Giroud’s Appeal Fails: Reviewing Arsenal’s Alternative Attacking Options

With a Robin van Persie-inspired performance handing Manchester United their 20th league title, their arch-rivals, Manchester City, will have to settle for second place and will be odds on to do some business this summer with their petro-greens. While the city of Manchester can brag about having the best two teams in the land, the city of London is currently in an intense battle as Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham are fighting hard for the remaining coveted Champions League spots.

While Chelsea and Tottenham have grueling fixtures as well the game in hand against each other, Arsenal has four more fixtures against the champions, Manchester United, relegation-threatened Queens Park Rangers and Wigan as well as a Newcastle side not still assured of their Premier League status. While a draw against Manchester United seems like the most possible outcome, the Gunners will be assured of a place in next season’s Champions League if they can record consecutive wins over QPR, Wigan and Newcastle, as either Chelsea or Tottenham will have to drop points when they play against each other.

However, the Gunners will go into the next three games without the services of Olivier Giroud, that has seen the appeal from his club rejected following his dismissal in Craven Cottage. The FA has released an official statement on this subject matter,

Following an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing today, Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud has had his claim for wrongful dismissal rejected.

“Giroud was dismissed for serious foul play during his side’s game against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday 20 April 2013.

“The player’s three-match suspension will therefore commence with immediate effect.”

In his debut campaign at Arsenal, the French forward has enjoyed a somewhat decent season that saw him score in purple patches as well as going through spells of goal droughts. Despite the fact that Giroud is Arsenal’s second highest goalscorer behind Theo Walcott (who’s also on a drought) with 17 goals, many Arsenal fans won’t be quick to forget his glaring misses as the campaign progressed – the blatant miss in his debut against Sunderland, that spurned chance in the dying moments against Chelsea at home and more recently, the sitter against Everton last week.

With Giroud out of the side for three games before a potential return in the final game of the campaign against Newcastle, Arsene Wenger will have to assign another player with the task of coming up with the goods while Monsieur Giroud gets some rest. Prior to his red card against Fulham, Giroud had notched up 46 appearances for the club and he could do with a breather to recharge his batteries, even if it’s forced by suspension.

Without further ado, here are the likeliest of attacking alternatives that could be selected by Arsene Wenger for the games against Manchester United, QPR and Wigan in Giroud’s absence.

Gervinho

The Ivorian forward has endured a topsy-turvy campaign this season. Despite having a debut that was tainted by the antics of Joey Barton, Gervinho was in good form before representing his nation in the 2012 African Cup of Nations but after missing the crucial penalty that his nation lose the finals to Zambia, Gervinho returned to Arsenal like a player that was possessed with a ghost.

With a good summer’s break to cool off, Gervinho shocked everyone in the start of the campaign with some inspired performances that saw him score a brace against Southampton and it was followed with goals against Montpellier, Chelsea and Olympiakos making the Ivorian Arsenal’s leading goalscorer at that point in time.

As the months progressed, Gervinho’s form dwindled and his performances in the cup games against Bradford and Blackburn were marred with glaring misses that proved costly as Arsenal were ousted from both competitions. This brought Gervinho into the bad books of the fans and probably his manager as he featured sparingly.

In a strange twist of fate, an injury suffered to Theo Walcott during the last international break paved the way for Gervinho to get a run-out and he grabbed the chance with both hands as he was instrumental in Arsenal’s victories over Reading and West Brom. Just when we thought that Gervinho was finding some form, he was back to his frustrating best against Norwich as he hasn’t returned to the first-team setup.

On his day, Gervinho is a force to be reckoned with as he’s a fleet-footed player with good dribbling skills and some flamboyancy but for some strange reason, his technique is questionable and he generally runs out of ideas in the final third. With Arsenal looking for a forward to come up with the goods, Gervinho wouldn’t be a likely option.

Possibility of replacing Giroud: Low

Theo Walcott

Arsenal’s leading goalscorer, Theo Walcott, will look back to this season with a keen sense of pride. With Robin van Persie departing for greener pastures, Arsenal needed some players to step their games up and in all fairness, Walcott falls into that category.

