Showing posts with label Arsenal FC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arsenal FC. Show all posts

Sunday, January 13, 2019

Emery-Ozil Cold War




Well, it's a dreadful situation for Arsenal since the 22 game unbeaten run ended. Huge loss at Anfield exposed our thinning options defensively along with strange decisions in team selection made by Unai Emery; concerning Ozil mainly.

Clearly, the tactical excuse Emery gives out whenever Ozil isn't picked in games or strangely substituted (e.g. Away at Brighton) tells only one thing.

Our head coach doesn't know how to manage the club's biggest player. A deja vu feeling if we time travel to last season in Paris where Neymar. Jr and Emery had similar problems at PSG.

To be honest, Ozil could have left Arsenal last January or before this season for free but he stayed to follow the legacy of his Invincible role models.

However, bad fortunes followed him as Germany crashed out of the WC '18's 1st round. And ironically despite being their best player even statistically, he ended up getting the most stick from pundits and media.

Things got way too intense as he surprisingly retired from international scene, citing discrimination and severe pressure surrounding his controversial pre world cup meeting with Turkish PM Erdogan.

Regardless, his club team-mates stood by him with support and confidence as pre-season approached along with praise from Emery himself which seems to have lost in the latter's words when he has been asked about Ozil lately.

The most important player at Arsenal, one of the five chosen captains by Emery himself, is being sidelined from the starting.line-up. Even Wenger hadn't been that way with Bergkamp in the latter's final season.

It's sad and sounds stupid when Emery defines Ozil's omission from the team as tactical. What tactical reason could it be to keep the player who's created the most chances across the Europe's Top five leagues since July 2006?

It felt very senseless to see Iwobi start ahead of Ozil yesterday even after he was fully fit and trained with full throttle. And to what gain, losing to West Ham whom we defeated comfortably at home.

As if it wasn't enough to let Wilshere leave early for West Ham and now allowing Ramsey to go as well for free, what could possibly be gained from putting down Ozil when Arsenal need him the most?! 

Not having the highest earning playmaker in your starting 11? Board may give Emery a thumping for it though as if Stan would care.

If anything that is to be learned from one season as PSG's boss, Emery should not repeat the same mistakes with the former German play-maker as he did while handling Neymar Jr. More in fact, Ozil is far more humble and has better attitude than the Brazilian star.

So watch out, Emery! Fans may fly out banners really soon if Ozil isn't in the starting line up going forward as United is on our trail and the tactical omission of German is not doing good for anyone.

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Feiry Flams & Stunning Sanchez: Reasons for Gunners to Rejoice

Last week's dreadful show and this week's display makes a perfect moment to recall a famous line of Al Pacino in The Godfather III movie which was, "Äs soon as I thought I was out, they pulled me back in."

Yes, this is the week to bask in immense delight for all the Goonars as Arsenal made a statement to quiet down all the doubters and put a stop to the taunts by many that a top class proven striker is what Gunners actually require to fight for the title. Well, not so much if you take in the accounts of how we played at White Hart Lane in our Capitol One Cup tie against Tottenham but last night practically shut down all the critics who has the fan drive against the Gunner's boss.

Wednesday night seemed to be a bit of stuttering approach as fresh loss to Chelsea was looming over the players and the absence of Coquelin, due to injury, saw two veterans Arteta and Flamini filling in the position with no Cazorla in the squad along with Ospina, Debuchy and Campbell coming in the line up.

Flamini Shines for Arsenal in Capital One Cup
That seemed to be working against the team until Flamini popped in the picture, scoring his first on the rebound, followed by a spectacular volley finish that completely broke down Spurs and saw them out of the competition on a night where Giroud again came a bit clueless with his approach on the goal.

However when dumping our North London rivals in a slightly fortunate manner wasn't enough, a complete assault came in at Leicester in the Premiere League fixture yesterday where the Gunners finally went in with all guns blazing on the offensive, particularly with the man in question who lead the Arsenal goal scoring stat last season - Alexis Sanchez And also especially against the only team with an unbeaten record in the League which seemed unstoppable till the very game at their home.

Alexis Sanchez is back with a Bang.
After giving away the first goal in the early minutes of the game, Arsenal had the hard work cut out against a strong team laid out in front of them by Claudio Raneiri but the counter attacking mindset paid off with Walcott equalizing due to an excellent pass by Santi Cazorla.

