Andrey Arshavin can follow in Pires’ footsteps

What a fantastic feeling it is for your football club to splash out on a big name, big money signing. For all the mention of thrifty, intelligent spending that Arsenal get, of a club with a conscience and living within our means, isn’t it great to see Sylvain Wiltord’s fee smashed to pieces by a Russian superstar?

But he isn’t just a marquee signing to please the fans who gaze at Man City and Chelsea with their Football Manager binoculars in awe. He could well become one of Wenger’s very best aquistions for the club. It has been plain for a good few years that Arshavin has had something special, but Gazprom-backed Zenit made him rich, they won titles and he was willing to stay. This all changed when his talent finally caught the eye of a more global audience in the Uefa Cup. Cutting through balls, great movement and fantastic balance made him stand out amongst a very good team who went all the way in Uefa’s 2nd biggest club competition.

Then came the Euros. Suspended for the first and second games, Arshavin proved exactly why he was included despite being eligible for only 1 of the 3 group games against Sweden. Involved in the first goal, and applying the finishing touch for the second, the diminutive Russian inspired his country to victory. It was a brilliant display but more was to come in the next game against Holland. He terrorised the Dutch defence time after time with one of the best individual performances I have ever seen, with some pundits suggesting it was as dominant a display as they had seen since the great Platini.

Of course, I am, much like many other Gunners, not a massive fan of the Russian Premier League and so do not know what to expect from him on a weekly basis, but what I do know is that in the games I have seen him, the big games, he has been superb. Which leads me onto my main point.

With the North London Derby on Sunday, memories of Robert Pires coming to Arsenal in his late late 20’s and becoming the scourge of Tottenham despite often only coming on as a substitute bring a smile to my face even as I type, and who’s to say our new record signing, with his match winning capabilities and big match attitude, can’t do equally as well at Arsenal?

And if he does do half as well as Robert Pires did here, that £15m will look like a bargain buy in the current climate, believe me.

Eduardo makes successful return in 2-0 win

Eduardo successfully completed his return from ten months out on the sidelines, playing 45 minutes as Arsenal made light work of Portsmouth reserves, eventually coming through 2-0 winners and dominating the game throughout.

Obviously very rusty, the Croatian striker almost got the dream start to his comeback after just three minutes, a fantastic Wilshere through ball splitting the defence and leaving Eduardo one-on-one with the goalkeeper. He hesitantly turned inside the recovering centre back but went down under a soft challenge before he could apply the finishing touch.

There was plenty of possession for Arsenal, and Eduardo did link play well and made intelligent runs that were nearly picked out on another couple of occasions, but unfortunately the final ball was never perfect for the Brazilian born striker. But he did look very sharp even towards the end of the half, when he received the ball, turned nicely and curving the ball towards the bottom corner of the net, only for the massively framed Pompey goalkeeper to prevent the ideal comeback. The Croatian striker withdrew at half time with a slight strain, but he’ll be pleased with the workout which showed just how sharp he is despite the long lay off.

However, after the break the chances kept coming, and eventually the pressure told when Randall converted a fantastic pass from Fran Merida to take the lead, before Wilshere helped set up Kieran Gibbs for a brilliant drive into the top left corner. Overall a great work out for Eduardo and the fringe players which helped highlight some of the talent we have at the club, Jack Wilshere, Francis Coquelin and Fran Merida all impressing hugely on a good night out for the youngsters.

Eduardo to finally return tommorrow

In what could be the only positive piece of news that will brighten an Arsenal fans day this week, Eduardo will hopefully make his comeback tomorrow night, after over half a year out following Martin Taylor’s horror tackle that ended the Croatian striker’s season while at the same time sparking the self destruction of the table topping Arsenal team from that point onwards.

The opposition will be Portsmouth reserves, and according to Young Guns (http://youngguns.wordpress.com/2008/12/15/arsenal-to-pack-underhill-for-eduardos-return/) there could be an amazing 4000 fans to welcm him back. It is also on Arsenal TV for those who live too far away for a trip to Barnet on a cold winter night, and with many other star talent on show it should be a good watch, Jack Wilshere, Francis Coquelin and Amaury Bischoff expected to play a part in the match as well.

