Archives for posts with tag: Arsene Wenger

A night to forget – but not a surprise

17 February, 2012 //
0

I can’t remember such an unpredictable spell as an Arsenal fan.

The 4 – 0 away defeat to AC Milan all but ends our hopes of progressing in the Champions League with a defunct second leg at the Emirates remaining in a fortnight.

So, our only realistic hope of silverware lies with the FA Cup (in which we play a tough Sunderland again on Saturday).

Don’t get me wrong, we been through lower lows as Gooners, but what makes this somewhat worse is the sense of pre-match hope that comes from recent results like the 7-1 thrashing of Blackburn.

Sure, Blackburn are by no means on any level near AC Milan with the likes of Kevin-Prince Boateng, Robinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. However, with our current squad, the sad reality is – neither were we. One of the great things about football is that anything can happen but in a league – the truth often prevails.

Arsene reflected on a “shocking performance” in which there was “not one moment in the 90 minutes when we were really in the game”. Such is the state of our current squad, yet in the transfer window we signed a 19 year old midfield who couldn’t even make the bench. I think it was a mistake not to start with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, but doubt this would have even made enough of a difference.

Its a shame the brilliant volley from Van Persie on 65 minutes was saved – perhaps that single away goal would have been a glimmer of hope.

…and to make matters worse Laurent Koscielny (undeniably one of our best players this season) sustained an injury – the state of which is still being assessed.

On a final note – thank you again Thierry.

Tags , , , , , , , , ,
Categories Champions League

Manchester misery

28 August, 2011 //
0

Never have I seen an Arsenal team so over charged. The first half was an absolute disgrace.

Our best (and most experienced) player Van Persie missed a shambolic penalty kick at 1-0 down – clearly lacking in confidence by our current situation, adding to our misery and probably doing wonders for the new Manc goalies confidence. Without doubt, this was the turning point of a torrid afternoon.

Szczesny was fantastic again and kept the scoreline to what it was – but how damaging must it be to have such a great game and still see there is almost no chance of a result with the calibre of your fellow teammates (well, just ask the likes of Nasri).

Paul Merson was spot on – our team was sent out with no hope.

Terribley upsetting to see Ashley Young doing so well as a new signing against us – the team he supports.

BUT hang on – if he had openly said he supports Arsenal, surely there was an opportunity to sign him when he decided to leave Aston Villa? I cant really blame him (or united for signing him).

Our second half performance was full of courage and admirable – but still nowhere near papering over the gaping holes. There were at least 3 players from the starting 11 not good enough to be playing for us, and a totally inadequate bench.

Yes we had injuries, but nothing new there. How long does it take to learn we may have an injury hit squad? 6 years and counting it seems.

I love Arsene, but ultimately I love Arsenal more.

With the clock ticking… PLEASE Arsene, no more talk – time for action, or I can see your time running out.

Tags , , , , , ,
Categories Premier League, Transfers

Arsenal 1 Udinese 0

17 August, 2011 //
0

Theo Walcott
A win and a clean sheet to take to Italy is overall a good result. Two clean sheets in a row is another thing to be positive about – largely thanks to Szczesny producing some wonderful saves.

Good to see Theo take his chance so early on (4 mins), but he is still not quite the all rounder he can be, proving wasteful on other occasions in the match.

Gervinho looked quick, as did Frimpong. With Gibbs and Djourou both taken out of the match withHamstring injuries Jenkinson came on and looked a bag of nerves. Lets hope it was just early jitters, but i’m not convinced.

Tags , , , , , , ,
Categories Champions League

Newcastle 0 Arsenal 0

13 August, 2011 //
0

Joey Barton is a dickhead and gets Gervinho a red card but the 0-0 is further evidence that our squad lacks depth and the require physical strength against teams that look to muscle a result from us.

Arsene (at the end of the match) was a spitting image of the frustrated figure from the end of last season – and we’re one match in… very worrying. How can he already have the weight of the world on his shoulders – shouldn’t we be full of hope at the start of a new season?

Tags , ,
Categories Premier League

Arsene: Squad already too big

12 August, 2011 //
1

Arsene is adamant he is in no hurry to bring new players in.

“Do we want to buy? I don’t know because at the moment we have too big a squad, we have too many players,” he stated.

I believe this is a smokescreen and believe he really knows our squad lacks depth. But stating this publicly on the verge of Fabregas (and potentially Nasri) going – is near suicidal. He must know this will incite even the most patient of fans.

Can cover over this with another majestic hidden gem…? We have had our chance to bring in the big names and it hasn’t happened yet.

Tags
Categories Transfers

Champions League play-off draw on Friday

4 August, 2011 //
0

We will find out on Friday who we must beat to reach the group stage of the Champions League.

Bit of a crappy position to be in but at least with Bayern Munich, Benfica, Lyon and Villarreal we are a seeded teams in the pot for the two-leg play-offs.

This means we will face one of FC Twente, Rubin Kazan, Udinese, FC Zurich or Odense.

Progress would net us an estimated £17.4m…still I can’t see Arsene spending any of that on new signings!

Tags , , , , , , ,
Categories Champions League

Arsenal 2 Boca Juniors 2

30 July, 2011 //
0

Argggg! Defensive frailties evident yet again see us give up a two goal advantage. Arsène, how many times do you need to bloody see this before you realise there are gaping holes?

At least this time we have the chance to do something about it and bring in the right players… but will we?

Great goals by RvP and Rambo, but if we can’t keep the lead – what is the point? I fear this could be the final season for Mr Wenger should he not concede the warnings. The transfer window is ever decreasing… Oh well, let’s see how day two of the Emirates cup goes.

Tags , ,
Categories Premier League

Ricardo Alvarez, our first summer transfer?

25 June, 2011 //
0

A highly-placed source said: “He is definitely of interest.
“There has been no deal with his club Velez Sarsfield but it is true the club have been looking at Alvarez.”
Arsenal were in talks for the 23-year-old last month but negotiations stalled after Emirates executive Richard Law was quoted £11m by Velez president Fernando Raffaini.

But with the Gunners due to start pre-season training in 10 days, boss Arsene Wenger is set to step up the chase again.

Arsenal last night insisted they had not reached a deal with Argentine outfit Velez.
But earlier Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini claimed the Gunners had landed him.
He said: “We had the matter in hand in January but Alvarez has now given us the slip and signed for Arsenal.”

The Sun

Tags ,
Categories Transfers
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 380 other followers