Arsenal Season Review 2017/18

Now that the dust has settled on the football season, from an Arsenal perspective at least, it’s time to look back on how it went.

I suppose last summer is the place to start and to look at how the club fared in the transfer market ahead of the new season. We had won the FA Cup for the third time in four years, but we also missed out on Champions League qualification for the first time under the stewardship of Arsene Wenger. He had also signed a new two year contract despite the misgivings of many of the fan base and he was determined he would and could build a better and stronger team.

Sead Kolasinac arrived fairly early in the summer on a free transfer from Schalke 04 and hopes were high of a bright future for the player voted the best left back in the Bundesliga the previous season. Alexandre Lacazette arrived a month later from Lyon as the club broke their transfer record to sign the striker they so badly needed. There were no other arrivals though which meant the issues with our goalkeepers, our defence and our midfield went unaddressed yet again.

At the same time we sold Wojciech Szczesny to Juventus after his two year loan spell at Roma had ended and to me it felt like we had let our best goalkeeper go and at a very low price too. With Szczesny set to become the first choice at Juventus next season we will know soon enough whether it was a rash decision to sell him. It left us with Petr Cech and David Ospina vying for the keeper’s shirt and neither of them did an awful to inspire me over the season.

We also saw the departure of Kieran Gibbs to West Brom which wasn’t really a surprise after the arrival of Kolasinac. It meant we had no extra options in defence unless we were going to promote some youth players or the likes of Rob Holding and Calum Chambers could make the next step and win a place in the first team. We tried in vain to offload Mathieu Debuchy, but at least we had him as back up to Hector Bellerin for fhe right back role.

The most interesting development was probably the sale of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain  just before the transfer window closed. He wanted a more central role in the team, but he had rarely done much to suggest he could show the consistency and quality needed to play there at the top level. He played against Liverpool in a bizarre team selection only days before we sold him to them and I’m still trying to figure out what the manager was thinking in the team selection as Liverpool thumped us.

The sale of Chamberlain meant we ended up making a profit from the transfer window despite having a squad that desperately needed some investment. We did manage to hold on to both Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil though as they both moved into the last season of their contracts. It was hard to believe we were going to challenge for the league, but we had become a cup team in the last few seasons and we had three cups to compete for.

The season started on a high with a come from behind 4-3 win at home to Leicester in our first game, but it didn’t take too long for things to get worse. The defending against Leicester left a lot to be desired and that would be the case week in and week out as the season progressed. Consecutive away defeats at Stoke and Liverpool followed and we failed to score in both of those games too.

Our Europa League group progressed pretty well though despite playing fringe and youth players and those same players kept going in the Carabao Cup too. It was obvious early on that City were going to stroll home in the League and we dropped more points in our first three away games than they dropped away from home throughout the whole season. Nobody else was setting the world alight though and second place seemed within our reach if we could only sort out our away form and stop conceding stupid goals.

By the turn of the year we had progressed to the Carabao Cup semi finals and the last 32 of the Europa League with our FA Cup defence about to start too. A top four finish was still well within our grasp too and there was some hope of player additions in the January transfer window. We still hadn’t sorted the Sanchez and Ozil contracts though and we looked like we would have to offload them if they didn’t agree to extend by the end of January.

As it transpired Ozil signed on the dotted line, but Sanchez was sold to Manchester United with Henrikh Mkhitaryan coming in the opposite direction. Very late in the window we also managed to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Dortmund and that was a move which really excited me. He is one of the best finishers in the game and I looked forward to seeing him banging goals in for Arsenal.

The January transfer window also saw the departures of both Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud who had both been among the top scorers in the club’s history after many years under Wenger. I thought it was time for both of them to go and I wasn’t overly concerned that we sold them to other Premier League teams because the players we brought in were better. Despite being an Arsenal player for so long Walcott never really reached his potential and Giroud was one step below the required level in my opinion due to his lack of pace.

By the time we signed him January hadn’t gone well as we were knocked out of the FA Cup in a humiliating 4-2 defeat at Championship side Nottingham Forest. We did beat Chelsea over two legs to make it to the Carabao Cup Final, but the prospect of playing Manchester City in the final was more than a little worrying. We also started our run of seven consecutive away league defeats in a row in January with a 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth and like so many of our away defeats we took the lead in that game.

We duly lost the Carabao Cup Final to City when we again self imploded and February wasn’t a good month as we lost at Spurs and at home to City in the league. We were almost embarrassed by part timers Ostersunds in the last 32 of the Europa League despite winning the away leg 3-0. We did progress though and the Europa League became our only hope of glory and our only way back into the Champions League as the away defeats kept coming game after game in the league.

It became obvious well before the season ended that the top four was beyond us and we just had to do enough to stay in sixth place and make next season’s Europa League. We kept progressing in the Europa League though as we saw off both AC Milan and CSKA Moscow to set up a semi final with Atletico Madrid. There was still real hope of a trophy and the chance for the manager to win his first European trophy too.

When the sudden news of his impending departure at the end of the season came it was a shock to us all. It’s not that I didn’t think it was time for him to move on, but he had never walked away from a contract and I really didn’t think the club had the bottle to show him the door. It seems it was their decision though and despite his self belief he wasn’t going to get the chance to try to rebuild the team.

I thought the perfect time for him to go was the previous May when he had just become the manager to win the most FA Cups and he could have left on a relative high. It’s impossible to know whether he decided to stay himself or if the club asked him to stay as they pursued a path that would see them able to cope with his exit. His time was up though and we could only hope the players could find it within themselves to let him go out on a high.

The games against Atletico didn’t pan out as hoped though as our dodgy defence saw us concede goals through individual mistakes in both legs and go out 2-1 on aggregate. Atletico went on to comfortably win the final and it really was s case of what might have been. The Arsene Wenger phase at Arsenal ended with a whimper, but he was still the greatest manager we ever had.

The mark of the man was seen by the reaction of almost everyone to the news of his departure. He was treated with the greatest respect by fans, players and managers of other clubs as we played out our last few games. I have to admit it felt a little on the sad side, but I honestly believe it was the best thing for Arsenal going forward.

The players did at least manage to raise their game in his last home game to beat Burnley 5-0 and guarantee we finished above them in sixth place. They even managed to end the run of seven away defeats in a row in the last game of the season with a 1-0 win at Huddersfield. I have rarely been happy to see an Arsenal season come to an end, but it was most definitely a season to forget.

We conceded more league goals than in any other season under Arsene and we only managed four away wins and 16 away points from our 19 away games. We made more defensive mistakes leading to goals conceded than any other team in the league and we rarely managed to reach a level which was genuinely entertaining. Crowds at the Emirates dwindled as the season progressed and it really was a season to forget.

There were some positives though and the arrivals of Aubameyang and Mkhitaryan in January can give us real encouragement for next season. Despite finishing sixth only City took more points and scored more goals at home even if less fans were there to witness those results. I am actually looking forward to next season even if we will again have to get used to week after week of Thursday night European games followed by league games on Sundays.

There’s plenty to discuss going forward and I should probably consider a breakdown of how each of the players fared over the season. I’ll leave that for another day though and at this stage it’s probably best to leave a season with far too many disappointments behind us.

That’s it for today.

See you tomorrow.

11 Arsenal Players Who Could Be On The Move

The transfer window hasn't even opened yet and Arsenal have already signed the first of what will be quite a few new players. The arrival of Granit Xhaka looks to be a good move for the club and it's great to have managed it so early in the summer. It looks like he won't be the last arrival either with a few places in the squad to be filled.

For a start Tomas Rosicky and Mikel Arteta have reached the end of their contracts and it looks like both of them will retire from playing. Arteta will definitely retire and Risicky might continue if he can find a club willing to take a risk on an injury prone player after Euro 2016. 

The other player to reach the end of his contract is Mathieu Flamini and I can only imagine he will be on his way too. I can't see him retiring just yet, but the arrivals of Xhaka yesterday and Mohamed Elneny last January mean he is surplus to requirements. For me he was never quite good enough for the level Arsenal want to play at, but he always gave his all and who can forget his two goals against Spurs in the Capital One Cup last season.

