Arsenal boss talks up title chances! Is he right?

As much as Arsenal needed to get the three points away to West Ham, it was perhaps even more important for the confidence of the players, fans and even the manager, that Arsenal put a stop to the mini slump as soon as possible. So does this mean that the Gunners’ title challenge is well and truly back on?
Arsene Wenger certainly seems to think so, as explained in a report on ESPN. The Frenchman accepted that any slip-up against the Hammers would have caused real questions to be asked about Arsenal’s credentials. As it is, of course, the Gunners are back on top of the Premier League, which just shows you what a great position we had got ourselves in before the run of tough fixtures starting with Everton.

WORLD-CLASS-PLAYERS TO GUNNERS

By now Arsenal should really have been in the prestigious list of clubs to have won the champions league and should be among the contenders every year and not perennial pretenders. After our 2003/2004 unbeaten season and run, Ronaldo De Lima was among the many players who wanted to play for the Gunners. Professor Wenger had the chance of pairing Ronaldo and Henry, and launching the most fearsome and deadly attack in football history, but he didn’t.

The 5 late Xmas presents Arsenal fans want in January

 

1. Striker
Olivier Giroud is a great player. He is very good physically, has good touch, brings the midfield into the attack perfectly, drags defenders away, and has an amazing football brain. Giroud also helps very much in the defense (corners) and he is sometimes the only one pressuring the opposition defenders to get rid of the ball. The problem with Giroud is his shooting, he is a striker that cannot control his nerves and emotions.

Is Wenger holding Arsenal back from glory?

By now Arsenal should really have been in the prestigious list of clubs to have won the champions league and should be among the contenders every year and not perennial pretenders. After our 2003/2004 unbeaten season and run, Ronaldo De Lima was among the many players who wanted to play for the Gunners. Professor Wenger had the chance of pairing Ronaldo and Henry, and launching the most fearsome and deadly attack in football history, but he didn’t.
In the past, so we hear, he has missed the opportunity of bringing in many WORLD-CLASS-PLAYERS to boost his team. He missed out on a certain Ronaldinho, Huntelaar, Raul Gonzalez, Kaka, Sniedjer, Gareth Barry, Benzema, Ribery, etc. Wenger had the chance to get these players but didn’t take it, he preferred youth development when other teams fortified theirs by spending on big names.
The 2004/2005 season saw the entry of the special one Mourinho. Both Wenger and Ferguson neglected the Chelsea threat and we all know what happened subsequently. Now you see that SAF quickly adjusted his team to wrestle the premiership back from Chelsea’s grip after 2 successive wins, as he had always done in his days with Wenger.

Is it time for Arsenal to try Podolski up front again?

I’m not one to be heavily critical of Arsenal players, because I like to consider the good old of saying “form is temporary but class is permanent” and I genuinely believe we have a lot of very talented players at Arsenal, if not a few world class ones. However, one player that has been very frustrating in recent weeks is French international striker Olivier Giroud.

Is it time for Cazorla to challenge Ozil for Arsenal central role?

A topic about utilizing Cazorla to play in the central role for Arsenal instead of Mezut Özil. As we all know, Cazorla has not been performing the best compared to last season, BUT there is a reason for that! Cazorla has mainly played on the left this season compared to centrally last season. Maybe the injuries to Podolski and Chamberlain have left no choice, but that should end soon.
Özil has been playing the AMC role this season, but we can all agree that he can fade away in a match. Özil is an assassin and will influence a match at certain moments with a killer pass. On the other hand Cazorla was DICTATING the midfield in AMC with shooting from range, short/long passing and dropping deep to get the ball. He had a lot more influence in a match, scoring goals and assisting others.
Let Cazorla play the AMC role and move Özil to LW/RW where he can cut inside. Cazorla is really a top class player and needs to be used properly. And Wenger has to rotate the relatively small Arsenal squad. The German needs a rest and Santi needs a couple of games in his best position to get his mojo back.
And once Cazorla is playing well again, it gives Wenger and Arsenal great options and will hopefully get Cazorla back to the player that got voted as our best last season…..

How Wenger can stop Arsenal slipping from top spot

I am a Kenyan ardent Arsenal fan based in port city of Mombasa. I find support for Arsenal rather addictive and apart from other demanding responsibilities, most of my free time is spent projecting on the team’s performance.

Great news Arsenal – It’s an easy tie against Bayern…..again!!!

 

It is not something that Arsene Wenger and his Arsenal players need to worry about for while, with the games in the knockout phase not taking place until February, but we now know the identity of the team that will stand in the way of a place in the quarter-finals.
And the Gunners’ shocking bad luck shows no sign of getting any better, because we have been drawn against last year’s winners and the favourites to win it again this time, Bayern Munich. Oh well, it could be worse I suppose, there could be a giant asteroid heading on a collision course with planet Earth.

