Arsenal and Arsene Wenger - Stick Or Twist

With an hour of Tuesday night's game against Anderlecht gone there was a very positive feeling about how Arsenal's season was progressing. Sure the team still weren't at their best but the attacking flair was returning and they looked destined for their fourth win in a row as they led 3-0. What happened next shows exactly why it is so frustrating to support the current Arsenal team, but I do support them and always will no matter what - they are and always have been my team.

It doesn't mean they're immune to criticism though and for that matter neither is the manager. Arsene Wenger criticised his defence afterwards, but he's the one who had the task of strengthening said defence last summer and failed to do so properly. Mathieu Debuchey and Calum Chambers were brought in while both Bacary Sagna and Tomas Vermaelen left which meant there was stalemate at best.

The thing is everybody knew the Arsenal squad was short of a central defender last season and we were told Vermaelen would be replaced when he was allowed to leave but he wasn't. Chambers was brought in to vie with Debuchey for the right back slot and also with an eye to playing as a central defender or a defensive midfielder in the future and he barely had more than a handful of first team games to his name when Arsenal signed him. If he was bought to play as a central defender then Carl Jenkinson would not have been loaned to West Ham, but he was. 

The way I see it Arsenal almost lost two central defenders because Sagna was so good at filling in there when needed. At the moment Nacho Monreal is being asked to fill in as a central defender and it's not something he's comfortable with or particularly good at for that matter. Arsenal only have two defensive injuries but that has reduced them to playing a left back in the centre and it just isn't good enough.

There are those who defend the manager no matter what and heap praise upon him when Arsenal do well, but then decide it's most certainly not his fault when the players "let him down". I certainly don't fit into that category and neither do I fit into the category of those who blame him for all of the clubs ills and will hear no good about him. I suppose that means I occupy the middle ground and right now that seems to be becoming more and more lonely by the day. 

The same mistakes seem to crop up time and again and the lessons we are told are bring learned just don't seem to be retained. With a defence which has been left short of proper cover and the players in front of them seemingly not capable of shielding them enough to help them with their defending it's very worrying. Arsenal possess some very good players in midfield but so many of them are far too similar and want to play in the same position. 

When it comes to putting in a real shift and sacrifing your own desire to go forward for the good of the team then Arsenal players have been found wanting too often. The tactical awareness of the team and the manager seems to be non existent at the moment and other teams are taking advantage of it. If managers of so called lesser teams can figure out how to make life so difficult for Arsenal then how come Arsenal struggle so often to do the reverse. 

When the team are obviously going wrong the manager doesn't seem to be capable of changing it and I think that's his biggest flaw at the moment. I don't know if it's an absolute faith in his team and/or his tactics or just tactical failings on his part, but it's hurting the team. The manager has to be able to identify where the team are going wrong and change it or it becomes too easy to play against Arsenal. 

If he can't get a hold of where the team are going wrong and get them to start playing in the way they are capable of playing then the tide of opinion is going to turn against him even more. I want Arsene Wenger to lead Arsenal to more glory and make them a force to be reckoned with, but I'm no longer sure he can do it. If he's not the man to do it then the club have to seriously consider their options.

I know the team is missing some of it's best players, but even with every single player available we all know Arsenal are capable of imploding at any time without any notice. There has to be something inherently wrong in the mentality of the team if we all fear the worst almost every time the opposition cross the half way line. Until the players can find the mental strength and togetherness to overcome adversity there will be questions asked of them and the man who sends them out to play with his instructions. 

Arsenal won the FA Cup last season to end their trophy drought but it could have been so much better had they not imploded in the league. When their mental strength was put to the test they failed miserably but at least they managed to finish strongly and claim fourth place as well as the cup. We all hoped that victory was going to be built on but it hasn't been and now it seems the height of our ambitions can only be to match last season.

If I was offered fourth place and the FA Cuo again for this season I would take it right now. That's a damning indictment on the club's ambition last summer and it's yet another season to be written off almost before it began. How long can the club continue to under invest when they have the money available to take the final step to make the team truly competitive again. 

Every summer we think we'll do what needs to be done and then find ourselves scrambling on deadline day to shore the gaps which should have been filled a lot earlier. In the last two summers Arsenal have signed two magnificent players in Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, but they have failed to invest in the rest of the squad properly. If it happens again next summer I think the tide will turn irreversibly against the manager and his days could be numbered.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Champions League Trip To Anderlecht Previewed

It's hard to figure out where Arsenal's season is going, but already it looks like the FA Cup is their only realistic hope of a trophy. With Chelsea already 11 points ahead of them after only eight games it seems like the Premier League is already beyond them. They're back in Champions League action tonight away to Anderlecht and it's very hard to see them having enough to win the competition.

Qualification from their group should be well within their grasp though and they can almost assure themselves of that with back to back wins over Anderlecht. Arsenal lost their opening game away to Borussia Dortmund, but came back in fine style to win their last game 4-1 at home to Galatasary. That win leaves them in a strong position going into these two games against Anderlect with Galatasary having to play Dortmund twice.

Ideally for Arsenal Galatasary will take a point off Dortmund in those two games and Arsenal will hopefully take all six points off Anderlecht. That would leave Arsenal guaranteed a place in the knock out stages and fighting for top spot in the group with Dortmund. A home win over Dortmund would leave Arsenal needing to win their last game away to Galatasary to win the group, but all of that could be just pie in the sky.

If the performance against Hull on Saturday is anything to go by the two games against Anderlecht are going to be a real struggle. I didn't see the game on Saturday due to other commitments and didn't feel qualified to write about it after only seeing the Match of the Day highlights. I try to be as positive as I can about Arsenal as regular readers will know, but it seems the only positives from the game were the point we managed to salvage and the fact that we have Alexis Sanchez. 

When the transfer window closed it was obvious to one and all that Arsenal had not brought in the defensive midfielder and central defender (or two) which the squad needed to try to compete at the very top. Quite how Thomas Vermaelen was allowed to leave without being replaced is almost beyond me and it's a damning indictment of the club's inability to identify their targets and follow through on them. I know there was some real hope early in the window when Alexis arrived along with Mathieu Debuchy and Calum Chambers, but that early impetus was not built open until Danny Welbeck arrived in the dying minutes of the window and he was only brought in because of the injury to Olivier Giroud.

For me the defence is really missing Bacary Sagna and his ability to play in any defensive position as well as his defensive abilities. I know there was little they could do about Sagna leaving and the injury to Debuchy was unfortunate, but players like Sagna are very difficult to replace. The defence was short of a centre back last season and instead of buying another one Arsenal actually sold one and brought in Chambers who is a young right back with the potential to play in the centre of defence. He has made huge strides already and looks like he will be a stalwart for years to come, but they're asking an awful lot of a young and inexperienced player. Chambers' inexperience has caught him out a few times which led to his five yellow cards so early in the season and his suspension for the Hull game.

At the same time Carl Jenkinson has made his way into the West Ham team on his loan spell from Arsenal and I find it a little hard to fathom out why he was loaned out with such a shortage of defenders at the club. He could certainly have been used against Hull although Hector Bellerin did quite well in his Premier League debut at right back. With only six defenders listed on the club site surely the current situation could have been foreseen and Jenkinson kept at the club for the good of Arsenal.

The latest casualty for Arsenal is David Ospina and his injury couldn't have come at a worse time with Wojciech Szczesny suspended for tonight. Szczesny's red card was incredibly foolish considering Arsenal were 4-0 up at the time and his decision making is still not all it should be. It looks like he will have no competition for the next few months with Ospina's injury and complacency has been his biggest enemy in the past. Young Emiliano Martinez will wear the gloves tonight with even younger Ryan Huddart as the reserve goalkeeper.

At least Chambers will be available to boost the defence, but it doesn't look like Laurent Koscielny will return from his injury. It will be a straight choice between Chambers and Nacho Monreal to play in central defence alongside Per Mertesacker with Chambers to replace Bellerin if he doesn't replace Monreal. With so much change so often in the defence it's very hard to have any cohesion which has been a real hindrance. Let's hope that whatever combination is chosen tonight can find some cohesion and put in a resolute performance.

In midfield it looks like Jack Wilshere will recover from the knock he took on Saturday and will take his place in the team. He has to learn to control his frustration and his temper too and he could well have been sent off for the foul which led to his injury against Hull. He only got a yellow card for that foul, but the way he has been reacting at times this season could well lead to a red card very soon.

I would be surprised if both Aaron Ramsey and Mikel Arteta didn't come back into the team and they will hopefully help Arsenal to control the game. There's plenty of goals in this Arsenal team and they need to start punishing teams more when they are on top. Alexis got the team out of a hole on Saturday and I expect more of the same from him tonight.