It will with any luck be a comfortable and safe return to the striker whose recovery has been remarkable, and I will be writing a match report and account of the match shortly afterwards for those who cannot witness the match first hand. One thing is for sure, Eduardo is exactly the type of player we will need in the run in before May.

Why Gallas should be sacked

And I’m being serious. As Arsenal fans it is rare that extra money will make an actual difference to our signings in January, if indeed Wenger decides we need them, so therefore for the so-called football club with principles, it is time to make a stand against footballers saying whatever they want, whenever they want while still picking up their £80K cheque each week.

Gallas is a disrespectful, complete moron of a man and simply doesn’t deserve to ever step into the Emirates again. This is not just about the latest ridiculous, morale murdering comments tat he has come out with in the last few days, it is merely the latest in a long line of concerted efforts to put pressure on his team mates, diverting the attention from a captain who has very rarely done the Arsenal shirt proud since his move to the Emirates in that infamous swap deal. The first thing he did was to complain and to criticise and instead of punishing him for his antics, he was given the captaincy following one injury hit and form-less season with Henry leaving the captaincy spot clear for someone else.

You could see that move as an atempt to appease Gallas and maybe channel his anger, but it has done the opposite. Despite an excellent team effort last season overall, the real leaders were Flamini, Fabregas and even Adebayor, Sagna and Clichy, certainly not the Frenchman with the perpetual chip on the shoulder. He criticised Theo, questioned the team’s average age before finally going all out to embarass the club with an unbelievable show of pathetic stropping at Birmingham which would signal the start of Arsenal’s problems in the run-in to May. A toddler would have seen himself on the naughty step for a good while for the same behaviour, yet Gallas was still captain.

He has become an old, senile and grumpy excuse for a man, whose best days were very much behind him and whose relatives are only praying for the day when he leaves them for good. Sure, he has the so called “will to win” and has the odd very good perfomance this season, but has still been some way short of being our best player or indeed leader, yet he felt the need to complain further and really stick the knife in with his latest gripes.

He picked upon Nasri in his autobiography for his lack of respect towards Gallas. Well, maybe Samir believs, as I do, that respect needs to be earned, and that a pathetic, mentally unstable 31 year old who cried over a penalty decision when we were clear at the top of the league deserves very little, if any, respect at all.

Then he turned his attentions to the Arsenal team and had a go at an unnamed 25 year old who also annoyed him recently, before revaling disputes and arguments at the Tottenham game, before moving on to complain about his treatment as captain, that he is blamed for everything and that he is overall just a good egg who is misunderstood. Boohoo.

 

Well, I for one have had enough. Stripping him of the cpataincy is the bare minimum that should happen. If he feels he is so mistreated then he should just walk out shouldn’t he? He doesn’t need the money, he’ll no doubt get a decent enough deal at another club anyway, so go on, Mr Gallas – LEAVE. It’s just about possible that it’ll be the first time that you actually do us a favour.

And the comeback is on – Eduardo back in three weeks

Fantastic news for the club, the fans and in particular the man himself, Eduardo being pencilled in to return to full training in only three more weeks – a simply remarkable recovery from a man who broke his leg in two places in a career threatening way in Febuary of this year. Even more remarkable is that he will beat Rosicky to a return to fitness, but I won’t get started on that particular topic at the moment.

“Eduardo is three weeks away from playing competitive football. What I mean by ‘competitive football’ is joining in completely with a normal training session”, Arsene Wenger said. “After that he has to come back to match fitness. But he is ahead of where we expected him to be and that is fantastic news. “

This will mean that with any luck we will have an almost full squad by the time the Christmas run-in begins, something that can only help us in grabbing as many points as we can during that tricky fixture congested period of late December. Of course, we can’t be sure how long it will take to become match fit and so perhaps a firt team appearance won’t be made until after January, but it great news nonetheless.

After a tricky opening to his Arsenal career where he found himself stranded on the left wing, he soon found his form in his natural striking position, showing himself to have ice cool finishing in front of goal that suited itself perfectly to the creative style we play. He is the sort of player who could have stopped us losing to Hull City and drawing with Sunderland, with the spirit for tough matches and the finishing to compliments the midfield’s chance creation. I just can’t wait to seee how he has recovered when I presume he’ll make an appearance for the reserves, perhaps as early as the mini North London Derby on December 1st.