I'd be surprised if Mathieu Debuchey stayed too considering the fact that he went out on loan in January looking for first team football. He lost his place when Hector Bellerin took his chance with both hands as Debuchey was out injured. A player at his stage of his career doesn't want to sit on the bench and I cannot see him being an Arsenal player next season.

Kieran Gibbs was used sparingly last season and he missed out on a chance of going to Euro 2016 as a result. Nacho Monreal has made the left back slot his own and it would come as no surprise if Gibbs was to consider his future with Arsenal. He would have no problem getting into most Premier League teams and the prospect of sitting on the bench at Arsenal can hardly be too appealing to him.

Calum Chambers was signed from Southampton a few years ago at a high price, but he hasn't really been given much of a chance to strut his stuff at Arsenal. It's not clear what position suits him best and he needs a lot more game time if he is going to improve. As it stands it doesn't look like he will get that game time at Arsenal and the club could be tempted to get back at least some of the money they shelled out for him or he might even consider a move himself to further his career.

Carl Jenkinson has spent the last two seasons on loan at West Ham and it's hard to see where he fits in at Arsenal. Maybe he will stay with the club next season as an understudy to Bellerin, but I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't. With plenty of rebuilding to do this summer the club could be tempted to cash in on a player they got for a small fee or again Jenkinson might feel his career might flourish elsewhere.

Joel Campbell did well when he got the chance to play last season, but he was usually the first to be discarded when others were available. It looks to me like the boss isn't convinced by him and I wouldn't be surprised if he was offered to other clubs this summer. Despite how well he performed at times last season I don't think he's quite good enough to make it with Arsenal and a move might be the best thing for all parties.

Theo Walcott has been an Arsenal player for 10 years now, but he's never really reached the heights we hoped he would reach. Last season was not good for him at all and he has quite obviously fallen out of favour with the boss. It's hard to see where he goes from here considering how much he is paid, but he might need to move if he wants to play more often. If Arsenal get the chance to bring in a wide player who can take take defenders on and beat them as well as scoring a few goals I wouldn't be shocked to see Walcott on his way.

Wojciech Szczesny has spent the season on loan at Roma and it's difficult to know if there's a place for him at Arsenal. If he does come back he would be third choice behind Petr Cech and David Ospina unless Ospina decides he wants first team football elsewhere. There have been suggestions his move to Roma will be made permanent and it wouldn't surprise if he did leave. It wouldn't be too easy for him to come back as second or third choice at Arsenal considering how long he spent as first choice and that he was first choice for Roma too.

Lastly there's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who was another player to have a season to forget. He started well but things quickly deteriorated for him and yet again he wasn't helped by injuries. There have been rumours the club might be prepared to sell him due to his lack of improvement, but I would be surprised if they did so. He's still young enough to improve if he can overcome his persistent injuries and he certainly has lots of natural ability. 

All in all that's 11 players who could be on their way which is almost half a squad and it would be far more change than would be considered healthy for any squad. I have no doubt some of those players have played their last game for Arsenal, but it's a matter of how many the club decide to dispose of and how many choose to leave. It certainly promises to be a busy summer with those who leave having to be replaced and plenty of money in the bank to do so.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal v Chelsea: Community Shield Preview

Arsenal have looked very good in their four pre season games so far with four victories out of four under their belts and 14 goals scored with only one conceded. Pre season is all about getting ready for the real thing though and the results aren't overly important as long as the team arrives ready to roll for the big kick off. Even the Community Shield isn't overly important and a victory in it is no real pointer to how the season will progress.

Arsenal were very impressive in beating City in the Community Shield last season, but they only won two of their first six league games after that. If memory serves me correctly the Invincibles were far from convincing in their pre season and then went on to create history. With all of that in mind Sunday's game against Chelsea isn't really all that important, but I'd still love to see Arsenal win and in style too.

Maybe it's because it's against Chelsea and Jose Mourinho or maybe it's just because I love to see Arsenal win. Arsene Wenger hasn't got a good record against his Chelsea counterpart and there's no love lost between them as we all saw in last season's game at Stamford Bridge. I'd love to see the boss get one over on him at long last even if it isn't in what's considered a competitive game.

The boss has a very strong squad to pick from with only Alexis Sanchez, Danny Welbeck, David Ospina and Tomas Rosicky unavailable. Sanchez was Arsenal's outstanding player last season, but the team have looked very good without him so far this pre season. He has had a much needed rest after a long hard season and he should be raring to go when he's back in the team in a couple of weeks.

It's not easy to predict what players will play, but I would imagine Petr Cech is the most likely choice in goal. I would also imagine the combination of Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker will be the preferred choice in the centre of the defence, but it's not easy to know which two full backs will get the nod. It's easy to make a case for both options on the right and the left and I would say it's probably a fifty fifty call on both sides.

In midfield Francis Coquelin looks like the most obvious choice to play the defensive role and there's a host of players who can play alongside him or in front of him. Which ones of them will play and where they all will play is another matter, but surely Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla will start. I think Olivier Giroud will lead the attack and the chances are Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will play too.

If those players are all in the team it only leaves one more place with Aaron Ramsey, Theo Walcott and Jack Wilshere all deserving a chance and dying to play. I suppose a lot will depend on the system the boss chooses to play and which players will suit that system best. Walcott would surely be the best choice in a wide role but the other two have played there before while either Ramsey or Wilshere could play a more central role in midfield.

Whatever the selection is the team have more than enough to make things very tough for Chelsea and are more than capable of beating them. Despite their progress against the other top teams in the Premier League last season Arsenal still struggled against Chelsea. They lost 2-0 away from home and drew 0-0 at home and they never really looked like scoring in either game.

If they're going to take the next step and genuinely challenge for the league this season they need to overcome the Chelsea hurdle. I might have said the result isn't overly important, but I can't help feeling a win could be what the team need to get the season off to a flyer. Confidence breeds even more confidence and this Arsenal team is good enough to do something special if they can gain that confidence.

The second half of last season gave us fans some real hope for this season and the style the players have shown in pre season has only increased that hope. Winning on Sunday and doing so in style would increase that hope even more and it's something I think this team have every chance of doing. If they don't it's not the end of the world, but if they do it could just prove to be the start of something special.

In other news Wojciech Szczesny has made his loan move to Roma and he'll stay there for the season too with a possibility of the move becoming permanent. By the sounds of what he said yesterday it looks like he would be more than happy to make the move permanent and I get the feeling we might not see him in an Arsenal shirt again. It would be a shame if he did leave, but he has been the author of his own misfortune and Arsenal have two very good goalkeepers for this season.

As usual this season my fantasy league is up and running again and it's open to all comers with a €50 prize (out of my pocket) to the winner. You can join up by using the league code 48497-14043 after you have set your team up here and good luck to all who play. There were over 1,000 teams in my league last season and I'm hoping for even more this season.

I'm also running my Predictions League again this season and it's very enjoyable even if there's no cash prize for the winner. The code for my league is FD757-ARR after you have signed up here and of course both games are completely free to play. 

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Face Lyon And Wolfsburg As Szczesny Heads For Rome

Arsenal are back in England after a good Barclays Asian Trophy in Sinapore where they beat the hosts 4-0 and Everton 3-1. The win over Everton was very convincing and it was difficult to believe it was only the second of their pre season games. They are back at home though and they face a very busy weekend with games on both Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

In team news the only doubt from the players who traveled to Singapore is Mathieu Flamini who has apparently picked up a slight knock and might not play. I don't know if his possible absence has anything to do with his supposed pending transfer to Galatasaray, but it's hard to believe it doesn't if that move is going to happen. Flamini has always seen out his contract before moving in the past, as Arsenal know all too well, and I would be surprised if he agreed to let himself be sold rather than seeing out his contract yet again. I suppose he might have reached the stage where he wants to play more often and the emergence of Francis Coquelin is going to severely hamper his chances at Arsenal.

Alexis Sanchez is still unavailable of course as he won't return to training until after next week's Community Shield against Chelsea. He's going to miss the start of the season, but it's for his own good and the team's too after his long hard season followed by his exploits in the Copa America. His absence is going to affect my starting fantasy team, but I'm willing to put up with it for the sake of the team.

