When It Rains,It Pours

Not writing for 2-3 weeks.Promising to write.And then failing.This blog looks to be heading down the drain.And I’ll be the only one reading that (D)rain-drenched blog,I guess.Finally I’m writing and the fact that I can read it means the next hour or so won’t be a complete waste.

On towards some serious matters.The start of the season hasn’t been much better than last one’s end.Players getting injured left,right and center.Arsenal not being decisive enough at either ends of the pitch.And the fans booing.That certainly doesn’t help the cause.

Losing your best player after such a long saga never helps and that is bound to show over the course of the season.Not saying that Ramsey isn’t ready to fill in but admit it,he’s no Fabregas.His work-rate and engine might be better but Cesc’s vision is only his.No one can match that.

It’s been 3 matches and we’ve scored one tiny little goal against Udinese.That’s it! We are yet to open our Premier League account.Going forward looks the major problem to me at this moment.Suspensions and injuries might be the reason.Gervinho’s looked seriously threatening EVERY time the ball has touched his gifted feet.And the end product will be visible in the upcoming days when he settles in with the team and its style.All in all,he’s looking our best attacking player.Better than RvP who hasn’t got the support from other players which he deserves.Walcott,you might wanna consider this!

The defence looks extremely solid with Koscielny and Vermaelan.Absolutely world-class.But as soon as Kozzer went off injured,it was there for everyone to see.No quality backups.Djourou is decent enough but I honestly don’t rate him.And regular readers will know of the extent of my love for Sebastian Squillaci.

Arsene,Your Legacy Might As Well Be At Stake

Next up is the suspensions.1 I like,3 i don’t.All of Frimpong,Song and Gervinho suspended.The ones I don’t like.Arsene suspended,I prefer.Lately,all he does is throw some unlucky water bottles here and there and cry when Ramsey puts it in his own net.And bring on Bendtner when we need a striker.A real one at that.

I’m not the only one who knows new players are needed.Both quality and quantity-wise.But to sign someone like Mertesacker or Dann doesn’t help either case.First of all,seriously talented players such as the likes of Hazard,Cahill,Jagielka or even Zarate are quite difficult to sign considering Arsenal’s strict wage structure.Second,what are the guarantees that the player signed will adapt well and help us mount a serious title-challenge.

One thing I’d like to see is to give the young AOC and Miyaichi a chance.I mean it’s the start of the season.And you try all new combinations and players NOW.Arsene,any reasonable explanation why you already haven’t?

And with that I sign off.There’s this little poll I’d like you to vote on.Your opinions will be hugely welcomed.They’re coming after such a long time you know!

Up the Arsenal!

The preseason training is is full swing and Arsenal again look like a very strong proposition to deal with the coming season.The intricate passing,quick movement off the ball and perfect finishing(Ok sometimes!).And when the opposition needs help, we are ALWAYS there to score the best ever own goal.Jenkinson, who’s had an almost perfect start to his Arsenal career quickly learnt how to arse things up.But then again, even that was done is style.We, the Arsenal, always do it that way.

Perhaps the 2-1 result was of very less importance and all that mattered was that the players had a good outing and improved their fitness levels.But I’m quite sure if we’d lost or even drawn it, the press would have quickly pounced upon our weaknesses and highlighted the “Spend some Fucking Money” campaign.They’d have called for Arsene’s head to be chopped off and Arsenal to buy a certain Barton for 40m pounds. In the end, it was a 2-1 win against FC Cologne and except for that Henderson’s injury and CJ’s own goal, everything went according to plan.

Gervinho opened his scoring account with a beautifully lobbed shot from outside the box which surely would have reduced his anxiety.Every striker wants to get off the mark and the longer he fails, the more frustrated he gets.There were some mentions on Twitter regarding Torres’ scoring record with Chelsea when Gervinho got his 2nd with the best one being from @Ebou_Ebou :

Random stat: Fernando Torres: 18 apps for Chelsea, 1 goal. Gervinho: 16 mins for Arsenal, 2 goals.

For me, Gervinho looks a very decent player but one that should be given his time to adapt to the PL.No matter how good you are, it always takes some time.Playing against Cologne in a friendly is no match for a Stoke determined to fight for every single ball(you know their players haven’t got any!). So I’m sure Gervinho will be a huge hit at Arsenal but if it does take some time, I, for once, will gladly wait.

Talking about new players, I don’t know whether Miyaichi will get his work-permit or not but if he does, there’s no reason as to why we shouldn’t see him on a weekly basis.He’s still young and has a lot to learn but his energy might prove very handy in our title assault next year.

And now we move on to Carl.What a buy! To be very honest, I thought for a 1m pounds player, he’d at most be average.He’s proved to be everything but.Very solid at the back and also going forward, and anyways you wouldn’t expect an average player to lob one from 20 yards into his own net.Don’t believe me?Try doing that yourself.But jokes apart,the guy looks destined to have a legendary Arsenal career.

