These three enjoyed good campaigns…

For everyone concerned with Arsenal football club, it was a classic case of same ol’ problems, different year as the Gunners endured another fruitless campaign without sealing any silverware of any sort.

Robin van Persie grabbed all the headlines in the previous campaign but even his amazing Premier League goal haul of 30 strikes was only enough to secure a third placed finish. Arsenal’s Carling Cup campaign ended in the hands of Manchester City while the FA Cup adventure was one to forget as the Gunners crashed in the fifth round away to Sunderland.

The Champions League offered an enticing tie with a clash against Italian giants, AC Milan, but an appalling display in the first leg was enough to hand the Italians the onus, as Arsenal’s spirited second leg showing at the Emirates enough as they somehow managed to crash out of the Champions League despite a resounding 3-0 victory at home. That speaks a lot in volumes.

In the summer, Robin van Persie shocked the world of Arsenal by completing a move to eternal rivals, Manchester United. The Arsenal hierarchy proactively acquired the services of the Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud, before adding more firepower in the form of Santi Cazorla. In rather acrimonious circumstances, Alex Song left to seek greener pastures in Barcelona only to find out that the grass is certainly not greener on the other side.

With no Emirates Cup preseason tournament due to a clash with a much bigger sporting event in London (the 2012 Olympics), the Gunners began their preseason campaign with 45-minute fixtures against Southampton and Anderlecht before travelling to the Far East to take on Malaysia’s XI, Manchester City (who can forget Thomas Vermaelen’s fumble with assistant ref Siam Massey) and Kitchee FC. The preseason ended with a match against Podolski’s previous employers, FC Cologne.

In a chronological order, I present to you an entire review of the season revealing my take of the match, goal, save and player of each month from August to May.

You may not agree with my pick but feel free to share yours with your comments.

Enjoy!

AUGUST

Arsenal kicked its competitive campaign with a goalless stalemate against Sunderland at home before getting another bore draw against Stoke in the Britannia. The Gunners failed to score in August but they also didn’t concede.

August Match of the Month

Cologne 0 Arsenal 4 (Vermaelen, Podolski (2), Gervinho): With the Gunners failing to score any goal in the league in August. The final preseason fixture against Cologne deserved an honorable mention. Goals from Thomas Vermaelen, Lukas Podolski and Gervinho put FC Cologne to the sword

August Goal of the Month

Gervinho against Cologne: Arsenal was taking FC Cologne to the cleaners in a game that despite ending at 4-0, the scoreline was rather flattering for the German hosts. Gervinho’s goal was the icing on a well-baked cake as the Ivorian waltzed past two defenders before beating the goalie in his near post.

August Save of the Month

Wojciech Szczesny against Sunderland: In a month where the Gunners failed to score, the defending was very good as well with the club keeping two clean sheets in the Premier League. In the curtain raiser of the season, Arsenal dominated the proceedings against Sunderland but Szczesny was called to action when James McClean bored down on his goal. The big Pole made a fine stop in his near post from a McClean shot that was destined for the goal.

August Player of the Month

Santi Cazorla: Despite playing in his debut campaign, Santi Cazorla slotted perfectly into Arsenal’s midfield in the role vacated by Cesc Fabregas. Aaron Ramsey manned the role in the previous campaign and failed to bear fruit before Tomas Rosicky’s resurgence played a vital role in Arsenal’s surge for a third placed finish. In August, Cazorla was simply stunning – just a tip of the iceberg.

SEPTEMBER

Arsenal opened their goalscoring account with a comfortable win over Liverpool before running riot past Southampton. The Gunners kicked off the Champions League campaign with a win over newbies, Montpellier, before earning a creditable draw against Manchester City. The Capital One cup began with a 6-1 drubbing of Coventry but the month ended on a low with a self-inflicted home loss to Chelsea.

September Match of the Month

Arsenal 6 Southampton 1 (Podolski, Gervinho (2), Walcott, Own Goals (2)): The Emirates sunshine warmed the Red half of London as Arsenal thumped recently promoted Southampton, giving them a rough reception in their return to the Premier League.

Lukas Podolski swerved in a brilliant free kick, Walcott scored a close range finish and Gervinho grabbed a brace. There was even time for the visitors to concede two own goals. A perfect outing for the Gunners.

September Goal of the Month

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain against Coventry: It’s fair to say that the Ox suffered a second season syndrome but he had a stormer against Coventry in the Capital One cup. Arsenal rained goals past the lower division side with Olivier Giroud breaking his duck despite missing a penalty but Oxlade-Chamberlain’s goal was the pick of the bunch with a stunning shot that swerved in the air before beating the goalie.

September Save of the Month

Vito Mannone against Liverpool: With Liverpool trailing, they launched an attack on Arsenal’s rearguard with Jonjo Shelvey firing a goal-bound shot at Mannone’s goal. The Italian goalie made a magnificent stop to block Shelvey’s effort before Thomas Vermaelen cleared the ball to Row Z.

September Player of the Month

Gervinho: The Ivorian was deployed as a center forward and rewarded his manager’s faith with four goals in the month. He bagged a brace against Southampton, scored Arsenal’s match winner against Olympiakos and scored the Gunners’ solitary goal in the disappointing defeat to Chelsea.

