Two Points Lost | Gervinh-woe | Classless Stoke

Another game and another goalless draw for Arsenal, which makes it two out of two in this new Premier League season. Today it was at the hands of Stoke City, and whilst historically it’s been a fixture in which we’ve struggled, it was definitely a case of two points lost rather than one point gained in a game that was, as a whole, rather dull.

Pre-match thoughts centred largely around the fact that Vito Mannone was making his first League start for three years, replacing Wojciech Szczesny who sat this one out with a rib injury. But any concerns about the young Italians starting birth were redundant, with the 24-year-old largely untroubled throughout the game, and looked more than comfortable when dealing with the aerial threat that Stoke posed.

The only other change from last Saturday’s stalemate against Sunderland was up top, with Theo Walcott dropping to the bench in place of Olivier Giroud, who took the middle position of the front three with Lukas Podolski and Gervinho patrolling the flanks.

The first half was a rather one sided affair, and aside from an early disallowed goal for offside, Stoke offered very little going forward. It was Arsenal, and in particular Santi Cazorla, who were pulling the strings and making things happen. Although for all the pretty passing and good movement, actual chances were few and far between. Cazorla fired a free kick into the wall from just outside the area, and Podolski took advantage of a defensive screw up inside the Stoke area only for his shot to be blocked by Andy Wilkinson’s arm, which went unnoticed by Lee Mason.

Cazorla was again at his best, and thankfully came through the match unscathed.

Things opened up a bit in the second 45, as our passing became a bit looser and sloppier, and we appeared to drop off a bit physically allowing Stoke more into the game after seeming the stronger of the two sides earlier on. Chances were still a rarity though, with Abou Diaby and Mikel Arteta failing to work Asmir Begovic, and Giroud attempting an audacious late chip from distance, when squaring to Aaron Ramsey seemed a better option.

And there it finished. On the face of it, a 0-0 draw at the Britannia Stadium isn’t a terrible result, and you only have to look at Stoke’s home record last season to see that. But there was clear frustration after the game, as both Man of the Match Arteta and Arsene Wenger both lamented our inability to make the most of our chances.

It’s a fair enough observation, but as I alluded to last week you can’t expect too much too soon from the new signings. It will take time, as Wenger mentioned yesterday, and we’ve seen it in the past too. The likes of Henry, Bergkamp, and even van Persie all took several games to get their Arsenal accounts up and running. I’ve certainly seen enough from both Giroud and Podolski to suggest that they will be successful acquisitions for us, however I do still believe we’re light up front with Nicklas Bendtner likely to leave this week, and Maroune Chamakh also a probable departure. Wenger has admitted that transfer activity is possible, and hopefully another striker is up there in his priority list.

The decision to start with Gervinho over Walcott was generally approved pre-match (by myself included), but those who gave any initial approval quickly became bemused, as the Ivorian had another one of those days. The sort we grew infuriatingly use to last season.

Another disappointing showing from Gervinho today. Time running out?

Nothing seemed to work for him today. He couldn’t get into the game, struggled to utilise his greatest strength of beating his man, and as usual failed to create any kind of opportunities in the final third. It’s a curious case of a player who can sometimes offer so much, but on occasions such as today could only make up the numbers, and even that looked a battle. He was criminally wasteful and after a brief scan of my twitter time line post match, it appears most are starting to give up on him. I still think he’s worth a bit of faith, as his skill on the ball is apparent, but if this form continues then so will the woes surrounding him.

In the midfield we controlled things very well for the majority of the game. Cazorla, as already mentioned, ran the show to great effect, and the way he has confidence and trust in his ability with the ball at his feet is a joy to behold. The fact we got him for an initial £12m fee in today’s market still astounds me, and at this rate his worth is set to be far greater than that come May.

But whilst Cazorla rightly attracts plenty of plaudits, it’s important we don’t forget the impact of Arteta, correctly named by Sky Sports as Man of the Match today. The finely haired Spaniard is operating slightly deeper than he was last season, and the protection he’s offering the defence has been outstanding in the first two matches. He covered fantastically today, and broke down Stoke’s forward play on several occasions, whilst still performing aptly in his role of linking our own play between defence and attack. It’s the sort of football that goes unnoticed until it goes missing, and since “his” departure to Manchester United, I’d suggest that Arteta is the first name on the team sheet.

