Swansea City/Theo the ‘Newt /Thierry the King
I don’t like it when we draw. Too much time is wasted and we have to wait for a no of days before anything remotely interesting (in football) happens again. Of course, if you are desperate you can listen to Wenger’s post match interview but that is temporary entertainment. Swansea is a game which we must win to ensure we get spot no 4 in the league table and the return of Henry will certainly boost the confidence of this Arsenal squad.
His finish against Leeds was subtle and it was a typical Henry finish. Opening up his body and slotting the ball into the net.
I do not see both Robin and Henry starting to be honest. Arshavin should start at Swansea along with that newt Walcott, and Robin. Arteta, Ramsey and Song will occupy midfield. Behind them will stand the German and Koscielny. Left back will be Ignasi and right back good old Djourou (sarcasm intended) !
11 days of the January transfer window is over and yet I see no movement in the transfer market from Arsenal’s perspective. A short term solution is a good choice but I think a long term target should also be looked into. Especially for Chamakh, and the likes of Theo Walcott- the right man (literally) in the wrong team.
Probable Line Up :
Swansea lie 12th in the table collecting 23 points so far this season. It will be a difficult game but one that must add to the “W” tally in the league table, if we are serious about the champions league. If the game is not going our way Henry may just have to break the ice again. Won’t it be nice to see the ‘King’ hug Wenger and celebrate again ?
The City United in failure…Arsenal should not lose focus.
…I cannot stress on how relieved I am to see the city of Manchester out of the champions league. One has spent alot, and by alot, I mean ALOT ! While the other gets wins out of nowhere. I tuned in to watch the match against Basel yesterday, and woke up my entire house when Frei scored the second goal. That being said I knew the game was over at the Etihad stadium after the depressing sounds from the crowd after the 65th min..
So what does this mean for Arsenal’s champions league. Well, to be honest it changes nothing. Why ? Well, because even if we faced any of the Manchester sides we were not going to be favourites. The Europa League on the other hand is a whole new situation with clubs having to play most fixtures on Sundays.
In India most fans are fans of United. Yes, I know they have no taste. Only a small population are sensible because they support Arsenal. hence due to this, ESPN and star sports do not broadcast the game on TV. The highest fan base in India is for 2 clubs – United and Liverpool. So if their games clash over Arsenal’s they are given first preference. It’s really becomes a problem because then I have to stream the matches online. I don’t like that, I mean they call it an idiot box for a reason.
I have been very judgmental of Wenger, that being said he gave me all reason to be. Arsenal are in the last 16 of the champions league and the only 2 teams which have me worrying are AC Milan and Napoli. That being said the other teams should also never be underestimated after yesterdays example in Switzerland….
A few observations : Olympiakos 3-1 Arsenal FC
Well, first off let me clarify that I actually had nothing to do this Tuesday evening and so I tuned to to catch the game from Vito’s karate demonstration !
Here are a few observations :
Vito needs steroids
Starting from his clearance to the way he keep today, this man really really and I cannot stress this further, REALLY has to step up if he thinks he will make a professional GK. Dancing is a good sport, and I think ballet will do him good. In the second half he was better and was unlucky to concede.
Vermaelen is a leader.
I am sure most of us already knew that, but today again the Belgian was top grade. He HELD the defense and even helped out while attacking.
Yossi can fill up for Ramsey :
Superb volley from the Israeli, and his link up play was good. He was an the engine in midfield and he kept the game running. Frimpong gave him no help and neither did Arshavin.
Djourou needs glasses and another brain :
For a RB NOT thinking is not an excuse. He could have given Olympiakos a 3rd before half time. Under pressure situations I have no clue what he was doing. He went up when t was not required and he tracked back when we needed him up. Reminds me a headless chicken !
Arsene Wenger should have thought better :
He should have never started Santos. Now we don’t know how long he will be out, and we face City in 2 weeks. Gibbs is out, and now Santos. Brilliant !
