Arsenal and Arsene Wenger - Stick Or Twist

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Champions League Trip To Anderlecht Previewed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Deadline Day Dealings Leave Arsenal Short At The Back

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Closing In On Their Transfer Targets

With the World Cup getting close to it's conclusion and Arsenal's players already preparing to start their pre season training it's surely time for the club to close in on their transfer targets. A few players have left the club to make way for the incoming players and the most notable of them is Bacary Sagna. With his departure on a free transfer to City there is a gaping hole in the Arsenal defence and it needs to be filled quickly.

It has to be remembered that Sagna was not only the first choice right back, but he also filled in at centre back too. His ability to do so meant Arsenal got away with having only three centre backs and they will have to buy two players to replace Sagna. There has been plenty of talk about impending arrivals of right backs, but nowhere near as much when it comes to centre backs.

The most recent right back to be linked with Arsenal is Newcastle's Mathieu Debuchey and he could be available at a price which might just tempt Arsenal. For me Sagna is a better defender, but Debuchey offers more going forward. He's keeping Sagna out of the French team at the moment but given a choice I would have Sagna before Debuchey every single time.

Of course it's not a choice as Sagna has chosen to pursue his footballing interests on the City bench with a much heftier wage packet to comfort him. He'll be sorely missed but at least Debuchey has plenty of experience in the Premier League if he is the one to replace him and he would certainly add something to the team going forward. I would be a little worried about his temperament though and he's always likely to lose the plot and get himself sent off. 

In midfield it seems as if Arsenal have identified Arturo Vidal as the player they want to strengthen the team. He looked very good in a classy Chile side in the World Cup and he could be the box to box powerhouse Arsenal are looking for. It won't be easy to pry him away from Juventus though and he will only be sold if Juventus decide to sell him. 

There are plenty of others teams who would be interested in signing Vidal if Juventus do decide to sell and I would imagine it would become a bidding war very quickly. As it is United are said to be chasing his signature and City could quickly become interested if Yaya Toure decides he no longer wants to play for them. I would be surprised if Vidal ended up at Arsenal and they might have a better chance of landing one of their other targets such as Morgan Schneiderlin, Lars Bender or Sami Khedira.

Arsenal have shown an interest in Bender and Khedira before while Schneiderlin seems to be one of many players on the way out of Southampton. All three of them could be good additions to the Arsenal team/squad and it's not easy to know which one would fit in best at the club. Despite both Khedira and Bender having played the game at a higher level than Schneidelin he would still cost as much as he would be coming from an English team and that always pushes the price up.   

It won't be easy to pry Bender from Bayer Leverkusen as he signed a new contract not so long ago and Madrid won't be easily persuaded to part with Khedira. It might be easier to get Schneiderlin with so much change going on at Southampton and a new manager taking the reins too. His cost might be prohibitive but it does look like the club are looking for a defensive midfielder and all three of those players fit the bill. At a push I think Bender might be the one to suit Arsenal best, but he could be the hardest of all of them to sign.

In an attacking role it looks as if Arsenal could be closing in on a deal for Alexis Sanchez and it would be great to see him sign for the club. He's an exceptional talent and could be the attacking player the team needs to push even harder on all fronts next season. Arsenal aren't the only team after Sanchez though and I won't believe he's an Arsenal player until I see a photo of him with an Arsenal shirt and the news is confirmed on the official club site. 

If the reports are to be believed Liverpool wanted him as a makeweight in the deal which will send Luis Suarez to Barcelona, but Sanchez wasn't keen on the move. Juventus are said to be keen too and despite so many supposed "in the knows" claiming the deal is done he's still not an Arsenal player yet. With a new kit provided by a new manafacturer about to be launched it would make perfect sense for such a big signing to be unveiled as the first signing in the Puma kit.

I can only dream at the prospect of Sanchez and Theo Walcott running through on passes played by Mesut Ozil. Of course us Arsenal fans have been here before and usually had our hopes dashed, but the tide might have turned with the Ozil purchase last summer. Hopefully Sanchez will arrive and help Arsenal to play some really exciting attacking football next season.