There are many fans who doubt Arteta and I do think Arsenal should have signed a top class player to play in his position in the summer. He is still their best option in that position though with Mathieu Flamini making costly mistakes game after game at the moment when he plays. I know he was fouled in the build up to Hull's first goal in Saturday, but he could still have prevented the goal if he kept playing instead of appealing to the referee. He wasn't the only Arsenal player to stop playing and it's something you don't expect to see professional footballers doing. From a very young age players are told to play the whistle, but some Arsenal players certainly didn't do so for that goal. 

We're 13 games into the season and we're still waiting for Arsenal to click into gear. They've only won four of those 13 games in all competitions and it's getting to the stage where the fans are losing belief and it looks like some of the players are too. It's time for them to go out and dominate the opposition and show exactly what they have to offer to Arsenal.

From what I've seen of Anderlecht so far they're not a bad side, but an Arsenal team firing on all cylinders should be able to beat them even with their current injury problems. If they go out with the right attitude and commitment I expect them to do so, but the question is will they manage to show that attitude and commitment. They faded awfully after Hull equalised on Saturday and even more so when Hull went ahead and could only muster any real fight in the dying minutes. That fight has to be evident from first to last minute tonight and if it is I fully expect Arsenal to win.

Hopefully they can come through the game without more injuries and with three points ahead of their trip to Sunderland on Saturday. They have to start playing well and winning games in the league and a trip to a team who lost 8-0 last weekend must surely give them the chance to do so. I'll preview that game closer to it, but for the moment the Anderlecht game is the crucial one and it's one Arsenal must win. I would normally say I'm not too concerned about how they win, but I think they have to put in a really good performance to kick start the rest of the season and I'm hoping they do so along with taking the three points.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Deadline Day Dealings Leave Arsenal Short At The Back

After starting off the summer in the manner their fans wanted Arsenal yet again found themselves scrambling to do a deal in the final minutes of the transfer window. The relatively early arrivals of Alexis Sanchez, Mathieu Debuchy, Calum Chambers and David Ospina had raised hopes that the club had finally learnt their lesson from previous transfer windows. When it came to the crunch Arsenal failed to do the business which was crucial if they were to have a genuine chance of challenging on all fronts this season. 

I'm not knocking the signing of Danny Welbeck although it does look like he was signed only because he became available when United signed Radamel Falcao on loan for the season. Arsenal were supposedly looking at Falcao themselves, but the wages United have agreed to pay him are so ridiculous there is no way Arsenal could have even contemplated bringing him in. I can only imagine what paying a player almost £350,000 a week would do to the wants of other players and to the clubs salary structure too.

I think Welbeck could do a good job for Arsenal and he has to be a better option than Yaya Sanogo with Olivier Giroud injured until January at the earliest. I'm not trying to give Sanogo a hard time either, but he clearly has an awful lot to learn and the Arsenal first team is a very tough place to learn it in. When Giroud comes back I wouldn't be too surprised to see Sanogo go out on loan to give him a chance to learn his trade.

The fee of somewhere between £15 million and £20 million is hardly excessive considering the prices that have been paid for some other players in this transfer window. He's hardly the answer to all of Arsenal's striking problems, but he will score his fair share of goals if he plays as a central striker which wasn't happening for Sanogo. He may have only joined Arsenal because he became available when we needed a striker, but he's an Arsenal player now and deserves the support of each and every one of the Arsenal fans.

The real problem for Arsenal this season is their lack of defensive depth and the lack of central defenders in particular. There are only two recognised central strikers at the club with two right backs and two left backs also. Chambers may be capable of filling in as a central defender and Nacho Monreal had to do so in pre season too, but there is no excusing the club's failure to sign another central defender.

When Thomas Vermaelen was sold to Barcelona we were told he would be replaced, but the club could not bring a replacement in before the window closed. I have no doubt they were trying to sign various players at various times, but their failure to replace Vermaelen could be the mistake which ruins the team's chances this season. Vermaelen may not have been a first choice any more, but he was a hell of a lot better than nobody at all.

Arsenal rode their luck with injuries to their central defenders last season with only three players available to play the position and Bacary Sagna to come in from right back and play there when needed. Sagna's departure meant the club had to sign two players to replace him as I said months ago although Chambers was probably seen as the player who could replace him in both positions. If that was the case then Carl Jenkinson should have stayed at the club rather than being loaned out to West Ham. 

There are only six defenders listed in the first team squad on the official Arsenal web site and that is just not good enough. A couple of younger players might have to be promoted to the first team squad to make up the numbers, but if they were up to the task they would surely have been in the squad already. Again I'm not saying they won't be good enough in years to come, but they're not there right now.

An injury or two to Arsenal's central defenders would leave the team with a huge task defensively if they're up against any of the top teams in the Premier League or in the Champions League. As it is Arsenal haven't managed a clean sheet in their first three league games and the opposition in those games were hardly world beaters. We all know how Arsenal fared defensively away to the three teams who finished ahead of them last season and the failure to strengthen defensively looks like a massive blunder. Arsenal were not good enough defensively last season and they have failed to address that problem.

I won't even go into the failure to strengthen directly in front of the back four, but the need for a top class defensive midfielder was there for all to see. Again the club were in the market for players, but failed to find a solution to their problems. The team defends as a unit and the back four didn't get enough protection from the players in front of them last season with the defensive midfield role a particular weak link in big games.

I'll be writing my season preview in the next few days and I genuinely thought I would be writing it with hope of the team challenging on all fronts. I could be wrong and the team could ride it's luck with injuries, but that's no way for a club to face into a new season. Those who are paid to identify and bring in the players the club needs have not done their jobs properly in my opinion and the team could pay a high price for it.

I hope I'm wrong and players like Sanchez and Mesut Ozil get the success they came to Arsenal for. If they're let down by the club's inactivity in the transfer market they might just get the hump like one or two others have done in the past. It's a scenario I don't want to see and I want Arsenal to challenge the best and win trophies, but I have an awful feeling it's only a hope for this season and not a genuine chance.

However much the Welbeck signing smelt of desperation I welcome him to the club because he is a better option as a central striker than anyone else we have at the moment. I hope things work out for him at Arsenal and he goes on to prove the doubters wrong. I can't say I've been overly impressed with him up to now, but I'm happy to put those preconceptions to the side and judge him on how he plays for Arsenal.

Finally for today it's still not too late to join my predictions league and you can do so here with the code FD20D-AVD after you have made your predictions. You can also join over 1,250 others in my fantasy league here with the code 13125-4843 after you have set up your team and there's €50 to the winner. 

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal v Crystal Palace Preview

After what seems like an eternity Arsenal are back to competitive action today when they play their first Premier League game of the season at home to Crystal Palace. It's been a busy summer so far for Arsenal with four new arrivals and a whopping £66 million spent on those players. Of course some of that money was recouped through sales and add on deals from previous transfers.

There's still a couple of weeks to go in the current transfer window and it looks like Arsenal will be busy during that time. After the sale of Thomas Vermaelen to Barcelona this week there is a real pressing need for another central defender in the squad and there's still a possibility of a defensive midfielder being added too. That central defensive issue will not be too pressing today hopefully, as Laurent Koscielny has recovered from the minor knock he picked up in the Community Shield victory over City last Sunday.

Arsenal looked very good in that game despite missing Per Mertesacker, Mesut Ozil, Theo Walcott and Lukas Podolski. None of those players will be available today either with the German trio having just returned from their World Cup triumph and Walcott not quite ready yet after his injury last Janurary. I'm not sure if any of the three German players will be available this month and that's a little worrying with five games to play in two weeks.

There are still plenty of players available though and I expect Arsene Wenger will go with the same starting 11 as that which was so convincing against City with the possible exception of Oliver Giroud replacing Yaya Sanogo up front. Sanogo played well but I expect the boss to go with the striker he considers to be his first choice. I can't imagine he will rest players ahead of the trip to Besiktas on Tuesday night despite the importance of that game.

It's very important for Arsenal to win today to set themselves up for the challenges ahead. They lost the opening game at home to Villa last season and went on a good run after it, but they need to start off on the right foot to keep pace in what looks like being a very open title race. Every single Premier League point is very precious and the three on offer from Palace need to be grabbed with both hands.

Palace have been rocked this week with the departure of Tony Pulis after he worked wonders to save them from what looked like certain relegation last season. His departure came as a real surprise and who knows how the players are going to deal with it so close to the start of the season. If it has a negative effect on them Arsenal need to take advantage of that, but it's a game Arsenal should be winning anyway. Despite their heroics towards the end of last season Palace are still a limited team and Arsenal have more than enough quality to dispose of them.

I don't doubt that Palace will try to put pressure on a slightly makeshift Arsenal defence, but they have to get the ball first and that won't be easy for them. The chances are they will sit deep and try to defend in numbers and hope to score on the break or from a set piece. They won't find it easy to deal with the quality of players like Aaron Ramsey, Santi Cazorla and Alexis Sanchez though and it could be a long hard afternoon for Palace.