Danny Welbek still isn't available either as he continues to recover from the injury which caused him to miss out on the FA Cup final win in May. It looks like he'll miss the start of the season too, but according to Arsene Wenger he should be back soon after the big kick off. With no new strikers arriving so far he will be needed sooner rather than later and the quicker he recovers the better.

Thankfully Arsenal don't have to play in the final qualifying round for the Champions League this season after they finished third in the league. It means the players will only have to play once a week in August and won't have the added pressure of having to make the group stages yet again. It means there should be plenty of recovery time and time to continue the fitness work too between each game at the start of the season.

David Ospina won't be around this weekend either as he's only coming back to pre season on Monday after playing for Colombia in the Copa America. It looked like he would be the one to be on his way after the arrival of Petr Cech, but he seems determined to stay and fight for his place. With Ospina set to tussle with Cech for the keeper's spot it looks like Wojciech Szczesny will be the one to be on the move.

He's all set to go on loan to Roma for the season with the boss admitting it's just a matter of waiting for the paperwork to be completed. If Szczesny can make himself first choice at Roma he will play in the Champions League with them and get plenty of much needed game time too. A keeper can't learn too much sitting on the bench and his chances at Arsenal this season were going to be severely limited. 

If the rumours are to be believed Roma will have an option to buy, him when the loan spell has finished, but I'm not sure if that is the case or not. The boss has said there is still a future for him at Arsenal and he rates him highly. I suppose it will come down to Szczesny himself and whether he sees a future for him at Arsenal.

The fans will get to see the team play at home for the first time this pre season with games against both Lyon and Wolfsburg. Both games kick off at 4.20 with Lyon on Saturday afternoon followed by Wolfsburg on Sunday in the Emirates Cup. With two games to play in quick succession the whole squad will have to be utilised and virtually every player will get a chance to impress at some stage.

Despite the supposedly meaningless nature of pre season games it's still nice to see the team win and to see them lifting some silverware is even better. I'm sure they will give their all in both games and they have every chance of winning both games, but the most important thing is for the players to continue their progress towards the new season which kicks off in two weeks. A lot is expected of Arsenal this coming season and I think they have to hit the ground running if they're going to seriously contend for the league title.

Finally for today Arsenal director Lord Harris has told all who will listen that the club have £200 million to spend if needs be and that the boss can break the club's transfer record if he so requires. His comments won't do anything to help Arsenal's negotiating position with clubs of any potential targets if they believe Arsenal have funds to burn. They might well have loads of money to spend, but it's still not easy to get clubs to part with their best players with the new season approaching quickly. 

It's going to take some very good players to improve on what Arsenal already have and the boss has said he will buy players that will improve the team/squad if he can get them. He's proved that by spending so much on Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil in the last two summers and there can be no doubt that both players have improved the team. If a player of the calibre of either of those is available and the boss feels he would fit in at Arsenal I think Arsenal will certainly make a move, but those players are few and far between. I hope it happens and I think the squad needs to be strengthened, but it's by no means certain that it will be.

As usual this season my fantasy league is up and running again and it's open to all comers with a €50 prize (out of my pocket) to the winner. You can join up by using the league code 48497-14043 after you have set your team up here and good luck to all who play. There were over 1,000 teams in my league last season and I'm hoping for even more this season.

I'm also running my Predictions League again this season and it's very enjoyable even if there's no cash prize for the winner. The code for my league is FD757-ARR after you have signed up here and of course both games are completely free to play. 

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Get Their Man As Petr Cechs In

One of the worst kept secrets in football became a reality testerday when Petr Cech finally signed on the dotted line for Arsenal. They captured his services for an undisclosed fee believed to be in the region of £11 million on a long term contract.

Chelsea weren't overly anxious to let Cech go and Jose Mourinho was apparently not happy at all to see him join a rival. Cech thanked Roman Abramovic in particular for making the transfer happen and it looks like the owner is still making plenty of footballing decisions at Chelsea despite Mourinho's wishes. In one of those funny quirks of fate Cech's first proper game for Arsenal will more than likely be the Community Shield game against Chelsea.

It's great to see Arsenal doing business so early in the transfer window again and Cech's signature has to be seen as a real boost to their chances for next season. It also means the club probably have more keepers than they need and the chances are one of them will be on the way quite soon. There's plenty to be said for both David Ospina and Wojciech Szczesny, but it would seem Ospina looks the most likely to be on his way.

He took over as the first choice keeper in January after Szczesny had a poor game against Southampton and was caught smoking in the showers. He only arrived last summer though and played well after getting his chance, but he might not want to play second fiddle to Cech. If Arsenal are going to cash in on Ospina they might have chosen a good time to get the maximum price after his excellent displays for Colombia in the Copa America. 

I've said before that I'm not sure if Cech is that much better than either Ospina or Szczesny and isn't as good as he was a few years ago. I could be wrong of course, but ever since his head injury inflicted upon him by Stephen Hunt I have thought he lost something in his game. I don't think he's as quick to come off his line as he used to be and he's not as commanding on crosses either. I'm no expert though and I look forward to him proving me completely and utterly wrong as he excels in goal and helps Arsenal to win more trophies.

He already has plenty of winners medals from his 11 years at Chelsea and he's very close to setting a record of his own. I think he needs three more clean sheets in the Premier League to beat the record currently held by David James and it shouldn't take him too long to overtake him. He's still only 33 and goalkeepers tend to improve with age so he has plenty of years in goal for Arsenal ahead of him.

There's still plenty of work for Arsenal to do in the transfer market this summer of course, but the signs are very promising. Cech has arrived nice and early and it gives the club plenty of time to concentrate on their other targets. As players start to move from one club to another there is always a knock on effect and hopefully some of Arsenal's targets will be available sooner rather than later. I could almost write a book on the amount of players linked with the club at the moment, but only time will tell who the real targets are and whether Arsenal can acquire their services or not.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Latest on Wilshere, Cech And More

Another day has gone by and despite the continued speculation Arsenal still haven't added to their squad for next season. There were a couple of exits though with Ryo Myachi joining St. Pauli and Semi Ajayi on his way to Cardiff City. Neither player managed to make the grade at Arsenal despite the promise they showed, but hopefully they will go on to have good careers elsewhere.

They won't be the only departures this summer and it looks like a few players could be on their way out quite soon. Lukas Podolski was loaned out to Inter Milan for the second half of last season and it looks like he could be the first one to move with Galatasaray looking favourites to sign him at the moment. He's done well at times for Arsenal, but I don't think he really reached the heights we would have hoped for in his time at the club and it's probably best that he moves on at this stage.

Another player who could be playing elsewhere next season is Joel Campbell whose future looks to be at another club despite signing a new contract last season. He has been loaned out for most of his time as an Arsenal player and it looks like his next move might be a permanent one. At the moment Real Sociedad looks like the most likely destination for his talents, but there's still quite a while to go before the transfer window closes.

Surprisingly the latest player to be talked about in terms of an exit is David Ospina who is currently Arsenal's first choice goalkeeper. If the rumours are to be believed Peter Cech is on the verge of joining the club and his arrival will signal the departure of Ospina only a year after he joined. I'm not sure how much there is to these rumours and it would seem strange for Arsenal to sell their first choice keeper only a year after signing him.

However, Cech would surely usurp Ospina if he does join the club and Arsene Wenger is known to rate Wojciech Szczesny highly despite the problems he's had. At the moment it's all pure speculation, but it does all sound very believable and who's to say it won't happen. He could continue the exodus of Arsenal players to Turkey with Fenerbahce currently the supposed pacesetters in the race to sign him.

The Cech rumours just won't go away and it looks as if he's as good as an Arsenal player with just a few "i's" to be dotted and "t's" to be crossed before the deal is done. We've been here far too often with other players of course and nothing is guaranteed until we see it on the club site. I'm still not 100% convinced Cech is as good as he used to be, but he is still probably better than any of the current options Arsenal have in goal.