The entertaining, enthralling and epic encounter between Reading and Arsenal in the Capital One cup would go down as one of the most pulsating matches in English football history but Walcott placed his mark on that fixture, scoring a stunning hat-trick. There was the brace against Coventry and a consistent run of goals in the course of the season, but when Walcott was deployed as a center forward against Newcastle in December, he rewarded his manager with another scintillating hat-trick.

Some may label the forward as a one-trick pony but Walcott’s efficiency in front of goal has been very clinical and the nature of his goals this season is a testament of these claims. However, Walcott struggled a bit when he was deployed as a center forward at Giroud’s expense last winter. His height was clearly an issue as he offered no threat from the air and wasn’t able to bring his teammate’s into the game with nice flicks and linkup moves.

Notwithstanding, Walcott’s blistering pace remains a potent force and Arsenal can use it to their advantage, especially against slow defenses like that of QPR and Wigan.

Possibility of replacing Giroud: High

Lukas Podolski

Lukas Podolski is a renowned center forward but his versatility ensures that he can be deployed in other attacking positions, as he can play in the hole behind the striker as well as the left wing position, where he has played for throughout his time at Arsenal with the exception of his debut against Sunderland, where he put up a disappointing show.

The German is currently ranked in third place in Arsenal’s scoring charts, as he has managed to score 14 goals and lay on a couple of assists in his maiden season in England. While he may not produce performances that would make you drool week in week out, Podolski’s efficiency, work ethic and consistency (and injuries, of course) have been the major highlights of his fledgling Arsenal career.

The German has struggled with niggling injuries in the course of the season and has been on the fringes as well but when he’s summoned from the bench, he has gone on to make some telling contributions to the overall play like his equalizer against Swansea in the FA Cup third round or his match clincher against Norwich last week.

With Giroud out through suspension, Arsene Wenger has tipped Podolski to spearhead the team’s attack, and I can bet my smart money that the German would lead the line in these upcoming fixtures against Manchester United, QPR and Wigan.

Possibility of replacing Giroud: Very High

Andrey Arshavin

Just kidding…

Conclusion

This season has shown that there are players within the team that can deputize for the first-team regulars and still put on a great shift.

In goal, Lukasz Fabianski replaced the under-performing Wojciech Szczesny and made some commanding displays in goal before injury thwarted his progress yet again. In defense, Carl Jenkinson has been immense when Bacary Sagna is out injured and with Laurent Koscielny’s solid performances in tandem with Per Mertesacker, it has been hard for the captain to command his place back in the starting lineup.

Irrespective of who Arsene Wenger selects as his center forward, Arsenal would be expect to get maximum points in their remaining fixtures for the remainder of the season. With Giroud serving  his match ban, Arsene Wenger will need to act fast.

The question remains – will he go for the trickery of Gervinho, the raw pace of Walcott or the efficiency of Podolski.

Sayonara.

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Gervais Yao “Pires”?, Latest Injury Updates and Transfer Speculation

With the next Premier League fixture just around the corner, I’m supposed to be filled up with excitement in anticipation of Arsenal grabbing their first maximum points of the campaign…but when I realize that Arsene Wenger and his Red Army are going to the Britannia to play that rugby lot, my optimism isn’t as high as it ought to be.

Our record is a bit shabby in that part of England and we have our fair share of history with that lot – Gael Clichy scoring his first goal for the club, Robin van Persie’s shameful red card, the 2010 FA Cup defeat, Johan Djourou’s putrid performance that led to all three Stoke goals in the 2010/11 campaign and of course, the Shawcrossation of Aaron Ramsey.

My fondest memory of the Britannia still remains watching my team overcome the mental frailty of Ramsey’s double leg fracture to give the fans a second half to remember. Nicklas Bendtner’s header was inch perfect, Cesc Fabregas’ penalty was as cool as they come and the way the team celebrated Thomas Vermaelen’s match clincher exhumed passion in every sense of the word.

I’ll give a befitting preview for the Stoke game in tomorrow’s post.

Moving on to today’s bit, it seems as if there’s going to be a shiny light at the end of Arsenal’s dark injury tunnel as three Gunners are coming close to their optimal venues – two are sure-fire favorites to be fully fit while caution has been thrown to the wind on the third Gunner.