I think Arsenal will win by a couple of goals at least and I won't be surprised to see Ramsey get his name on the scoresheet. It's impossible to know how the team might have fared if both he and Walcott hadn't picked up injuries around the same time in December/Janurary and he will be a vitally important player this season once he can stay fit. Arsenal's injuries over the last few seasons have been awful, but there seems to be genuine hope that they can be handled better this season.

The players will be straight back into action after the game as they're off to Tukey for the first leg of their Champions League qualifier. Arsenal have fared really well at this stage of the competition over the years and have always gone through with at least a couple of goals to spare over the two legs. It's really important for them to qualify again this season with the revenue the competition brings in as well it's ability to attract top class players to the club.

There's a nasty international break at the start of September, but it would be great for Arsenal to head into that break with a place in the group stages of the Champions League and seven or maybe even nine Premier League points. By the time the players come back from the break the squad should be at almost full strength to face the challenges ahead of them. The future is looking very bright at the moment and the players need to cash in on that feeling over the next few weeks starting with Palace today.

Finally for today I'm running my league in Fantasy Premier League yet again this season and there will be a prize of €50 for the winner now that there's over 1,000 teams in it. To join just go to the site and use the code 13125-4843 to join my league once your team is set up.

Absolutely finally for today I'm also running my predictor league again this season. I'll be previewing every Premier League game every week throughout the season too. You can make your predictions here and then join my mini league with the code FD20D-AVD after you have set everything up. 

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Seven Arsenal Players Reach The Last Eight Of The World Cup

At the outset of the World Cup there were 11 Arsenal players involved in the tournament and seven of those players have now reached the quarter finals. That figure could have been eight, but Bacary Sagna departed from the club on July 1st to spend the rest of his career on the Manchester City bench. It's still a very good return from the Arsenal contingent though and a few of those players will have hopes of making the semi finals or even the final.

The only Arsenal players to go home were Spain's Santi Cazorla and the English duo of Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain when their teams exited in the group stages. All the others progressed with their teams winning their groups and all the group winners then winning in the last 16. All of those Arsenal players can't make it through to the semi finals though with Germany playing France in a game which could have up to five Arsenal players in it.

For me the most impressive Arsenal player so far has probably been Joel Campbell as he has led the line for surprise packets Costa Rica. He scored in the 3-1 victory over Uruguay and was very impressive in their 1-0 victory over Italy too. He didn't look quite so good against England, but put in a sterling performance in the backs to the wall penalty shoot out win over Greece. He won't have an easy task against the Netherlands in the next game, but I haven't been impressed by their defence and he might get some joy out of them.

Both Per Mertesacker and Mesut Ozil have been mainstays of the German team who took seven points in the group stages and beat Algeria after extra time in the last 16. Ozil scored their second goal and it proved to be crucial when Algeria got a late consolation for their efforts. Ozil may not have been at his best in the game, but he kept going and there could still be plenty to come from him. 

Mertesacker continues to be slated by the critics as many of them claim Germany cannot win the World Cup with his lack of pace in their defence. It would make you wonder how he has managed to appear for his country more than 100 times if he's such a bad player. Germany have to be considered real contenders for me with the array of talent they have available to them.

Of course Germany will play France in the last eight and that French team will probably have Laurent Koscielny in it and possibly Olivier Giroud too. Koscielny has got his chance since Mamadou Sakho picked up an injury and he has looked the part in the centre of their defence. France weren't overly impressive in their last 16 win over Nigeria, but they got stronger towards the end and I thought they deserved to go through.

Giroud started in that game but France improved in attack when he went off to be replaced by supposed Arsenal target Antoine Griezmann. He's one of many players at the World Cup who Arsenal are apparently pursuing at the moment. Sagna has been kept out of the French team by Mathieu Debuchey and he's another player meant to be interesting Arsenal. I think he has more to offer in an attacking sense than Sagna, but I don't think he can match Sagna's defending.

Neither Lukas Podolski nor Thomas Vermaelen took part in the last 16 games due to injury, but they will both hope to be back for the quarter finals. If they are available they will both probably be on the bench, but they might have something to offer before the tournament is over. 

Arsenal's contingent of seven players left at the World Cup is more than that of any other Premier League club. It's not a bad return for a team who finished fourth and still can't match the bottomless pockets of the oil rich City and Chelsea. Hopefully a few more players who have lit up the World Cup will be putting in appearances in an Arsenal shirt next season.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

An Arsenal World Cup Update

The World Cup is ticking along nicely with half of the group games played and a few teams knowing their fate already. There are 11 Arsenal players at the tournament and I'll try to give an accurate assessment of all of their performances so far.

I'll start at the wrong end of the scale from the players perspective, but maybe not from the club's perspective. With both England and Spain already out of the competition after only two group games there will be three Arsenal players heading home in a few days to get a longer than expected summer holiday. Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Santi Cazorla will all be disappointed their countries have lost their opening two games, but there was little they could do about it.

Wilshere got to play the final 20 minutes in England's defeat to Italy and was an unused sub when they were beaten by Uruguay. I don't think Wilshere was helped by his injuries this season and it might not have been a bad thing for him if he had stayed at home and got the break he so badly needs. He has to try to steer clear of injury this coming season if at all possible and hopefully his game can progress for both club and country given the chance.

Chamberlain picked up an injury in a friendly game before the World Cup and he didn't get to play as a result. England had hoped he would be available for the last group game and he still could be, but he might not be risked with England already out regardless of the result of that game against Costa Rica. He's another player who's season was badly affected by injury and he needs as much rest as possible before a season which could see him really make a name for himself.

Cazorla came on as a sub for the last 15 minutes in Spain's 2-0 defeat to Chile and he didn't get a run out in the 5-1 loss to The Netherlands. Spain have a host of quality midfielders and Cazorla got a run out while both Cesc Fabregas and Juan Mata kept the bench warm. It's possible that Cazorla will get more game time in the final Spanish group game, but they're only playing for their pride and the opportunity not to finish last in the group.

Cazorla has been reported as saying he will see what the future holds when the tournament is over with interest in him from some Spanish clubs. He has just signed a new deal at Arsenal and I can't imagine the club have any intention of letting him leave after deciding not to take Cesc back. I hope the quotes attributed to him aren't true because it's just not on for players to claim they're considering their options right after signing a contract extension. 

Belgium have only played once so far and Arsenal's Thomas Vermaelen didn't play a part in their 2-1 win over Algeria. I wasn't overly impressed with the central defensive pairing in the Belgian team in that game and Vermaelen might still force his way into the team. They look like they should qualify from the group and there are those who feel they have a real chance of winnng the trophy, but I'm not so sure.

There has been some talk of Vermaelen moving this summer to get more game time elsewhere and his name has been mentioned as a possible target for United recently. There had also been some suggestion of Tom Cleverley moving in the other direction, but that has to be pure speculation. I can't believe Arsenal would sign Cleverley in the same summer they opted not to be bring Cesc back to the club. 

Germany have only played once also and they were impressive in their 4-0 win over Portugal with both Mesut Ozil and Per Mertesacker starting and Lukas Podolski coming off the bench. If any Arsenal players are to win the World Cup those three are certainly the most likely to do so. I thought both Arsenal starters played well without setting the world alight and the game was over as a contest by the time Podolski came on. 

They play their second group game against Ghana on Saturday and I expect both Ozil and Mertesacker to start again. The group stages are all about doing enough to get through to the knock outs and it's only then that we'll see how good this German side are. I'd love to see Ozil shine for them before coming back to take the Premier League by storm next season. 

There are three Arsenal players in the French squad too although Bacary Sagna will no longer be one at the end of the month. He hasn't featured so far in their first two games with Newcastle's Mathieu Debuchey getting the nod at right back despite his suspect temperament and inferior defending abilities. When the going gets tougher France might be better served with Sagna in the team, but it looks like he will remain on the bench.

Neither Olivier Giroud or Laurent Koscielny started in France's opening 3-0 victory over Honduras, but Giroud came on late in the game. He did start in the 5-2 win over Switzerland and he scored the first goal and made the third while playing well. He played up front with Karim Benzema and they could find themselves as Arsenal's two main strikers next season too. I've been impressed with Benzema so far with his three goals and overall play despite the penalty miss and letting the ball go through him in the wall for Switzerland's first goal. If he was to sign for Arsenal the two of them showed they can play up front together or individually too if needed.

Koscielny came on against Switzerland when Liverpool's Mamadou Sakho picked up an injury, but it only looked like Sakho went off as a precaution. If he has recovered I imagine he will keep his place in the team, but I find it hard to understand how he can be chosen ahead of Koscielny. France have looked very good so far, but the real challenges lie ahead of them in the knock out stages and we'll see how good they really are then.