The final Arsenal transfer story of the day was the apparent bid from Manchester City for Jack Wilshere. If the stories are to be believed City have moved for Wilshere after having their offers for Raheem Sterling turned down. They need to boost their quota of English players and Wilshere certainly fits the bill on that count, but they surely don't have a hope of getting him.

Wilshere has spent far too much time on the treatment table in recent seasons and he needs to get a long run in the team so he can show what he can do on a permanent basis. I can't see Arsenal having an interest in selling the future of the team and the fact Wilshere was just fined £40,000 by the FA for taking the piss out of Spurs tells you all you need to know about his desire to play for Arsenal. The only way I could see him leaving is if the club accept an offer and make it obvious they don't want him, but that's not going to happen.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal v Aston Villa: FA Cup Final Preview

It had been a long nine years without a trophy for Arsenal before they beat Hull to lift last season's FA Cup. While the FA Cup might not be right up there with the Premier League or the Champions League you can be sure every other team in the Premier League would be more than delighted to be in the final and have a chance of winning a trophy. Chelsea are the only team to lift any silverware this season with the league and League Cup trophies to their name while every other team will have a bare cupboard this summer.

Of course Arsenal haven't retained the trophy they fought so hard to win last year quite yet and they will have to overcome a Villa side who have done extremely well to get this far. Not too many people gave Villa a chance in their semi final against Liverpool, but they were excellent on the day and fully deserved their place in the final. They might have only just managed to avoid relegation this season, but they have shown significant improvement since Tim Sherwood took the reins. 

Prior to his appointment Villa had forgotten how to score a goal and I thought they looked almost certain to face the drop. He came in and helped them regain some confidence in attack as he chose a more attacking formation than his predecessor. Their goals for column certainly improved with him in charge, but they are still shaky at best at the back and that's where Arsenal can take advantage of them.

Arsenal haven't had the greatest finish to their season with recent results not doing much to inspire confidence in a genuine title challenge next season with the exception of the last day victory over West Brom. Maybe those results will make Arsene Wenger realise he still needs to invest heavily in his squad this summer if that challenge is going to materialise. For the moment though he can only go with the players he has available for the cup final and he has to choose a team to get the upper hand on the day.

For me it's impossible to ignore the hat trick Theo Walcott scored on Sunday against West Brom and he has to be in the team. We had seen a very stale looking Arsenal team prior to that game, but he showed he is fresh and raring to go following his long injury absence and recent long spell on the bench. He took his goals very well and showed the sort of movement in the opponents penalty which the team had lacked so much recently.

Olivier Giroud has had a good season, but he hasn't scored in a while now and has looked well off the pace to me. He hasn't been first choice for the FA Cup this season or last either as the boss has given a chance to other players up front. Even in last season's final Yaya Sanogo got the nod ahead of him, but Giroud did come on and played a big part in the winning goal. 

It looks like the only player unavailable for the final will be Danny Welbeck who hasn't recovered from his knee injury in time. It means Mathieu Debuchy, Mikel Arteta and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are all fit to return and would all hope to play if they had a little more game time under their collective belts. With so many players available to choose from not only will the team selection not be easy, but it won't even be easy to decide who makes the bench and who misses out altogether.

One of the few certainties will be the inclusion of Wojciech Szczesny in goal as he has been this season's FA Cup goalkeeper since David Osoina took over as first choice. I'm still not fond of the first choice keeper missing out, but Lukasz Fabianski got a winners medal last season when Szczesny should have played and Szczesny will hopefully get his medal this season. I don't think there's much between the two of them and Ospina certainly showed his bad side in the goal West Brom scored on Sunday.

I have a feeling the boss will play a strong team and there won't be too many other changes from his perceived best 11. As I said I think Walcott should play, but Giroud will probably get the nod and I would be very surprised if Aaron Ramsey didn't start ahead of Jack Wilshere. I have no doubt that Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla will be in there from the start and I expect Francis Coquelin to play too. I think it would be far too risky to leave Coquelin out and leave the defensive duties in midfield to any other combination of players. 

I think the defence more or less picks itself although I don't think the choice between Nacho Monreal and Kieran Gibbs is a foregone conclusion and I think Gibbs has a chance to play. I wouldn't mind seeing Gabriel Paulista playing from the start either, but I would be very surprised if Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker don't get the nod in central defence. That would leave just Hector Bellerin at right back and I would be highly surprised if anyone played ahead of him.

In the last two seasons Arsenal have had some very good results in the cup, but their best performances have come against the better sides and they have often struggled against so called lesser opponents. The semi finals in both seasons were certainly a case in point and last season's final was almost lost before Arsenal even considered getting involved. They cannot start off against Villa like they did against Hull last season or they could have too much of a hill to climb later in the game. 

Villa could quite possibly attempt to park the bus as that tactic has worked quite well against Arsenal in recent weeks. Under Sherwood they have shown far more to their attacking game though and he might just be tempted to go head to head with Arsenal. That could be a big mistake for Villa if they adopt that tactic and they might be best suited to defending in depth and trying to win the game on the break from a set piece.

This final is a chance for Arsenal to set a couple of records of their own and hopefully they can do just that. As it is they will have won the cup 12 times if they win and no other team can match that record. It would also be the boss's sixth FA Cup triumph and again that's a record for any manager. 

There's so much to play for that the prospect of the team not showing up like they haven't done recently just isn't an option. They need to be switched on from first minute to last and ready for whatever game Villa decide to play on the day. The bus parking of recent weeks has been a real problem for Arsenal to get past and they can't let it get to them again if Villa play that way.

At the same time they can't throw caution to the wind too soon even if they are chasing the game as they are all too vulnerable on the break when they do so. The defeat to Swansea and draw with Sunderland could be a perfect template for Villa to adopt and Arsenal need to break that down if they're going to retain the cup. For me the key will as always be the pace of their game and the speed at which they move the ball.

A fast start with Villa under pressure from the off will hopefully reap some early rewards and then keep Villa at bay. When chances come along they need someone to convert them and Walcott looks the player most likely to do so at the moment. I think they can take control of the game from early on and I think they will win by a couple of goals.

I'm still not sure where I'll be watching the game and it will be hard to match my trip to London for last season's final. I didn't have a ticket for the game, but I had a fantastic time in a local Arsenal pub and I wish I was there again this season. Unfortunately circumstances don't allow and I will have to find somewhere a lot closer to home to cheer on Arsenal.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Slip Up At Home To Swansea

All goods things must come to an end they say and so it was with Arsenal last night when they were beaten at home by Swansea. It was a great opportunity for Arsenal to keep the pressure on City as they attempt to finish second in the Premier League for the first time in 10 years, but the defeat leaves City in a much stronger position. There's three points between the teams and Arsenal have a game in hand, but City have a nine goal advantage on goal difference after they thrashed QPR at the weekend.

The task is far from impossible though and Swansea could still play a big part in it as they play at home to City on Sunday before Arsenal travel to United. City have hit some form since their title chances ended and they will want to win to turn the screw on Arsenal, but Swansea have proved themselves to be a tough team for almost anyone to beat. If Arsenal are going to finish second then Swansea have to take something off City and the more points they take the better.

Arsenal lost at home to United in the league in November, but they won away to them in the FA Cup quarter finals. They will need another performance like the one they put on in that cup game if they are to get the three points off United and there's a lot at stake for United too. There's still a slight chance United can catch Arsenal for third place, but they will have to win on Sunday to realistically keep those chances alive.

There's still an FA Cup final to come for Arsenal at the end of the month, but it looks like the game on Sunday is shaping up to be one of the most crucial games of the season. If Swansea can do some damage to City then second place is on the cards again, but a defeat for Arsenal will leave a lot of questions to be asked. If Arsenal are going to get something from the game they will have to do an awful lot better than they did against Swansea.

Arsene Wenger has kept faith with what he obviously sees as his current first choice 11 in recent weeks, but those players weren't at the races against Swansea. For me the pace of the game in the first half in particular was far too slow and it was too easy for Swansea to nullify Arsenal. They came to defend in depth and look to hit Arsenal on the break and their plan worked perfectly when Gomis headed their late winner.