Arteta had a fine game for Arsenal today.

Like Gervinho, Abou Diaby was another curious case today and his performance split the opinion of many Arsenal fans post match. I personally thought he did OK, although the amount of times he lost the ball is a concern (28 times in total according to some). Bearing in mind this is a player who is almost as new as a signing, I think we should allow him a few more games before we totally judge. But his movement and strength is obvious, and particularly in the first half he looked in good control of his game.

Defensively there was little to fret about. Kieran Gibbs had another good game despite being caught out of position once or twice, and Carl Jenkinson too was excellent, and is so far proving any of his doubters (of which there are several) wrong. Per Mertesacker and Thomas Vermaelen were again solid in the middle, and it’s going to be a welcomed headache for the Manager to decide how to fit three very good centre backs into the side, when Laurent Koscielny returns from injury.

So whilst it was disappointing not to get all three points, it’s another game unbeaten with a clean sheet. It’s worth noting that we also failed to score in our first two League games last season, and that included a certain Dutchman (before we got to see his true colours), so any panic at the moment is a bit unfounded in my opinion.

Before I conclude, I would hate for this opportunity to pass without mentioning what a set of absolute recto bites Stoke fans are. We have rivalries with Man United, Chelsea and T*ttenham that are all historical and/or geographic, but our rivalry with Stoke is purely a result of what a set of cunts they are. It’s nothing to do with the football, which is very rare and I can’t think of another team that I share that thought/disgust with.

Utter pricks.

It’s a set of fans that spent most of the first half booing our fluent passing, clearly frustrated with the lack of throw-ins they were getting, and also probably slightly embarrassed as to how we were out muscling them early on. This was overcome not by chanting their support for their own side (I only heard their trademark ‘Go-arn Stoke’ twice I think), but actually by placing their full attention on howling at Wenger, a man who has on several occasions mentioned of his distinct lack of interest in their six fingers and the obsession they have with him. And the way they celebrate winning throw-ins, free kicks or even misplaced passes as if they’ve scored is also totally fascinating. They truly are a different breed of human (if you can call them that).

It was capped off with their booing of Ramsey when he was brought on for Cazorla, which suddenly turned into rapturous support in favour of Ryan Shawcross, the man who broke Ramsey’s leg two years ago. It’s classless beyond belief, and has added a whole new meaning to a fixture that three/four years ago had very little associated to it. It would’ve been delightful to stuff them today, but I guess that’s a moment we’ll have to reserve until they come to the Grove in February.

Next we travel to Anfield, and quite simply we need to up our game if we want to take anything from that. They looked good going forward in their 2-2 draw against Man City, but also vulnerable in defence so I’m sure it’ll be an open game with plenty of chances. By then we’ll know for sure which 25 players we have until at least January, and if Wenger’s quotes are anything to go by then we can expect a busy week of rumours, speculation and hopefully some new faces at the end of it.

That can’t take emphasis off the work that is needed to be done on the training field, although it’s definitely game time and playing together that is what’s best for Arsenal right now. It will come together, and when it does it’ll be magical. I still believe that Man United are there for the taking; that Citeh will find the defence of their title tough going; and that Chelsea are sure to go through poor patches too. And all three have conceded two goals in a game already this season, whereas we sit pretty with two clean sheets, although admittedly having played weaker opponents. But even though winning the League is a bit too much to ask this year, a second place finish and a trophy is very possible if we keep key players fit.

But that’s a pretty optimistic long-term view. The next game is the most important thing right now, and three points against Liverpool would give the team a much needed boost heading into a series of difficult League fixtures.

Let’s hope they get it done.

Follow me on twitter: @mattlittlechild

Frustrating Start | Adapting Newbies | Song Gone

It has been well over 24 hours now since the new Premier League season began, and plenty of time to digest and reflect on what we saw unfold at the sun baked Emirates Stadium yesterday, as Sunderland came to town.