Finally there's Costa Rica's Joel Campbell and he has to be the most impressive Arsenal player in the tournament so far. He was the man of the match when they came from behind to beat Uruguay 3-1 as he scored the equaliser and made the third goal. He played well in the 1-0 win over Italy too and should have had a penalty late in the first half.

He has taken his opportunity to shine on the world stage and Arsene Wenger has confirmed he will return to the club for next season after spending a season on loan with Olimpiacos. He looks like he could have something to add to the team and I'm looking forward to seeing him in an Arsenal shirt next season. With Costa Rica having already won their group he might not feature too much in their final group game against England if they decide to rest him ahead of the last 16 game. I'd like to see how he plays against English defenders though and hopefully he will play in that game.

Overall it hasn't been an overly impressive World Cup from Arsenal players so far, but it looks like eight of the 11 players will make it through to the knockout phase. The French and German players are the ones with the best chance of overall glory, but no European team has won a World Cup in South America. I haven't been overly impressed with the South American teams so far, but again that might change in the last 16. It's been a very good tournament so far and hopefully that will continue right up to the final in just over three weeks time.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Players At The World Cup

The World Cup begins this Thursday and there are 11 Arsenal players appearing for six different countries at it. I'm going to attempt to take a look at how those players and their countries might fare over the next month. 

Of all the countries with Arsenal players in their squad Spain probably have the best chance of lifting the trophy. They play in Group B with The Netherlands, Chile and Australia and they're the reigning World and European champions. Their group is far from easy with the Netherlands and Chile both capable of playing very good football and hoping to progress beyond the group stages. Australia aren't a bad side but they will struggle to get anything out of three very tough games.

Santi Cazorla is the sole Arsenal representative in the Spanish squad with Nacho Monreal not making the cut. Cazorla will do well to get into a star studded Spainish team, but he should see some action on occasions. There's every chance Spain will retain the trophy, but it won't be easy for a team which is ageing just a bit and has to play in a far from easy climate. I think Spain have a chance to win the tournament but the chances are they won't.

Next up is Germany who have a host of top class players in their squad and have to be considered as genuine contenders too. They play in Group G along with Portugal, Ghana and the United States and despite being favourites to top the group it will be a far from easy task. Both Portugal and Ghana stand a very good chance of making it through to the next phase, but the United States won't find it easy against those three teams.

Germany have three Arsenal players in their squad and all three should see plenty of action throughout the tournament. Per Mertesacker and Mesut Ozil are regulars in the team with Lukas Podolski often contributing from the bench. Podolski has played over 100 times for Germany and has scored almost 50 goals for them despite only turning 29 last week. 

Germany have some fantastic attacking options, but they will need to tighten up their defence if they're going to have any hope of winning the World Cup. Ozil could be a real star of the tournament if things go Germany's way and Podolski only needs one more goal to become the third highest scorer in history for Germany. I can't see Germany winning the World Cup but reaching the semi finals certainly isn't a task which is beyond them.

Group H contains a much fancied Belgium team along with Algeria, Russia and South Korea. Belgium were very good in their qualifying group and have a lot of very good players available to them. Their group isn't the toughest one by a long shot and they should be more than capable of making it through to the next stage. 

Arsenal's Thomas Vermaelen is a mainstay of the Belgian defence despite being out of favour with his club and he might just see the World Cup as a bit of a shop window if he decides his future lies elsewhere next season. Belgium have never won the World Cup and it would be great to see another country lift the trophy, but I think they might be a little short of experience when it comes to the crunch. If I had to pick a team I'd like to see win it would be Belgium, but maybe the last eight will be as far as they go.

In Group E France will go head to head with Switzerland, Ecuador and Honduras and they have to be favourites to progress. They might not be the force they were a few years ago, but they still have some decent players and will hope to put up a good performance. They must have the easiest group to qualify from, but they will have to perform a lot better than they did at the last World Cup to even get out of their group. 

There are three Arsenal players in the French squad with Laurent Koscielny the one most likely to be a permanent fixture in the team. Olivier Giroud will get his fair share of game time too, but he has a lot of competition for the main striking role in the team. Bacary Sagna should be the first choice right back and he's still an Arsenal player for the moment despite letting it be known he will ply his trade elsewhere next season.

I would be surprised if France didn't make it out of their group, but after that they could find it difficult in the knockout stages and a quarter final might be as far as they go. There's a feeling among some Arsenal fans that Giroud could be the top scorer in the tournament with France having a relatively easy group, but I don't think he's prolific enough despite who the opposition are and he might not play in every game either.

England play in Group D with Uruguay, Costa Rica and Italy and the two Arsenal players in the England squad might just get to play against their club team mate in the Costa Rican side. Both Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have had their problems with injuries with Wilshere only just recovering in time to make the squad and Chamberlain now doubtful to play after picking up a knock last week. The chances are Wilshere won't be a first choice pick at this World Cup, but Chamberlain might make an impact if he can recover from his injury.

It's a very tough group and England will have to be at their very best to make it through to the knockout stages. Both Italy and Uruguay will feel they have enough to finish in the first two places in the group and England will have an uphill task to finish ahead of either of them. It's a task that's not beyond them though and if they do make it out of the group a quarter final spot would be seen as not a bad performance from them.

There's not too much expected of Costa Rica at this World Cup, but they might just have enough about them to cause at least one surprise. Arsenal's Joel Campbell will get the chance to show what he can do on an international stage as he did on loan at Olympiacos last season. He could end up an Arsenal player in the future if he returns from his various loan spells and forces his way into the manager's plans. 

The chances are Costa Rica will finish last in the group, but Campbell has enough about him to cause a few problems for the other teams at times. I'm sure they would love to beat one of the three big teams in the group, but they would probably be happy to take a point off one of them and affect the outcome of the group.

All in all there's every chance of 10 Arsenal players still being involved in the quarter final stages to provide that little bit of extra interest for Arsenal fans. It would be great to see one of them lifting the trophy, but the chances are it will go to a South American team with Brazil and Argentina the most likely candidates. Spain can't be discounted and maybe even Germany too if they can defend a little better.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Beat West Brom To Finish Fourth

Arsenal played West Brom on Sunday afternoon in their last home game of the season knowing that they had already secured fourth place in the Premier League after Everton had lost to Manchester City the previous day. Only a few weeks ago fourth place looked like it could be a real struggle for Arsenal when they lost away to Everton after a series of poor results. With the advantage seemingly going to Everton after that game it was Arsenal who pushed on and put back to back victories together. 

In the four league games since that defeat to Everton they have taken all 12 points available to team while scoring 10 goals and only conceding one. In contrast Everton have lost three of their last four games and must be content with fifth place and a place in next season's Europa League. With one league game to go Arsenal can still mathematically catch third placed Chelsea, but they have no hope of overturning Chelsea's vastly superior goal difference.

The game against West Brom was a little strange with neither team particularly having too much to play for. West Brom themselves weren't quite guaranteed to stay in the league until the result of the Norwich game at Chelsea came through, but they knew they were as good as safe. The Arsenal players had an FA Cup final in two weeks time on their minds and it all led to a pretty tame affair.

The only goal came when Olivier Giroud headed home a Santi Cazorla corner on the quarter hour mark and Arsenal had a couple of other decent chances to add to that lead. West Brom showed some good attacking play at times themselves and worried Arsenal on a few occasions. They never really looked like scoring though and Wojciech Szczesny racked up his 16th clean sheet of the season.

There's still one game to go in the league for Arsenal, but the trip to Norwich next week will almost be like a distraction before they play the FA Cup final the following week. If Sunderland aren't beaten at home to West Brom tomorrow night then Norwich will be relegated before the game is played and it will have no real significance to either team. I would be surprised to see Arsene Wenger play a full strength team if the game has little meaning although the team will surely want to finish the season with five league wins in a row.

There could be a chance for one or two players to make a rare appearance in that game with Abou Diaby possibly even making yet another comeback from injury. I wouldn't be surprised to see Kim Kallstrom making a rare appearance too before his loan spell ends and Thomas Vermaelen could possibly play his last game for the club. He wants first team football but he has been the third choice centre back for over a year now and the rumours of his impending departure grow almost daily.

There are others who might get a run out too such as Carl Jenkinson and Yaya Sanogo and possibly Kieran Gibbs and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain might get a chance to prove their fitness before the final. I think the boss has his final team more or less sorted in his mind and he will play as few of those players as possible against Norwich. With fourth place sewn up there is no sense in risking players in a meaningless game when there is a prize to play for the next week. 

With the weekend's football over it looks like City will pick up two of the three domestic trophies this season and Arsenal have the chance of win the other one. After a nine year wait for a trophy it would be great to see Arsenal lift the FA Cup in a season where United, Chelsea and Liverpool all win nothing. It's by no means a foregone conclusion in the final against Hull, but they have their destiny in their own hands.