They were helped in no small measure by Arsenal's lacklustre first half performance and some poor Arsenal finishing after the break. Lukasz Fabianski might have made nine saves on the night (all in the last half hour), but he was never pushed to the limit for any of those saves. The best chance of all for Arsenal came just over 20 minutes from the end when a defensive lapse let Alexis Sanchez in, but he hit his shot tamely at Fabianski and Theo Walcott couldn't put away the rebound either.

Walcott had come on for the ineffectual Olivier Giroud a little earlier as the French centre forward had another night to forget. He was in sparkling form only a few weeks ago, but it has suddenly all gone wrong for him again. I still think he's a good player, but he's certainly not in the class of Seegio Aguero or Luis Suarez and Arsenal need a striker of that calibre to take it to the next level.

Of course he wasn't the only player who wasn't at his best and the whole team was flat and failed to bring the tempo to the game that was needed. They have three league games left to put that game behind them and finish the season on a high and I think they will do it. One of the best features of the team this season has been their ability to bounce back when things have gone wrong and I hope they will do it again on Sunday.

United aren't going to sit back and defend like Swansea did and Arsenal will certainly have more space to attack. They might need to bring some pace into the team if they are going to exploit United and get in behind a defence which looks vulnerable to me. The obvious choice would be Walcott to play on the right even if he has barely kicked a ball in four months, but Danny Welbeck could do well too if he's fit to return.

My other gripe about last night would be David Ospina's attempt to keep the Swansea goal out and I'm still far from convinced by him. There's not much in it between him and Wojciech Szczesny, but ultimately neither of them are the top class keeper you need to compete with the very best. There's still much work to be done in the transfer window in the summer, but the team has certainly got plenty of promise for next season. 

Even if the worst were to happen and Arsenal lost to United on Sunday they would still finish third with four points from their last two games which are at home to Sunderland and West Brom. They're games this team should win and they hardly deserve third place if they can't take four points from their last three games. Despite last night's set back I am still very confident they will finish third at worst and I haven't completely given up on second place either.

We owe United a beating after they stole three points from the Emirates earlier in the season and the FA Cup win only went some way towards repaying that debt. We'll have to be an awful lot better if we're going to beat them, but the team certainly have it within them. They will have to go out there with the right personell and the right attitude, but there would be something wrong with them if they couldn't get themselves up for such a big game.  The run of 10 unbeaten league games is over, but it's time to start the next run and where better to do it than at the stadium where we won the league in 2002. 

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

A Great Weekend For Arsenal As They Go Second

It's been a great weekend for Arsenal as they won at home to Liveepool on Saturday and then saw City lose to Palace on Sunday. The combination of those results means Arsenal climb above City into second place with only seven league games left to play. They're a point ahead of United and two ahead of City, but crucially they have now opened a nine point gap over fifth placed Liverpool. 

Arsenal's chances of a second place finish are looking very good at the moment, but their chances of catching the leaders Chelsea are still very slim. Not only do Chelsea have a seven point lead, but they also have a game in hand and only need 15 points in their remaining eight games to guarantee first place. The teams meet at the Emirates in a few weeks and Arsenal will need to win the game along with virtually every other game to have an outside chance of catching Chelsea.

The way Arsenal are playing right now it's quite possible that they could win their remaining seven games, but the chances are they will drop some points between now and the end of the season. Arsenal have won 10 of their last 11 league games though and they are the form team in the Premier League at the moment. If they're going to continue that fun they will need to win away to Burnley next Saturday evening and that's no easy task against a hard working and determined Burnley team.

That game will be played the day before Chelsea travel to QPR and United take on City and three points for Arsenal would put some pressure on all three of those teams before they play. Chelsea will be expected to beat struggling QPR, but local derbies can be hard to call and QPR have the chance to climb out of the bottom three before that game when they travel to Villa on Tuesday night. If they feel they have a genuine chance of staying up they might just make things that little bit harder for a Chelsea team who have needed goalkeeping errors in their favour to win their last two games.

The game between United and City is a win, win situation for Arsenal with one or both of them having to drop points. Arsenal won't be playing in the league the following week because of their FA Cup semi final, but it would be great to go into that game knowing they are secure in second place. Even when Arsenal are playing their semi final they can benefit a little with Chelsea playing at home to United in the league that weekend. United's results in their next two games will be very important for Arsenal and could have a big say in their final position in the league.

It's no coincidence that Arsenal are looking so strong at the moment as they have their whole first team squad fit to play for the first time since 2005. After the victory over Liverpool on Saturday there were knocks for both Aaron Ramsey and Laurent Koscielny while Wojciech Szczesny missed out too, but it has to be hoped they will all be fit again for Burnley. The strength in depth is a key part in the team's chances at the moment and that strength gives Arsene Wenger the opportunity to make changes without weakening the team.

The game on Saturday went better than I could have wished for as I really thought Liverpool would be a lot harder to beat. They were in it at 0-0, but they fell apart once Arsenal got the first goal and Arsenal managed to follow that goal with two more before the break to kill the game. Arsenal controlled the second half well enough to make sure Liverpool couldn't build up a head of steam even after they pulled a goal back from the penalty spot.

The late fourth goal from Olivier Giroud was richly deserved for his performance on the day and it was also the sixth league game in a row in which he has scored. He has a better goals per minute record in the league this season than Harry Kane, Diego Costa and Sergio Aguero and I'm delighted to say he continues to prove me wrong. It looks like his absence through injury might well have been one of the main reasons why Arsenal struggled earlier in the season. 

The team have now scored 91 goals in their 46 games and it looks like only a matter of time before they hit the 100 goal mark. I've always said a team has to average over two points per game to challenge for the title and Arsenal are now above that average for the first time this season. They have finished lower than second in the last nine seasons, but they have a genuine chance of reversing that trend at the moment. 

There's still a trophy to play for too and Arsenal have to be favourites to lift the FA Cup again on current form. It could still all go wrong this season and Arsenal could end up with nothing, but it looks increasingly like they will continue their current form and give themselves a great chance of winning the cup and finishing second in the league. The league is still a pipe dream, but the longer the team keeps this winning streak going the more likely it is that the dream will have a tiny chance of coming true.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

The Ups And Downs Of The Arsenal Season So Far

The season is quickly drawing to a close with only eight Premier League games and an FA Cup semi and possible final to play for Arsenal. In the 46 games they have played so far their season has swung to and fro and they're currently in the best position they have been all season. They have a genuine chance of finishing as runners up in the league and their defence of the trophy they won last May has gone perfectly so far.

The best piece of business Arsene Wenger managed last summer was the capture of Alexis Sanchez from what seemed like the grasp of Liverpool. Arsenal paid a premium for a proven top class player who scored 28 goals for Barcelona last season despite not being a permanent fixture in their team. He had an immediate impact and his form almost single handedly carried the team in the first half of the season as they struggled with injuries and lack of form. He has 19 goals already this season in all competitions which is very good for a player who is not an out and out striker even if Arsenal have played him in that position a couple of times.

It didn't look like Arsenal would be getting involved in the deadline day dealings back in August, but that changed with Olivier Giroud's leg back against Everton. They needed another striker in the squad and quickly too, but there weren't too many options until Danny Welbeck made his arrival from United. He has been a very good team player since his arrival even if his goal return hasn't been great and he was worth the fee alone just for his winning goal away to United in the FA Cup quarter final. He might not have been the manager's first choice, but he has proved to be a very smart move at a reasonable price so far.

Lukasz Fabianski left when his contract expired and that departure left Arsenal short of a goalkeeper in the squad. The boss again managed a very smart piece of business to bring Colombian international David Ospina in after an impressive World Cup. Ospina suffered an injury early on and had to bide his time with Wojciech Szczesny as first choice, but he took his chance when it came along and he has made himself first choice since he replaced Szczesny after the New Year's Day defeat at Southampton. I'm still not sure if he is a better keeper than Szczesny, but at least Szczesny has a chance of getting a winners medal in the FA Cup this season after Fabianski played in the final last season. I know what the manager's policy is on who plays in the cup games, but I thought Szczesny should have played as Fabianski had made it clear he would be off at the end of the season.