At the moment the Debuchey deal looks very close to being done and the Sanchez one could possibly follow it very quickly. I'm not so sure whether the deals for any of the other three will follow but I wouldn't be disappointed if any one of the three signed. There's still a long way to go to the end of the transfer window, but it looks like Arsenal are gearing up to get some signings in well before deadline day.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Seven Arsenal Players Reach The Last Eight Of The World Cup

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

An Arsenal World Cup Update

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Players At The World Cup

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Close To Signing Serge Aurier

Bacary Sagna has been a fantastic right back for Arsenal over the last seven years, but he has made his intention to leave this summer common knowledge. With his contract at an end he can leave on a free transfer and he is sure to have a host of clubs looking to sign him. Unfortunately from an Arsenal perspective it's not going to be easy to replace him and it won't be cheap either.

Arsenal offered Sagna a new contract but he chose to leave and he will earn more elsewhere I'm sure. A new three year contract would probably have cost Arsenal up to €20 million in wages, but a replacement is bound to cost more between wages and a transfer fee. It won't be easy to replace a player of Sagna's ability, commitment and determination, but it can of course be done. I don't think Carl Jenkinson is quite up to the job on a permanent basis yet and he will probably remain as an understudy to whoever the club sign.

The name which keeps coming up again and again is Serge Aurier and from what I've seen of him he looks like he would be a very good purchase. The Toulouse and Ivory Coast defender was in the team of the season in the French League and looks set to put himself in the shop window at the World Cup which starts next week. He's been quoted as wanting to play for Arsenal and according to this Daily Mail article he even told a fan he will be joining Arsenal.

Arsenal aren't the only team interested in his services though and there are suggestions Liverpool will try to sign the player before Arsenal. If he is so keen to come to Arsenal then surely they should move quickly and sign him before the World Cup starts. Once the tournament has started it will be a lot harder to sign players and the club will more than likely have to wait until it's over to do their business.

The summer break might seem like it's long to us fans but once the World Cup is over the team will be back to pre season training pretty quickly. With a Community Shield and the final round of the Champions League qualifiers to play Arsenal need to get their squad sorted out as soon as possible. A signing before the World Cup begins would send out all the right signals about the clubs intentions this summer. Hopefully Aurier can be that player and go on to become as good for the club as Sagna was.

I don't hold a grudge against Sagna for leaving, but I would be far from happy to see him playing for another Premier League club next season. Hopefully he will decide his future lies outside of the English game and the only way he will play against Arsenal will be if his new team draw them in the Champions League. The blow of him leaving would certainly be softened if Aurier was to take his place and the sooner the better. 

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Finish Their League Campaign On A High

Arsenal played their final league game of the season yesterday when they travelled to already relegated Norwich City. Arsenal came into the game on a run of four wins in a row and wanted to finish their season with 15 points from their last five games and their highest points tally since 2005. Despite Norwich already being as good as relegated they have proved to be a tough team to beat at home this season and weren't going to lie down and play dead.

I expected Arsene Wenger to make quite a few chances to the team with next week's FA Cup final against Hull in mind. There weren't too many changes though as the boss chose to pick a strong side and keep the team's momentum going. The team he picked proved to be far too strong for Norwich and Arsenal ran out 2-0 winners. 

Lukasz Fabianski was picked in goal which denied Wojciech Szczesny the chance to run up the most clean sheets of any keeper in the Premier League this season. With Szczesny not playing I think he might be the keeper to get the nod for the cup final next week which would be the correct decision in my opinion. It's a possibility that Fabianski was played because he will be the one to play in the cup final next week and it was decided to give him a game the week beforehand. 

Fabianski has played in every other round but he's set to leave in the summer and surely Szczesny has to be the man for the cup final. Fabianski had a very good game though and he showed he will be a big loss to the squad when he does leave. He had his problems when he first got into the team, but he probably would be Arsenal's first choice right now if it wasn't for a series of unfortunate injuries at exactly the wrong times for him.

In defence both Kieran Gibbs and Carl Jenkinson came into the team with Nacho Monreal dropping to the bench and Per Mertesacker getting a day off. It meant Bacary Sagna played as a central defender, but I have no doubt that Mertesacker will be back in the team next week. Gibbs got the chance to prove his fitness after his latest injury and it's going to be a very close call between him and Monreal next week.

In midfield Aaron Ramsey and Tomas Rosicky came in for Mathieu Flamini and Santi Cazorla but their additions certainly didn't weaken the team. Ramsey has had a great season and Arsenal's fate in the league might have been a lot different if he hadn't missed over three months due to injury. If he can stay fit for the whole of next season his influence could be what the team need to get even closer to winning the league than they did this season.