When Arsenal thumped Lukas Podolski’s previous employers in the Rhein-Energie Stadion, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain suffered an ankle injury that also kept him out of an England call-up. After undergoing some therapy from the world’s best medical team (you know I’m kidding, right?), the Ox has been deemed fit to make an appearance against those goons from Stoke-on-Trent.

It’s good to have the Ox back as Theo Walcott put up a shite-like performance against Sunderland, forcing Wenger to resort to the Russian pygmy, Andrey Arshavin, who was average at his best. In a game where Arsenal needed that injection of attacking verve to support the outstanding Santi Cazorla, Arshavin preferred to be sloppy with the ball while putting up his usual lackadaisical and lethargic attitude.

A few weeks ago, Arshavin was proud to announce that he was going to be a father for his third child. If only he showed the same enthusiasm and desire on the pitch in relation to what he does on bed with Mrs. Owl. Just kidding.

The Ox will give Arsenal some wit from the bench and he’s odds on to make a substitute appearance when the chips are down.

Laurent Koscielny is another player that has been on the sidelines recently but the Big F*ckin’ Giant, Per Mertesacker, did well in the Premier League curtain raiser against Sunderland. It’s a bit painful to know that the Stoke game will come too soon for Kos the Boss but he’ll be fit to face Liverpool in Anfield.

Koscielny’s aerial ability would have come in handy against a direct side like Stoke, but Arsenal will have to make do with their current backline. In his time as one of the lynchpins of the famous back four, Steve Bould had a very good frame that allowed him to jump like a kangaroo alongside Mr. Arsenal, Tony Adams, when defending set pieces. I hope that he has shared a tip or two to the team.

Finally, there’s more good news on Jack Wilshere as he continues to train hard in his rehab centre in his bid to gain full fitness. He was scheduled to return in October, but reports are emerging that Jackie boy is exceeding expectations and a comeback is closer than we think.

In my honest opinion, Wilshere should be allowed to build his fitness progressively because we need him for the long-term. If he’s to be fully fit and we look at the calendar to see the month of December, so be it. Wilshere was a general in the midfield when he donned the Red and White but we need to throw caution to the wind with this bloke.

The last time I checked, the depth of this current squad is more than enough to make up for Wilshere’s loss, and plans are still in place to get a new midfielder on loan, even though I wonder why it’s taking all eternity.

Moving over to transfer speculation, I’ll pick up where I left off with that midfielder on loan that Arsenal has been chasing since the days Olusegun Obasanjo was still Nigeria’s president.

Unless you’re living in a cave with no access to internet, Colored TV and civilization, you should know that Arsenal has publicly declared its intention to secure a loan deal for Real Madrid’s deep-lying playmaker, Nuri Sahin.

It was believed that the saga was to be over this week with Arsenal unveiling the handsome lad on Monday, but both negotiating parties hit a snag, as Arsenal wanted to add a clause that would see them purchase the midfielder permanently, but Madrid gave us the middle finger.

With this “development”, Sahin’s agent, Reza Fazeli, placed his client on the transfer radar yet again, and his client was attracted some interest from Arsenal’s rivals, Liverpool. Liverpool had initially withdrawn their interest in signing Sahin because, they like other Arsenal fans, had believed that it was a done deal with the Gunners.

Other rumor mongers are also publishing that Tottenham has half an eye on the Turk but are monitoring proceedings as he can be touted as a replacement for Luka Modric, who’s Madrid-bound.

Mourinho has given Sahin his blessing to set the Premier League alight with Arsenal being his potential destination but the Real Madrid hierarchy has no plans to let their 23-year-old starlet leave Santiago Bernabeu after a potentially successful one year loan spell in his proposed new club.

I like every Arsenal fan out there remains bamboozled and perplexed in Arsenal’s approach for Nuri Sahin. For heaven’s sake, sign this bloke on loan and give him a chance to dictate the tempo of our midfield alongside Mikel Arteta and Santi Cazorla. When he sees how valuable he can become in the Red half of North London, we can inject him with a lethal dose of the “van Nasregas” formula, which will prompt him to tell the press that a little boy inside him has been screaming, “Arsenal, Arsenal” all year long.

I’m sure you get the drift.

