days where Arsenal fans could sit comfortably at half time in the knowledge 3 points were in bag. Nowadays the games are very nervous as games are very tight. Teams know how to set up at the Emirates and early goals ruin their game plan. The players can relax and play pretty football once the game is won, but I just wish they would try and win the game first and foremost.

Arsenal vs Manchester City – Match Preview

Writing this on the evening of the international fixtures, so far it seems we have come out of the other side with no fresh injuries. William Gallas will be out until October so Philippe Senderos will step in. Tomas Rosicky, Emmanuel Eboue and Abou Diaby are injured from the midfield with Gilberto still lacking match practice (or on the move?) Up front there are no injuries it seems; in fact Adebayor should return from injury. Denilson has also returned fully to the squad.

Team selection will be very interesting for Saturday. Starting at the back, who will take their place in goal? Well, Jens Lehmann has dropped two clangers in two league games and had a dodgy night for Germany. He looks short on confidence and with two able keepers in the wing I would like to see Wenger give them a chance. He has talked about competition for the no.1 jersey; this is the time to prove this point. This weekend we cannot afford any errors from whoever is selected between the sticks.

Moving into the defence Philippe Senderos will step in for the absent skipper as already said. This will help us dominate in the air but Touré will have to be ready on the cover as we know of Senderos’ lack of pace; especially when he has barely played recently. The full backs will remain the same. Hopefully Sagna can keep on showing us why he is a top signing by Mr Wenger. Clichy has quietly been in good form and full backs will be needed when it comes to breaking down a defence that has kept three clean sheets in a row. This will leave space in behind so Flamini – who I suspect will play Gilberto’s role – will have to be ready to fill in the space on the break.

Across the rest of midfield the players fit for this game are: Theo Walcott, Cesc Fabregas, Denilson, and Alex Hleb. Along with Flamini I would use Theo on the right of midfield. He was disappointing away at Ewood Park last weekend but was very impressive for the U21s. He was confident and went at players with directness Arsenal sometimes lacks. With the home fans behind him I would back him to have a good game should he start. On the other side Alex Hleb has also looked in good form. Like Theo he had a poor game last Sunday but apart from that game he has really hit the ground running with 2 goals. He causes problems for defenders with outstanding dribbling and the eye for a pass. He is shooting more and shots will be required to break down City. Any pussy-footing around will only get the players and fans frustrated. The last position is simple. Cesc Fabregas is our main man, he makes Arsenal tick. He will be important at dictating tempo and bossing a competitive centre midfield.

Eduardo Da Silva scored tonight and has looked good. The Premiership seems to suit him. He just needs games and fans will be behind him in his home debut. He seems a good foil for Van Persie with the Dutchman playing a more withdrawn role. Eduardo will make runs that will create space for Van Persie and Fabregas to find him, or leave an opportunity for the two to get shots off and test the young Kasper Schmeichel. Adebayor is back and I feel he will make the bench and be used to change the game if needed. All I know is he will give 100% when he gets on the pitch and this may be just the ingredient if we are struggling to break down Micah and co. Nicklas Bendtner has looked useful when he has come on. He offers something different. He is simply a goal scorer. He won’t work as hard as Adebayor but with the strong build will hassle defenders. I would like to see him on the bench with his fellow striker. At home two strikers is always useful, attack is the way forward on Saturday. Along with these two Denilson will be the third sub, Song or Hoyte making up the 4 outfield players. The sub keeper will be Lehmann or Almunia, the other taking the ‘keeper’s jersey for the match.

My Arsenal team would be:

==============Almunia==============
Sagna=====Touré=====Senderos=====Clichy
Walcott====Flamini====Fabregas=====Hleb
========Van Persie====Eduardo=========

Now to look at our opponents Manchester City more closely. All the hype is about Micah Richards. He was brilliant against United in the centre and he will be a tough opponent for Van Persie and Eduardo. Dunne and Richards are the rock of the city team. They help each other brilliantly and have worked out a real understanding. Two young full backs will look to get forward which will leave us space but also give us a tough test at the back. The midfield looks good with Elano and Petrov two good attacking players. They may not want to help the defence too much so one eye must be on them when we attack. The middle of the midfield could be the weakness of City. With Michael Johnson still young Fabregas will look to dominate and play make from here. Dietmar Hamann is getting on and quick passing will be very important to control the midfield. They have Roberto Bianchi who will be a handful up front. I would say Sven will go with two up front as he will not be shy, his team is top of the table and City has nothing to lose. They could also pack the midfield as they did against United with Elano and Geovanni supporting the lone front man. Sven has them well organised and it will be hard to break them down. It could be frustrating but an early goal from Arsenal would open the game up, one from City will see Arsenal fighting to come back once again at the Emirates.

Last match versus Manchester United (h) – won 1-0

===============Schmeichel===============
Corluka==== Richards=========Dunne=====Garrido
Geovanni ===Hamann====Johnson===Petrov===Elano
====Bojinov (replaced after 8 minutes by Mpenza)====

Wenger IS a genius at buying talent in the transfer market, but does he miss out aswell sometimes?

This summer Arsene Wenger has brought in three players: Lukasz Fabianski, Bakary Sagna and Eduardo Da Silva. The first is for the future and Arsenal can only trust Wenger’s previously brilliant astuteness in the transfer market when it comes to finding players with potential. Bakary Sagna looks brilliant; he has made the defence more solid and adds options going forward aswell. Eduardo Da Silva has only played part of one competitive match but has looked good in pre season and certainly offered Arsenal something different. These signings do look very good and will improve the team, in some cases they already have.