Perhaps the biggest factor in Arsenal's improvement has been the recall of Francis Coquelin from his loan spell at Charlton as Arsenal suffered an injury crisis in midfield. Coquelin looked to have no future at Arsenal after a few seasons of loans to various clubs, but he saw his chance and took it with both hands. He has fitted perfectly into the defensive midfield role us fans have been hoping to see filled for far too long and has made a real difference to the defensive strength of the team. For me he seems to be prepared to do the work too many others weren't prepared to do in that role and crucially he doesn't switch off from first minute to last. 

Perhaps the biggest error of last summer was the failure to add a central defender to a squad which was already one central defender short before Thomas Vermaelen was sold and Bacary Sagna went on his merry way. The boss addressed the problem in January though when he brought in Gabriel Paulista from Villarreal and he already looks like he is going to fit into the team very easily. I have been very impressed with what I have seen from him so far and he looks perfectly suited to playing in the Premier League.

The injury situation early in the season didn't make things easy for Arsenal and they never really strung a good run of results together. With players like Laurent Koscielny, Mesut Ozil, Olivier Giroud, Mikel Arteta, Theo Walcott, Aaron Ramsey, Mathieu Debuchy and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all missing plenty of games there was no stability to the team and results suffered. It's no coincidence that the return of most of those players has seen a marked improvement in the results and performances and Arsenal look so much better right now.

On the down side the Champions League ended in disappointment in the round of 16 yet again for the fifth season in a row and the defeat to Monaco was hard to swallow. The first leg performance was so horrific that it left too much to be done in the second leg and the team couldn't quite manage it despite a very good performance on the night. For me the biggest disappointment in the Champions League outside of that first leg against Monaco was the home game against Anderlect when Arsenal surrendered a three goal lead and only got a point from the game. A win in that game would have seen Arsenal win the group although I'm not sure how they might have fared against Juventus in the last 16. I think that result had the worst effect of any game on the team this season and they lost their next two games which was the only time this season they have lost twice in a row.

There also seems to have been a realisation from the boss that he needed to adopt different tactics for different opponents in the last few months. In that time Arsenal have won away to City in the league and United in the cup, but they haven't always got it right as the home leg against Monaco showed. They have won 14 of their last 16 games in all competitions though and one of the main reasons is the change in approach to so many games. 

The addition of Gabriel has made the squad that little bit stronger and it's getting very close to a squad to be reckoned with by any team. A couple of additions this summer as well as keeping the players who we cannot afford to sell should set Arsenal up for a genuine title challenge next season. I don't think there can be any excuses next season though and failure to challenge for the title could be the final straw for the boss. I'm not saying I want to see him leave, but the squad he has now assembled and should add to needs to take that next step.

I was one of the people who was very critical of Giroud after his nightmare performance in the first leg against Monaco and it would have been oh so easy for the boss to leave him out after that game. He was given the chance to make amends though and had repaid the faith shown in him by scoring the first goal in each of the five games he has started since that night. If he had been dropped who knows what it might have done to his confidence and the boss managed the situation perfectly which saw him get the perfect return. 

There's so much still to play for with up to 10 games still to play and the team look like they are up to the task. I would be thrilled to see them retain the FA Cup and third in the league would make me pretty happy too, but I think second place is there for the taking. If they can manage to finish second and win the cup it might just give them the confidence they need to push on and go on to even greater things next season.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal v Hull City: FA Cup Third Round Preview

The FA Cup usually throws up a few strange or quirky draws in the third round every season and so it is with Arsenal's game against Hull. The clubs last met in the cup when they contested the final last May in what was a very memorable encounter. That final went Arsenal's way after extra time despite Hull racing into an early two goal lead.

That victory over Hull was Arsenal's first trophy in nine years and we hoped it was the start of something good for the club with the financial shackles also removed. Things started well in the summer transfer market, but some crucial areas of the squad were neglected and it's same old, same old for Arsenal this season. They are currently fifth in the league with a top three or four finish as their only realistic target and all hopes of a league title gone. 

The title challenge lasted a lot longer last season but ultimately ended up with a fourth placed finish and the FA Cup as the only realistic chance of a trophy. This season seems to be heading down that oh so familiar track although there is a very good chance of the team reaching the last eight of the Champions League this time. It would be their best performance in that competition in a few years if they were to beat Monaco, but realistically that's about as far as they can hope to go in the Champions League.

With all of that in mind today's game against Hull becomes a very important one for the players and the fans. Not only is it the only realistic chance of a trophy, but it's also Arsenal's trophy to defend and they need to do so for as long as possible. No other team has won the FA Cup more often than Arsenal and a win this season would see them hold the record on their own as the team who have won the most FA Cup finals.

In team news it looks like Arsene Wenger will have the same squad available to him as the one which were beaten 2-0 by Southampton on Sunday with a slight possibility of Mathieu Flamini and Mesut Ozil returning from their respective injuries. The perceived first choice defence was played against Southampton and they most certainly didn't cover themselves in glory. It was all going very well until Wojciech Szczesny and Laurent Koscielny combined to hand Southampton their first goal and after that they just went to pieces. 

Szczesny in particular had a game to forget when he inexplicably handed the second goal to Southampton with a clearance right out of a "Keystone Cops" sketch. The lack of composure he showed was unbelievable for a player with over 150 first team appearances behind him and he can't continue to be considered a goalkeeper with "loads of potential". He needs to live up to that potential on a consistent basis and it seems the only way he will do that is if he is put under pressure for his place.

David Ospina was bought to do just that, but his injury has made it too easy for Szczesny and his standards have dropped as a result. Emiliano Martinez got a chance when Szczesny was suspended and injured and did well, but was immediately dropped to the bench on Szczesny's return. I thought Ospina was fit again but he wasn't in the squad on Sunday so I can't see him playing today.

The boss has traditionally rotated his team and given fringe players a run in the cup, but the lack of available players doesn't give him too many options today. I would expect him to go with a very similar team to Sunday with Theo Walcott possibly coming in to make his full return to the team after getting injured at this stage of the FA Cup last season. When he's back to match fitness Walcott will be a real asset to the team, but it will take a while for him to get there.

In midfield I don't think it was fair on Calum Chambers to throw him in for his first start as a midfielder against a team as good as Southampton and with such a makeshift Arsenal team. Francis Coquelin was again very good in his defensive midfield role, but I wouldn't be surprised if Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain dropped back to play alongside him. Chamberlain's natural instinct is to attack and he wasn't at his best against Southampton, but he can play that defensive role and has done reasonably well there in the past. The majority of the defensive work will be done by Coquelin and Hull are no Southampton, but Chamberlain is capable of putting a shift in too.

The players have to be feeling an awful lot of fatigue after such a busy festive schedule and even more so as the injury situation has limited the manager's options in every single game. There's a real case to be made for giving both Alexis Sanchez and Santi Cazorla a much needed rest and pushing players too hard has led to too many injuries for the team in the past. I doubt if either player will be rested though as they are so important to the team and there are so few options at the moment. At least there's no midweek game this week and the players will have a chance to recover between today and next Sunday's game at home to Stoke.

Chuba Akpom could well make a start even if both Alexis and Cazorla play and he is a player who has the potential to become a very good player. With Lukas Podolski departed on loan to Inter Milan there aren't too many other options available to the boss. Podolski's chances were very limited this season and I can understand his desire to play, but it's hard to see why Arsenal let him go with all of their current injury worries. They could have at least waited another week or two until some of the injured players returned and put the team's needs ahead of the player's.

Hull will be just as tired from their recent games as Arsenal, but they have managed to win a couple of games to move away from the relegation zone. They have struggled to win games and score goals this season, but they are not an easy team to beat as they proved when they came to Arsenal and got a 2-2 draw earlier in the season. They will surely be very anxious to make amends for that cup final defeat and maybe go on another cup run of their own.