The disappointments of this season can be put behind the team if a trophy can be won although the slip ups of the teams above Arsenal recently have made their poor run after January all the much harder to take. There are so many reasons why things went so badly wrong for Arsenal in that spell, but the team have at least come back to finish the season strongly. I'm not saying all will be forgiven if they win the cup, but things will certainly seem an awful lot better. 

Finally for today it looks like Sunday's game was Bacary Sagna's last game at home for Arsenal and he will be off on a free transfer this summer. If he was going to stay I think he would have signed a contract by now and all the signs are that he will ply his trade elsewhere next season. It will be a far from easy job for Arsenal to replace Sagna after seven years where he has been among the best right backs in the Premier League. It would be a fitting send off for Sagna if he could win his first trophy with the club in his final game for Arsenal.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Another Abysmal Arsenal Afternoon

Arsenal went to Everton on Sunday afternoon knowing they couldn't afford to lose the game, but that's exactly what they did. They continued their trend of inept performances away from home to any team which is competent at playing football and their chances of finishing in the top four have seriously decreased as a result. Everton hadn't beaten Arsenal in the last 14 games between the clubs, but there was only one team in the game from start to finish.

An Arsenal team that went to Anfield as league leaders in early February have now only managed to take nine points from their last nine games and are in real danger of a complete collapse. The team showed little fight against Everton and their effort in such an important game was completely unacceptable. It's hard to understand how the team could have put in such an inept performance in a game they didn't seem to understand the significance of. 

The players that are injured have been a big loss of course but the lack of investment in the squad and poor team selection have played a part too. I can't remember seeing an Arsenal team under Arsene Wenger so devoid of pace as the current team, but the only player with that pace was sitting on the bench again yesterday. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain hasn't had the easiest of times in the last couple of weeks, but omitting him from the team makes it too easy for opponents to defend against Arsenal. 

Everton are a good attacking team, but for me their two full backs can be taken advantage of. Instead Arsenal didn't play anybody in a wide right role which meant Bacary Sagna was the only player getting forward into that position. It also meant Sagna had no help when Leighton Baines got forward and Arsenal were vulnerable on the right side of their defence which is something which doesn't usually happen.

The absence of Laurent Koscielny was shown for the first Everton goal as Thomas Vermaelen was caught ball watching twice when Steven Naismith scored. For the second goal both Nacho Monreal and Vermaelen should have done an awful lot better and Per Mertesacker didn't exactly cover himself in glory either. The less said about their third goal the better, but suffice it to say it ended up with Mikel Arteta putting the ball into his own net.

Arsenal have lost all of their attacking flair at the same time as the defence has being giving goals away far too easily. The excuse of the injured players is wearing thin and the players who are available are better than the results they have being getting. It's hard to understand why or how they are playing so badly and how they are unable to react to events as they happen on the pitch.

It has become too easy to play against Arsenal and the manager is being out thought by opposing managers week after week. It's hard to see what Arsenal's game plan was yesterday and what instructions the players were given before the game. It looked like they were told to go out there and play their own game and see what happened.

Everton went out to close Arsenal down in possession and push them as far back as they could with their full backs advancing. It was an easy tactic for them to implement with no pace in the Arsenal attack and only Lukas Podolski prepared to have a shot from outside the box. Everton allowed Arsenal to play the ball in front of them knowing they were incapable of getting behind them and then broke at pace against a disorganised defence. 

It was all too easy for them but Arsenal did nothing to counter it at any stage as they continued with the tactics which had not worked. By the time the bench was used Arsenal were 3-0 down and it was too late, but even then it was more likely that Everton would add to their lead. Yaya Sanogo did put the ball in the net very late on and he was mistakenly given offside and Chamberlain hit the bar too, but it was too little too late.

The refereeing didn't help and Everton's second goal should have been disallowed as Naismith was clearly in an offside position and blocking Wojciech Szczesny's view of the ball when Romelu Lukaku scored. He was also far too lenient on a couple of occasions with poor Everton tackles early on as they put the boot in to put Arsenal off their game. The result was not down to the referee though and the outcome was all Arsenal's own doing.

There are five league games left and all of those games are winnable even for this depleted Arsenal side. If they win all five games they will finish on 79 points and I cannot believe that won't be enough for a top four finish. For them to win those games they are going to have to play an awful lot better than they did yesterday and at this stage I'm not so sure that will happen.

By the time they play their FA Cup semi final against Wigan next week Everton will have played away to Sunderland and a point will be enough to move them ahead of Arsenal. The FA Cup has now become an absolute must for Arsenal to win to rescue something from a season which has fallen apart, but the players are at a low ebb heading into that semi final. The blow of dropping to fifth place just before they kick off could be bad for them and they have been unable to react well to setbacks recently.

Wigan are no mugs and have done very well to get this far in their defence of the trophy they won last season, but they are a Championship side and Arsenal have to beat them. The alternative doesn't bear thinking about but it's a very real prospect with Wigan having the blueprint of how to play Arsenal shown to them week after week at the moment. If the Arsenal players put as little effort into that game as they did yesterday they will be beaten.

The only real positive to take from yesterday's game was the return of Aaron Ramsey after a three month injury absence and he has to play next week as does Chamberlain. They at least offer an attacking threat which was virtually non existant for far too much of yesterday's game. I don't know if Mesut Ozil or Koscielny will be back by next Saturday, but the team could do with the quality they offer too.

As for Olivier Giroud the chances are he will play in that game as there is no real alternative, but he's just not good enough at the level Arsenal want to play. Arsene Wenger has seldom had a striker in his Arsenal teams with his lack of pace and he is an ordinary finisher at best. His hold up and link play are ordinary at best too and a striker can't be kept in the team just because he defends set pieces well. If Giroud doesn't play then it's a choice between Sanogo, Nicklas Bendtner and Podolski and none of them really offer what Arsenal want or need. 

The team need to get through what's left of this season and somehow manage to win the FA Cup and finish fourth too. There then has to be real investment in the squad and the first priority has to be a top class striker. The team cannot go into next season with such a hopelessly inept set of options up front.

If Arsenal don't win the FA Cup and finish outside the top four I really think the manager has to pay the price. Despite all the injured players he is still picking the team and choosing the tactics which are proving to be wrong week after week at the moment. If he can't raise their spirits and get the best from them then somebody else has to be found who can do that. I would hate to see Arsene leave under such circumstances and I would love to see him bring the glory days back, but I am no longer sure he will.

This time next week we should have a much clearer picture of whether this team are still playing for the manager or not. If they lose to Wigan I can't see them recovering to finish fourth and it's not something I want to see happen. It's hard to be upbeat about the team's chances when they continue to play so poorly week after week, but all hope is not lost yet.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Can Arsenal Bounce Back Against Swansea

Arsenal's 6-0 defeat to Chelsea was the worst result under Arsene Wenger's leadership and now they get to play again only three days later. The defeat has put paid to their title prospects in my opinion and my usually optimistic approach to Arsenal games has taken a severe dent. It was quite incredible to see a virtual repeat of the 5-1 defeat to Liverpool unfurl in front of our eyes, but it can't really have surprised anybody too much.

Arsenal's ability to self destruct in big games has been a major flaw for many seasons now, but they have taken that to a new level this season. The 17 goals they have conceded away to the three other teams they were challenging for the title with are inexplicable and they show a flaw right through the heart and mentality of the team and management. Viewed alone each game can be considered a one off or a bad day, but taken together they are symptoms of serious problems at the club.

We can of course point to the players missing on Saturday, but none of the injured players are defensive stalwarts of the team. Sure those players might have kept the ball better or might not have been caught in possession so easily but some of those players played in the games against City and Liverpool. The only conclusion to draw is that Arsenal just got everything wrong again including their tactics, formation and mental attitude to the game.

Thankfully the media lockdown at the club has meant we haven't had to listen to a series of apologies from players and statements of intent for the next game. The only place the players can do their talking is on the pitch and they get a chance to do so right away against Swansea. It's a game they quite simply have to win by any means possible or they risk seeing the rest of the season implode.

I have no doubt there has been soul searching and harsh words spoken between the players and the manager and I don't imagine they will have found any answers overnight. Hopefully they will have at least decided that they have be able to change their game plan if things aren't going the way they had planned. The insistence on playing the same way from first minute to last against City, Liverpool and Chelsea proved to be a disaster on each occasion but nobody did anything about it.

The good news is that Kieran Gibbs has had his red card rescinded and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain won his appeal after the red card was transferred to him. The whole scenario of the red card was ridiculous and the fact Chamberlain is free to play shows there should never have been a red card in the first place. I don't think the game would have gone any differently if Arsenal kept 11 men on the pitch as they were already three goals behind, but it does again show the need for video technology.