However has Wenger missed out? If his shopping is finished then I hate to say I think he has. The team lacks a dominant centre back with pace and strength. Senderos lacks the pace but has the others. I’m not saying we would have got him, but I will use Micah Richards as an example. When Stuart Pearce left Manchester City, Richards was unhappy, something he publicly admitted. Before Sven and the new owner came along things didn’t look great for City. Very soon after, Richards publicly admitted to being an Arsenal fan. Some players arrive at a club and claim to be lifelong supporters of the club they joined. This was different. Micah admitted to supporting another Premiership club. Was this a cry out for a move? Whether it was or not, Wenger should have at least put in enquiries. There’s no doubt Richards would improve us and Wenger has complimented him before. It seems Wenger didn’t bother with any enquiry because it was an obvious choice. Richards is exactly what Arsenal missed last season, a player, good on the floor, good in the air with pace to burn. He certainly is a youngster so exactly Wenger’s type of player. Maybe Chelsea would have tried to usurp Wenger but Micah is an Arsenal fan and surely this gave us a major advantage. This is no statement we were seriously linked to a move but rumours circulated and I hate to say Wenger missed the chance, and probably his only chance to sign England’s hottest young player.

The team also lacks width. Eboue has been moved up to solve this problem with Walcott competition for him. However there is a lack of width on the other flank. We have two central midfield players plying their trade on the left and although they are skilful players there is a time when an out right wide man is needed out there. Another example is Morten Gamst Pedersen; linked with him, Wenger denied making any bids. However how absurd a move would this be? Not too insane I say. He has adapted to the Premiership already, has a great left foot and can deliver a fantastic shot and cross. He would cost a bit more with the famous “English Tax” involved but we have still spent less than we gathered this summer. It should be quality not quantity and surely we aren’t that troubled with money that we cannot spend what we get back from sales.

Some people are calling for a striker aswell. With this issue I am on the fence. However it does bring up the other point of this article. Arsenal has 4 strikers who all add something different. Wenger could have gone and spent around £10 million on someone like Anelka or Martins and they may have scored goals people still say we won’t get. However this is where Wenger may have missed a trick. I look at the free signings in the Premiership. The main two that stand out are Claudio Pizarro (Chelsea) and Andriy Voronin (Liverpool). The new Chelsea man has Champions league experience and guarantees goals wherever he is. He is already off the mark for Chelsea and can be a real hassle for defenders. Benitez was astute in getting Voronin; he scores important goals and seems happy to be a bit part player. That is the same with Pizarro, with Drogba free scoring Pizarro isn’t guaranteed a starting role. My angle here is that Wenger could have signed one of these players and used him to guarantee goals in our squad.

The main point here is that free transfers should be looked at carefully. Normally one can pick up players for free, offer them higher wages due to this and many don’t need the guarantee of first team football. They are very useful to add to the squad, especially when Arsenal seems to lack funds. Chelsea signed 3 players this way. I am not saying I want all these specific players but there are plenty more players out there who would have had the dilemma in January about whether to stay at their club. I just feel Wenger may have missed a trick here. He may have looked into this and found no one. I can’t give an answer to that one way or the other.

The main point is that Wenger seems to miss out on certain opportunities. Maybe he is stubborn, maybe he doesn’t want these players and maybe he just hasn’t thought about it. However Arsenal could have a better squad with a bigger look at the obvious. Hopefully it doesn’t bite him from behind on Saturday at home to Manchester City.

Arsenal a Finishing School for Other Clubs?

David Bentley, Matthew Upson, Fabrice Muamba, Steve Sidwell, Jermaine Pennant. What do they all have in common? They were trained at Arsenal and now are at other Premiership clubs. This highlights an issue within Arsenal Football Club. We have arguably the most exciting crop of youngsters in Europe. Youngsters from all over the world are at Arsenal learning their trade. The only problem is that they cannot all make it. This becomes a problem when they decide they will not get a chance. They may want to leave and will end up somewhere else in England or Europe. Other teams benefit from the footballing education we give them and we lose such players. When we had the problem with width last season, David Bentley was hitting the heights of form with Blackburn and surely would have been in our team if he had the chance.

Therefore, is Arsenal more of a finishing school? It does seem that way with past examples. The players mentioned before all learnt at Arsenal and now are elsewhere when maybe they could have had a chance. This was before the group of youngsters reached such a large amount. Surely now we will see more of these players leaving with our education. How many youngsters can get promoted on average per season? Promotion basically involves a regular Carling Cup place. Recently Armand Traore, Kieran Gibbs, Nacer Barazite and Nicklas Bendtner have made the step up. Yet there are plenty of players their age that will not have such luck, so what happens with them? They either go on loan and eventually leave the club to further their careers or are sold much earlier.

These players may not be quite good enough to play for Arsenal so it brings up the question as to whether educating these players is worth it or not. There are two sides. The first being the players are not and never will be good enough so there is no harm in losing them. The second is that the players seem to be getting better and the more there are the more likely they are to hurt us. With Wenger constantly signing such players with the supposed talent I worry that more will gain such talent and we will be forced to sell. Wenger himself claims that the academy players coming through are much better yet he is also signing foreign youngsters. This is creating a squad of youngsters below the first team which is also young. Lots of the first team squad is 23 and under so there will not be too much room in the squad in later years.
Below is a team made up of academy players.