For me Arsenal are at their worst when they concede and Southampton showed that up on Sunday. I worry every time they concede a goal that they will go to pieces and sometimes it takes them an eternity to regain any sort of confidence once the opposition score. That seems to be the case when they concede first in a game or even when they are already 3-0 up like they were against Anderlecht. 

Despite the shortage of options and the obvious fatigue I still think whatever team Arsenal put out today will be more than good enough to beat Hull. I want to see them play with verve and confidence and dominate the game from first minute to last while winning well, but I will take any sort of victory. The feeling of elation after nine years of waiting last May was magnificent and I don't want all hopes of a trophy to have disappeared in the first week in January.

Hopefully the team can win and do so without the need for a replay and give themselves a month with no midweek football. It looks like the injury problems are sorting themselves out although that's probably tempting fate knowing how quickly Arsenal players pick up new injuries. A lack of midweek games would surely give the players who have been overplayed a chance to get a much needed rest and bring the injured players slowly back into the fold.

With the games stretched out from Friday to Monday and the fourth round draw not until Monday it's very hard to get a real feel for the FA Cup. I know it's to maximise the amount of games on TV, but I can't help feeling the competition is suffering as a result. A repeat of last season's final might be just the spectacle the competition needs and the holders going out always gets plenty of press. Hopefully that won't happen today and we will be treated to the holders showing their intent to keep a firm hold on their trophy.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Stay Strong To Beat West Ham

Arsenal went to West Ham yesterday knowing they were going to face a really strong physical test and they would have to be at their best to stand up to it. The good news was the inclusion of Laurent Koscielny in the defence from the start as he is such an important player to Arsenal. His absences for the majority of the last couple of months have been sorely felt by the team and the defence has struggled in his absence.

Kieran Gibbs was the man to miss out as Nacho Monreal moved to left back while Francis Coquelin came into the midfield and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain joined the attacking trio. The other players to miss out were the injured again Tomas Rosicky and the suspended Olivier Giroud. The absence of Giroud for three games was a chance for Danny Welbeck to lead the attack and show what he can do.

West Ham dominated the early proceedings and Alex Song had a goal disallowed early on when his 25 yard shot was correctly ruled out with up to three West Ham players offside and interfering with play. West Ham were none too happy with the decision, but Diafra Sakho opened his legs to let the ball through them and Andy Carroll was blocking any view Szczesny might have had of the ball. If they weren't the definition of interfering with play in an offside position then I don't know what is.

West Ham continued to have the best of the first half, but Arsenal stayed strong in defence and looked dangerous on the break. With Coquelin playing alongside Mathieu Flamini as a defensive shield the defence got the protection it needed and West Ham's biggest threat was from crosses and long balls into the Arsenal area. Wojciech Szczesny did his part though and came for as many crosses as could be expected and looked commanding in his area.

The game turned in Arsenal's favour in the five minutes before half time when they scored twice in quick succession. The first goal came when Winston Reid took Santi Cazorla down as the Arsenal player raced through on goal and it was as obvious a penalty as you can get. When Reid saw Cazorla was past him he raised his leg to trip him and his loud objections to the referee were laughable. Cazorla got up to resume his penalty taking duties after Alexis Sanchez had missed one on Friday and he made no mistake to put Arsenal 1-0 up.

With West Ham reeling Arsenal pounced quickly to double their advantage only a couple of minutes later. A very good one-two between Mathieu Debuchey and Chamberlain led to Chamberlain cutting the ball across the goal and Welbeck was on hand to stab it home from a few yards out. After enduring a West Ham bombardment it was a great way for Arsenal to finish the first half and they set themselveslves up perfectly to take the three points.

In true Arsenal style they gave up a goal early enough in the second half to put themselves under pressure for the rest of the match. Rather than wilting the players stood strong though and continued to create chance after chance on the break in that second half. It took a combination of fine goalkeeping from Adrian and poor finishing from Arsenal to keep the score at 2-1 and as long as it stayed that way West Ham had hope. 

There were a couple of scares near the end but thankfully Arsenal held firm and got their second win of the festive programme. The importance of the win was shown even more when all of the team's above them failed to win and Arsenal moved to three points behind third placed United. They're still a long way off the top of the table, but third place is well within their sights.

West Ham had a very good home record before yesterday and Arsenal had to dig deep to get the win. The return of Koscielny was a real factor in their defensive display and it has to be hoped he can remain fit for as many games as possible. Coquelin also has to be praised for his contribution as there weren't too many Arsenal fans happy to see him in the team or who think he's good enough to play for Arsenal. The chances are he won't make a career for himself at the club, but be was called upon in times of need to do a job and performed admirably.

Next up is a trip to Southampton on Thursday and they showed exactly how good they can be with a draw at home to Chelsea yesterday. There should hopefully be a few more options for Arsene Wenger in that game with some of the injured players gradually coming back to fitness. I wouldn't be surprised to see Coquelin in the team again as either Aaron Ramsey or Mikel Arteta would probably be on the bench if they are in the squad. 

The festive programme has gone very well so far for Arsenal with six points out of six and a win at Southampton would make it a perfect nine out of nine. They have had to dig deep and defend in depth at times in both games so far and they managed to do all that was asked of them on both occasions. More of the same on Thursday would show that the team really might be finding some of the fabled consistency which they have struggled to find this season.

Theo Walcott didn't get a run again yesterday and it's hard to see when he will be reintroduced with games so tight at the moment. He needs to be gradually reintroduced as he hasn't started a game in a year and it's not easy to bring him on when the team's backs are against the wall. Maybe he'll get his chance from the start in the FA Cup game with Hull on Sunday. At least Arsenal will get an extra days rest between Thursday and Sunday with the game being switched from it's original date on Saturday.

The transfer window will open up before Arsenal play again and we have to hope the boss has his targets identified and will act as early as possible to get them. They lack of defensive strength in depth has been exposed too often this season and he needs to bring in a central defender who can compete for a first team place immediately. 

Ideally any player signed will be free to play in the Champions League but that won't be a deal breaker. A player who can take Koscielny's place when he is required to is needed and hopefully allow Koscielny to nurse his injury and take his place in the team when he is needed in some of the more important games. Players such as Winston Reid and Ron Vlaar have been mentioned and I'm not sure if they are the right players for Arsenal or not, but if we're interested we need to test the resolve of their clubs from day one.

For now though the players need to get some rest and gear themselves up for another really important game. A win on Thursday would move them up to fourth at worst and put them in a great position before they start their defence of the FA Cup. If things really go Arsenal's way they could be as high as third onThursday night and that would be some improvement on where they were and seemed to be going just a short while ago.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Advance In Europe As More Injuries Strike

Last night was a good night for Arsenal for the first time in a while as they beat Dortmund to guarantee their place in the last 16 of the Champions League. After throwing away a three goal lead at home to Anderlecht in their last group game Dortmund looked like a frightening prospect as they brought their 100% record to the Emirates. A draw was all Arsenal needed to guarantee the runners up spot in the group, but their win still gives them an outside chance of topping the group.

To win the group they will have to win away to Galatasaray by at least six goals if Dortmund draw at home to Anderlecht or just win if Anderlecht win that game. The chances of either scenario are highly unlikely as Arsene Wenger is sure to give his fringe players a run out in that game and Anderlect have already secured third place in the group and a spot in the last 32 of the Europa League.

The boss made three changes from the team which somehow managed to lose at home to United on Saturday. Emiliano Martinez replaced the injured Wojciech Szczesny in goal, Santi Cazorla came in for the injured Jack Wilshere in midfield and Yaya Sanogo started in attack with Danny Welbeck injured or not risked. It meant Cazorla assumed the playmakers role and he took the chance to show how he likes that role with a very good display. Sanogo hadn't managed a goal for Arsenal since he joined at the start of last season and I didn't hold out much hope of him breaking that duck to be honest.

I'm delighted to admit I was wrong as it took him only 75 seconds to get his name on the scoresheet. He controlled a throw in and laid it off to Cazorla before taking the return ball and slotting it through the advancing keeper's legs and into the net. It was just the start Arsenal needed and luck went their way for a change recently as Sanogo was marginally offside, but the offside wasn't given.