Arshavin is on the verge of losing it :
Apart from a few good through balls the man was non-existent. I have not yet given up hope on hi, but this is like saying Spuds are a better team than us
Wenger should look at the defensive back ups because we have NO DEPTH :
The defense was not at all in place today. it was like the Arsenal of August. Wenger should look into this incase any of our regular defenders get injured. It will be detrimental if he doesn’t do anything because incase let say, Per gets injured, a guy like Squillaci filling in and playing like this will surely lift our goal against tally !
Cheers,
DKD
Eboue shot/ Contract issues ?/ Wenger and Fifa 12
….Sad to hear that Eboue was fired upon. Apparently fans are pissed off with him because he thinks the field is a swimming pool. I hope the Turkish Football Association look into this matter because footballers need all the protection they can get. I cannot imagine a situation like this in the Emirates. We are a too civilised crowd to do stuff like this…ahem…‘nowadays.’ But I may think twice if Rooney was there in front of me. Damn Ogre !
Wenger has to start thinking about deals this summer. Arshavin is about to run out his contract and I think Wenger will offer him the usual “1 year extension.” Rosicky and Mannone are too in the same situation. Robin and Theo have each 1 year left on their contracts. And Vito wants to go on loan and never come back. I liked the guy. I remember the world class performance he produced against Fulham. Miss those days ! Actually I don’t. Hate tension filled games and in that game I think my heart skipped a few beats.
One last thought. Every footballer I see likes Fifa. Wilshere, Ferdinand, even Kaka ! Wonder if Wenger plays Fifa. He should. But to run the club the way he does will be nearly impossible. Unless ofcourse he plays matches on semi-pro. I think Fifa is a good way to identify young talent. Did you know I knew of Nani and Anderson before they signed for United via Fifa 07. I think Wenger should try it once. Well atleast observe the guy, you don’t actually have to sign him. Anyway, enough said, going back to play manager mode on Fifa 12. I think its Everton away, or was it home. Either way, I have Ozil and Schweinsteiger, so winning should not be an issue…
[New category] Thoughts aloud…
Hello Gooners,
I have been quite busy lately. Sorry for not posting about the boring match at Wembley last night. It was a fluke win by a fluky goal, what more can I say.
Anyway leaving the internationals aside, I have decided to introduce a new category among my posts : “Thoughts aloud.” Here’s why :
I love blogging about Arsenal but since I don’t always have the time I have created this section to satisfy myself…Its cheating in a way but since it helps I am fine with it. The title says it all. Its just about our thoughts on Arsenal, ALOUD….
….I have been thinking lately about the transformation at Arsenal. Indeed it has been a huge recovery for us and I am happy that the club has stabilised after the initial earthquake. Ofcourse the reason for the earthquake was Wenger and that nobody should deny. The transfer season should have been handled by him more efficiently, especially when Nasri had told him in June that he wanted to leave.
That being said, I congratulate Wenger for keeping his cool and handling the situation in a professional manner. It has not been easy for him and he took all the criticism directed towards him, on the chin and moved on.
Arsenal are indeed back BUT it will just take one or maximum two things to turn Wengers world upside down. For instance, if there is an injury to any 1 of our ‘key’ players, do you think we can qualify for the champions league next season. NO.
I hope this does not happen, and I hope the revitalisation continues after the initial tremor at the Grove. Sadly, life never goes the way you want it to so no one knows what is going to happen.
We have been boosted by the return of Thomas Vermaelen, who in my opinion is one of the best defenders in the league. He takes a lot of pressure off Per and will allow the German to settle in better at Arsenal. That being said we also have Koscielny, a player who has grown and grown from his time at Arsenal.
I think right now Arsenal is at equilibrium, and that we have to maintain this level of performance right till the end of the season to have a chance to qualify for Europe next season. I hope its not Europa League because then we will be in trouble next season. Either 4th or 6th, not 5th…..
PS : You can email me your thoughts. Just send it to the email address in the contact page, and I will post them. Questions are also fine. Just keep it Arsenal related.