==================Vito Mannone=====================
Gavin Hoyte====Paul Rodgers====Havard Nordtveit====Rene Steer
====Mark Randall====Francisco Merida====Henri Lansbury====
=====Rhys Murphy======Carlos Vela=======Jay Simpson=====

Add this to a squad of youngsters in the first team (24 or below currently), and you have a large squad with many not even included. The team may look like this:

=====================Lukasz Fabianski=====================
Bakary Sagna====Philippe Senderos====Johan Djourou===Armand Traore
Denilson========Cesc Fabregas======Abou Diaby======Kieran Gibbs
==============Theo Walcott====Robin Van Persie===============

These two teams make up 22 players, squads on average are about 25 at most. Therefore what does this mean for the other 15 odd academy players right now. Some will not make it at all but many will have the talent but not the opportunity. My point is that with the standard higher surely we will regret this and other teams will gain quality players from us. The manager (maybe not Wenger) will sign new players also leaving some players nowhere near the squad.

The other argument is that the more players you have, the more selection you have and the more likely you are to get the better players. I understand this because we can select the best players and the others will have learnt well and be granted an opportunity to further careers elsewhere. They won’t be able to hurt us as much as we have selected the better players. Look at the record of players who have left young. Matthew Upson is injured and nowhere, Fabrice Muamba is at a relegation battling side and may never get any higher and Steve Sidwell is at Chelsea but by no means a regular. Only David Bentley I would say we could do with now but he left due to problems in London. Like Jermaine Pennant he had drinking problems and the latter even got arrested. Why should Arsenal stick by them once they break their final warnings?

This brings up another point about the English players coming through compared to the foreigners. If players come from abroad they are simply here to learn and get their heads down and concentrate on the football. English players have a very bad reputation for being bad-boys and it’s not an unfair one. Reports of rape, drink driving and countless affairs are strife. This is because girls are throwing themselves at these young footballers and the youngsters know no better. The temptations are there and it seems the English players don’t know how to resist. The ones that do make it, the others find trouble throughout their careers. The current crop I’m sure know any trouble means they are out. So far it seems to be working. Wenger looks at intelligence in players and Theo Walcott and Kieran Gibbs are both examples of hard working players who got their heads down and have been rewarded.

As for the original debate, I see both sides and will remain on the fence for now and see how it all pans out. One thing is for sure, it will either work brilliant or fail miserably.

Should Wenger's tactical substitutions be in question and how bold is his policy of dropping players? (Blackburn Reaction)

This week has led me to question Arsene Wenger somewhat on two fronts. These being: his tactical substitutions and his refusal to give up on certain players. Jens Lehmann has dropped two clangers in two league games. Against Fulham the players bailed him out but were not able to repeat the trick today. They were not simple errors, but down right horrible clangers. Last Sunday a simple pass caused him to lose co-ordination and today a shot straight at him somehow made him punch it behind him and into the top corner. The problem with Lehmann is it seems like he is becoming more of a liability as time goes on. We all know about him problems at set pieces. He has trouble coming through a crowd to collect a ball without trying to knock half these people and this creates doubt and uncertainty, which often leads to the opposing team grabbing a goal.

So what has this got to do with Wenger? Well, surely Lehmann should be dropped. Maybe one can excuse one error at the very start of the season BUT when it happens two league games in a row it must be at the point where a change is required. Maybe Wenger will give Almunia or Fabianski a go. He has done it with Lehmann once before and it ended up motivating Jens to better performances. However he has twice said he’ll leave Lehmann to understand his own responsibility. To me that sounds like he will give him another chance in the hope he will naturally change these ways. However if I was Almunia in particular, I would be very angry if Lehmann was given even one more chance. Last season Almunia was excellent in the cup competitions and impressed hugely in the pre-season period of games. Why should he not be given a chance? Wenger has spoken of competition with his goalkeepers. Has Lehmann not cracked under the pressure and left a space for one of the other two to capitalise. It is time for Wenger to take a risk and give the others a chance. It will either give them a lease of life and they will be very good or they will also crack under the spotlight of the big game. At the very least it will show Lehmann he has to sort out his act. This would lead to the best of Jens and surely benefit Arsenal as a team.

The key question is does Wenger have the bottle. He took Henry out of the squad to face Tottenham last year despite Henry’s desire to play. However the counter argument is the case of someone like Alexandre Song or Mathieu Flamini. Last season Flamini declared his desire to play in central midfield, not at full back. This led to his absence from every squad since January. He then wanted to leave the club over the summer but no concrete bids came in. Wenger gave him a pardon and he has now started every game this season. Was this shrewd by Wenger seeing that Gilberto will out and Denilson and Diaby are out. Now Denilson is back and Diaby will return soon we will see what Wenger does. I would go as far to say it is unfair on Diaby and Denilson if Wenger persists with Flamini. A player that declares his desire to leave and not help the team wherever he is needed is kept on by Wenger and given more chances to play; whereas other players that will play anywhere for he cause don’t get into the team. This does not seem fair in the slightest. The answer waits to be seen. When everyone is fully fit, will Flamini be shipped from back to the very outskirts of the fringes like before or get more chance than those who have been more loyal?

