Yearly Archives: 2015

Thierry Henry’s Spine

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So yesterday evening the world imploded after Thierry Henry said on Sky Sports “Arsenal need to buy four players, they need that spine,”

This led to all the old internal fighting between fans to once more rear its ugly heads. As Wenger-Loyalists came out and derided the legend, even going as far as questioning his legendary status. At the same time, those they wish Wenger to leave got behind the great man, saying that even if Wenger’s greatest achievement ever, a man who idolises the manager, can see Wenger’s fault, then surely he can not be wrong.

So was Henry right? Do we need to buy four players? Do we need a new spine?

My first thoughts on this are simple. Four first team players are hard to blend in with the current first team. We have seen it with Manchester City in the past. We have seen it with Manchester United this season, who struggled to fit Rojo, Shaw, Blind, Herrera, Di Maria and Falcao into the side (yes, I know that is 6). Sides need continuity.

I am very much from the Sir Alex Ferguson school of thinking. You should buy no more than 2 first team players a season, to ensure continuity.

Of course, it could be argued that as one of the players Henry is talking about is the goal keeper, we would only be adding 3 first team players, which is not a lot more than 2 (just 1 more in fact). And it is plausible, you could add 3 out field starting players, and it not effect the team continuity – although again, I would doubt if you could do it if it was the spine. It might work if it was, say, a left back, centre midfielder and winger, but a centre back, centre midfielder and striker? That would be a big upheaval.

So I am certainly in the “We should not sign four first team players” camp. However, this does not believe I do not think we do not need four new players, just that I do not think we can blend four new players into the team. There is a difference, in my eyes, between wanting to sign four new players, and needing four new players.

So do I think we need four new players? Well let us go through the spine of the team.

Goalkeeper

At the minute, we have David Ospina and Wojech Szczesny battling it out for the number one shirt. I am of the opinion neither is currently good enough to be first choice goal keeper.

David Ospina is a good, solid goal keeper, and he has done very little wrong since he took the number one jersey from Szczesny. But I do not see him as a game winner. His lack of height worries me (although he is taller than Shay Given). I see him as a very able number 2.

As for Szczesny, he has disappointed me. When he was a teenager, he showed so much talent. He lost it when he first broke through, but last season he took massive strides forward and was looking like the real deal. He was on par with the likes of David De Gea as one of the best young keepers around. This year he has regressed and gone back to his silly ways.

He is still just 25, and there is certainly a top goal keeper waiting to break out. But can we afford to wait for him to mature? Probably not.

That leaves us in a situation where we have a good number 2, and someone who could be a number one in the future. We need a number one.

What makes the situation perhaps more clear cut is the availability of Petr Cech in the summer. Whilst he has not played much for Chelsea this season, he is still a top class keeper. He will be 33 in the summer, which used to be the peak for goal keepers. He could do for us what Edwin van der Saar did for Manchester United. He would have a good 5 years still ahead of him. Other than him, I do not see too many goal keepers in world football that would perhaps improve on what we have.

The probability is that Szczesny will leave, and Ospina will be kept as number 2, and a new keeper would be bought in. So in the case of a goal keeper, I agree with Thierry Henry, we do need an extra goal keeper.

Centreback

I honestly do not think we need an extra centre back. In January we bought Gabrial Paulista, who has barely played since he joined. Before his signing, I would agree, we were a centre back short, but with his signing, that position is now set. In Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gabriel and Chambers, we have a solid set of 4.

This is perhaps where the thinking of not adding too many first choice players comes in. We could have waited to the summer to buy Gabriel, but we move in January. This puts us in the situation where, by August, he would have been with the club for a good 7 or 8 months. He will be set. Therefore we would not have to worry about trying to get another player to settle within the team/squad.

Some might argue that we still need another centre back, that Per Mertesacker is not good enough. These people are misguided. Just because he is no good on FIFA, it does not mean he is not a good defender. And infact, he is brilliant on FIFA, if you know hoe to defend, rather than rely on pace abusing. No one ever questions John Terry’s pace, and he has been the stand out centre back in the league this season.

