Just What The Doctor Ordered

Take Your Chances Arsenal

2008-08-22T11:01:00.003+01:00

Gut Feeling: After three important points on the opening day of the season with a slow stuttering performance I have a feeling that Arsenal will put on a show against Fulham. I think they will keep a clean sheet and win by two or three goals.

What Arsenal Need: As with every game, Arsenal need three points and no injuries, but apart from that I think that most Gooners will be looking for a performance worth talking about.

Hope for the Match: I'd like to see Arsenal breaking with pace when they gain possession of the ball, instead of the often slow build ups they prefer. I just think back to the invincibles and recall so many goals scored from lightning counter-attacks, where three or four players sprint like their lives depend on it to be part of the attack.

Hopes For The Rest of the Transfer Window: Wenger still needs to by a replacement for Flamini and after watching the Swiss friendly this week it looks more likely that it will be Gokhan Inler. A signing most would applaud.

I called for Wenger to make a Harry Redknap type signing of an old school Keown-style centre half after the West Brom game and my wish came true. I didn't expect it to be Silvestre, but he ticks all the boxes... Premiership and Champions League experience, vocal, versatile and good against long balls.

Team Selection: Nasri has recovered from his injury and will feature against Fulham, which is a God send as he provides much needed creativity. Fabregas is still recovering from his injury and summer exploits but he may feature against FC Twente.

Amidst all the speculation that the Silvestre signing would automatically cause Djourou to be sent out on loan, I'd actually start the young Swiss defender on Saturday. He deserves to retain his place and I'd leave Toure on the bench. I honestly believe that Djourou could be a star for Arsenal in the coming years.

Surely Song can't be in the starting lineup, after his return from China? But suddenly it looks like we have lots of depth at centre half with Gallas, Toure, Djourou, Senderos, Song and Silvestre providing lost of choices for Wenger.

I'm not sure why Wenger started Bendtner over van Persie against West Brom but I truly hope to see the Dutchman line up alongside Adebayor at kick-off. Until Wenger buys a ready made defensive midfielder he'll have to choose between Eboue, Ramsay and perhaps Song to partner Denilson in moidfield.

I heard a rumour that Vela got injured whilst away with Mexico but Arsenal haven't confirmed it, so we'll wait and see.

Team selection for this game:

van Persie, Adebayor

Nasri, Denilson, Eboue, Walcott

Clichy, Gallas, Djourou, Sagna

Almunia

Subs: Fabianski, Silvestre, Song, Toure, Wilshere, Vela, Bendtner

Unavailable: Rosicky, Eduardo, Fabregas, Diaby, Senderos, Toure

Prediction: Fulham 0 Arsenal 3

Dutch Class and Silvester the Cat

2008-08-21T10:03:00.001+01:00

It was good to see van Persie on the scoresheet for Holland against Russia during the pointless international friendlies last night. Let's hope we see more of this throughout the coming season for Arsenal.I've always argued that he was Arsenal's most talented player but injury has plagued his career.

On a different note I'm a little non-plussed about the signing of Silvestre the Cat. A lot of Gooners are questioning why the likes of Pires and Campbell didn't get the two year contract that the new acquisition has received. Silvestre has suggested on ATVO that he isn't coming to sit on the bench and that he'll play CB but how will this affect the development of most importantly Djourou but also Senderos?

I guess beggars can't be choosers and when Gooners moan that we have no depth and that any depth we do have is largely inexperienced, this should be seen as an intelligent addition to the squad. But will Gooners be able to forgive and forget his previous 9 seasons as a Red Devil?

Job Done, Poor Performance

2008-08-14T10:33:00.000+01:00

Gut Feeling: Prior to the match I thought we'd maintain 60% of possession, with neat intricate passing but no real end result. I expected Arsenal to create and then miss a bus load of chances and eek out a one nil win.

What transpired: Well we did eek out a win, but our passing and tempo were way below par and for the majority of the match we were outplayed. They didn't link well through midfield and it seemed like we passed the ball back to Almunia more often than necessary.

What Arsenal Needed: Arsenal needed a win and not to concede, which is what occured but they also needed a good performance. They got the job done but I was disappointed with the performance. I don't recall any moments of skill or determination that got me out of my seat. There was no spark.

Things To Watch Out For in the Next Few Games: With Diaby out for a month, I think he'll miss his chance to cement the DM position. Just like last year when Gilberto was injured and lost out to Flamini, but I've got no idea who could step up and make the position their own. In my opinion its not just about finding a player with the performance to match Flamini, but replacing his personality and passion on the pitch. I don't recall one game last year where he didn't run himself ragged, regardless of Arsenal's team performance. To be honest, this is my greatest concern for the upcoming season.

Hopes For The Rest of the Transfer Window: Obviously Arsenal need a high energy, sharp tackling, tireless defensive midfielder to replace Flamini. I cannot see this replacement coming from within the current squad.

Most Gooners would agree that Wenger also needs to buy an old-school Keown-style defender. We need to strengthen up against long balls that would have been bread and butter with the likes of Campbell, Adams and Keown in the side.

To be honest, I'd be happy for Wenger to make one or two Harry Redknap type purchases. You know what I mean, some free-agent, twilight of their career players, who can give us leadership and experience. Look how influential Bergkamp was in his last few years at Arsenal.

Team Selection: Basically Wenger had almost no real choices to make with team selection. The back five chose themsleves, with Djourou the only senior replacement available to cover for Toure. I'm pretty sure no Gooners argued with his choice for the back five. It was a no brainer.

The real issues were in midfield. I'd argue that Arsenal's four first choice midfielders were unavailable last night so Wenger had to play a Carling Cup midfield. And I'm afraid it showed too.

Up front was the only place where the first choice players were available. Saying that they looked tired and rusty.

Team selection for this game:

van Persie, Adebayor

Walcott, Denilson, Ramsay, Eboue

Clichy, Gallas, Djourou, Sagna

Almunia

Subs: Fabianski, Hoyte, Gibbs, Randall, Wilshere, Vela, Bendtner

Unavailable: Rosicky, Eduardo, Fabregas, Diaby, Toure, Senderos, Nasri

Result: FC Twente 0 Arsenal 2

Arsenal v. Reading - A Preview

2008-04-19T07:40:00.002+01:00

Gut Feeling: Two wins in thirteen matches is the worst run of form and some would say the worst run of bad luck and missed refereeing decisions in recent years. To be fair within the poor run was the odd half where we played very well. Ever the optimistic Arsenal fan I think if we get a bit of luck and we play like we did during the better parts of our poor run, that Arsenal could get an impressive win today.

What Arsenal Need: Everyone concerned with Arsenal are desparate for a win today, from the groundsman, through the coaching staff to the millions of fans spread across the world. It's been a really tough time to be an Arsenal fan over the last few months with little to shout about apart from the awesome win against AC Milan. More than anyone though, Wenger will be desparate to put what he described as the worst week of his Arsenal career behind him. The players will be up for chasing Chelsea down for second place, so all concerned should be 100% focussed.

Things To Watch Out For: I want to see effort today. I want them to play like their life depends on it, not like they're going through the motions, trying not to get hurt before this summers European Championships.

Hopes For The Match: I hope they get the result they deserve today and by that I mean if they have two thirds of the possession and ten shots on goal... they win. Too often in the last few months Arsenal haven't got what they deserved.

So I hope we see the wingers (or should I say players playing out of position on the wing) getting crosses in from the byline. I hope we see the full backs overlapping and doing the same. I hope we defend with a high intensity a al Flamini rather than having the defensive midfielder sitting passively in front of the back four. And finally I hope they take a decent percentage of their chance in front of goal. If we convert one chance in four we could score three or four today.

Team Selection: I think Wenger needs to juggle the team a little bit. With Gilberto sure to leave in the summer some would say that Wenger should play him as a courtesy and a thank you. Whilst others would say that football never stands still and that Song or Diaby deserve a chance to start in the centre of midfield in Flamini's absence.

I believe that Eboue is a right back and not a winger and the stats support my argument. He hardly ever crosses the ball when he plays as a winger and the majority of his passes are backwards to the right back. I would put Kolo back where he is comfortable in the centre of defence and play Eboue as a right back.

By moving Eboue back into defence it leaves a deserved starting berth for Walcott on the right wing. This is the kind of game he should start. If he doesn't start today and Diaby starts in front of him, he should feel rightly aggrieved. Wenger needs to use these last four matches to give the youngsters that deserve playing time, the minutes they deserve.

My team selection for this game:

van Persie, Adebayor

Hleb, Gilberto, Fabregas, Walcott

Clichy, Gallas, Toure, Eboue

Lehmann

Subs: Fabianski, Senderos, Diaby, Song, Bendtner

Unavailable: Almunia, Rosicky, Eduardo, Hoyte, Flamini, Sagna

Other issues: I feel that Arsenal's total lack of proper wingers has let them down this year. Walcott is a striker, even Wenger has said so. Diaby is only a slightly better left winger than Heskey was, but looks equally uncomfortable on the left flank. Hleb and Rosicky are both central attacking midfielders. There is no real width in the first team squad. Arsenal need to buy two wingers this summer and yes I know Vela can play on the wing but he is actually a striker.

Prediction: Arsenal 3 Reading 0

The Wonder of You and Bring a Scarf

2007-10-22T18:47:00.000+01:00

Arsenal have adopted the 1970 Elvis Presley number 1 "The Wonder of You" as the their equivalent to Liverpool's "You'll Never Walk Alone". The Elvis classic is played just minutes before the Gunners take the pitch and it has divided opinion. Many traditionalist Arsenal fans have erred away from the newly adopted song, whilst others have taken the song to their hearts.

Although no intelligent Arsenal fan can deny the financial implications of the move away from Highbury, many lament the move. Some point to the Board's failure to mount the Clock End Clock within the new stadium as a mindless oversight and an insult to the history of the Club. Football fans are creatures of habit and superstition and as a result they resist change and take time to adopt new traditions.

But I believe the club's choice is a good one and I can only hope that one day it'll be sung with the spine-tingling passion of "You'll Never Walk Alone" at Anfield. For those of you who don't know the words, here they are.

The Wonder of You

When no-one else can understand me
When everything I do is wrong
You give me hope and consolation
You give me strength to carry on

And you're always there to lend a hand
In everything I do
Thats the wonder
The wonder of you

And when you smile the world is brighter
You touch my hand and Im a king
Your kiss to me is worth a fortune
Your love for me is everything

I guess I'll never know the reason why
You love me like you do
Thats the wonder
The wonder of you

As a matter of interest Port Vale have been running out to the sound of "The Wonder of You", so technically we're stealing it from them but that's no big issue. I'm pretty sure that 60,000 Arsenal fans singing the song at the Grove will sound a lot better than a three or four thousand singing it at Vale Park.

Just remember that both Celtic and Fulham both claim to have been singing "You'll Never Walk Alone" before it was adopted by Liverpool. So it's not about who sung it first, it's more about who does it best.

So sing up tonight and bring a scarf.

Arsenal v. Bolton - My Predictions

2007-10-20T08:41:00.000+01:00

Gut Feeling: I try not to be optimistic for the sake of it. I usually curb my enthusiasm for Arsenal when predicitng results in games but I feel as though today should be a comfortable win for the Gunners. With Anelka out for the visitors their scoring threat will be diminshed and I can't see them keeping up with the high tempo passing the young Gunners will have on display.

What Arsenal Need: An early goal will make all the difference. If it's still scoreless after half an hour the crowd will start to get disgruntled and Bolton will gain in confidence. Bolton will come out all fired up and I just hope that no-one gets caught by any silly tackles from the visitors. We don't need any more injuries.

The Gunners need to take a better percentage of their chances in front of goal. If they can take one chance in three or even one in four they'll average three or four goals a game because the statistics show they create ten or twelve chances a game.

Things To Watch Out For: I'll be watching Gallas closely throughout the match because I don't think we've seen the best of him in a red shirt and hopefully there's more to come from him. I'm still not sure if the partnership between him and Toure is as good as everyone presumes. I like one mobile, dynamic centre back paired with a more robust 'big-man' and I feel as though Toure and Gallas are too similar, which is why I'm looking forward to seeing Djourou play for the Gunners again in January.

Hopes For The Match: I hope Eduardo has a good game as I really like him. Without wishing to jinx him, I feel like he's the elusive 'fox-in-the-box' Wenger has been looking for since Pires left. Before you say Pires was no 'fox-in-the-box' stick the Invincibles DVD in and see how many goals he scores from 6 yards out. Eduardo should have an extended run in the team as a result of the injury to poor van Persie, who looked like scoring 25 goals this season. We all wish him a speedy recovery, but Eduardo should be looking to establish himself as a credible contender for a starting spot up front.

I also hope to see Bendtner get 20 minutes at the end of the match. I know he's moody and thinks he's the best striker in the world, but that hasn't hurt previous Arsenal goal-scoring legends has it? The reason I want him to perform is that Arsenal needs four established strikers that can be used throughout the season not just three and some kids you can stick on in an emergency.

Team Selection: I agree with Wenger to leave Almunia in goal and although I'll never forgive him for letting that goal in during the Champions League final he has done well so far this season. The fact that Wenger has left Lehmann out of the squad altogether doesn't bode well for the German.

Clichy and Toure have been ever present this year as has Sagna but his performance against Sunderland was poor and mnay are blaming the 'Sampson Curse' as he'd got rid of the blonde and gone bald. He needs another good performance today or he'll feel Eboue breathing down his neck.

In the midfield Diaby will probably continue on the left, a role for him I find hard to jusitfy. I accept that as a technically gifted player he could well play anywhere in the team but I feel like it's too much of a 'square peg in a round hole syndrome'. I just don't feel he fits there. Flamini and Cesc have become the pairing of choice in the middle and Hleb will continue to forge his partnership with Sagna on the right.

Up front we'll see Adebayor team up with Eduardo, who replaces the passionate van Persie. I'll miss watching the Dutchman play because I feel like he treats every match like it's his last and doesn't rest on his laurels. Lets hope Eduardo can pull something out of the bag today and get on the scoresheet.

My team selection for this game:

Eduardo, Adebayor

Diaby, Flamini, Fabregas, Hleb

Clichy, Gallas, Toure, Sagna

Almunia

Subs: Fabianski, Denilson, Diarra, Rosicky, Bendtner

Unavailable: Lehmann (rested?), van Persie (knee), Senderos (back)

Other issues: Good news from the AGM on Thursday with regards a new long term lock-down agreement announced that could last up to 2012. Arsenal.com has a detailed transcription of the agreement if you want to know more.

Prediction: Arsenal 3 Bolton 0

Big Phil Won't Face Little Sam

2007-10-16T11:29:00.000+01:00

Philippe Senderos played the first half of the mtch as Switzerland beat Austria 3-1. He was replaced after 45 minutes and Sky Sports News is reporting that he has injured his back and is doubtful for the visit of Bolton on Saturday.

Johan Djourou played the whole match and it's times like this that some Arsenal fans wish he'd never been sent on loan, so he could deputise in the centre of defence.

Gunners fans will hope that Gallas will come back from international duty in good shape, because if not, it looks like Gilberto will be asked to play alongside Toure.

West Ham v. Arsenal - My Predictions

2007-09-29T07:30:00.000+01:00

Gut Feeling: I think this will be Arsenal's toughest test so far this season. West Ham are a combination of Portsmouth and Blackburn in that they have dangerous players like Bellamy and a few hackers like Neill and Bowyer, so it's going to be tough. The tackles will come flying in from the home team and I just hope the referee clamps down on it early on so that no Arsenal players get hurt or worse retaliate to the tackle.

What Arsenal Need: They need to play their beautiful game and stay confident in their play even if they don't break the deadlock early on in the match. Arsenal need to take a high percentage of their chances in front of goal because I don't see them getting more than six or seven shots on target as West Ham will be defending with all eleven men from the outset. Curbishly isn't stupid so he won't try to 'play' against Arsenal, instead he'll look to soak up pressure, limit shots on goal and hit Arsenal on the break.

The two centre backs will have a busy day keeping tabs on Bellamy and the newly resurgent Ashton but both Gunners have dominated far superior strikers and should cope well. They should expect a good amount of long balls for Ashton to flick on for Bellamy.

Things To Watch Out For: Fabregas will get similar rough treatment to that he received from Reo-Coker last season. Everyone knows he makes Arsenal tick so he'll be picked out for special treatment by the Hammers. If Fabregas maintains his movement around the pitch then the home side will be chasing shadows and may not get close. West Ham will fade in the last twenty minutes of the match and Arsenal know this so expect the Gunners to score during this period.

Hopes For The Match: I hope van Persie looks sharp today and gets on the score sheet. Many had tipped him to be Arsenal's top goal scorer this season but at the moment he's trailing behind the blistering Adebayor and Fabregas, so a goal would be great for his confidence. I hope Flamini puts in another lung-busting display because I think Arsenal need his enthusiasm and Ray Parlour-like work rate in the middle of the park.

Arsenal have a number of world class players unavailable due to injury and it would be terrible to add to this list. I just hope that if any players get knocks they are smart enough to come off as soon as possible rather than continue running on the injury which only makes it worse.

Team Selection: The back four picks itself at the moment, I just hope Wenger doesn't give Senderos a rest and play Gilberto at centre back. Don't get me wrong, the Brazilian is a solid 'emergency centre back' but he shouldn't be picked in defence over established players.

The midfield four picks itself too. Fabregas is a must, Flamini is on fire at the moment, Hleb is a must on the right and Diaby is the only player that Wenger likes to deputise on the left. I personally wouldn't mind Wenger using Armand "Knuckles" Traore as a left winger. I was impressed by him in the Carling Cup match against Newcastle and his cross for the Bendtner goal was inch perfect.

Up front Adebayor will be looking to add to his six goals already this season and van Persie will start alongside. The young Dutchman has been out of sorts for a while and should be back fully rested and raring to go. Bendtner will start on the bench but will get twenty minutes at the end of the match.

My team selection for this game:

Adebayor, Eduardo

Flamini, Diaby, Fabregas, Walcott

Clichy, Senderos, Toure, Sagna

Almunia

Subs: Fabianski, Denilson, Diarra, Hoyte, van Persie

Unavailable: Lehmann (elbow), Gallas (thigh); Rosicky (hamstring); Eduardo (groin), Song (calf), Walcott (rested).

Other issues: As shrewd and ruthless as Wenger is, I was surprised not to see him let Lehmann leave the club in the summer. He only had one season left at best and at some point Wenger has to blood a new keeper. With Lehmann gone, Almunia would assume the number 1 shirt, with Fabianski as his understudy. Then all Wenger would need would be a third keeper as backup. There are a number of promising young keepers in the reserves such as Mannone and Szczesny, which are both under-21 internationals so there is not shortage of shot stoppers at the club. I just don't see the benefit in keeping a 38 year old keeper around when you are building a team of youngsters into Wenger's next great team.

Prediction: West Ham 1 Arsenal 2

Arsenal v. Derby - My Predictions

2007-09-22T07:51:00.000+01:00

Gut Feeling: Usually, my gut feelings about matches are quite sensible. I rarely predict that the Gunners will deliver an exemplary display which allows them to walk off the pitch after 90 minutes with a three, four or five goal win. But today I feel as though they may net a hatful of goals.

I think this match will have been one that Wenger earmarked as a chance to rotate, but with the Carling Cup match against Newcastle in the week he may rotate less than many would assume. The majority of the changes made to the starting personnel will have been enforced by injury to key players.

What Arsenal Need: The basic needs are obvious. Wenger needs the three points and no new injuries but I see the 'need' in this match to be more of a personal thing for some of the players. A number of the squad will get to play today and they will need good performances as their playing time may have been limited up to now. The players I have in mind are Walcott and Eduardo and I hope they both get a chance to play the whole match today.

Things To Watch Out For: I'm watching for big performances from Walcott and Eduardo, both of whom should retain their place in the team for the midweek game. Walcott has shown glimpses of quality but needs to produce it for a whole match and Eduardo keeps scoring goals with limited playing time so hopefully he can net a few today. For me, Eduardo is the first "fox in the box" Arsenal have had since Pires and the more I see him play the more I like him.

If Wenger goes with his best four defenders, they should be able to control things at the back quite comfortably and I'm looking for them to keep a clean sheet today.

Hopes For The Match: If Arsenal are ruthless in front of goal they could score a few goals today. Eventhough there will be some changes to the starting eleven they are bound to create five good chances in each half and if they take just half of them things could get ugly for the visitors. Derby will park the proverbial bus in front of the goal but the Gunners are technically and physically superior so a comfortable win is on the cards.

Team Selection: Logic would suggest that Eduardo will get a start today especially, with van Persie looking a little less sharp than usual and a pairing of Adebayor and Eduardo looks more appropriate to me than van Persie and Eduardo.

With Rosicky out injured the left wing position is up for grabs and I hope that Wenger doesn't choose to play Diaby there. I like him as a central midfielder but I cringe every time I see him play left wing, it reminds me of watching Emile Heskey play the same role for England. Diaby is an excellent young talent, don't get me wrong, but he's not a left winger and I feel sorry for him whenever Wenger plays him there.

I would play Walcott on the right wing today and play the ultimate squad player Flamini on the left wing. The Frenchman's heroics at left back in the Champions League run to Paris showed us he can operate on the left side and his versatility really is a bonus for Arsenal. If anything today's list of unavailable players shows us that Arsenal have no depth on the wings.

I believe Fabregas will start today but I think Wenger will give Gilberto the day off so Diaby could partner the young Spaniard in midfield.

I don't see Wenger making many changes in defence partly because he has little room for manoeuver with the injuries to Gallas and Eboue.

My team selection for this game:

Adebayor, Eduardo

Flamini, Diaby, Fabregas, Walcott

Clichy, Senderos, Toure, Sagna

Almunia

Subs: Fabianski, Denilson, Diarra, Hoyte, van Persie

Unavailable: Lehmann (Elbow), Gallas (groin); Eboue (ankle); Hleb (knee); Rosicky (hamstring).

Long-term issues: Arsenal's young guns will be on display for the midweek Carling Cup match and I'm really looking forward to seeing them live. They promised so much in this competition last season and I hope they can show the same quality this season. I'm looking forward to watching Bendtner and Traore in particular.

Prediction: Arsenal 4 Derby County 0

Adios Jose... What did you say again?

2007-09-20T07:04:00.000+01:00

Mourinho moved to Cheslea in June 2004 and won two Premier League titles but the Champions League trophy seemed inevitably out of his reach. And with all the money in the world he still couldn't make Chelsea the best team in Europe, or get them to the final for that matter.

So he left the club by mutual consent and his ridiculous tirade about eggs, Waitrose and omelettes will be the last 'Jose' quote we'll hear for a while. So here's some other jose classics to make you laugh.

"Please don't call me arrogant, but I'm European champion and I think I'm a special one."

"There are only two ways for me to leave Chelsea. One way is in June 2010 when I finish my contract and if the club doesn't give me a new one. It is the end of my contract and I am out. The second way is for Chelsea to sack me. The way of the manager leaving the club by deciding to walk away, no chance! I will never do this to Chelsea supporters." ... Ahem.... yeah right.

"If I wanted to have an easy job...I would have stayed at Porto - beautiful blue chair, the UEFA Champions League trophy, God, and after God, me."

"The circumstances are difficult for us with the new football rules that we have to face. It is not possible to have a penalty against Manchester United and it is not possible to have penalties in favour of Chelsea. It is not a conspiracy, it is fact. I speak facts. If not, I need big glasses."

"Young players are a little bit like melons. Only when you open and taste the melon are you 100 percent sure that the melon is good.Sometimes you have beautiful melons but they don't taste very good and some other melons are a bit ugly and when you open them, the taste is fantastic."
And for those of you who missed the eggs metaphor...

"Omelette, eggs. No eggs, no omelettes. It depends on the quality of the eggs. In the supermarket you have eggs, class one, class two, class three. Some are more expensive than others, and some give you better omelettes. When the class one eggs are in Waitrose and you cannot go there, you have a problem."

Ladies and Gentlemen... Jose Mourinho has left the building.

Spurs 1 Arsenal 3 - "You're getting sacked in the morning"!

2007-09-15T15:28:00.001+01:00

Gut Feeling: I feel positive about this game. Spurs have only beaten an Arsene Wenger Arsenal side once in 25 attempts and I think the young gunners will keep up the tradition this afternoon.

I was right to be confident. This young side plays some beautiful football but their maturity when behind and when chasing a winning goal is inspiring to see.

What Arsenal Need: They need to play their beautiful game and their opponents won't be able to keep up. If the Gunners play their quick, short, dynamic passing style they are sure to create chances in front of goal and then it's just down to taking a good percentage of your chances. If Arsenal create ten chances, they could score two or three today.

At times today I felt that the Gunner's wasteful display in front of goal could cost them a deserved victory but scoring three in the derby game will keep the smile on Arsenal fans faces for a while.

Gilberto needs to have a good game, even though he'll be getting over his jet lag, but at least at centre back there's less running to do than at centre midfield. Whoever plays in place of Gilberto in midfield needs a good game today by protecting the back four and disrupting their opponent's play.

Gilberto did play quite well but the credit should go to Flamini who flew around like a wasp at a picnic, irritating and harassing anyone in a white shirt. Yes there are players in the Gunners squad who are technically better than Flamini but not many can match his Ray Parlour-like work rate.

Things To Watch Out For: Spurs are going to come out kicking and screaming, like a child having a tantrum and the Gunners will have to be professional and patient in dealing with this approach. Jol will have them wound up in the dressing room and I can see the home side getting a few bookings early on. The Gunners cannot retaliate and need to let their football do the talking.

Arsenal let their football do the talking and stood up for themselves but without being petulant.

I believe Wenger will go with Adebayor up front but I think he'll be feeling Da Silva breathing down his neck. The Crozilian has scored 12 in 17 appearances for Croatia and scored three in two games during the international break.

Da Silva wasn't included in the 16-man squad. Maybe Wenger is saving him for the Seville match?

Hopes For The Match: I hope Da Silva gets a good run out this afternoon. Wenger will probably only play him for about twenty minutes but I'll be watching him closely as he does excite me as a player.

No luck. I hope he plays in the Champions League.

I'm looking for the strikers to start taking a better percentage of their chances in front of goal. What I don't want is another "20 chance but one goal" display like we had at home to Everton last year.

This is a serious issue at Arsenal, which I'll address in a later post.

Obviously I hope the Gunners don't pick up any needless bookings and more importantly any injuries.

To finish a feisty Derby with a win is the most importnat thing. Hleb got booked for moaning at the ref after being elbowed in the face (dissent) and Sagna got booked for unsporting behaviour.

Team Selection:

Apart from Gilberto replacing the injured Gallas it'll be the Gunners first choice back four starting today, so I'm looking for a solid performance from them.

To be fair, the selection of this back four was a no-brainer. Gilberto looks ok in the centre of defence but I can't wait for Gallas to be back. Senderos will be available for the Seville match, so Gilberto may move back into midfield.

Once again in midfield it'll be three of the first choice four players starting the match. I'm not sure who Wenger will start alongside Fabregas, but I have a sneaky feeling it'll be Flamini. Although from the poll I conducted last week most fans would prefer Diaby or Diarra.

I was surprised not to see Rosicky start this match partly because I don't like Diaby as a left midfielder and I didn't see Wenger had any other option but to play the Czech. Rosicky replaced Diaby on 55 minutes.

My hunch that Flamini would partner Fabregas was correct. This match was the kind of match that Flamini's work-rate and effort were needed in and he played well.

Up front will be van Persie and Adebayor, but the Togolese player will be feeling the pressure from Da Silva.

Da Silva didn't even make the bench.

Denilson replaced van Persie on 84 minutes and should have scored when clean through. He'll be disappointed with his scuffed shot.

Wenger's selection for this game:

Adebayor (9), van Persie (6)

Diaby (5), Flamini (7), Fabregas (8.5), Hleb (7)

Clichy (7.5), Gilberto (7), Toure (8), Sagna (7)

Almunia (7)

Subs: Fabianski, Song (x), Rosicky (7), Walcott, Denilson (6.5)

Lehmann, Gallas and Eboue will all still be unavailable for the Seville match.

Long-term issues: I'm not sure Wenger has enough depth up front or on the wings but the transfer window slammed shut a few weeks ago and so we have to go with what we have.

Rosicky was replaced on the left side by Diaby and I guess the use of the young Frenchman on the left side highlights the lack of depth in left sided players in the Gunners squad.

Prediction: Spurs 0 Arsenal 2
Score: Spurs 1 Arsenal 3

Performance of the day: Adebayor could have scored more but his two goals in the Derby will endear him to Gunners fans. Fabregas was excellent again today and kept the team ticking over almost effortlessly.

Laugh of the day: The Gunners fans singing... "You're getting sacked in the morning!" and "You're not rivals anymore!"

The Derby - My Predictions

2007-09-15T09:32:00.000+01:00

Gut Feeling: I feel positive about this game. Spurs have only beaten an Arsene Wenger Arsenal side once in 25 attempts and I think the young gunners will keep up the tradition this afternoon.

What Arsenal Need: They need to play their beautiful game and their opponents won't be able to keep up. If the Gunners play their quick, short, dynamic passing style they are sure to create chances in front of goal and then it's just down to taking a good percentage of your chances. If Arsenal create ten chances, they could score two or three today.

Gilberto needs to have a good game, even though he'll be getting over his jet lag, but at least at centre back there's less running to do than at centre midfield. Whoever plays in place of Gilberto in midfield needs a good game today by protecting the back four and disrupting their opponent's play.

Things To Watch Out For: Spurs are going to come out kicking and screaming, like a child having a tantrum and the Gunners will have to be professional and patient in dealing with this approach. Jol will have them wound up in the dressing room and I can see the home side getting a few bookings early on. The Gunners cannot retaliate and need to let their football do the talking.

I believe Wenger will go with Adebayor up front but I think he'll be feeling Da Silva breathing down his neck. The Crozilian has scored 12 in 17 appearances for Croatia and scored three in two games during the international break.

Hopes For The Match: I hope Da Silva gets a good run out this afternoon. Wenger will probably only play him for about twenty minutes but I'll be watching him closely as he does excite me as a player.

I'm looking for the strikers to start taking a better percentage of their chances in front of goal. What I don't want is another "20 chance but one goal" display like we had at home to Everton last year.

Obviously I hope the Gunners don't pick up any needless bookings and more importantly any injuries.

Team Selection:

Apart from Gilberto replacing the injured Gallas it'll be the Gunners first choice back four starting today, so I'm looking for a solid performance from them.