OCTOBER

The month of October began with a comfortable victory over Olympiakos and was followed by a stellar performance against West Ham away at Upton Park. After two disappointing defeats against Norwich and Schalke 04, the Gunners went back to winning ways with a nervy victory over Queens Park Rangers.

The month ended with that entertaining, enthralling and epic Capital One cup encounter against Reading.

October Match of the Month

Reading 5 Arsenal 7 (Walcott (3), Chamakh (2), Giroud, Koscielny): In all my years as an Arsenal fan, I haven’t seen a game that made me go through so many emotional phases like the game against Reading. I started the game with arrogance (simple stroll in the park, I thought), but that was quickly changed to a state of surprise (1 – 0), perplexion, bewilderment (2 – 0) and shock (3 – 0) before getting heavy doses of frustration and despair (4 – 0).

I ended the first half with doubt (4 – 1), but it was changed to hope (4 – 2). At 4 – 3, urgency became my watchword and when Walcott made it 4 – 4, my euphoria knew no bounds. 5 – 4 was somewhat orgasmic,  but the equalizer was a bitter pill to swallow. After the final two goals that put the game beyond doubt, the only feeling I had was pride.

October Goal of the Month

Santi Cazorla against West Ham: At 2-1, the match was at a stage where the next goal was going to be the most important and at the vital moment, Theo Walcott showed great determination to win the ball and tee up Santi Cazorla that showed off his ambidexterity with a splendid left-footed volley that gave Jaakelainen no chance in Hell.

Joga Bonito.

October Save of the Month

Vito Mannone against QPR: In a fixture that would be fondly remembered for the return of Jack Wilshere, Arsenal had to leave it late to score a vital scrappy goal through Mikel Arteta. However, a lapse in concentration allowed Mackie made a slalom run that saw him evade a host of Arsenal players but Mannone stood his ground to make the save that was the difference between a win and a draw.

October Player of the Month

Theo Walcott: The Englishman was one of the players to make a difference when Arsenal visited West Ham with a goal and an assist. His contribution against Reading was outstanding as he smashed in a hat-trick with goals in vital moments of the game.

NOVEMBER

The start of the month was dominated with the headlines involving the Gunners clashing with Robin van Persie and his Manchester United outfit and as expected, the Flying Dutchman scored (no thanks to Vermaelen!) as the Red Devils edged the Gunners out. A bad month went worse as the Gunners managed to throw away handsome leads against Schalke and Fulham to earn disappointing draws.

A resounding win in the North London derby offered a renewed sense of optimism and the home win over Montpellier secured qualification to the Knockout Phase. Two away draws against Aston Villa and Fulham followed afterwards.

November Match of the Month

Arsenal 5 Tottenham 2 (Mertesacker, Podolski, Giroud, Cazorla, Walcott): It was a classic case of deja vu as the Gunners came from behind to run riot past fierce rivals, Tottenham. Ex-Gunner, Emmanuel Adebayor, opened the scoring before receiving his marching orders after a reckless lounge on Santi Cazorla. Arsenal made the numerical advantage count with goals from Per Mertesacker, Lukas Podolski, Olivier Giroud, Cazorla before Gareth Bale reduced the deficit. Theo Walcott’s goal was the icing on a well-baked cake.

November Goal of the Month

Lukas Podolski against Montpellier: Arsenal put their foot back on the pedal and were rewarded from a super goal from Podolski. The Ox used his reserves of pace to great effect on the right before teeing up Podolski. The German forward executed an inch-perfect one-two with Giroud before thumping a thunderous shot past Jourdren in goal.

November Save of the Month

Vito Mannone against Schalke: With Giroud and Walcott opening the scoring for Arsenal, the red-hot Klass-Jan Huntelaar offered his team a glimmer of hope with a neat finish at the stroke of halftime. In the start of the second half, Huntelaar managed to beat the offside trap and I’d already envisaged a 2 – 2 scoreline in my head but Mannone made himself big to block the Dutchman’s shot.

November Player of the Month

Olivier Giroud: The striker was in a purple patch of form in November, scoring for fun for both club and country. He scored Arsenal’s second goal away at Schalke, bagged an impressive brace against Fulham, got in the act in the North London derby and scored a late equalizer for France in an away fixture with Spain.

DECEMBER

Arsenal began December in the worst possible manner with a flat performance that culminated to a disappointing loss when Swansea visited the Emirates with Miguel Michu grabbing a spot in the back pages. This was followed with a loss in a dead-rubber fixture against Olympiakos that was to have an impact in the  long-term as the Gunners finished behind Schalke in their group, earning a draw against Bayern Munich as a result.

Mikel Arteta scored two penalties against West Brom before the Gunners crashed out on penalties in the Capital One cup quarterfinal against Bradford City. The Gunners went goal-crazy afterwards, as a scintillating Santi Cazorla performance against Reading was followed with a nervy win over Wigan before Walcott and co. went berserk on Newcastle in that 7 – 3 bashing.

December Match of the Month

Arsenal 7 Newcastle 3 (Walcott (3), Podolski, Ox, Giroud (2)): In a game where everything went according to plan, Arsenal went goal-crazy against a Newcastle side that had a certain Demba Ba that auditioned for a move to Arsenal, as the papers had predicted, only to switch to Chelsea days later.

Besides Ba’s performance was certainly overshadowed by Walcott that definitely staked a claim for a center forward berth.