The second thing from today is the tactical substitutions of Wenger. Today at 1-0 up Wenger took of Eduardo and brought on Denilson. Fair enough Eduardo couldn’t complete 90 minutes on his return from injury. However there was tactical thinking involved aswell. Wenger went 5 in midfield with Hleb and/or Walcott supporting Van Persie. Almost immediately afterwards Blackburn equalised and forced Wenger into another change. It seemed by taking Walcott off he wasn’t sure whether to go for the win or hold back. It was both. He went two up front to offer more threat. He also kept Flamini, Denilson and Fabregas on the pitch. This still left 3 deep lying central midfield players on. If Wenger wanted the win why not sacrifice Flamini for Bendtner and keep the attacking threat of a lively Walcott on the pitch aswell? This is where I question Wenger. First of all why go 5 across midfield? Arsenal’s best form of defence is attack. Therefore 2 forwards is the way forward (excuse the accidental double meaning). Wenger tried to sure up with a packed midfield and it backfired. The way to see out this game was keep the ball from Blackburn and try and grab a second with the threat of a counter. He has Bendtner on the bench so had the option to shape up this way. Yet he went for the safe option and I hate to say it, you don’t challenge for the league with caution.

People have questioned Wenger before, away at Blackburn in the FA Cup 5th Round Replay another case. With Hoyte coming off Wenger had Touré, Gallas and Senderos on the field of play. He chose to put Senderos out at full back where he is not comfortable; leaving the two players who have played right back in their careers in the middle against players good in the air. This backfired horribly with Senderos being lost out there and being beaten easily to leave McCarthy a free shot at goal. Why did Wenger do this? Only he knows but there certainly were question marks. This is not to say Wenger hasn’t got it right before. However I just hope Lehmann is dropped for both him and the team and Wenger thinks about attacking if we are to have any hope of winning these tricky games and challenging for the Premiership.

Rant Over!!

Is it something more than just bad luck causing Arsenal’s injury problems?

Over previous seasons Arsenal have had large amounts of bad luck with injuries. Only last season, Robin Van Persie broke his metatarsal just as he was hitting top form and missed the second half of the season. William Gallas got an injury that mysteriously kept him out for months. This led to a defence that had no stability and little depth. The season before Abou Diaby suffered a horrific injury and Lauren missed most of the season. The season before Gilberto suffered a strange back injury that perplexed many experts and he was kept on the sidelines for months. Now is this bad luck, or is there something more in it? The two possible answers could be: Wenger picks out injury prone players in the transfer market or the arsenal physios and staff at the training ground and the complex itself needs sorting.

Both points have different things backing them up. The first point about Wenger’s choice of player is an interesting one. Tomas Rosicky for example has had a bad history of injuries and rarely completes a season unscathed. Robin Van Persie has had an injury disrupt every season he has been at Arsenal Football Club. Emmanuel Eboue is very lightweight, suffering a knock away in Prague he is now out of the trip to Blackburn. Last season he went through a similar time nursing another ankle injury. Theo Walcott came to Arsenal with a partly dislocated shoulder but hopefully that is laid to bed. The list could go on but these examples alone put down a good point that Wenger has picked out light weight players. Is this his fault? Obviously it is the player himself that has the problems. If Wenger likes a player should he be put off buying him due to his past injury record? I’m sure Wenger weighs up the options before buying anyone but do you see him going anywhere near Michael Owen after his injuries? It all comes down to whether what they offer outweighs the time on the sidelines. With Rosicky it seems he can’t get a major run of games together without an injury hampering him. Therefore does he provide enough to warrant a place in the squad? That’s up to Arsene but I would be worried about the injury proneness of some of his squad.

How to address this? For a start Wenger could order his fitness team to analyse certain players completely, checking for certain problems inside the player’s body. Any muscular strain, however big or small could cause such thing. With this spotted certain treatment could well improve this players reaction to physical sport. Surely it is no coincidence certain player suffer such injuries more than others. Top doctors Arsenal could get in would at least be worth a shot at finding any troubles or differences in the make up of these players’ bodies.

The second problem could well link to this. Certain players might be more injury prone but they have to be triggered somehow. Injuries suffered at the training ground may be to do with collisions in practice. This is the player himself and their body make up as discussed. However if they suffer injuries in a massage for example then the staff member needs to be looked at. If they suffer it in the gym then their workload needs looking at. If they suffer it in the special pools and therapies at London Colney then these needs to be analysed. The luxuries the players get must not come before the success of the team and after all the players need to be on the pitch for this to happen.

Obviously luck plays a part and may be the sole reason for the countless injuries. However there must be more in it with the amount Arsenal alone seem to suffer. It could be the modern boot, a debate I do not intend to touch upon as many have already gone there with no real success. I just hope Wenger decided to give it some sort of thought, whether he changes training schedules or orders his players to wear boots from the past which offer more protection, I really don’t care as long as the players are given the best possible opportunity to get on the pitch as much as possible.

Arsenal vs Blackburn Rovers Preview (Premiership - Ewood Park)

Arsenal go into this game on the back of a fantastic win in Prague. A difficult tie started in the perfect way, a 2-0 victory, amassing two away goals and a clean sheet. This should make the return leg a little easier and puts one foot in the group stages of the Champions League. Sunday’s visit to Blackburn should be very similar. A tough match in which we need a result is required if Arsene Wenger’s side think they can challenge for the title. Blackburn with close down quickly and give Arsenal no time on the ball. Tackles will fly in and any petulance must be avoided. Gilberto was sent off at Ewood Park last season and we cant afford a repeat of that.