After that it became scrappy for a while with both teams closing each down quickly and very little time on the ball for anybody. Dortmund only made one decent chance in the first half, but Martinez was up to the challenge and made a fine save at his near post just before the break. At the other end a little more composure from Sanogo would have seen him increase the lead as Arsenal looked the most likely to score the next goal.

Dortmund came out of the traps flying in the second half and Arsenal seemed content to hit them on the break. It was just short of the hour mark when they increased their lead and it just had to be Alexis Sanchez who got the goal. He has been quite magnificent since he joined Arsenal and it looked like his high tempo game had been adopted by his team mates last night too.

He took a pass from that man Cazorla again on the left side just outside the area before cutting inside the defender and unleashing a curler into the far corner. I can't remember seeing an Arsenal player score a goal like that since the days of Thierry Henry and Denis Bergkamp. That goal gave Arsenal a two goal advantage and they didn't look like surrendering it for a change.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain came closest to adding his name to the scoresheet when he teed the ball up and placed a great shot which left the keeper flat footed, but it came back off the bar. He was another player who put in a great performance and he looks to be really finding his feet now that he's a more permanent fixture in the team. Both he and Calum Chambers gave the left side of the Dortmund defence a rough ride all night.

I thought Mikel Arteta had an excellent game in midfield too and it was worrying to see him limp off yet again. Hopefully he won't be out for too long although Mathieu Flamini played well when he replaced him. Overall the midfield defended as a unit in the second half in particular and didn't over commit going forward and the team reaped the benefits.

It's almost as if they and the boss learned a lesson and decided it's easier to win games if you don't throw goals away. Hopefully that lesson will be remembered over the next few weeks and the team can put a run together to strengthen their position in the league. There's still 26 league games to play and there's no reason why a properly focused Arsenal can't win almost 20 of those games.

I thought Martinez did all that could be asked of him and made another very good save late on to keep the score at 2-0 and stop Arsenal getting any late jitters. On last night's display he should be challenging Szczesny for his place in the team considering how Szczesny has played this season. Hopefully the realisation he has an actual challenger will get Szczesny to improve his game too.

Nacho Monreal has had plenty of criticism lately as he has been asked to play a role he's not accustomed to and has struggled there. He looked a lot better last night and maybe he is beginning to adjust to life as a central defender. I did read one fan on Twitter suggest he will be Laurent Koscielny's partner in central defence when Koscielny returns at the expense of Per Mertesacker, but I doubt that very much. Mertesacker has been far from his best recently, but I think he will benefit from Koscielny's return as will all of the defence.

I know Dortmund are struggling badly in their domestic league and had already assured their qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League before last night, but I was still impressed with Arsenal. They went about what they had to do in a professional manner and got the win they needed to make sure they don't need to get something from the trip to Galatasaray next month. Hopefully that win will help to rebuild some of the confidence the team has been so badly missing.

Arsenal are still far from their best, but the only way to get through a spell like the one they are going through is with hard work and commitment. They showed both of them in abundance last night as well as playing with a fair deal of intelligence too. A few more performances like that and the confidence will come flooding back and hopefully the good football Arsenal are known for too.

Unfortunately the injury position at the club didn't improve last night with both Arteta and Sanogo going off after picking up knocks. Then there was the news that Jack Wilshere will be out for three months after undergoing surgery on the ankle he injured against United on Saturday. Just as it looked like the squad was getting close to full strength the players have started dropping like flies yet again.

There were so many positives from the game after the recent run of negative performances and results. There are three league games coming up in quick succession before the trip to Galatasaray and an opportunity for the team to make a move up the table. If they can take all nine points from those three games they will be in a much healthier position, but it will be a far from easy task. It's one that's not beyond the team and hopefully they can do just that.

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.

Arsenal Beat Besiktas But Only Just

Arsenal played Besiktas last night knowing a victory would take them through to the group stages of the Champions League for the seventeenth season in a row. After drawing the first leg 0-0 in Turkey last week it was a game Arsenal were expected to win, but it certainly wasn't going to be easy.

Arsene Wenger chose Alexis Sanchez in the central striker's role with Olivier Giroud injured and he was flanked by Mesut Ozil and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The rest of the team was more or less as expected and there was more than enough quality to get the win they needed.

The first chance came Arsenal's way but Jack Wilshere pulled the ball wide of the far post with only the keeper to beat although he did have three defenders on him. He should have done better really and so should Santi Cazorla only a few minutes later when the Besiktas keeper hit a clearance straight to him and his first time effort never troubled an empty goal. At that stage Arsenal seemed to be missing Giroud's presence up front with Sanchez struggling to make an impression at times. He never stopped working though and both of those chances were thanks to his efforts.

Besiktas had a couple of penalty claims denied after that and they were both close calls which just about went Arsenal's way. Mathieu Debuchy had already been booked for a stupid challenge on a Besiktas player when he slid in to make a last ditch tackle in the Arsenal area. He got the ball but the referee might easily have given a free kick if it happened outside the box. A short while later Wilshere slid in to attempt a challenge on a Besiktas player as he was about to shoot, but he didn't appear to make contact and the referee did very well to wave play on as his opponent went down.

Arsenal were struggling but I hoped they would put on a better show in the second half as they have done so often in recent seasons. As half time was almost upon us they got the breakthrough they wanted and it was that man Sanchez who put it away after some fine work from Wilshere and Ozil. It was just what Arsenal needed to ease their nerves and Sanchez's first goal for the club too.

Arsenal started well after the break and had the better of things, but they were nervous without the safety of a second goal. They had chances though with the keeper pushing a Sanchez effort onto the post and both Santi Cazorla and Chamberlain missing when they should have scored. The Chamberlain miss in particular could have proved crucial with the game swinging in Besiktas' favour within seconds.

He somehow managed to shoot straight at the keeper from only a couple of yards out and then Debuchy got a second yellow card as he tried to stop a Besiktas break immediately afterwards. I thought the card was very harsh but it's a risk you take when you put in such a tackle in European games in particular. It left Arsenal with 15 minutes to try to stop Besiktas getting the goal which would more than likely have been enough to send them through. 

To add insult to injury Calum Chambers was booked as he came on to replace Ozil because he entered the field of play too soon. He had come in to play at right back with Debuchy gone and Ozil was the obvious choice to go off. It was an awful lot to ask of him to start for the second time in five days as he is clearly still well short of full match fitness. He should hopefully be up to speed once the international break ends in a couple of weeks. 

With time ticking by Besiktas saw more and more of the ball and they eventually created the chance they were looking for. Luckily for Arsenal Demba Ba failed to connect with a header at the far post and Arsenal saw the game out easily enough after that. It was far from vintage stuff from Arsenal, but they got they result they needed and that was all that mattered. Wojciech Szczesny never actually had to make a save during the game with Besiktas failing to get a single shot on target despite the feeling of impending doom I felt at times.

I've rarely seen the boss look so worried on the sideline when Arsenal were winning, but it was a very important game for him. He might have almost made light of not qualifying before the game, but there can be no doubt of how important the game was to him and the team. With qualification now obtained hopefully he can go out and get the players the club so badly needs before the transfer window closes.

That list included a striker for me and that need has been impressed even more upon Arsenal with the news after the game that Giroud will be out until the new year after having an operation on a broken tibia. It's a huge risk to play at least half of the season without Arsenal's first choice striker, but that appears to be the plan at the moment. Hopefully that plan will change in the next few days and a top clas striker will arrive, but it's not easy to find the right player so late in the window. 

From here it's a trip to Leicester on Sunday and a win would see the team through a very tough start to the season in a good place. With a spot in today's draw for the Champions League group stages secured it would be great to see the team end the month with seven out of their first nine points in the league too. Leicester will be no pushover, but Arsenal are more than capable of going there and winning. 

Finally for today Arsenal drew Southampton at home in the third round of the Capital One Cup in a game to be played on Tuesday September 23 or Wednesday September 24. The boss will surely play the fringe players in that game and it could well see the returns of Theo Walcott and Abu Diaby too. It's the least important of the trophies on offer this season and it won't be an easy task to beat Southampton if they put out their strongest team.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.