Wenger – The Chelsea game will define Arsenal’s season!

Arsenal have suddenly dropped from having a seven-point cushion at the top of the Premier League, to finding themselves in danger of being knocked of the top next weekend if they suffer another defeat to Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea.
To me it seems a bit un-Wenger-like to put pressure on his players ahead of such a big game, but it seems he is challenging them to bounce back by emphasisng just how important this game will be.
The French manager was quoted in the Independent as saying: “It is how we respond in the next game, that is what makes a season. It can happen,”
“You could see we played on Wednesday away from home and we were not as fresh as we can be, but it is how we respond now.
“There are always positives in a game and there were a lot of them, but still we have to come back to reality.
“It is about us defending together in games like that and we did not do that.”
Despite taking just one point from the games against Everton and Manchester City, it can’t be ignored that Arsenal still scored four goals and the attack force is still in confident mood, especially with Theo Walcott back in contention.
Chelsea themselves are hardly in great form. Their three strikers have netted just six goals between them all season, and the Blues have conceded seven goals in their last three games too, against Stoke, Sunderland and Crystal Palace, so I see little reason for us to be scared of them.
Arsenal simply need to remember that they are top of the league for a reason, and having suffered in Manchester they just need to brush themselves down and get on with the task of reeling in some more points

Is Arsenal boss suggesting another transfer bid for Suarez?

Having lost top spot in the Champions League group with just minutes to spare, Arsenal knew that they were in for a tough team to play in the knockout phase. And having got the hardest team in the play-offs, Chelsea in the Capital One cup, Tottenham in the FA cup and, of course, the group of death in the Champions League, did we really expect anything other than Bayern Munich for the second year running. I think that if UEFA could have managed it, they would have drawn Arsenal against two teams and made us play in blindfolds.

Amazing Stats show different side of Arsenal’s clash with Man City

For Arsenal to let six goals in, even against the team that many think are favourites for the Premier League title, is disappointing and clearly no good enough. But with Manchester City laying waste to all comers at the Eyihad, most of us were expecting a tough game and probably a defeat.
But in the cold light of day. And those stats do not include a clear penalty being denied to Arsenal, or that two goals were wrongly disallowed for offside. Of course, stats are not everything, and City did cause us big trouble at the start of the match, as well as taking advantage when Arsenal were tiring and chasing the game, but some key stats do jump out.

Wilshere sorry and promises Arsenal response against Chelsea

Jack Wilshere was probably the epitome of the frustration that Arsenal felt when being beaten by Man City gave us the perfect ending to a disappointing week. The young English international let his anger boil over and he is now anxiously waiting to hear if his abusive gesture towards the City fans will result in a ban or some other punishment.
First of all, I do not agree with all the criticism Jack is getting. Yes he had a bad game, but so did the whole team, and Jack is not and never will be a left winger. And his show of frustration came after the officials failed to give Arsenal an obvious corner, the latest in a string of appalling decisions. Wilshere is not a robot and all Arsenal fans must have been just as frustrated.
He had Clichy chirping at him constantly and looked like he could happily have chinned his former team mate. Now correct me if I am wrong, but are Wilshere’s passion for the game, fighting spirit and love for Arsenal Football Club some of the biggest reasons for him being a fan favourite?
Wilshere accepts that his performance as well as the whole of the Gunners’ team was not good enough. He has apologised to the Arsenal fans, and has assured us that he will make up for it against Chelsea next Monday, assuming he is allowed to play of course.
Jack said, “The away fans are brilliant. We have to apologise to them, they spent their money to come up and we didn’t perform to the level they expect.
“We’ll go again and we’ll see them on Monday.
“Most of the goals were individual mistakes. I know I am certainly beating myself up about it and the other players I know will be disappointed. We’ll learn from that individually and collectively.”
I don’t think there is anything wrong in Jack beating himself up either, because hopefully it will fire him up for the next game. I doubt if that will be against Chelsea though, even if he isn’t suspended. Theo Walcott should definitely start again on the right, while Podolski or Cazorla will probably start on the left.
To be honest, I think Jack should play in his best position, breaking from deep or as the CAM. But Ramsey and Ozil have the nod on that one for now. Wilshere may have to accept a support role until his form really gets back to what we know he is capable of. Do you agree Gooners?