The media Vultures have published a piece linking Spain’s El Homesickla, Jesus Navas, to Arsenal. Navas’ eyes are no different from that of a vampire and like his fellow vamps out there, Navas loves his coffin which is buried in some cave in Seville.

There a lot of sunlight in London and his skin will burn to shreds, so he can like to remain in Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. Thanks but no thanks.

In my opinion, that bloke is friggin overrated and I can bet that he wouldn’t thrive in a league as physical as the Premier League, except he wants to pull a Eden Hazard on us. What a signing he has been thus far, all £34m of it.

On potential departures, I’d heard gist about Celta Vigo gunning for Park Chu-Young and Zenit re-igniting their interest in signing Arshavin.

In one word – HALLELUYAH!!!

To wrap things all up, last season’s import from Ligue 1, Gervinho, has stated that he wants to emulate the great and dreamy Le Bob, Robert Pires, and he aims to perform better than Arsene Wenger’s third best French acquisition of all time, after Le Igwe and Monsieur V.

While wearing the famous Number 7 jersey once donned by the great Liam Brady, Pires was the lynchpin of the left wing and he forged a great telepathy with Ca$hley Cuntly Cole. After amassing 284 appearances for the Gunners, Pires had 84 goals to show for it, as well as many fond memories he filled Arsenal hearts with.

The lanky stature, the unpredictable style of play no different from David Ginola, the dreamy looks, vampire fangs, the wavy locks of hair and of course, the standout beard that never seemed to grow beyond that line in his jaw.

Pires also used his amazing football ability to help his club win trophies and his goal against Southampton in the 2003 FA Cup final can never be forgotten, as it was the goal that handed Arsenal the trophy, after a disappointing Premier League campaign that saw the Gunners resign the title to Manchester United under acrimonious circumstances.

Pires has also been in the news lately, as he shared a word or two about Arsenal’s new boy, Santi Cazorla,

“Santi called me when the offer from the club arrived and I told him it was the perfect club for him. The way the team plays will suit him perfectly and he is the kind of player Arsene loves too.</em<

He is a very exciting player, very gifted technically with both feet. He has an impressive creative touch and he can play in the centre or on the wings.

His vision and the quality of his passing is brilliant but he can also take people on. Despite still being quite young, he has big experience with the Spanish national team and has also played in the Champions League.

Finally, he has a very good mentality and is a real team player. He will need a bit of time to settle but I’m convinced he will adapt very quickly and will be a great signing for Arsenal.”

Unlike Pires that managed to notch up eight goals in 51 games (first season), Gervinho managed four goals in 34 games, which wasn’t really a bad return, considering the fact that he went to Africa in the middle of the season to represent his country.

His form really dipped after that tournament and one can look no further than his penalty miss against Zambia that made his team lose a title they were heavy favorites to win.

Gervinho was very impressive against Sunderland and he had 10 successful dribbles from 20 attempts. The last player to equal that feat in the Premier League was Cristiano Ronaldo in his mesmerizing Manure days.

It’s always good to set targets and goals for yourself and Robert Pires will offer Gervinho the perfect platform to build up his game.

Gervinho is nowhere near Pires when he was at his prime but I feel that his dribbling ability was a close match to the Frenchman’s own and he’s way faster. However, his output on the final third is on the wrong end of a scale, if it’s weighed with Pires’ output.

We have a full season ahead of us and I’m hoping to see what the tricky Ivorian magician has in store for Arsenal this season.

I certainly wouldn’t mind his 18-goal outlay that helped LOSC Lille Metropole win the Ligue 1.

The quote of the day goes to @eromzy:

“Chelsea sign Moses. That’s funny because Man United have Judas, Arsenal want Jesus and Liverpool are stuck with Adam”

You don’t need any soothsayer to tell you who Judas Iscariot is. This time, he betrayed us with 235,000 pieces of silver per week.

In my bid to serve my esteemed readers better, I’m proud to announce that the Gooner Daily  App for BlackBerry has been launched and you can find it in AppWorld.

This was an initiative marshalled by  VOE Solutions with the great  Obitwyce the genius at the forefront of the application.

It offers a brilliant interface to read my posts for BlackBerry users and plans are ongoing to create Gooner Daily Apps for iPad, Android and Windows phones.

A podcast is also on the cards.

One more thing – it’s free

That’s today’s bit.