Blackburn have started the season with a win away at ‘Boro. They lost star man Benny McCarthy to a horrific injury so he will miss the visit of Arsenal. However in Roque Santa Cruz they have an able replacement. With Champions League experience with Bayern he has shown he can handle the Premiership. He is big and strong in the air so the back 4 will be kept busy and Lehmann will be called upon many a time. They can play the hungry Matt Derbyshire with him, his record is very good. They could go with the more tricky Shabani Nonda who would look to get into Arsenal’s back 4 quickly.

Although the attack looks very strong, it is the wingers of Blackburn that will pose the biggest threat come Sunday. Former Arsenal trainee David Bentley is in superb form and pushing for an England place. He has pace in abundance and a brilliant delivery from out wide. On the other flank they have Morten Gamst-Pedersen who was recently linked with Arsenal. He has a fantastic left foot and takes a deadly free kick; he will need to be closed down early and will be a handful for Sagna or Eboue, as will Bentley for Clichy.

The centre of midfield for their opening fixture was Dunn and Savage. Arsenal will look to overrun this partnership with quick passing. They may go 5 in midfield in order to control it and dictate the match. Wenger could go with the powerful Diaby instead of Flamini. He will offer more directness and strong tackling which will be required. Hleb could well play off Van Persie like he did when Fulham came to the Emirates. This will help the midfield and mean Arsenal aren’t chasing the ball but making the opposition do the work. Andre Ooijer played at right back and if he does again Rosicky should look to exploit him with his lack of pace. Bentley will not want to track back so this will leave room for Clichy. I see this as being the key area for Arsenal.

Samba and Nelsen are two very large strong centre backs, they aren’t the slowest either. Van Persie likes to score against Blackburn but he will need to be on top of his game on Sunday. He will get no time and space and will have to take the chances when they come. He will need support from midfield runners and it is the midfield that may well get the goals. Wenger could take a gamble and play Adebayor (if fit) or Bendtner with Van Persie to give him support. This will pose more of a goal threat from the forwards but maybe leave the midfield a little weak.

Arsenal can win at Ewood Park; they did last year in the league with 10 men. However they will need to be on the top of their game and take the chances when they come. If we are wasteful and sloppy at the back, we will be punished.
Blackburn’s last game vs ‘Boro

Blackburn:
Friedel, Ooijer, Samba, Nelsen, Warnock,
Bentley, Dunn (Mokoena 90), Savage, Pedersen,
McCarthy (Santa Cruz 60), Roberts (Derbyshire 78).
Subs Not Used: Brown, Kerimoglu.

Are Options the Key for Arsenal This Season?

Looking at Arsenal last season it looked as though the squad looked very thin. This was most apparent in the defence and the attack. With Gallas injured for a very large chunk of the season, Arsenal were left with only 3 natural Central defenders, 2 of which were only young talents, (Senderos and Djourou). These two did an admirable job but are still learning their trade. In attack, the most glaring statistic is that Robin Van Persie was our top goalscorer with 13 and his season ended in January. Emmanuel Adebayor played most of the season and should have scored more with the chances he had. Julio Baptista was the same but now he has left.

What makes this season any different you might ask? Well at the back Bakary Sagna – even by Wenger’s standards – seems to be a “real quality signing” (Charlie Nicholas). He is a right back by trade and has added solidarity to what was a shaky defence but has not shirked on his attacking duties aswell. A perfect example being the run he made to set up Alex Hleb’s first and Arsenal’s second goal in Prague. Many defenders would have hoofed it clear and regrouped at the back but Sagna ran the length of the pitch to take full advantage of the space and opportunity to add to Arsenal’s slender lead. The interesting thing with Sagna is that he can play centre back aswell if needed. This will be key when the African Cup of Nations comes around. Wenger will deploy Senderos there with Gallas but Sagna can be used if needed with Hoyte filling in. The one strange thing is Djourou leaving with this absurd tournament coming around right when the season really kicks in. HE will gain experience but the loan should surely end here? With only 3 central defenders for what will probably be a month (bearing in mind the likely progression of the Ivory Coast) we might suffer here. Hopefully there is a recall clause, something Wenger would surely have added into the deal with this in mind. Wenger may have in his mind the idea of using Gilberto as a centre back during this period, as he did for a time last season.

Last season we only had Clichy as a left back option. He is looking brilliant and right now no other option is needed. However for the cups maybe and if in the worst scenario Clichy gets injured, we have an able deputy waiting in the wings. Armand Traore is an electric full back with pace to burn, great attacking instincts and his defending improves with every game. He was one of the main players who developed hugely with last year’s successful Carling Cup run. I touched on it but at right back we have Justin Hoyte who also came on leaps and bounds last season. Yet he is behind Sagna and if Eboue doesn’t work on the right of midfield then Eboue aswell. He will get his chance most likely during the ACON and he will need to take it otherwise I feel he will be sold on.

In goal he has Lehmann who on his day is top class. During pre season Manuel Almunia showed why he should be considered for the no.1 jersey. Lukasz Fabianski also came in and will look to push for the first team. This is all healthy competition and will keep the ‘keepers on their toes and hungry.