Inevitable international injuries strike again – but are they almost a blessing?

A difficult contest against David Moyes’ well organised Everton team on Saturday is the welsome back to Premier League duty for the Gunners this weekend, and it looks on the face of it to only have been made harder by the injuries picked up by Nicklas Bendtner, Bacary Sagna and club captain and shining example William Gallas while helping out their countries. The trio can now join the likes of Eduardo and Rosicky on the treatment table, although all three will hopefully return by next weekend’s game, something we can only dream of happening to Edu and Rosicky.

But despite what is on the face of it a blow to us, can the absence of Gallas and Sagna make a positive difference to the team. We have been stuttering in attack, and whatever you can say about Eboue, he proved himself to be an excellent attacking full back back in the days when he was considered a right back and not a left or right winger. Maybe moving him back to that position will give him a boost and help out the right flank, although defensively I worry slightly. Centrally it’s clear to me we have one of two problems – Gallas and Toure cannot physically play together in the same team, or our style of play allows the opposing team a suicidal amount of room to punish us on the counter. I am still not sure which, but I am in favour of splitting the partnership up and if Song or Djourou come into the defence it will be very interesting to see whether or not it is an improvement.
Eboue moving to right back also leaves Wenger with no choice but to play “proper” wingers – step up Samir Nasri and Theo Walcott. These two offer far more of a threat than the Ivorian, and should help create the chances Adebayor can finish off.
Up front Bendtner has been pushing for a starting role and so his absence is perhaps a blow to our options, especially as I am not sure how late Vela will return to the country after his trip to Canada, but van Persie is fit, although how good he was in his cameo appearance for Holland midweek I am not sure. In fact, van Persie’s poor form and Aaron Ramsey’s masterclass on Friday and Tuesday for Wales U21’s sparks an interesting debate – maybe the prodigious Welshman should take the number 10 role he thrived in for his country and be the midfield link for Arsenal on Saturday? My personal opinion is to go for experience over form in this instance, but it’d be a close call.

My Team:

—————————- Almunia —————————-
Eboue ———– Toure ————— Song ———- Clichy
Walcott ———- Denilson ———— Fabregas —— Nasri
——————- Van Persie ——————————-
——————————– Adebayor ——————-

Nasri delighted with Arsenal move

Having returned to the club for the first time since he had a medical with the club after Euro 2008, new signing Samir Nasri has talked about the circumstances that led to such a prolonged transfer saga before he finally was announced officially.

There were rumours Lyon wanted to sign Nasri in a direct swap for Ben Arfa who became Nasri’s replacement when he arrived at Marseille from the French champions, but Nasri insists there was never any chance of him choosing to join another French team:

“Lyon approached me,” Nasri told France-Football. “I spoke with chairman [Jean-Michel] Aulas on the phone. But this contact did not go forward. At this moment I had almost already made up my mind. I had given my word to Arsene Wenger. And I couldn’t see myself moving to a different French club than Marseille! “

Some frustrated Arsenal fans claimed that Nasri was waiting for another club to come in for him, but our new signing also denies that he ever thought about moving to another club other than Arsenal.

“I never doubted both clubs would find an agreement. There has been nonsense rumours. Both clubs just had to find an agreement to make my transfer official in L’OM’s 2008/2009 balance sheet.

“I already knew I was an Arsenal player before Euros. I passed the medical when I returned from Switzerland then we decided to make my transfer official for my return from holiday in mid-July. In my mind I was liberated.”

Like with Aaron Ramsey, Arsene Wenger has again proved to be vital in signing one of the world’s brightest talents, and it is not just that Wenger is a brilliant coach, it is the way that Arsenal have a stability that only a select few clubs in the world can claim to have.

He’s [Wenger's] been decisive,” added Nasri. “He represents stability and continuity. We understand we can work on the long term with him. I think he’s been at Arsenal for 13 years. It means the world!

“I was looking for that kind of guarantee to advance my career. I didn’t want to go to a club, even a legendary one, where everything could change from one day to another. I know Arsene Wenger’s going to help me improve. He has had a lot of success with other French players, especially youngsters he helped blossom.”

