Will Gilberto start?

Tomorrow’s game against Sevilla provides yet another insight into the depth of our squad as Arsene leaves out Clichy, Gallas and Adebayor, adding to the forced absences of Flamini and RVP. I would expect to see Armand Traore come in for his first ever start in the Champion’s League, described by Willy as the finest prospect at the club, it will be interesting to see how the Frenchman equips himself against the impressive Capel. More exciting however will be his potentially explosive bursts forward, one hopes he can replicate the penetration of our senior left back. I’m not gonna talk about Senderos, my views on this player have already been made clear, but it looks like he’ll start in place of Gallas.

Midfield looks like Cesc and straight battle between Diarra and Gilberto. Listening to a podcast of 5live’s excellent world football phone in this morning, I was intrigued to hear Tim Vickery describe Gilberto’s recent performances for Brazil as bad enough to make him feel ‘physically sick’. Vickery is not prone to hyperbole, and is one of the most analytical and intellectually substantial pundits out there, so his views on the ‘invisible shield’ were particularly interesting. Apparently Gilberto's passing was woeful and he repeatedly failed in his ‘water carrying’ duties for a lacklustre Brazilian team, whom he also captains. This suggests Arsene’s decision to leave him out of the first quarter of our Premiership campaign may not simply be due to the form of Flamini. Weekend press reports hinted at renewed Italian interest, with Juventus looking the most likely of suitors, if this is the case it would seem ridiculous to leave out Diarra after his accomplished performance on Saturday. If a fit and willing Gilberto Silva is left out, you'd be a fool to count on his Arsenal career lasting beyond January.

With Eboue and Rosicky occupying the wide berths, it is conceivable that we’ll see Theo and Eduardo start up front. This could prove to be a particularly potent partnership, with the Croazillian’s intelligent running offering an outlet for Walcott’s increasing willingness to come deep, and go wide with the ball at his feet. Alternatively we could see Bentder start the game, with Adebayor’s absence from the squad this hypothesis makes sense: remember, Wenger likes his squad players to replicate the function of his first teamers, and given Bentder’s impact on Saturday one wouldn’t be surprised to see him line up in Spain. Hopefully this won’t see Eduardo played down the left, where against Slavia he seemed uncomfortable.

As the games pile up, and the injuries come thick and fast, you can understand Wenger’s willingness to experiment. Let’s hope we see a better performance than the dirge of Prague.

David Forrest

Full Steam Ahead for Tomas

It’s 2.45am, and I’ve just got back from a reet good night, in which the highlight (often the case for me) was dancing uncontrollably with my ginger bearded housemate to The Rat by New York band The Walkmen – phenomenal song.

Will there be a similar vibe against Wigan? Unlikely to say the least, but it is a huge chance for a certain Czech master to show the English Premiership what he is made of.

Tomas Rosicky, alongside RVP, is the most naturally and technically gifted footballer at Arsenal Football Club. That said, he has struggled with Arsene’s very conscious decision to convert him to a left midfielder and fill the void left by the prolific and much loved Robert Pires. He sees himself as a central midfielder, dictating the pace and style of a game, and certainly isn’t used to playing, not second, but third fiddle (at least). He has found it immensely difficult, but has enough talent to find himself in that position, and if he doesn’t start doing soon, he could find himself looking for a new club, which I for one would be very disappointed about, as I think he is a world-class footballer.

The diminutive Czech has all the talent in the world, and is captain of a very gifted national team, but he has still found it difficult to dominate games for Arsenal as he often does for country, and once did for club. Admittedly he plays in a tremendously creative midfield, with Hleb and Fabregas constantly demanding the ball and destroying opposing teams - without exception. However, the suspension of Fabregas, and injury to Hleb, gives Rosicky a tremendous chance to not only prove his worth to Arsenal, but also show the world of football what makes him so special. Arsenal fans already have a real love for Tomas, and are desperate for him to reproduce the sort of form we so often see him reproduce for his country.

Let’s get one thing straight, Wigan Athletic are terrible. Aside from Heskey (who I have been a fan off from day one I hasten to add), have absolutely nothing, and Arsenal should tear them apart. I just hope Rosicky recognises this as his chance to impose himself on the premiership as a top player, just as RVP, Adebayor, Fabregas and Hleb have all done this season.