In a sense, Henry is right, we do need to strengthen the defence. But it has already been done with the signing of Gabriel. We now just need him to settle and then break through.

Defensive Midfielder

Despite the progress of Francis Coquelin, we are still short in the middle of the park. Coquelin has been brilliant, but he has only done it for 6 months. It would be dangerous to think he is the solution, and we do not need to strengthen in the area.

With Diaby set to be put down leave, Flamini being sub standard, and Arteta being ancient (although he is still just 33), we clearly need someone to come in and compete with Coquelin. To take the pressure off him. To replace him when suspended. To play alongside him against top teams.

There is a whole host of names that can be mentioned with this position. Morgan Schneiderlin is many people’s favourite. But there is also his team mate Wanyama and Kondogbia at Monaco. Add in long term favourites Sami Khedira and William Carvhalo, there are plenty of options out there.

I would still keep Mikel Arteta. He is club captain, and, whilst he might not make it onto the pitch too often, he does a lot of good work behind the scenes. A lot of this blog has been about continuity, and Arteta is part of that. He knits the team together on the training ground, helps new signings settle, and puts an arm round young players when they join in with first team training. He is also often found at Hale End passing on his experience to the youngsters. He is a future manager and still has a role to play at the club. Also, he is still good enough to play against 60% of Premier League sides at home, which adds squad depth.

In the past we have been too quick to let go our senior players. It is important that we keep hold of Arteta.

What that would mean is Arteta would be 3rd choice, and we would then have Coquelin vying with the new signing to start week in week out. Strength in depth!

Striker

This one is contentious, and has created a great deal of debate and has created a great deal of debate amongst many people from She Wore. There seem to be various aspects to this debate:

  • Giroud is not good enough, we need another striker, ideally someone with pace

 

  • Giroud does not have pace, but he has pace around him, he plays with his back to goal and brings the quick players into play

 

3)      We need a world class player, who can do both what Giroud does, and bring players into play

All 3 arguments are valid. They are all correct, and incorrect. How?

Well for the first, yes, Giroud does lack pace. It is his weakness. This means he can be easy to defend against. He also does not have the ‘X factor’. He is not going to beat 2 or 3 men and score a wonder goal. But that is also not his game. He is big and strong. He can hold up the ball, bring others into play, and when in the box, can hold of players and score.

When we had Henry, we moaned we did not have a big man. A fox in the box. Someone to hold up play. Now we have Giroud, we moan we do not have a pacey man, someone to beat players. It seems you can not win.

Giroud plays for the majority of the time with his back to goal. This then allows the midfield to form behind him. Were we to get rid, and buy someone with pace, we would have to change the way the side plays. They could not longer get close to the front man, there would be nothing to feed off. We would have to play deeper, counter attacking football, with the ball being released quickly to the likes of Sanchez, Walcott and our new striker. However, as Welbeck has shown, it is not all about pace when it comes to playing upfront.

Playing with your back to goal, or facing goal, are two completely different skills, which require completely different attributes, and completely different team set ups. I am certainly in the camp of ‘we keep the team set up’. For me, that would be no new ‘speedy’ striker. No Lacazette, No Aubameyang. We have seen with the experiment of Sanchez and Walcott up top, having a quick bloke with little strength does not suit us.

But we can still potentially improve on Giroud. An option could be to sacrifice a bit of his height and strength, for a bit more pace. When put this to the group, 2 names came up. Cavani and Higuain. Two long term rumoured targets. Neither are as good in the air than Giroud, but both are better at running in behind. They could be genuine options, and if available, should certainly be explored.