Then came in the dazzling Chilean with an appetite, scoring his first of the season on a Bellerin cross, then heading off an excellent Ozil lob for his second which by his his trademark long shot finish from 20 odd yards to bag his first hat-trick in the Premiere League.

Although, Jamie Vardy scored again following his first to make the Gunners nervous but Giroud came off the bench to grab the fifth and end the powerful run of Leicester City to a complete stop.

Wenger rejoiced following Arsenal's strong Comeback.
This victorious week has given great boost to the fact that Arsene Wenger had given the fans a great reason to get behind him and most importantly the team itself. Moreover, questions that loomed about having a renowned proven striker signing might be out to rest as all three designated forwards were on the score sheet.

However, the need of a strong defensive midfield back up seems to be the area that should concern Wenger the most as Flamini and Arteta could only provide limited cover for Coquelin, the man who has become the actual anchor for Arsenal since last season.

Although he would be back in a week's time to face Manchester United at home but any serious injury to him may leave Gunners on the back-foot so let's hope he stays fit along with Arteta and Flamini in the squad till January transfer window.


What's your opinion on it? Do tell through your comments and Thank you once again for reading. Till next time, Come On You Gunners!! Cheers.






Sunday, September 13, 2015

Stoke Test Cleared, Dynamo Up Next. Champion's League Dream begins "Again"

Gunners Relieved to have their names in the Scoring sheet against Stoke City .
Greetings as I write this post on almost the eve of the Europe's's greatest club football competition of this season involving all the big guns. And with delight too as Arsenal picked up three comfortable points as they won strongly.Especially after a lot of disappointing criticism made of the club's transfer handling this season following by some really nervous performances up front.

Waclott embraced on his fist PL goal of the Season
Some solid performances from Coquelin in the heart of midfield with Cazorla and it would be quite impossible not to mention Ozil and who was the caterer of the attack fest with Ramsey and Sanchez to give Walcott numerous opportunities to score. And score he did in the first half following by a strong headed finish by the much crticized Arsenal front man Giroud.

All in all, a great comeback performance by the team as for at least a few days, Arsene Wenger would find himself in a slight comfort zone and so will Giroud and Walcott. As for some fans who would still say that Gunners were not really convincing last evening winning against Stoke City at home, I would say that they expect far too much, watching far too many games of star studded opposition teams annihilating mid table to lower grade teams. 

Finally some joy for the Frenchman
Just to give them a comparison of yesterday's fixtures in the League, our London rivals Chelsea (Defending Champions - Premiere League) were crushed by Everton at Goodison Park, making it their third defeat already in total of 5 matches so far with just 4 points.

However, we now move on to the bigger stage as the battlegrounds are now being ready in Europe for the UEFA Champion's League with us drawn against Dynamo Zagreb, Olympiakos and German Champions Bayern Munich . Most importantly, all that talk of getting a star signing up front would really come into question as we visit Dynamo at their home for our first game of group stages. 

So far, Arsenal have not made it further than the last 16 in the UCL since last 5 seasons and being one of top renowned clubs among the Europe's elite, it is a huge concern for Wenger whose dream to win the Champions League has gradually transformed into a fantasy. 
Wenger not deserting hope for UCL Glory

The pressure to perform well against Dynamo in a away game shouldn't be of too much intensity for a top club but for Arsenal, there is always tons of pressure to do well in the Champion's League. Now with a shameful benchmark set by the club as per past performances in UCL, the primary objective for Arsene Wenger should be the breaking of that self created "Round 16" barrier convincingly and taking each games piece by piece. Rest is all faith

To say that the Dream can become reality for the Professor would be a far fetched idea but for sure, almost fans would get really excited to see Arsenal in the Quarter Finals at the Champion's league.

What do you think? Do leave a comment below and thanks again for reading patiently! Salud. COYG!!









Monday, September 7, 2015

Three Ws under the "Spotlight" post Transfer Window

Hello again and here is the latest post after another trademark Transfer Window for the Gunners came to a close. This time around, Gooners were given another heartache when Arsenal couldn't add an outfield player after despite a handful of players linked to us.