I was surprised to see Olivier Giroud starting as I thought he would be rested for next week after playing so many games this season. He is Arsenal's top scorer this season despite the misgivings I have about his goalscoring ability and it's important for the team that he is fit for next week. He went close on a couple of occasions, but again showed he doesn't have the killer instinct associated with a top class striker.

Norwich started well but Arsenal gradually took over and should have been ahead by half time, but a mixture of John Ruddy saves and some poor finishing kept Norwich in the game. With Ramsey and Mesut Ozil running the show in midfield I was confident the goals would come in the second half. 

It didn't take too long for Arsenal to go ahead in the second half and it was no surprise to see Ramsey get the goal. Just seven minutes in Giroud clipped a ball to the far post and Ramsey met it with a sweet volley into the top corner of the net. It was a fantastic finish from a player who's goals from midfield have been a revelation this season.

Only 10 minutes later the game was over as a contest when Jenkinson poked the ball home for his first goal for the club. He was thrilled with his goal and who can blame a player who has been a life long Arsenal fan. With Sagna also leaving this summer he might expect to play a lot more next season, but it does look like Arsenal are hunting for a new right back.

With Arsenal looking good for the win Jack Wilshere came on for Ramsey just after the goal and he will hope to at least make the bench next week. Like Ramsey his season has been interrupted by injury and that was his first appearance in 10 weeks. Arsenal have so many midfield options for next week that the boss will have a tough job picking the right combination.

With 15 minutes to go Giroud and Rosicky were replaced by Yaya Sanogo and Abou Diaby. It was great we too see Diaby back after a 14 month injury absence and on his 28th birthday too. It's impossible to know how his career might have gone if he didn't suffer that horrific injury in 2006 and hopefully he can put all of those injuries behind him now. Sanogo has been the striker to lead the line in the FA Cup this season, but it's difficult to imagine he will get the nod ahead of Giroud next week.

Arsenal went looking for more goals and could have had a few but Ruddy was at his best to deny them. At the other end Fabianski did his best to keep Norwich out and he did very well to keep a clean sheet on the day. The win saw Arsenal finish the season on 79 points in fourth place and qualify for the final qualifying round for next season's Champions League yet again.

They finished 15 points ahead of last season's champions and it's strange to think that tally only brought them fourth place. At the start of the season I would have thought finishing 15 points ahead of Umited would have been enough for any team to win the league. I would also have thought a final tally of 79 points would more than lithely have seen any team finish second in the league.

The season isn't over for Arsenal though with the FA Cup final to come next week and it will be judged as a successful one if they win the cup. The league campaign might be one full of what might have beens, but the thought of playing for a trophy next week is one all Arsenal fans are looking forward to. Let's hope they can continue the vein of form they're in at the moment and lift that trophy at Wembley next Saturday evening.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Beat West Brom To Finish Fourth

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal v West Brom Previewed

The season is almost over and Arsenal play their last home game against West Brom on Sunday. It's a chance for the players to say farewell to the majority of the fans and a last chance for most of the fans to see the players playing this season. Of course some of those fans will see the players away to Norwich next week and quite a few of them will see them play in the FA Cup final the week after that.

With Everton playing at home to City on Saturday there's every chance that Arsenal will have fourth place tied up before they play. If Everton have managed to get a result off City then Arsenal will need to win to finish fourth with a game in hand and qualify for the Champions League for the 17th season in a row. It's a healthy position for the team to be in after things looked so bleak following the defeat to Everton a few weeks ago, but it's still another season of what might have been.

With two games to go Arsenal are on 73 points and two wins would see them finish on 79 points which is their highest total since they were last runners up in 2005. They won the FA Cup that season with a victory over United on penalties and the cup is there for them to win this season too. There hasn't been a trophy in the nine years since then and the team owe it to the fans to end that wait.

With the season almost over Bacary Sagna still hasn't signed a new contract and this could be his last game for Arsenal at the Emirates. He has been an excellent servant for the club for the past seven years and I have no doubt that the fans will give him a great send off. He's playing his cards close to his chest about his future plans, but his reaction to those fans might well tell us whether he will be at the club next season or not. If he is to go I wish him all the best, but I hope he moves to another country because I wouldn't like to see him playing against Arsenal in the league next season.