Speaking of video technology I would love to know who made the call to give Chelsea the penalty and send Gibbs off. The referee certainly didn't make the call and I don't think his assistant did either which surely means the fourth official had to make the call from video evidence. I was of the opinion video evidence was out of bounds but I wouldn't be at all surprised if it was used. Wasn't Zinadine Zidane sent off in a World Cup final on the video evidence of a fourth official at a time when there was no precedent for it. I doubt if we will ever know the truth of the matter and it clearly should have been a penalty, but if the referee and his assistant missed it then under the current rules surely that's the end of that. Chelsea might have felt cheated at the time but far worse incidents go unpunished on a weekly basis and there is no hint of fourth officials snatching a sneaky look at video evidence to decide them.

I have been a long time admirer of Arsene Wenger but it increasingly looks like he might not be the man to turn things around for Arsenal. If he can't get the response he needs from his players from now to the end of the season then maybe it's time he did go in search of a fresh challenge. I would of course be sad to see him go but I want what's best for my club and if it's best for him to leave then so be it. I will look back fondly on his time at the club and how he has helped to build us into what we are now, but huge cracks are there for all to see and they have to be fixed by somebody. 

I can't see there being too many changes to the team for the game against Swansea with the current spat of injuries and lack of options. Laurent Koscielny will miss out through the injury which saw substituted at half time on Saturday and Thomas Vermaelen will surely come in for him. I think the rest of the defence will stay the same as the boss gives those who played so badly a chance to prove how good they can be.

In midfield I think Mathieu Flamini has to play and probably alongside Mikel Arteta to form some sort of a defensive axis in front of the back four. The other midfielder will probably be Tomas Rosicky or Santi Cazorla and I doubt if Kim Kallstrom will come into the starting line up. His signing in the transfer window, while injured, still puzzles me to this day.

Up front Olivier Giroud's lack of pace and inability to put away good chances at crucial times should really see him dropped, but the alternatives are young and untried. He's still by far the most experienced and best goal scorer in the team and that says an awful lot about the club's transfer market failings last summer. The team needs some genuine pace in attacking positions and for that reason I would like to see Chamberlain and Serge Gnabry in the wide roles.

Chamberlain is still very raw and was cruelly exposed by Chelsea in a central role at the weekend. He was badly caught out twice in the FA Cup game by Everton too but managed to chase back and atone for his mistakes against a less clinical Everton team. Maybe his long term position is in a central midfield role but it's asking an awful for him to learn that role in such important games. His confidence might well have been damaged by events on Saturday and I hope he can show the strength to bounce right back if he plays. 

Swansea are a good team but they're on a very poor run at the moment and sliding dangerously close to the relegation zone. They have only taken two points in their last five games and have only won two of their last 16 league games to leave them four points above the bottom three with eight games to play. They have lost nine of their 15 away games and are coming up against an Arsenal team with the best defensive record at home in the league. In 14 home games Arsenal have only conceded seven goals and three of them were in their only home defeat on the opening day against Villa.

Arsenal's defence have actually conceded half of their 34 goals in the three away games against City, Liverpool and Chelsea. It's an incredible statistic to think half of all of the goals they have conceded came in those three defeats. The Arsenal defence has been very good so often this season, but when they have got it wrong they have really got it wrong.

I can't see Arsenal going all out and throwing the kitchen sink at Swansea and I think they will more than likely adopt a cautious approach. Swansea showed they can play well against Everton on Saturday but they give up chances to the opposition and Arsenal need to take those chances when they come along. I have no doubt they are more than capable of winning and I hope the players believe so too.

With City coming up on Saturday three points against Swansea are an absolute must and then we can worry about what might happen against City. I know it's a home game but it still worries me what could happen to Arsenal and I would gladly take a 0-0 draw right now. A top four finish is vitally important and no more encouragement can be given to the teams looking to close in on Arsenal.

I'm not saying a win against Swansea will put the hurt of Chelsea to bed, but at least it will be the first step in helping the team and fans to move on. It's a long road to recovery but the prospect of anything other than a victory is one not worth thinking about. Let's hope the players can find it within themselves to put in a performance to take the three points.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Trip To Bayern Munich Previewed

Arsenal face the daunting task of a trip to Bayern Munich tonight in the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie. To make matters worse they go into the game with a 2-0 deficit to make up after losing the first leg at home. That game was very even until Wojciech Szczesny got his marching orders shortly before half time and Bayern took advantage of the extra man to score twice.

Bayern are running away with their domestic league and have now matched Arsenal's invincibles by going 49 league games unbeaten. They look like they will be unbeaten in the league this season and they just don't lose games at home in particular. They're the current champions of Europe and are rightly favourites to retain that trophy despite some very tough opposition.

Of course it's easy to dominate a domestic league when your club can afford to buy the best players from their opponents every season. Any player in Germany who looks good enough usually ends up at Bayern or leaving to ply their trade in another country. They can afford to have a huge squad filled with quality players and it helps them to dominate at home.

For all of their excellence they are not unbeatable though and Arsenal gave them a real run for their money when it was 11 v 11 in the first leg. Things might have been different if Mesut Ozil hadn't missed an early penalty for Arsenal or if the referee chose not to send Szczesny off when he awarded Bayern a penalty. Arsenal made chances early in that game and that early performance will give them hope for tonight.

It also has to be remembered that Bayern have only lost at home once since Arsenal beat them at this exact stage of the same competition last season and that was against Manchester City. Their 2-0 win that night was not enough for Arsenal as Bayern went through on the away goals rule and went on to lift the trophy. It does show that they can be beaten at home though and that Arsenal are capable of doing so.

With Szczesny suspended tonight Lukasz Fabianski will deputise for him and Kieran Gibbs will miss out too through injury. Laurent Koscielny will be fit to return though and resume his excellent central defensive partnership with Per Mertesacker. The big question is who will replace Gibbs with Nacho Mobreal also out injured. 

There are three options and I'm not so sure which is the best of them. First of all Bacary Sagna could switch to the left with Carl Jenkinson coming in on the right, but Jenkinson has a lot to learn at this level still and Bayern will target any supposed weak links in the Arsenal team. Mathieu Flamini could play there too as he has done many years ago when Arsenal went all the way to the 2007 Champions League final, but his services will surely be needed in midfield. The final and most likely option is Thomas Vermaelen who looked very rusty at times in central defence at the weekend, but is the most likely to get the nod in my opinion.

At least Mikael Arteta will be available again after sitting out the first leg through suspension and I expect the Arsenal midfield and attack to be unchanged from Saturday with one exception. I would be very surprised if Yaya Sanogo was chosen ahead of Olivier Giroud for this game and Giroud staked his claim for a place by scoring twice after replacing Sanogo on Saturday against Everton. I thought Sanogo was off the pace in that game, but he did look good in his previous appearances and one of them was in the first leg against Bayern.

If Arsenal are to have any chance tonight I think they have to get the first goal just to see how Bayern react. When they did just that in the game last season Bayern weren't sure what approach to take and ended up a little confused before losing 2-0. That scoreline was of course just good enough to see Bayern progress and they didn't look back as they went on to lift the trophy.

Arsenal's chances are slim to say the least tonight but that gives the players a free shot at it really. No matter what anyone says nobody really expects them to make it through to the next stage and there can be no outcry if they go out to the favourites and reigning champions. They might have won their group and got a better draw in the last 16, but that can't be changed now and there is no shame if they go out to Bayern.

There is still plenty to look forward to this season with Arsenal strong favourites to win the FA Cup and still in with a shout in the Premier League. I haven't given up all hope tonight and I will be over the moon if Arsenal win or better still win by enough to knock Bayern out. It's a highly unlikely scenario but hoping it happens is what supporting your team is all about. 

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal 4-1 Everton: Wembley Here We Come

Arsenal's season has entered the stage where it's do or die and they came through the first test of their run from hell with a 4-1 win over Everton in the FA Cup yesterday. The scoreline suggests they breezed through the game but in reality it was far from that. Everton came to Arsenal to have a go and the scoreline was more than flattering to Arsenal.

Arsene Wenger went with the expected team with the exception of Yaya Sanogo coming in at centre forward for Olivier Giroud. I suppose it should have been obvious that Giroud wouldn't start as he didn't start in any of the previous rounds either. I thought the boss should have went with his first choice centre forward with the FA Cup being Arsenal's best chance of a trophy this season.

The game got off to an ideal start for Arsenal when an excellent pass from Santi Cazorla put Mesut Ozil through and he finished into the far corner with a first time shot after only seven minutes. It was just what the team needed and they looked the most likely to get the next goal as they pushed forward. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was getting plenty of joy on the right and I thought it was just a matter of time before they increased their lead.