Once again in midfield it'll be three of the first choice four players starting the match. I'm not sure who Wenger will start alongside Fabregas, but I have a sneaky feeling it'll be Flamini. Although from the poll I conducted last week most fans would prefer Diaby or Diarra.

Up front will be van Persie and Adebayor, but the Togolese player will be feeling the pressure from Da Silva.

My team selection for this game:

Adebayor, van Persie

Rosicky, Diaby, Fabregas, Hleb

Clichy, Gilberto, Toure, Sagna

Almunia

Subs: Fabianski, Hoyte, Diarra, Walcott, Da Silva

Unavailable: Lehmann (Elbow), Gallas (groin); Eboue (ankle); Senderos (suspended)

Long-term issues: I'm not sure Wenger has enough depth up front or on the wings but the transfer window slammed shut a few weeks ago and so we have to go with what we have.

Prediction: Spurs 0 Arsenal 2

The Derby Looms and Things Look Good

2007-09-13T09:29:00.000+01:00

With Djourou on loan at Birmingham, Senderos banned after his wrongful straight red against Portsmouth and Gallas still recovering from the groin injury he sustained at Blackburn it looks like Gilberto will be used on central defence in the Derby.

That is, however, if Wenger thinks he's recovered from his jet lag after returning from the US where he played in a 3-1 friendly win over Mexico. If the Brazilian does get the nod in central defence then the following question springs to mind.

Who should partner Fabregas in the Derby?

I carried out a poll and 1360 readers voted. Here are the results.

Player	Votes	% of votes
Denilson	113	8.3
Diaby	449	33.0
Flamini	353	26.0
Diarra	437	32.1
Song	8	0.6

Denilson only got 8.3% of votes, Flamini got a credible 26.0% and eight charitable folk amongst you voted for Song. I have a feeling that Wenger will go with Flamini but the majority fo voters thought otherwise.

It was neck and neck between Diaby and Diarra only for Diaby to win by a mere 12 votes. I'm not sure how many Gunners fans have seen Diarra playing in a defensive midfield role, as he's played predominantly at right back since his move to Chelsea, a position he played in France's loss to Scotland (Great result for the Scots by the way!) Anyway, Diaby gets the nod and maybe the way foward is for Diarra to play at right back if Sagna and Eboue are still unavailable.

There seems to be a good depth of full backs at the club this season but many Gunners fans still feel that Wenger was a few purchases short of a full squad this off-season.

What holes are there in the Gunners squad?

I carried out a poll and readers 1103 voted. Here are the results.

Position	Votes	% of votes
Goalkeeper	189	17.1
Full Back	25	2.3
Centre Back	263	23.8
Defensive Midfielder	27	2.5
Attacking Midfielder	23	2.1
Winger	460	41.7
Striker	116	10.5

Central midfield (attacking 2.1% and defensive 2.5%) and full back (2.3%) received very few votes, so it would seem that most readers are satisfied with the depth in these positions.

Ten percent thought that the squad needed additions up front, whilst goalkeeper (17.1%) was felt to be lacking too. I agree that more striking options are required because apart from van Persie, Adebayor and Da Silva the depth is largely unproven (Bendtner and Walcott).

Almost one quarter of votes suggested that Wenger needed to purchase another centre back, but this may have beena knee jerk reaction to Djourou being sent on loan to Birmingham. Perhaps if he had not been loaned out then this result may have been different.

The overwhelming weakness identified in the squad was on the wings (41.7%). Two in five votes were for wingers and if you look at the squad the opinion is probably correct. The established wingers at the club are Rosicky, Hleb (both of which were more central at former clubs) then the depth looks patchy with Eboue (who is being converted from full back), Flamini (who plays anywhere he can get a game), Walcott (who is fast but inexperienced) and Diaby (who has been played on the left wing but is no winger).

So will Wenger get the cheque book out in January? If runours are to be believed (and they never are) Modric will be joining his old team mate Da Silva at the Grove.

Please vote on our top scorer poll in the top right corner.

Danny Commits to the Future

2007-09-11T08:21:00.000+01:00

Below are notes from a meeting members of the Arsenal Supporters Trust board held with Arsenal's senior shareholder/director Danny Fizsman on 7th September 2007.

Danny Fiszman invited the Arsenal Supporter's Trust (AST) to meet with him before the Champions League match against Sparta Prague. The meeting took place in the Directors box and was attended by AST Board members Nigel Phillips, Glyn Taylor and Tim Payton.

This was the AST's first meeting with Danny, although we do keep in touch with the Arsenal Board through regular dialogue and meetings with Managing Director Keith Edelman and occasional meetings with other Directors including Ken Friar, Peter Hill-Wood and Sir Chips Keswick. We were pleased that Danny was aware of the work of the Trust, describing us as important stakeholders and contributors to the club. He also recalled the Board's award of the 'orphan share' to the Supporters' Trust.The main reason for the meeting was to discuss the current ownership issues at Arsenal.

Danny told us to ignore all the media speculation that he is about to sell his stake. In fact he said it was quite the contrary and that he was looking to spend more time on club issues as he gradually wound down his involvement in other companies.We pressed Danny on this, saying surely he had a price at which he would sell. The response was emphatic - no 'selling' price has been set. The analogy he used was to compare moving into the Emirates with moving into a dream home; 'you don't think about the value because you don't want to sell'. He also made it clear that the commitment he has previously made not to sell the club applies for much longer than next April.

The Trust follows closely the financial performance of the club. Our expectations are that with a full year at the Emirates behind us, the next set of results will be very impressive and demonstrate that there are funds available to the manager. Danny expressed his admiration for the work of Arsene and reassured us that quite rightly the Board leave all footballing decisions to him. It was encouraging to have it confirmed on the record that the Board would support the manager with any activity he wished to make in the transfer market.

Danny also confirmed that Arsene has been very happy working with Ken Friar to complete transfer dealings and it seems this arrangement will continue. The meeting concluded with Danny confirming that he would be at the club AGM in October and that he would maintain a dialogue with the Trust and all Arsenal supporters, who he cares passionately about 'doing the best for'.

The Arsenal Supports Trust response to the meeting: "The AST was delighted to meet with Danny, and even more delighted to hear him express his love for Arsenal and how committed he was to taking the club forward. Years of hard work by Danny, working together with Keith Edelman and Ken Friar have given us a stunning stadium that matches the attractive, entertaining football served up by Arsene Wenger.We have previously read Danny's words about his role as custodian of the club. Meeting him in person allowed us to see just how genuinely he takes this commitment. The AST looks forward to working with Danny for many years to come and will remain a constructive supporter of the Board's work."

Apologies if you've read this transcript elsewhere.

Who should partner Fabregas for the Derby?

2007-09-04T13:53:00.000+01:00

Arsenal will be without Senderos for their trip up the Seven Sisters Road as a result of his sending off by Halsey against Portsmouth. If you watch the incident again it's clear to see that Toure was level with him and Kanu, who hit the deck far too easily.

The straight red will keep him out for three games and once again I feel that Senderos was hard done by. Anyway, it's all academic now, at least we got the three points on the day. Gilberto filled in very successfully and will have to deputise in Senderos's absence as Gallas is still laid up with a groin injury and Djourou is on loan at Birmingham.

With Gilberto playing at centre back there will be a space for a defensive midfielder to partner Fabregas for the next three games.

So who should partner Fabregas?

Denilson: The young Brazilian has given steady and mature performances in the times I've seen him play this year, but I feel he's more of a Fabregas type player and not really an instinctive defensive midfielder. I have no doubt that he could do a good job as a stand in but I feel his long-term ambitions are more attacking. He is also probably one of the smallest options listed here and I feel he may get out-muslced and out-jumped by bigger and stronger opponents.

Flamini: He reminds me of an ageing Ray Parlour. Full of hustle and bustle, always busy and enthusiastic, but he's not the most technically gifted player in Arsenal's midfield. He's like an annoying wasp at a Sunday picnic, just hanging around and appearing from nowhere just when you think he's disappeared. His performances have been good this year and I feel he has sorted his attitude out and looks up for the fight compared to last season.

Diaby: A lot was said about Diaby when he signed for Arsenal and comparisons were made with Vieira but I think they were premature and somewhat inappropriate. He has recovered from his injury well and looks fit and confident but I just think he is an instinctive defensive midfielder either. I believe the comparisons were made with Vieira because of looks and stature and not playing style or ability.

Diarra: I will be the first to admit that I haven't seen much of Diarra but seem to remember that Wenger wanted him before he went to Chelsea. So Wenger gets his man at last. He is the only direct replacement for Gilberto as he is a defensive midfielder, although he was wasted at right back by Mourinho. Based on reputation he should be pushing Gilberto over the next few seasons, with a view to eventually taking his position.

Song: I'm not one of those fans that booed Song last season as I respect any man or woman who plays for Arsenal but I do feel that he is the weakest of Arsenal's midfielders. I concede that he put in some gutsy and passionate displays for Charlton last season but I just don't think he's technically good enough to start for Arsenal yet. I feel that the arrival of Diarra may have sealed his fate and he may move on in January.

So that's a quick look at the usual suspects.

So who should partner Fabregas?

I'm not sure Song will even make the bench for the North London derby. If he does it will be as cover for centre back, which he can play according to Wenger. I shudder to think...

Denilson will make the bench, but I don't think Wenger would start him. I believe that Denilson and Fabregas are not an ideal combination and if anything the young Brazilian is the young Spaniard's back-up.

Diaby could push for the starting position but I don't know where Wenger thinks his best position is. Perhaps he sees him as cover for both the attacking and defensive positions in the centre of midfield? But Wenger rarely, if ever starts him at defensive midfield.

If this situation was to occur a few months from now I have no doubt that Diarra would play alongside Fabregas. But I feel that Wenger will play Flamini just because he played the first three games of the season there and looked solid. This will only happen if Flamini isn't required to fill in at right back if Sagna doesn't recover from his back injury and Wenger doesn't want to go with Hoyte.

Wenger would be taking a risk giving Diarra his debut in the North London derby, but if he did I wouldn't mind it as long as the young Frenchman knew what he was letting himself in for. This year more than ever, the neighbours from the Seven Sisters Road will be looking for a scalp... literally and figuratively.

What do you think? Who would you partner with Fabregas? Vote in the top right corner.

Diarra wanted to be a Gooner all along

2007-09-04T12:01:00.001+01:00

New number 8 Lassana Diarra recently told L'equipe,

"Honestly, I believe the Chelsea officials thought I would crack and finally accept a contract extension, as my contract would have been up in 2008."

"But I refused every extension and now I have signed a three-year deal with The Gunners. Chelsea finally accepted, maybe because they were scared I would leave for free in one year."

"At 11pm on Friday night, I got a phone call to tell me I could start to negotiate with Arsenal as both clubs had found an agreement."

"I didn't hesitate because Arsenal was the only club I wanted to join. It was Arsenal or nothing. Other teams contacted me, but I knew what I wanted. Chelsea knew I wanted to join The Gunners."

I see it as an excellent purchase and one that would have annoyed Chelsea too. Of all the central midfielders that Arsenal have the majority are attacking players and Gilberto needed some competition other than Flamini and Song.

Why not vote in our poll on the depth of the squad? It's in the top right hand corner.

The Transfer Window Slams Shut

2007-09-01T14:53:00.000+01:00

So from the way I see it Wenger has filled all but one of the purchases on his shopping list. I do concede that this shopping list didn't consider the sending of young Djourou on loan to Birmingham as I do believe it leaves us a bit thin in the centre of defence. Wenger has used Gilberto in this position and says that Song can play there but at this level we should have adequate specialised cover at all positions.

Bacary Sagna (Auxerre, undisclosed): I never really thought Wenger would be looking for a full back in the off season but Sagna has been a welcome addition to the squad. Almost immediately, he has taken the right back slot and Eboue has been moved forward it would be seem to play right midfield. Sagna can play at left back too and looks to be level headed, a hard tackler and a great athlete. For the first time since Lauren got injured, the right back position is in safe hands.

Lukasz Fabianski (Legia Warsaw, £2m): I was really pleased when this purhcase was publicised as Arsenal needed a young buck to come in and put pressure on Almunia and the ageing Lehmann. I'd initially hoped that Akinfeev would be bought in but Fabianski was a classic Wenger purchase (young, talented, hungry, sensibly priced).

Eduardo da Silva (Dinamo Zagreb, undisclosed): I'm excited about this player, eventhough I'm dubious as to Wenger's intentions with him. I actually believe that Da Silva will end up playing more left wing than as a striker. The day that he signed for the club, Wenger said that he could play wide left too and I was immedialtely suspicious. Against Sparta prague he looked better when he was on the left wing, but if my instinct is correct, then we haven't replaced Henry. I don't believe that Walcott, Bendtner and Adebayor are good enough to start for Arsenal at the moment and they still need another striker.

Havard Nordtveit (FK Haugesund, undisclosed): Since Jay Simpson has been sent on loan to Millwall, the younsgter has been named reserve team captain. This is testament to his character but only time will tell if this is another diamond in the rough.

Lassana Diarra (Chelsea, indiscolosed): A welcome surpise the morning after the transfer deadline closed. People will say that central midfield is congested at Arsenal but most of the players that spring to mind are more attacking midfielders (Fabregas, Diaby, Denilson). Diarra will compete with Gilberto for the defensive midfield position, leaving Flamini and Song in his wake.

The list of outgoing players is quite long but just think of the money that Wenger has saved on wages by getting rid of Henry, Ljungberg and Baptista.

A number of Arsenal players left in the Summer Sales.

Aliadiere (Middlesborough, £2m): He was at Arsenal for ages and never took the opportunities to show he was good enough to be part of the First team Squad. He never lived up to the potential he had when he arrived at the club. I never saw him as a striker, but more of a winger and if he'd embraced the position he may have carved himself a niche in the squad.
I wasn't sad to see him go.

Baptista (returned to Real Madrid): I was excited when the big man arrived at the club last season. His time in Madrid had been unsuccessful but his 50 odd goals in two seasons at Seville looked impressive. As a Brazilian, I was surpsrised to see his first touch was poor, he had very little pace and he looked like he was playing in slow motion. His strength is the timing of his runs into the box and he scored a few goals this way, but he missed far too many chances and never settled into the team. He arrived as part of the loan deal with Reyes and never got the fans on his side
I wasn't sad to see him go.

Ljungberg (West Ham, £3m): I will always be a fan of Freddie. It seems like he was at Arsenal forever and he was an integral part of the team but age and injuries caught up with him. It was sad to watch him regress over the past season or two and Arsenal certainly missed his goals and scorching runs into the penatly area. He's lost his pace and has become more fragile, so it was time to move on. He deserves to play football and not just sit on the bench.
I was sad to see him go, but more from a nostalgic point of view.

Lupoli (Fiorentina, free): I never really saw much of Lupoli, but he was well thought of and scored lots of goals in the reserves. He moved on from his loan deal at Derby to Fiorentina, but it's a shame the club didn't make any money from the move.
I wasn't sad to see him go.

Muamba (Birmingham, iundisclosed): The young midfielder was a revelation at Birmingham last year and eventually signed a permanent deal with Steve Bruce's side. It's a shame to see another one of Arsenal's young Englishman moving on without ever establishing himself in the first team squad. But he's too far down the pecking order.
I wasn't sad to see him go.

Poom (Watford, free): It's always good to have a trustworthy third goalkeeper, but the Estonian should be playing every week at this stage of his career. I thought his display at Portsmouth on the last day of last season was very good, but he never really got out of the reserves. I thought he may wish to stay on at Arsenal in order to further his experience in coaching.
I wasn't sad to see him go.

Reyes (Atletico Madrid, undisclosed): I may upset some Arsenal fans in saying this but I wish Reyes had never left Arsenal. I accept that he was a poor traveller but he worked his socks off and provided much needed pace, a left foot and the width that was lacking last season. If only he'd apologised to Wenger, his teammates and the fans because I'd have forgiven him and gladly had him back in the squad. I was so excited by Reyes after his brace of goals against Chelsea and I had high hopes for him, which will never materialise. What a shame.
I was sad to see him go.

Thierry Henry (Barcelona £16.1m): Well it was just time to go and I've talked about this previously.
I was gutted to see him go as I feel we never really said goodbye. When I heard he'd left it was like being dumped by my first girlfriend.

Ryan Garry (Bournemouth, free): Never really had a chance at Arsenal.
I didn't even realise he'd left.

Johan Djourou (Birmingham, loan): Apparently this move was to keep him playing football during the first part of the season before we lose Toure and Eboue for the ANC. I rate Djourou far ahead of Senderos and I hope he returns in January and shows Wenger that he's better than his Swiss compatriot.

Overall, I'm generally satisfied with the in and outs this summer, but I really feel that we need another striker. Only time will tell.

Dein's new ally... oh my God!

2007-08-30T20:26:00.000+01:00

This is the face of Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov.

Does he have the right intentions towards the club?

Arsenal drawn in Group H with...

2007-08-30T16:53:00.000+01:00

Seville or AEK Athens, Steau Bucharest, Slavia Prague... not too bad really!!!

Here is the whole draw...

Group A: Liverpool, FC Porto, Olympique, Marseille, Besiktas

Group B: Chelsea, Valencia, FC Shalke, Rosenborg

Group C: Real Madrid, Werder Bremen, SS Lazio, Olympiakos

Group D: AC Milan, Benfica, Celtic, Shakhtar Donetsk

Group E: FC Barcelona, Olympique Lyonnais, VIB Stuttgart, Rangers

Group F: Manchester United, Roma, Sporting Clube, Dynamo Kiev

Group G: Inter Milan, PSV Eindhoven, CSKA Moscow, Fenerbache

Group H: Arsenal, Seville or AEK Athens, Steau Bucharest, Slavia Prague

Petr Cech won goalkeeper of the year, Paolo Maldini won defender of the year, Clarence Seedorf won midfielder of the year and Kaka won striker of the year.

New Director of Football Watching at The Grove

2007-07-28T17:52:00.001+01:00

Gerard Houllier watched the Arsenal v. Paris Saint Germain game from the Director's Box.

Could he be the future Director of Football at the Grove?

Or was he there just to watch his old team PSG play?

The two Frenchmen are supposedly close friends and ironically after Bruce Rioch resigned in the summer of 1996, Houllier, the then technical director of the French Football Federation, recommended Wenger to David Dein.

Houllier's coaching history is excellent but I'm not sure if he has the financial mind of the departed David dein. Equally, we're not sure what Wenger wants from the new position, because Dein was no Director of Football.

It was just a thought I had when I saw Houllier in the crowd, but if Wenger thought it made sense we'd have to go along with it. As Arsene's knows...

Arsenal lead PSG at the half

2007-07-28T17:48:00.001+01:00

Arsenal fielded a weakened team against PSG with the following players starting the match.

Almunia
Sagna Toure Senderos Clichy
Flamini Fabregas Denilson Diaby
van Persie Bendtner

The defence is only one player short of the strongest possible but in midfield Wenger fielded four central midfielders. Obviously, there was very little width, with Clichy's dynamic forward runs providing the only real use of the wings.

Sagna looks solid but doesn't provide the offensive threat of Eboue.

Van Persie looks hungry as ever but has been battling Armand for the entire first half and is lucky not to have been booked as yet. I admire his passion but he needs to be smart too and curb his enthusiasm at times. He can only be Arsenal's number one striker if he's on the pitch and needless bookings from silly tackles will only get him suspensions and increase his chance of injury.

Arsenal had little threat on the PSG goal in the first half but broke the deadlock with only seconds to go. Clichy played a long cross ontpo the right corner of the penalty box where Bendtner chested down the ball into the path of Flamini who took the ball well and slid it into the bottom right hand corner of the goal.

Arsenal need a spark of inventiveness in the second half and an injection of pace as Clichy is the only player apart from van Persie who looks up to full speed.

The Gunners have the following players unavailable for this match:

Walcott

Adebayor

Rosicky

Djourou

Song

Eduardo

Gilberto

And these players are on the bench:

Fabianski

Gallas Hoyte Traore Eboue

Barazite Gibbs Randall Lansbury Hleb

Murphy

The following players started the second half:

Almunia

Hoyte Gallas Senderos Traore

Eboue Denilson Diaby Clichy

Hleb Bendtner

And Denilson just sprained his ankle... great!? It's ok, he's running it off?

Flamini's Genetics and Wenger the Ninja

2007-07-08T08:22:00.001+01:00

At the beginning of last season I wrote about how I felt Flamini was shooting himself in the foot by refusing to play at left back. He'd done so with such passion and effort in the Champions League run to Paris that it seemed ludicrous that he suddenly didn't want to play there.

Furthermore, it was at a time when he'd have got lots of games as Clichy was injured and Wenger was having to play Gallas at left back rather than his better position in the centre.

At the time it was reported that Flamini wanted to be considered a first choice and not a squad player and that he was considering buying out his contract and leaving. As a result of refusing to play at left back (even though he made the odd substitute appearance at full back) he shot himself in the foot by taking away his main strength, which was his flexibility and strength as a utility player.

Now its the summer and I guess there hasn't been too many clubs knocking at his door. It seems he's reconsidering his own options and has realised that its better being a squad player at a huge club, playing in a beautiful stadium than being an automatic choice at a club like Birmingham.

I hope the rumours are true and that he's realised that maybe he is a full back and not a midfield maestro like Michel Platini. If he wants to play in the centre of midfield he has no chance at Arsenal with Gilberto, Fabregas, Diaby, Denilson in front of him and even Song back in the squad.

But if he wants to stay and play at Arsenal he has a chance if he realises he probably is a full back. He's had chances on the wing and hasn't performed, so he's not a winger. He's had chances in the centre of midfield and usually not performed, although I concede his strength is a tireless work ethic, he is not good enough to play there for Arsenal.

When he plays in midfield I always feel like he's going to give the ball away when he's in possession (a la Grimandi), but the times he's played at full back he's actually looked most at home. I don't feel nervous watching him playing as part of a flat back four and I think it really suits him.

His strengths as a footballer are: his tenacity and intelligence, his work ethic, an endless passion and commitment and pretty good tackling. All of these can be used most effectively as a full back. What else makes him an excellent squad player is that he could play on both the right and left sides of the defence.

I wouldn't say he was a natural on both feet and his right foot is his favoured one, but he played supremely well on the left side in that stingy defence that got Arsenal to the Champions League Final. You can be right footed and play on the left... just ask Robert Pires.

If Flamini has finally resigned to the inevitable and accepted that he is genetically predisposed to being a full back then Wenger must be smiling because he won't need to go and spend £6m plus on Bakari Sagna. Perhaps he could spend that money on bringing in another winger.

And if Wenger can bring in cover for full back then he can finally move Eboue to the right wing where he should rightly be. A lot of you will disagree with playing him as a winger but that's basically what he does as a right back anyway. Eboue is one of the best crossers of the ball in the Arsenal squad.

Last season his cross completion percentage was 21.4% behind Fabregas with 28.7% and Van Persie with 21.7%. Playing as a right back, Eboue sometimes goes 'walkabout' and puts pressure on his nearest centre back by being miles out of position. Playing as a winger he could use his pace, which is his best asset, but he would need to develop his shooting ability and interplay with the forwards. Equally, he'd need to leave the diving and rolling around in the changing room.

No-one knows what Wenger is thinking or who he's watching and he'll continue to move around the transfer market like a Ninja, silently and without anyone knowing they're even there. We only find out his target when it's too late...

Something Else Ticked Off The Shopping List

2007-07-03T16:24:00.000+01:00

As usual Arsenal conduct themselves with class in the transfer market and keep their heads below the radar. Eduardo (as he'll be known) has been followed for nearly a year and no-one knew a thing. I love that about Arsenal. Our purchases are always such a surprise!

I for one am really excited about Eduardo. People are saying he scored a lot of goals in a poor league but you can only excel at the level you are playing at. He has also scored seven goals in twelve games for Croatia and no-one can question that... it's at international level, it doesn't get better than that.

Initially the press thought Arsenal had spent the whole £16m they received for Henry on the Croat but I believe that was simply lost in translation. The realistic fee looks to be somewhere in the £8m region and that's good money considering some fools just spent twice that on Darren Bent. I bet he scores more goals and has more assists that Bent next season.

Manager Arsène Wenger said: "We are delighted to have signed Eduardo Da Silva. He has great qualities and will integrate very well into our style of football. He is a very good finisher and although he is predominantly a striker, he is a very adaptable player."

Oh dear? Does that mean Wenger has dreams of converting the young man into a winger? I hope not. He probably means he can also play him wide in a five man midfield and as a support striker. I can't wait to see him in an Arsenal shirt and I don't care that it'll be the 'unlucky number 9'. He probably chose that because of Super Davor Suker and it is only a number after all.

One very important thing to remember is that we shouldn't think of him as a replacement for Henry. Realisitcally speaking no-one in the world could directly replace the moody Frenchman. Lets just look at him as an exciting new signing who'll be looking to score goals in an Arsenal shirt. Here are the first pictures of him in an Arsenal shirt.

It'll be strange that in some games next season Arsenal will have two left-footed strikers (Eduardo and van Persie) and two left footed centre backs (Gallas and Senderos.)

All they need is a left footed left winger now!!!

Time For Arsene to Put Pen to Paper

2007-06-30T08:21:00.001+01:00

These are uncertain times at Arsenal and there is only one person who can steady the unstable ship...

He is an unquestionably shrewd man so it seems strange that he won't do more to calm the players', the board and the fans' nerves.

Maybe he is more cunning than we think and he is using the summer rumour rigmarole to get what he wants from the board?

Maybe he is pushing the board to accept the interest from Kroenke?

Maybe he is manipulating things so he can get David Dein back on board?

Maybe he is holding out for a huge pay rise and contract extension?

Neither would be a bad thing, but whilst he refuses to publically comment about his future beyond his current contract everyone who cares about Arsenal will be unsettled.

Anyone would be impressed by the romantic European history of a club like Real Madrid but he is intelligent enough to realise that Real have had five different managers in five years. But it is too unstable a prospect and there is no other club in Europe that would give him the opportunity to design his own training ground, stadium and basically be his own boss.

Whilst he refuses to comment on his long term future, potential targets will be less likely to sign on the dotted line and his current players will feel their long term development to be undermined and unstable.

The future of Wenger's next great team is in his hands and if he plans to stay at the club beyond his current contract he should re-sign now. He owes it to the board, his players and the fans to set a solid foundation for the future of the club. It's time for Wenger to show everyone that he really does believe in the world beating potential of his young team.

Is he the Greatest Player to Wear an Arsenal shirt?

2007-06-29T11:35:00.001+01:00

"Thierry Henry was the greatest player ever to wear an Arsenal shirt. There is no doubt about that."

He was at a low point in his career when he left Turin. It was as a result of his move to Highbury and his working with Wenger that his career took off. He has a lot to thank Arsenal for but also there were a number of players that contributed to his rise to the top of world football, such as Patrick Vieira, Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungberg and Dennis Bergkamp.

Henry leaves with two Premiership titles, three FA Cups and an undefeated season under his belt. He's going to have to have a very good few years at the Camp Nou if he is to add to that CV.

I feel privileged to have watched him play for Arsenal. At times he infuriated me but over the course of eight seasons he did nothing but good for the club.

He was a sublime athlete, a man amongst boys. At times it seemed cruel when he came up against truly inferior players, but then he would go and make world class players look foolish too.

Henry is one the only Premiership players I've seen get the "Michael Jordan Reaction". In his prime Jordan would do things that made his opponents look around, shaking their heads, saying "how did he do that?" And I've seen Henry leave defenders and goalkeepers bemused and embarrassed.

Simply put, Thierry Henry redefined his position.

"Thank you Thierry."

Thank you for all the memories. Even the cocked-up penalty with Pires in front of a shocked Clock End crowd.

Thank you for the 364 times you put an Arsenal shirt on, because even on the rare days were you were emotionally absent, you still scared the shit out of the opposing defenders and created space for your team mates.

Thank you for the 226 goals. Every single one was appreciated, many were incredible, some were spectacular and a few were superhuman.

Thank you for the 82 assists. You were an unselfish player and we appreciate you commitment.

"I will never forget you Thierry."

I will never forget the sight of you striding majestically through the entire Spurs team and scoring in front of the adoring North Bank.

I will never forget the brilliant goal you scored in the Bernabeu to secure the first victory for an English club in Real Madrid's back yard.

I will never forget the sight of you rising like a salmon to meet a cross and head the ball past van der Sar to secure a nail biting Gunners victory in the first home game against Manchester United at the Grove.

Hindsight is 20:20 and I suppose there were signs all along that Henry would be leaving this summer, but we all refused to acknowledge those signs because 99% of Arsenal fans adore the moody Frenchman.

Last season Henry began to celebrate his goals differently. In previous years he used to gather his team mates around him in an all inclusive hug but last season he invented the silly dance thing with Adebayor and it almost became an exclusive celebration. A party that the others weren't invited to.

He stormed out of the Training Ground after been told that he'd take no part in the North London Derby. That in itself shows passion, commitment and some distorted form of team spirit, but his actions on the day were different. Firstly, he engineers things so he's seen in the tunnel with the players as they line up to take the field. Then when Adebayor scores Henry is on the pitch to celebrate. It all seemed a bit Thierry Henry orientated. A bit "look at me, I'm not so injured!"

Henry didn't perform the role of Arsenal Captain at all well. He doesn't have the personality to be a good captain in the vein of an Adams or Vieira or a Gilberto. I felt that his criticism of team mates on the pitch and his gesticulations and body language were far too negative. Some say he destroyed Reyes's confidence because of all the moaning but Jose just didn't stand up for himself enough.

Then silly Thierry got himself photographed like this, whilst at the NBA Finals watching friend Tony Parker and some would say this was the last straw.

We concede that he was supporting his friend but there's lots of San Antonio Spurs merchandise he could have bought that doesn't say Spurs right across the front. It was a poor choice of clothing and niggled many Gooners world wide.

Interviewed on his way out to the NBA Finals he said, "I'm an Arsenal player, for now..."and that for me confirmed his exit.

"I guess it was just time for him to move on. "

When he signed the new deal this time last year we all breathed a sigh of relief, but none of us know what was written on the contract. He probably had a get out clause written in and that's why he going for a bargain £16m. For the love of God please tell me the fee was linked to a clause in his contract! Owen Hargreaves just went for £15m and Darren Bent is being touted at around £16m. Henry has to be worth more than that!