Frustration is very much the most popular word I’ve seen to describe the first 90 minutes of the campaign, as Martin O’Neill’s men shut up shop and kept us at bay, ensuring we were unable to take away anything more than a point.

It definitely wasn’t the doom and gloom that several trouble making fans/tweeters/idiotic American television show hosts made it out to be. In fact, there were plenty of positives to take from the match, which made those who brought out the picture of the ‘Wenger Out’ flag look rather a bit pathetic.

The vibrant debut of Santi Cazorla was one such positive, as the Spaniard ran the show in the middle and linked up well with those around him. Plus, his comfort and vision with the ball at his feet gave plenty of reasons for optimism about how his involvement at the club will pan out.

Whilst Cazorla was effective, it was difficult to say the same of another new boy Lukas Podolski. The German played the first hour up front and just struggled to get going and involved before his anticipated withdrawal in place of Olivier Giroud. Giroud had more of an impact, showing some good movement off the ball and probably should’ve scored in the final ten minutes when he was thread through nicely by Cazorla, only to blast wide. Cries of “van Persie would’ve buried that” unnecessarily started to circle around, and I can only imagine that had the ball fallen to Giroud’s stronger left side, he’d have done just that. Not a bad showing from the Frenchman though, and I envisage that with time both he and Podolski will grow into the side and become valuable assets.

New boy Olivier Giroud missed Arsenal's best chance of the game.

We were rarely troubled at the back, but there were still a few familiar nervy moments, which I’m sure will be eased out as Steve Bould stamps his mark and makes the back four unit more cohesive. In midfield we looked in control, and it was great to see Mikel Arteta back in the side, and he looked comfortable sitting as the deepest member of the middle trio offering welcomed support to the back line that was often amiss last season. Almost as satisfying as it was to see Abou Diaby make it through the match unscathed, before he was replaced by Olympian Aaron Ramsey. Both of who will be looking to impress as early as possible this season, as competition for places is sure to be hotter than ever.

Out wide it was a case of the good, the bad, and the ugly. Theo Walcott was one of the weakest players and struggled to make any kind of impact. Gervinho was great with the ball at his feet, and made some mesmerising runs, but much like last year, his final ball and decision making let him down. His barnet is also as peculiar as it was back in May.

I’ve seen a few people say the game had a bit of a pre-season friendly feel about it, and I think that’s a pretty fair analysis. Whilst credit must be given to Sunderland for completing their objective (park the bus and make life as difficult for us as possible) in a successful manner, I think it’s safe to say that we will see much better (and probably a lot worse) from Arsenal over the next nine months.

Let’s not forget too that we have a squad that includes some injuries, plus a few new faces. And with new faces, particularly in key central positions, we must allow time for the players to adapt, and the team to do so around them too. You never know how new players will fare when they switch clubs, especially moving to a new country in the process. I don’t think we quite understand the adaptability that that requires, leaving what’s possibly your family home behind, and moving to an unfamiliar territory where you may not know many people, or speak the mother tongue. It doesn’t always work out for everyone, and failure to settle is not uncommon in football these days.

Having a balanced and harmonious squad is imperative, and Arsene Wenger seems to value that trait at Arsenal. That appears to be backed up by his decision, that was announced shortly after full time yesterday, to sell Alex Song to Barcelona for €20m.

It’s been interesting to view the various reactions to Song’s departure. Some have brushed it off as if it is barely relevant to us, whilst others have made more of a deal out of what it means, losing a player that bagged 14 assists in all competitions last year.

No more stupid beards or hair. Song is gone.

I’m somewhere in the middle of the two. As a player, I thought Song was not complete, but very handy and capable as was proven on more than one occasion last season. Yes, he made mistakes. Mistakes that often put us in a great deal of problems. But while defensively he was lazy and inconsistent, the attacking aspect of his game has improved tenfold over the past year in my opinion. Cutting passes, fantastic dribbling, and (sometimes) sensational lob through balls, Song really developed his ability with the ball at his feet.