Last year Wenger seemed set on playing central midfield players on the flanks, Rosicky, Hleb, sometimes even Diaby and Fabregas. Rosicky does well on the left, drifting in to play a second playmaker role to Cesc. However he needs more goals if he is to take this position on the left. You need your midfield to chip in goals and the wide positions are key to this. This is maybe why Wenger has given himself an extra option with Eboue acting as a wide midfielder this year. He also has Walcott who wants to have a considerable amount of starts this year. His pre-season was brilliant and now he just needs games. Both of these players offer pace and directness, something we lacked at times. Alex Hleb had the right midfield role last season but it seems this has been changed. He has played on the left where he seems far more effective. In the Emirates Cup he played behind one striker and he really pulled the strings, as Wenger said Hleb prefers to play centrally. He has already got two goals in the first two games of the season, long may it continue! If Wenger wants width on the left he can call upon youngster Kieran Gibbs who was excellent in his debut against Inter Milan. He didn’t look fazed by the occasion and seems to know the ‘Arsenal-Way’. The centre of midfield is once again packed, even with Gilberto away; Wenger has Cesc, Flamini, Diaby and Denilson fighting for a place. The midfield lacks substance at the moment in my opinion with Flamini supporting Cesc, for me Diaby and Denilson offer more, whether it be power and pace, or a better passing range and vision. Gilberto will add what he did last year, hopefully just aswell, while also being a leader on the pitch.

Up front we have a different array of strikers. None of them are like Thierry Henry but together they may just be able to lighten the burden after his departure. Van Persie shone last season until his injury but he needs a partner to really show this again this season. He looks isolated as a lone striker and needs Adebayor or Eduardo there with him. He has the ability to be a brilliant player with bags of goals. However he likes to play in a more withdrawn role. This will be perfect for Eduardo who plays on the shoulder and is hopefully the clinical finisher we missed last season. If he can do this with the chances we create he can flourish. Adebayor is an instinct player and hopefully he will be fighting for his place and improve his finishing. However what he does add is 100% effort for 90 minutes and he is a nightmare for defenders. IF needed Bendtner can come on and change a game. He is awkward to deal with and has a good touch on the ground and in the air. This coupled with a hard shot should get him a goal or two amongst a few sub appearances, maybe starts during the ACON.

To sum up – Wenger has more options this year than last year and can rotate a bit more. All across the team he shouldn’t be afraid to trust his squad. After all, winning is about the entire squad not just the first team. If a player gets injured the manager must trust his replacement. Last year I feel we didn’t have that, this year we seem to. The attitude is different according to Gallas, hopefully these different options will also help to push on and win silverware for the first time since 2005. Does Wenger have the squad he has been working towards ever since Vieira left? That’s still to be seen.

Paris Saint Germain Squad Analysis (Emirates Cup)

PSG, once a dominant and competitive force in French Football, dropped way off the pace during the 2006/07 season. Getting off to a poor start they entered their match with rivals Marseille low on confidence and they lost 3-1 at home. The PSG fans were not happy and improvement was demanded. Mid way through the season the Parc Des Princes was only half full for home games and led to Guy Lacombe being sacked as PSG manager and replaced by former Rangers manager, Paul Le Guen. Results improved slightly as the team strove to improve on their disastrous 17th position. By the end of the season a bit of form saw them rise to 15th; however that still wasn’t good enough for a club of PSG’s history. The squad is better than their placing tells.
Pauleta still managed to be top scorer in Ligue 1 again despite his team finishing so low. He has hard working strikers in Luyindula, Pierre-Alain Frau and Diane around him and they help him reach such tallies. He has a constant supply line from the quick creative Bonaventure Kalou. Marcelo Gallardo offers the same on the other flank. Jerome Rothen moved recently to PSG and many thought he could move to a bigger league in Europe, not the quickest winger in the business but he makes up for it with good passing, vision and a very good left foot on him.
The centre of midfield seems to lack something, a dominant force in the centre of the park. They have players like Digard, Mulumbu, Rodriguz, Chantome, Clement etc however it didn’t seem like the 2 chosen were kept consistent very much, Le Guen took over and I’m sure he will look to address this as their isn’t a clear match winner within the midfielders.
PSG lost David Rozenhal to Newcastle already this summer and he was a key figure for them. They have lost their defensive leader and Le Guen may need to address this. He has Mario Yepes who was Rozenhal’s partner at the back but he needs to find someone new to play alongside him. They need solidity at the back as they conceded too many goals last season.

PSG were very disappointing last season and will be keen to put that behind them and start afresh. The Emirates Cup will be a time for them to go out as underdogs and show if they have improved. People will still expect them to be beaten by Arsenal and Valencia but it certainly will not be an easy game for those two sides. Pauleta is always a threat with Rothen’s supply but the defence is shaky and with points gained for every goal a team scores Arsenal and Valencia will look to exploit that.

Valencia Squad Analysis (Emirates Cup)

Last season Valencia challenged Real Madrid for the La Liga title and were one of the four who had a chance to snatch the championship with 4 weeks to go. However an unfortunate run of games meant they missed out and finished 4th behind the Madrid, runners up Barcelona and Sevilla. People say Valencia bottled it when it most counted and some just say they weren’t good enough. In Quique Flores Valencia has a young, bright up coming manager who gets his team to play good football. Many people believed they had a serious chance mid way through the season and it did seem like they failed when it most mattered. They reached the Champion’s League quarter-final, losing a goal in the last minute of the second leg versus Chelsea that meant they did not progress further. They beat Emirates Cup opponents Inter Milan along the way, beating a team many fancied to be Champions of Europe. The interesting thing will be if there is hostility between the teams as there will be hard feelings between them after the mass brawl during their last 16 encounter. Their squad itself is talented and has some depth to it, perhaps not at the levels of the top two.