Maybe we'll never know the real ins and outs, but Wenger's next great team is being built around Fabregas and not Henry. Equally the most important man in Wenger's next great team is Arsene himself.

Henry was not going to play at Arsenal for the rest of eternity. I always knew my two year old daughter would never see him play at the Grove. His time in an Arsenal shirt was destined to end at some point. It was inevitable. It's the circle of life and there were only two ways it could possibly end.

One: he sees out his contract, scores a few goals and loses a pace or two in the last few years of his playing career. He gets even more grumpy and smothers the development of players like van Persie. Before our eyes we see the talisman slowly tarnish and we all go and give him some cash at his testimonial match.

or

Two: he leaves before his contract expires, the club make some money on him, the younger strikers have room to blossom and we remember him at his best.

Personally, I'd go for option two every time. He was never going to get any better from here on in was he? He was already the best striker in the world and we had him for the best eight years of his career. Arsenal and Arsene Wenger made Thierry Henry.

Barcelona, however, don't even know how he'll react to his groin surgery. Yeah they'll do a medical and a thorough one too but they won't know how his groin will hold up to 40 matches in a season and three in a week. There's no way you can simulate or forecast that.

So now we can think of the £16m and look at it differently. That's a good price for a player who is nearly 30, who only played 17 matches last year, who is recovering from groin surgery, who earns £130,000+ per week and who plays a lot of international games too.

If he has begun to lose his pace, as many observers have suggested, he'll gradually become less and less effective. Just as with Ljungberg, pace was his most dangerous weapon but if Henry loses that, what kind of striker would he be? Regardless of individual opinion Thierry Henry is regressing as a player. It's a matter of basic human physiology.

He won't get any quicker as a man in his thirties.

He will eventually become more injury prone.

His rehabilitation times will grow longer.

His recovery from matches will be slower.

And I believe it's these points that make Wenger stick to his "no contract extensions longer than a year if you're in your thirties!" policy.

Henry gave his best to Arsenal every time he stepped on the pitch. We are lucky to have watched the world's best player for so many years and he was an excellent ambassador for the club. Just think how many times he got you out of your seat whilst watching him play.

"No true Arsenal fan should ever speak badly of you.

Goodbye Thierry and good luck.

We'll miss you, but it's time for Wenger's next great team to take centre stage."

He's Got The Whole World in His Hands

2007-06-28T06:21:00.000+01:00

RIBERY is not the player you all think he is!

2007-05-30T07:13:00.000+01:00

Seeing as everyone is raving about little 5'7 Franck Ribery I thought I'd ruin everyone's day by stating the obvious.

Yes he is apparently Thierry Henry's "best friend in football".
Yes he looked like a nippy winger in the World Cup.

But that's not reason enough to spank the cash on him.

The one thing everyone is overlooking are his statistics for this season at Olympique de Marseille and the numbers never lie.

Take a look at his o6-07 season stats HERE and it doesn't make very impressive reading.

These stats were achieved in what most observers see as a less superior league. If you concede that mediocre stats achieved in a mediocre league are worth the kind of money being associated with his potential move then you are either an optimist or a Russian Billionaire playing Championship Manager.

His CAREER STATS are not that impressive either.

Simply put he's not a goal scoring midfielder.

So why is everyone saying he is? Maybe its because we all yearn for Robert Pires to be replaced and little Franck is the nearest we can find, but mark my words, the most difficult replacement of Wenger's latest revolution will be to replace D'artagnan. His goals and assists are still missed.

Summer Sales Part One

2007-05-17T08:59:00.000+01:00

A number of Arsenal players look set to leave in the Summer Sales.

Aliadiere: He's been at Arsenal for ages and hasn't taken the opportunities to show he's good enough to be part of the First team Squad. He's never lived up to the potential he had when he arrived at the club. I never saw him as a striker, but more of a winger and if he'd embraced the position he may have carved himself a niche in the squad.

I won't be sad to see him go.

Almunia: I think he's a good goalkeeper and he's better at coping with crosses than Lehmann, but he's probably tired of playing second fiddle and deserves the chance to be a number one somewhere else. Lehmann signing a one year deal, the pending arrival of Fabianski and the improvements made by young Mannone have sealed his fate.

I think it will be a shame if he leaves.

Baptista: I was excited when the big man arrived at the club this season. His time in Madrid had been unsuccessful but his 50 odd goals in two seasons at Seville looked impressive. I was surpsrised to see his first touch was poor, he had very little pace and he looked like he was playing in slow motion. His strength is the timing of his runs into the box and he scored a few goals this way, but he missed far too many chances and never settled into the team. He arrived as part of the loan deal with Reyes and has reportedly returned to Spain already.

I won't be sad to see him go.

Flamini: I have always been a fan of Flamini. I feel that as a squad player he offered versatility, enthusiasm and commitment, but he wants first team football and he is competing with Gilberto, Fabregas, Diaby and Denilson for playing time. I think that he made a mistake in refusing to play left back at the start of the season and that decision inadvertantly ended his Arsenal career.

I won't be sad to see him go.

Gilbert: I think it's time to cash in on the youngster. He has had troubles at Cardiff City this year and he'd be looking to seal a permanant move to a Championship side.

I won't be sad to see him go.

Ljungberg: I will always be a fan of Freddie. It seems like he's been at Arsenal forever and he's been an integral part of the team but age and injuries have caught up with him. It's been sad to watch him regress over the past season or two and Arsenal have certainly missed his goals and scorching runs into the penatly area. He's lost his pace and has become more fragile, so it's time to move on. He deserves to play football and not just sit on the bench.

I'll be sad to see him go.

Lupoli: I never really saw much of Lupoli, but he was well thought of and scored lots of goals in the reserves. He looks to be moving on from his loan deal at Derby to Fiorentina, but it's a shame the club won't make any koney from the move.

I wasn't sad to see him go.

Muamba: The young midfielder has been a revelation at Birmingham this year and recently signed a permanent deal with Steve Bruce's side. It's a shame to see another one of Arsenal's young Englishman moving on without ever establishing himself in the first team squad. But he's too far down the pecking order.

I wasn't sad to see him go.

Poom: It's always good to have a trustworthy third goalkeeper, but the Estonian should be playing every week. He may wish to stay on at Arsenal in order to further his experience in coaching. I thought his display at Portsmouth on the last day of the season was very good, but he never really got out of the reserves.

I won't be sad to see him go.

Reyes: I may upset some Arsenal fans in saying this but I wish Reyes had never left Arsenal. I accept that he was a poor traveller but he worked his socks off and provided much needed pace and width that was lacking this season. If only he apologised to Wenger, his teammates and the fans because I'd forgive him and gladly have him back in the squad. I was so excited by Reyes after his brace of goals against Chelsea and I had high hopes for him, which will never materialise.

I'll be sad to see him go.

Song: He suffered the wrath of the Arsenal fans with a performance that got his substituted after 45 minutes, but he's been excellent for Charlton in the last half of the season. Once again he is one of many central midfielders at Arsenal and is too far down the pecking order to have a chance to establish himself.

I won't be sad to see him go.

A sad day for all Arsenal fans

2007-04-18T20:09:00.000+01:00

This was posted on Arsenal.com in the last hour.

"Arsenal today announces that vice-chairman, David Dein has left Arsenal Football Club and ceases to be a director of the Club with immediate effect.

Arsenal Chairman Peter Hill-Wood said: “On behalf of the Board I would like to express our gratitude to David Dein for the many years of loyal service he has given to the Club. We sincerely regret that irreconcilable differences between Mr. Dein and the rest of the board have necessitated a parting of the ways.”

In light of recent speculation with regards to the ownership of the Club, the remaining Board members, who together own 45.45% of the issued share capital of the Company, would like to reassure the supporters, shareholders and employees of Arsenal Football Club that they remain long-term holders of their interests in the Club. To this effect, they have entered into an agreement not to dispose of their shares for at least one year and have confirmed that they intend to retain their interests on the expiration of this period."

It is thought that Dein favoured selling out to Kroenke and that Hill-Wood et al were against the idea. What worries me is that the "we're not selling" guarantee only lasts one year. What happens then?

Also, how can they retain their interests in the club once they've disposed of their shares?

It looks like a matter of time before the Americanisation of the Premiership continues and the last English club in the big four is engulfed.

Today is a sad day for all Arsenal fans.

Hill-Wood says "Hands off our club!"

2007-04-18T09:43:00.000+01:00

At last, after weeks of silence, rumour and speculation the Arsenal board have publicly responded to the Kroenke take-over stories in the media.

On April 5, 2007, Granada Ventures, a subsidiary of ITV plc, sold their 9.9% stake in Arsenal Holdings plc to Stan Korenke's KSE UK inc. and on April 12 Arsenal confirmed Kroenke controlled a total of 11.26% of the club.

Peter Hill-Wood told the Guardian newspaper:

"The shareholders would prefer to stay in control than sell out to some stranger. We would be horrified to see ownership of the club go across the Atlantic."

Hill-Wood claimed that he and three of the club's major shareholders - Fiszman, Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith and the Carr family - have "no intention of selling".

"These people love Arsenal, they are independently wealthy and do not need the money. Having a few extra million pounds in the bank is of no interest to them. We're here for Arsenal football club, not to make a few bob. The club has been run for the benefit of supporters, staff and players."

I for one think this is good news. Arsenal don't need to sell out to compete with the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool. The future at Arsenal FC is bright, the future is red and white.

Oh How Arsenal Miss Thierry Henry

2007-04-15T16:48:00.000+01:00

The next time you see Thierry Henry in an Arsenal shirt it will be highlights of him playing against some obscure Austrian team on the Gunner's pre-season tour to prepare for the 07-08 season.

I personally can't wait to watch him back playing at his best. He is the heartbeat that the Gunners have missed this year and I have no doubt that he'll score 25+ goals next season.

Go to YouTube and stick Thierry Henry into the search-bar and there'll be hundreds of clips of the French master doing his stuff. He is surely missed.

Eleven Ways To Save The Premiership

2007-04-11T08:49:00.001+01:00

I love football with a passion but I am infuriated by the state of the glorious game. So I have come up with eleven ways in which the Premiership can be saved.

My team selection for this game:

Game clock,Technical boxes

Replays,Refereeing by committee,Ball boys,Mike the referee up

Video replays,Swearing & intimidation,Substitutes,Pushing & shoving

Goal kicks

Game clock: Take the game clock out of the referee's hands. Give the responsibility to an official in the stands who can stop and start the clock when substitutions and injuries occur. Have this clock displayed to the fans in the stadium and this will stop contention over time added on. In one fell swoop, it will also stop time wasting.

Technical boxes: Remove the technical boxes from the sidelines and require all coaching staff to stay on the bench just like in the times when technical boxes didn't exist. A rule should be implemented that says all coaching staff are required to stay on the bench and if they enter the field of play they will be charged by the FA.

Replays: Get rid of replays. This will have a two benefits. It will limit the fixture congestion players and managers loathe so much. It will take away the option for teams to play for a draw and hope to get a result in the replay at home.

Refereeing by committee: An FA panel should examine the video footage of every game after it has been played. They should be looking to award retrospective yellow and red cards in order to uphold the rules of the game.

Ball boys: Just like in the Champions League, ball boys and girls should be sat on the sidelines with spare balls to throw onto the pitch where appropriate. This will limit time lost to recover the ball when it has gone into the crowd.

Mike the referee up: The main reason the FA don't want to mike their referees up is because they are scared they will lose sponsorship revenue when the fat cats hear the players abusing and swearing at the referees. In rugby union, rugby league and cricket the referees are miked up and no-one bats an eyelid. If referees were miked up then the fans, coaches and players would be able to hear the reasoning for fouls and disciplinary incidents etc. Equally, it would allow the referees to stop using the pointless arm waving gestures and signals they seem to have adopted recently.

Video replays: Implement video replays for goal line and penalty area incidents. The reasons given by the FA for not sanctioning video replays is that it will stop the continuity of the game, which is a ridiculous argument. Television pundits take a matter of seconds to take a look at incidents and give an objective opinion. So why can't the fourth official do the same? If you consider the amount of time referees spend fending off the aggressive protestations of aggrieved players, there is no time differential between the two.

Swearing and intimidation: Players should not be allowed to intimidate and abuse match officials. It doesn't happen in the most violent and aggressive of games such as rugby and American Football, so why is it allowed in football? It is distasteful and harmful to the image of the game and it needs to be dealt with as soon as possible. If players surround match officials they should be booked and sooner or later they'd stop doing it.

Substitutes: In games that go into extra time each team should be allowed one more substitution. This will reduce the chance of players sustaining injuries as a result of fatigue and it will stop players who are hurt having to play on through injury.

Pushing and shoving: The FA need to clamp down on players pushing and shoving eachother as a result of poor tackles. The Carling Cup debacle is an excellent example of handbags at 30 yards that got out of hand. There were headlocks, bear hugs and everything except Chinese burns out there. It looked like a playground melee and I'm not sure the punishment dished out by the FA was fit for purpose. All the fans want to see is consistent governance from the FA. Sadly, they don't get it.

Goal kicks: Goalkeepers should be required to take goal kicks from the side the ball went out. The rule was changed recently to allow them to take it wherever they want. The change was made to reduce time wasting but ironically it has simply done the reverse and allowed goalkeepers another method to waste precious seconds by strolling from one side of the six-yard box to the other.

The FA have a responsibility to run domestic football without prejudice and there's alot they can do to convince the fans that this is in fact their prerogative.

Who's The Daddy?

2007-04-02T07:37:00.000+01:00

There's been a lot of talk about Arsenal's recent performance at Anfield. Some fans have earmarked their choice of players to come in or go. Some have called for changes in coaching such as the inclusion of a specialised defensive coach like Martin Keown, whilst others want changes right at the top. I understand the fans' frustrations and I too have become disillusioned by the youth revolution occurring at Arsenal.

In the wake of losing the likes of Vieira, Edu, Bergkamp, Pires, Campbell, Cole and Reyes, I would argue that only Campbell has been replaced like-for-like. Equally, there is a lot of leaders in that list. Players who were experienced and talented. Some of which would lead by example, some of which would lead by tearing shreds off you if you weren't pulling your weight. Either way, there's a whole lot of leaders who no longer wear the Arsenal shirt.

What has occurred at Arsenal can be compared to what happens in Youth Football on a yearly basis. All the older, more experienced leaders have left at the same time as if they got too old to play in that team anymore. What is left is the younger, inexperienced, less aggressive crop of players and a gaping wide hole where the leadership used to be.

Simply put, all the big boys have left leaving the youngsters behind and if you look through the current Arsenal squad and ask yourself one simple question you'll be stumped.

Who's the Daddy........................................?

(This topic was instigated as a result of a conversation with Dr. Nesbeth, whom I hope will contribute more thoughts to the Just What The Doctor Ordered blog.)

Liverpool v. Arsenal - A Six Pointer

2007-03-31T07:26:00.000+01:00

Gut Feeling: Despite beating Liverpool three times this year I still believe a decent display from the Gunners can secure the three points today. For Arsenal to win they need one of the midfielders to score because Adebayor can't be expected to do everything on his own.

It's going to be the toughest and closest of this season's four encounters and I don't see more than a goal in it.

What Arsenal Need: I feel like its broken record time but here goes. The Gunners need:

1. To play with passion, commitment and hunger.

2. To defend well at set pieces, which includes stopping Lehmann going walkabout.

3. To take a better percentage of the goal scoring opportunities they create. Currently they are converting 13% of their shots. Today it will need to be closer to 30%.

4. To get more goals from the midfield players.

5. To avoid sustaining any more injuries.

Things To Watch Out For: It will be nice to watch what most consider the first choice back four working together. Although I have been impressed by the development shown by Hoyte this season, I feel Eboue's dynamism is a real asset, I just hope he leaves the theatrics at home.

Hopes For The Match: I hope Arsenal play with a certain trigger happy style today. I feel that going out there with a "shoot on sight" mentality is contagious and it creates second chances from deflections and fumbled saves. I'd like Arsenal to rely less on the 'walk-the-ball-into-the-net" mentality, which can get frustration.

Team Selection: For only the fourth time this season Wenger has the option to play his first string back four in front of Lehmann. Perhaps one good omen is that it was this back five that played in the impressive 3-0 home win against Liverpool earlier in the season.

Without wishing to sound flippant, Gilberto's injury will at least stop Wenger playing him as a pretend centre back and will force him to depend on using actual centre backs in the heart of the defence.

The Brazilian's injury does however have obvious implications in midfield. The first reaction would be to replace him with Diaby, but selection becomes more difficult if we concede that Diaby was already pencilled in to play alongside Gilberto in a five man midfield.

Another option would be to play five across a more defensive midfield with Fabregas in between Diaby and Denilson. On current form I would choose to leave Flamini on the bench as both Diaby and Denilson have played well recently. I'd prefer to play with a more defensive midfield and look to play a more counter attacking style, like the invincibles.

The catalogue of injury to Arsenal's strike force leaves Wenger with no choice but to play Adebayor up front on his own with a support player pushing forward from the centre of midfield. The choice to be made then is who to play in that role. Some would argue for Baptista, seeing as he scored four last time out at Anfield, whilst others would prefer to leave Hleb on the right wing and play Ljungberg instead.

My team selection for this game:

Adebayor

Rosicky, Diaby, Fabregas, Denilson, Hleb

Clichy, Gallas, Toure, Eboue

Lehmann

Subs: Almunia, Djourou, Baptista, Flamini, Ljunberg

Unavailable: Henry, van Persie, Walcott, Aliadiere, Gilberto,

Long-term issues: I'm still not convinced that Baptista should be retained at the end of the season. Of course he wants to stay at Arsenal, his time in Madrid was a real let down after doing so well at Seville. He is treated well at Arsenal, not criticised in the press by his manager and team mates. I know this has been a hot topic since January and it seems to me that fans are split on this. Here's my take on it.

At the reported £15 million I don't believe he is value for money.
That sort of money could be spent on a significant purchase of an established and proven player or three or four youngsters for Arsene's youth revolution.

For a Brazilian, I don't think his first touch is that good.
Arsenal's style of football requires a silky first touch and accurate passing. Baptista has neither and can look cumbersome and wasteful at times. People will say that he has underperformed this year due to injury and an inconsistent run in the side and I accept that, but you can't blame that for him having a poor first touch.

He's too slow.
Arsenal's style of football requires a player to have pace and he doesn't have that. At times the Brazilian looks like a centre back thrown up front and somewhat out of his depth. He's such a muscular man, I cannot understand why he isn't more athletic. He looks heavy legged so often that he makes it look like everyone around him is on fast forward.

Prediction: Liverpool 1 Arsenal 2

The Djourou - Gilberto - Myles Palmer Debate

2007-03-21T08:39:00.000+01:00

Chris Cousins writes an intelligent article on the current ANR and MP debate on the FansFc.com site. It's good to see that we can approach intense areas of debate like this without regressing into slanging matches.

In particular he writes:

Meanwhile, I have to agree with the Doc from myarsenalfc.blogspot.com who insists that Palmer is wrong to write generalisations about kids from council estates. It even raises my hackles, that sort of stuff, and I’ve always thought I’m all for freedom of speech!

However, I won’t boycott ANR. I go there for the football, not the social comments. I just ignore anything that’s not related to Arsenal if I can and somehow I think Palmer will be doing that too in future!

I have to agree though, that a foul throw at this level of football is a skill we would presume should be carried out without too much thought but still be correctly performed. And I have no idea how the poor lad could conspire to do it twice in one match, the mind just boggles.

But some Arsenal players have done far more unprofessional things throughout the course of this season. Things that could have seriously impacted on team results. An example of this was the Gilberto sending off against Blackburn. I don't recall the Brazilian getting too much of a bashing after that incident. Most people said, "Oh, it was Robbie Savage who was kicking him and the Welshman deserved to be kicked!". Either way the World Cup Winner should have known better but we all stood by him.

Djourou knows he committed two schoolboy errors and he probably got it ripped out of him by his team mates. I for one like the player and would prefer him in the centre of defence than Gilberto!

Myles Palmer Should Be Ashamed - A must read

2007-03-19T10:18:00.000+01:00

Myles Palmer seems to irritate many Arsenal fans and he's done little in the last week to change that. There's been a lot of talk about the article he wrote on March 14th in which he slated Djourou for taking two fouls throws and I think the backlash has been justified and accurate.

Some have called for his site to be boycotted whilst others have questioned his allegiance to Arsenal. I think that enough has been said with reference to his comments about Djourou and MP has since published an apology, with all the sincerity of a politician caught in a sex scandal.

My anger with the article focuses on his report of the FA Youth Cup game between Arsenal and Manchester United where he wrote:

There was a crowd of 38,000 there, mostly kids off the council estates. I hope the kids enjoyed the night because a lot of them have nothing. And many of their parents can barely cope with their own lives, let alone bring up a family.

How arrogant is this man? I am amazed how he can write such gross generalisations. I believe these comments are even more insulting than those made towards the young Swiss defender.

Who is he to assume that the kids there were from council estates?

Was it based on their clothing, their ethnicity, their behaviour or something else?I'm not sure how I'd pick "kids from the council estates" out of a line up of youngsters. Don't teenagers in London all look much the same regardless of their postcode?

And even if some were from local council estates does it make a difference from those kids who were from non-social housing? Arsenal need to encourage youngsters to follow them as its these kids who'll be buying merchandise and tickets for matches in the years to come.

How does he know "they have nothing" and what does he mean by nothing?

I cannot start to understand what he means by this and I've sat here for a while trying to work out what he means by this. Does he refer to a lack of emotional, financial or educational support? Does he infer they have no future? I have many friends who were raised in council estates and their jobs include: a mollecular biologist, police officers, teachers, nurses, corporate bankers and highly successful entrepreneurs. All of these friends would beg to differ that a childhood on a council estate dooms you to a life with no future.

How does he know that "their parents can barely cope with their own lives"?

It is cynical to suggest that parents cannot cope with their own lives if they are raising a family in a council estate. I'm by no means suggesting that life on the many council estates around London is easy but it is exactly the attitude that MP exhibits which perpetuates the public perceptions of the problems in these areas.

Who is he to assume that the parents cannot "bring up their own family"?

Is he suggesting that the average family that lives in a council estate is dysfunctional and ineffective? Does he have government statistics to back up these stereotypical and naive allegations? I presume not.

From what I understand MP has no experience in Social Policy and these comments were made without any corroborating data or evidence of any kind.

The comments were insulting, condescending and ill-conceived. He should be ashamed of himself.

I won't be using ANR anymore.

Time For Arsenal To Improve At Corners

2007-03-08T09:55:00.000+01:00

All season I have been crying out for Arsenal to improve at corners. I published an article on why Arsenal are so poor at corners earlier in the year and Wenger has just comfirmed one of the allegations I made in that article.

I argued that Arsenal hardly ever practicsed corners on the training ground and that it was an area being overlooked by Wenger. Apparently, the obvious has finally sunk in and Wenger has begun to take corners more seriously and said:

"We have worked to make more on our set-pieces, and I hope we will get a bit more out of them," the Gunners boss confirmed.

Against Reading we had 16 corners and we were never dangerous. If you look at who has headed the least goals in the league it is Arsenal.

It's the opposite of our philosophy. I feel with some teams that the game is a training session for headers, for us it is not.

We have to be strong in our game and not count on set-pieces, but maybe we can find a solution with set-pieces, so we have been practising them."

Arsenal do not create enough chances on goal from our own corners and we concede too many from a defensive viewpoint. Time to put in the hours on the training ground I think lads.

Is this the End of a Sad Season for Henry?

2007-03-08T09:52:00.000+01:00

All the hype before the clash with PSV revolved around the inclusion of Henry. regardless of the press speculation there were only three options:

1. Henry is fit and makes the starting eleven
2. Henry is not fit enough to start and starts the match on the bench
3. Henry is unfit and doesn't make the squad

My concerns before the match with regards the inclusion of an unfit player were obvious but Wenger decided to go with Baptista and Adebayor up front and left the Frenchman on the bench.

I have serious reservations about playing an injured player, or even using a player as a substitute when he is not fully fit. On 66 minutes Henry replaced the largely ineffective Baptista and he looked under the weather from his first touch. His best chance was a free kick that he whipped over the wall, which was saved well by the commanding Gomes.

The game ended 1-1 and Arsenal's unbeaten home streak continued but they slipped out of the Champions League, whilst the three other English clubs made it through.

It was a far cry from the impressive run Arsenal had in last year's Champions League, where they were only minutes from snatching a deserved victory. This season the Gunners didn't have that same spark or the same belief that they could go all the way.

To make matters worse, Wenger's decision to use Henry despite his lack of fitness backfired. The Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger said:

“Thierry has torn his groin and a stomach muscle and he will be scanned tomorrow (Thursday). It’s sad for him. It has been a difficult season for Thierry.”

Henry could be out for up to six weeks depending on the severity and location of the injuries and that could keep him out until the middle of April. Henry's season has been blighted with injury and he has already missed ten Premiership and three Champions League games. These absences represent approximately one third of games played in each competition.

It's sad to hear that he has picked up another injury, which could rule him out for the Premiership run in. Henry admits that he's been playing through the pain barrier this season and said:

“This season I have often been on the pitch when I haven't felt at my best, but I always want to be out there helping the team. Sometimes it works - against Manchester United for example. I scored right at the end of the game, and everyone went ballistic, but if I didn't score that goal, then I was rubbish to be honest. I can count on the fingers of one hand the times I've played this season without feeling pain.”

Talking in the matchday programme Henry was aware of the risk he could take by playing on an injury and he was eerily accurate.

“There is no doubt that it's an important game tonight, a massive game, and, if possible I will be there if I'm needed. It might set me back but I don't care - I want to be there."th>

The return to fitness of van Persie is a top priority for Arsenal, who now have their top two goal scorers out injured. And in a time where Arsenal have been struggling to score it's not obvious where the goals will come from especially when you look at the scoring stats for the Premiership this season.

Gilberto: 8
Adebayor: 6
Flamini: 3
Gallas: 2
Toure: 2
Rosicky: 1
Hoyte: 1
Baptista: 1

With Henry and van Persie sidelined and a midfield that has only scored 12 goals all season it's hard to see where the goals will come from. Let's just hope Arsene knows...

Arsenal v. PSV - The Moment of Truth

2007-03-06T10:42:00.000+01:00

Arsenal's season hinges delicately on the result of this fixture. In the Premiership Arsenal are closing in on third place and if they can secure that position it will be one place better than last season. So that could at least be seen as some sort of progression. But as last years beaten finalists there is a lot to live up to in the Champions League this season.

After a dominant display in the Philips Stadion the Gunners conceded a goal on 61 minutes and could not find the vital equaliser. They were punished for not taking the chances that fell to them and were faced by Gomes a goalkeeeper in excellent form on the day. With 55% of the possession, 9 corners to PSV's 1, 11 shots to PSV's 6, Arsenal deserved so much more from the game.

Gut Feeling: I think that Arsenal are going to give a classic attacking display, going for the kill from the first whistle. I envisage Wedensday night as a classic victory that will be talkied about for years to come. Wenger will encourage the players to come out of the blocks firing and the fans will be vocal, sensing the importance of the game.

What Arsenal Need: Arsenal need a passionate and committed performance. The fans will want to see the Gunners battling for every loose ball, competing for every tackle and chasing back if they lose possession.

Arsenal need a more efficient night in front of goal. They cannot afford to waste good goal scoring opportunities.

Things To Watch Out For: I'm looking for Arsenal's midfield to contribute to the goals tomorrow night. Fabregas has been so close to scoring in the last few games and I'm ready for him to unleash a screamer to send the Gunners faithful into raptures.

The defence need to work hard to snuff out the PSV counter-attacks and they need to defend well against set pieces. Farfan will be back in the PSV team and he will need to be watched closely.

Hopes For The Match: I'll be watching for the senior players to show leadership to the younsgters and that doesn't just mean shouting at them, it means encouraging them and leading by example.

Arsenal cannot afford any more injuries to the already depleted squad.

I guess Wenger will use Walcott and Diaby off the bench, but by then I hope the Gunners will have the lead they require. It's going to be a nail biter but the best team should triumph over three hours of football.

Team Selection: If Henry is not fit, then he shouldn't play. If Wenger thinks Henry can only contribute for a short period then he should put the enigmatic French striker on the bench and use him in the last twenty minutes.

The Dutch visitors look certain to defend as they did in the first leg and so Henry would be denied the space he thrives on. So perhaps a combination of Adebayor and Baptista is more suited to this match, especially with two PSV defenders out injured.

My team selection for this game:

Adebayor, Baptista

Ljungberg, Gilberto, Fabregas, Hleb

Clichy, Gallas, Toure, Djourou (or Hoyte if fit)

Lehmann

Subs: Almunia, Djourou, Denilson, Walcott, Diaby, Aliadiere, Henry (if fit)

Unavailable: van Persie (metatarsal), Eboue (ankle), Rosicky (groin), Flamini (foot).

Prediction: Arsenal 3 PSV Eindhoven 1

Good Memories of Last Year's European Tour

2007-03-06T08:35:00.000+01:00

With Arsenal looking to overcome a one nil deficit from the Philips Stadion against a side who let set to park another bus in front of goal, I feel the Gunners need to recreate the spirit from last season's Champions League campaign and get a result when everything seems against them. Injuries are mounting up, points have been dropped in games that should surely have been won and it looks like our only chance of glory.

So has this team progressed if there's no change from last year?

Well, yes there have, as this young and talented side are not stepping into the unknown this time around. They've seen it all before and they know what to expect. Yes, things are conspiring against them but hopefully this will galvanise the team and triumphing over adveristy will only make them better.

I thought I'd share some memories from the incredible Champions League run from last year to get everyone in a positive frame of mind for Wednesday.

We flew in to Madrid Barajas Airport and got the Metro to the hotel which was just around the corner from the Vicente Calderon Stadium, home of local rivals Atletico Madrid.

We then headed into the city, towards the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, with a view to going on the stadium tour.

It only cost 4 euros and it was well worth it. We got to see the view from the top of the stadium, the Presidential Box, the players' tunnel, the benches, the coaches' area and we took pictures at pitchside.

The only thing we couldn't see were the dressing rooms, which were closed because of the match the next day.

Next we went through the Real Madrid museum and it was awe inspiring to see the 9 European trophies (3 Champions League Trophies) on display.

Then we went crazy buying souvenirs at the “Area Realmadrid” the official club shop.

Whilst on the tour of the stadium we tried to work out where we'd be sat and we joked that it would be row Z in the upper tier.