Everton were content to defend and look to hit Arsenal on the break and they got the chance they wanted after just over half an hour. Mikael Arteta took too long with a shot on the edge of the Everton box and it came to Ross Barkley when it was blocked. Mathieu Flamini tried to get to the ball first but Barkley beat him to it and broke forward very quickly. Everton outnumbered Arsenal in the break and when Barkley played the ball to the far post Kevin Mirallas slid in to try to score but could only knock it up in the air to give Romelu Lukaku a simple tap-in. 

I thought Flamini sold himself too easily and should have stood off Barkley, but maybe the fact he already had a yellow card was playing on his mind. Normally I think he would have stopped Barkley in the Everton half and taken a yellow card for the good of the team. There were others who didn't exactly break a gut getting back either and it was very much an avoidable goal from an Arsenal perspective. At that stage the game could have gone either way but it remained all square until half time.

For me the game was passing Sanogo by and he was ineffective at best up front. The boss must have thought something similar as he brought Giroud on for him after an hour which is very early for him to make a change. The introduction of Giroud seemed to be the impetus Arsenal needed and they went on to dominate most of the rest of the game. Everton did have one glorious chance to go ahead after a Thomas Vermaelen slip allowed Lukaku in, but Barkley put his shot wide when he really should have scored.

It was a lucky escape for Arsenal and Everton literally paid the penalty with 20 minutes left when Arsenal retook the lead. Some fine work by Chamberlain resulted in Gareth Barry upending him in the penalty area and the referee had no option other than to award a penalty. Arteta stepped up and dispatched it expertly into the corner only for the referee to order it to be retaken as Giroud had encroached into the penalty area. Giroud got a yellow for his troubles but more importantly Arteta put his second effort away just as well as the first and Arsenal were ahead.

Everton knew they had to push forward to try to get back into the game and gave their all in pursuit of an equaliser. The clinching goal game after some fine work by substitute Tomas Rosicky put Bacary Sagna free in the Everton box and he bided his time before squaring it to Giroud to stab home first time. There were just over five minutes to go and there was a real sense of relief as Arsenal looked to have wrapped up their semi final berth. 

Within a couple of minutes things got even better for Arsenal when Rosicky again broke forward and fed Ozil on the edge of the Everton box. His first time lay off was perfection and it gave Giroud the simple task of stroking the ball home to make the final score 4-1 to Arsenal. It was a great result and just what Arsenal needed as they head to Munich on Tuesday night and then face four crunch league games in a row. 

Ozil's performance was one of the best things on the day for Arsenal and hopefully he can now step up and show exactly how good he is in the upcoming games. With Aaron Ramsey due to return shortly there is now some real optimism and hopefully that can translate into good performances and results in the next few weeks. It's going to be a tough few weeks for the players with so many big games ahead of them, but it couldn't have got off to a better start and hopefully that can continue. 

It was far from an easy game and there were times where I genuinely thought it might go away from Arsenal, but the players came through in the end. I was very pleased with Chamberlain's contribution and the way he chased back to make up for two mistakes shows how much he wants to play. He played two blind passes which could have cost Arsenal dearly, but he absolutely burst a gut to make up ground and stop Everton scoring after the second one in particular.

There were of course negatives from the game and a few of the Arsenal players found it hard to cope when Everton pressurised them at times. I'm a little worried about Arteta as his normal perfect passing seemed to desert him at times and he looked off his game, but he did manage to put the penalties away perfectly. Hopefully he can get his game going again because Arsenal are going to need every single player to be at their best for the rest of the season. 

With the draw made for the semi finals it was almost inevitable that Arsenal would get City and that's exactly who they looked to have got until Wigan won at City this afternoon. It means Arsenal will play the FA Cup holders at Wembley on April 12th or 13th and the winners will play against Hull or Sheffield United in the final in early May. It has to be a great chance for Arsenal to end their nine year trophy drought, but they cannot take Wigan lightly considering the result they got today. The cup is there for Arsenal to win though and it will only take two games for them do it so hopefully there will be a shiny trophy to parade around the nice part of north London very soon. 

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal v Everton: FA Cup Preview

Arsenal's season has reached an absolutely crucial stage and their next few games will determine which direction it takes. With Chelsea four points ahead of them in the league they have to start winning games consistently with no room for mistakes. They have only won two of their last six league games and face Spurs, Chelsea, City and Everton in the next four.

Before they can even think of the league there's the small matter of the FA Cup and a quarter final at home to Everton. The FA Cup was the last trophy Arsenal won back in 2005 and it has to be their best chance of a trophy this season. They have had home draws in every round so far and with the draw favouring them so much they have to take advantage of it.

Of course the opponents weren't always easy but with Spurs, Coventry and Liverpool beaten it's time Everton went the same way. The win over Liverpool in the last round was achieved with quite a few changes to the recognised strongest 11, but I don't think there is room to do that against Everton. It's always a risk to play your best players in so called lesser competitions and Arsenal paid the price in the third round victory over Spurs when an injury Theo Walcott picked up ended his season. With the fans longing for a chance to win a trophy after nine barren years the FA Cup is a chance that cannot be surrendered easily and it has to be given priority.

When Arsene Wenger picks the team he cannot try to hold players back for the Champions League second leg away to Bayern Munich on Tuesday night. The chances of making the last eight in that competition are slim after losing the home leg 2-0 and the FA Cup has to be considered a much better possibility of success. The strongest Arsenal team possible has to give their all against Everton and then concentrate on the Bayern game with an FA Cup semi final place booked.

Jack Wilshere won't be available of course after Daniel Agger did for him in England's midweek friendly win over Denmark. I find it hard to fathom how a round of international friendlies can be thrown in at such a crucial stage of the season, but it certainly doesn't surprise me that one was. With most of the Arsenal players playing on Wednesday night for their countries there will have been little time to prepare for Everton, but they're in the same boat no doubt.

The Arsenal performance in the defeat to Stoke last week was just not good enough and I think a few changes need to be made. For me the team lacked pace in attack and were too predictable until Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain came on and eventually offered an attacking threat. Everton have full backs who like to get forward and aren't the best at actual defending and I think Chamberlain had to play from the start.

With Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini not on midweek international duty I think they should both play in midfield against an Everton team which controlled that part of the pitch for most of the game when the teams drew 1-1 at the Emirates in December. I would have Mesut Ozil in front of them with orders to roam freely and try to open up the Everton defence. As well as Chamberlain I would play Serge Gnabry in a wide attacking role with Olivier Giroud as centre forward.

I think the pace and enthusiasm offered by Chamberlain and Gnabry could be what Arsenal need to shake things up in attack and maybe create a few chances for Giroud. I'm not Giroud's greatest fan but he's the best centre forward currently at the club and should play in such an important game. He may not be the best centre forward at the club next season if Arsenal can target the right player this summer and succeed in bringing him in.

The defence more or less picks itself as long as Laurent Koscielny is passed fit to play and if he isn't Thomas Vermaelen will fill in for him. Koscielny and Per Mertesacker are the best central defensive partnership at the club, but Koscielny cannot be risked if his participation threatens the rest of the season for him. Of course I'd like to see him and Mertesacker in the team, but Vermaelen is good enough and will hopefully step up if he gets a chance.

I think the team I have suggested is good enough to go out and take the game to Everton and get the win they need. If they can start the game with the tempo and attitude which has been missing far too often recently I think they can dominate the game and create the chances they need. Everton closed Arsenal down and stopped them playing their own game in the league game in December, but a team with width might just be able to find a way around those tactics. Far too often recently Arsenal have been so narrow in attack that opponents have found it too easy to halt their progress.

The boost from a win and upcoming FA Cup semi final might be just what the team needs as they come into a run of games which will determine the fate of their flagging title challenge this season. The good news is that both Aaron Ramsey and Kim Kallstrom should be available to play in those games and might well be in the squad for the Spurs game next week. Ramsey was the best player in the team and the league until his injury and he has been sorely missed for the last few months. If he can come back in the same form he could have a big say in how things pan out for the rest of the season.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Trip To Stoke Previewed

Arsenal have had a week off for the first time in quite a well, but it's back to action with a bang for them from here on in. They put in a very good performance to see off Sunderland last week and now they face a trip to another team struggling at the wrong end of the table. With a really hard schedule coming up for Arsenal they need to take all three points off a Stoke team who are never easy to beat at home.

Stoke have shown already this season that they're a match for any team at home by beating both Chelsea and United and drawing with City. They don't give up the fight at home and Liverpool had to score five goals to finally see them off up there. Both Chelsea and United got back into their games against Stoke, but Stoke were able to go forward and score the winner each time after being pegged back. If Arsenal are going to take the three points they will have to put all they have into the game from the first minute to the last.

Arsenal have been very good at despatching the teams from the lower half of the table this season. They lost at home to Villa on the opening day, but since then the only points dropped to a team in the bottom half of the table were in a 1-1 draw at West Brom. If Arsenal are going to continue to challenge for the title it's vital that they continue to put away the Premier League's less glamourous teams. So far they have won 13 of their 15 games against teams in the bottom half of the table and no other team can match that record.