Sayonara

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Arsenal’s Resurgence “Frustrates” Emmanuel Petit and a Tale of Le Forehead

Gervinho evading a marker

The quarterfinals of the Champions League reached its halfway point and no eyebrows were raised when the Dark Horses of the competition swept past their French hosts in the bid to play the final in their own stadium. The Marseille goalie should’ve done better from Mario Gomez’ effort but Arjen Robben’s sweet finish was certainly the icing on a half-baked cake.

The “other” game promised much but AC Milan’s experience shone through as they halted Barcelona from scoring for the first time in 30 Champions League games or so. The old hags like Alessandro Nesta, Massimo Ambrosini and Clarence Seedorf stole the show but this tweet was worth sharing in today’s post:

Seedorf's arse never ceases to amaze me.—
Axel (@aqqevalp) March 28, 2012

When Arsenal went through that bad patch of form that saw them capitulate in AC Milan’s cattle-grazing center, fingers were pointed at Arsene Wenger and his squad for such a putrid performance.

Ex-Gunner Emmanuel Petit singled out some players in the team and stated that they were not good enough for a club of Arsenal’s calibre. Petit added that the club revolved its football around Francesca and $amantha and said a thing or two about the defense.

Petit continued to express his rage as he reiterated that the young players haven’t done enough to justify the confidence that Arsene Wenger has in them. He singled out Theo Walcott, Tomas Rosicky and Aaron Ramsey for some harsh yet deserved criticism and ended his interview with this quote:

“What is needed is five or six players of real stature, great experience, players who are 27 – 30 years old at most. Players with technical qualities, obviously, but also strong character. A group of guys who refuse to accept defeat, who inspire confidence in the rest of the team”

The Gunners went on to lose the next game (Sunderland, FA Cup) but they picked themselves up and kick-started a consistent resurgent run that can make the club change its official website to wwwwww.arsenal.com

The legend is overjoyed with his former side’s return to a rich vein of form but he’s frustrated that the Gunners have suffered the ignominy of yet another trophy-less campaign:

“The performances since the criticism have been magnificent. But I am disappointed as well.”

“Why did they have to wait for the criticism to show people what they can do? I am quite frustrated because it proved they can do more”

Petit still fears that Robin van Persie might leave Arsenal to win titles and he revealed that sacking Arsene Wenger would have been the biggest mistake Arsenal could have ever made.

Emmanuel Petit remains a true ambassador of the club and he like other legends, hold the club dearly to his heart.

In his youthful days at the ASEC Abidjan academy, Gervais Yao Kouassi was so good with the ball at his feet, his Brazilian trainer fashioned a catchy nickname for him, Gervinho.

Like Farmer Emmanuel Eboue, he got his breakthrough in Beveren of Belgium before snapped by Le Mans for £575,000. Two seasons, 59 games and nine goals after LOSC Lille Metropole came knocking on Le Mans’ door and the multiplied his initial fee by 10 to sell him for £5.75m.

He dazzled the Lille faithful with 13 league goals in 32 appearances in his first season and followed it up with 15 goals in 35 appearances inspiring the French outfit to their first League and Cup double since the days of Napoleon Bonaparte.

He was snapped up by Arsenal this summer for £11m and he became synonymous with the starting lineup before traveling to Gabon to represent the Elephants of Ivory Coast in the 2012 African Cup of Nations.

Since his return, Le Forehead has been faced with the threat of an exuberant Ox and he’s working his way back to the first team. Gervinho says that he has done well at Arsenal but he can do better.

He said that his career has gone a long way since his switch to the Emirates and he’s pleased because he has improved himself as a player. He also believes that Arsenal win will lots of trophies next season and he ran out of superlatives for captain Van-tastic.

To wrap it all up, Denilson is eager to extend his stay at Sao Paulo, Real Sociedad is keen on sealing a permanent move for Carlos Vela and Mathieu Flamini the Flanimal could be in line for a sensational Emirates comeback.

Sayonara.

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A brief review on Arsenal’s ambassadors on international duty this weekend

I guess that I’ll have to start by apologizing for some of the content in my last post. I wrote that I was probably going to get some stick by putting Eduardo and Carlos Vela in a list that had Pascal Cygan, Denilson and Mikael Silvestre and boy, did I get some stick or what. Many gooners expected names like Francis Jeffers and Sebastien Squillaci to be in the list but as I wrote in that same post, the list is endless..