This is your big chance Tomas, arguably your biggest game as an Arsenal player, grab it with both hands, and smash that ball through the net, off Steve Bruce’s ridiculous nose, and down Dave Whelan’s Tory throat.

My prediction for the Wigan match, comfortable Arsenal win, and as you might have already guessed, I’m hoping for a big performance from the “Little Buddha”, Mr Tomas Rosicky.

Martin Webb

Hleb is Arsenal’s Pragmagician

First of all, apologies for the delay with this post, we have been having some technical problems.

The game against Reading has come and gone, and there are many things to talk about, but I’m going to use the performance of Hleb, who once again showed that he is fulfilling his potential with a truly world-class piece of skill and a sublime goal, for the subject of my post.

Five of our starting front six (Hleb, Rosicky, Fabregas, Adebayor and Van Persie) have the ability to unlock an opposition defence all on their own, which is incredibly exciting. In the days of the Invincibles, who are often considered better individual players and have world superstar status, there were only three players who had that same ability to unlock a tight defence (Henry, Bergkamp, Pires). The likes of Ljungberg, Vieira et al. were great gladiators and athletes, who had a winning mentality, but had nowhere near the technical ability of the current Arsenal team, which is fast becoming talked about as the modern brand of Total Football – not since the great Dutch side have people so consistently referred to Total Football. One of the key reasons for Wenger’s latest Arsenal side being likened to the superlative “Oranje” side of the 1970s, is the form and coming of age of Alexandr Hleb.

Fans and commentators were scathing of our ex-gymnast Belarusian last season, and perhaps with good reason, as time and time again his nimble footwork and graceful interplay resulted in…no results!! At the time I was also frustrated, as it was clear that he had immense ability but with little end product. It is not like Wenger to spend £10m so haplessly and as the saying goes, “Arsene knows”. Low and behold, Hleb is setting the premiership alight this season with a string of outstanding performances which have been littered with goals and assists. He is thriving in his new role as playmaker, with a confidence and zeal to his game that is a real joy to watch, and for opposing players he is proving to be as elusive as he is to a decent haircut, drifting from wing to wing and through the middle with real purpose. He has finally found the ability to meet his elaborate brand of modern total football with a pragmatic determination to consistently deliver winning performances – which can only mean more goals, more wins and more wonderful football for not only Arsenal, but all football fans.

I found the tabloid reaction to Cesc and Alexandr’s trip to watch Barcelona play very amusing. Not only is it Cesc’s birthplace, but is also where their former teammate and good friend Thierry Henry plays, what's the big deal?! I see it from a completely different angle – given a midweek break, rather than sit in front of their televisions bored stupid, our two most creative players went on a mini-break to a great European city – this is fantastic news for Arsenal! Not only are they forming a very good relationship on the pitch, they also forming an incredibly good relationship off it as well – send Rosicky with them to Milan next time!

I don’t want to talk about England or McLaren, as I have so many thoughts on the whole situation that it would be far too jumbled for one post, maybe I will mention something after the game on Wednesday.

Next up for Arsenal is Wigan at home – who will play in Cesc’s absence? Gilberto Silva, Diarra, Denilson or Diaby? I imagine that Wenger will choose between Gilberto and Diarra. I rather hope that he will go for Diarra, who has so far looked like an absolute steal at £2m. He is fast, aggressive, technically gifted and has a winning mentality – I am very excited by his future at Arsenal, provided he is given a decent chance sooner rather than later.

Martin Webb

Proper Football Beckons at the Madejski

I hate games on Mondays. The fervour of the weekend’s fixtures is gone and everyone is back to work or school, so it feels wierdly disorientating to slip back into Arsenal mode.

I’m glad its Reading tonight though, not because of last season, which saw the boys enjoy possibly the finest ever articulation of Wenger’s football philosophy in an awesome display, but because, put simply, Reading play football. It was that fact which should have earned Coppell the manager of the season accolade, yes his team were favourites for the drop, yes they spent very little and yes they finished a surprisingly high eighth, but most importantly they played with freedom, dynamism and flair. When most newly promoted mangers would have planned to finish 17th by playing flat back 9 football home and away, Coppell had the strategic vision to offer an other way. Although they were occasionally battered, more often than not their commitment to expansive and free flowing football overcame the many doubters, and saw them finish comfortably in the top half. Which is why tonight’s game promises much, two teams who play attractive football, how many premiership clubs can truly claim to do that?