We were right and sat in the top row in the top tier and it was absolutely freezing up there.

The designated away fans section was the upper tier in the opposite corner of the stadium to us.

Before the match a friend had called from home and asked what I was hoping for in the game. I'd answered by saying that I just wanted the Gunners to make me proud.

And I can tell you that the singing of 'one-nil to the Arsenal' was as loud as I'd ever sung it.

At first all the Arsenal fans in the home section kept themselves to themselves, but it soon became apparent that our section was full of away fans.

We had some friendly banter with some of the home fans and at the final whistle they shook our hands and congratulated us on an impressive victory.

Come on you Gunners, give us another vintage display we can talk about for years to come.

Is Terry Fit Really To Play? A conspiracy theory

2007-02-25T09:03:00.000+01:00

One of the most important roles of the football manager is to nurture, educate and protect his players. The manager should have the player's best interest at heart and should put the player's wellbeing above all else when making team selections. Equally, the football club should have the support network available that puts medical decisions in the hands of medically qualified personnel and football desicions in the hands of the coaching staff.

Injuries are common in football and it is for this reason that the concept of the squad has developed over recent years. Most teams have approximately two players per position and then reserve and academy teams below that. Arsenal have had a very bad season for injuries and at times had ten first team players unavailable through injury, but I never felt that Wenger played anyone before they were ready. He always talks about his fear of rushing people back too quickly and in most cases he ushers them in slowly.

But sometimes football players are so desperate to play in football matches that they "declare themselves fit". There are many reasons a player would do this and these can be a fear of losing their starting spot to a team-mate, denial of the seriousness of the injury, playing against their former team or the refusal to miss an important match such as a cup final. The manager has a responsibility to his employers, his employees and the fans to field a team that is fit for purpose and able to do the job.

When Chelsea played in the Champions League against Porto, John Terry injured his ankle and was substituted after 7 minutes. It was the same ankle he had injured in training the day before. The reports were that he'd "ruptured ankle ligaments" and from watching the incident it looked like he damaged the lateral ligaments. The fact that club doctor Bryan English said he'd damaged ligaments (plural) is significant.

The image shows the two ligaments Terry has injured. The blue arrow shows the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) and the yellow arrow shows the calcaneofibular ligament (CFL). These are the first two ligaments damaged when an individual sprains their ankle. These are the most important ligaments in holding the ankle stable when changing direction, running, jumping and even kicking a football. If he has only damaged one ligament it is likely to be the ATFL.

Chelsea have since released the following statement.

"The speed of Terry's recovery has surprised the club's medical department. (Terry) felt a big improvement in his ankle and requested that the medical department performed a fitness test."

I have a number of concerns about the John Terry ankle saga. Firstly, I would not question the doctor's clinical findings, especially if he has had the benefit of examining an MRI (magnetic resonance image), which is like a very detailed x-ray that shows up soft tissue (ligaments, muscles etc) and hard tissue (bone).

Secondly, even if the doctor has got the diagnosis wrong (which is highly unlikely seeing his years of clinical experience), slightly damaged ankle ligaments still take longer than four days to heal.

Thirdly, it is not up to Terry to decide if he is ready to play yet. To my knowledge he has no medical training and just feeling "ok" is not indicative of healing status.

These are the widely accepted clinical expectations for an ankle ligament injury.

Grade I: painful ligament but not stretched beyond normal length: return time is 2-6 weeks.
Grade II: stretched ligament with some rupture fibres: return time is 6-12 weeks.
Grade III: ligament is completely ruptured (torn) and does not function: return time is 12-16 weeks.

So the plot thickens.

Did Terry really injure himself?... Yes he did, he looked in pain and the physio examined him for four and half minutes before he was substituted.

Did the doctor get the diagnosis wrong?... No he didn't. Carrying out basic orthopaedic clinical assessments and evaluation of MRI scans are simple tasks for such a highly qualified doctor. If he got this wrong it would be like a builder building a wall in the wrong place, from the wrong bricks with his eyes closed.

Could Terry have actually healed sufficiently in this short time?... Not unless he can defy the basic principles of medical science. The fibres of collagen (which make up ligaments) have not had enough time to heal, re-grow and strengthen since the injury. It's scientifically impossible.

So who's telling untruths then?... Mourinho is rushing Terry back because he has no cover at centre back and he's scared of playing Essien or Makelele there. Chelsea struggled without Terry in defence whilst he sat on the sidelines with his back injury. You could argue they lost a fatal number of points in the Premiership race during that period and Mourinho knows it.

So playing an unfit Terry must look better in his eyes than playing a fit replacement. To cover himself the manager has since forced his club doctor to back down and release the following statement.

"I have apologised to manager Jose Mourinho for providing him with misleading information that lead to his statements in relation to John Terry's injury yesterday."

I wonder if Terry lasts the 90 minutes and if he's going to be given any painkilling injections to get him through the match?

I have no qualms about Terry trying desperately to return for the match, but I do have an issue with a manager allowing a player to take part in a match he is fundamentally and physiologically unprepared for.

Chelsea v. Arsenal - My predictions

2007-02-22T15:52:00.000+01:00

Gut Feeling: They say you should never second guess a gut feeling and so I won't. I have a feeling that this game might go to extra-time and then if it drags on to penalties it just becomes a lottery. The youngsters will keep it close through two hours of football and do us proud.

What Arsenal Need: Arsenal need to go at Essien and expose him as a defensive midfielder playing centre back. If things look bleak with twenty minutes to go then I'd send on Adebayor to match up against him. Arsenal need to control the tempo of the game and obviously the man to do this will be Fabregas with Denilson adding a touch of Brazilian flair.

Things To Watch Out For: I hope the match is refereed strictly but consistently anything else in such a high profile game would be a shame.

I'd be interested to see who would take a penalty if Arsenal were awarded one and I hope to God they've been practicing them in case it does go to a shoot-out. Remember, keep it on target and be confident. Almunia will save a few so I think if we scored three we could be there!

It will be interesting to see how long Wenger will leave it to make the substitutions if the score is not favourable. I sometimes think anything less than twenty minutes isn't enough for a player to play themselves into the game.

Hopes For The Match: I hope Walcott has a good game. I've been a supporter of his ever since Sven Goran Erikson embarrassed him by taking him to the World Cup but his performances of late have been below par. I've heard that he is nursing a shoulder injury and that's why he won't take a shoulder charge but he needs to be encouraged to knock it past the opponent and use his pace to get in behind the defence. He is an unquestionable talent, lacking in confidence and the Millenium Stadium would be the perfect stage for the youngster to come of age.

Team Selection: I have some concerns over picking a young team for the Final but I have shown the team I believe Wenger will play.

My team selection for this game:

Baptista, Aliadiere

Diaby, Denilson, Fabregas, Walcott

Traore, Djourou, Toure, Hoyte

Almunia

Subs: Poom, Clichy, Senderos, Flamini, Adebayor

Unavailable: van Persie(5th metatarsal); Eboue (ankle).

Long-term issues: Win or lose, the history books will not show that Arsenal fielded a young and inexperienced team.

Prediction: Chelsea 1 Arsenal 1 (Arsenal win on penalties)

Carling Cup Final Preview

2007-02-22T15:10:00.000+01:00

Henry has played in only two Carling Cup matches in his entire Arsenal career and this is good evidence of Wenger's opinion of the cup. He uses it as a breeding ground for the younsgters and this year they have performed beyond all expectations culminating in a trip to Cardiff and a Cup Final match up with Chelsea.

I have watched every televised Carling Cup match this season and I was present for the semi-final second leg victory. I would watch any team wearing an Arsenal strip and will go and watch the ladies team in the home leg of the UEFA Cup against Umea but I chose not apply for tickets for the Carling Cup Final this year.

I tossed and turned for two sleepless nights, mulling over the decison to apply for tickets or not. At one point I convinced myself I'd apply and let fate decide if I got a ticket or not, but then I decided not to. My fear was that I'd pay for the ticket, the travel, for food and drinks but I wouldn't be paying for the best available product from Arsenal.

I've watched Arsenal play in three league Cup Finals, beating Liverpool and Sheffield Wednesday and losing to Luton Town. Similarly, I've seen them play in countless FA Cup Finals but the one common thread in each of these cases is that the manager fielded the best possible eleven players in the starting lineup. My concern with what may turn out to be Arsenal's last ever trip to the Millenium Stadium is that it won't be a fair fight. Chelsea will field their best eleven men but Arsenal won't.

You could argue that at times this season Arsenal have fielded their top eleven players and delivered below par performances. In contrast the youngsters have delivered some of the most exciting and passionate displays in the Carling Cup. Despite this, my gut instinct is that Arsenal's best eleven players would beat any team Chelsea put out and I believe that our youngsters will give them a good run for their money. But something keeps niggling inside of me. I just hope that Wenger doesn't regret leaving the likes of Henry and Rosicky out of the team.

You have to admit... silverwear is still silverwear.

Arsenal 3 - Cardiff City 2

2007-02-19T22:30:00.000+01:00

Arsenal's under-18s snatched an impressive victory from visitors Cardiff City in the FA Youth Cup quarter finals tonight. Approximately 10,000 Arsenal fans turned up to watch the match attracted by the chance to watch Fran Merida playing his first game at the Grove and an enticing £3 admission fee.

The future looks bright. The future is red and white!

Arsenal v. Wigan - Analysis of my predictions

2007-02-12T21:26:00.000+01:00

Gut Feeling: Arsenal are notorious for having off days after an international break and I'm worried that tomorrow could be the same. One good thing was that no-one came back injured although Adebayor may have a touch of jet lag after playing for Togo.

For a while it looked like it was going to be an off day for the Gunners. They went behind to a stunning drive from Landzaat after 35 minutes and it took just under an hour for Arsenal to conjure the equaliser.

I've got a feeling that Wigan will buck their recent trend of underachievement and put in a tough, workmanlike performance. Arsenal will have to respond in kind to their passion and work rate because it really would be unthinkable to drop points in this game.

It seems as though no team ever rolls over and dies when they play Arsenal and Wigan probably did enough to deserve a point. They were denied a penalty when Flamini was caught in no man's land and pulled Heskey to the ground but Adebayor was denied a goal for off-side that wasn't. I guess these things even out over the course of the season but the visitors left feeling hard done by.

What Arsenal Need: Arsenal need to crush Wigan's spirit early on by scoring in the first twenty minutes because the longer the game remains scoreless the better for the visitors.

The visitors took the game to Arsenal who didn't respond with the vigour the crowd would have liked and to be honest ot was nail biting stuff right to the final whistle.

Wigan will use every deadball situation to put pressure on the Arsenal goal and the Gunners will need to work hard to maintain a clean sheet. Arsenal need to avoid going a goal down at all costs as their recent run of come-from-behind wins is soon to run out.

Wigan started the game with the intention of slowing it down. They insited in wasting time over every set piece, goal kick and throw in. Once they scored the tacics worsened if that seems possible and Lehmann was booked in the kast minutes for a sarcastic impression of Kirkland who miraculously survived the match without being booked.

Things To Watch Out For: I'm looking for Rosicky to continue his recent improvement and equally I will be watching young Clichy with interest. I believe the young Frenchman is Arsenal's most improved player of the season. He has replaced the former left back seamlessly and offers similar amounts of energy to his former team mate.

Clichy was the outstanding player on the pitch in my opinion. His tackling was ruthless and his running up and down the left flank looked effortless. Rosicky had a good game too and took some of the creative responsibility off Fabregas who struggled through the ninety minutes with a niggling knee problem.

Hopes For The Match: Arsenal cannot afford any more injuries with the FA Cup replay at Bolton and a potential home match against Blackburn looming on the horizon. In particular there is no depth in the defence and little in the midfield, so fingers crossed that all the boys finish the match in good shape.

Djourou was bought off with a broken nose but apart from that the Gunners finished the match unscathed.

Team Selection: There is very little to choose from for this game. The back four pick themselves as they are the only four who could fill the roles. Henry could partner Adebayor up front but if Wenger were to rest the young striker then Baptista would play instead.

Adebayor started the match on the bench and Baptista took his place and set up the winning goal with an accurate cross for Rosicky to head home the winner.

Rosicky, Gilberto and Fabregas are some of the first names on the team sheet and so the only choice to be made is who plays on the right wing. Walcott will probably fill the void left by the injured Hleb and Ljungberg and he needs to put in a solid performance as Denilson and Aliadiere are positioned to put pressure on him.

Flamini replaced Hoyte late on whilst Aliadiere took the field when Walcott was removed.

My team selection for this game:

Henry, Adebayor

Rosicky, Gilberto,Fabregas, Walcott

Clichy, Senderos, Toure, Hoyte

Lehmann

Subs: Almunia, Diaby, Flamini, Baptista, Aliadiere Aliadiere

Unavailable: Gallas, Ljungberg, Eboue, Senderos, van Persie, Hleb

Long-term issues: I am concerned with the quality of refereeing in the Premiership. It seems as though the only sport in the world that suffers from inefficient refereeing is football. Fans spend just as much time talking about poor refereeing decisions than they do about the sport itself.

The fact that eight players were booked in a game that was wholly unremarkable is embarrassing. Toure's booking was laughable and I would argue that he was only booked because the referee failed to offer Wigan the advantage.

Prediction: Arsenal 2 Wigan 0
Score: Arsenal 2 Wigan 1

Arsenal v. Bolton - My predictions

2007-01-28T09:39:00.000+01:00

Gut Feeling: I feel like it's Arsenal's chance to show they can have learnt to play with the physical and competitive northern sides. The only problem is that we'll be facing them with six first team players out. Arsenal always seem to get tough draws in the cups and this season's FA and Carling Cup oppositions are testament to that feeling. I think Arsenal will miss Gilberto today and he seems to form an invisible force field just in front of the back four, but there is no direct replacement as I feel that Flamini may be needed elsewhere.

I have a feeling that Bolton will be arriving with the "nick an early goal and hold on" attitude and so Arsenal must counteract that by scoring first. If they do, then Arsenal will win.

What Arsenal Need: Arsenal need to be able to cope with the direct tactics from Bolton and the tough tackling midfield. Senderos and Toure will suffer a deluge of long balls and how they cope with them will decide how successful the Bolton attacks are. Equally, Bolton use throw-ins as a dead ball situation and the Arsenal defenders will need to concentrate on their zone marking and pick up late runs into the box.

Things To Watch Out For: Allardyce's team will come out all fired up and it will be interesting to see how the referee deals with the challenges that Fabregas is destined to receive. I hope he is protected somewhat because I don't believe that the "rough-em-up" tactics should be allowed at this level.

Hopes For The Match: I hope Baptista continues his recent development and shows more of what he has. I have only ever seen the big Brazilian as a striker as I don't think he has the intrictae skill and delicate first touch required of a central midfielder in the Premiership. If you compare his first touch and distribution with those of Brazilian compatriots Gilberto and the departed Edu, he is left in their wake. His strength is to fend off defenders and to make runs into the box at the right time, skills he showed in bucket loads in his recent run in the Carling Cup team.

Team Selection: The simple decisions he has made are to rest Lehmann for Almunia, to field the best four defenders he has and to play Henry and Adebayor uo front. But Wenger really has some tough decisions when it comes to the midfield. Rosicky will play on the left and Fabregas in the middle but it is the other two positions which require more thought.

I have a few scenarios:

1. Play Flamini on the right wing and Baptista in the centre.

2. Play Flamini in the centre and Baptista on the wing.

3. Play Flamini in the centre and Walcott on the wing, leaving Baptista on the bench.

Each scenario has pros and cons as follows:

1. Flamini can play on the right wing but Baptista isn't the right choice in the centre of midfield.

2. Flamini is a good replacement for Gilberto in the centre of midfield but Baptista is a fish out of water on the wing.

3. Flamini is a good replacement for Gilberto in the centre of midfield but Walcott is off form and Baptista is coming into form and so deserves to play.

So I'm really not sure which way Wenger will go.

My team selection for this game:

Henry, Adebayor

Rosicky, Baptista or Flamini, Fabregas, Flamini or Walcott

Clichy, Senderos, Toure, Hoyte

Almunia

Subs: Poom, Traore, Diaby, Walcott, Aliadiere

Unavailable: Gilberto, Gallas, Ljungberg, Eboue, Djourou, van Persie, Hleb

Long-term issues: Arsenal seem to be picking up lots of muscular injuries this season and I will address this is a separate post.

Prediction: Arsenal 2 Bolton 1

Seven Sisters v. Arsenal - Analysis of my predictions

2007-01-25T10:05:00.001+01:00

Gut Feeling: I think the young guns will get a result tonight, but it will be a tough match against a first string opposition. I have a feeling Arsenal will snatch a result in the last twenty minutes.

The young guns did snatch a result in the last twenty minutes, it was just that they had a two-goal mountain to climb. They showed character and confidence and were unlucky not to leave with a victory.

To be honest I was a little bit disappointed with the mix up that led to Arsenal conceding the first goal. It looked like Toure ducked out of the way of the ball, which was met by Berbatov, who headed it past Almunia. The Spanish goalkeeper looked furious and if my lip reading is accurate I saw him say "I said away!".

What Arsenal Need: In the semi-final first leg last year Arsenal failed to score and it was this that probably lost them the chance to reach the final. The young guns need at least one goal tonight but any more would be greatly appreciated.

Arsenal got two away goals last night and that will mean that Wenger will stick with his youngsters in the home leg next Wednesday. I cannot see them conceding two goals next week and for that reason I am confident they will be meeting Chelsea in the Carling Cup Final.

Things To Watch Out For: I'll be watching for the performances of the following players.

Baptista - I feel he has a real opportunity to assert himself at the club now that there is a space for a third striker. He needs to capitalise on the performance at Anfield and I'll be watching how well he works with Fabregas. If he makes good runs, the young Spaniard will find him and that could cause trouble for the home side.

In the first half he struggled at times and was unlucky to concede the own goal after Dawson jumped over the in swinging free kick. But once the game opened up he looked dangerous every time he got the ball. He made intelligent runs and took the scoring chances well. I feel he is slowly establishing himself in the side and a scoring replacement for van Persie is urgently required.

Aliadiere - I still see him as a winger, in the the same light as Reyes. I don't think he's really a striker, but I like his pace, his ability to use both feet and he can finish well. Arsenal need at least one more winger with only Rosicky, Hleb and Walcott fit, so he has a chance to create a niche for himself.

I thought he played well before his injury, but he was off the pitch when Arsenal took control of the match. Eboue made a significant impact on the game when he replaced Aliadiere and switched with Walcott to play on the right wing.

Walcott - He was quiet in the match at Anfield and I'm looking for a stronger performance from him tonight.

Once again he was quiet and seemed to run into trouble at times. On a number of occasions he should have passed the ball on after beating the first opponent, but he held onto the ball and subsequently lost possession. After making a significant impact at the start of the season Walcott seems to be struggling to establish himself.

Hopes For The Match: My only fear about fielding first team players in the Carling Cup is the risk they run of sustaining injury. I hope the whole squad gets through the match unscathed, but my main concern will be for Toure, Fabregas and Hleb.

I was right to fear the risk of injury in this game. At the final whistle Arsenal had injuries to Hleb, Eboue and Aliadiere. The injury to the young Frenchman is less critical, but the injuries to Wenger's first choice right back and right winger are significant. With Walcott underperforming, there is no real depth on the right wing as Ljungberg and van Persie are both out with injury. Other players that could fill in on the right wing are Aliadiere and Eboue, both of which are injured or Flamini who will play as a defensive midfileder in place of Gilberto. Wenger has a serious problem on his hands and will have to start Walcott on the right wing.

Team Selection: Arsenal.com identified the sixteen man squad that will travel down the Seven Sisters Road tonight. It includes 12 of the squad that walked away from Anfield with a 6-3 demolition with four additional players: Senderos, Eboue, Hleb and Flamini. The four new faces have replaced Lansbury, Song, Djourou and Connolly.

Wenger's squad selection makes interesting reading as it is not obvious who will start tonight's match. I have tried to keep the 'youthful' look of the team that have played in the matches against West Brom, Everton and Liverpool and only made changes to the team that won at Anfield where appropriate.

Almunia will start between the posts and I hope to see another assured display from him. He needs to take every opportunity to perform for the manager as Lehmann's future at the club is uncertain at present.

I see Senderos as a straight swap for Djourou in central defence. I'd keep Hoyte at right back and leave Eboue on the bench.

I had most difficulty selecting the midfield for this game. Looking back at the three previous Carling Cup games the midfield has always featured Denilson, Song and Walcott. So Denilson and Walcott are sure to start tonight. I see Diaby as a straight swap for Song and so he should continue his rehabilitation tonight in the centre of midfield. If Wenger thinks he is not ready to start, then Flamini will take his place.

The strike partnership will obviously remain changed after their performance against Liverpool. With Baptista and Aliadiere looking to push for more playing time in the first team after the devastating injury to van Persie, we should see strong performances from both.

I was spot on with my team selection, although I didn't forsee Wenger using Diaby on the left wing. Diaby was replaced after an hour and received a standing ovation from the travelling Arsenal faithful. Denilson played well in the centre of midfield, which is his preferred position.

My team selection for this game:

Baptista, Aliadiere

Walcott, Diaby, Fabregas, Denilson

Traore, Senderos, Toure, Hoyte

Almunia

Subs: Poom, Eboue, Randall, Flamini, Hleb

Unavailable: Gallas, Ljungberg, van Persie and Djourou.

Now Wenger may have to add Hleb, Eboue and Aliadiere to the unavailable list.

Long-term issues: I wonder if Wenger will bring out the big guns if Arsenal need to get a result in the return fixture at the Grove? I would prefer him to stay true to his youth policy in the Carling Cup, but if breaking with tradition is the only way he can assure Arsenal of a spot in the final, then so be it.

Wenger has suggested that "most of them will play next week", which is good to hear. I think it would be remarkable if the young guns made it to the final and they deserve the opportunity to play in the return leg.

Prediction: Seven Sisters 1 Arsenal 2
Score: Seven Sisters 2 Arsenal 2

Seven Sisters v. Arsenal - My predictions

2007-01-23T15:39:00.000+01:00

Gut Feeling: I think the young guns will get a result tonight, but it will be a tough match against a first string opposition. I have a feeling Arsenal will snatch a result in the last twenty minutes.

What Arsenal Need: In the semi-final first leg last year Arsenal failed to score and it was this that probably lost them the chance to reach the final. The young guns need at least one goal tonight but any more would be greatly appreciated.

Things To Watch Out For: I'll be watching for the performances of the following players.

Baptista - I feel he has a real opportunity to assert himself at the club now that there is a space for a third striker. He needs to capitalise on the performance at Anfield and I'll be watching how well he works with Fabregas. If he makes good runs, the young Spaniard will find him and that could cause trouble for the home side.

Aliadiere - I still see him as a winger, in the the same light as Reyes. I don't think he's really a striker, but I like his pace, his ability to use both feet and he can finish well. Arsenal need at least one more winger with only Rosicky, Hleb and Walcott fit, so he has a chance to create a niche for himself.

Walcott - He was quiet in the match at Anfield and I'm looking for a stronger performance from him tonight.

Hopes For The Match: My only fear about fielding first team players in the Carling Cup is the risk they run of sustaining injury. I hope the whole squad gets through the match unscathed, but my main concern will be for Toure, Fabregas and Hleb.

Team Selection: Arsenal.com identified the sixteen man squad that will travel down the Seven Sisters Road tonight. It includes 12 of the squad that walked away from Anfield with a 6-3 demolition with four additional players: Senderos, Eboue, Hleb and Flamini. The four new faces have replaced Lansbury, Song, Djourou and Connolly.

Wenger's squad selection makes interesting reading as it is not obvious who will start tonight's match. I have tried to keep the 'youthful' look of the team that have played in the matches against West Brom, Everton and Liverpool and only made changes to the team that won at Anfield where appropriate.

Almunia will start between the posts and I hope to see another assured display from him. He needs to take every opportunity to perform for the manager as Lehmann's future at the club is uncertain at present.

I see Senderos as a straight swap for Djourou in central defence. I'd keep Hoyte at right back and leave Eboue on the bench.

I had most difficulty selecting the midfield for this game. Looking back at the three previous Carling Cup games the midfield has always featured Denilson, Song and Walcott. So Denilson and Walcott are sure to start tonight. I see Diaby as a straight swap for Song and so he should continue his rehabilitation tonight in the centre of midfield. If Wenger thinks he is not ready to start, then Flamini will take his place.

The strike partnership will obviously remain changed after their performance against Liverpool. With Baptista and Aliadiere looking to push for more playing time in the first team after the devestating injury to van Persie, we should see strong performances from both.

My team selection for this game:

Baptista, Aliadiere

Walcott, Diaby, Fabregas, Denilson

Traore, Senderos, Toure, Hoyte

Almunia

Subs: Poom, Eboue, Randall, Flamini, Hleb

Unavailable: Gallas, Ljungberg, van Persie and Djourou.

Long-term issues: I wonder if Wenger will bring out the big guns if Arsenal need to get a result in the return fixture at the Grove? I would prefer him to stay true to his youth policy in the Carling Cup, but if breaking with tradition is the only way he can assure Arsenal of a spot in the final, then so be it.

Prediction: Seven Sisters 1 Arsenal 2

Van Persie's Injury Keeping Up With Jones's

2007-01-22T20:41:00.000+01:00

Before I talk about van Persie's injury, here is a quick review of the anatomy of the foot. The view to the left is from above, as if you are looking down at your foot.

The bones are labelled as follows: 1st metatarsal (1), 2nd metatarsal (2), 3rd metatarsal (3), 4th metatarsal (4), 5th metatarsal, medial cuneiform (M), intermediate cuneiform (I), lateral cuneiform (L), cuboid (Cu), navicular (N), talus (T) and calcaneus (C).

The only blemish on a wonderful victory on Sunday was the news that van persie fractured his fifth metatarsal. Initially the reports were that he injured it whist celebrating his goal but the footage of him scoring showed no mechanisms of injury whilst he celebrated. Instead it seems as though the outside of his right foot twisted in the turf as he stretched to meet the ball. The arrow on the view to the left shows the probable site of injury, which is a comon site of injury in footballers.

RECOVERY TIMES (Source: BBC Sport)

Michael Owen (2006) 5th metatarsal predicted 6-8 weeks returned in 17 weeks
Ashley Cole (2005) 5th metatarsal predicted 6-8 weeks returned in 12 weeks
Scott Parker (2004) 2nd metatarsal predicted 8 weeks returned in 34 weeks
Steven Gerrard (2004) 5th metatarsal predicted 6 weeks returned in 10 weeks
Wayne Rooney (2004) 5th metatarsal predicted 8 weeks returned in 14 weeks
David Beckham (2002) 2nd metatarsal predicted 6 weeks returned in 7 weeks
Gary Neville (2002) 5th metatarsal predicted 6-8 weeks returned in 21 weeks
Danny Murphy (2002) 2nd metatarsal predicted 6 weeks returned in 21 weeks

What the data above show is that clubs predict between 6-8 weeks for the rehabilitation of matatarsal fractures, however these injuries are notoriously unpredictable. Some require surgical pinning, whilst others do not and some individuals have a poor blood supply to certain areas of the fifth metatarsal, which would delay healing. The average rehabilitation time of the eight players listed above is 17 weeks, which is a long time, but it is made to look worse by the 34 week recovery of Scott Parker. If he is taken out of the calculation, the average time is 14 weeks. What must be acknowledged is that Arsenal have an excellent medical team and that van Persie will be receiving the best quality care, but either way, he looks to be on the sideline for a long time.

The injury van Perise sustained is called a Jones fracture and is named after the first physician to write about the injury. Sir Robert Jones wrote an article on fractures of bones within the foot in 1902 and included a fifth metatarsal fracture he himself had sustained. He referred to it as a Jones fracture and it has been named as such ever since.

The next step for the medical team at Arsenal is to decide if it needs to be pinned. If it does then this is what will take place.

The first image shows the foot prepped for surgery. The lines signify the location of the bone to be repaired and a tiny incision is made to enable the minimally invasive surgery to take place.

The second image shows a guide pin being placed in the centre of the bone. This pin will allow the surgeon to place the screw in the correct location within the bone. The fracture is visible just above the base of the fifth metatarsal.

The third image shows a small drill being inserted into the fifth metatarsal. It is guided by the pin and the titanium alloy screw is slowly drilled into the bone.

The fourth image shows the space between the two fragments of bone has been reduced and the screw is perfectly aligned within the bone.

The incision is only 3mm long, the surgery takes approximately 15 minutes, no cast is required and the patient can walk immdeiately. The only concern for van Persie would be if he failed to heal efficiently. There is a chance that he won't require surgery and if that is the case he would undergo a conservative treatment, where his bone would be allowed to heal itself naturally.

In the meantime van Persie will be maintaining his cardiovascualr fitness in the gym.

Keep an Eye on the Man in the Middle

2007-01-19T10:32:00.000+01:00

Just to let everyone know that the game on Sunday will be refereed by Mike Riley, who along with fan's favourite Graham Poll is the 'highest scoring' referee in the Premiership. He has refereed 14 games this season and sent 5 players off and dished out 54 yellow cards. According to the BBC statistics that gives him an 'average' of 4.21, which puts him at the top of the referee's list. Just in case you weren't sure, that means he is the referee most prone to reaching for his pocket.

He has referred two Arsenal games this season: the frustrating 1-1 draw at home to Everton and the comfortable 4-0 win at home to Charlton. In those two games he only booked two Arsenal players. Let's hope he keeps control of the match on Sunday because if the winner of the match is decided on quality of football and not dodgy referee decisions or poor refereeing, Arsenal will prevail.

Larsson Embarrasses the Toon

2007-01-18T10:11:00.000+01:00

This evening I sat at home and watched the Newcastle v. Birmingham match just to see how the two Arsenal loanees would play. So I thought I'd do a match review on the two Arsenal youngsters' performances for those of you who couldn't bring themselves to watch the match or simply missed it.

The two Arsenal youngsters on show were Fabrice Muamba and Sebastian Larsson, whilst Niklas Bendtner is recovering from an ankle injury and did not play. It is shame that the young Dane is injured as he was developing so well this season and it remains to be seen how much game time he gets when he's fit and returns to the team.

Newcastle played poorly in the first half and looked almost jet-lagged or shell shocked from their heroics on the weekend. When I say heroics, you know what I mean. They beat some second rate side from the Seven Sisters Road. Let me re-phrase that sentence... Newcastle played poorly in the first half and looked almost jet-lagged or shell shocked from their efforts on the weekend.