Moving on from that minor setback, this weekend turned out to be a boring affair because I was forced to watch some countries bore me to tears with 0-0 draws as well as a 1-0 England win in a game that I anticipated to have a boatload of goals at least. From a neutral point of view, it was an interesting match between two football heavyweights but Vicente del Bosque had to succumb to just his sixth loss as Spain’s manager which is pretty impressive if you ask me.

The most important fixtures from a European perspective where the European Championships playoffs that took place between eight teams with only four joining the remaining 12 that have already qualified. In other parts of the globe, Arsenal sent 16 ambassadors to represent their national teams and here’s a full list of the Gunners in action:

Aaron Ramsey

The Welsh captain led his fellow dragons as they breathed a baptism of fire past Norway in a resounding 4-1 victory. The world’s best left-footed Chimpanzee opened the deadlock before the fastest hobbit currently playing in Liverpool made it two. Wolves Sam Vokes completed the rout with a brace.

Laurent Koscielny

The Kosinator has been in inspired form this season and it was only a matter of time before he was going to be called up by Laurent Blanc. He finally made his first cap for France in their 1-0 victory over the United States. Fulham’s Clint Dempsey was ubiquitous on the pitch and Everton’s Tim Howard made an unbelievable save from Karim Benzema’s free kick. Marseille’s Loic Remy scored what proved to be the winner with a placed effort from an over the top pass.

Tomas Rosicky

Little Mozart captained his side to put one foot in the European Championships after a 2-0 win against surprise package Montenegro. Rosicky was voted as the Man of the Match as he pulled all the strings in the midfield.

Theo Walcott

The pacey winger played 45 minutes in England’s 1-0 victory over Spain. As expected, the Spaniards dominated possession but the Lampback of NotreDame bellied his years and came up with the goods again.

There was so much talk at the start of the season that the Lampback was past his prime but he has been impressive in the Premier League since AVB handed him another chance. He even got a goal and gave an assist when Chelsea played Arsenal but the pick of the bunch was the performance of Captain Van-tastic.

Gervinho

The fore-headed one was in action when the Elephants took on last summer’s World Cup hosts in the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium at Port Elizabeth but it ended in a 1-1 draw. Sibuniso Gaxa scored an embarrassing own goal to put Gervinho’s side ahead but a Katlego Mphela free kick leveled the contest.

I will never forget Mphela’s free kick against Spain in the 2010 Confederations Cup. It left me screaming so hard that my mum came out of her room to check if anything had happened to her beloved son. I would like you all to scream like me so I’ve decided to put the video of the goal in this post.

Andrey Arshavin

Russia’s football czar led his country to a 1-1 draw against Euro 2004 winners Greece. Roman Shirokov gave the visitors a quick lead in just two minutes but the experienced Kostas Katsouranis leveled the tie. Arshavin played all 90 minutes.

Robin van Persie and Johan Djourou

This lethal forward got injured for five months in a fixture against Italy last year so Arsene Wenger took out time to talk Bert van Marwijk about the striker’s availability in the friendly game against Switzerland. He played the entire match and shot blanks in a 0-0 draw but he was sent back home on a Red Ribbon as Holland is set to play Germany tomorrow without the Flying Dutchman.

Johan Djourou was on the other end of the pitch for 90 minutes and he was among the players that made sure that van Persie and the rest of the Dutch attack remained quiet throughout the game.

Wojciech Szczesny and Lukasz Fabianski

Both goalies were called up by Poland’s coach but Wojciech Szczesny got the nod when Poland took on Italy. Mario Balotelli and Giampaolo Pazzini scored for Italy in the 2-0 win but Szczesny can be happy with his performance because he kept the Italians at bay several times.

Lukasz Fabianski will probably get the nod when Poland plays Hungary on Tuesday.

Thomas Vermaelen

The Verminator enjoyed some good time out at the dugout as Belgium defeated Romania by a 2-1 scoreline. The man-mountain Daniel van Buyten put the Belgians ahead and an own goal from Rasvan Cocis but Vermaelen’s side two up. Romanian veteran Daniel Niculae reduced the deficit for the visitors but it wasn’t enough as the game ended like that.

