Arsenal in dire need of defenders

Arsene Wenger is going to have to delve into the transfer market for a new defender if he wants to challenge Manchester United for the Premier League title.

The Arsenal manager recently confirmed he would be looking for some cover at centre-half if it seems Thomas Vermaelen would not return from an achilles problem in the near future.

The news has been bad for Wenger, as the Belgian defender has been ruled out for a further six weeks as he needs an operation to cure the injury that has seen him unable to play since August.

With Sebastien Squillaci also out with a hamstring strain it means Laurent Koscielny and Johan Djourou are the club’s only recognised centre backs. It did not affect them however at the weekend as their easy win over West Ham ensured they remain two points behind leaders United in the Premier League title race and the football betting suggests it will be a close run thing.

But with many important games coming in both the Premier League and Champions League on the horizon, Wenger seems to have his hand forced and he will look for a new defender to bolster his injury-hit squad and anyone looking to bet on Premier League games  should remember this.

Vermaelen has said: “I have already tried to come back three times, but the pain proved too much on each occasion.

“Recent tests showed a minor problem next to the achilles tendon has been causing the pain. That’s why I’ll undergo surgery.”

Theo Walcott was on target during Arsenal’s 3-0 win over West Ham and he claimed after the game the real Gunners were back after two disappointing results.

The England man claims the mood is “great” among the Arsenal squad and it is looking like it could be a “great year” for the club, however the Premier League title may be a little bit too far for them.

We should be two points behind Chelski!

Our loss against The Toon army is rather difficult to take as we should have been sitting two points behind Chelsea and level on points with Man U. Yet again this season we have lost at home in front of our own fans and there was zero effort, zero urgency and zero desire to win the game. Take away nothing from Newcastle they were very well organised at the back and made us look very poor at times especially in the midfield.

I couldn’t watch the game from kick off I had to pick up my cousin from Luton Airport, his plane landed just before the game. At about 1:25pm we got back to the car and we headed for the M1 South towards M25, radio was tuned in to Talksport which was painful enough  but this was the best I could at the time. I have thought about this fixture and knew this was going to be a hard one as they would be looking for revenge after we knocked them out in Carling Cup a week ago. Judging from what was being said on Talksport we didn’t look like the Arsenal we all know. The only chance we had in the first half was the Cesc free kick which hit the bar however our passing, fluency and desire just wasn’t there and as soon as they scored I feared it could have been one of those days. The whistle blew, end of first half by that time I was approaching Reading on the M4 so had another 5 minutes on the road, I got to my local and we managed to quickly get a pint each and take a seat in front of the big screen. I didn’t even think for a second I would witness such a abysmal display from our lads it was even more painful to watch it on live TV.

Second half started and still we were pretty much shit to be honest with you, we found it really hard to pass the ball in the midfield, our passing was awful we usually move in triangles and pass the ball well what the hell happened to us I thought? Theo should have scored when he had a chance, Cesc had a decent header but it was straight at their keeper. The only good thing about the second half was when Van Persie came on, Jesus I thought how many lagers have I had already? Is it really him? It was him indeed and it was really good so see him getting back to his best. He’s definitely not match fit  and will need few more games to see the best come out of him. We never looked like scoring in the second half  we pushed forward but it wasn’t working. In dying minutes there was no leadership and Koscienly got a straight red for holding onto Nile Ranger but for me this wasn’t a sending off as it wasn’t a foul.

Fabianski was 100% to blame for the goal but he never really got any help from his defenders. We created bugger all in the second half, Theo should have scored, if he’s a better finisher this season why can’t he do the job when badly needed? Our midfield run out of ideas and as soon as I saw Cesc launching long balls I knew it was going to be one of those days. It’s a funny old game you know we have given away 6 points at home already this season to lesser teams and this is totally unacceptable.

A very HUGE, MASSIVE, GIAGANTIC response is required against Wolves and they seem to have improved as well so it won’t be an easy game now. We have lost our spark and I’m worried it has to be said.

Sunderland preview, time to make amends up north!