After a while Newcastle woke up and Milner struck the ball from some 30 yards out and it sailed into the left side of the Birmingham net to get the Toon back in the match. As soon as I'd written the previous sentence, Newcastle fell asleep again and Taylor was sent off for pulling down Campbell on the edge of the area. He was the last man and he walked. Birmingham went 3-1 up from the ensuing free kick. Larsson and Campbell scored late on to humiliate the Toon even further.

Name: Fabrice Muamba
Number: 26
DOB: 6-4-1988
Nationality: English
Position: Defensive midfielder
Height: 6'2
Weight: 12st 4lbs

The obvious comparisons are made with Vieira and will continue to until the young man has made a name for himself. I don't like the idea of saying "someone is the next someone". I feel that it demeans the younger player and pigeon holes them. Why should Muamba or Diaby for that matter be referred to as the next Vieira? They are in fact the next Diaby and Muamba, both players of enormous potential.

He is a tall, leggy and combative midfielder but he seemed to sit in front of the back four for large parts of the first half. He chased back well, when he was caught behind the ball and challenged well for headers. He worked hard all night and was replaced with ten minutes to go.

I'd give him 7/10.

Name: Sebastian Larsson
Number: 7
DOB: 6-6-1985
Nationality: Swedish
Position: Right midfielder
Height: 5'10
Weight: 11st

Larsson looks like a boy amongst men in my opinion, which in itself is not a fatal flaw, as Michael Owen can testify. His tackling is persistent and energetic, in a similar vein to Ljungberg, but his forte is crossing the ball. He doesn't have bags of pace but perhaps with extra training he could develop his explosive power.

Larsson supplied a sublime cross for McSheffrey to slot home and stun the home fans. He then supplied the pass for Campbell to cross and force the own goal from Solano, which sent the visitors two up. His passing is confident and imaginative and but for poor finishing he could have set up another two in the first half.

Larsson took the free kick that followed the sending off and it rebounded off the wall to N'Gotty who put the visitors 3-1 up. In the 83rd minute Larsson was put through in the penalty box and calmly slotted home Birmingham's fourth. He picked up a knock in scoring and was replaced two minutes later.

Reports suggest that Larsson will sign a full-time contract with Birmingham in this transfer window, with an amount of £500,000 being mooted. At 21 he is still young but he has played well at Birmingham and they will get a good player for almost no money. I believe in some ways that his age is against him at Arsenal. He has undoubted talent but he hasn't developed as quickly as he should have and 'potential' isn't enough to get you in the first team squad at Arsenal. If he was still under 20 I don't think Wenger would be so willing to let him go, which is the case with both Muamba and Bendtner.

I'd give him 8.5/10.

To be honest, prior to kick off I was more interested in watching Muamba play tonight but Larsson stole the show. He was involved in all four Birmingham goals (before he was substituted) and I'm sure we'll see lots of him next year in the Premiership. I just hope that Arsenal put the price up after this performance because he's worth more than £500,000, that's for sure.

Top Scorer To Miss the Visit of the Red Devils

2007-01-18T08:16:00.000+01:00

The Sun newspaper is suggesting that van Persie has picked up a knock in training and is set to miss the showdown with Manchester United on Sunday. It would be a terrible blow for the young Dutchman, for Wenger and for Arsenal. He offers something very different to the other strikers and I feel that his passionate tackling, his threat from free kicks and his penchant for scoring spectacular goals will be missed.

There is no way that you can remove your team's top scorer and not be upset by it but there is still hope. On the face of it Adebayor would take his place alongside Henry and the tall striker's workrate will be of value to Arsenal when the two teams meet on Sunday. We know he'll run non-stop and he played so well in the match at Old Trafford that he'd be the one they feared most anyway. If Adebayor does start then there would be a space on the bench for Aliadiere as Baptista would already be set to start the match from the bench.

Lets hope the rumours of the injury are false and that Wenger has his full compliment of strikers to choose from.

Blackburn v Arsenal - Analysis of my predictions

2007-01-13T09:12:00.000+01:00

Gut Feeling: Hell hath no fury like Blackburn scorned... well it sounds dramatic but you know what I mean. You can just imagine Mark Hughes headbutting the changing room walls as he fires up his team of assassins for this re-match. Savage and Neil don't need much to get them wound up but keep an eye out for some of the early tackles on Fabregas and Rosicky. Blackburn will be playing out of their skin to try and erase the memory of what could have been and what actually transpired in the 6-2 demolition. Its going to be a very competitive and hard fought match but I think Arsenal have the quality to take three points from this match.

It was always going to be the player that retaliated that was the one to get his marching orders. Savage is a tough competitor and I don't have a problem with that. What I do have a problem with is the play acting after Gilberto swung his leg at him. Either way, the Brazilian should have known better. He played straight into Savage's hands and that was what disappointed me most.

My other frustration with the game was the inconsistency of it all. Just think back to the following incidents. Savage has three swipes at Gilberto, two of which seemed to come after the whistle had been blown. Savage gets a yellow. Gilberto is hacked to the ground, retaliates, misses and gets a red. Tugay takes a ten yard run up on Fabregas and knocks him to the ground days after the ball has gone and gets a yellow. Are the crimes so dissimilar?

What Arsenal Need: Arsenal need to focus on a few things this evening.

Firstly, they need to defend well from set pieces. Blackburn will see them as excellent opportunities to put pressure on the back four and especially Lehmann, who at times looks dodgy when hassled on the goal line at corners.

Arsenal did well from set pieces and kept Lehmann from being hassled. Rob Styles spoke to a number of Blackburn players at corners and he seemed to be suggesting that they needed to be making a genuine play for the ball rather than trying to get in his way just to wind him up.

Arsenal need to show passion and commitment for the entirety of the game because its going to be a battle, on a wet pitch in blustery conditions... not usually the conditions that suit them. But these are exactly the matches they need to win to show that they have improved on last year.

I thought Arsenal showed almost superhuman effort tonight. They could have so easily capitulated, held their hands in the air and given up, with a ready made 'hard-done-by' excuse in the bag. But they didn't and it was the kind of performance that reminded me of a brave Arsenal victory at Anfield where van Bronckhurst had been sent off in the 2001-02 season. I was so proud of those guys this evening. It was as good a performance as any I've seen this year and against all the odds.

Things To Watch Out For: I'll be interested to see how the Gunners approach the match. As Wenger mentioned in the press conference, Arsenal are the most fouled team in the Premiership and this match will only swell those statistics. Blackburn will come out kicking and screaming and it remains to be seen if Rob Styles keep control of things.

Well there weren't too many fouls for Styles to deal with up until the sending off. He screwed that decision up and it seems as though the Brazilian will miss the games against the Red Devils, a trip down Seven Sisters Road and the visit of Manchester City. The sending off didn't cost Arsenal anything today but it may come Sunday as Gilberto is irreplaceable.

Hopes For The Match: As usual my hopes for the match are that the Gunners get through 90 minutes with no injuries and three points. It would be nice to see Senderos continue to improve. He really is a player that needs a run of games to get comfortable.

I thought he did well again. There was one slip-up but it didn't get punished, which was good.

Team Selection: I hope that Wenger plays a 4-4-2 formation as it really is the way forward for Arsenal. It gives Henry the opportunity to play his usual game and moves away from asking him to play up front on his own with his back to goal.

I thought Fabregas, Hleb and Rosicky were all excellent today. Their neat, intricate and imaginative passing is a delight to behold and they hardly gave a ball away all game, eventhough they were outnumbered three-to-one at times. It was a pleasure to watch.

My team selection for this game:

Henry, van Persie

Rosicky, Gilberto, Fabregas, Hleb

Clichy, Senderos, Toure, Hoyte

Lehmann

Subs: Almunia, Djourou, Baptista, Walcott, Adebayor

Unavailable: Gallas (thigh); Ljungberg (hamstring); Eboue (ankle).

Long-term issues: Isn't it a wonderful problem to have when you have a near-fully fit squad and you have players fighting for selection. Up front it seems that Arsenal now have an embarrassment of riches with Henry, van Perise, Adebayor and Baptista all worthy of a starting place.

When you have those four to choose from it doesn't bode well for Aliadiere and Bendtner does it? I personally see the wing as the place where Aliadiere could get some game time at Arsenal, that's where he did most of his damage in the annihilation of Liverpool earlier on in the week.

Across the midfield they actually pick themselves at the moment and if fit Rosicky, Gilberto, Fabregas and Hleb will start, but its good to see the likes of Diaby and Walcott on the sideline and ready to play if required.

Due to the suspension of the great Brazilian, Wenger will have to choose who to play in the defensive midfield position against the Red Devils. Diaby is probably three or four games short of being ready for such a mammoth challenge so I guess Flamini will be used.

In defence Wenger will not be able to call on either Gallas or Eboue and as such the back four pick themselves too. Traore looks like an exciting prospect at left back and I hope he will soon be pushing Clichy for playing time.

Prediction: Blackburn 1 Arsenal 2
Score: Blackburn 0 Arsenal 2

The Reasons Behind the Calls to SHOOT !!!!

2007-01-03T10:39:00.001+01:00

Something occurred to me as I watched the Arsenal v. Charlton match this week and it was something that had been staring me in the face all season. I noticed it after about half an hour into the first half, right about the time when Arsenal had gone two nil up. The crowd pleading for the Gunners to shoot is a common vibe at the Grove this season and it occurs for two reasons.

Firstly, it is often heard when Arsenal have gone one nil down to a team that plays ugly football, has ten men behind the ball and tries to eek out a point from the kick-off. It's these kind of games that Arsenal have struggled with this season and it's during these games that the Arsenal faithful get a little frustrated. When Arsenal are chasing a lead the fans loathe the thought of them trying to walk the ball into the back of the net and they are desperate for as many shots on goal as possible.

Secondly, the urge to SHOOT! is heard when Arsenal have a lead, are playing good football and the fans want to run the score up. That's what the fans pay their money for... to be entertained and there's nothing more they like than watching their beloved Arsenal scoring goals. So the calls to shoot shouldn't be seen as a criticism more as an encouragement and a show of support.

Anyway, I realised that in many of the situations where SHOOT! was heard echoing amongst the home fans, it was in a wholly inappropriate position on the pitch. In fact some of the time there was absolutely no opportunity for the player to shoot and so the call was ludicrous. It's no wonder some of the players were getting frustrated by it.

It seems to me that some fans may have one of two problems. One, poor depth perception caused by the view from their seat or two, little understanding of the fundamentals of the game of football. Now I for one believe that the average Arsenal fan is a student of the beautiful game and so it must be that they can't see what's going on on the edge of the penalty area.

It would be interesting to see which sections were more vocal and if it was the fans from the near or far end of the stadium that were making the calls. When I sat in the front row of the Clock End Stand I had absolutely no depth perception as soon as the ball was beyond the penalty area and maybe this problem exists at the Grove.

You could argue that the players should appreciate any encouragement that the fans give them in the oft quiet new stadium as the singing has been a pale imitation of that heard at Highbury. The reason for this is that so many of the players with classic songs have left, such as Bergkamp, Pires, Campbell, Vieira, Parlour and the've been replaced with Rosicky, Hleb, Flamini, Djourou, Senderos and Clichy who don't have the catchy songs. What is Clichy's song by the way? Please tell me it's not Gael Cli-chy, Gael Cli-chy, Gael Cli-chy.

Arsenal v. Charlton - Analysis of my predictions

2007-01-03T10:13:00.000+01:00

Gut Feeling: Charlton have not won away from home all season. Whilst the Gunners are undefeated at their new home and today shouldn't be the day for that first loss. This game could go one of two ways. If Arsenal turn up and play as if their lives depend on it like they did in the North London derby, then they'll win with ease. If they turn up like a bunch of over-confident prima donnas then they may struggle to get a point.

As the game turned out it manifested itself somewhere in the middle of my two predictions. Arsenal didn't play liked their lives depended on it but they played with more direction and focus than at Bramall Lane. Equally, they didn't play like prima donnas but they did play with confidence and a certain flair that had been missing in the last game.

In the end, Charlton made it easy for Arsenal by failing to turn up with any fight and there was only ever going to be one winner. The Wenger-Pardew re-match was won within the first half hour, when Sankofa pulled back van Persie as he raced to meet a Fabregas shot rebounding off the bar.

What Arsenal Need: With the top two dropping points Arsenal need to keep the pressure on in the race for third place. The race is made more difficult by Liverpool's recent form and three points are absolutely essential. Arsenal need to bounce back from the most impotent and insipid performance in memory and show some desire.

There was a certain buzz around the stadium before kick off and the team looked rejuvenated by the inclusion of Henry. Things looked positive from the whistle and even before the sending off there seemed to be a lot of space out there. This gave Arsenal time on the ball and they moved it around well, probing for that crucial pass. They tackled back well and looked hungry for the duration of the game.

Arsenal cannot afford to sustain any more injuries. There is no depth at all in certain positions such as up front and on the wings.

It looks like everyone came through the game well and it was good to see Wenger use all three substitutions. Gilberto received a standing ovation when he was replaced by Flamini on 70 minutes. Aliadiere replaced Rosicky and was largely ineffective and Denilson had eight minutes at the end of the match in place of Fabregas.

Things To Watch Out For: I think the fans want to see some spirit and some passion, both traits that Wenger drones on about week in week out, both of which were absent at Bramall Lane. Arsenal played like a headless chicken in that match and some leadership should be evident tonight and I'm looking to Gilberto, Fabregas and Toure to deliver it.

Fabregas and Gilberto controlled the match from the centre of the pitch, whilst Senderos looked the more vocal of the defenders from where I was sitting.

Surprise inclusion Henry looked quite sharp, although some passes were a touch wayward, he played himself into the game and made some excellent runs. His overall contribution on the night was impressive.

Scores the first penalty.
Hit the woodwork.
Assist on Hoyte's goal.
Pulled down for the second penalty.
Had a free-kick saved excellently by Carson.
Had a good goal ruled out for off-side.

All in all it was a vintage Henry performance.

Hopes For The Match: I hope to see Lauren get some time at the end of the match and the standing ovation he deserves. I'll be pleased when he's fit and putting pressure on Eboue and Hoyte.

Lauren wasn't named in the squad but I think I saw him sat with Song on the sideline. Hoyte played well, albeit against a poor team, but he finished with confidence from the Henry pass to score the second.

I hope to see a better performance from Rosicky and van Persie in this game as their creativity is essential to Arsenal. Once again I'm looking for Fabregas to control the match and dictate Arsenal's play. If the young Spaniard plays well then Arsenal should win.

The Dutchman was the best player on the pitch and I'm so pleased Henry gave him the second penalty as he deserved the opportunity to score a second goal. Fabregas was involved in the build up to every Arsenal attack and worked well with the two front men.

Team Selection: The Gunners squad remains decimated by injury and as such it almost picks itself. The latest news is that van Persie has apparently hurt his ankle and could be out tonight. To make matters worse Baptista is out too. Thanks to A Cultured Left Foot for the terrible news. (Good blog by the way).

Thank God the news about van Persie was untrue as he was tremendous. He really is turning into a player that has to be in the starting lineup. He does seem to get a lot of bookings and I wouldn't criticise him too much for this. I like the fact that he fights for every lost ball and that passion should be encouraged but he will now miss the two Liverpool matches as a result of his 8th suspension.

Once everyone is fit could there be a place for all three strikers on the pitch? There is a way to get all three in the starting eleven if Henry and Adebayor play up front, van Persie could play on the left or right wing. At the moment I'd choose him over Hleb and Rosicky, as they aren't proper wingers either.

Can it get any worse? Well it could get worse if Henry comes back too early and hurts himself. I shudder to think of this club sustaining any more injuries.

It looks like he was in great shape playing the whole 90 minutes. It was great to see him back.

Arsenal only have one fit 'winger' and he's not even a real winger! Regardless, Wenger should have played Flamini on the wing and not Baptista, who should be played in his rightful position or sent back to the Bernabeu. Why buy a Range Rover and then try and turn it into a Porsche? Wenger insists in playing the Brazilian out of position and then wonders why he doesn't perform. Wenger should give Baptista a chance to play up front on a football pitch, rather than on the wing on a farm, but I have no idea when he'll be back.

Playing without true wingers requires the full backs to overlap in order to provide any real width. If the full backs do not provide this width Rosicky and Hleb predominantly cut inside, which means the attack is forced down the middle third of the pitch. This is one reason that it looks like Arsenal are trying to thread the ball through the eye of a needle. Arsene needs to purchase a pure winger in the January sales.

Aliadiere should not be wearing an Arsenal shirt and I only have him on the pitch in my team selection as Wenger named him in the squad for this match and there is literally no-one else who could play there. Although, you could argue that Bendtner and Stokes could both quite easily replace Aliadiere. We have to assume Arsene knows.

It looks as though both young strikers will stay on loan until the summer, when Wenger will decide their future. Aliadiere looked anonymous again.

Potentially available: Stokes is more deserving of a place on the Arsenal bench than Aliadiere who was sent on loan and unused at Wolves, Celtic and West Ham. Stokes has scored a hatfull of goals and lead the SPL scoring charts before he returned to Arsenal. He has shone in what was a mid-table team in a tough league and that's exactly what Arsene would have hoped from him. What more could Stokes do to get a shot? If Fabregas and Cole were good enough at such a young age, could he be? Yes, he could and I for one would love to see him on the bench tonight.

I wait to hear what Wenger has in store for Stokes. He says that he'll stay on loan, but he's returned from Falkirk, so maybe he'll be sent out to a Charlton or a Watford?

Rumour has it that Henry may be called into the squad tonight and if so that could only make Arsenal stronger. I'll be watching to see if his attitute is right as well as his hamstring.

As I mentioned earlier, he looked sharp and his attitude looked right. He praised passes and his celebration, although a little rehearsed showed his delight at scoring and his relationship with Adebayor.

Unavailable: Hleb (shin) - started on the right wing; Walcott (back); Adebayor and Gallas (thigh); Djourou - one of the five substitutes, Henry - started up front and Ljungberg (hamstring); Baptista, Eboue and Diaby (ankle).

Prediction: Arsenal 2 Charlton 1
Score: Arsenal 4 Charlton 0

Keeping an Eye on the January Sales

2007-01-02T11:14:00.001+01:00

Arsenal need to keep an eye on the January Sales. Historically, Wenger has been active at this time purchasing Reyes, Eboue and Walcott, but I'm not sure if he has the cash to splash this time around.

In my view he should be getting rid of Aliadiere and adding depth in the following places:

Left back, defensive midfielder, right and left wing.

He should also be looking for a long-term replacement for Lehmann, with Akinfeev as my choice to fill the German's boots.

The Gunners have been linked with moves for Gareth Bale, Curtus Davies, Ashley Young and Nigel Reo-Coker. My views on those transfers are as follows:

Gareth Bale: I haven't seen much of him but the buzz around him is quite positive. It looks like the Gunners need another left back, but the money being talked about is in the £7m region and that is too much for another untried youngster. He'll probably end up at Chelsea or Manchester United.

Curtis Davies: I don't think Arsenal need him. There is already too much competition for his position and it would demoralise the two young Swiss players if this purchase was made. He'll probably end up at Portsmouth or similar.

Ashley Young: This is one youngster that I would be pleased with. He's a dynamic player and Arsenal need to add depth to the wings as Ljungberg looks increasingly frail whilst Hleb and Rosicky are attacking midfielders and not wingers.

Nigel Reo-Coker: Another purchase that I would be very pleased with. I think that Reo-Coker would be an excellent addition to the current squad. I like how passionate he is, how vocal he is and that he likes to tackle people. He's just what Arsenal need and he would be the long-term replacement for Gilberto. I concede that Diaby has the potential to fulfill this role but he's recovering from a serious injury and is largely unproven, the West ham captain isn't.

Arsenal v. Charlton - My predictions

2007-01-02T09:44:00.000+01:00

My team selection for this game:

van Persie, Aliadiere

Rosicky, Gilberto, Fabregas, Flamini

Clichy, Senderos, Toure, Hoyte

Almunia

Subs: Almunia, Lauren, Song, Denilson, Hleb (if fit)

Potentially available: Stokes is more deserving of a place on the Arsenal bench than Aliadiere who was sent on loan and unused at Wolves, Celtic and West Ham. Stokes has scored a hatfull of goals and lead the SPL scoring charts before he returned to Arsenal. He has shone in what was a mid-table team in a tough league and that's exactly what Arsene would have hoped from him. What more could Stokes do to get a shot? If Fabregas and Cole were good enough at such a young age, could he be? Yes, he could and I for one would love to see him on the bench tonight.

Rumour has it that Henry may be called into the squad tonight and if so that could only make Arsenal stronger. I'll be watching to see if his attitute is right as well as his hamstring.

Unavailable: Hleb (shin); Walcott (back); Adebayor and Gallas (thigh); Djourou, Henry and Ljungberg (hamstring); Baptista, Eboue and Diaby (ankle).

Long-term issues: Wenger needs to make a decision about Aliadiere and his potential replacements who are all scoring whilst on loan. The fans have run out of patience with the Frenchman and most would be pleased to see him leave.

Prediction: Arsenal 2 Charlton 1

Sheffield United v. Arsenal - Analysis of my predictions

2006-12-31T10:41:00.001+01:00

I feel compelled to make some Dodgy Christmas Analogies after the Carry-On Film the Gunners put on yesterday. They looked like they'd been sat watching Spartacus all day and stuffing their faces with Quality Street and mince pies. They looked hungover from all the sherry trifle they'd consumed and their legs looked lifeless, as though they'd been sat in the same armchair for days. There was little imagination or inventiveness, as though they'd been bored to the point of unconciousness with endless games of Trivial Pursuit and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? It really was a failure of epic proportions and I hope it gives them nightmares, because it did the same to me.

Gut Feeling: Warnock will have them fired up with giant killing aspirations and the first twenty minutes will be a bit spicy but I feel Arsenal have enough quality in the starting eleven to secure a victory. I have a feeling that van Persie may snatch a goal from a set piece and that the second goal will be scored by a surprising face such as Senderos or Baptista.

Warnock certainly had his team fired up be he needn't have wasted his energy. A pub side could have got a result against that Arsenal performance. And without wishing any disrespect to the home side Warnock all but fielded a pub side. It was certainly nowhere near their first string eleven.

Whilst I sat writing the predictions for this match I battled with the 'Arsenal-can't-play-away-from-home-in-the-North" fear from entering my consciousness, but I should have been more open-minded. It was another insipid and embarrassing performance, probably the worst I've seen under Wenger.

What Arsenal Need: They need to get through the match unscathed. There is quite literally no depth in certain areas of the squad at the moment and Wenger cannot afford any further losses to injury.

I guess the only positive from this match was the fact that no-one got hurt, apart I hope, from their pride. They should be ashamed of themselves and I for one would give my week's wages to charity if I'd been part of that shambolic display.

Arsenal also need a courageous and gritty performance in what looks like being poor weather against a team with nothing to lose. Once again three points are essential to the cause as Arsenal have to beat teams like Sheffield United to ensure they secure the crucial Champions League qualification.

Very little courage and no grit from the visiting side. I refuse to accept that the pitch or weather can be blamed and it was certainly a case of two points lost in the chase for second place. It was the 5th away defeat this season and it just isn't good enough especially when you look at who the defeats came against. Manchester City, West Ham, Fulham and Bolton... so no world beaters there then?

Are the Arsenal players a little bit dim? Why oh why oh why did it take nearly half an hour for them to get a shot in against a goalkeeper who isn't even a real one? As soon as the substitution was made someone should have been winding the team up and telling them to shoot from all angles.

Things To Watch Out For: It looks as though Baptista will start the match and I pray that he doesn't give another performance like the one he gave at Wigan. It will be the same kind of pitch against the same kind of battling and spirited opposition, so he should know what to expect this time. It will only be his third start in an Arsenal shirt even though it is halfway through the season. To date he has suffered with injury and high levels of competition to get in the starting eleven. This will be a big opportunity for him to shine.

My prayers were not answered and the Brazilian looks lost at sea, with a poor first touch, little composure under pressure and an aversion to sticking his foot in. Playing Baptista on the left wing was like buying a snowboard and going surfing with it... it just wasn't fit for purpose... Why does Wenger insist on buying players and playing them out of position? In some cases he has made diamonds out of lumps of coal as with the transformations of Henry, Lauren and Toure, but is there anything wrong with buying a player and letting him do what he can do?

I presume that Wenger will play Flamini on the right wing, in a position I feel uncomfortable playing him in, but I rest assured that he will run his socks off for the cause and he should support Hoyte in defensive positions. If the right side of the team is Hoyte and Flamini I see the majority of the inventive attacking play developing on the opposite flank with Rosicky and Clichy.

Oh no he didn't! I know it sounds a bit pantomime, but all we needed was a tubby guy in a girls outfit playing the dame and the Gunners could have put on their own theatrical farce yesterday. Wenger instead chose to play Baptista on the wing, as mentioned earlier and played Flamini in the middle of the midfield. The evening looked doomed as soon as I found that out! Playing Flamini as the creative engine in the centre of midfield was like taking the engine management system out of a Porsche and replacing it with one from my old mini. It was a terrible misjudgement and Arsenal ran around like a headless chicken for an hour until Fabregas appeared.

The left wing was as impotent as the right and the headless Arsenal looked armless(harmless) for the majority of the encounter. Rosicky looked out of position and out of sorts as did Hoyte, who struggled throughout.

It seems that van Persie could be one injury for Arsenal as I think he's cotracted Reyes disease. Whenever anyone got near him he fell to the ground like he'd been shot by a sniper. What is going on with him? In his defence he was punched by the coward marking him and got booked miraculously seconds later, but he needs to stay on his feet and play football.

Hopes For The Match: I hope Baptista silences his critics and puts in an impressive display, linking with Fabregas and Rosicky to initiate attacks. Equally, I hope that Senderos gives a commanding performance in the heart of the Arsenal defence and starts playing up to the level required of a number-6-wearing-Arsenal-centre-back.

There was no linking, no initiative and at times very little of anything from Baptista. I refuse to call him "The Beast" as I find it irksome to perpetuate such a ridiculous nickname. I dislike those ironic nicknames like calling a tall person "Tiny" and his nickname is so inappropriate that I find it comical. There is more of a reason to call him "The Breast" as he's a big bouncy harmless thing that could never do anyone any damage.

Senderos played reasonably well and for once it was Toure who made the unforced error to gift the home side the winning goal. A friend of mine remarked that he thought Toure preferred being the youngster in the centre back partnership as he was with Campbell and that he struggled leading the line and also keeping an eye on the youngsters at the same time. I guess this is a good point and I agree that at times he's beginning to look a bit wobbly.

Team Selection: It looks as though Wenger will have to play whoever is available and scrape together five to sit on the bench. With such a long unavailable list, it's a surprise that he can actually name 11 experienced players to start the match. I've suggested a 4-4-2 just because van Persie can't play on his own up front and Baptista is unproven.

Oh dear what did Arsene do here? He gave Aliadiere a start paired up front with van Persie and the young Frenchman was as dangerous as the Easter Bunny. He had little impact on the game and for long periods I was fortunate in forgetting he was on the pitch at all. Why is he still at Arsenal whilst Stokes is scoring for fun in Scotland and Bendtner is knocking them in and setting them up at Birmingham?

Once Fabregas was left out the team was doomed to struggle and I know that no team should be a one-man team but this year Arsenal are. He controls the match, sets the tempo and usually influences the outcome. He's like a policeman, a conductor and God all rolled into one. I believe he is the only irreplaceable player in the current Arsenal team, apart perhaps from Gilberto.

My team selection for this game:

van Persie, Baptista

Rosicky, Gilberto, Fabregas, Flamini

Clichy, Senderos, Toure, Hoyte

Lehmann

Subs: Almunia, Lauren, Denilson, Song, Aliadiere

The area that looks weak is the bench with Aliadiere, Song, Denilson and Lauren to sit along side Almunia.

The problem with having as no depth on the bench, is that once you're in trouble you have no-one to come on and make an impact. Poor Denilson was given ten minutes to try and win the match after the inclusion of Fabregas was ineffective.

My opinions of those five are as follows:

Almunia - I still haven't forgiven him for the second goal in Paris and I don't see him as the long-term successor to Lehmann. He wasn't used.

Lauren - I can't wait to get him back on the pitch. The sooner the better if you ask me and I think he should replace Hoyte for the last twenty minutes. It will be good to have someone competing with Eboue for the right back position. Was probably the last person Wenger would have used on the night. It just wasn't the kind of surface or game you make your comeback in.

Denilson - An exciting prospect and I keep hearing positive things said about him. It would be good to see him get ten minutes at the end. He got ten minutes and got one wild shot in, not much else.

Song - I'm still on the fence about this young man. He plays one good game for the reserves or in the Carling Cup, then follows it up with a poor performance. Unused, fortunately.

Aliadiere - I'm not convinced he's good enough to play for Arsenal. Started the match, sadly, and stayed on the whole 90 minutes too. Although I'm sure he had a rest for the middle hour or so.

Unavailable: My issue this week is the growing and might I say glittering list of injuries that the Gunners are having to cope with at the moment. To highlight my point I have added a goalkeeper (Mart Poom) and displayed the unavailable as a team selection. I have included Lauren as he has not played first team football in a year, even though he is on the way back to full fitness.

Arsenal cannot wait much longer for these players to return, the chance for third place is slowly slipping away.

My 'unavailable' team selection for this game:

Henry, Adebayor

Hleb, Diaby, Ljungberg, Walcott

Lauren, Djourou, Gallas, Eboue

Poom

If Wenger started this team few would blink an eyelid at the team selection. Everyone keeps pushing Wenger to make purchases in the January transfer window, but when these ten players are back in the squad we'll start talking about not being able to keep everyone happy. I guess you can't have it both ways.

Walcott - Has a back injury that was sustained in training.

Hleb - Injured his shin in training and is waiting on the results of an x-ray.

Adebayor - Injured his thigh, bu shouldn't be out for long.

Djourou - Injured his hamstring in the first half of the Blackburn match. He was replaced by Senderos at half time.

Eboue - Injured his ankle against Portsmouth and played on for a good few minutes before being substituted. He should be back within a week.

Ljungberg - Injured his hamstring against Portsmouth and will be out for another two weeks at least.

Gallas - Injured his quadriceps muscle (front of his thigh) taking free kicks in training and has been out for few weeks. He's not expected to be fit for another 10 days at least.

Henry - He has a low back injury which causes him pain down his sciatic nerve. We've been given no indication as to when he'll be back.