A third option, and where I firmly sit, is that we do not need a striker. In Giroud, we have the best in the world at what he does. Plucking the ball out of the air and brining others in to play. His goal record is up there with most of Europe. Is he any worse than Diego Costa? His goals per game this season would indicate no. Yes, he could run the defence better, move the centre backs about a bit more, try and create a bit more space than others, but he is still improving.

What Giroud does is bring out the best in Sanchez and Ozil. So perhaps what we need to do is build on his, and the sides strength. And to do that, we need to focus on our right forward, rather than our centre forward.

Since returning from injury, Walcott’s performances can be described as tepid at best, and with just 12 months left on his Arsenal contract, time is running out. The front line can be strengthened but signing a top draw right forward, rather than a centre forward. In the same way Sanchez on the left side improved teams.

Not only are their more top draw right forward’s, this will strengthen the side a lot more than a striker.

3 names spring to mind as soon as we start talking about a right wing forward. The first is Raheem Sterling. He has struggled recently, but this is more to do with Brendan Rodgers than Sterling. He is class, and still just a kid.

A second name, who we have been linked with for some time, is Marco Reus. He would be another one who would immediately improve the forward line. Yes, you could question his injuries, and he would be more expensive now that he has re-signed a contract removing the release clause, but his talent is unquestionable. Add in the fact that he can also play down the middle, giving us the option to play him centrally if Giroud is not working, it would be a top signing. With 53 goals in 114 games, mainly from out wide, we would be massively improving the forward line,

A final name that is in fine form at the moment is Antoine Griezmann at Atletico Madrid. He only signed for them last summer, for £24 million, but has gone from strength to strength, scoring 25 goals this season. Traditionally a winger, he has spent most of the season playing up top, alongside Mario Mandzukic.

At just 5 9, he would struggle up top alone in the Premier League, in the same way Sanchez and Walcott have done. But play him to the right of Giroud, with Sanchez to the left, you would have a dangerous front 3, with Giroud acting as the ‘pivot’ that Brazil made famous with Fred at the World Cup. And to top it off, Griezmann is French.

Like Reus, he would start outwide, but when chasing in the game, we could push him further down the middle.

A final option would be to change formation. Go 442. Sign Griezmann or one of the speedy forwards previously mentioned (Lazacette being my first choice) to play alongside him, rather than replace him. The old ‘big man little man’ combination. For me, this would mean to much upheaval of the team. Sanchez would be deeper. Ozil out wide. Do we have the central midfield? And City have shown playing 2 in the middle just does not work.

So to respond to Henry’s statement that we need a new spine, I tend to disagree. What we need is to replace a few vertebrate’s a new shoulder blade.

What I do wish for is that every time we fail to win, or an ex player or pundit makes a comment, that the infighting stops. It seems we as a fan group can no longer have a sensible debate with each other. It is embarrassing. We all want the best for the club, even if we want to go down a different route. It always seems we are 1 draw away from a catastrophe.

We are all entitled to our opinion. Mine is that we need 3 new players – a goalkeeper, a defensive midfielder and a right forward. What is yours?

Keenos

The Arsenal and me – Rob’s Story

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I could talk about the atmosphere at games, view from seats, smell of burgers but that has all been written about before. This is more an account from my years as a GOONER.

If I am being honest I can’t remember my first Arsenal game. I was that young (5years old) when my dad took me to my first game. The reason I support “The Arsenal” is because of my dad, I mean you always follow your dad’s lead. Right? Unless your @petemartin who was far too clever at a young age to become a spurs fan like his dad.

What I do remember at that early age was where we sat, in the upper west stand, close to the clock end & seeing how passionate gooners were about there team, it was an extraordinary thing at that age – I wanted to be like that. I asked my dad “were you like that dad?” he responded, “yes son, but I stood in the North Bank, we rolled backwards & forwards for the full 90. And when we scored, well you did not know what hit you”. Wish I had have had the chance to stand on the North Bank. I eventually got the chance to be a “North Bank boy” when the new stand was built, not the same though! That temporary boarding still makes me chuckle……

I remember sitting in the East stand, we were playing Wimbledon & my brother was the mascot, shooting balls at John Lukic & of course netting one, which brought a cheer from the clock end. This annoyed me as I was the bigger “gooner”, I lived, breathed arsenal, bought the shirts (kind of), cried when we lost & would not eat my dinner (mum hated it when we lost). Dad used to say if we lose make yourself scarce…go out as we won’t be happy. The worst line a Lady can ever say is “it is only a game”….sh*t would hit the fan then.