There was not  great deal of significant news surrounding Arsenal since the thrashing of Braga 6:0 on Wednesday evening. We witnessed a magnificent performance that evening which still makes me smile when I look back. For obvious reasons we need to make amends at the Stadium of Light this late afternoon, last time we didn’t play well and ultimately lost the game. It goes without saying that Sunderland is a place where three points should be secured and this time around due to our current run and form I see us doing just that. Meaestro Cesc has been talking about not getting ahead of ourselves and letting the others know Sunderland are no pushovers for sure:

“I am not going to read too much into our beating both Blackburn and Bolton – in previous years we might have done the same thing before collapsing against the big sides, so it’s best that we just keep going, keep improving and keep making things difficult for whoever we face.”

“On Saturday, that will be Sunderland, which is always a very difficult place to go. Last season we didn’t do well at the Stadium of Light, but it was straight after an international break and we were perhaps a bit tired, so we hope for better this time.”

“We are happy with 10 points from four Premier League games. We would have preferred 12, but we are up there, we are second, and now we need to guard against losing more points because we will need everything we can get at the end of the season.”

These are true words of a Captain you can sense here he’s telling the other lads to keep their heads and feet on the ground, 100% we must give anything else on top is a bonus. There were few articles going around yesterday I believe about Cesc not being very happy after the Braga game, during the interview which I saw live the lad was asked questions about the game and all those Barca rumors. He answered his questions regarding the game well, however when it came to the other subject he certainly felt uneasy about it and rightly so. Transfer windows is now closed, season has started, Arsenal fans have already forgotten about what happened and yet he still has to explain himself. Cesc doesn’t need to do that, he has shown on the pitch he’s 100% committed to the Arsenal cause!

Team news are pretty good to be honest with you, no more injuries during midweek which is always music to the ears, we will still be without Vermaelen and Diaby who should resume normal service against West Brom next week. Yet another decent performance is required by Squilliaci and Koscielny at the back. I would like to see the same squad start the game that tore apart Braga on Wednesday, the confidence will definitely be very high there. Sunderland have got their own share of injuries and the usual suspect suspended due to red card, saying that this will be a different cup of tea altogether and our lads need to address things from the first whistle. They will try anything possible to break our rhythm so quick pass and move tactics are required. I feel good about this one I know we have Chamakh up front and he’s been a brilliant signing so far. Come on Chamakh!

Looking at the bookies there is a tasty looking bet with Skybet at 14/1 on 3:1 correct score line, so I should be investing on that one. My last prediction was perhaps naive but who would of thought we would put six past Braga. For those of you going to the game have a great day and please ignore anything that Fat Sam and Owen Coyle spread around in the media about Arsene, they are a bunch of  Hansen’s and we all know who he really is. That’s all my fellow Gooners, enjoy the game and have great weekend.

Come On You Riproaring, Free Scoring Almighty Reds!

Braga taught a lesson by Vintage Arsenal

ARSENAL 6 : 0 SPORTING BRAGA

I think it’s fair to say that before the game tonight I thought Braga was a decent side, ok I don’t want to sound too patronizing here, perhaps they are a good side but after the show tonight we know we can go all the way, well I know we will definitely try. The free flowing football, those passes, those runs, the link up play, chasing the ball, desire, determination and hunger I could go on here forever, it was just amazing to watch simply Vintage Arsenal!

I will focus on individual performances for a change perhaps if I have missed something you Gooners can fill in the gaps. We could have easily scored 10 tonight without a doubt as some chances went begging, never mind to watch us play like this just reminds me why I have fallen in Love with Arsenal!

Cesc was just everywhere tonight and I mean everywhere, defence, in the middle and attack, he showed yet again what a great magician he can be, his form is definitely on the up and scoring two goals will hopefully send him flying even further. I was hoping he was going to get his Hat-Trick but hey I’m sure he’ll have plenty of opportunities to do so. Absolutelly  brilliant performance by our skipper! Nasri was introduced from the first whistle tonight and straight away he was pulling strings on the right wing, he switched sides with Arshavin at some point and did the same on the other side.

Jack  had a fantastic game too, this young lad worked his socks off and played some great football, his cross to Cesc with the outside of his boot was pure class. Chamakh was outstanding, he really adds another dimension to our attack doesn’t he? He’s fast, he can pass and dribble and hold the ball well for a free transfer we got ourselves hell of a striker, Chamakh who? He scored yet again and  boy I can see him scoring many more and Arsene definitely knows.