I sincerely hope Arsene goes with 4-4-2, its time Eduardo had another chance to start, I am not an advocate of 4-5-1, why does Wenger feel the need to change a winning formula? Yes the opposition has been of a high calibre recently but I sincerely believe that we would have won our last three games had we started them with two strikers. With Kolo and Rosicky returning it’s natural to assume that we’ll have our first choice 11 (minus RVP of course). However, don’t be alarmed if Wenger rotates again, while Fabregas and Hleb will surely come back, I quite fancy Diarra, and even Traore to win their first premiership starts of the season.

One more thing, those of you who read The Observer yesterday may have noticed a rather fascinating dribble league. Hleb and Clichy were both in the top 5, with young Gael second with 67.5% dribble success rate (on a 20 dribbles or more condition), that’s what we expect from the best left-back in the world. The top dribbler in the Premiership was slightly more surprising: Abou Diaby, with a whopping 90.5%. We all know Wenger loves his stats, wonder what he makes of that one?

The Flamergas Factor

Arsenal’s flying start to the 2007/08 season has been largely attributed to the form of the prodigious young talent that is Francesec Fabregas. He has been in mesmerising form, already into double figures for goals this season, adding his usually tally of classy assists, and marshalling the midfield as though it is an extension of his own body. Many have pointed to the departure of the great Thierry Henry for the sensational form Fabregas has shown this season, but I would point the finger at a far quieter, and very un va-va-voom Frenchman for the form of the young Catalan – Monsieur Matthieu Flamini.

Flamini has been a largely peripheral figure at Arsenal since his controversial move from Marseille in the summer of 2004, filling in at various positions when called upon by Wenger, most notably in Arsenal’s tremendous run to the final of the European Champions League two years ago. In the premiership, he has been a bit-part player at best, with his best season for appearances being 2005-06, clocking up 19 starts (many of them out of position, or due to injury or suspension).

It looked increasingly likely that the pragmatic Frenchman would be leaving this summer, as he made it clear he needed regular first team football to further his international career. Wenger persuaded Matthieu to stay, telling him he should fight for his place, and that he would get his chance given Gilberto Silva’s extended leave due to his Copa America exploits.

Although an affable chap and extremely hard-working on the pitch, not many Gooners would have been that disappointed to see him leave, as he had not shown the kind of technical ability normally associated with Wenger centre midfielders – however, having started every premier league game this season, and the first three Champions League games, he has proved all his doubters wrong (including myself), and is now one of the most important components of this slick young team. He doesn’t posses the quick feet or vision of Rosicky, Hleb or Fabregas, but it is his engine, aggression and giant lungs that enable the said magicians to do their stuff. With every appearance, he is keeping out Gilberto Silva - a world cup winner, Arsenal’s stand in captain last season, and one of the better Arsenal players from last year’s disappointing premiership campaign.

Gilberto is an expert at running from side-to-side and blocking holes where hal-strikers pop-up and weave their magi. But Flamini, has matured, observed and watched, and can now do the Gilberto sideways running and sitting, as well as running from box-to box run, across the pitch, diagonally, in circles, in triangles, and from corner flag to corner flag. This ability to cover more ground than just about anyone in the premiership allows Fabregas the freedom to go and do whatever he wants – score and make goals. I’m not a fan of Frank Lampard, and would never compare Fabregas to that very limited Chelski midfielder, but I will compare the way the club tactics board. At Chelsea, Lampard plays in front of two of Makelele, Essien or Obi Mikel – three fantastic defensive midfielders. It means he has zero defensive responsibility, can do just about whatever he fancies, and pick up the bits and pieces after Drogba has mauled the opposition centre-back (which is also why he struggles for England – increased responsibility). Fabregas doesn’t have quite that same luxury, and would never shirk defensive duties, as he quite enjoys a physical duel, but it is Matthieu’s stepping to the proverbial plate has certainly given Cesc the licence to thrill on a weekly basis, and how Arsenal are profiting.

So when people ask me why I think Cesc is performing so well this season, it isn’t because of Theirry’s departure, increased responsibility or being a year older – it’s because of the form of the oh so pragmatic Frenchman, Matthieu Flamini. So what of the Makele role? I for one much prefer the Flamini factor.