There was a benefit of my brother being mascot. I got to go to the marble halls & into the payers lounge after the match. I will never forget this, we met Rocky, Paul Davis, Michael Thomas, Richardson & more. We were waiting for “Captain Marvel” Tony Adams of course (he was mums favourite). Then he appeared in the marble halls, as we were about to leave, he stayed talked for 15 minutes, pictures, signed programmes etc. Me being a cocky little Sh*t said “ where you been Tony?”, he responded “getting your ball signed son” & then handed over the ball and patted me on the head. TA never was the gentlest, that pat hurt, though I did not mind!

Like all good dads ours signed us up to the junior gunners & we then sat in the lower west stand in the Junior Gunners section. I used to love choosing the photo’s that came out in the Junior Gunner pack. I always chose Rocky, as he was my hero. I was a bit like Carl Jenkinson, in that I had arsenal pictures, posters on every wall in my bedroom, though never had the bed spread. My prized picture now is of the last day at Highbury & the great Henry Cooper is in it (have a look if you have the same one).

My first experience of silverware was the 1987 cup final, I was 6 yrs old. I remember watching on the T.V & hearing the crowd singing “Charlie, Charlie, Charlie, Charlie of course for Champagne Charlie Nicholas.

My first away day was in 1988 away to Wimbledon at Plough Lane, the only other time I had been to Wimbledon was to the dog track! I was 7 yrs old, I had my Arsenal top on, a scarf (was a hot day), Arsenal badges & of course wimbledon had won the FA cup the season before. We smashed them 5-1, with a hat trick from smudger. Coming away from the ground we knew we had a good side that year & so it turned out.

I was not allowed to Anfield but of course was able to watch on TV & having read others blogs on here it sounds like it was probably the best night in our history – it was against the odds, against a great l’pool side but we did it & will never, ever be forgotten.

The coming years after that saw us win another league title, Double cup year, CWC winners, really great times as a gooner.

That Era then came to a halt, george took bungs or did he? I don’t know and don’t really care, anyway he was gone. We then had an “interim” manager for a year that bought us probably the best player I have ever seen so we must be thankful for that.

Then it was a certain Mr Wenger that turned up at the marble halls & the trophies then continued and these memories are my best as I was a nearing my 20’s, allowed to drink & had my own cash. It was during this time where I followed Arsenal all over the country, up to Sheffield when Big Ron took over & we got done 2-0, up to boro (crap hole), all London grounds & beyond. The thing I loved about away days was not necessarily the winning but the bond you had with other fans – you were on the road together, travelling miles to cheer on your beloved team. I liked learning the new songs, the ones about players are always my favourite as it associates them to the club & shows our love for them. Though I used to love “she wore, she wore, she wore a yellow ribbon…on our cup runs, Anthem.

And of course “we are unbeatable, we are unbeatable”. Will that ever be sung again?

I recall all the trips to Wembley & Cardiff, the one that stands out most was the 2-0 victory over Chelsea mainly because we were singing to the welsh police in “welsh” & we got kicked out the pub for “weeing” in the coat cupboard. Discusting I know!!!

It was only Ray Parlour though….lovejoy is a mug!!

I am lucky to have had some great memories. I have travelled to some fantastic grounds to watch my great club & experienced trips to Wembley, Cardiff (cup finals are great days) & done a few naughty things along the way. But the luckiest thing is to have been able to watch some of the best football this club has ever played, real privilege.