We often wonder whether or not former players who are now at other clubs with team mates who are linked with moves to Arsenal ever try to persuade the player that a move to the Gunners would be a good thing, and it seems that even those who leave on less than friendly terms, still hold Arsenal in high esteem, with Nasri revealing that even the troubled Nicolas Anelka, and the guy most likely to replicate his career, Lassana Diarra, advised him Arsenal would be a good move.

“I got a lot of information during the last meetings with France, next to William Gallas, Gael Clichy and Mathieu Flamini. Even if Mathieu has left for Milan, we know each other well because we have been educated at Marseille at the same time and he is Marseillais like me. He left Arsenal quite early but blossomed there. All his comments have been positive ones. Lassana Diarra as well only made good comments about this club.

“And there have been all the info from the older players like Thierry Henry, Nicolas Anelka and Patrick Vieira who told me it’s a superb club, that this experience had been one of the most beautiful in their career.

“Arsenal is a club that leaves a trace for life. Besides they assured me I’d have a lot of fun in The Premier League. They play and I love playing!”

Fantastic quotes from our new player, who also told France Football where he has been told his role will be in the coming season:

“Arsene Wenger told me he wants to play me on a wing. But there are so many movements in the team that I’ll have the possibility to switch position. I was used to playing on the left wing with the youth teams. I don’t mind. Friendlies are made to find your mark. “

Many had guessed this would be the case, and I personally can’t wait to see him threading a ball through to the strikers, or cutting inside and going for goal himself. And Nasri himself is even more excited about the prospect of pulling on the number 8 shirt than the fans are!

“I’m so excited! I arrived in London on Sunday and had my first training session the day after, before we go on pre-season camp in Austria.

“I’m discovering my new team-mates. But I’m not lost at all, with all those Frenchmen! Today I’m very happy to be a Gunner. I have joined an immense club where there’s everything to achieve great things. I’m delighted to be part of this new adventure. Arsenal are a reference point.”

“I am joining a club that plays some of the best football in Europe,” he said. “I was charmed when I watched Arsenal’s games in the Champions League. They achieved a tremendous first half to the season. To me England is the ideal destination and Arsenal are the perfect club! “

Whether or not tonights encounter with Szombathelyiyiiiia….. that Hungarian club will come to early for the Frenchman fitness-wise I am not sure, but we can expect to see him certainly in the Stuttgart match at the latest, and I for one am very pleased to see him here.

Richard Law: Salamanca will get a player of incredible quality

Richard law, Arsenal’s representative of everything to do with the Salamanca partnership, has reassured UDS fans in today’s As by telling them that they will be getting a fantastic player, who, although he was not named, is very probably an EU player unlike Carlos Vela and Pedros were.

In a very interesting interview with As, Law spoke about a range of details to do with the Spanish club, including Pedro and Vela’s experiences, why Arsenal chose Salamanca, and who would be loaned out there next season, all of which you can read about below:

The reasons for choosing Salamanca and Vela’s time there:

“We looked at Salamanca three years ago for their style of play, which is very attractive. Arsenal also likes to touch and move the ball. Carlos Vela was a great success for all and opened a path [for us]“

On Pedro Botelho’s future and the changes at Salamanca:

I only know that he [Pedro] has to come back to Salamanca for pre-season on the 21st. He has lived in the first year and experienced a process of adaptation and this season things can go very well. We hope that the history of Botelho is as good or better than Vela’s. “

“Dani Lopez leaving does not have any influence [on the partnership]. One of the most important things in this agreement between Arsenal and Salamanca is that we do not press any conditions [on Salamanca] in any respect. “

On Salamanca’s potential new loanee:

“We quite some time talking with Salamanca about what we are doing, and very specifically about a player. He is a great footballer, with excellent potential and upon which we have placed high hopes . As you know, Arsenal hasve a team of reserves that we want to gain first team experience. It is necessary to consider that many of the players who we have are international. I do not want to err on the side of arrogance, but if you’re already signed up by Arsenal you have more than enough potential to be a great footballer. “

Whether or not the player is Non-EU:

“You do not have to [be Non-EU]. For the relationship that we have seen with Salamanca and the characteristics that meets the club in his dedication to new talent, it might be a EU player” .