Martin Webb

Slavia Prague 0 Arsenal 0-Trio Have Every Right to Feel Aggrieved

What a truly mindnumbing game of football that was. The general spin coming out of the side seems to be that the young guns have shown their resilience in claiming a point and a clean sheet away from home in the Champion’s League. I can see some logic in that, but I would have to say that while Slavia edged it slightly, this was no backs against the wall test of character. Instead, we saw a lifeless and lacklustre ‘experimental’ team fail to carve out a single clear-cut chance until the 83rd minute. Further to yesterday’s post, we had the bizarre situation of a central midfielder playing at centre back, another central midfielder who has been known to play on the left as an inside forward, a central midfielder playing right-back, and two strikers playing on the wings, a bizarre set of circumstances. I felt particularly sorry for Eduardo, Diaby and Diarra, all three ran their hearts out to little effect and all three desperately want to start games for Arsenal in their chosen positions, surely last night would have been the time to do it? Didn’t Lasanna Diarra leave Chelsea because he wanted to be a central midfielder? Surely Eduardo needs as much ‘bedding in’ as possible to prepare for the hectic festive period? And for a talent as enigmatic as Diaby why can’t Wenger decide where he wants to play him, and stick to it?

For me Diaby is a central midfielder, but as we have seen Arsene wants his squad players to replicate his first team stars, for Cesc read Denilson, for Flamini read Gilberto/Diarra. Diaby doesn’t really fit the paradigm, he takes too many risks in possession to be a holding player and lacks the decision making and final ball to provide a creative fulcrum for the side. As such, he’s shunted out onto the left, position in which we lack adequate cover for Rosicky, a position where, at times, he’s used his deceptive pace and trickery to great effect. In my view this should now be Diaby’s position, and I think Wenger shares that view, which is why I was amazed to see him played up front, whilst Eduardo was dumped out wide to very little effect. Midway through the second half Arsene switched them round, but by then it was too late, Sparta were dictating the rhythm of the game and at times triple marked the young Frenchman.

One thing’s for sure, if Arsenal’s B side is tinkered with to a similar extent when we face Blackburn in the quarter finals of the Carling Cup, we could be in trouble. A performance like that would be punished by Mark Hughes’ motley crue.

Trip to Prague Hints at Looming Problems

Arsenal face Slavia Prague tonight in a game which could see us ensure qualification from the group stages of the Champion’s League. While the 7-0 drubbing we delivered a fortnight ago suggests the Czechs aren’t up to much, no one can seriously expect a repeat performance. Interestingly, Wenger has chosen this match for his first foray into squad rotation (the carling cup notwithstanding) this season. Fair enough, the games are coming thick and fast, and resting our three best performing players of the season in Cesc, Toure and Hleb makes a great deal of sense. However, Kolo’s absence has got me wondering, where are all the centre backs? Granted, with Phillipe Senderos injured and Johan Djourou on loan we were bound to be scraping the barrel, but if those players had been available I would hold the same concerns.

William Gallas proved on Saturday why Arsene Wenger made him captain, he is a world-class defender with truly inspirational qualities. Yet like Sol Campbell before him, Gallas arrived as the finished product, a rare thing for one of Wenger’s signings. Kolo Toure on the other hand has been moulded into a truly great player under the Frenchman’s tutelage, but I would suggest he is the only player of his class - in his position, that has followed the Wengerian model to the top.

In 1996-7 Wenger found himself with Steve Bould, Martin Keown and Tony Adams, three of the greatest defenders England has ever produced. Since then Matthew Upson, Igor Stepanovs, and Pascal Cygan are to my memory the only three first team centre backs that Arsene has signed (with the exception of Campbell and the current incumbents). While Upson currently plies his trade for West Ham (rocking a rather wonderful beard), I don’t need to remind you of the woeful ineptitude of the hapless Latvian (Old Trafford anyone?), and whilst Villareal pleasantly surprised us two summers ago by recouping the £2.1m paid to sign Cygan, I think you’ll agree he was a truly average player.