All in all I will always love this club, I still have a season ticket in Block 10 & will always support whoever is wearing the Red & White shirt. I have had a few “heated discussions” on twitter, who hasn’t? I love talking arsenal & I love reading blogs & hearing stories from way back when.

I now have a boy of my own, so there is one more gooner in the world now. I hope he gets to enjoy moments like I have had.

I AM AN ARSENAL MAN, that will never change & nor would I want it too. I am off to buy a baby kit!!!

We love you Arsenal we do, we love you arsenal we do……….

Rob

If you would like to tell your Arsenal story, click here

5 Theo Walcott Replacements

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Raheem Sterling – The Realistic

Like Theo Walcott, Raheem Sterling’s contract has just 15 months left to run, and like Theo, it is looking more and more unlikely that he will sign. There will be a queue of clubs lining up to sign him. From Manchester City to Chelsea, Real Madrid to Barcelona. He is the sort of talent that would attract the top clubs. And for Arsenal, there might be no better replacement for Theo Walcott.

He not only has the raw pace that Walcott possess, but also the ability on the ball and technique that Walcott does not. He is able to beat a man with skill as well as pace, and also has an eye for the pass. Imagine him one side, Alexis Sanchez the other, with Mesut Ozil feeding both. It is enough to make your mouth water.

He has no loyalty to Liverpool. He emigrated from Jamaica to London at the age of 5, and joined Liverpool at 15. He is more of a London Lad than a Scouser, so a move back to the capital would be ideal for him.

Recently he has lost a bit of form, but this is more due to Brendan Rodgers playing him upfront and at right wing back, than anything else. Played in his natural position, as one of the 3 behind the striker, he is class.

In 2014, he won the Golden Boy award as the best U21 player in Europe. He only turned 20 in December.

Having already hit double figures for goals in back to back seasons, he is a talent and will only get better. Yes, there have previously been rumours about baggage in his private life, but these seem to have died down over the last 2 years, and he has let himself do the talking.

Swapping Walcott for Sterling would be a great move. Arsenal would be getting a player 6 years younger who will only get better. With Sterling’s contract situation, a deal could be done for fairly cheap.

Potential cost: £20million OR swap for Theo Walcott

Marco Reus – The Long Term Target

Rumours were abound last season that Marco Reus was a deal that was near to competition. When visiting Lukas Podolski in London, Reus had been given a tour of the Arsenal training ground. Whilst it was a ‘friendly’ visit, escorted around by his compatriot, we can be sure that Arsenal used the opportunity to put out the red carpet.

A deal would likely have happened last season, but his injury in June scuppered the deal – Reus had his tour of the Arsenal training ground in May. Arsenal ended up buying Alexis Sanchez instead – a deal which would not have happened had Arsenal got Reus.

Since then, Reus has signed a new contract with Borussia Dortmund, removing the £20m release clause from his contract. However, with Dortmund out of the running for Champions League football, Reus is almost certain to leave Dortmund this summer.

The big concern would be his injury record. Since that injury last summer, he has ruptured his ankle ligaments and torn his ankle ligaments. He has missed 14 games this season through injury.

He is a class player with a lot of ability and would be able to provide the goals from midfield that Walcott previously have, but it would be a bit of a risk with his recent injury record. He has been fit since January, so if he remains so till the end of the season, Arsenal could relight their interest.

Potential cost: £40m

Gareth Bale – The Dream

Tottenham have a special relationship with Real Madrid. They sell them their best players (Luca Modric & Gareth Bale) and get nothing in return. Meanwhile, Arsenal sign Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid. Could this special relationship between Spurs and Madrid result in Bale joining Arsenal after 2 turbulent seasons in Madrid?

Bale’s talent is unquestionable. He is a brilliant player. In the summer, he will be 26, just entering his peak. But for some reason, the Madrid faithful have not taken to him. He is the Real Madrid Gervinho. The man who gets blamed for everything.