It is believed by As that the player will be an attacker, and is probably either Rui Fonte or Nacer Barazite. Fonte seems the most likely, as he has already been linked with a loan deal to Sporting Lisbon this summer, and will be looking to gain first team experience. Barazite, on the other hand, is of a higher level and I would guess Salamanca may be slightly lower than the standard he can already play at.

Source:

http://www.as.com/futbol/articulo/futbol-law-desvela-posible-cesion/dasftb/20080715dasdaiftb_31/Tes

Nasri has signed: Officially Official!

Well, well, well…

Wenger always manages to spring a surprise on us doesn’t he? Who could have predicted this one eh?!

Seriously though, it is fantastic that he is signed. Gooners being gooners, we’re mostly absorbed in criticising the fact he is 21, his (poor) scoring record at Marseille, that it is too much money, that he won’t help our defensive issues….. Lighten up!

In Samir Nasri Arsenal have got a fantastic young player who can easily become a world beater. He is pretty fast, very composed and does everything you expect an Arsenal player under Wenger to be able to do. It’s all about short, crisp passing into feet, movement off the ball and clever pieces of skill. For £12-15m I think he is a very good signing as well – if you consider the prices Nani and Anderson went for last summer, and even if you perhaps take a look at transfers that have gone through so far this summer, such as Elmander (£10m), Nasri is an excellent aquisition.

For those complaining that if he replaces Hleb, there will be a backward step – I am not so sure. In terms of goalscoring people are claiming he doesn’t score enough, an accusation Hleb will be too familiar with. But I reckon he is set to surprise a few people once he is adjusted to the Premiership. With young players you have to go by their last season I think, as there is usually a steady improvement to be seen, and it is the same with Nasri. last season with Marseille he scored 6 goals in 30 games – an average of 1 in 5. 2 goals in 31 games was Hleb’s total – 1 in 15. Now bearing in mind the adaptation may take a little while, I think it’s not unreasonable to expecta total of 5+ this season from Nasri, a decent improvement over Hleb.

He’ll fit right in amongst the other players, I reckon, and will join up with his new team mates on the 21st July for pre-season training.

So good luck Samir Nasri, and welcome to the Emirates, I have every faith he will be a star.

Arsenal complete pre-season fixture list

I had previously thought that the annual pre-season training in Austria would not feature in our plans this summer, with a variety of fixtures already named. However, Arsenal.com have confirmed that we will play an Austian side this year, against a Burgenland XI team, along with the fantasically named Szombathelyi Haladas, who I can’t wait to see play purely based on their name. 

For those who don’t know, Burgenland is a smallish region on the Austrian-Hungarian border. A notable team within the region Arsenal fans may recognise is SV Mattersburg, a team we played 2 years ago in pre-season, and beat 2-1. I presume that many players will be taken from Mattersburg’s team, as they have had good success this year in the Austrian Bundesliga. As for Szombathelyi Haladas, Gabor Kiraly, the crazy Hungarian goalkeeper, played for them at one stage, as well as Peter Halmosi, who currently plies his trade at Plymouth. Apparently they missed out on promotion last season for fielding inelligible players, and so stayed in N.B II last season. I would hazard a guess that they will not be stiff opposition for Arsenal, but will perhaps see the youths and reserves that Wenger decides to take with him get a chance to shine in front of Le Boss. The full pre-season fixture list is below:

Barnet Vs ARSENAL

Underhill Stadium, 19th July, 3pm

Szombathelyi Haladas Vs ARSENAL

Szombathelyi, July 22nd, TBC 6.30pm (CET)

Burgenland XI Vs ARSENAL

Ritzing, July 28th, TBC 6.30pm (CET)

Stuttgart Vs ARSENAL

Mercedez-Benz-Arena, July 30th, TBC K.O

ARSENAL Vs Juventus, Emirates Cup

Emirates Stadium, 2nd August, 4.15pm  

ARSENAL Vs Real Madrid, Emirates Cup

Emirates Stadium, 3rd August, 4.15pm

Huddersfield Town Vs ARSENAL

Galpharm Stadium, 6th August, 7pm K.O

Ajax Vs ARSENAL, Amsterdam Tournament

Amsterdam ArenA, 8th August, 8.15pm

Sevilla Vs ARSENAL, Amsterdam Tournament

Amsterdam ArenA, 9th August, 6pm