Last year, we lost Frimpong and Ramsey to serious injuries and this year, we might just have yet another one.Henderson’s injury doesn’t look very good to me or either Arsene so all we can do is hope for the best.Talking about the midfield, I was wondering whom will we play as a DM during the Jan-Feb period when both Song and Frimpong ship themselves off to Africa for the African Cup of Nation.Two years ago, we THANKFULLY had Denilson but now even he’s gone.We are so screwed without him, let me tell you.

That’s it from me.Hoping to write more in the upcoming days but no guarantees.

Till then.

Most Memorable Arsenal Matches

It’s just around 3 years since my support for The Arsenal began. At first, it was quite mild and I rarely watched them. But what amazes me is how far I’ve gone from their. Not a single match missed in almost two years(except the first half of CC semifinal 2nd leg ).  There have been good moments, bad moments and those brilliant moments. Along with it have come those awful moments like the Cup Final defeat. But it wouldn’t be fair not to suggest my journey with the Gunners as one hell of a ride.

Here are some of the most memorable moments of MY Arsenal-watching career(as a FIFA 11 commentator would say!). Just to inform you, its only been 3 years since I’ve started watching them, so I’m not counting the matches we’ve played before. This compilation is based on how great I felt when Arsenal finally won the game. Hope you like it:

7. Arsenal-Stoke City 3-1(Britannia)

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah I know about Ramsey’s horrific injury. I was watching it with volume muted and all of a sudden I had the worsts of thoughts. I wouldn’t tell what that was but that moment almost made me cry. But after that, we showed some real grit and ultimately were rewarded with a penalty in stoppage time. That wasn’t all. The Verminator managed to get another one and at that moment, I thought that now the title was ours and our players would win it for Aaron Ramsey. They gave it their all but still ended up finishing 3rd.

6. Arsenal-Bolton 4-2 (The Emirates)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remember the game where we were 2-0 down after Bolton scored the 2nd goal off a penalty. I do.Winning that game by more than a one goal margin would’ve taken us to the top of the league. And what I instantly thought after they scored twice was that we’d always crumble under the pressure of being at the top. And an hour later, I was proved all wrong. Goals from Rosicky, Vermaelan, Arshavin and another Arsenal player(c’mon you can’t expect me to remember that much. And if you do please inform me too!). And we ended up winning the match and going top of the league on goal-difference.

5. Arsenal-Hull City 2-1 (at their stadium)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nicklas Bendtner, to remind you, can sometimes finish. And a predatory finish was what won us the game that was level at 1-1 at Hull and probably kept our title chances alive. Denilson(oh all our poor players did well at that moment). He went for a 20-30 yard shot which the Hull keeper failed to hold on. And Bendtner was, for once, there to pick up the pieces and win it for Arsenal.

4. Arsenal- Manchester United 1-0 (The Emirates)

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were missing a number of key players. And with that, we were also missing some key ingredients such as our confidence. The feeling at the start of the match was a bit of worry and tension. All of that was gone when, just after 90 minutes the final whistle blew. We showed grit, determination and passion to win the game. Combine that with our quality and all that was left for Ramsey was to slot the ball home for the winner.

 

3. Arsenal-Barcelona 2-2 (The Emirates)

 

 

 

 

Maybe it was not the whole match, but the last 30 minutes that were too good to forget. Wenger brought on Theo Walcott and he split the Barca defencee like they were….. Arsenal themselves. Goals from him and Cesc at least kept the tie alive which eventually we ended up losing. Still it was a night to remember.

2. Arsenal Chelsea 3-1 (The Emirates)

 

 

 

 

 

 

A match that could be watched again and again by any Arsenal fan. Or a football fan in general. A game that had the biggest impact on Arsenal. We got to know our First-XI. We hunted the Chelsea players in pack and never allowed them enough space. For me, the most important match in the 2010-2011 season for us.

1. Arsenal- Barcelona 2-1 (The Emirates)

 

 

 

 

 

 

This has got to be at the top.  There wasn’t a part of the room where I was watching where I hadn’t jumped around. This match and every single detail of it will stay in my head for a long long time. Bendtner to Jack to Cesc to Nasri to Arshavin to GOAL!!!! The stadium erupted. And so did I.  The best match I’ve seen ever and possibly the best Emirates has ever witnessed.

That’s it for you. Hope you’ve liked the list.Another reminder it’s pretty much based on memory so I may have missed a match or two. Feel free to post yours below.

