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?

Sagna confirms contract talks

Bacary Sagna: Will see his current contract expire at the end of the season

The French full-back will see his current deal at Emirates Stadium expire at the end of the season, casting him into the free agent pool.
He is, however, holding discussions regarding a contract extension, with Arsene Wenger claiming recently that an agreement could be reached 'in the next two weeks'.
Sagna concedes his preference would be to remain with the Gunners.
He acknowledges that there has been 'something missing' from Arsenal in recent years - following the sales of Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas - but is determined to play his part in helping them to get back on the trophy trail.
Sagna told Bein Sport: "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 as champion because we have got a good opportunity to do it this year, and after we will see."

Champions League: Arsenal face Bayern and Man City meet Barcelona in last 16

 

Arsenal will face holders Bayern Munich in the last 16 of the Champions League, while Manchester City take on Barcelona.

The Premier League leaders, beaten by Bayern at the same stage last year, have paid a heavy price for a final-day defeat at Napoli which relegated them to runners-up in their group.
And City, who finished second to Bayern in their group, have been similarly punished with a tie against Barcelona on their first appearance in the knockout stages.
Elsewhere Chelsea will be up against Galatasaray and Didier Drogba, the man whose penalty won them the competition in a shoot-out against Bayern 2012.

Champions League last-16 draw:

Man City v Barcelona
Olympiakos v Manchester United
AC Milan v Atletico Madrid
Bayer Leverkusen v Paris St Germain
Galatasaray v Chelsea
Schalke v Real Madrid
Zenit St Petersburg v Borussia Dortmund
Arsenal v Bayern Munich

And Greek champions Olympiakos stand between Manchester United and a place in the quarter-finals.
Arsenal winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain said of meeting Bayern again: "We managed to get a good result away at Bayern last season so that brings back good memories. If you're going to do well in the competition you've got to beat the best teams."
City's draw is all the more galling given the circumstances when, after needing to better Bayern's 3-1 win at the Etihad Stadium to finish top, Manuel Pellegrini's misreading of the mathematics led him to stick with a 3-2 lead rather than chase a fourth goal.
City's director of football Txiki Begiristain, who joined the club from Barcelona, admitted the draw "could be maybe better".

Director of football Txiki Begiristain knows City face a major challenge to progress after being drawn with Barcelona.

But he told Sky Sports News: "For the people it's a great, great match. Two big teams, one with a lot of history, the other a new one also trying to win the trophy and be there in Europe.
"And the game in Munich, winning against the champions, will give us a lot of confidence going away to Barcelona.
"The way that we are playing, we're showing we can score in all matches. This is the most important thing in the Champions League."
And Pellegrini added: "I think Barcelona will be very concerned that they have drawn us. They are not the team of two years ago."
However, Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino believes City will be fearful of the two-legged tie with the Spanish champions' recent record in Europe the envy of many of their rivals.

Manuel Pellegrini is looking forward to facing Barcelona in the Champions League but said that all the teams they could have faced are of the same quality.

He said: "There were six outcomes and we drew Manchester City.
"You've got to play whoever you get but they will not want to play against Barcelona. They are important opponents with very good players, but we will go there to win.
"The most important thing is to arrive at their stadium in good shape and play well."
Chelsea midfielder Juan Mata said it would be a fond reunion for all concerned when Drogba returns to Stamford Bridge.
He told the official Chelsea website: "Didier was a legend here. I guess that he would be very excited about coming back. He did a lot of great things for this club and scored a lot of very important goals. In fact, he scored probably the most important goals in the history of this club."

Chelsea club secretary David Barnard says that Didier Drogba will get a fantastic reception when he returns to Stamford Bridge

John Alexander, Manchester United's club secretary, said the Premier League champions' straightforward draw highlighted how important it had been to win their group.
He told uefa.com: "If you look at the ties Arsenal and City got, that shows why you have got to win the group. Whoever came out of the pot would have been a good one to draw. United are a big club in Greece so we will have a good following over there."
Elsewhere, seven-time winners AC Milan will face Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen must face Ligue 1 champions Paris St Germain, Schalke will play Real Madrid and Zenit St Petersburg have been paired with Borussia Dortmund.
The first-leg ties will be played on either February 18/19 or 25/26, with the return clashes on March 11/12 or 18/19.

Jamie Redknapp and Dietmar Hamann believe Manchester City stand a very good chance of beating Barcelona in the Champions League.

He said: "Manuel Pellegrini has got plenty of experience and is an attacking manager, but that doesn't always work in Manchester City's favour - you think of that Bayern Munich game when they got outnumbered in midfield and maybe that's something he will look at against a Barcelona side where, if you play five, they will play six. They love to dominate the middle ground so there's something to think about. If you're a big time player you will react to that draw and be excited about it.
"Arsene Wenger and the players knew that, whoever they got, it was going to be tough. It's a repeat of last year when they got taught a lesson at the Emirates and the tie was effectively over. So many of the players that Bayern have got can hurt you. They are the reigning champions and Pep Guardiola is under pressure, not only to retain the trophy as nobody has done, but to do it in a different way and to stamp his imprint on the team. How do you stop them? I don't know, but Arsenal at their best can score goals against most sides and I hope they can do it against Bayern.
"I think Jose Mourinho quite enjoys these games. There will be plenty of talk beforehand on his part, I'm sure. We are still waiting for this Chelsea side to settle down under Mourinho and for it to become a side in his image. The consistency we've always seen from his sides, we haven't had it and you don't quite know what to expect from them. Come February, things might be a little different but as things stand going into the tie you think they should win it but who knows?

Alan Smith and Jamie Redknapp believe that Arsenal have been handed the toughest possible tie against Bayern Munich.

"David Moyes can't have any complaints. It looked as if they would get a favourable draw when you saw the teams that were going to be in their pot, so it's an opportunity for him to move forward and the club to feel better about themselves in the New Year. It's not the best Manchester United side we've seen, far from it, but it is certainly one that is capable of beating this Olympiakos side."
Arsenal are now rated at 28/1 to win the Champions League with Sky Bet following the draw, while City have also been eased to 16/1.
Chelsea are 12/1, while the Red Devils have been trimmed to 14s from 16s and Sky Bet's Dale Tempest said: "The tie of the round has to be Manchester City against Barcelona, in what will be a huge test for both managers.
"We can't separate the sides in the betting on the first leg at the Etihad Stadium with both priced 8/5 for the win, though Barcelona are 2/5 to progress overall."