December Goal of the Month

Podolski against Reading: Many would probably argue that Walcott’s third goal against Newcastle would have been a contender for the goal of the month, but this goal got the nod because of the buildup and precision of the German’s finish that left the goalie for dead.

Podolski and Gibbs have forged a good understanding all season long, even though it will take a while before they form a telepathic understanding reminiscent of the Ashley Cole – Robert Pires days. Podolski teed up Gibbs before drifting slowly into the box and the fullback had a couple of touches before flashing the ball into the box.

The German Machine’s first touch was a stuff made of dreams and his second touch was even better.

December Save of the Month

Wojciech Szczesny against Swansea: Swansea threatened right from the onset and Thomas Vermaelen had to show great awareness to intercept a Miguel Michu defense-splitting pass to Itay Shechther. Swansea fullback, Angel Rangel, broke free from the right and was allowed to fire two shots in quick succession at Wojciech Szczesny’s goal but the big Pole was up to the challenge.

December Player of the Month

Theo Walcott: In a month Walcott pushed hard for a run-out through the middle, Wenger finally heeded to his demands and featured him ahead of Olivier Giroud. The Englishman rewarded his manager’s faith with a goal against Reading, a match-winning assist against Wigan and a stunning hat-trick against Newcastle.

JANUARY

2013 started on the wrong foot with the Gunners putting up a poor performance against Southampton which was followed with a disappointing draw in the FA Cup third round against Swansea. Manchester City visited the Emirates and grabbed all three points but the Gunners secured a place in the next round of the FA Cup with a win over Swansea in the replay.

A loss against Chelsea was followed by a 5-1 thrashing of West Ham. After a FA Cup fourth round victory over Brighton, the Gunners came from behind to seal a draw against Liverpool.

 January Match of the Month

Arsenal 5 West Ham 1 (Podolski, Giroud (2), Cazorla, Walcott): West Ham’s gaffer, Sam Allardyce, has had his history with Arsene Wenger which made the victory against West Ham a lot sweeter. However, the visitors opened the scoring with Jack Collison but the Gunners responded with a thunderbolt from Podolski.

Arsenal began the second half in a somewhat frantic pace and they managed to blitz West Ham with four unreplied goals in the space of just 10 minutes. A brace from Giroud, Cazorla and Walcott completed the rout.

January Goal of the Month

Kieran Gibbs against Swansea: The Scourge of Arsenal, Michu, had opened the scoring with a deft finish after leaving Mertesacker for dead. Podolski came off the bench to level the scoring but Arsenal took the lead when Gibbs and Giroud combined superbly to send the fans into raptures with a quick-fire second goal with a strike worthy of being a match winner.

Gibbs cushioned a pass to Giroud and made a diagonal run into the six-yard box before receiving Giroud’s peach of an assist to blast the ball past Vorm in goal.

January Save of the Month

Wojciech Szczesny against Manchester City: Laurent Koscielny was brandished a red card for his blatant foul on Edin Dzeko in the penalty box. Up stepped Dzeko to take the spot kick but Wojciech Szczesny fixed his eyes firmly on the ball and guessed the right way to make a good save with his legs. The ball crept slowly and hit the post before coming back to Szczesny’s path but the goalie stretched to smother the ball to safety, sending the Emirates into raptures.

January Player of the Month

Theo Walcott: The forward continued his goalscoring form towards the end of the month and everyone hoped for him to sign a new deal as his contract was due to end in the summer.

FEBRUARY

Arsenal began the month with a victory over Stoke before holding the fort with a victory over Sunderland after Carl Jenkinson’s red card made things hard. Blackburn arrived at the Emirates in the FA Cup and somehow managed to come out with a victory, ending Arsenal’s domestic cup adventures for the season.

Bayern Munich compounded Arsenal’s misery by inflicting defeat at the Emirates to more or less seal their place in the quarterfinal. Cazorla ended the month with a brace against Aston Villa.

 February Match of the Month

Sunderland 0 Arsenal 1 (Cazorla): In a game where Arsenal’s resolve was tested, Santi Cazorla scored what turned out to be the winner with a low drive that went past Simon Mignolet in goal. When Jenkinson’s sending off but his team on the backfoot, the Gunners put up a valiant defensive display which was epitomized by stellar displays from Per Mertesacker and Bacary Sagna. Aaron Ramsey also put a great shift as a make-shift right back.

February Goal of the Month

Santi Cazorla against Sunderland: Arsenal’s sheer persistence paid off when Wilshere waltzed through two players before locating Walcott. The English forward sent a carefully-weighted pass to Santi Cazorla and the magician sent a low drive past Mignolet to make it one nil to the Arsenal.

February Save of the Month

Wojciech Szczesny against Sunderland: Sunderland continued to probe the Arsenal defense and almost got an equalizer when Fletcher blocked Mertesacker’s clearance with his hands creating an one on one opportunity for himself but Szczesny raced out of his line to make a very important save for his team..

February Player of the Month

Santi Cazorla: The Spaniard put outstanding performances in the month scoring three times and an assist as well. He was solely responsible for the vital Premier League victories over Sunderland and Aston Villa.

MARCH

The North London derby kicked off the month of March with Tottenham edging the Gunners. That result sparked a resurgence and they began the revival with a spirited display against Bayern Munich that yielded no fruit. This was followed with a win over Swansea before the Gunners eased past Reading.