Vermaelen has followed the Belgium side that will play France in Paris and I’m pretty sure that Vermaelen will want to get him some French fries on the pitch on Tuesday.

Alex Song

Alex Song was in the starting lineup when Cameroon brushed Sudan aside in the LG Friendly Cup. The game ended at 3-1 in favor of Cameroon.

Per Mertesacker

Arsenal’s beanpole defender spent time on the bench like his defensive counterpart Thomas Vermaelen. However, it was a free scoring contest as Ukraine and Germany ended the game with three goals apiece.

Andriy Yarmolenko opened the scoring for the hosts and Yevgen Konoplyanka made it two. Bayern’s Toni Kroos pulled one back for the Germans but Serhiy Nazarenko brought Ukraine back to their comfort zone as the first half ended with a two-goal advantage for the Andriy Shevchenko captained side.

Joachim Loew probably went haywire in the dressing room as the Germans came back strongly in the second half. Bayer Leverkusen’s Simon Rolfes made it 3-2 before Bayern Munich’s Young Money singer turned footballer, Young Mueller Baby scored what proved to be the final goal of the fiesty encounter.

Park Chu-Young

Everybody expected Park Chu-Young to score again when Korea Republic visited United Arab Emirates and he duly delivered. Park has been a goal scoring machine for his nation this season and his goal against Bolton was a thing of beauty.

With the present form of van Persie, Park and Marouane Chamakh will have to be content with a place on the bench and they’ll have to strut their stuff when deployed in Cup matches.

As for the Under-21 level, youngsters like Francis Coquelin and Alex the Chambered Ox continued their fledgling careers.

We have one more week before we go back to civilization n the form of club football.

Till then,

Sayonara.

A tale of Arsenal’s defense and the mediocre Andrey Arshavin

As Arsene Wenger and his men are diverting their attention to the Premier League with a home tie against West Brom, the men at the back line have been saying a thing or two. The club was labeled as a ‘crisis outfit’ after suffering that humiliating defeat in the hands of Manchester United but the tides have turned for the men from North London.

Starting with the last line of defense, Wojciech Szczesny has declared that Arsenal can win everything thanks to the club’s current form but he also expressed his disgust as the red-hot Robin van Persie missed out on the 23-man FIFA Golden Ball list that was dominated with those aliens from Planet Catalunya.

I can understand Szczesny’s confidence in the team but I’ll keep my fingers crossed on such an issue till the business end of the season (March/April/May). As for van Persie’s omission, I’m quite bewildered and perplexed that a striker who scored 33 goals in 37 games in this calendar year could be overlooked when the pictures he painted in 2011 were too glaring to see. I believe that this won’t faze Arsenal’s talisman who marked his 50th Champions League appearance for the club in Tuesday’s draw against Marseille.

Moving to the left back, Arsenal’s newbie Andre Santos has told the media Vultures that he’s settling well at the club:

“English football is indeed very different but I’m adapting well, I’m getting used to playing more at the back and reading the game better. But I will still go forward if I have the opportunity.

“I think all our new signings integrated really well into the team, the squad is of high quality and I hope to make a difference to Arsenal’s campaign.

“The top four is where Arsenal deserves to be. “It’s an excellent club, one that has been home to many great players, with an outstanding manager and a great squad.

“I hope we can improve with every round to climb the table and keep pushing forward.”

Andre Santos has made the gooners forget about Gael Clichy and the fact that Kieran Gibbs has matured as a player clearly means that Santos can’t afford to become complacent. Arsene Wenger also had some nice words to say about his new signing:

“I am happy when he has the ball. I feel personally he is much better defensively than many people think.

“He is getting stronger in every game. He is a very intelligent boy who learns very quickly and obviously he has to adapt to the pace of the English game. That is not easy, to play game after game,”

There was so much talk about his defensive frailties when he joined the club from Fenerbahce but the Brazilian has made some inch-perfect tackles that helped the cause of most of the games he has played this season. His performance in the  match against Chelsea in Stamford Bridge was top-notch and with Kieran Gibbs still having fun with Arsenal’s physios, Andre Santos will maraud the left flank week in week out.