This is a fixture which has had it's moments of controversy in the recent past and none more so than the incident between Aaron Ramsey and Ryan Shawcross. Whether you think Shawcross intended to cause him such an horrific injury or not is a matter of opinion, but there is no denying it was an awful challenge. Shawcross is still a valued member of the Stoke team and Ramsey has finally put that injury behind him to blossom into a magnificent player. Unfortunately for Arsenal Ramsey has been injured for a few months now and his contribution had been sorely missed at times during that spell.

Mark Hughes may have changed the way Stoke play from the bad old days of Tony Pulis, but I have no doubt they will still be prepared to put the boot in against Arsenal if they get a chance. The long ball tactics and long throw ins may have gone by the wayside for the main part, but Stoke fans want to see their players kick Arsenal at home. Those fans will give Arsene Wenger plenty of abuse and no doubt Ramsey too even though he's not playing and the best way to shut them up is for Arsenal to play their team off the park and rattle a few goals in. 

If the magnificent Arsenal travelling fans can be heard loud and clear above the home fans it's always a good sign the game is going well. Of course those Arsenal fans will sing and support the team from first minute to last regardless of the result as they always do, but they are always more audible when the home fans have been silenced. Arsenal have an excellent record at home to Stoke but they have found it difficult to get results in Stoke in the Premier League. 

In team news Arsenal can welcome Mesut Ozil and Thomas Vermaelen back to the squad, but there are injury doubts over both Nacho Monreal and Kieran Gibbs. If neither of them are available to play there are still options at left back with Vermaelen, Bacary Sagna and Mathieu Flamini all capable of playing the role quite well. It would be a big ask for Vermaelen in his first game back and I think Sagna will switch to the left if both Gibbs and Monreal don't make it. That would see Carl Jenkinson come in at right back and his stature could be an added bonus against the threat in the air which Stoke pose.

In midfield I expect Ozil to come straight back into the team which could see either Jack Wilshere or Tomas Rosicky lose out. I think Wilshere will keep his place and Rosicky will lose out despite his very good performance last week. That would mean either Flamini or Mikel Arteta wouldn't start either and I suspect Arteta will play although this game might be custom made for Flamini.

Lukas Podolski got a rare start last week but I suspect he will be on the bench again with Santi Cazorla playing on the left of the attacking trio and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain coming back in on the right. Olivier Giroud came back in last week after missing out on the previous two games and showed why he should still be the first choice striker with two goals and an assist. He may just have benefitted from the rest he got on the bench for those two games and hopefully he can continue on where he left off last week.

Stoke may be only three points above the relegation zone but they have only lost two of their 13 home games in the league. They have been good defensively at home except for the five goals Liverpool put past them and that can happen to any team no matter how good they are. They haven't scored too many goals at home and have drawn six of those home games with three 0-0 draws and three 1-1 draws.

Arsenal are coming into a crucial stage of the season and they need to be at their very best to keep challenging in the league and the FA Cup. There are a few players out with injuries at the moment but almost all of them should be back very soon with the exception of Theo Walcott who won't play again this season. Those returning players will be a real welcome boost to a squad which needs every bit of quality it can get from here on in.

Arsenal had being starting games far too slowly in the last few months but they made very good starts in their last two games against Bayern Munich and Sunderland. More of the same is needed against Stoke to try to get ahead and then stay ahead. Stoke may have a good home record, but Arsenal are pretty good away from home with eight wins in their 13 games and only Liverpool scoring more away goals than them. 

I'm hoping to see a performance from Arsenal to set them up for the upcoming challenges which start with the FA Cup quarter final against Everton next week. When Arsenal are playing that game against Everton Chelsea will be playing in the league and could open up a gap by playing that extra game. It's vital for Arsenal to stay as close as possible to them before they play them in three weeks time at Stamford Bridge. That game comes either side of league games against Spurs and City and it's a run of three games which will probably decide whether Arsenal stay in the title race or not.

Despite their home record I think Stoke are there for the taking and a fully switched on Arsenal will do just that. As long as the players bring the attitude and commitment which are needed in any Premier League game they should be good enough to win. 

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow. 

Arsenal Win 3-1 At West Ham

Arsenal had done very well on Boxing Day with six wins in a row before yesterday's game at West Ham and needed to make it seven to retake top spot in the league. West Ham are struggling at the wrong end of the table and were only one point above the drop zone before the game and they needed something out of it too. It was never going to be an easy task for Arsenal, but it was a game they had to win after taking only two points in their last three games.

Arsene Wenger made only one change from the draw with Chelsea on Monday night when he brought Santi Cazorla in for Tomas Rosicky. Laurent Koscielny missed out with his knee injury again and Lukas Podolski was on the bench again after returning from a four month injury absence. The team chosen looked more than capable of taking the three points and so it was to be but not without it's drama.

West Ham started well enough but Arsenal took over inside the first 10 minutes and gradually pushed further and further forward in search of the opening goal. Chances came and went with Olivier Giroud twice missing when he probably should have scored and Theo Walcott spurning a good chance too. West Ham surrendered possession to Arsenal throughout the first half and it seemed like only a matter of time before they made the breakthrough.

It was still goalless at the break though and things took a turn in West Ham's favour right away in the second half. With less than a minute gone Wojciech Szczesny spilled a Kevin Nolan shot into the path of Carlton Cole and he slotted home to put them 1-0 up. Arsenal picked up the intensity immediately and poured forward, but they left themselves very open at the back. There were chances at both ends and thankfully West Ham missed a few good ones while Arsenal continued to search for a way back into the game.

On 65 minutes Aaron Ramsey went off with an injury to be replaced by Podolski and it was the catalyst the team needed. Within three minutes Arsenal were back in the game and the goal was a little fortunate. Walcott shot from 10 yards out to the right of the goal and his effort went through two defenders before somehow slipping through the hands of the goalkeeper. 

The goal was just what Arsenal needed and they added to it within three minutes through that man Wakcott again. This time he got on the end of a cross from the right from Podolski to head home from close range to put Arsenal 2-1 up. There was only going to be one winner now, but Arsenal needed a third goal to secure the victory just in case of a late West Ham fightback.

That third goal came with just over 10 minutes to go and it was Podolski who got it. Giroud chested the ball down to him in the box and he lashed it home from 12 yards out to make it 3-1. That goal effectively killed the game and Arsenal were able to ease off a little towards the end with Sunday's trip to Newcastle in mind. 

Defensively Arsenal were suspect to say the least, but their attacking flair more than compensated for it. With both Walcott and Podolski in the team there was a lot more balance and it's no surprise they shared the goals between them. Arsenal have got so many good central players that some of them have had to play in wide roles recently, but it's great to have some genuine width back in the team. 

Walcott has started three games since he came back and scored four goals in them. In recent weeks the goals from Ramsey and Ozil have dried up a little and it's good to have Walcott and Podolski back to share the burden. There has been an awful lot of pressure on Giroud to lead the line and score goals and it looks like it has got to him recently. 

He can't do anything right in front of goal at the moment and he needs a goal as soon as possible. I'm not suggesting he should be dropped as Nicklas Bendtner is the only alternative in his role and he still wants out as soon as possible. Giroud is still getting the approach play, the holding up and the defensive sides of his game right, but strikers have to score goals.

The January transfer window is fast approaching and Arsenal need to find a striker who can score consistently. If they're going to have a genuine chance of winning the league they need a striker who can make the difference in a tight game and they are few and far between. Hopefully the boss can target the player he wants and bring him in while the title is still a genuine target.

After City beat Liverpool later in the day Arsenal returned to the top of the table and will stay there if they win at Newcastle on Sunday. It won't be easy against a team who have won seven of their last nine games and beaten Chelsea, Spurs and United in that run. They kept each of those teams goalless too and would move to within three points of Arsenal if they won.

Hopefully Koscielny will return for that game because the Per Mertesacker and Thomas Vermaelen partnership doesn't work for me. Arsenal look far too vulnerable in the centre of their defence and the sooner Koscielny and Mertesacker can play together again the better. 

The injury to Ramsey could possibly see him miss a few games but at least we have plenty of cover for him. Santi Cazorla looks like he's finally finding his form of last season and he's much more suited to a central role than a wide one. He lost the ball in dangerous positions a few times too many for my liking but he had a huge contribution to Arsenal's attacking.

I'm optimistic for the Newcastle game and hopefully six points can be taken from them and Cardiff a few days later. After that it's on to Spurs in the FA Cup and who knows who will be their manager by then if they don't get good results in their next two games. It's great to see Arsenal at the top of the league while our arch rivals are making such a mess of things on and off the field so often.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.