March Match of the Month

Bayern 0 Arsenal 2 (Giroud, Koscielny): The damage was already done at the Emirates, so the Gunners visited the Allianz Arena without pressure and almost caused the biggest of upsets in Champions League. Goals from Giroud and Koscielny leveled the contest on aggregate but the pendulum swung to Bayern’s direction due to the away goals rule.

The victory against Bayern paved the way for a great run of results that saw Arsenal drop only four points in the Premier League, winning every away encounter in the process.

March Goal of the Month

Santi Cazorla against Reading: With Reading’s relegation confirmed, the club parted ways with Brian McDermott before hiring Nigel Adkins, after he was relieved of his job by Southampton. Adkins’ first game was at the Emirates and he was outclassed by an Arsenal side inspired by Gervinho’s brilliance.

The Ivorian winger had a stormer getting a goal and supplying two assists. He dallied on the ball before teeing up Santi Cazorla and the midfield maestro curled the ball sweetly into the goal.

March Save of the Month

Lukasz Fabianski against Bayern Munich: With Arsenal gaining momentum from that early lead, Mikel Arteta slipped on the turf allowing Toni Kroos to get a chance at goal. The German blasted a shot goalwards but Fabianski made a good save. Kroos was at it again from a Philip Lahm pass but Fabianski was on hand to dive low for another impressive save..

March Player of the Month

Laurent Koscielny: His introduction to the squad brought an upturn in the club’s fortunes as he forged a telepathic understanding with Mertesacker. His goal against Bayern offered his team a glimmer of hope.

APRIL

Arsenal continued its renaissance in April with wins over West Brom and Norwich. The winning streak was dented with a bore draw against Everton before the Gunners returned to winning ways with a nervy win over Fulham. Newly-crowned champions, Manchester United, were welcomed with a Guard of Honor but the game ended with both teams sharing the spoils.

April Match of the Month

Arsenal 3 Norwich 1 (Arteta, Giroud, Podolski): In a game Norwich would have every right to be aggrieved by the officiating, the Gunners worked their skins off to get back into the game with a Mikel Arteta penalty before two late goals from Giroud and Podolski killed off the contest.

April Goal of the Month

Podolski against Norwich: With Norwich failing to take the initiative following Arsenal’s 2-1 lead, the Gunners attacked through a diagonal ball that was flicked to Walcott by Giroud. The English speedster went into the box and fed Podolski that took the ball in his stride before firing the ball past Bunn to put the game beyond doubt.

April Save of the Month

Lukasz Fabianski against Norwich: When it was absolutely vital for the Gunners to keep their concentration levels in check, a lapse allowed Howson a clear cut chance at Fabianski’s goal but the big Pole made a magnificent save to send the ball out for a corner.

April Player of the Month

Aaron Ramsey: Rambo’s sheer determination in the game against Norwich earned the corner kick that led to Arsenal’s equalizer in the match. The midfielder playing in a more natural position worked seamlessly in tandem with Arteta to put up stellar performances in April.

MAY

The climax to the Premier League season brought fits of anxiety, fear and the prospect of playing Europa League football,  from an Arsenal perspective. With Tottenham breathing down the Gunners’ necks, they couldn’t afford to slip up.

The Gunners began the month with a win over Queens Park Rangers before condemning Wigan to relegation. Hoeever, Arsenal had the last laugh against Newcastle courtesy of Koscielny’s goal and celebrated St. Tottenringham’s day, despite the fact that Tottenham enjoyed what would be regarded as their best Premier League campaign with Gareth Bale in the forefront of everything good.

May Match of the Month

Arsenal 4 Wigan 1 (Podolski (2), Walcott, Ramsey): Wigan visited the FA Cup on a high after shocking the football world with a victory over Manchester City. The Gunners started the game behind Tottenham knowing that anything less than a win wouldn’t have been good enough.

Podolski opened the scoring but he was cancelled out by a brilliant Shaun Maloney free kick. Arsenal blitzed Wigan with three goals from Walcott, Podolski and Ramsey in eight minutes that ultimately doomed Wigan to relegation and also getting three vital points that made the Gunners leapfrog Tottenham to third place.

May Goal of the Month

Laurent Koscielny against Newcastle: Sagna offered little or no threat whatsoever on the right flank but his improvisation won a free kick for his team not far from the corner flag.

Walcott took over the responsibility of the dead ball and swung in a cross into Newcastle’s danger area. After the ball ricocheted off Podolski, Koscielny reacted the quickest and showed off his acrobatic side with a swinging shot that almost took out Harper’s head before going in to send the Gunners to the Champions Leagiue for the 16th season in a row.

May Save of the Month

Wojciech Szczesny against QPR: Keepers usually receive accolades for stunning saves week in week out, but when you make a save worth it’s weight in gold, you deserve a honorable mention. Walcott scored the only goal of the game early on but Loic Remy almost scored an equalizer that was magnificently parried by Szczesny to keep the scoreline intact. His save against Wigan

May Player of the Month

Laurent Koscielny: Saved his best for last and stepped up when Arsenal needed him the most. The goal that secured Champions League qualification – for the second season in a row.

It doesn’t get any better than that. This eulogic open letter to Koscielny from Soccergunz is worth a read.

This was certainly a season we’ll struggle to forget. We had a poor start but we had one hell of a finish.

My 2012/13 End of Season Awards come up next

Sayonara

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With the 2012/13 season done and dusted, there will be a flurry of articles in your daily Arsenal digest ranging from lessons learned in the course of the season, look back sessions, season reviews and of course, transfer speculation.