How Arsenal rivals’ fixture lists will affect title race

 
After the last week, Arsenal only have to face Chelsea at home before a relatively easier run of fixtures in the Premier league comes by before a very difficult February and March. As a result, I felt it was time to look at our two main title contenders top 6 fixtures for the second half of the season.
Manchester City.
They still have to face Liverpool at home before having to face the second round of the big 6 fixtures during the second half of the season. This is how they look:
Wed 29th Jan Tottenham (A)
Mon 3rd Feb Chelsea (H)
Sat 1st Mar Manchester Utd (A)
Sat 29th Mar Arsenal (A)
Sat 12th Apr Liverpool (A)
Sat 3rd May Everton (A)
As you can see, their big fixtures are well spread out and they have enough time between each one to build momentum against smaller teams if they falter against one of the bigger teams. However, the most important thing is, 5 of the 6 big fixtures are away from home. That is massive considering their dodgy away form at the moment. And their only home game is against arguably the most defensive of the top 6 which could also make life difficult for them.
Chelsea.
They still have us to play at the Emirates as well as a visit from Liverpool at Stamford Bridge before the second half of their season starts. Their big fixtures are:
Sun 19th Jan Manchester Utd (H)
Mon 3rd Feb Manchester City (A)
Sat 22nd Feb Everton (H)
Sat 8th Mar Tottenham (H)
Sat 22nd Mar Arsenal (H)
Sat 26th Apr Liverpool (A)
Chelsea have faced most of their big games away from home and will need to make the Bridge a fortress to ensure they win the title. I can see them claiming the majority of points from these fixtures which isn’t a great sign for Arsenal. Again, they have a well spread out fixture list involving the big teams. However, involvement in the Champions league further on in the competition may be detrimental.
My next article will look at Arsenal’s fixtures against the big 6 during the second half of the season with in depth analysis on how other fixtures may influence the result and how certain games being home and away can be of an advantage to us.

Arsenal may have to spend BIG for Sagna to sign new contract

 
There has been a lot of speculation about Arsenal and what Arsene Wenger will do in the January transfer window. And apart from a striker to challenge and support Olivier Giroud up front, most Arsenal fans would agree that the next big position we are concerned with is the right back.
I am not going to discuss the merits of Carl Jenkinson, because the main problem Arsenal have is Bacary Sagna. The France international has been brilliant for us this season after a struggling a bit coming back from injury last time. We would love him to stay, but his current contract expires next summer, so we have been hoping that Arsenal would offer him a good deal, for longer than just a year, to make sure we keep him.
But it appears that the money and length of contract are not the main problem. Sagna is more concerned about Arsenal’s ability to win silverware. Sagna wants a trophy or two, and who can blame him? The years of seeling our best players have obviously harmed our chances of success and Sagna has not been happy.
He said, “I was upset, angry, when players left. If we had them today, it would make a massive difference. Since 2007, a very competitive team left. I would love to win trophies with this club, it’s a club I love so much but something is missing.
“I’ve still got six months on my contract with Arsenal. We are in negotiations. It’s an option to go somewhere in January, but I always had a good relationship with Arsenal.
“I’ve been playing there for seven years and I hope we will end up on something good. First of all I want to finish champion, because we have got a good opportunity to do it this year, and after we will see….”
So as much as I would love Sagna to sign a new deal, it looks as though the only way he will be persuaded to do that before the end of the season is if Arsenal go and spend some decent money in January. Not only will that increase our chances of a trophy, it will help to show Sagna that the bad, penny pinching days are over.
Do you think that Sagna;s words will have the right effect on Wenger and the Arsenal board?

Arsenal may have to spend BIG for Sagna to sign new contract

 
There has been a lot of speculation about Arsenal and what Arsene Wenger will do in the January transfer window. And apart from a striker to challenge and support Olivier Giroud up front, most Arsenal fans would agree that the next big position we are concerned with is the right back.
I am not going to discuss the merits of Carl Jenkinson, because the main problem Arsenal have is Bacary Sagna. The France international has been brilliant for us this season after a struggling a bit coming back from injury last time. We would love him to stay, but his current contract expires next summer, so we have been hoping that Arsenal would offer him a good deal, for longer than just a year, to make sure we keep him.
But it appears that the money and length of contract are not the main problem. Sagna is more concerned about Arsenal’s ability to win silverware. Sagna wants a trophy or two, and who can blame him? The years of seeling our best players have obviously harmed our chances of success and Sagna has not been happy.
He said, “I was upset, angry, when players left. If we had them today, it would make a massive difference. Since 2007, a very competitive team left. I would love to win trophies with this club, it’s a club I love so much but something is missing.
“I’ve still got six months on my contract with Arsenal. We are in negotiations. It’s an option to go somewhere in January, but I always had a good relationship with Arsenal.
“I’ve been playing there for seven years and I hope we will end up on something good. First of all I want to finish champion, because we have got a good opportunity to do it this year, and after we will see….”
So as much as I would love Sagna to sign a new deal, it looks as though the only way he will be persuaded to do that before the end of the season is if Arsenal go and spend some decent money in January. Not only will that increase our chances of a trophy, it will help to show Sagna that the bad, penny pinching days are over.
Do you think that Sagna;s words will have the right effect on Wenger and the Arsenal board?