West Brom could well find themselves virtually safe from the threat of relegation before the game starts if other results have gone their way. If both Cardiff and Fulham don't win their games on Saturday West Brom will definitely finish ahead of them and then Norwich could overtake them, but they would have to win at Chelsea later in the day to keep those hopes alive. The game could well have a bit of a strange atmosphere to it if both teams have already achieved their goals before the game starts.

From an Arsenal perspective I would be surprised to see any changes to the team which has won the last two games by the same 3-0 scoreline. With the cup final coming up that starting 11 is the most likely to take the field at Wembley and the more they can play together as a unit before then the better. Players such as Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil have missed a lot of football recently and the more minutes they have before the final the better.

I would love to see Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain play from the start at Wembley as I think he could have a field day with his pace in the wide open spaces. He missed out last week with a slight groin injury and he's not going to be ready for this game either. It would be a shame for him to miss out on the cup final and the team could do with him in the final too.

The only other player who might force his way into the cup final team might be Kieran Gibbs, but he won't be back this week either and will only have next week to prove his fitness. I think he's a better left back than Nacho Monreal and if it's a straight choice between them I think Gibbs will get the nod. 

West Brom haven't looked too bad in recent weeks and have taken eight points from their last five games to ease their relegation worries. They play some good football at times, but they are vulnerable in defence and Arsenal should get plenty of chances to show up that vulnerability. They have only won three of their 17 away games, but they have drawn six games away from home.

On the face of it Arsenal's home form has been very good and they're unbeaten at home since the opening day defeat against Villa. Much has been made of their heavy away defeats to the title contenders this season, but Arsenal have taken more away points than both City and Chelsea. The difference between them and the three teams above them has been the amount of games they won at home.

Those three teams have all won 15 home games while Arsenal have only won 12 games at home. They have drawn too many of those home games with City, Chelsea, Everton and United all coming to Arsenal and taking a point. They were all games they could have won and the only other home draw was a game they should have won against Swansea. The team were missing a cutting edge in those games and that inability to win at home has been costly. 

I think Arsenal will continue with the form they have showed in their last few games as they continue to finish the season in fine style. It has been a season of what might have beens in the league and that's something I'll go into more in my season review in a few weeks. For now though they can get on with the job of beating West Brom and finishing with as many points as possible before going to Wembley.

With three games left to play Arsenal have scored 93 goals this season in all competitions and it would be great to see them reach the 100 goal mark. Besides winning trophies I always think the team should manage 100 goals in a season as well as averaging a minimum of two points per game. Anything above 100 goals and two points per game will see the team at least come very close to winning a trophy.

There's every chance for Arsenal to get a few of the goals they need against West Brom and they should take the three points too. With a send off to the cup final the atmosphere in the ground should be very good and it has the makings of a very good afternoon. Hopefully the team can put in another performance to send everybody home happy and keep their hopes up for the cup final.

That's it for this week.

See you next week.

Plucky Arsenal Knock Out The Holders To Reach The FA Cup Final

Arsenal went to Wembley on Saturday to take on the FA Cup holders in an attempt to reach this season's final. With their league chances gone it was their last chance of silverware this season and they emerged with a win on penalties after extra time. They will face Hull City in the final on May 17 and hopefully end their nine year wait for a trophy.

Arsene Wenger made a few changes from the team which lost 3-0 to Everton the previous week. Aaron Ramsey started for the first time this year after recovering from injury with Lukasz Fabianski, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Yaya Sanogo also coming in. Mathieu Flamini didn't play as he was suspended, Tomas Rosicky missed out through injury and Olivier Giroud dropped to the bench as he had done in the previous rounds.

Wigan may have been the cup holders but they currently ply their trade in the Championship and Arsenal were rightly strong favourites to reach the final. Arsenal hadn't won in their last four games though and their injury ravaged team had struggled for form and confidence in those four games. If they were going to reach the final they were going to have to beat a Wigan team who had put up an excellent defence of the trophy they won last season.

It was far from a classic game and chances were few and far between in the first half with Sanogo and Bacary Sagna going closest for Arsenal and Wigan never really threatening the Arsenal goal. The second half seemed to be taking the same path until Per Mertesacker upended a Wigan player in the Arsenal area on the hour mark to give away a penalty. Jordi Gomez stepped up to put the ball past Fabianski from the spot, but the Arsenal keeper was to get plenty of other chances to deny Wigan from 12 yards.