However, there will be a guest post in today’s blog from a Gooner from Mars, @Femi4Arsenal, and he claims that when he dies, he wants his headstone to have the inscription – ‘He was once a Gooner’. 

Sit back and enjoy as this Gooner shares his perspective about the joys of supporting Arsenal football club.

****

It all started in a conference room – silence, understandably, dominated the horizon with the only sound emanating from the ceiling fan above our heads and we sat patiently, waiting for the manager of the company to give his speech.

I sat in my allocated seat, alongside the other trainees and we just stared at each other because in my honest opinion, there was nothing to talk about. After all, we haven’t seen each other before but a part of me hoped for someone to break this deadlock with a conversation of any kind.

I certainly wasn’t going to be that person though.

Surprisingly, like a flash, the guy sitting close to me looked disgruntled with his eyes firmly fixed on his mobile phone and he made an awkward sound, much to my bewilderment. But hey, I still had to mind my business. Then, he spilled the beans aloud, and his quotes made me smile like a kid that just received some gifts from his parents,

  “Damn! Robin van Persie is stupid! Can you imagine the ingrate tagging Sir Alex Ferguson as the best coach he has ever worked with?”

In a strange twist of fate, I was sitting in this room for over an hour waiting patiently for the manager with absolutely nothing to do but listen to the swirling sound the fan above me was making and little did I know that a fellow Gooner was seating close to me.

C’mon, who else will want to call Robin van Persie stupid? It has to be someone that has been hurt by the actions of the Flying Dutchman. A supporter of the Pride of London, a supporter of the club that has gone without any silverware of any sort for eight years, a supporter that believes in victory through harmony – a supporter of Arsenal Football Club.

Before I could air my opinions on van Persie to my fellow Gooner, three other gentlemen that played the silent game like me an hour ago already did. After brief introductions, we dwelt on the issue of Robin van Persie, opening healed wounds, reminisced on the past, the current situation at Arsenal and the bright foreseeable future.

Its moments like these that make me love the beautiful game. That is football, it brings harmony, it’s more than just a game. Sometimes, I wish they could rename it to Li-football, the Li stands for Life (I don’t know if that makes sense though).

In my opinion, the less passionate fans would always want to remind you that football is just a game. Tell that to Arsene Wenger that danced on the touchline when Nicklas Bendtner scored that 94^th minute header against Wolves. Tell that the 60,000 plus at the Emirates went into raptures when Andrey Arshavin scored the match winner against Barcelona.

A friend once shared a tale of how his parents sacrificed a lot to provide him with a sound education and now he’s been rewarded with a dream job. You’d bet I smiled and paid tribute to his parents. I call that dedication.

But, back then in college too, my best friend would always save his lunch money so he could go to match viewing centers to see his Arsenal win, lose or draw. In fairness, that is dedication too, forget about the amount of money involved.

Moving over to current affairs with endless tales of North Korea planning to attack the United States and the media frenzy on the situation makes me perplexed, talking about how it’s going to be doomsday if both countries go to war. I’m pretty sure that they haven’t heard about the North London derby.

A game that brings the northern part of London to a standstill, a game that has seen heroes and villains rise from the fold, a game that has seen all sorts of unbelievable drama, thrillers, suspense and most importantly, goals.

I believe keeping a set of Tottenham and Arsenal fans of the same number in a room could erupt a force that would knock the Earth out of space. Down the years, the rivalry between Arsenal and Tottenham has risen to astronomical levels and the balance has shifted with the White Half of North London edging closer and closer to trying to usurp their illustrious neighbors in the league.

After they got a taste of Champions League football, their cravings increased and they have pushed Arsene Wenger’s team to the edge and have breathed hard down the Gunners neck. This season, Arsenal qualified for the Champions League with a win against Newcastle and the players celebrated it like they had won a trophy, but the enemies have made mockery of them for their antics.

As Ifreke Inyang rightly stated, Arsenal celebrated fourth place like a trophy, so what?

In my honest opinion, since 1995, there is something that has been more certain than death, taxes and England losing on penalty kicks – St. Totteringham’s Day.

Mars Gooner

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Kos scores the match winner on the final day of the season. Deja fucking Vu

The nerves were tingling, the stage was set and the curtain was closing on the 2012/13 Premier League season as Arsenal marched out one final time with their destiny clinging on the result after 90 minutes. Elsewhere, Tottenham hosted Sunderland while Chelsea hosted Everton in David Moyes’ final game as Toffees boss before he embarks on a new adventure as Manchester United’s manager.

Many Arsenal fans (me included) had hoped for the manager would tweak things a bit from the team that ran riot against Wigan. With Mikel Arteta suffering an injury last time out, I gave some permutations on his possible replacements. I also voiced my concerns about Lukas Podolski’s recent outings through the middle as he had not convinced me enough that he was up to the task.

Even if a part of me believed that Podolski’s brace was enough to keep him in the side, I was astonished when I saw Arteta leading the line at the starting lineup. Despite suffering an injury a few days back, the ‘captain’ was desperate to play at the expense of his health. The manager named an unchanged squad from the team that dispatched Wigan and Howard Webb’s whistle signaled the start of Arsenal’s game of the season.