But off the field there were issues. Issues that until recently, most (if not all) of us were largely unaware of. The rumours of Wenger’s frustration at Song’s attitude and disruption grew, and it appears that it reached boiling point in the past week as the interest from Barcelona emerged. Whilst the van Persie saga went on and on, there was no such delay in shipping Song out.  And given the manner in which this has unfolded, it’s tough to argue against the fact that there were detrimental problems with Alex Song that made his position at Arsenal untenable.

If Wenger was happy to offload him, then so be it. Song wanted to go to Barcelona and he has got his wish. Now he will no doubt enjoy being Sergio Busquets’ substitute, and Cesc Fabregas’ bitch. All while earning over £100k a week, with a ludicrous buy out clause of €80m. Can’t see anyone activating that any time soon. Or ever.

But life goes on, and another of last years bright sparks heads rather abruptly through the exit door. My main gripe is that again we’ve lost an experienced (and home grown) player, and whilst Song is very replaceable, the 200 appearances he’s amassed for Arsenal aren’t. It’ll be another new boy who will need time to adapt, and although I’m encouraged by the players we’re linked with, I’m concerned as to how long it will take for them to acclimatise to life in the Premier League. It could be a week, it could be a month. You just don’t know until it happens.

It might not take us long to find out though, as reports tonight are claiming that a deal has been reached between Arsenal and Real Madrid for the loan signing of Turkish international Nuri Sahin. This isn’t confirmed, but the rumour is that it’s a €2m up front fee, plus an option to purchase for €8m or first refusal for the permanent transfer of Sahin (depending on who you listen to) next summer. Either way, it’s fantastic business for a player who never got going at Real Madrid, but will add bags of quality to our midfield.

Arsenal bound?

He isn’t the defensive midfield signing many have been craving for though. Several folk still believe we’re close to getting Yann M’Vila, who apparently has played his last game for Rennes tonight. This one’s gone on and on, with Wenger seemingly losing interest due to M’Vila’s fiery behaviour. I’ve no idea what the guy is like, but if that’s true then it would seem weird to get rid of Song due to his attitude only to replace him with someone who is also a possible flight risk.

Still, it’s Wenger’s call and I will continue to trust him to do the right thing. It’s great that we’re linked to such promising players though, and with little under two weeks left of the summer transfer window you can be sure that it’ll be a busy one for Dick Law, Ivan Gazidis and co.

Anyway, it’s Stoke City and their cap-wearing cunt of a manager, steaming piss of a rugby football team and toothless, six fingered set of fans next, a week today. That’ll be a tough one as it always is, so whilst we can drool over potential new recruits, it’s important the team gets focused and prepared for that hideous trip to the Britannia.

I’m sure a lot will happen between now and then. And who knows, we might even have a little bit of Turkish Delight arrive just in time for it.

Fingers crossed.

Follow me on twitter: @mattlittlechild

Summer Lovin' - The Excitement Is Kicking In

The summer is typically a lonely place as a club football fan. Yet it’s 13 weeks exactly since the day that we beat West Brom 3-2 in the final match of the 2011-12 Premier League season, and that time hasn’t disappeared quite as slowly as it has in previous years gone.

Largely because of the welcomed distractions of both the European Championships in Ukraine and Poland, as well as the soon to be finished Olympic Games, of which the latter has certainly enhanced all kinds of national pride, in addition to proving that maybe there’s more to the wide world of sport than getting worked up about 11 blokes running around every Saturday afternoon earning all kinds of ridiculous money that the likes of you and I could only dream of having. London 2012 has certainly been a fantastic spectacle though, and I for one have loved every minute of it.

While this has been happening and with our attention slightly skewed, the business of Arsenal Football Club has continued to work and it certainly hasn’t been a quiet summer (if there is such a thing for the club) down at the Grove.

As it stands, I think we’ve had a fantastic summer in the transfer market. We’ve signed three proven International footballers in the form of Lukas Podolski, Olivier Giroud, and most recently Santi Cazorla, who all add quality, depth and variation to our attacking unit. And on paper, as it stands, it’s an attacking unit that in my opinion is only bettered by that of Manchester City, by a margin that is now a lot smaller than it was in May.