Arsenal had half an hour left to save their season and Giroud came on for Lukas Podolski as they switched to playing two strikers. As the minutes ticked by they pushed further forward all the time, but it looked like their luck would desert them when Sagna hit the post with just over 10 minutes left. The goal they craved eventually came when Mertesacker got his head to a wayward Chamberlain shot to score from close range. His celebration was very emotional as he was very relieved after giving away the penalty Wigan had scored from. 

Arsenal had their equaliser and the game went to extra time without too much incident in the remaining minutes. In the 30 minutes of extra time it was Arsenal who did most of the attacking as they had done for the majority of the game and they came closest to scoring when Chamberlain hit the post with a fine shot. Kim Kallstrom made a rare appearance with eight minutes remaining as he came on for the fatigued Ramsey.

I thought Wigan were happy to go to penalties and take their chances from 12 yards and that's exactly what happened. Arsenal don't have the worst record in penalty shoot outs in recent years, but statistics like that fade from the mind when your team is faced with a shoot out. Fabianski is a good penalty saver though and I thought he might just be the man to make the difference for Arsenal. 

He proved to be the difference between the teams as he saved the first two Wigan penalties while Mikel Arteta, Kallstrom, Giroud and Santi Cazorla all scored to send Arsenal through 4-2 on penalties. It was tense and nervous but the players just about got the result they needed without ever being really convincing. It doesn't really matter how they won though as the all important fact is that they're through to the FA Cup final for the first time since 2005.

The players celebrated like they had won the cup after the game and it's understandable considering how close they were to going out and how their league campaign has floundered so badly recently. A lot of questions had been asked of these players and a defeat to Wigan would have ended their chances of a trophy. They now have a very real chance for glory at the same venue in just under five weeks and those celebrations had a fair degree of relief in them I would imagine.

With that cup final place booked they can concentrate on trying to win their last five league games to give them a chance of catching Everton and finishing in the top four. While it's important for the team to end it's trophy drought against Hull  it's equally important for them to qualify for next season's Champions League. Everton won again on Saturday and they're now two points ahead of Arsenal and both teams have five games to play. 

On paper Everton have the tougher run in but they have form on their side having won their last seven games in a row. They play at home to both Manchester clubs as well as Crystal Palace and face trips to Southampton and Hull. Arsenal have home games against West Ham, Newcastle and West Brom as well as trips to Hull and Norwich. 

It's certainly an easier run in for Arsenal, but they will need to win all of those games to put pressure on Everton. The first of those games is this Tuesday night at home to West Ham and the players have to put that approaching cup final out of their minds and concentrate on the job in hand. West Ham will be no pushovers, but a win would put Arsenal back into the top four before Everton play at home to Palace on Wednesday night.

It looks like being a very exciting end to the season even if it's only the usual annual fight for a top four place and the added bonus of a trophy to compete for. There should be a few players coming back from injury very soon too with Laurent Koscielny possibly available on Tuesday night and Mesut Ozil possibly returning next Sunday. They are two very important players and their returns will add some genuine quality to the team at a vital time. Let's hope they can help to make the difference that the team need right now.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

What Changes Can Arsenal Make Against Wigan

Arsenal haven't played well for quite a while now and they have an FA Cup semi final coming up on Saturday against Wigan. They're no longer in the title race and even fourth place has become a fight with Everton closing in quickly on them. If they're going to save their season they need to win the FA Cup and to get to the final they have to overcome the holders this Saturday evening.

Wigan were huge underdogs when they beat City in the final last year, but they finished the season getting relegated to the Championship. They didn't do too well early on this season but they have looked like a much better side Uwe Rosler took the reins. They have climbed into the play off places and went to City in the last round of the cup and won again. For all their positives though they are a Championship side and Arsenal are still a top four Premier League club. Wigan will have to play above themselves to get a result and Arsenal will have to put in another one of their far too frequent poor displays. 

For me there almost seems to be a picking order at Arsenal as Arsene Wenger continues to put his trust in players who are letting him down week after week. The team that was chosen against Everton last week was good enough on paper to have taken at least a point, but they failed abysmally both tactically and in their effort and commitment. There has to be other options and maybe it's a time a few changes were made to the team.