Santi Cazorla was making his 38th Premier League appearance as he was the only player in the team to play every league game this season. The Spaniard lofted a corner that was nodded to safety by Fabrizio Coloccini but it fell into the path of Theo Walcott that blasted his effort over the bar. At the other end, make-shift left back, Mapou Yanga Mpiwa, made mince meat out of Per Mertesacker before supplying a cut back that was blasted over by Papiss Cisse.

Cazorla swung in another dead ball that was flicked across the goalmouth by Laurent Koscielny. With no Gunner attacking the ball, the Frenchman’s effort skewed wide off the mark. Moments after Koscielny almost contributed to a potential goal in Newcastle’s half, he made a vital interception when he and Per Mertesacker hit the deck to block Yoann Gouffran’s effort after some good work down the right from Matt Debuchy.

Gouffran fashioned a great chance for himself when he waltzed Mertesacker and Bacary Sagna but his tame shot was miles apart and it clearly didn’t match up the decent buildup from Gouffran. At that distance, the least he could have done would have been to test Wojciech Szczesny’s goal.

It was puzzling enough that Arteta started the game and it became more puzzling when he suffered a recurrence of his injury only to be replaced by the Ox, which was out of scope, I taught. Yes, he excelled in the role against AC Milan last season and Norwich this campaign but playing him in the holding role was a big ask in a game of this magnitude.

As Arsenal pushed on for the all-important goal, Kieran Gibbs made some space for himself creating a good pass for Cazorla but the Spaniard’s technique let him down as he launched a poorly-struck effort sailed aimlessly over the bar.

Yohan Cabaye fired a long range drive that was easy pickings for Szczesny but on the Polish goalkeeper’s opposite end, the Newcastle faithful honored the 38-year-old Steve Harper in the 38th minute, as they sang his praises and applauded the stalwart that had served the club for 20 years even through he was on the fringes, serving as a back-up to Pavel Srnicek, Shaka Hislop, Shay Given and more recently, Tim Krul.

Football – It can make a grown man cry…

Arsenal broke away with Walcott sending Podolski through on goal but the offside flag spared Newcastle’s blushes. The German forward still managed to miss the chance and it would have been very embarrassing if he missed that with the assistant referee’s flag down. The last bit of action of the first half saw Hatem Ben Arfa glide his way through the Arsenal defense before blasting his effort over.

In the start of the half, Arsenal threatened when Harper’s poor clearance was intercepted by Aaron Ramsey before he teed up Walcott on his right. With his eyes firmly fixed on goal, Walcott blasted a shot to Harper’s far post but it was parried by the veteran goalie. On the other end, Debuchy was almost sent through on goal but Szczesny anticipated the situation and reacted brilliantly to smother the ball.

Sagna offered little or no threat whatsoever on the right flank but his improvisation won a free kick for his team not far from the corner flag. Walcott took over the responsibility of the dead ball and swung in a cross into Newcastle’s danger area. After the ball ricocheted off Podolski, Koscielny reacted the quickest and showed off his acrobatic side with a swinging shot that almost took out Harper’s head before going in to give the Gunners the lead.

Kos the effing Boss

For a considerable chunk of the season, Koscielny spent a lot of time warming the bench because Thomas Vermaelen played alongside Per Mertesacker on merit, because of the mere fact that he was the captain despite his horrible gaffes. It took some balls for the manager to axe the Verm from the squad but the Mertesielny combo has reaped benefits.

Debuchy exploited some space vacated by Gibbs and drilled a cross that was attacked by Gouffran but Mertesacker used his long legs to good effect as he made a trademark Merteception. For those that don’t know, a Merteception is a vital goal-saving interception made by Per Mertesacker.

Arsene Wenger replaced the ineffectual Podolski with a refreshed Olivier Giroud. Newcastle continued to threaten Arsenal’s rearguard with several pelts into the box and after a goalmouth scramble Steven Taylor was ready to go for the kill but Koscielny yet again made another vital interception before suffering a blow from Taylor. Moments later Jack Wilshere replaced Santi Cazorla.

Just when we taught that one goal was enough to assure the Gunners of a Champions League berth and celebrate St. Totteringham’s day, Gareth Bale scored a late winner against a 10-man Sunderland which made the final moments of the game very nervy. With Newcastle going for broke, spaces were exploited at the back as Walcott darted past Coloccini before skipping past Taylor and placing the ball past a hapless Harper. To Walcott disgust, the ball hit the post and rolled effortlessly back into the arms of Harper.

In the end, the Gunners held on to grab an absolutely vital result, sealing fourth place in the Premier League. Judging from how badly things were in the start of the campaign, a fourth placed finish was welcome. According to the Premier League Form Table, Arsenal was the best team in terms of recent results and won every away game since that stinging defeat against Tottenham.

Wenger’s post-match interview had it all, with the boss expressing his relief in sealing qualification yet again, knowing what the ramifications would have been if Newcastle somehow snatched a late goal yesterday. And of course, a word for Tottenham,

Arsenal's shadow is so big that even with a Chimpanzee Tottenham couldn't swing out of it – @I_am_OGB—
Gooner Daily (@goonerdaily) May 19, 2013

Sayonara.

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Win this evening and Champions League football will come to North London for the umpteenth season in a row, anything else coupled with results elsewhere, then we will have ourselves to blame.