Especially with one news piece showing pics of Wenger flying to Paris to supposedly secure the signatures of Cavani and Rabiot which has been the recent hug rumour after Benzema links were openely rubbished by the player himself.

Wenger under fire again as Usual
Unfortunately, it all ended up in dust as no deals materialized or as most Gooners think that it is the attitude and approach of the Arsenal boss that has lead them to have see the only new face in the form Petr Cech this summer.

This may not be true but but things have gone from bad to worst as Danny Welbeck had to go through a knee surgery on the following day of the Transfer Deadline which has rules him out till Christmas. Or even further beyond till March of next year as Roy Hodgson has stated that the England striker may not be included in the squad for the upcoming Euro 2016 in France. 

The assessment on Welbeck's situation had already been known to Arsene Wenger before the transfer deadline day on as the "minor" bone injury which has kept him out since April of this year, had become a mysterious issue taking his return to action into consideration.

Welbeck's return delayed till Christmas or beyond?
That certainly puts the Gunner's boss in the shooting range and the trust has seemingly faded among the fans, considering how things have been taken care off recently in terms of getting a guaranteed goal scorer to boost our Title winning chances.

With only a single goal scored by an Arsenal player out of the three in the first 4 games in the season makes one question the tactics used by Arsene Wenger which has led in failure to sign a top new striker for the club. 

Meanwhile, hope may not be all lost as Theo Walcott starred for the Three Lions at San Marino, scoring a brace while playing on the flanks as usual two nights ago. 

Although San Marino is a team which England has fancied playing against over the last 15 months, winning every time with larger margins but Walcott must have gained some confidence after his performance and hopefully, he will work hard to restore the somewhat lost faith of Arsenal fans in him and especially Wenger.

Walcott on the score sheet for England at San Marino
Moreover, Joel Campbell's sale was also blocked to keep him as a back up so he may get a shot in the first team as well to play in the front line. That may be enough to keep the club going on for now but all depends on how Walcott and Giroud deliver up front aside from Sanchez and the ever versatile midfield possessed by Gunners till January window. 

For now, Walcott, Wenger and Welbeck - the three Ws of Arsenal would have to work individually in their paths to achieve the unified primary objective for the Club to make it stronger in the league. Waclott needs to score more, Wenger needs to gain back faith among the fans and Welbeck to get fit till December.

Tell us what you think by leaving a comment or two and thanks again for reading. Salud!






Sunday, August 30, 2015

St. James Park reveals Nervous Strikers ahead of Transfer Window Deadline

Well, it seemed an eventful night for both; Gunners and their fans when Match Day 4 kicked off with our game against the Magpies. 

A Solid defensive performance followed by a Persistent attack by a midfield (Even without Ozil) proved to be too Strong for New Castle United who were reduced to 10-men after Mitrovic Red Card.
The result on the sheet was all smiles as we came away with all 3 points from St. James Park making 7 point from 4 games (2 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss).
 
Ironically, both our winners in the away games have been own goals and that is too out of total of 3 goals scored so far by the Gunners in 4 games. That states a whole different story about the Gunners who may well have claimed to be ready the Title Challenge.

Walcott seing end of the line?
Surprising as it may be with all the players shining in the pre-season, it feels that all was an illusion after all. Especially after seeing The Player (Walcott) whose demand for signing the new contract was to be the Main Man upfront and then not delivering when we needed the most. 

On the day when Arsene Wenger gave Walcott the golden chance, before the Transfer window ends, to show his true worth as the strike-force upfront, he wasted the opportunity to stamp his name in the position by failing miserably time to time.
Struggles of Giroud continue.

In the last 20, Giroud took over and showed his physical presence but just like last week at home against Liverpool, he was still ineffective in front of the goal . He looked to be to trying too hard but came off with nothing in the end.




For the Arsenal Boss, it seemed a more revealing time to realize that he would have to pull out his chequebook and find a last minute solution to the goal scoring area which looks to be the only leaky hole in need of being fixed without wasting a moment.


Arsenal Boss doing some deep thinking.
A dilemma that's been often highlighted all this Summer by critics, former legends and most of all, the Goonars.

They want to see a Star Signing in the front!