But there are three telling words that I used twice in the previous paragraph that have the potential to nullify our good work to date in the market, and change it into “another one of those summers” for Arsenal. Because ‘as it stands’ is not a closed statement. It’s very much liable to change, much like the state of our squad before the window closes at the end of the month. And there are clouds still circling above the heads of Messrs’ van Persie, Song and Walcott surrounding their futures at the club.

Every cloud has a silver lining, though. All three were in action today as Arsenal completed their pre-season in style with a prolific 4-0 win away at Cologne and I’m taking that as a positive. Walcott played the first half and looked sharp, linking up well with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Cazorla whilst finding plenty of space on the right flank. Song came on at half time, and was hit and miss as we’ve seen so often in the past. And van Persie? Well, he played. Which is more than some people expected. 

Should I stay or should I go?

I can’t pretend to know what’s going on with any of them, and whether or not their inclusions today have any real substance to them. Obviously Arsene Wenger wants all of his players (of which they remain for now at least) prepared, fit and able to contribute in our first League match of the new campaign next Saturday against Sunderland. If I were a betting man, I’d say I think Walcott and Song will stay. With the former signing a new deal (why wouldn’t he?) and the latter giving us at least another year, before he inevitably decides he’d rather polish Fabregas’ boots in Catalonia.

The grey area (and I’m not just talking about his hair) is mainly around van Persie, and the widely reported interest of Manchester United. I can understand players wanting to return home to Barcelona, or being lured to Citeh due to their mega bucks. But I cannot accept any kind of suggestion of selling our club captain and best player to United, given our great rivalry, history and mainly the fact that they are totally beatable this season. We’ve taken a lot of shit in recent years about how we’ve lost so many key players to other leading European clubs. Some of it deserved, some not. But to deliver van Persie to Old Trafford would essentially be waiving a great big white flag to that city as a whole, and surrender any true claims we might have that we can compete with them at the top of the League this season. Which at present, I believe we can.

When his statement first came out, I was all for selling him as quickly as possible. But as it’s gone on and on, and now that they appear to be the only club seriously in the running for him, my tone has changed. Let’s hold him to his contract, then if he wants to go after that then so be it. Even if United are willing to cough up £25m for him, let’s still reject the pricks. Another year of RVP in this progressing side could be invaluable if we have a trophy to celebrate at the end of it.

Either way, the new season is now almost upon us and I couldn’t be more excited. The new signings have genuinely heightened expectations amongst most supporters from what I’ve seen, and we’re all raring to go against Sunderland next Saturday.

If today’s fixture against Cologne showed us anything, it’s that Wenger has got plenty of options available to him. Ok, let’s not kid ourselves. Cologne was relegated from the Bundesliga last season, and certainly don’t pose the same threat that you’d get from any Premier League side. But it’s still enjoyable to see us run riot, and it’ll no doubt be a big confidence boost for the squad.

We looked assured going forward, with Cazorla running the show in the first half from the advanced central midfield role. Podolski, Giroud and Walcott worked well as the front trio, and the German will be boosted particularly after grabbing two goals in the game. Giroud had chances of his own that he failed to convert, but certainly showed enough with his movement and awareness to prove that he too will score goals this season. The Ox worked hard in a deeper role, and in the second half there were promising passages of play from both Gervinho and Andrei Arshavin, neither of whom should be overlooked.

Cazorla made an instant impression in Arsenal's 4-0 win over Cologne.

Abou Diaby impressed me most out of the more holding type midfielders, with Song often lethargic and Francis Coquelin exposed on a couple of occasions. Defensively there was little to be worried about, but I’m beginning to prefer Andre Santos to Kieran Gibbs in the left back role. And I don’t envy Wenger’s centre back dilemma, with Thomas Vermaelen, Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny all pitching decent arguments for a starting birth against Sunderland, who are sure to ask more questions of our back four than Cologne did today.

Pre-season expectation is a dangerous state of mind, but I see no reason to be anything other than confident and excited ahead of the new Premier League campaign. There’s business still to be done, but right now we’re looking good.

Roll on August 18^th, and all the highs and lows that are set to follow.

Follow me on twitter: @mattlittlechild