Forget about the rash performances in the past, Gervinho’s unfathomable miss against Bradford, Wojciech Szczesny’s poor Parry that led to Colin Kazim-Richards goal in the FA Cup, the shameful first leg outing against Bayern Munich coupled with the spirited performance against the Champions League finalists.

Since Arsenal’s woeful performance that culminated in defeat at White Hart Lane in March, the Gunners have been unbeaten in the Premier League. It started with a sturdy performance against Swansea before dispatching Reading with consummate ease.

The month of April saw the Gunners ease past West Brom before a late surge quelled the threat Norwich posed. A disappointing draw against Everton was followed by a nervy win over Fulham. The newly-crowned champions visited the Emirates in a feisty affair but both sides shared the spoils.

The month of May has seen the Gunners defeat QPR and Wigan with today’s match against Newcastle being the ultimate decider for the club’s aspirations for next season. Fourth place isn’t good enough for a team that has won 13 Premier League titles but it’s more than adequate at this point in time.

There has been talk of a potential playoff with Chelsea but we have to remember that both teams will end up playing Champions League football, irrespective of the result in Villa Park.

Paolo di Canio and his Sunderland hordes will go to the Lane without any pressure of any sort and I certainly do not expect any favors from them, even if Arsenal did them a huge favor by dooming Wigan to relegation. Tottenham will want to do their part in defeating the Black Cats while hoping for the worst for their illustrious North London neighbours.

Newcastle endured a very torrid campaign as they failed to build on their successes from last season. A fifth placed finish earned Alan Pardew the Manager of the Season award in the last campaign but injuries coupled with some atrocious results saw Newcastle flirt seriously with relegation. A French revolution in the winter saw an upturn of their fortunes and the win against QPR confirmed their top flight status for another season.

Arsenal arrive in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in a rich vein of form and would hope to seal a victory that would confirm a Champions League berth as well as celebrating St. Totteringham’s day once again.

To team news, I don’t expect much changes in the squad with the  exceptions being how Wenger would respond to Arteta’s injury, as well as the dilemmas of selections in the left back slot and the center forward position with Giroud’s touchline ban over.

Starting with Arteta’s injury, I’d expect Wenger to make a decision out of four possible outcomes…one would be to bring on Jack Wilshere (that’s nursing an injury) before sending him to the specialist hospital for his much talked-about surgery. There’s the option of trying an experiment with the Verm, as he certainly possesses a few qualities needed for a holding midfielder.

Wenger can also summon the services of a rusty and washed up Francis Coquelin or make some tactical changes by using only Aaron Ramsey as the holding midfielder while Tomas Rosicky and Santi Cazorla play in front of him.

With all this in place, bringing on Jack Wilshere will be the most plausible option with Ramsey providing adequate cover in the middle of the park.

On the left back dilemma, Nacho Monreal and Kieran Gibbs have contested admirably for the right to become Arsenal’s No. 1 left back and this competition has brought out the best in both players. For today, I believe that Monreal will get the nod because of his vast experience and the defensive stability he offers with no disrespect to Gibbs of course.

In attack, I’ll say that it’s good to have Giroud back. Despite his brace against Wigan, Podolski hasn’t convinced me that he can lead the line for the Gunners. His quality is undoubted but he hardly offers a focal point in attack.

With 17 goals to his name, Giroud has enjoyed a decent debut campaign with Arsenal and he was a goal shy of a hat trick in this corresponding fixture in December. With him leading the line with Theo Walcott and Santi Cazorla on his flanks, Newcastle should brace themselves up for a storm.

Enjoy the game wherever you are.

Sayonara.

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Sagna: Are you staying or going?

Bacary Sagna has been at Arsenal for as long as I can remember.

At the age of 30, he is regarded as one of the senior players in the squad and he has been through a lot in his six-year stint with the club. Arriving in the Premier League with a relatively unknown status, the Frenchman worked his way up the food chain in his debut campaign in England, endearing himself into Arsenal hearts and winning a place in the 2008 PFA Team of the Year.

From that moment he set the tone for what has been one hell of a career in North London.

Despite making up a lot of distance further up the pitch to support his attacking winger on a consistent basis whilst performing his defensive duties admirably, Sagna continued to maintain amazing fitness levels and the number of appearances he made in his first four seasons were staggering, in contrast to his injury-plagued campaign last season.

His moment of glory came with a price, as he injured himself after scoring his first ever goal for the club in that Didier Drogba-inspired 2 – 1 loss to Chelsea in Stamford Bridge. In the 2010/11 campaign, he managed to score two well-taken goals against Everton in Goodison Park and Leeds United in Elland Road. His last goal for the club would be highly regarded as his most important goal as it sparked a revival in one of the most enthralling games I’ve witnessed as an Arsenal fan.

5PUR2

In his time at Arsenal, the fans have become accustomed to his eccentric hairstyle, his beautiful Ludivine, his optimal fitness levels, amazing work rate, his influence on Carl Jenkinson and most importantly, his unrivaled consistency that has been put in question this season. Suffering two broken legs definitely took a toll on Sagna’s fitness and form, but he myst be lauded for trying to come back stronger.

This season Sagna has been a complete shadow of the player I once heralded as the S.I. Unit for consistency. His leg injury forced him to stay at home last summer while Laurent Blanc and his Les Bleus traveled to Ukraine and Poland for the European Championships. To be fair, his replacement, Matt Debuchy, didn’t put a wrong foot throughout the tournament till their quarterfinal exit in the hands of Spain.