However, the eminent striker's arrival may be exerting extreme pressure on the shoulders of both apparent culprits in the central striker position as it would only mean dropping down the ladder and fighting for the place at all cost.

Both Giroud and Walcott are fine players with the latter having pace and the ability to slide past the defense of any team while the former possesses the physical strength and the confidence to score at crucial times but these qualities appear to be lost at the start of the season. 

Maybe the fear of slipping down the food chain is keeping both the players from performing on their optimum levels, leaving them nervous at every start they have gotten so far.

This leaves Arsene Wenger in a very excruciating circumstance amidst all the pressure coming from the fans and critics which may force him to act despite the fact that Welbeck will be ready for action in a fortnight.

It all remains unseen until the last tick of the clock which may well decide the fate of the Duo coming this Monday night at 00:00 hrs.

That's all for now. Do leave your comments please on what you think and thanks once again for reading. Cheers!






Thursday, January 10, 2013

Transfer Window Speculation begins with all eyes on Wenger

Well, well, well, here we go again with our first post of this year as the transfer window is underway and word has it that the hardcore Gooners want the Arsenal boss to pick an " impact" signing this January.

Although, the strike force in the club's First Eleven has been in impressive form in the first half of the season, sentiments are very high on bringing a match-winner which can boost the Arsenal's offense as lethal as the Premiere Leagues Top-four.

However, Mr. Arsene Wenger have a different way of seeing things. His structural approach is one of the reasons why he turned his face away from Demba Ba, who hinted his interest clearly in becoming a Gooner.

Fans await a Wenger Surprise - if any this January.
With Ba now signed off at Stamford Bridge to Chelsea, Arsenal's boss has hardly a few good options left in the market to satisfy the fans at the Emirates Stadium.

A statement is already out at the press conference earlier last week from Wenger that 'not a lot will happen' in this January cause of limited money at hand as most of the major clubs already packed with their fair share of star-players.

This can only mean that not much may happen for Arsenal this month since the combination in the first team is gelling up very nicely but given how Wenger can surprise you with a deal too good to believe, one can only wonder what the French Maestro could bring to the table.

Whether a new player or not, Arsenal's boss would most definitely want to have Theo Walcott's signature on  a new long-term contract at Emirates to make sure that faith in Arsenal's fan can be fully restored after the damages caused by the departure of star players RVP, Fabregas, Nasri and Alex Song have appeared to be more taxing.

What is more decisive of Wenger's movement is this weeks crucial game against the Barclays Premiere League champions Manchester City who are eager to close the gap between their rivals home rivals United.

Thanks for reading this post and dont forget to leave a comment.

Cheers.




Monday, December 31, 2012

Hi-5 Gunner's New Year cake still awaits the Walcott Icing

Hello Again and welcome to another edition of fan rants and a review on how Arsenal find steady feet in the Premiere League table.

Yes, the French Mastermind has pulled the Gunners back into the Top 5 once again as they ran a riot at Emirates, dismantling John Pardew's Newcastle this past Saturday night.

A match which see-sawed and leveled as goals were fired from both ends with classy finishes, ended with supreme dominance lead by England's star Theo Walcott who was sublime throughout the match, earning his 2nd hat-trick of the season.

Not to leave the French substitute Olivier Giroud who along with Walcott showed what he is capable of by scoring twice within seven minutes of his stepping on the field.

The victory not only ends the Mid-Season and the 2012 on the high note, giving the fans a great reason to rejoice and redeem our faith in Arsene Wenger but also makes the January Transfer window interesting for Arsenal.

Walcott - A Certainly Uncertain Gunner 
Yet the cherry on the cake remains in doubt as Theo Walcott drags his decision to renew his contract with Arsenal into 2013 and the threat of losing the Arsenal's only senior striker becomes more eminent as he would be permitted to speak to other clubs in the January Transfer Window.

While on the other hand, the UEFA Champions Leagues last-16 draws have made the Gunner's season even more tougher as they travel to Munich to face Bayern for their first leg.

Not only that, Premiere League champions Manchester City travel to Emirates on the 2nd weekend of January as they look to clear off points to regain the top slot in the league table.

So it all depends on Arsene Wenger to conjure up a deal which is too good for Walcott to refuse and have his future certain at Arsenal as the English star is very pivotal role-model for his national team-mates at the Emirates.