Diaby - On course to return to first team training in January. He suffered a fracture-dislocated ankle last season.

Prediction: Sheffield United 0 Arsenal 2
Score: Sheffield United 1 Arsenal 0

Sheffield United v. Arsenal - My predictions

2006-12-29T22:45:00.000+01:00

Gut Feeling: Warnock will have them fired up with giant killing aspirations and the first twenty minutes will be a bit spicy but I feel Arsenal have enough quality in the starting eleven to secure a victory. I have a feeling that van Persie may snatch a goal from a set piece and that the second goal will be scored by a surprising face such as Senderos or Baptista.

What Arsenal Need: They need to get through the match unscathed. There is quite literally no depth in certain areas of the squad at the moment and Wenger cannot afford any further losses to injury.

Arsenal also need a courageous and gritty performance in what looks like being poor weather against a team with nothing to lose. Once again three points are essential to the cause as Arsenal have to beat teams like Sheffield United to ensure they secure the crucial Champions League qualification.

Things To Watch Out For: It looks as though Baptista will start the match and I pray that he doesn't give another performance like the one he gave at Wigan. It will be the same kind of pitch against the same kind of battling and spirited opposition, so he should know what to expect this time. It will only be his third start in an Arsenal shirt eventhough it is halfway through the season. To date he has suffered with injury and high levels of competition to get i the starting eleven. This will be a big opportunity for him to shine.

I presume that Wenger will play Flamini on the right wing, in a position I feel uncomfortable playing him in, but I rest assured that he will run his socks off for the cause and he should support Hoyte in defensive positions. If the right side of the team is Hoyte and Flamini I see the majority of the inventive attacking play developing on the opposite flank with Rosicky and Clichy.

Hopes For The Match: I hope Baptista silences his critics and puts in an impressive display, linking with Fabregas and Rosicky to initiate attacks. Equally, I hope that Senderos gives a commanding performance in the heart of the Arsenal defence and starts playing up to the level required of a number-6-wearing-Arsenal-centre-back.

Team Selection: It looks as though Wenger will have to play whoever is available and scrape together five to sit on the bench. With such a long unavailable list, it's a surprise that he can actually name 11 experienced players to start the match. I've suggested a 4-4-2 just because van Persie can't play on his own up front and Baptista is unproven.

My team selection for this game:

van Persie, Baptista

Rosicky, Gilberto, Fabregas, Flamini

Clichy, Senderos, Toure, Hoyte

Lehmann

Subs: Almunia, Lauren, Denilson, Song, Aliadiere

The area that looks weak is the bench with Aliadiere, Song, Denilson and Lauren to sit along side Almunia.

My opinions of those five are as follows:

Almunia - I still haven't forgiven him for the second goal in Paris and I don't see him as the long-term successor to Lehmann.

Lauren - I can't wait to get him back on the pitch. The sooner the better if you ask me and I think he should replace Hoyte for the last twenty minutes. It will be good to have someone competing with Eboue for the right back position.

Denilson - An exciting prospect and I keep hearing positive things said about him. It would be good to see him get ten minutes at the end.

Song - I'm still on the fence about this young man. He plays one good game for the reserves or in the Carling Cup, then follows it up with a poor performance.

Aliadiere - I'm not convinced he's good enough to play for Arsenal.

Unavailable: My issue this week is the growing and might I say glittering list of injuries that the Gunners are having to cope with at the moment. To highlight my point I have added a goalkeeper (Mart Poom) and displayed the unavailable as a team selection. I have included Lauren as he has not played first team football in a year, even though he is on the way back to full fitness.

My 'unavailable' team selection for this game:

Henry, Adebayor

Hleb, Diaby, Ljungberg, Walcott

Lauren, Djourou, Gallas, Eboue

Poom

Watford v. Arsenal - Analysis of my predictions

2006-12-29T22:22:00.000+01:00

Gut Feeling: As gut feelings go this is a gimmee. Watford have won once so far in the Premiership and it doesn't look like changing today. If they play a high line as they did at the Grove then things could get ugly, but the Gunners back line need to expect a deluge of long balls. If they cope with this, then Ashley Young looks to be the only real threat from the home side. Eventhough this young man has pace and unarguabe talent, I don't believe he'll be able to do much on his own and Arsenal should secure a comfortable win.

On the day my gut feeling was a little off the mark. I'd expected a Reading-like away win against a team with little to offer but all credit to them, they kept me biting my nails until the final whistle.

What Arsenal Need: Once again we need three points but we need to get through the match with no more injuries and no silly bookings. The Gunners need a strong and spirited performance, with commitment, focus and.... wait a minute I'm beginning to sould like Wenger here. In all seriousness, they need to defend well against set-pieces (particularly when Ashley Young is over the ball) and to work hard to control the ball and limit the barage of long balls the centre backs are inevitably going to suffer.

The three points were secured in a tight match by an individual bit of skill from a player growing in stature with every game. The young Dutchman scored a similar goal in the impressive victory over Blackburn earlier in the week, but this was by far the more important of the two. A point at Vicarage Road would have been almost unforgiveable. Thank God for the vision of Walcott and the finishing of van Persie.

Things To Watch Out For: If Flamini plays I'll once again watch his performance with interest, as I'm not sure what his best position is. I presume Wenger sees him as a defensive midfielder but his surging runs into the box have exposed a different side to him and on the face of it, he's not strong enough to be the only defensive player in a midfield. I admire his passion and work ethic and obviously his recent goal scoring form has been a welcome surprise.

Flamini was an unused substitute, but I'm pretty sure he'll get to play a part in the match against Sheffield United as the Arsenal squad is depleted with long term injury, short term knocks and viruses.

It seems to me that oh so often goalkeepers have the performance of a lifetime when they face the Gunners. I wouldn't be surprised if we see that today from the young Ben Foster, who is on loan from the Red Devils.

As predicted the keeper did have a good game, but fortunately not so good as to deny the Gunners the three points they deserved.

Hopes For The Match: If Walcott starts the match, I hope he puts in a good performance but he'll be going up against a defence that has conceded only seven goals at home all year. That's one better than the Arsenal defence!!! I'd be looking for him to put in a similar performance to his dynamic cameos when he comes on as a substitutes.

I felt that Watford's performance showed that their league position is not reflective of their worth and effort as a team this season. Arsenal squandered a number of chances and a neutral would probably argue that they deserved a share of the points on the day. Walcott's addition on 71 minutes certainly influenced the game and he was unlucky not to score at the whistle from a Baptista pass.

Once again (and I apologise for making this point for another time), I hope he Baptista gets himself into the match today. Word has it that Wenger will be starting him and at some point he's going to have to turn up. His display at Wigan was poor, as were his first touch, passing and dribbling. I'm probably in the minority here, but I do hope he establishes himself at Arsenal, but he's running out of time.

Baptista replaced Rosicky on 79 minutes and once again failed to catch the eye. We were exposed to one or two glimpses of his ability but he only had ten minutes in which to assert his authority on the game and that was always going to be difficult. He should start against Sheffield United on Saturday.

On a similar vein, it seems that Real Madrid have offered Baptista to Arsenal in a straight swap deal for Reyes. Fortunately, they said no and have sent the Spanish away to come up with a better offer. My only concern with any Reyes-Baptista swap is that it is not a like-for-like transaction. The big Brazilian offers no width and at present little pace and I still believe a Reyes-shaped void exists in the Arsenal squad.

Team Selection: Wenger has the luxury of two games in a row against teams at the foot of the table. Hopefully, he'll spread out the changes over the two games and not put one of the performances at risk by resting too many people at once.

I was shocked to see Wenger start an unchanged team from the victory against Blackburn. In retrospect it was a stroke of genius as he has a further four injuries to deal with now and the squad will be at the bare minimum when they face Neil Warnock's team.

I've suggested that Senderos plays in defence as I think Watford's long ball style will suit him and if Toure was going to be rested for any match I'd go for the Watford match rather that the Wenger-Pardew evening re-match. If this is the defence that starts the match it has an average age of about 21 and leadership will be required throughout.

As a result of Djourou's injured hamstring Senderos got the entire second half along side Toure in the heart of Arsenal's defence. He is a player that needs a run of games to get comfortable, so that should be take into consideration but I still felt he played quite well. There is no argument though, that Wenger currently sees him as the fourth centre back in the squad and I think that this may begin to affect him soon.

I've predicted my starting eleven based on a 4-4-2 as I don't believe we need to go away to Vicarage Road and play a 4-5-1. Equally, I haven't started Flamini and I concede that Wenger may do so, but I'm not sure where he'd play the Frenchman.

Long-term issues: I've been thinking about Ljungberg recently and I'm beginning to accept that he will need replacing soon. His versatility were of great benefit to Wenger and I feel that he needs to bring in another two-footed, pacey winger. At present I have no suggestions for the purchase, but I'll keep my eyes open. If he does get replaced it'll probably be from off the transfer-radar, like the purchases of Adebayor and Eboue.
Prediction: Watford 0 Arsenal 3
Score: Watford 1 Arsenal 2

Watford v. Arsenal - My predictions

2006-12-26T15:04:00.000+01:00

My team selection for this game:

Adebayor, Baptista

Rosicky, Gilberto, Fabregas, Walcott

Clichy, Djourou, Senderos, Hoyte

Lehmann

Subs: Almunia, Toure, Hleb, Flamini, van Persie

Unavailable:
Eboue - Injured his ankle against Portsmouth and played on for a good few minutes before being substituted. He should be back within a week.

Ljungberg - Injured his hamstring against Portsmouth and will be out for another two weeks at least.

Gallas - Injured his quadriceps muscle (front of his thigh) taking free kicks in training and has been out for few weeks. He's not expected to be fit for another 10 days at least.

Henry - He has a low back injury which causes him pain down his sciatic nerve. We've been given no indication as to when he'll be back.

Lauren - He was supposed to feature in the midweek game at Anfield that was postponed due to fog. He's getting match fit slowly but surely and I expect to see him playing in the new year. He played for 70 minutes against a Vietnamese side last week and came through unscathed.

Diaby - On course to return to first team training in January. He suffered a fracture-dislocated ankle last season.

Long-term issues: I've been thinking about Ljungberg recently and I'm beginning to accept that he will need replacing soon. His versatility were of great benefit to Wenger and I feel that he needs to bring in another two-footed, pacey winger. At present I have no suggestions for the purchase, but I'll keep my eyes open. If he does get replaced it'll probably be from off the transfer-radar, like the purchases of Adebayor and Eboue.
Prediction: Watford 0 Arsenal 3

Arsenal v. Blackburn - Analysis of my predictions

2006-12-22T08:42:00.000+01:00

Gut Feeling: This was the squad's first midweek rest for 10 weeks, so that has got to help and it will hopefully render Wenger's "we were tired from all our mid-week exertions" excuse obsolete. Hopefully the squad has practiced well and will be fired up and ready to grab the three points.

The rest may have helped but I felt the mental approach to the game was the most positive aspect of the performance. When they went one down they all raced to the halfway line and started geeing eachother up. Adebayor waved his arms to ask for the crowd to respond and they did. It was a good atmosphere and within minutes Gilberto put them level.

What Arsenal Need: They need to practice corners, both defending and attacking as they are crucial to the team's success.

At last! We scored from a corner in the Premiership! It was like seeing a miracle. Van Persie stroked a tempting cross into the area and the Brazilian rose like a salmon to nod it into the corner. Fortunately, Blackburn didn't have anyone on the far post.

Wenger needs to play a traditional 4-4-2 and allow van Persie and Adebayor to harass the vistitor's back four. In the 4-4-2 the wingers need to use the full width of the pitch and the full backs need to get forward in attack.

He did play the 4-4-2 and I was so pleased. It worked well and at times it looked like the Invincibles playing out there.

Things To Watch Out For: I'll be keeping an eye on Rosicky to see how match fit he is after his lay off and to see how well he works with Clichy. He will probably only get 70 minutes but that'll be a good days work for him after his time on the sidelines.

Rosicky played well and deserved his applause when he was finally replaced by Flamini. He worked hard and showed glimpses of his vision but still needs a match or two to get fully fit.

It'll be interesting to see if Wenger uses Baptista at all today and I'd like to see Walcott given 20 minutes at the end. Theo has electrifying pace and at the end of this game, which will no doubt be played at a high intensity, he could make a difference especially playing against tiring defenders.

Wenger bought on Walcott and Baptista with 90 seconds to go. I just don't understand making substitutions like that. Why not make the changes when we went 4-2 ahead? At least give the boys a chance to run up a sweat! By the end of the match Hleb was tiring and should have been replaced 10 minutes earlier.

It was nail biting when we went one-nil down but Arsenal responded very well to equalise within seven minutes. They should have put the game away but allowed Blackburn to get back to 3-2 and the nail-biting started again. I admit that I didn't expect the response we saw, but after we went 4-2 ahead the visitors' heads dropped and it could have been even more in the end. It was a pleasing match to watch because of the way Arsenal used the space allowed them and we saw some beautiful, intricate football. My highlight of the match was the nutmeg from Fabregas on Savage. Oh how good it was to see him made to look so silly by the mercurial Spaniard.

Hopes For The Match: I hope Arsenal respond well to the physical tactics we are so familiar with in matches against Blackburn. If the Gunners control the ball and take their chances they should win this game, but if they give away an early goal and Blackburn shut up shop, it could be another nail biter.

The rough tactics didn't show themselves yesterday. Blackburn received three yellow cards as did Arsenal but to be fair a few were harsh as it wasn't a nasty match.

Team Selection: With the current list of injuries within the team the selection this week is actually straight forward. Wenger seems to rank Djourou ahead of Senderos at the moment, which I agree with, so the back four are all obvious choices, with Hoyte covering for Eboue.

In midfield it will be good to see Rosicky back on the field taking his place on the left wing. With Ljungberg injured Hleb will play on the right, the two central midfielders pick themselves as do the two strikers.

My team selection for this game:

van Persie, Adebayor

Rosicky, Gilberto, Fabregas, Hleb

Clichy, Djourou, Toure, Hoyte

Lehmann

Subs: Almunia, Senderos, Walcott, Flamini, Baptista

Unavailable:
Ljungberg - Injured his hamstring against Portsmouth and will be out for another two weks at least.

Eboue - Injured his ankle against Portsmouth and played on for a good few minutes before being substituted. He should be back by within a week.

Henry - He has a low back injury which causes him pain down his sciatic nerve. We've been given no indication as to when he'll be back.

Gallas - Injured his quadriceps muscle (front of his thigh) taking free kicks in training and has been out for few weeks. He's not expected to be fit for another 10 days at least.

Diaby - On course to return to first team training in January. He suffered a fracture-dislocated ankle last season.

Lauren - He was supposed to feature in the midweek game at Anfield that was postponed due to fog. He's getting match fit slowly but surely and I expect to see him playing in the new year. He played for 70 minutes against a Vietnamese side last week and came through unscathed.

Long-term issues: Recent reports have linked Lehmann with a move to Sevilla and Wenger did little to end the speculation when asked about it. So Arsenal are going to need a world-class goalkeeper as Almunia is not the solution. The problem is that there isn't many potential targets on the world scene. Most of the world class keepers are settled at big clubs, well except one.

Igor Akinfeev is the CSKA Moscow goalkeeper and has been since 2003, eventhough he is only 20 years old. He has been Russia's first choice since the age of 19 and reports suggest he would welcome a move to Arsenal. I cannot see any other player in world football who is comparable to Igor. He would be an excellent addition, so come on Arsene splash some cash.

Prediction: Arsenal 2 Blackburn 1
Score: Arsenal 6 Blackburn 2

Not So United Colours of Ashburton

2006-12-19T18:45:00.000+01:00

The following statement appeared in the Arsenal v. Portsmouth match day programme on Saturday and subsequently on the official Arsenal website.

Some of our fans have been upset with the flying of certain flags denoting particular regions of the world. Arsenal as a club prides itself on being inclusive with respect to all nationalities, cultural and ethnic groups. We have therefore decided that in order for all of our fans to enjoy their experience at Emirates Stadium, we are asking that only flags in support of Arsenal Football Club, without any national emblems, are displayed within the stadium. We will be implementing this policy with immediate effect. Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

Since Saturday there has been a certain amount of press interest on the topic and it has certainly raised a few eyebrows. After searching around the numerous Arsenal blogs a number of facts have come to light that help explain the situation.

It appears that the flag in question was a Turkish Cypriot flag flown by a single Arsenal season ticket holder on the upper level of the green quadrant. A group of Greek Cypriot Arsenal fans took offence to the flag and complained to Arsenal, who took the decision to ban all national flags within the stadium. I'm pretty sure that will include the Cross of St. George and the Union Jack, which is crazy.

I sit across from the Turkish Cypriot fan and make a point each week to look around the stadium for flags from different countries. I am proud that we are a multicultural club with players and fans from all over the world and I enjoy looking around the stadium to see the flags. To date this season I have seen Irish, Dutch, Italian, Swedish and American flags being displayed by Arsenal fans. In the away fans section I have seen German, Portuguese, Russian, Israeli and Croatian flags. Without wishing to be controversial, it must be said that a number of these countries have an amount of political turmoil in the 20th century. Do we ban their flags too?

Will Arsenal Football Club ban all away fans from displaying their national flags?
What view will UEFA have on this if they try to enforce it?
How would the travelling Arsenal fans react if they were refused the right to display their George Crosses or Union Jacks?
What message are the club sending out by succumbing with this knee-jerk reaction to a handful of fans?
Would the club bans fans from up the Seven Sisters Road from wearing their lillywhite shirts when they came to visit just because a few fans complained about it?

Shouldn't the club be encouraging multiculturalism rather than choosing to stick its head in the sand and pretending nothing is happening? I'm embarrassed to say that the club are too weak to deal with this in a more appropriate manner.

I am not using this post to pass judgement on the political situation in Cyprus, nor am I intending to disrespect either country, however, I do not believe the Grove is the place to air these grievances. The British High Commission to Cyprus is based in Nicosia in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, although Turkey is the only country to recognise the state at this time. My concern is that if we take away a fan's right to display a national flag in club football, then what happens at London 2012 or Euro 2008?

I believe in the integrity of Arsenal Football Club and I do not believe it is run by a board of directors who choose to legislate by disaster. I challenge them to confront this scandal with wisdom and sensitivity before they set a politically charged precedent that could become a millstone around their necks.

Arsenal v. Portsmouth - Analysis of my predictions

2006-12-17T14:15:00.000+01:00

Gut Feeling: I see Arsenal starting the game out against the visitors from the south coast with an aggressive high tempo approach, looking to score first and force the opposition to peer out from behind their 10 men defence. If Arsenal score first they will stroll on to win by two or three. Concede first and it's nail biting time again.

The first half could be the worst 45 minutes of football I've seen from Arsenal in a home match in recent memory. It was effortless, weak and unimaginative. It was like watching a pointless pre-season match against a team of semi-professionals. No-one wanted to make a tackle, no-one wanted to make a run and no-one understood the team selection.

What Arsenal Need: Firstly, they must put Portsmouth under pressure whenever they get the ball and not allow their midfield to pass the ball around. Secondly, they must use the width of the Grove's pristine pitch to get in behind the visiting full backs. Thirdly, Fabregas must look for the opportunity to slot passes through for the strikers to run on to. Finally, Arsenal must back up attacks by following in on the far post 'a la Robert Pires' just in case the ball makes it across the box as it so often does.

Firstly, the didn't put the opposition under pressure until the 56th minute, by which point they were two nil down. Secondly, they didn't even attack the flanks until Adebayor came on. Thirdly, Fabregas was absent for the first half and didn't get a grip on the game until late on. Finally, Arsenal didn't get many players in the box and when they did they wasted too many chances.

Things To Watch Out For: It will be interesting to see how well Campbell plays in his first trip to the Grove and I hope van Persie and Adebayor get him twisting and turning like the waltzers as I see this as his weakness. I believe Kanu will miss the game through injury.

Campbell didn't have too much to do especially when Wenge went to a 4-5-1 with Aliadiere on the wing and van Persie up front on his own. Sol wasn't put under enough pressure and was never really isolated. Kanu did play and got an excellent reception.

Hopes For The Match: I hope Arsenal are ruthless enough to take a higher percentage of their goal-scoring opportunities than they have at home so far this season. One goal from twenty shots is poor finishing and its a figure more like 5:1 that they should be aiming for.

Arsenal were impotent and thoughtless for the first half. Almost to a man they looked uninspired and nonchalant. Van Persie missed a point blank header and blasted a shot at James from only a few yards out. As I mentioned earlier, Arsenal never seem to score tap ins or goal mouth scrambles.

I hope Arsene uses his full compliment of substitutes at around the 70 minute mark and if so, I see Walcott, Baptista and Flamini getting a run out.

Wenger's hand was forced here as Ljungberg injured his hamstring after only a few minutes and Walcott was bought on. Adebayor replaced the hapless Aliadiere after 55 minutes and Flamini took over from Eboue who was injured late on.

I hope the Arsenal old-boys get a good reception as both served the club well, even though Campbell was released by Wenger as he'd intimated that he wanted to end his career in the sun on the continent somewhere. He didn't get far before he put his roots down in Portsmouth on the south coast... not very continental and not very sunny either!

Both old-boys received an approriate reception from the Arsenal crowd.

Team Selection: I hope Wenger plays with a 4-4-2 formation tomorrow. It would send out such negative vibes to the fans and the team for the Frenchman to feel he needs to persist with the 4-5-1 at home. I do concede that Portsmouth are the surprise outfit this season and are as dangerous as any team outside of the top three but we must play to our strengths not succumb to the strengths of others.

Wenger did start with a 4-4-2 but it seemed that it was largely to accomodate Aliadiere who started up front. He wouldn't be strong enough to play as the lone striker in a 4-5-1 so he was paired with van Persie with a midfield of Ljungberg, Hleb, Gilberto and Fabregas. Aliadiere hasn't started a Premiership game for Arsenal for years. I cannot understand how he can be maintained as part of the first team squad when there is better talent on loan in the likes of Bendtner, Lupoli and Stokes.

I cannot understand the team selection made for this game. With the Carling Cup trip to Anfield in mid-week this was surely not the game in which to make changes and give players a rest. Adebayor has worked hard in recent weeks but he should have played in this game as he is sure to be rested against Liverpool. Why Aliadiere warranted inclusion over the slowly improving Baptista we will never know.

Unavailable: New additions to the unavailable list are Ljungberg and Eboue and it remains to be seen how long they will be out. The mounting injury list is a growing problem.

Long-term issues: It will be a shame if Wenger sells Lupoli as I've only seen him say he'd not sell Stokes or Bendtner, which means the little Italian may be expendable in his eyes. Sadly, players at the age of 18 and 19 refuse to bide their time and work their way into the first team squad. Instead they'd rather be big fish in a little pond at clubs like Birmingham. Take comfort though, in the knowledge that as yet Wenger hasn't sold any youngsters that have come back to haunt us. The likes of Pennant, Bentley and Volz play well for the likes of Liverpool, Blackburn and Fulham but they aren't Arsenal calibre.

Wengers commitment and belief in the young strikers remains to be seen, as I believe at least one will be gone in January (Lupoli) and another in the summer (Stokes). I do hope that Bendtner is bought into the first team squad as the fourth striker and that Aliadiere is discarded as soon as possible.

Prediction: Arsenal 2 Portsmouth 0
Score: Arsenal 2 Portsmouth 2

Arsenal v. Portsmouth - My predictions

2006-12-15T23:06:00.000+01:00

My team selection for this game:

van Persie, Adebayor

Ljungberg, Gilberto, Fabregas, Hleb

Clichy, Djourou, Toure, Eboue

Lehmann

Subs: Almunia, Senderos, Walcott, Flamini, Baptista

Unavailable:
Rosicky - Apparently match fit but will not be used tomorrow. Still needs match fitness I presume and may turn out for the reserves at some point in the week.

Henry - Still out with a sciatic nerve injury. No time for return has been given as yet.

Gallas - Injured his quadriceps taking free kicks in training and will be out for another ten days.

Diaby - On course to return in January after suffering a fracture-dislocated ankle last season.

Lauren - Played his first football for a year against an obscure Vietnamese team in a behind closed doors match today.

Long-term issues: It will be a shame if Wenger sells Lupoli as I've only seen him say he'd not sell Stokes or Bendtner, which means the little Italian may be expendable in his eyes. Sadly, players at the age of 18 and 19 refuse to bide their time and work their way into the first team squad. Instead they'd rather be big fish in a little pond at clubs like Birmingham. Take comfort though, in the knowledge that as yet Wenger hasn't sold any youngsters that have come back to haunt us. The likes of Pennant, Bentley and Volz play well for the likes of Liverpool, Blackburn and Fulham but they aren't Arsenal calibre.

Prediction: Arsenal 2 Portsmouth 0

The Dutch Draw and the Vietnamese

2006-12-15T22:14:00.000+01:00

At the UEFA Headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland the draw was made today for the first Knockout Stage of the Champions League. Arsenal avoided meeting up with old-boys Vieira, Reyes, Slivinho and van Bronckhorst but instead they were paired up against PSV Eindhoven who are currently seven points clear at the top of the Dutch Eredivisie.

"The draw is not kind, not unkind. PSV have experience of this level. They dominate Dutch football and every year now they are in the last 16, Quarter-Final, Semi-Final even of the Champions League against Milan. So it is a tough draw.

Of course we have the experience of having been in the final last season. Also we have a little advantage with our first game being over there. It is like a game of 180 minutes where the first 90 decide the rest.

But we also know that you look back one year before that and we didn't do well at Bayern in the first game and we went out. We did well at Real Madrid in the first game last season and we qualified, so psychologically we know how to handle it.”

It was good that the so-called bigger clubs were avoided but the Koeman's team are not be taken lightly. Eventhough they lost the likes of van Bommel, Ji-Sung Park, Johann Vogel and Young-Pyo Lee they still won the Dutch Championship last year under the leadership of Philip Cocu.

Wenger has none of his injured players returning to the squad this weekend. Eventhough he admits that Rosicky is actually fit he won't risk him against Portsmouth.

"Rosicky is very close. I could have included him but I do not want to take another gamble with him and have a setback. He has practised the first day with us today and I found it too early. William is nowhere near. He’ll be back in 10 days.”

It was great to hear that Lauren played his first 55 minutes of football for almost a year today. In a friendly played behind closed doors a reserve team took on Hoang Anh Gia Lai from Vietnam. Young Dutchman Nacer Barazite gave Arsenal the lead after 35 minutes but the visitors equalised through Viet Anit five minutes later. Rhys Murphy put the gunners 2-1 ahead on 58 minutes but within three minutes John qualised for the Vietnamese.

The match ended 2-2 but the good news was that Lauren seemed to come through the match will no ill effects. Hopefully, he'll be pushing for a first team place soon. I'd welcome his tough tackling and no-nonsense approach back in the squad.

All eyes on the draw in Nyon

2006-12-14T10:26:00.000+01:00

Tomorrow morning in Nyon Switzerland at the UEFA headquarters the draw for the first knockout stage of the Champions League will be made. Arsenal could face any one of the group runners-up except FC Porto and there are some big names looming on the horizon.

The first leg will send Arsenal away on February 20th or 21st, with the return leg at the Grove on March 6th or 7th.

The teams progressing from the group stages are as follows.

Group Winners
AC Milan (ITA)
Arsenal (ENG)
Bayern Munich (GER)
Chelsea (ENG)
Lyon (FRA)
Liverpool (ENG)
Manchester United (ENG)
Valencia (SPA)

Group Runners-Up
Barcelona (SPA)
Celtic (SCO)
Inter Milan (ITA)
Lille (FRA)
Porto (POR)
PSV Eindhoven (HOL)
Real Madrid (SPA)
Roma (ITA)

I'm going to play devils advocate and predict that the Gunners will be drawn against one of the Arsenal old boys. So be preapred for a trip to watch Reyes play in Madrid, Vieira play in Milan or van Bronckhorst and Sylvinho play in Barcelona.

It would be nice to avoid a reunion with the Arsenal old-boys at the stage so trips to Roma, Lille, PSV Eindhoven or Celtic would be preferred. But Arsenal never get the easy draw do they?

I'd love to send Chelsea and Manchester United to Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively, but that would just be to good wouldn't it?

We'll wait and see.

Wigan v. Arsenal - Analysis of my predictions

2006-12-14T09:37:00.000+01:00

Gut Feeling: I see Arsenal taking the lead from a counter-attack goal, but then conceding just before half time. The true test will be to see how well they respond to Wigan drawing level. I see the Arsenal spirit rising to the top and the Gunners scoring a second with about twenty minute to go.

Talk about a match of two halves! The first was poor whilst the second was end-to-end stuff. Arsenal coped well with the dull first half and lack of goal of scoring opportunities. Wenger must have given them a stern talking to in the dressing room because they came out all fired up and got stuck in. Suddenly the pitch seemed twice the size and they passed the ball better. They looked like the believed they could score and started creating opportunities. It paid off in the last few minutes with an excellent goal taken by the hard-working Adebayor.

What Arsenal Need: Three points, Full stop.

Although we had to bite our finger nails for nearly 90 minutes, we were given the three points courtesy of a sublime Fabregas pass and confident finishing.

Oh and no injuries, they cannot afford to put any more men on the treatment table. There is very little depth in some areas such as up front and we need every man we can get over the Christmas period.

I was worried when Djourou went down in the penalty area as the replays showed him stressing the medial side of his knee. When Gary Lewin examined him Djourou was pointing at his medial collateral ligament (MCL). It was encouraging to see him finish the match but I wouldn't be surprised to hear Arsene say that he'll need treatment on it.

Things To Watch Out For: I rarely question Wenger's management of the team but I do wish he'd use the full complement of substitutes in a match. My argument is that after 70 minutes the wingers and strikers are often exhausted and fresh legs on the field are far more efficient that tired ones. Quite often he only brings on one or two substitutes leaving players like Baptista on the bench and I can't undertsand why.

Wenger waited a little longer than I'd have liked to bring on Fabregas and van Persie. The Dutchman had little influence on the game but the Spaniard grabbed it by the scruff of the neck and made it his own. He instantly looked to distribute the ball and tackled hard. Hoyte came on for Walcott in the closing minutes as it seemed that Wenger didn't want to bring on Hleb.

A classic example of this was at the Bridge where he only made one substitution. He swapped van Persie for Ljungberg after 84 minutes but left a tired Flamini and an oft-substituted Hleb on the pitch. Why not replace them with Walcott and Baptista and give them 20 minutes or so to impose themselves on the game?