In defence I think Bacary Sagna has to play and it might not be the worst idea to switch him to centre back with Carl Jenkinson coming in on the right. If Kieran Gibbs isn't fit to return at left back then maybe Thomas Vermaelen could switch to that role as he must be better defensively than Nacho Monreal. That would leave Per Mertesacker alongside Sagna and Wojciech Szczesny still in goal as he can hardly be blamed for last week's debacle. I know a defence of Jenkinson, Vermaelen, Sagna and Mertesacker might not be ideal but the change might just be what the team needs. Ideally of course Laurent Koscielny will return from injury but that's by no means certain.

In midfield some changes are needed too and there are certainly options to be considered. With Aaron Ramsey back from injury I expect him to come in from the start and there has to be a case for Kim Kallstrom playing too. What was the point in signing Kallstrom if he's not going to play and he has enough experience and quality to cope at this level. I think Mathieu Flamini should be given the holding role and given strict instructions to hold his position at all times to protect the defence.

Mikel Arteta has looked jaded and off the pace recently and it surely has to be time to try to play without him. I know he's seen by many as the engine room of the team as he keeps things ticking in midfield, but a different approach is needed. No player can be immune from losing their place if they don't play well and Arteta is one of many who are badly out of sorts at the moment.

There's plenty of scope for change in the attacking trio too and Arsenal have to start the game with some genuine pace in the team. I think Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has to play despite being a bit hit and miss recently as he had the pace to put Wigan's defence on the back foot. At the moment he is one of the few Arsenal players who look capable of scoring when they play.

On the other side I would be tempted to keep Lukas Podolski in the team for his goal scoring ability, but if he doesn't play I think Serge Gnabry might deserve a shot. Like Chamberlain he offers pace and he has plenty of youthful enthusiasm too. It would be great to see an Arsenal team with a genuine attacking threat and the two youngsters on either side could well be the players to offer it.

The central strikers role is the biggest quandary of all as Olivier Giroud still looks like the best option despite playing so poorly recently. The alternatives are all ones the boss has shown no interest in up to now and they have gotten very little game time between them. Giroud has looked tired for a while now as he has played the strikers role almost single-handedly and he has become too easy for opponents to play against. 

Yaya Sanogo came on late against Everton and wrongfully had a goal disallowed for offside, but an injury plagued season has seen him make no real impression since he joined in August. It would be a big risk to play him in what could be Arsenal's most important game of the season so far, but he has more pace than Giroud and a fresh face could be what the team needs.

Nicklas Bendtner is again persona non grata at the club and the chances of him getting back into Arsene's plans are minimal. I think Chuba Akpom has returned from his loan spell at Brentford but he is hardly likely to get a look in desite impressing in pre season with the first team. It looks like a straight choice between Giroud and Sanogo and I think Giroud will get the nod, but I hope it's Sanogo.

I know it would be a huge risk to make so many changes in a game Arsenal have to win, but the team which has played week after week recently has had it's chances and failed far too often. Maybe a few of the up and coming and fringe players might be prepared to put more in if they get a rare chance and might just make the difference. They certainly can't do any worse than so many of the first choice players who were in the starting 11 last week. 

If the team is going to be different then the tactics will have to change too and Arsenal need to find a way to get behind opponents' defences. They are too predictable and too easy to stop and they have to find a way to get behind the opposition. If Sanogo can sit on the shoulder of the last defender or Chamberlain and Gnabry can break quickly it might just offer Arsenal the space they want to play as Wigan will have to drop off to try to stop them. 

I think there will be a couple of changes but certainly not as many as I have suggested and it would take a brave manager to make so many changes. Arsene is very loyal to his players but he's hardly known for changing his tactics or taking big risks. I wouldn't even be surprised if he decided to go with the same team which fared so badly against Everton if he decides to give them a chance to right the wrongs of that game.

No matter what team Arsenal put out they will be strong favourites to win the game and go on and win the FA Cup. I only hope they can do just that because the alternative doesn't bear thinking of. With their league chances lying in ruins it could well be the last straw if the FA Cup goes by the wayside too.

UPDATE: Flamini is suspended which means Arteta is more or less certain to start against Wigan. Thanks to those who told me in the comments and on Twitter.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Another Abysmal Arsenal Afternoon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Trip To Bayern Munich Previewed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Trip To Stoke Previewed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.