But what of Djourou and Senderos? Surely when both are back in the reckoning we will have two ample back up central defenders? In my opinion that is quite simply wrong. While I have been consistently impressed by Djourou, he has repeatedly stated that his preferred position is central midfield, so lets add him to the list of players who could play centre-back but would rather be somewhere else: Djourou, Hoyte, Sagna, Gilberto, Song, this is never a long term, viable solution, we must find round pegs for round holes. Phillipe Senderos, despite showing great potential in his debut season has, in my opinion, steadily regressed. He is totally lacking in pace, and consistently fails to use his height (a rare thing for Arsenal defenders) and apparent strength, against the more physical premiership strikers, as Didier Drogba, Kenwyne Jones and Yakubu will testify. At the age of 23 he is not up to it, simple as that, and if Cashley is to be believed his attitude stinks.

And so tonight, one of the biggest clubs in the world enters the world’s biggest club competition with only one centre back in a squad of 16. I for one hope that Arsene can persuade Johan Djourou that his long term future lies at centre back, and that under Gallas’ tutelage, he can prove to be an ample deputy to the Nations Cup bound Toure. If not we must pray that we come through January unscathed, and that Willy and Kolo remain ever presents thereafter.

A Testing Week?

Welcome to the first blog by myarsenalbloggers. Between myself and co-blogger David Forrest, we will bring you a mix of match reports and comment based posts on all things Arsenal, and will appreciate all constructive responses, whether in agreement or not.

This week has certainly told us a lot about Arsenal and our opponents. Against Liverpool, we dominated the game, and certainly deserved all three points. The game arguably told us more about Liverpool than Arsenal. Liverpool are toothless in attack and very slow at the back. Rafa Benitez will never win the premiership, it is as simple as that. He does not know who his starting line-up is, or who his best players are, mainly because many of them are so similarly average. Kuyt, Vornonin, Benayoun, Sissoko, Hyppia, Finnan – this is too long a list of average first team players for a club with aspirations of premiership titles. Benitez doesn’t have the skill to make the most of his young players, or make the most of the limited skills of the average players, over the course of a season. Wenger can do it and still does it. Ferguson has done it, although he relies more on the Glazer chequebook these days. Wenger was disappointed not to win that game, but will be equally pleased not to have lost to an inferior team, which might have happened last season.

Midweek, Arsenal ‘B’ side took on Sheffield United at Bramall Lane. The average age of the team was 20.1, and that included 31-year-old Gilberto. This was a non-game after the first goal. Sheffield United knew they were not going to win, Arsenal knew they were not going to lose. Living in Sheffield, me and Dave went to the game, and had a chance to watch a few players for the first time.

Diarra – looked a different class, one of the best players on the pitch, and that was playing at rightback. I’m looking forward to him replacing Flamini (although I am a big fan of the dynamic centre midfielder) over the next couple of years.

Bendtner – Still got some way to go if he wants to make it at Arsenal, but he is still very young. He is powerful and has a lot of confidence, but his touch lets him down on occasions, which in the premiership would be pounced upon.

Gibbs – Looked very useful from leftback, not his natural position. Did the simple things well, got forward as the game wore on, and it was his through-ball for the second Eduardo goal. Time will tell for Gibbs. There is certainly a lack of left wingers at the club which could mean opportunities over the next few seasons.

Song – He might have heart and fight, but he is seriously lacking in a footballing brain. Loses concentration, and the ball, time after time. He will not last at Arsenal.

Eduardo – Wenger is going to use the Croatian more and more as the season progresses. With Adebayor hitting a bit of a dry patch, I think we will see Eduardo partnered with the Togolese hitman against Slavia Prague. He looked every bit the clinical finisher that his international record suggests – could be a big player this season.

On Saturday, the game against Manchester United told us lots of thing we already knew – Fergie is a bad loser, Arsenal play better football than Man Utd, Clichy is the best left-back in the world. The key thing that emerged from that game was William Gallas as the leader of this young pack. He scored an own-goal early on, which would have riled him. Aside from that, he marshalled his French speaking troops with an absolute command, and played the ultimate captain’s role when scoring the 93rd minute equaliser.

November and December will be tough months, with many games away from home, and barely time to breathe between each match - fringe players will be given chances, and there will be pressure on them to perform.

The beginning of this season hasn’t taught Arsenal fans anything that we didn’t already know. We all knew we could play this sort of football. We all knew we could beat anyone. What we don’t know is whether this team will perform consistently in the cold winter months, when squad rotation kicks in and injuries start to take their toll. We shall see, but the signs so far are pretty good.

Apologies for this lengthy post, but I felt this week needed a brief review. From now on we will post match reaction and topical Arsenal debate.

Hope you enjoy!

Martin Webb