I'm sure Arsene knows why.... but I haven't a clue!

Hopes For The Match: I hope Baptista gets the nod ahead of Flamini. I concede that the battling Parlour-esque midfielder was needed against the Russians but a different kind of presence is required tonight. Wigan will be looking for the win and there will be space for the Brazilian to run with the ball. If he doesn't get a run in the team during this period with Henry and Rosicky out then he never will.

I've been a strong advocate of the imposing Brazilian Baptista all season but once again his performance was poor. His runs were ineffective, his passing sloppy at times and he looked a pace short. If we concede that these are all due to him not being used to the pace of the game in the Premiership, we cannot use the same excuse for his poor first touch on the night. Time after time he lost control from simple passes to feet, which there is no real excuse for at this level of football. Flamini started the match and put in a workman like performance as usual.

I would play Djourou ahead of Senderos but Wenger does seem to favour the latter. I find it difficult to accept the argument that Senderos can play better than Djourou against the more physical striker. Djourou is a big man and a huge physical presence and has played almost faultlessly so far this season.

Djourou started the match and played well, although the Arsenal defence looked a little shaky at times and I think it misses the leadership of Gallas.

My team selection for this game:

Adebayor

van Persie, Gilberto, Baptista, Fabregas, Ljungberg

Clichy, Djourou, Senderos, Eboue

Lehmann

Subs: Almunia, Walcott, Hoyte, Hleb, Flamini

Unavailable:
Henry - Out with sciatic nerve pain and hamstring trouble.

Gallas - Injured his quadriceps taking free kicks in training and will be out for a few weeks.

Rosicky - Still out with a hamstring/groin injury.

Diaby - On course to return in January after suffering a fracture-dislocated ankle last season.

Lauren - Still rehabilitating from a knee injury that has kept him out since January 21st.

Long-term issues: This is episode one of a six part mini-series called "18 points are up for grabs" and its must-see-tv. These games will define the season and Wenger needs to rotate his squad approriately to ensure maximum points from this run. After tonights match Arsenal will have played the same number of games as everyone else and they need to be securing third spot, whilst keeping an eye on the top two.

With the first episode gone the mini-series can continue and Arsenal's run of wins has begun. One down and five to go.

Prediction: Wigan 1 Arsenal 2
Score: Wigan 0 Arsenal 1

Wigan v. Arsenal - My Predictions

2006-12-13T10:15:00.000+01:00

My team selection for this game:

Adebayor

van Persie, Gilberto, Baptista, Fabregas, Ljungberg

Clichy, Djourou, Senderos, Eboue

Lehmann

Subs: Almunia, Walcott, Hoyte, Hleb, Flamini

Why Can't Arsenal Do Better From Corners?

2006-12-11T23:37:00.001+01:00

I have a theory as to why Arsenal are so poor at taking corners and defending them.

Firstly, they struggle to take corners at the new stadium because of the gradient in the corners of the pitch. If you look at the photograph below you can see that only a yard or so from the white line the grass ends and the Astro-turf begins. At this same point the pitch runs down hill quite significantly. If you watch van Persie take a corner, he has to start his run up from about a foor below pitch level.

Apparently, the dimensions of the training pitches at London Colney have been adjusted in order to reflect the Grove. So in real terms the players are training on pitches the same size as at the new stadium, but the training pitches do not have the same gradient for the corner takers to deal with. So they don't practice taking corners on these slopes and then have to during games... no wonder they struggle to get the ball beyond the near post!

The second point I'd like to make is that apparently Arsenal hardly ever practice corners on the training ground. I have it on good authority that Wenger hardly ever gets them practicing corners in either attacking or defensive situtations. I found it hard to believe when I heard this but I trust the source and thought I'd share the information.

I suppose that I'm not as concerned at the lack of practicing corners in defensive situations but I'm more worried that they don't have any more ideas in attacking positions. Chelsea on the other hand are the Premiership's top scorers from corners and on paper I wouldn't say that their players are better headers of the ball, so why the difference in efficiency in this area? Very rarely do Arsenal create a genuine goal scoring opportunity from a corner and Arsene need look no further than Arsenal's past for inspiration. There were two things George Graham's teams were good at and they were defending one nil leads and scoring from corners. The current Arsenal team need as many goals as they can get and I hope this deficiency is addressed as soon as possible.

Chelsea v. Arsenal - Analysis of my predictions

2006-12-11T22:08:00.000+01:00

Gut Feeling: To be honest I see both teams sharing the points today. It'll be an open game as Chelsea are arrogant enough to think they can out play Arsenal but I believe that's exactly want Wenger would want. The more wide open and flowing the game is the greater chance there is for the Gunners to get something out of the game.

I was right in my prediction of the points being shared and that it was an open and attacking game. Arsenal were only minutes away from snatching the three points, but with Chelsea hitting woodwork on three occasions a draw was a good result in the end.

I feel like Chelsea will take the lead and then shut up shop and try and defend the game away. But Arsenal will fight to the death and snatch a point late on. I believe that Arsenal would have no problems beating Chelsea with Toure, Gallas, Rosicky and Henry on the pitch but being pragmatic I think a draw would be a reasonable result given the depleted squad.

Although I'd predicted the 1-1 draw my feeling was that Chelsea would score first with the Gunners stealing a point with a late goal. In fact it was the exact opposite that occurred and although Arsenal were missing four world class playerse they deserved the result.

What Arsenal Need: Keep battling, fight for every 50-50 ball and run your socks off for ninety minutes and we'll get the result we deserve. That's what Wenger should be saying to the boys in the dressing room. Money means nothing once there's 22 men on the pitch. It's not about how big your house is, how much money you get paid or how many supercars you have, it's about guts, determination and talent... all of which Arsenal have in abundance.

Arsenal started the match very well and were by far the better team for the first twenty minutes. For a while though, they looked like they were hanging on for dear life as Chelsea created a good number of opportunites. Fortunately, Drogba had his 'last seasons' boots on and couldn't hit a brick wall from six feet. Arsenal took the field with a confident air and fought well for the duration of the match.

Things To Watch Out For: The defence today is young, very young with Eboue the oldest at 23. I hope that they work hard together and communicate well, especially at set pieces.

Chelsea were given too many goal scoring opportunites and were only kept at bay by last ditch tackles, goal line clearances and great saves. Lehmann had absolutely no chance with the Essien goal but nearly blighted his copy book with a fumble in the dying seconds which gifted Lampard the chance to win the game. Thank God he missed.

I hope the referee controls the game efficiently and that as Wenger said, "It's a feast of football", because if it is Arsenal will do well. If it turns into a long-ball hacking match with loads of yellow cards waved around it's going to be an ugly match to watch and someone will end up getting sent off.

The referee stood up reasonably well to the bully boy tactics from the boys in blue but he also refused to give Senderos a yellow when he derserved it. Chelsea's treatment of the referee has even bought a backlash from stand-in captain Gilberto.

"I think they should respect the referee more. They put too much pressure on him." Said Gilberto. On all their fouls there were three or four players around the referee, putting him under pressure. It is not the type of game that everyone wants to see. Until now, they are the only team I have seen do this. This is not good because you put the referee under pressure and then he makes a mistake and they criticise him after the game. He was doing his job and you do your job on the pitch. The referee tries to do his best but if he is under pressure it is much more difficult.”

I hope the Arsenal fans direct their passion in the right direction and get behind the team rather than spending the whole match abusing the old number 3. They should remember that Arsenal got Campbell in an even more cruel swoop from their local rivals who got nothing in return, whereas in the recent swap they got Gallas and £5 million on top. Chelsea weren't greatly improved by the swap but Arsenal benefited significantly from adding Gallas to the team. Equally, I believe it has given Clichy the chance to make the left back spot his own.

I thought the Arsenal support was excellent all game and it was interesting to see Clichy and the old number 3 swap shirts at the end of the game. At that point it was clear that Fabregas refused to shake hands with the Chelsea left back and apparently a skuffle ensued in the tunnel, which was broken up by van Persie amongst others.

Hopes For The Match: I hope Senderos shuts his critics up with a solid performance against Drogba and I hope Djourou makes it through the match without a recurrence of his hamstring injury. If either of the two Swiss centre backs needs to be substituted then Wenger has a problem as there is no cover at this position with Gallas injured and Toure banned. His choice would be to play Gilberto out of position or return Hoyte to centre back. Neither would be a substitution I'd be happy to make.

Senderos played well apart from the odd mislaid pass, but he was lucky not to get booked early on, which would have changed the entire game for him. I thought both Swiss centre backs played bravely, but it will be good to have Toure back for the trip to Wigan.

Team: Wenger will almost certainly go for a 4-5-1 today, so he can pack the midfield and try to stand up to Chelsea in that area of the park. His 4-5-1 will play Adebayor up front on his own, where he works tirelessly for the team, but the formation has a weakness in that van Persie doesn't make the starting eleven. I believe he is Arsenal's most improved player this season and given game time I think he could reach 20 goals this season. Sadly, he doesn't fit into the formation and Wenger will probably play Flamini instead.

I'd predicted that van Persie wouldn't make the starting eleven in a 4-5-1 but Wenger sacrificed Ljunberg so the Dutchman could start. Adebayor ran his socks off once again up front and held the ball up well even when he was surrounded by thre blue shirts. Wenger did play Flamini and he worked hard throughout.

I just feel that Arsenal played so well in the 4-4-2 in the North London Derby as it enables the two strikers to put the opposition's defenders under pressure and it enables Arsenal to play higher up the pitch, which fits nicely with the counter-attacking style of play. So many Arsenal counter-attack goals come from tackles made in midfield and players being quickly released on the wings.

The 4-5-1 was the correct formation on the day and it nearly delivered an Old Trafford-like away win.

Long-term issues: I'm beginning to wonder if Bendtner should be bought into the first team to put pressure on the three more senior strikers. He looks a wonderful player and has even got me watching ITV's coverage of the Championship just to see how he is doing. To be fair Muamba and Lupoli also look good but the young Dane is the one I'm keeping my eye on.

We'll just have to wait and see how Wenger deals with the youngsters at Birmingham but it looks like he'll let Stokes go if Celtic offer more than the £700,000 already on the table.

Prediction: Chelsea 1 Arsenal 1
Score: Chelsea 1 Arsenal 1.................... my first perfect prediction this season.

Chelsea v. Arsenal - My Predictions

2006-12-10T14:40:00.001+01:00

Gut Feeling: To be honest I see both teams sharing the points today. It'll be an open game as Chelsea are arrogant enough to think they can out play Arsenal but I believe that's exactly want Wenger would want. The more wide open and flowing the game is the greater chance there is for the Gunners to get something out of the game.

I feel like Chelsea will take the lead and then shut up shop and try and defend the game away. But Arsenal will fight to the death and snatch a point late on. I believe that Arsenal would have no problems beating Chelsea with Toure, Gallas, Rosicky and Henry on the pitch but being pragmatic I think a draw would be a reasonable result given the depleted squad.

What Arsenal Need: Keep battling, fight for every 50-50 ball and run your socks off for ninety minutes and we'll get the result we deserve. That's what Wenger should be saying to the boys in the dressing room. Money means nothing once there's 22 men on the pitch. It's not about how big your house is, how much money you get paid or how many supercars you have, it's about guts, determination and talent... all of which Arsenal have in abundance.

Things To Watch Out For: The defence today is young, very young with Eboue the oldest at 23. I hope that they work hard together and communicate well, especially at set pieces.

I hope the referee controls the game efficiently and that as Wenger said, "It's a feast of football", because if it is Arsenal will do well. If it turns into a long-ball hacking match with loads of yellow cards waved around it's going to be an ugly match to watch and someone will end up getting sent off.

I hope the Arsenal fans direct their passion in the right direction and get behind the team rather than spending the whole match abusing the old number 3. They should remember that Arsenal got Campbell in an even more cruel swoop from their local rivals who got nothing in return, whereas in the recent swap they got Gallas and £5 million on top. Chelsea weren't greatly improved by the swap but Arsenal benefited significantly from adding Gallas to the team. Equally, I believe it has given Clichy the chance to make the left back spot his own.

Hopes For The Match: I hope Senderos shuts his critics up with a solid performance against Drogba and I hope Djourou makes it through the match without a recurrence of his hamstring injury. If either of the two Swiss centre backs needs to be substituted then Wenger has a problem as there is no cover at this position with Gallas injured and Toure banned. His choice would be to play Gilberto out of position or return Hoyte to centre back. Neither would be a substitution I'd be happy to make.

Team: Wenger will almost certainly go for a 4-5-1 today, so he can pack the midfield and try to stand up to Chelsea in that area of the park. His 4-5-1 will play Adebayor up front on his own, where he works tirelessly for the team, but the formation has a weakness in that van Persie doesn't make the starting eleven. I believe he is Arsenal's most improved player this season and given game time I think he could reach 20 goals this season. Sadly, he doesn't fit into the formation and Wenger will probably play Flamini instead.

I just feel that Arsenal played so well in the 4-4-2 in the North London Derby as it enables the two strikers to put the opposition's defenders under pressure and it enables Arsenal to play higher up the pitch, which fits nicely with the counter-attacking style of play. So many Arsenal counter-attack goals come from tackles made in midfield and players being quickly released on the wings.

My team selection for this game:

Adebayor

Ljungberg, Gilberto, Flamini, Fabregas, Hleb

Clichy, Djourou, Senderos, Eboue

Lehmann

Subs: Almunia, Walcott, Hoyte, Baptista, van Persie

Unavailable:
Henry - Out until after Christmas with a sciatic nerve injury.

Gallas - Injured his quadriceps taking free kicks in training and is still out.

Rosicky - Two weeks on the sideline with a hamstring/groin injury.

Diaby - On course to return in January after suffering a fracture-dislocated ankle last season.

Lauren - Still rehabilitating from a knee injury that has kept him out since January 21st.

Long-term issues: I'm beginning to wonder if Bendtner should be bought into the first team to put pressure on the three more senior strikers. He looks a wonderful player and has even got me watching ITV's coverage of the Championship just to see how he is doing. To be fair Muamba and Lupoli also look good but the young Dane is the one I'm keeping my eye on.

Prediction: Chelsea 1 Arsenal 1

FC Porto v. Arsenal - Analysis of my predictions

2006-12-07T11:32:00.000+01:00

Gut Feeling: I believe Arsenal are going to battle through for 90 minutes and get the result they need. I'm sure Wenger will send them on to the field fired up and in search of an early goal, but equally they need to be patient. I've got a feeling that Arsenal are going to score from a set piece.

I think Arsenal did enough to secure the result they required. I'm surprised they didn't hit the net, but they had a few chances. Not so many, however, as FC Porto had. After hitting the post twice I think the home side would be disappointed with the result and see it as two dropped points. Either way both teams would have gone through, it's just that this way Arsenal go through as winners. It was nice to get some luck for a change.

What Arsenal Need: Arsenal need to repeat the passion and effort put into the North London Derby. They cannot afford to concede first and need to take the chances they create in front of goal. They also need to fight for every ball and chase back when they lose possession, all attributes which they displayed on the weekend. It's this kind of effort that fans want to see.

They battled for short periods of the game, then simply passed the ball around for fun at times. It was a workmanlike performance in places but then Quaresma looked dangerous on the wings. I thought his shot was highly skillful, whilst the TV pundits said it was showboating, it was still a shot on goal. It was a less passionate display than the Derby but they got the job done.

Things To Watch Out For: It will be interesting to see if Wenger plays the usual 4-5-1 formation he prefers in Europe, especially after the success of the 4-4-2 on Saturday. I believe that latter formation allows the two strikers to pressure the opposing team's defence and gives the midfielders space to create.

He went with the 4-5-1 and it worked on the night, thanks to Adebayor running his socks off. I thought Djourou had a few glimpses of indecision, which is rare for him and at times he looked a little uneasy. I accept that the 4-5-1 was the correct choice on the night, but I guess I just like going for the win, which would have been the wrong thing to do. As usual Arsene knows.

Hopes For The Match: I hope Baptista gets some game time and that Walcott gets his usual 20 minutes at the end of the match.

It was a shame that he didn't get any time as I thought he could have offered some enthusiasm and fresh legs in the last twenty minutes. I would have replaced Flamini with the big Brazilian as the Frenchman looked run off his feet by the final whistle.

We cannot sustain any more injuries. The squad was slowly recovering but then they lose Gallas, Rosicky and Henry.

Everyone looked to get through the match safely, which was important, but then after the match we hear that Djourou has a hamstring problem. Typical, that means we could go the the Bridge with only Senderos as Gallas is struggling to be ready and Toure is banned. Oh dear!

My team selection for this game:

Adebayor

van Persie, Ljungberg, Gilberto, Fabregas, Hleb

Clichy, Djourou, Toure, Eboue

Lehmann

Subs: Almunia, Walcott, Djourou, Flamini, Baptista, Hoyte, Aliadiere

I wasn't far off with the team selection, I just wanted Baptista to get a run out in place of Flamini, but Wenger went with the defensive midfielder instead.

Unavailable:

Henry - Out until after Christmas with a scitic nerve injury.

Gallas - Injured his quadriceps taking free kicks in training and will be out for a few weeks.

Rosicky - Three weeks on the sideline with a hamstring injury.

Diaby - On course to return in January after suffering a fracture-dislocated ankle last season.

Lauren - Still rehabilitating from a knee injury that has kept him out since January 21st.

Long-term issues: Henry and Rosicky both look to be out until after Christmas.

Prediction: FC Porto 1 Arsenal 2
Score: FC Porto 0 Arsenal 0

FC Porto v. Arsenal - My Predictions

2006-12-05T22:28:00.000+01:00

My team selection for this game:

Adebayor

van Persie, Ljungberg, Gilberto, Fabregas, Hleb

Clichy, Djourou, Toure, Eboue

Lehmann

Subs: Almunia, Walcott, Djourou, Flamini, Baptista, Hoyte, Aliadiere

Unavailable:

Henry - Out until after Christmas with a scitic nerve injury.

Gallas - Injured his quadriceps taking free kicks in training and will be out for a few weeks.

Rosicky - Three weeks on the sideline with a hamstring injury.

Diaby - On course to return in January after suffering a fracture-dislocated ankle last season.

Lauren - Still rehabilitating from a knee injury that has kept him out since January 21st.

Long-term issues: Henry and Rosicky both look to be out until after Christmas.

Prediction: FC Porto 1 Arsenal 2

Comparing the Untouchables

2006-12-05T22:24:00.001+01:00

We hear talk of a "transitional period" bounded about a lot, usually by the press I know, but it keeps rearing its head, especially if Arsenal put in a poor performance or drop points. So I thought I'd spend some time and compare the current squad with that of the Untouchables and see how each team matches up.

Today I'm going to compare the starting line-ups.

06-07 Gunners	Position	Untouchables	Who's The Better Player?
Lehmann	GK	Lehmann	Lehmann
Eboue	RB	Lauren	Lauren
Clichy	LB	Cole	Cole
Gallas	CB	Campbell	Campbell
Toure	CB	Toure	06-07 Toure
Hleb	RM	Ljungberg	Untouchable Ljungberg
Rosicky	LM	Pires	Pires
Gilberto	CM	Gilberto	06-07 Gilberto
Fabregas	CM	Vieira	Vieira
Henry	S	Henry	Untouchable Henry
van Persie	S	Bergkamp	Bergkamp

Eight players from the Untouchables win my vote compared to only two from the current team. There is a lot of potential in this season's squad, but the players in the Untouchables were for the most part, the finished article. Clichy, Eboue, van Perise and Fabregas all have limitless potential and it will be wonderful to watch them evolve and mature in the Arsenal shirt.

Player	Why is he better?
Lehmann	He has had no significant drop in form over the past few years and is still a commanding goalkeeper. I don't see there being a choice of the better player here as he has maintained his form throughout his time at Arsenal.
Lauren	He is the better right back because he's the more skilled and intelligent defender and an excellent tackler. Eboue may be the better athlete but he is still raw after only 8 months in the starting lineup. The Lauren-Ljungberg partnership was dangerous, but Hleb and Eboue are building a good relationship.
Cole	Clichy looks like a young Cole to me. Just as Cole did, Clichy looks great going forward, but needs to improve defensively. Clichy has the potential to be as good if not better than Cole.
Campbell	Campbell moved to Arsenal as a mature centre back just as Gallas has done. Both seemlessly slotted into the team and both were courted by top European clubs before the move to partner Toure in defence. I have chosen Campbell because he had a greater impact on the team and also because Gallas has played at left back at times this season. I concede that this shows his greater versatility but it has also reduced his playing time in his favoured position, so there has been less chance for me to see him in an Arsenal shirt.
06-07 Toure	Toure is a better player this season. He's played with Gallas, Senderos and Djourou and been the rock in the heart of the defense. He is a vocal leader and one of the toughest but cleanest centre backs I've ever seen play.
Untouchable Ljungberg	Freddie influenced the Untouchables in so many ways. He created and scored goals, whilst tracking back to defend when required. Hleb doesn't make the same runs, he doesn't maintain his width on the wing. For me he is frustrating as I appreciate his work ethic, his intricate skill, but he is inherently an attacking central midfielder and being played out of position on the wing.
Pires	Pires was as close as Wenger has ever had to a 'fox-in-the-box'. He scored so many goals by following up on the back post and tapping in from 6 yards. He was a very unselfish player who loved to provide goals for his teammates and his goals and assists have been sorely missed. Rosicky is another player that I believe is being played out of position as he has previously played as an attacking central midfielder. Although Pires was a right footed left winger he played the position very well and his relationship with Cole was at times breathtaking.
06-07 Gilberto	I believe this season's Gilberto is the better player as he has shouldered more responsibility as vice-captain and taken the majority of the defensive work in the centre of midfield on his shoulders.
Vieira	Patrick was always going to be irreplaceable. As testament to that statement, Wenger didn't replace him like-for-like. Instead he has put Fabregas into the other centre midfield position, but he is essentially a playmaker.
Untouchable Henry	He was unstoppable at times and this year he has struggled with injury, fitness and formation.
Bergkamp	Late on in his career Bergkamp's goals came less often but his assists were as essential to the way Arsenal played as the tackling of Vieira in midfield. Van Persie is finding his feet and may well reach 20 goals this season but he has big boots to fill as the number two striker. Once again he has the potential to score as many goals as Bergkamp but I'm not sure he has the ability to create as many as his Dutch compatriot.

Next I'll compare the substitutes benches and team play. If you're feeling reminiscent, just put in the Untouchables DVD and enjoy!

The North London Derby - Analysis of My Predictions

2006-12-04T10:32:00.000+01:00

Gut Feeling: I see a real fight on the cards tomorrow. The first twenty minutes are going to be hectic as both teams look to control the midfield. I think that Arsenal will win this battle and dominate posession.

Arsenal battled for the full 90 minutes, like their lives depended on it. They controlled the midfield and at times in the second half you could see Jenas and co just give up on the ball and not even bother to chase back when they lost possession for the umpteenth time.

Arsenal will get about fifteen shots on goal, but they won't score until about half an hour in. My instincts tell me that we'll score twice: once from a counter-attack and once from a penalty area scramble. I don't see Arsenal conceding.

Arsenal put together eleven shots, which is much lower than recent games at the Grove, but you could argue that the completion percentage was superior. I predicted Arsenal would score after half an hour but it only took 20 minutes for Adebayor to put them in front. It was actually a typically Henry-type goal, a breakaway, finding space between the two centre backs and curling the ball across the keeper into the far right side of the net. The defence played well, especially the emerging Djourou.

What Arsenal Need: On the technical side: Arsenal need to maintain their width in attack, with the full backs overlapping as often as possible. They need to tackle with enthusiasm and passion and once they win possession of the ball they need to counter-attack with pace. In defence, they need to concentrate at set pieces and protect Lehmann at corners.

The full backs overlapped well, but defended intelligently too. Clichy deserves special credit for marking Lennon out of the game. Rosicky and Ljungberg both worked well on the flanks, as did Hleb when he replaced the injured Rosicky. Sadly, he's been ruled out of the FC Porto game. Arsenal looked to attack wherever possible, but maintained the concentration in defence.

On the psychological side: Arsenal need to battle like their lives depend on it, but if things go against them like referee's decisions, they need to keep their heads. Equally, they need to be positive throughout and play with that swagger and confidence that they did in the Champions League last year.

I was so proud of the work they put in today. They hassled for every 50-50 ball, made well-timed hard tackles and worked for eachother. It was another workman-like performance just like the wins at Old Trafford and the Bernabeu. They were positive but not arrogant.

Things To Watch Out For: I'll be interested to see how well the referee controls the match. There's sure to be some crunching tackles and I hope he's sensible enough not to throw around ten or twelve yellow cards and end up sending someone off. I'm sure we'll see the usual histrionics from the girls from up the road, but that's just par for the course with them isn't it?

I haven't seen the off-side or handball calls on Match of The Day yet but in the general play I didn't feel that Poll was particularly generous to Arsenal. Numerous times he didn't play the advantage when Arsenal had the ball at their feet after another cheap foul from the visitors. I felt a number of players in white deserved to be booked during the match, especially Keane for a pathetic professional foul late on.

Hopes For The Match: I hope all of the home fans appreciate the significance of this game and get behind the team, as the atmosphere tomorrow will be citical. We know the Gunners are under a certain amount of pressure so we need to let them know we're behind them and also how much the result means to us.

The atmoshpere at the Grove was amazing today and at times it sent shivers down my spine. In recent years so many Arsenal players with good songs have left or retired. If you think about it we can't sing Vieira Vieira he comes from Senegal, there's only one Dennis Bergkamp... walking in a Bergkamp wonderland, Ole Ole Ole Ole Jose Jose, Super Robert Pires, there's only one Keown, oh ah ray Parlour etc etc. It'll take time for every one of the young Gunners to get songs everyone likes and goes along with. Anyway, today the fans were great.

Although I'd like to see a few more Englishmen in the squad, I have no issues with having a squad of internationals. My only hope for the internationals is that they all understand our passionate and primeval rivalry with those up the Seven Sisters Road.

Arsenal's starting line up were drawn from the following countries: Germany, Ivory Coast, Switzerland, Ivory Coast, France, Sweden, Spain, Brazil, Czech Republic, Holland, Togo. But you could sense that every player knew the importance of the North London Derby, especially the first of it's kind in the new home.

My team selection for this game:

van Persie

Rosicky, Gilberto, Baptista, Fabregas, Hleb

Clichy, Djourou, Toure, Eboue

Lehmann

Subs: Almunia, Walcott, Hoyte, Flamini, Adebayor

I was a way off with my team selection, but to be honest, I was pleased to be wrong as I'd predicted a 4-5-1, but Wenger played a 4-4-2. Adebayor played with van Perise up front, with Ljungberg, Rosciky, Fabregas and Gilberto in midfield.

Unavailable:
Henry - Still out with a neck injury.

Gallas - Injured his quadriceps taking free kicks in training and will be out for a few weeks.

Diaby - On course to return in January after suffering a fracture-dislocated ankle last season.

Lauren - Still rehabilitating from a knee injury that has kept him out since January 21st.

Long-term issues: It's good to see van Persie emerging as the goal scorer we always thought he was, but I'm afraid that we are missing goals from the midfield. It's easy now to see that Pires was priceless and I'm waiting for Wenger to purchase a left winger to replace him.

Gilberto was excellent today and I was impressed with him stepping up to take the two penalties. To be honest, I was wondering why van Persie didn't take one, but now Gilberto is Arsenal's the third top scorer!

Prediction: Arsenal 2 Seven Sisters Road 0
Score: Arsenal 3 Seven Sisters Road 0

The North London Derby - My predictions

2006-12-01T09:51:00.000+01:00

I try not to state the obvious on Just What The Doctor Ordered but I feel compelled to write the following.

There have been a number of very important games played in our new home: the Dennis Bergkamp Testominial (the first ever game), Aston Villa (the first ever Premiership game), Dinamo Zagreb (the first ever Champions League game), Hamburg (the first 'must win' game).

Of all the games that have been played at the new stadium this is the most important. If there are 'must win' games, this can only be described as a 'have to win at all costs or we'll remember it for the rest of the history of the club' game.

It would be a disaster to get anything less than three points in the first North London derby at the Grove.

Gut Feeling: I see a real fight on the cards tomorrow. The first twenty minutes are going to be hectic as both teams look to control the midfield. I think that Arsenal will win this battle and dominate posession. Arsenal will get about fifteen shots on goal, but they won't score until about half an hour in. My instincts tell me that we'll score twice: once from a counter-attack and once from a penalty area scramble. I don't see Arsenal conceding.

What Arsenal Need: On the technical side: Arsenal need to maintain their width in attack, with the full backs overlapping as often as possible. They need to tackle with enthusiasm and passion and once they win possession of the ball they need to counter-attack with pace. In defence, they need to concentrate at set pieces and protect Lehmann at corners.

On the psychological side: Arsenal need to battle like their lives depend on it, but if things go against them like referee's decisions, they need to keep their heads. Equally, they need to be positive throughout and play with that swagger and confidence that they did in the Champions League last year.

Things To Watch Out For: I'll be interested to see how well the referee controls the match. There's sure to be some crunching tackles and I hope he's sensible enough not to throw around ten or twelve yellow cards and end up sending someone off. I'm sure we'll see the usual histrionics from the girls from up the road, but that's just par for the course with them isn't it?

Hopes For The Match: I hope all of the home fans appreciate the significance of this game and get behind the team, as the atmosphere tomorrow will be citical. We know the Gunners are under a certain amount of pressure so we need to let them know we're behind them and also how much the result means to us. Although I'd like to see a few more Englishmen in the squad, I have no issues with having a squad of internationals. My only hope for the internationals is that they all understand our passionate and primeval rivalry with those up the Seven Sisters Road.

My team selection for this game:

van Persie

Rosicky, Gilberto, Baptista, Fabregas, Hleb

Clichy, Djourou, Toure, Eboue

Lehmann

Subs: Almunia, Walcott, Hoyte, Flamini, Adebayor

Unavailable:
Henry - Still out with a neck injury.

Gallas - Injured his quadriceps taking free kicks in training and will be out for a few weeks.

Diaby - On course to return in January after suffering a fracture-dislocated ankle last season.

Lauren - Still rehabilitating from a knee injury that has kept him out since January 21st.

Long-term issues: It's good to see van Persie emerging as the goal scorer we always thought he was, but I'm afraid that we are missing goals from the midfield. It's easy now to see that Pires was priceless and I'm waiting for Wenger to purchase a left winger to replace him.