Tell us What you think and Thank you once again for reading with patience.

Happy Holidays and Cheers!!







Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Capital Shootout Critically Dealt in Reading


And We are back with a late addition to cover the recent ridiculously symmetrical displays of Gunners at away games over the last 10 days. It also includes late night's overpowering away Victory at Reading in the Premiere League.

Yes, again the voices were raised and the mouths were left gaping in shock when Arsenal were seen off by a League 2 minnows Bradford in the Capital One Cup Quarter Final last Wednesday.

Another Tremor hitting performance where the Gunners played an all-strength team and their strikers still couldn't find the back of the opponent's net till the dying moments of the game; thanks to Le Capitiane Vermaelen who had to leave his defensive post to do the offensive task as well.

Bradford, in their home turf, seemed to dictate the terms to Arsenal in the end at the penalty shootout after being pressed on with only 36% possession on the field during the entire 120 minutes.

This humiliating elimination from the smallest competition added further fuel to the already fiery question among the critics and the Arsenal fans whether 'if Arsene Wenger can further do Arsenal any good".

Furthermore, Theo Walcott has become more adamant in signing a new deal with the Gunners and the talks of Henry's probably 3rd stint in the January Transfer with Usmanov mentioning him in a role more inspiring than just a borrowed player, has pushed Wenger a step closer to the electric chair.

Somehow, Wenger has silenced Arsenal critics with his side crushing Reading on the opponent's play-ground 5-2 where Santi 'Clause' Cazorla registered his first Hat-trick in the Premiere League.

Gunners Redeemed - For now.
This emphatic victory helped Arsenal to jump back up in the Top 5 of the League and maybe a slight outside chance to challenge the title race.

However, this could ll depend on what Wenger does in the January Transfer Window.

Other Positive news at the Emirates are the young starlets JackWilshere, Aaron Ramsey and Oxlade-Chamberlain willing to re-new  their vows with the Club for longer terms.

Questions for now at the Emirates are: Will Theo leave? Can Wenger muster up some A-class confidence and sign a Star player?

Let's see how it pans out at this weekend's away Brawl at Wigan. Do let us know what you think about it and thanks again for patiently reading it.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Derailing once again but in Slow Motioned Denial

Hey Everyone,

It is indeed almost the Mid Season with Christmas and Transfer window opening again in January. 15 Games into the Barclay's Premiere League and the Gunners have been shaken down to stumble even further low than they had been in the last season of 2011-12.


When losing Star players Van Persie to rivals Manchester United and Alexander Song to Barcelona wasn't already a sore moment for the fans, Wenger's men lacked the zing right from the start. Vermaelen being named the Captain with new faces in the attack, fans were already feeling queasy about the team. 



However, Arsenal showed some character through the Midfield Starlet Cazorla and Podolski who took charge and saw their team winning 4 off the first 7 games with the rest ending draws. 



Hopes were rekindled but only to get tarnished by Chelsea's visit to Emirates Stadium where Arsenal's display wasnt bad but the cracks seemed to appear once more which we have seen over the last 7 years. Their lack of hunger to win. 



Visit to Old Trafford wasn't much exciting either with RVP's so called "Replacement" Giroud misfiring every time his foot found the ball in the opponent's box.



Wenger's worries have grown more drastic as Theo Walcott, one of the retained players since Thierry Henry left, is adamant in signing another contract with the Gunners.



Last 5 league games have seen Arsenal slipped down to 10th spot in the Table with only a single victory at home and despite qualifying for the Knock-out stages of UEFA Champion's league, Wenger's slightly baffling player selection for the last game against Olympiakos resulted in another away defeat.



As the time passes, the fans lose their faith in the Manager's decision making style. With the owners already declaring the Club's inability to spend too much in getting Big players, Arsene having difficult to find a reasonable excuse for recent failures, one must wonder whether the direction is ever going to change or it would be the same repeat film where the plot is too secure "4th Spot" in the League?



Can the Philosophy change? If not, then what can give the fans a chance to see something Magical in this Season?



A combined feeling is, Arsenal is derailing in the race to win a Trophy but it cant be said yet if the damage is repairable or not.



Do let us know what you think and Thanks for reading it out.



Cheers!!