Despite his ‘poor form’ he has still scored 38 goals for Real Madrid in less than 2 seasons. His performance for Wales against Israel shows that he is a world class player.

Real Madrid always look to make a marquee signing every summer, but what it often means is as one comes in, one leaves.

To make space for Bale, Ozil left. To make space for James Rodriguez, Angel di Maria left. With Real Madrid potentially facing a transfer ban, they will again be looking for a marquee signing this summer. Only 3 players would possibly leave – Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema or Gareth Bale.

Ronaldo is the darling of the Bernabeu. He is unlikely to leave. However at 30, Madrid might be tempted to cash in on him if someone offers £80m+.

Benzema has constantly been rumoured with a move away from Madrid. He is a good striker, but not a World Class one. Madrid have always felt they can do better. However, is there better out their? Benzema will only leave if the new marquee signing is a striker. Falcao has long been rumoured with a return to Spain, but his poor form for Manchester United rules him out. Aguero another one who might make the big money move. But in reality, there is not much when it comes to World Class striking talents around Europe. The likelihood is that Madrid will stick with Benzema than twist.

And that leaves Bale. Madrid would only be tempted to sell if they recouped what they paid for him, and his £300,000 a week wages could be a sticking point, but Arsenal are now cash rich. The transfer fee is affordable, and the majority wages would come from the saving Arsenal would make by shifting Lukas Podolski and Theo Walcott out, with the rest made up of image rights.

It is a deal that, whilst unlikely and a bit of a pipe dream, could happen.

Potential cost: £80m

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – The Existing

Arsenal may well already have the replacement for Theo Walcott in their ranks, in Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Just 21, it is time for him to take the step up, and Theo Walcott departing could give him that opportunity.

He had already kept Theo Walcott out of the Arsenal team, and many fans will point to him being the better place. Maybe not as quick as Walcott, but, like Sterling, he has more ability on the ball and better technique. He needs to add goals to his game and become a bit more consistent. He also needs to remain fit.

Add in Danny Welbeck and the returning Serge Gnabry, Arsenal could be tempted to lose Walcott, and not replace him, afterall, he has barely played for 2 years anyway.

Rather than investing the money on Walcott’s replacement on another winger, this cash could go towards other positions – keeper, defensive midfielder, striker – and Arsenal could give Oxlade-Chamberlain the chance to step up.

It would be disappointing not to replace Walcott, but Arsenal certainly have the numbers already in the squad to provide the replacement, even if none of them are not yet of the requisite quality.

Potential cost: £0

Felipe Anderson – The Unknown

The 21 year old Brazilian, currently at Lazio, is a talent.

He joined Lazio for €8million in 2013 and, after a non-eventful first season, he has really developed into a top player this season, with 10 goals in 24 appearances, all of which have come in his last 13 games. He has also created 6 goals for his team mates.

Right footed, he usually plays on the left wing, however his best performances have been on the right wing. Quick and a very good dribbler, like many Brazilian’s, he also has a trick. He also has the physical attributes to compete in the Premier League. After his recent form, he has started to be talked about a bit more, recently being linked to both Manchester City and Chelsea.

If I was to describe him simply, it would be as a ‘Budget Neymar’. This is by no means a criticism, more that he plays in a similar manner to Neymar, is a similar age, and played alongside him at Santos, but is not quite as good. Afterall, Neymar is one of the best players in world football.

The main sticking point is that he reportedly signed a new contract with Lazio on Wednesday, tying him to the club until 2020. Contracts mean nothing in the modern game.

Before his renewal, he was on just £10,000 a week. His new contract would have given him a pay rise and removed a release clause from his contract. It is potentially the usual scenario, a player signing a new contract to ensure his club gets the best possible deal for him when selling in the summer.

Lazio just could not compete if Arsenal came in with a big contract offer for the Brazilian.

Potential cost: £20-30m

Let us know if there are any other potential Walcott replacements in the comments below.

Keenos