Prediction: Arsenal 2 Seven Sisters Road 0

Fulham v. Arsenal - Analysis of my predictions

2006-11-30T10:20:00.000+01:00

Gut Feeling: The statistics don't look good for Fulham in this game.

Which is why I was nervous. This game couldn't have looked more like a suspicious-banana-skin-type-slip-up if it had run around with naked with a Groucho Marks moustache on.

Fulham haven't beaten Arsenal since New Years Day in 1966. Equally, Fulham have only taken one point from a possible 30 in their ten Premiership meetings with Arsenal.

Historically, this has been a pretty cofortable match for Arsenal but last night highlighted a significant number of the club's problems. More on this later.

In these ten games Arsenal have scored 24 goals to Fulham's four.

This season Arsenal's problem has been scoring goals and up until the Bolton debacle the defense has been pretty good. Last night there was little attcking bite and poor defending.

Last season Arsenal won twice, with scorelines of 4-0 and 4-1.

A forty year win streak against a team is certainly impressive but I don't see these statistics having any impact on this fixture.

Arsenal are struggling in away games winning three and losing three, scoring eight goals and conceding six.

Fulham have won three, drew one and lost three at the Cottage, scoring five goals but conceding only six.

So the records look reasonably well matched. I think there'll only be one goal in it.

What Arsenal Need: Arsenal need a win away from home, the three points are essential.

The way to secure the three points is as follows:

Do not let Fulham score first. Instead they concede within six minutes and then let another one in after 19 minutes. If Arsenal can't come back from one down, then two down is out of the question.

Defend set pieces well. McBride's goal was from a corner in similar circumstances to the goal against Bolton.

Ensure the Arsenal wingers maintain their width and get the full backs overlapping. The choice of full backs was poor, especially when Flamini had already declared he wouldn't play at left back. Hleb and Rosicky are the worst culprits for failing to use the width of the pitch.

Attack with pace on the counter-attack. I didn't see the same enthusiasm and passion to attack as I would expect from an Arsenal team.

Get a bit of luck. No chance.

Things To Watch Out For: Keep an eye on the two players wide in the midfield. Arsenal struggle when players like Hleb and Rosicky come inside with the ball too often, taking away the natural width of the pitch. It's also important to see if the two full backs overlap the wide players effectively. When Arsenal struggle it is because they try to play the whole football match in the central third of the pitch.

The width issue, or lack of width issue is a fundamental flaw in the current Arsenal team and I can't see how the current squad could fulfill the need for proper wingers. Walcott will make a difference given twenty minutes at the end of a match but I'm not sure he's ready to play for 90 or even 70 minutes just yet.

Hopes For The Match: I hope Wenger fires up the team before kick off. I want to see players desperate for a win, fighting for the common cause, but I will also be looking out for the senior players to display leadership to the youngsters.

The team didn't look particualry fired up or animated, which is confusing in a match of such importance. Every game is a cup final now if we are looking to secure a Champions League spot. There were some senior players on the pitch and at times I saw Henry praising a pass or a shot but due to Wenger's starting line up, half the team were youngsters. For example: Hoyte, Flamini, Senderos, Fabregas, Song and Fabregas is the only one who should ever start for Arsenal.

Team selection issues: For the first time this season I'm really having difficulty picking my starting eleven and the five players I'd sit on the bench. This is a problem that any manager with depth in his squad would face on a weekly basis, but it's not something that Arsenal have had to deal with yet this season.

Wenger obviously had different ideas about the importance of this match compared to the others that will follow. My difficulty in team selection was not who to rest but who's the best available player in each position

If Wenger was going to play a 4-4-2, I'd have an easier job because I'd play Henry and van Persie up front, with Ljungberg, Gilberto, Fabregas and Hleb across the midfield.

Ljungberg didn't even make the substitutes bench and Song played for the rested Fabregas. I dont't understand how Song gets a game ahead of Denilson or Baptista. If Wenger is struggling to find a defensive midfielder he could play Flamini there and put the young Traore at left back. At least he's a left back and at least he's left footed.

But knowing that Wenger favours the 4-5-1 the situation changes. The difficulty here is that van Persie should be on the pitch as he is a goal scorer and Arsenal need as many goal scorers on the pitch as possible. In contrast Ljungberg is not on goal scoring form this season but he is the better winger and the 4-5-1 needs players to stick to the sideline to provide width to the formation.

I was pleased to see van Persie continue his goal scoring form and now he's only one behind Henry. It was an excellent free-kick.

The only solution would be to play both, with Baptista or Flamini making way.

My team selection for this game: Boy was I wrong?

Henry

van Persie, Ljungberg, Gilberto, Fabregas, Hleb

Clichy, Senderos, Toure, Eboue

Lehmann

Subs: Almunia, Djourou, Walcott, Adebayor, Rosicky

Unavailable:
Gallas - Injured his quadriceps taking free kicks in training and will be out until the FC Porto game.

Diaby - On course to return in January after suffering a fracture-dislocated ankle last season.

Lauren - Still rehabilitating from a knee injury that has kept him out since January 21st.

Long-term issues: I'm looking forward to January when Lauren will be back. I think it would be good for Arsenal to have both Lauren and Eboue fighting it out for the starting right back spot. I appreciate that Hoyte has been filling in this far this season but I don't see him as a long term prospect, merely a good young squad player.

Lauren has been the only choice at right back for some years now and as a result of his knee injury he's been out for almost a year now. Fortunately for Arsenal the injury coincided with the emergence of Eboue, who has done a good job ever since. Lauren is the smarter player, the better defender and the stronger leader, but Eboue is the superior athlete and offers better options in attack. It's a tough choice but I welcome competition for places, as I detest a player who takes his place in the starting eleven for granted.

Prediction: Fulham 0 Arsenal 1
Score: Fulham 2 Arsenal 1

Fulham v. Arsenal - My predictions

2006-11-29T14:58:00.000+01:00

Gut Feeling: The statistics don't look good for Fulham in this game.

Fulham haven't beaten Arsenal since New Years Day in 1966.

Equally, Fulham have only taken one point from a possible 30 in their ten Premiership meetings with Arsenal.

In these ten games Arsenal have scored 24 goals to Fulham's four.

Last season Arsenal won twice, with scorelines of 4-0 and 4-1.

A forty year win streak against a team is certainly impressive but I don't see these statistics having any impact on this fixture.

Arsenal are struggling in away games winning three and losing three, scoring eight goals and conceding six.

Fulham have won three, drew one and lost three at the Cottage, scoring five goals but conceding only six.

So the records look reasonably well matched. I think there'll only be one goal in it.

What Arsenal Need: Arsenal need a win away from home, the three points are essential.

The way to secure the three points is as follows:
Do not let Fulham score first.
Defend set pieces well.
Ensure the Arsenal wingers maintain their width and get the full backs overlapping.
Attack with pace on the counter-attack.
Get a bit of luck.

Things To Watch Out For: Keep an eye on the two players wide in the midfield. Arsenal struggle when players like Hleb and Rosicky come inside with the ball too often, taking away the natural width of the pitch. It's also important to see if the two full backs overlap the wide players effectively. When Arsenal struggle it is because they try to play the whole football match in the central third of the pitch.

Hopes For The Match: I hope Wenger fires up the team before kick off. I want to see players desperate for a win, fighting for the common cause, but I will also be looking out for the senior players to display leadership to the youngsters.

Team selection issues: For the first time this season I'm really having difficulty picking my starting eleven and the five players I'd sit on the bench. This is a problem that any manager with depth in his squad would face on a weekly basis, but it's not something that Arsenal have had to deal with yet this season.

If Wenger was going to play a 4-4-2, I'd have an easier job because I'd play Henry and van Persie up front, with Ljungberg, Gilberto, Fabregas and Hleb across the midfield.

But knowing that Wenger favours the 4-5-1 the situation changes. The difficulty here is that van Persie should be on the pitch as he is a goal scorer and Arsenal need as many goal scorers on the pitch as possible. In contrast Ljungberg is not on goal scoring form this season but he is the better winger and the 4-5-1 needs players to stick to the sideline to provide width to the formation.

The only solution would be to play both, with Baptista or Flamini making way.

My team selection for this game:

Henry

van Persie, Ljungberg, Gilberto, Fabregas, Hleb

Clichy, Senderos, Toure, Eboue

Lehmann

Subs: Almunia, Djourou, Walcott, Adebayor, Rosicky

Wenger Talks About Quality

2006-11-28T12:02:00.001+01:00

"The period that comes up now for us is the moment of truth. We must not hide. There is a big obstacle in front of the players but I feel they are ready to jump it. If they are not, we have no chance to do it. They will try, I am confident. We just cannot transform that into results at the moment.

When you have quality, you always have a chance. If this team takes off, we can kill teams by four or five goals. Wait until the end of the season before you judge us.

There is no team who you can say is not reachable in England. Last year at this time, Chelsea were already out of reach for everybody. It is not the case this year. I do not know if Chelsea are inferior, or all the other teams are better. But we have two teams to catch now, which is the problem."

Bolton v. Arsenal - Analysis of my predictions

2006-11-25T22:20:00.000+01:00

Gut Feeling: I feel a gutsy, passionate and powerful performance is on the cards, but I'm a little concerned about the lack of depth up front. Van Persie is banned and Henry has a neck injury so it looks like Adebayor will play a holding role in front oif a five man midfield.

Arsenal didn't deliver the gutsy performance I'd hoped for.

What Arsenal Need: To banish the ghosts of this match last season and to stand up to the Everton-like rough tactics that are on the cards.

Bolton seemed to put the fut in wherever possible, as evidenced by the kick to the head Walcott suffered when the ball was already out of play.

I hope Wenger gets them fired up before kick-off so they come out and set the tone of the match rather than get it dictated to them by Bolton.

Arsenal didn't set the tone. In fact Bolton did, by hoofing the ball up field into Arsenal's penalty area after only 30 seconds.

Arsenal need to score first and then match will be there for the taking. I don't see them coming back to snatch three points from a goal behind.

Bolton scored first and Arsenal never looked like getting their noses in front.

Things To Watch Out For: I think Walcott will start the game on the bench despite recently excelling against Hamburg.

Walcott did start and showed glimpses of brilliance but I actualy agree with Wenger in that he's more potent coming off the bench.

My opinion is that Wenger will play Baptista in the middle and Ljungberg on the left wing. The Brazilian offers a more powerful option in a game where it is desperately required. I've been waiting a long time to see Baptista start a Premiership match and I think today could be just the sort of game he'll excel in.

Baptista got half an hour at the end of the game and didn't get too much done.

Keep an eye on how much width Arsenal play with. My concern is that Hleb comes inside too often, therefore, reducing the width he is supposed to be producing. As a result, especially when Rosicky is playing on the left, Arsenal play far too narrow, which is easy to defend.

There was width at times but the all too familiar narrow Arsenal attacks were prominent throughout.

Hopes For The Match: I hope Ljungberg plays well as I really like him as a winger. Arsenal need the width he provides and I hope he makes some of those central runs too.

Ljungberg ran around and got some crosses in from the byline but I think he looks a yard or two slower than his prime years.

Equally, I hope Walcott comes on to replace Hleb on the right wing. If Wenger keeps giving him 20 minutes a game and he continues to play like he has been doing, then he'll be pushing for a starting spot by the end of the season.

See above.

My team selection for this game:

Adebayor

Ljungberg, Gilberto, Baptista, Fabregas, Hleb

Clichy, Senderos, Toure, Eboue

Lehmann

Subs: Almunia, Walcott, Djourou, Flamini, Song

Flamini got the nod ahead of Baptista. I understand that Wenger went with the defensive midfielder ahead of the attacking midfielder, but if anything, attacking creativity is what Arsenal require now that Bergkamp and Pires have gone.

Unavailable:
Henry - Injured his neck in training but Wenger assures us that he'll be back for the midweek game.

Gallas - Injured his quadriceps taking free kicks in training and will be out for a few weeks.

Rosicky - Still out with a hamstring injury.

Diaby - On course to return in January after suffering a fracture-dislocated ankle last season.

Lauren - Still rehabilitating from a knee injury that has kept him out since January 21st.

Long-term issues: Competition in the squad. I think this is a long-term issue, but I believe it is a positive issue. You need every player looking over his shoulder at a team-mate who wants his starting spot.

When you take a minute to decide who you'd sit on the bench, things get difficult. Firstly, Almunia and Djourou take the goalkeeper and defender positions, so you're left with three spare seats on the bench.

You could argue that Walcott deserves one spot. Equally you could argue that Adebayor has to take one spot as the only other recognised striker in the first team squad.

So who takes the last spot? Baptista, Flamini and Rosicky if fit could all contribute, so I'm not sure.

Prediction: Bolton 1 Arsenal 2
Score:Bolton 3 Arsenal 1

Wenger Up For The Battle in Bolton

2006-11-25T15:15:00.001+01:00

“We fancy going up there don’t worry. We are ready for the challenge and we will enjoy what we get.

We are more experienced than before and I feel we can get better. We lost a few games last year away from home where we were a little bit outmuscled.

But the players were younger then. Since then they have gone to the Champions League Final and it’s a different team now.

Away from home this year we have done well. Look at the two games we lost.

One was at Manchester City where we created plenty of chances and one at West Ham where, if you look at the game, it was very difficult to understand how we lost it.

Yes, Bolton have a more direct game than usual. But they have football players in their team as well, they want to play.

Overall I feel we are ready for what we face and we are going to dictate our game. At the moment they are not on a massive run so it’s maybe a good opportunity to go there.

Theo is getting closer and I understand people's desperation to see him start. But it's up to me to manage him well and at the moment he is making a good impact off the bench.

I must say I don't know whether I will start with Theo. It depends on what inspiration I get in Bolton before the game.”

It's good to hear that he's confident, but I hope the younger players stand up to be counted. If you're good enough, you're old enough, but then if you play poorly you can't blame your age.

Julio Wants More Playing Time

2006-11-24T10:13:00.000+01:00

“I would like to have more time and to be a part of the team. But I can only do this by making use of the opportunities the manager gives me. I was satisfied with the goal, I am fit and I hope to keep on helping the team in the upcoming games. I know I must give good performances for the manager. With Arsene Wenger, I am learning nobody is assured of their position in the starting 11 and we all have to prove ourselves.”

It's great to hear that the players on the fringes of the starting eleven are fighting for starting positions and also that Wenger insists on saying that nobody is assured of their position in the starting eleven.

Arsenal v. Hamburg - Analysis of my predictions

2006-11-21T11:14:00.000+01:00

Gut Feeling: Hamburg have won two games in their last 22, however, Rafael van der Vaart is back in the team for tonight's game. If ever a game should be a formality, this is the one. But equally it is these kind of games that can can cause a team to slip up. Hamburg have nothing to lose and shouldn't turn up with ten men behind the ball, so Arsenal will have their usual high share of possession. Once again the question with Arsenal is how many chances will they take from the opportunities will create.

By the end of the first half it looked like a slip up could be on the cards, but a solid second half performance scured the win.

What Arsenal Need: Three points are essential.

And that's what we got.

Things To Watch Out For: With Gallas out for up to four weeks with a hamstring injury the opportunity arises for the two Swiss centre backs to fight it out for a starting place. To be honest I feel that Djourou is the better prospect, but I think that Wenger rates Senderos more highly.

Senderos started the match, with Djourou on the bench. Phillipe played well but still doesn't look as good as Djourour.

My main concern about the Gallas injury is the way it occurred. Arsene said that Gallas was taking free kicks at the end of practice. I would question why he was taking free-kicks at goal? Does he normally take them during the games? He is probably not even on the list of players that would take a free kick, with Henry, van Persie, Toure and Rosicky ahead of him.

Robin's free kick whizzed over the bar and Thierry's zipped past the post. It is great to know that Arsenal have two excellent free kick takers.

Hopes For The Match: I'm hoping Arsenal play with pace and look to attack at every opportunity. In the past, Arsenal have scored lots of goals on the counter-attack but very few this season. I hope to see some tonight.

The third goal was classic couter-attacking Arsenal. It was a joy to watch.

My team selection for this game:

Henry

van Persie, Ljungberg, Gilberto, Fabregas, Hleb

Clichy, Senderos, Toure, Eboue

Lehmann

Subs: Almunia, Walcott, Djourou, Flamini, Baptisata, Adebayor

Long-term issues: I'm not a fan of the 4-5-1 and I'm still concerned that the personnel don't play the system correctly.

More on this later.

Prediction: Arsenal 2 Opponent 0
Score: Arsenal 3 Hamburg 1

Arsenal v. Hamburg - My Predictions

2006-11-21T10:41:00.000+01:00

Gut Feeling: Hamburg have won two games in their last 22, however, Rafael van der Vaart is back in the team for tonight's game. If ever a game should be a formality, this is the one. But equally it is these kind of games that can can cause a team to slip up. Hamburg have nothing to lose and shouldn't turn up with ten men behind the ball, so Arsenal will have their usual high share of possession. Once again the question with Arsenal is how many chances will they take from the opportunities will create.

What Arsenal Need: Three points are essential.

Things To Watch Out For: With Gallas out for up to four weeks with a hamstring injury the opportunity arises for the two Swiss centre backs to fight it out for a starting place. To be honest I feel that Djourou is the better prospect, but I think that Wenger rates Senderos more highly.

My main concern about the Gallas injury is the way it occurred. Arsene said that Gallas was taking free kicks at the end of practice. I would question why he was taking free-kicks at goal? Does he normally take them during the games? He is probably not even on the list of players that would take a free kick, with Henry, van Persie, Toure and Rosicky ahead of him.

Hopes For The Match: I'm hoping Arsenal play with pace and look to attack at every opportunity. In the past, Arsenal have scored lots of goals on the counter-attack but very few this season. I hope to see some tonight.

My team selection for this game:

Henry

van Persie, Ljungberg, Gilberto, Fabregas, Hleb

Clichy, Senderos, Toure, Eboue

Lehmann

Subs: Almunia, Walcott, Djourou, Flamini, Baptisata, Adebayor

Long-term issues: I'm not a fan of the 4-5-1 and I'm still concerned that the personnel don't play the system correctly.

Prediction: Arsenal 2 Opponent 0

Arsenal v. Newcastle - Analysis of my predictions

2006-11-20T09:38:00.001+01:00

Gut Feeling: Newcastle haven't scored in their last 4 Premiership matches and haven't won in 8. With a long list of injuries and little quality in depth to speak of the Arsenal defence shouldn't be too troubled.

Newcastle had two shots in the entire match and scored from one of them... that sounds familiar doesn't it? The fact that that the defenders stood off Dyer cannot take away from the fact that it was a well taken goal.

The result of this match hinges on how well Arsenal deal with the inevitably high number of chances they'll create. If they get one early on, things could get messy for the visitors. Arsenal haven't lost at home since February and I can't conceive it happening tomorrow.

The result of the game did hinge on the way Arsenal dealt with the high number of goal scoring opportunities. They didn't score from open play, which included some 20 shots on goal. Arsenal never looked like losing to Newcastle, but equally the goals never looked like coming.

What Arsenal Need: A good performance from Baptista is required so he can start to try and cement his place in the team. As yet I don't know where he'll fit in and who'll be sacrificed but I do hope he establishes himself in the starting eleven.

I felt Baptista was uneffective. He looked uncomfortable on the ball and kept slipping over. Maybe he made the wrong boot choice before the game. I have always been an admirer of his but I'm not sure where he would fit into a starting eleven.

Things To Watch Out For: I'm still keeping an eye on the way Henry captains the team, as with eveything else associated with Henry, we expect him to captain with class.

Henry was very positive when he came on. He applauded the effort of his team mates, which I was pleased to see.

Hopes For The Match: I hope Arsenal exhibit a ruthless and aggressive streak. I want them to get the ball forward as quickly as possible, using every opportunity to counter-attack with pace.

Arsenal still don't attack with the urgency and pace exhibited by the Untouchables. After the Henry free-kick, which I called just before he struck it, the urgency increased but thats what we need to see from the first whistle.

I also hope that Arsenal attack Newcastle on the wings, where their pace should cause the Magpies defenders some problems.

I wish there was more attacks down the left wing, as the Gunners currently play a little one sided on the wings. Taylor was booked in the first half for a desperate lunge on Eboue but then Arsenal didn't pressure him knowing he was on a yellow card.

In the middle of the park I hope Arsenal let their technical superiority show, keeping the ball away from the opposition for as long as possible.

I concede that Arsenal did display technical superiority in the midfield... now I sound like Wenger, but they seem more content to pass laterally than move forwards with the ball.

My team selection for this game:

Henry (Adebayor if he is rested)

van Persie, Baptista, Flamini, Fabregas, Hleb

Clichy, Gallas, Toure, Eboue

Lehmann

Subs: Almunia, Walcott, Senderos, Denilson, Hoyte (Adebayor if Henry starts the match).

My team selection was correct, but I felt that Arsenal missed Gilberto terribly. When he plays you hardly notice him, but when he's not there you miss him like crazy. For all his effort, Flamini couldn't fill his shoes and I hope the Brazilian will be back for the Hamburg game.

Unavailable:
Henry (potentially) - Wenger was furious that Domenech played both Gallas and Henry for the full 90 minutes in the mid-week friendly. It means that Wenger may sit Henry on the bench against Newcastle and save him for the important Champions League game on Tuesday.

Ljungberg - Lack of match fitness and had a reaction to some cheese, should be ok for the Hamburg match.

Gilberto - Away in Brazil for "family reasons and sickness reasons" but will be flying back on Sunday night and should train on Monday with a view to playing against Hamburg.

Rosicky - Still out with a hamstring injury and will be out for the Hamburg game too.

Diaby - On course to return in January after suffering a fracture-dislocated ankle last season.

Lauren - Still rehabilitating from a knee injury that has kept him out since January 21st.

Long-term issues: I may not be popular when I say this but I believe the 06-07 Gunners can't play the same style of football as the untouchables of 03-04. I personally think that team was better to watch as you really felt they could score with every attack, whereas this season they have been less potent in front of goal.

With Pires gone and Ljungberg less evident, Arsenal don't have the same attacking impetus as they used to. The unstoppable counter-attacking has all but disappeared and this is why the goals have been more hard to come by. This season Arsenal just aren't getting enough people in the opposing team's box.

Similarly, I think Henry is wasted in a 4-5-1 and as yet this season he hasn't really scored a typical Henry break-away type goal. I believe Fabregas should be encouraged to look for the forward pass more quickly and stop slowing the game down by playing the ball across the midfield so often.

Arsenal's current form is frustrating and I will address this problem in a dedicated post later in the week.

Prediction: Arsenal 3 Newcastle 0
Score: Arsenal 1 Newcastle 1

Arsenal v. Newcastle - My predictions

2006-11-17T19:35:00.001+01:00

Gut Feeling: Newcastle haven't scored in their last 4 Premiership matches and haven't won in 8. With a long list of injuries and little quality in depth to speak of the Arsenal defence shouldn't be too troubled. The result of this match hinges on how well Arsenal deal with the inevitably high number of chances they'll create. If they get one early on, things could get messy for the visitors. Arsenal haven't lost at home since February and I can't conceive it happening tomorrow.

What Arsenal Need: A good performance from Baptista is required so he can start to try and cement his place in the team. As yet I don't know where he'll fit in and who'll be sacrificed but I do hope he establishes himself in the starting eleven.

Things To Watch Out For: I'm still keeping an eye on the way Henry captains the team, as with eveything else associated with Henry, we expect him to captain with class.

Hopes For The Match: I hope Arsenal exhibit a ruthless and aggressive streak. I want them to get the ball forward as quickly as possible, using every opportunity to counter-attack with pace.

I also hope that Arsenal attack Newcastle on the wings, where their pace should cause the Magpies defenders some problems. In the middle of the park I hope Arsenal let their technical superiority show, keeping the ball away from the opposition for as long as possible.

My team selection for this game:

Henry (Adebayor if he is rested)

van Persie, Baptista, Flamini, Fabregas, Hleb

Clichy, Gallas, Toure, Eboue

Lehmann

Subs: Almunia, Walcott, Senderos, Denilson, Hoyte (Adebayor if Henry starts the match).

Unavailable:
Henry (potentially) - Wenger was furious that Domenech played both Gallas and Henry for the full 90 minutes in the mid-week friendly. It means that Wenger may sit Henry on the bench against Newcastle and save him for the important Champions League game on Tuesday.

Ljungberg - Lack of match fitness and had a reaction to some cheese, should be ok for the Hamburg match.

Gilberto - Away in Brazil for "family reasons and sickness reasons" but will be flying back on Sunday night and should train on Monday with a view to playing against Hamburg.

Rosicky - Still out with a hamstring injury and will be out for the Hamburg game too.

Diaby - On course to return in January after suffering a fracture-dislocated ankle last season.

Lauren - Still rehabilitating from a knee injury that has kept him out since January 21st.

Long-term issues: I may not be popular when I say this but I believe the 06-07 Gunners can't play the same style of football as the untouchables of 03-04. I personally think that team was better to watch as you really felt they could score with every attack, whereas this season they have been less potent in front of goal.

With Pires gone and Ljungberg less evident, Arsenal don't have the same attacking impetus as they used to. The unstoppable counter-attacking has all but disappeared and this is why the goals have been more hard to come by. This season Arsenal just aren't getting enough people in the opposing team's box.

Similarly, I think Henry is wasted in a 4-5-1 and as yet this season he hasn't really scored a typical Henry break-away type goal. I believe Fabregas should be encouraged to look for the forward pass more quickly and stop slowing the game down by playing the ball across the midfield so often.

Prediction: Arsenal 3 Newcastle 0

The Best Players Were On The Pitch

2006-11-12T23:27:00.000+01:00

As you can see from the post title, this post corresponds to the one entitled "Getting the Best Players on the Pitch".

Firstly, let me admit that I am not a favourite of the 4-1-4-1 formation that Wenger insists on playing, however I must concede that Arsene knows best. As a result of my dislike for the current Arsenal formation of choice, I predicted two 4-4-2 formations prior to kick-off. Neither was correct for the reasons given below.

Arsenal played with the following formation and personnel:

Henry

van Persie, Gilberto, Fabregas, Flamini, Hleb

Clichy, Gallas, Toure, Eboue

Almunia

Subs: Poom, Senderos, Hoyte, Walcott, Adebayor

When Adebayor came on he wasted a gift of a one-on-one with Reina, where he should have done better.

Van Persie did play well apart from the silly yellow card for a deliberate hand ball. He is a player that excites me and I hope he continues to develop throughout the season as I do believe he could be a 20-goal a season player.

I did beg for Flamini not to be used on the wing and he wasn't, but I admit that he worked very hard in the centre of the park and I was pleased to see him push forward into attacking positions throughout the game.

Arsenal v. Liverpool - Analysis of my predictions

2006-11-12T22:32:00.000+01:00

Gut Feeling: To be honest I don't know what to expect from Arsenal on Sunday. If we exclude the wins from the young Gunners in the Carling Cup, then Arsenal haven't beaten a decent side since FC Porto and Manchester United. Both these wins were a long time ago and I guess it depends which Arsenal team turns up. It's going to be a tight match but I feel if Arsenal take their chances they will snatch victory.

Sometimes I write predictions that are accurate, sometimes I am wide of the mark but rarely this season have I been accurate but without meaning to.

Let me explain. My earlier prediction mentioned the fact that Arsenal hadn't beaten a decent side since FC Porto and Manchester United. The inference being that the teams played since were not top quality and that Liverpool was a decent side and worthy of the Grade A price hike at the Grove. Well to be honest, Liverpool put in a poor performance today and if that display is anything to go by, they won't finish in the top 8. And no, Liverpool weren't worth the increase in ticket price.

What Arsenal Need: They need a win. They desperately need a win. And just as much as Arsenal need the three points, they need a good team performance to build morale and confidence.

The Gunners got a well deserved win and everyone went home with a smile on their face. The three points were welcomed by the Arsenal faithful who applauded the players off the field, but I was equally pleased with the overall team performance.

Things To Watch Out For: I'll be interested to see if Wenger persists with the 4-1-4-1 formation of recent weeks. I don't think this formation is necessary at home and I think at times it leaves Arsenal with no men in the box, which is a fundamental flaw.

Wenger did persist with the 4-1-4-1 formation and it worked, but I'm still not a fan. I feel it makes the team too dependent on getting midfielders in the box and if Henry pulls wide onto the left wing, the opposition's penalty area is often devoid of a single Arsenal shirt. Testament to the dependence of the formation on getting midfielders into the box, is that all three goals today were scored by defensive players.

My only concern with the current Arsenal style of play is that a fair number of unforced errors creep into the games. Arsenal do keep hold of the ball well and compared to other teams in the Premiership they have the best short-passing game, however, at times possession is given away cheaply. I do embrace the fluidity and dynamism of the Gunners' style of play, but I see lapses in concentration creep in and short simple passes go astray. Against better opposition Arsenal could be punished for this but today it cost them nothing.

Hopes For The Match: I hope Walcott starts on the left wing and uses the playing time to show his talent. It will be interesting to see how he interacts with Clichy on the left, but equally it will be good to see Eboue and Hleb teamed up again on the right. You would think that there is a good amount of pace and attacking zeal on both wings, I just hope they work hard and defend well too. I'm desperate for Henry to put in a good performance and I yearn to see him build a relationship with van Persie.

Walcott didn't feature today and van Persie teamed up with Clichy on the left wing. The right wing due combined to create the goal for Flamini.

I was pleased to see how positive Henry was with his team mates today. He even embraced van Persie after his number was displayed to be substituted. That was the type of leadership we used to see from Vieira and it was good to see them interact in such a way.

My team selection for this game:

Henry, van Persie

Walcott, Gilberto, Fabregas, Hleb

Clichy, Gallas, Toure, Eboue

Lehmann

Subs: Almunia, Senderos, Djourou, Flamini, Adebayor

Long-term issues: Rosicky has a hamstring injury and will be out for up to 10 days missing the Liverpool, Newcastle and Hamburg matches. Baptista and Ljungberg are still no nearer a return and have as yet not even played for the reserves since getting injured. Diaby is not going to be ready until January at the earliest.

Now that Arsenal have three points from the Liverpool match it would seem that Rosicky's injury may well go without real detriment to the team. The Newcastle and Hamburg matches should pass smoothly with victory in each as I don't see either team scoring against the Gunners.

Prediction: Arsenal 2 Liverpool 1
Arsenal 3 Liverpool 0