Walcott To Win Arsenal The Title

One major positive in an otherwise disappointing season has been the form of our own speedster, Theo Walcott. He always had shown his talent in bits and pieces(especially against Barcelona) but never looked likely to perform on a consistent basis. This made the fans give him the tag of a “Supersub”. But he proved it all wrong.

Its not that he had an outstanding season with no injury worries. But if I don’t say he’s had a decent statement won’t be justified. His hard-work on the training pitch is clearly visible and if it was not for our striker’s poor finishing(RvP may not read this!), he’d have got an awful number of assists this season. His finishing is amazing. In fact I remember Theo’s goals more than any other Arsenal player. The one against Blackburn was top-notch. Blackpool, Shaktar, Chelsea, Chelsea(brilliant!) and Fulham on the last day. These are the ones that just came even without remembering. There were some others too which I have  forgotten but his tally of 10-15 goals(I hate searching for exact stats!) is great given his injury woes which were less visible this term. But still more than most.

Yeah Theo! That’s The Way To Do It

Walcott is being rumored to shift to play more centrally next season. Yeah I know its just the fans wanting that. I also think the striker role would suit him better as we’ve seen how teams coming to the Emirates and just trying to defend have crowded the right flank making Walcott not-existent. Also given the possible signature of Gervinho who’s a right winger, Walcott’s change of position looks inevitable. And that’ll probably play the biggest role in Arsenal’s title ambition last year.And when he’s not played, we’ve lacked width,pace and ruthlessness. I know Walcott does put some crosses for the ones paying a 100 pounds to watch him do that for van Persie. But still his finishing has been better than our other strikers apart from RvP.

In other news, Barca President Sandro Rosell(due to the Cesc transfer saga I think I know the Barca board more than Arsenal’s!) has questioned Fabregas’ value and said Barca won’t pay over 35-40m pounds. Well I think Cesc’s worth that money. Not more. But that would be in a normal world. And we live in one where Caroll is worth 35m. So that just doubles Cesc’s valuation. Or probably even more.

England crashed out of the Under-21s and Pearce says they could’ve reached the finals. The World Cup problem is still there with England. I guess it’s down to the tough, strong and physical demands from a young player. No one looks at their skills. Oh wait! One club does. And is also criticized for doing that.There is something seriously wrong in there.

Till Then.

Someone Help Jack! Please!

Jack Wilshere has been selected for the Euro Under-21 Championships this summer.This means that he gets no rest for almost 3 years. Having played his first full season in top-flight, he now is an England regular. He goes to Denmark this summer, plays for Arsenal next season, goes with England again next year for the Euro Championship and returns to Arsenal only to play another full season with them.All this is supposed to burn him out and probably waste his undoubted talent.If that’s not what Stuart Pearce or the English FA can understand, then I don’t know what will.

He’s only 19. To put such huge amounts of pressure on a 19-year-old player is something that’s just not acceptable. He’s been exceptional for Arsenal which offers top-quality football.He’s played in the Champions League,the Premier League and even for the England national team. Now Pearce wants him to gain experience at a lower level. Let me inform you, a player cannot perform to his full potential if he’s asked to play at a lower level. I remember Wenger’s comments about how Arsenal players would struggle if they had to play in the Championship rather than the Premier League. It’s not as if Jack would assert his authority in that tournament. Mentally, it might not even be good for him.

Remember there was a boy aged 16, chosen to represent his country at the World Cup. Neither did he play in that tournament, nor did he practice to improve his footballing qualities. It has taken him an eternity to realize his potential which is not yet completely fulfilled.The guy is Theo Walcott. Our own speedy forward whose progress was much affected by the extreme pressure he had to face at 16.

Run Jack Run! But Make sure you've still got legs!

I don’t know what Pearce thinks but people thinking he’s a psycho certainly aren’t wrong.From a personal point of view, I love Jack and wish him good luck. But how the hell can playing at a lower level be a good experience.He’s already played 50-odd games for us and has looked a bit jaded in recent matches. Though Wilshere might not admit himself, no vacation this summer might prove to be detrimental to his progress. I can understand the pride in playing for his country but he’s also got to look at his fitness. To be honest, I’d like Wenger to rest him at Fulham only because of the fact that his performances have dropped recently.

Jack schedule this summer is draining and expect him to miss the start of the next season and even suffer from injuries the same way Cesc Fabregas has this year. Bojan has also been called up but the fact is he’s played a fourth of the minutes Jack’s played. He’s also not a Spanish regular and he’s a case where playing in such a competition would help him. But for Jack, he’s played 4,066 minutes. That’s the equivalent of 45 full 90-minute games. At 19, he’s played like a more-mature player than most in England.

Jack’s a tough lad and probably the toughest at Arsenal. But every player has his breaking limits. And Jack’s getting closer to that mark.It’s up to England to preserve their own gem.Or else he might crack. For his sake, someone please help him!