Starting from the front; in David Villa they have one of Europe most sought after talents. The guy scores goals, 41 in 71 appearances for Valencia is a brilliant return. His play doesn’t stop here though; he is very much a team player who looks to create as much as he scores. Villa and Fernando Morientes compliment each other so well. It is a classic case of the “big man - small man” combination. Morientes is there to win balls for Villa and feed of anything Villa creates. The partnership flourished last season was one major reason that Valencia were in the position they were. As another oprion they have Miguel Angulo, the man who very nearly signed for Arsenal a while back but pulled out last minute. He can also play midfield and will get a goal if needed and always does everything to help the team, a selfless performer.

They are also well stocked on the wings. Joaquin has dazzled throughout his career, at Real Betis and Valencia. He has pace, skill and good finishing ability. For Spain he has impressed too, once bamboozling Ashley Cole against England. Cole was regarded as the world’s best full back at the time so this was no small feat. On the other side they have David Silva, who, like David Villa, was a target for many European clubs. Liverpool publicly said hey were interested and Chelsea’s name came up as potential suitors. However Silva came through Valencia’s ranks and is not ready to think about a move yet. He possesses all the things Joaquin does and he has age on his side at the tender age of 21. English fans may remember him for an amazing goal away at Stamford Bridge in this season’s Champions League. Vicente is also part of their squad but his career has been blighted by injuries, such a waste of talent but it seems he may be on the mend.

In the centre they have the two old heads of Spanish football in Ruben Baraja and David Albelda, both whom have rolled back the years to put in some great performances. Albelda has a no nonsense attitude to tackling and defensive midfield play and Baraja has a great array of passing and brilliant vision. They have two younger midfielders, Sunny and Jamie Gavilán who can come in a do well if needed. Both very much raw talents they will add youth to midfield when the two members of the old rear guard are unavailable or in need of a rest.

At the back they lost the ever reliable Roberto Ayala but brought in someone with just as much experience in Real Madrid’s Ivan Helguera. He is a champions League winner and will guide the young defence while they develop. Like Albelda, Marchena is another hard tackler who has been part of Valencia’s back 4 for a while now. Him and Raul Albiol will probably be the favoured centre back pairing for Flores. Albiol is similar to Silva with the way his career has developed. He came through the same ranks and they are of similar age. They have Chelsea flop Asier Del Horno in their defence. In England he struggled but he is certainly more at home back in Spain. Miguel is an energetic, exciting attacking full back and will be someone to watch out for in the Emirates Cup.

In goal they have the experienced Santiago Cañizares. The old keeper still has brilliant reflexes and is so reliable. However as competition they acquired talented German goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand from Stuttgart. He will push Cañizares for the no.1 jersey and that will bring the best out in them both.

Although Arsenal do not play Valencia they have a real chance of winning the Cup, many fancy them against PSG and if they can win against Inter they will have taken maximum points and in David Villa they have someone to get them the crucial goals that make such a difference in this cup format. Certainly watch out for David Villa as said, David Silva and Miguel.

Inter Milan Squad Analysis (Emirates Cup)

Marco Materazzi said after the Nerazzurri were granted the Serie A title of 2005/06 following the match fixing scandal involving mathematical champions Juventus, “we could not really celebrate it properly. It is important we win the title in our own right” Awarding the ‘Scudetto’ to Inter was the moral thing for the Italian F.A to do, yet the Inter Milan players clearly had unfinished business. This sentiment was clearly felt by Materazzi’s team mates. Finishing ahead of second placed Roma by an astonishing 22 points Inter Milan nearly achieved the feat their Emirates Cup hosts managed to accomplish during the 2003/04 season. They were within one game of going through a whole season unbeaten. Winning 30 games, drawing 7 and despairingly losing one sole match. This defeat wasn’t against one of the big names of Italian football with Inter doing the double over their bitter rivals A.C. This was another moral victory for the blue and black half of Milan. They finished 36 points ahead of A.C Milan, 28 if you take into account the points deduction. This is a remarkable achievement and just shows that Inter were clearly the dominant force in Italian Football last season.

It is not easy to see why they ended up such clear winners. One glance at the squad shows it has all the necessary make-up to be one of the best in Europe and the World. For some reason Inter Milan seem to have a hoodoo over them in Europe in recent times. They have failed to reach a major European final for nearly 10 years. This however was the Uefa Cup and the Internazionale fans would clearly wish to be challenging for the Champion’s League, the last time they reached the final of this competition was the season of 1971-72. They were many people’s favourites for this title this year and the fans were very confident. However they bottled it at the first hurdle, losing out to their opponents in the Emirates Cup, Valencia. To add salt to the wound, A.C went on to win the cup many believe they shouldn’t have taken any part in.