To the center back position, Laurent Koscielny has promised to work very hard to win a place in the French team because the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine is just around the corner. Koscielny has been very impressive in Thomas Vermaelen’s absense and he has even overshadowed Arsenal’s newbie Per Mertesacker at the back.

However, he’s living the dream of a place in Laurent Blanc’s XI:

“Like all the French players, I dream of the 2012 European Championship.

“I know that I need to keep being good to keep being called up. I have been in the squad a few times which shows that I’m on the good path. Now I need to work harder because I haven’t had my first cap yet.

“If it comes one day, it’s because I would have deserved“

Thomas Vermaelen is another defender whose return to first team action has been a breath of fresh air to everyone concerned about Arsenal. He has told the media Vultures that he’s feeling great and he has dismissed claims of Arsenal being a one-man club by saying that the team can score goals without the lethal hit man called Robin van Persie.

Arsenal played without the striker for an hour when they hosted Marseille and the fans cried out to the manager to unleash the beast but Marseille’s resolute defending was enough for both sides to share the spoils.

Vermaelen is regarded as Arsenal’s star defender and is guaranteed his first team place with either Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny, Johan Djourou, Ignasi Miquel or Sebastien Squillaci (*gulps*) but the Belgian commander has said that all centre backs must gel together:

“You have to pair with everybody. It doesn’t matter for me who is playing or who I am playing with, we know each other’s qualities and we know that because we are training every day with each other.

“It is up to the boss because he makes the selection of who is going to play. It was the first time for me and I haven’t been training with him a lot – maybe once for a few minutes. For me, it is not a problem.

“I watched him play alongside Koscielny and I have a good idea of his qualities and what he is like as a player. You have to be professional enough to cope with that.”

You can’t fault Vermaelen’s professionalism in his approach to who he intends to play with but it seems as if Mertesacker might get the nod above Kos to partner Vermaelen but I’m positive that this will be good for Arsenal’s defense because every player in that department will have to be on his toes.

Andrey Arshavin was a creative force alongside Cesc Fabregas for Arsenal last season but his form has waned badly this season. The Little Russian was quick to admit that he has been ‘average’ this season:

“Speaking honestly, I think my performances for Arsenal have been average, I’ve done some good things, but I don’t assess my game on goals or assists. I look at the whole picture.”

“Normally when I’m on the pitch I take control of the game but I haven’t really done that here.”

“I’m an extra tool in the team rather than the main one, so it’s been difficult.”

That last sentence paints the picture vividly for everybody to see. Arshavin has been reduced from a regular starter to an impact sub and it was caused by no one else but the diminutive forward. In his early Arsenal career, Arshavin was never afraid to take on a player or two as well as shoot the ball from impossible angles but his confidence has been dented a bit since the arrival of Gervinho.

He has already gotten on the score sheet twice this season and the Arsenal faithful are hoping that he’ll step his game up pretty soon. Tales are emerging that a new contract is on the cards for Arshavin and that might just be the lift he needs to propel his Arsenal career.

Let’s not forget quickly that this was the same Arshavin that banged in four at Anfield two years ago, slammed in that belter in Old Trafford last year as well as other great strikes in the two and half years he has spent in Arsenal. Form is temporary but class is permanent.

In other news, Gervinho has tipped the BioHazard of Eden to be a big hit in the Premier League and he has also appealed for his former teammate to join him at Arsenal. I’ve seen that bloke play and my word, he’s some player. Arsene Wenger needs to put his money where his mouth is if he really needs Eden Hazard because the young Belgian is in very high demand from the juggernauts of Europe.

Another Arsenal target, Yann M’ Vila proclaims that he’s determined to impress Arsene Wenger with the hope of securing a move to North London this winter. M’ Vila has been a regular name in Laurent Blanc’s French squad and he’ll certainly add some steel to Arsenal’s midfield.

Pairing up a player like M’ Vila with Alex Song in the middle of the park will be disastrous to most opposing sides but Arsene Wenger has the final say on this matter. FC Cologne has dismissed reports linking their star man Lukas Podolski to Arsenal.

That’s a wrap for now.

I want to express my gratitude to the readers that participated in the voting sequence. I’ll publish the poll results tomorrow.

Sayonara