While Debuchy continued to deputize for his compatriot in the national side, Carl Jenkinson manned the right back position in the start of this season, acclimatizing himself into the role as well as putting up stellar performances in Sagna’s stead. The Bac Man made his long-awaited return in Autumn and he showed his class in some games while he was an aberration in others.

No thoroughbred Arsenal fan will ever forget his 5-star performance against Sunderland this season.

He was drafted into an unfamiliar center back role after Laurent Koscielny picked up a knock in the warm up but Sagna’s performance against Sunderland would go down as one of his best in Arsenal colors. His cause wasn’t helped with the fact that the stand-in right back, Carl Jenkinson, got a red card that exposed his naivety but Sagna marshaled a defense that held the fort from start to finish. He made a lot of vital interceptions, clearances, headers and was awesome in every sense of the word.

On the other hand, Sagna has had his fair share of stinkers and one can look no further than the games against Southampton (away), Newcastle (home), Chelsea (away) and most recently, the crunch encounter between Arsenal and Manchester United.

Sagna was culpable for the goals conceded courtesy of some sloppy passes that were intercepted by the opposition. Sagna’s positioning has been downright appalling in some games as well, with memories of Juan Mata’s early goal in Stamford Bridge ringing bells in my head. When Newcastle visited the Emirates, Sagna made Gabby Obertan look like Ronaldinho.

Against Manchester  United, Sagna inexplicably chose to send a sloppy pass that was gracefully received by van Persie. In his attempt to seek redemption, a rush of blood to his head saw the Frenchman scythe RVP inside the box, giving the ref no choice but to point to the spot.

When everybody thought that Sagna was going to be axed like Wojciech Szczesny and Thomas Vermaelen after such an appalling performance, Sagna took to the pitch against Queens Park Rangers in Loftus Road and didn’t do half badly. The fullback also played in the recent mauling of Wigan and he’ll be odds on to play what might seem like his final Arsenal game in St. James’ Park on Sunday.

In recent times, Arsenal has had a mass exodus of players that have left for greener pastures. When it seemed as if Theo Walcott was going to join the trend, he made a U-turn and signed a long-term deal that would keep him in the club for years to come.

With Walcott’s future sorted out, all eyes were firmly fixed on Bacary Sagna, as he was tipped to make a move to the free-spending Paris St. Germain but the Frenchman pledged his allegiance to Arsenal (via Sky Sports),

“The transfer rumours regarding PSG? I am 100 per cent devoted to my club, I am only thinking about defending the colours of Arsenal until the end of my contract.

“The fans are angry with me because they heard about PSG’s interest, but I am not responsible for that. I have never had any contact.”

These quotes were made in February with Sagna pledging his allegiance to the Red and White Army. In a strange twist of fate, Sagna has turned things around and has decided to keep his options open,

“I could very well extend my contract here in London but equally I could leave at the end of the season. I only have one year left on my contract. We will see.

At the moment I am fully focused on Arsenal. I don’t know what will happen this summer. I have to see the directors again regarding an extension to my contract. Monaco would be a new challenge. I don’t close any door to PSG, Monaco or Arsenal.”

With Sagna approaching the same scenario Arsenal faced with Gael Clichy, $amir Na$ri and Robin van P€r$i£, the Gunners hierarchy will be forced to make a decision with his future.

There are only two ways to deal with this scenario.

There is the profitable way, where the Arsenal decision makers would look at the prospects of selling a 30-year-old defender to the likes of Paris St. Germain and Monaco that would be willing to spend a fortune for his services, bearing in mind that he has indirectly declared his interest in returning back home to earn some big greens.

With this in mind, Arsenal will reveal their asking price and if it’s matched by the moneybags of France, Sagna will be theirs for the taking. Like Alex Song’s unexpected sale to Barcelona, the sale of Sagna would bring a plethora of divided opinions among fans, pundits, journos and the whole nine yards.

The million dollar question will be: Will Arsenal replace Sagna if he’s sold or will it be time for the Jenkinson dynasty to rise?

Borussia Dortmund’s Lukasz Piszczek has been linked with a move to Arsenal (via Telegraph) and I certainly won’t mind selling off Sagna for one of the most exciting right backs in the business.

There’s also the conservative way, where Arsenal’s decision makers will follow the route used in tying Theo Walcott to a long-term contract. The club would consider the fact that on his day, Sagna is a dominant force to be reckoned with and his past exploits have shown that he’s a dependable player. The club also tied Carl Jenkinson to a long-term deal and would want players like Sagna to be around to nurture the young lad as he continues his meteoric rise in North London.

With this in mind, the club would bear in mind that he has attracted interest from other richer clubs, so they would hand him a new contract extension with a substantial wage rise, tying down Sagna for years to come.

Irrespective of the path Sagna takes this summer, I’ll always have fond memories of the Bac Man that marauded Arsenal’s right flank balancing his defensive and attacking play superbly.

Since the days of Lee Dixon and Lauren Etame-Meyer, Sagna’s performances on the right ranks him with the very best in the beautiful game and Arsenal fans are honored to have such an amazing player in every sense of the word.

Sagna has amassed 235 appearances for the club and I can only hope that he would be able to add to this tally next season but should he decide to seek greener pastures elsewhere, I won’t shed a tear because Arsenal is like the Greek mythical creature, Hydra.

If you take one head out, another pops up.

Sayonara.

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