It is a mystery why they have failed to get any further in such competitions after their domestic domination. As I said their squad has quality in every position. As all major Italian teams are their foundations are built on a solid defence. With veteran Francesco Toldo competing with the younger, constantly improving Julio Cesar they have two solid keepers fighting to play behind the defence. They can call on an older goalkeeper, but someone who definitely still knows what he is doing or bring in the very apt younger option. Either way they have someone very reliable between the posts. The defence itself is built on both experience and flair. Club captain Javier Zanetti is still going strong, is there a much better example of the saying “class is permanent”, you’ll be hard pushed to find much better. Fighting for the right back slot is Maicon, the energetic fullback who has the flair of Brazil in him. Having taken the shirt from Cafu in the Brazilian national team he has received many flattering comparisons to the legend himself. On the other side they had Fabio Grosso, the awkward but skillful World Cup winner, the man who killed Germany with a priceless goal in the Semi Final. In Maxwell they have an able back up who many European clubs were linked with, including Arsenal and Manchester United. With Grosso moving to Lyon this summer it is Maxwell’s chance to really step up and claim his place. The centre of defence simply has so much depth. Again they have the perfect balance between youth and experience. Materazzi was fantastic last season, the no nonsense hard man clearly more determined to win the league fairly than anyone else. Alongside him he played with different partners, the experienced duo of Walter Samuel and Ivan Cordoba. They are both players that know what they are doing in big game situations. The older players also have a benefit towards the younger players. Andreolli and Burdisso are the future and they will benefit no end from such expertise within the squad.

Moving into midfield you get very much the same blend. The wide positions filled by veteran Luis Figo and Dejan Stankovic. Figo is another example of someone who never loses the natural skill they have always had. This is shown by the fact he has just signed an extension to his contract after such a successful season. These two are backed up by Marino Gonzalez, again someone who will learn hugely from these two players. Alvaro Recoba was the leading assist maker in Serie A last season and he delivers a mean set piece to take advantage of the height within the team. All these players are given the freedom to roam due to the system Inter deploy with 2 defensive midfielders. The Gunners Legend Patrick Vieira was ever present, determined to win the Serie A title after having his medal removed when he was at Juventus. The powerhouse midfielder shined in the Inter midfield and looked more like the Vieira of old all Arsenal fans remember, scoring goals while at the same time protecting the back line. Next to him is the neater more skillful and equally able Esteban Cambiasso. A regular for the well fancied Argentina during the World Cup in Germany, he does a very similar job. Leaving the flair players to do their stuff while doing his with little fuss.

Having read about the depth in the other areas it may be a surprise to hear that is their forward line that is the scariest aspect for any opposition. Zlatan Ibrahimovich, Julio Cruz and Hernan Crespo all came up with the goods when needed, shown by the 80 goals Inter scored in the league last year. Although Crespo is officially a Chelsea player it seems likely he will not return and the loan deal between the clubs will continue. Inter will be keen to make sure this happens and as the Argentinian hit man was a consistently good performer for the Nerazzurri. Ibrahimovich finally seems to be showing the potential many people saw when he emerged from Sweden and signed for Ajax. Cruz is the sort of striker that won’t grab headlines but will get you goals when you need them. Another scary thing is that they still had Adriano to call upon. The big Brazilian had a poor season by his standards but the guy still has the talent to play at the top level and if the Mancini can get the best out of him Adriano can be lethal.

The Inter squad has so much depth they can have many different plans for certain games, they can mix it up, play good football and grind out results if needed. This is the sign of a good squad. Internazionale will put up a stern test during the Emirates Cup. Despite losing to Valencia in the Champions League they seem to have far more within their squad to better Valencia in this competition. They have the ingredients that are perfect for the pre season tournament. They concede few goals and can score for fun; this is exactly what’s needed when teams gain an extra point for every goal they score. They will provide the biggest tests for Arsenal and the game on Sunday will surely be a tasty encounter.

Is Arsenal Being Commercialised Too Far?

White away shirts based on Herbert Chapman, the name of our new stadium being dictated by a sponsor and club level. Just some examples of the change we are going through.
In the time of new owners and investors Arsenal seem to have held out. Therefore we naturally lose the money these people like Abramovich provide. Are we compensating for this through commercial means? The new stadium is the obvious example. The Ashburton Grove/Emirates Stadium debate goes on and this I will not address. However the reason we have the name is one I will. Our new sponsors “Fly Emirates” added a clause stating we named the stadium after them. Then there name is plastered on the electronic advertising boards. The second doesn’t seem so bad but they all add up. A small but very meaningful aspect to me is the Advertising boards around the concrete block under club level. Plastered with countless sponsors it strikes me as a signal of what our club is becoming more like. Above this we have boards about the club, the history of it, in RED. These sponsors’ boards are in WHITE, the colour of our local rivals and are there for all to see as the main thing we put on our ground. Where we could have had more boards regarding the important things to our club, the team itself, we have sold out to the corporate market.
Funnily enough these boards are right under Club Level, another debate, I am not saying that the people who sit there are all bad but I don’t like the idea itself. It literally separates the fans and is solely there to make money.
The one story that made me think more closely at this was the reports of a white away kit next season. Again this is the colour of Tottenham and other clubs like Real Madrid and Bolton with whom we do not like. This is solely a marketing aim of Nike to sell shirts. Personally I think it is wrong they have used Herbert Chapman - the manager who held firm place in the famous marble halls - to try and sell the shirts. Whether the shirt is nice or not, it’s not the point. Arsenal play in yellow, maybe blue. This is another tradition however small but they are soon running out. I want to see us in a yellow kit, the colour Adebayor most recently scored the winner at Old Trafford in, the colour Michael Thomas wore when he won the league at Anfield.
I know money is tight at Arsenal but surely the history matters, at least that is what the board says, yet these small things matter and the club seem to be throwing them away.