Song was solid as aways, I have noticed he likes to go forward himself you know, he was poking the ball all night chasing and it looked like no one was going to stop him tonight. Arshavin had few misplaced passes to start with but he worked his arse off on that left wing, he chased back as well. I’m sure we are yet to see the best of him soon. Clichy I think had one incident where he didn’t clear the ball too well but overall he was solid and very quick to the ball, he was up and down on that left flank in the second half. Sagna well what can you say about Sagna solid as a brick wall.

Braga did try to upset our back four at times, however Koscielny and Sqilliaci formed a very good understanding at the back they were really commanding in that area, they didn’t allow anything past them. We can’t forget that they only have been with us few months so there is definitely still room for improvement.

Eboue was as good as the others and Vela scored an absolute gem of a goal, how cheeky was that? I honestly think we have the best attacking side in the Premier League. Vela needs more playing time but I’m sure his time will come. Yet another clean sheet for Almunia that can’t be bad for his confidence buidling, he wasn’t too busy we know but he had a good ball catching practice either way.

I know it’s early days and Braga are not real test yet, however I will enjoy this moment for now and enjoy those goals all over again. I did expect more from Braga I have to admit my money is lost but hey that doesn’t really matter any more.

Braga preview, we have been warned

Braga? So who is Braga?

The name of the club we will face on Wednesday evening in the Champions League clash doesn’t bring up any immediate concerns to many of us, however if you closely look at them and what they have achieved so far makes you think twice that they can’t be taken for granted. They have knocked out Celtic and Sevilla to reach the group stages of this years Champions League and that has to be accounted for as we all know that not as much as Celtic but Sevilla is a very tough place to go to and winning there is definitely something special.

In 1921 their coach Jozef Szabo made a trip up to Highbury not that I can remember I wasn’t even around then, but it seemed to have  inspired him at the time who changed their club shirt colours from green white stripes  to white red stripes, they also renamed their A and B teams, Minho’s Arsenalistas and Arsenal do Braga, quite interesting that.

Their AXA Stadium built for the Euro 2004 only has two stands along the side lines of the pitch with one end made of solid rock and the other overlooking the City.

Braga’s only trophy came in 2008 when they won the last ever UEFA Intertoto Cup, they yet have to win domestic league but they have managed to finish second last season so it seems that things are definitely improving for the Portuguese club. Their Brazilian forward Matheus is not shy to speak away about their trip to The Grove, he said:

“We have already achieved our first success of the season by reaching the group stages of the Champions League,”

“But that is not enough. Braga are not just going into this as tourists. Now we want to travel across Europe and win.”

“Arsenal are the favourites to win the match and the group – but we can spring a big surprise.”

“Nobody thought we could beat Seville either.”

“The key to the match for us will be to give our all and take advantage of the opportunities we get on the counter-attack,”

“I love Arsenal’s incredible attacking style, but I don’t intend to suffer from it.

“I intend to enjoy it. Scoring at the Emirates would be an incredible moment for me to remember.”

Now he’s full of praise for us but we need our back four to be ready for this one, as Le Boss said himself that they are a very good counter attacking side and I have no doubt they will try and hit us on the counter, so we have been warned. I still believe this one should see us through with a tasty goal margin and I have chosen for another correct score line, 4:1 to the Almighty Arsenal at 20/1 with Skybet or if you prefer a 5:0 score line at 28/1. Let’s hope I’m right about this one and I’ll be few quid richer tomorrow evening.

Not much else going on today to be honest with you, press conference later on will reveal the exact extent of Diaby’s injury and the rest I imagine. I’m glad Nasri will be available for this one and that Cesc is hitting form again, but most of all that Vermaelen will join either Koscielny or Squillaci at the back, I feel somewhat calmer with him in front of Almunia who had a very decent game against Bolton, long may it continue please.

Match report will follow after the game for those of you going, get behind the lads and a have a great evening. That’s all I have for you today, take care and be good.

We have Cesc Fabregas…We have Cesc Fabregas…We have Cesc Fabregas…

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