Tag Archives: Aaron Ramsey

Ramsey, Mertesacker, Ozil, Cazorla and More

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So just a few thoughts this morning on a few things Arsenal…

Aaron Ramsey

I have already professed my admiration for Aaron Ramsey in a previous blog where I made the claim that he is a future Arsenal captain. I will not go over old ground again, other than to say he is continuing to progress and, with 5 goals in 6 games, is now adding the much missed goals to his game. I remember when he played against England and dominated Frank Lampard & Steven Gerrard. Were Ramsey English, there would be plenty of hype around him. With the goals now added to his game, if he continues his progression, he will become a better player then Lampard and Gerrard.

Per Mertesacker

‘He has no pace’ people moaned. ‘We can get better’ they complained. ‘He is awful’ was the consensus by man. However, you do not win 93 caps for a nation such as Germany  at 28 by being a poor player. Anyone who fully understands football could see he is a brilliant player. Positioning and leadership. Who needs pace if you are impossible to get around? It is often said you only realise how good a player is when he is not playing, and the talk on the train after Sunderland was how much we missed the big man. The defence lacked organisation and leadership without him. With Koscielny giving away is 53rd penalty in an Arsenal shirt just highlighting that Per Mertesacker is head and shoulders above any other Arsenal centre back. In my opinion, he is the best defender in the league. Make your judgement on watching him play, not on playing with him on FIFA.

Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla

Against Sunderland, we got a glimpse of what Mesut Ozil can do. Always in space. Always ready to receive the ball. A brilliant touch. Brilliant vision. A fantastic assist for the 1st goal, and well involved for the 3rd. He might of tired towards the end but he showed what £42.5million gets you. Now add Santi Cazorla into the mix and the excitement is mouth watering. These two could propel us to the title. They will set up goals for fun. And with Oliver Giroud now having the confidence to go alongside his ability, he would get 30 goals plus. For me, we now have the most creative midfield in the Premier League.

Theo Walcott

Theo got a lot of criticism during the Sunderland game. Two missed chances (I will not count the header) and people were on his back. Let me get a few things straight. Neither chance was clear cut. The angle was against him and Westwood made 2 good saves. Last year, Theo Walcott got 21 goals and 14 assists. He is a very good player. After criticism playing for England, we as Arsenal fans need to back him. He is a massive confidence player. Get off his back. Sing his name. And he will start scoring again. Look at Ramsey as an example. Part of the reason he is improving is confidence. Let us not get on Theo’s back. It will not help him, it will not help Arsenal. Leave your boo’s and criticism to the pubs after the game.

British Transport Police

Brilliant job by the British Transport Police on the train back from Sunderland yesterday. There was no hint of anything until they came along. Then in their own special, antagonizing way, created an issue and tension where there was no need. Do they have a quota to fill? Do they have to show they have stopped and searched a certain amount of football fans on a game day? Getting told to stop signing is ludicrous. It is not illegal to sing. Chap on our train was right, rugby act worse. Are noisier. Drink more. Yet the police do nothing with the tarquin’s. Renditions from us of ‘Swing Low’ and The National Anthem did not go down well. The hour of singing Christmas carols was hilarious. But any policeman reading this. Why? Why do you need to act the way you do? Stopping young men doing nothing wrong except enjoying themselves? Football fans, victimized. On a side note, met some good lads on the Sunderland train! 5 hour journey, plenty of beer, some good laughs. Enjoy Marseille to those that are going!

Title Contenders?

SAY WE ARE TOP THE LEAGUE, SAY WE ARE TOP THE LEAGUE

We are a title contender. I do not care what the boo boys say. What the press say. We have the best defence in the Premier League and the most creative midfield. When we compare to other Premier League sides, I do not see why we can not win the league. We have a better 1st XI then Manchester United – I also think we have a better squad, and Moyes does not have a clue!; Chelsea are strong, both in 1st XI and squad, but there defeat against Everton shows they are not unbeatable. They could suffer from not having a consistent 1st XI. Manchester City have not gone forward this season. Poor signings in Fernandinho and Navas, and unneeded signings in Negrado and Jovetic. With the likes of David Silva and Sergio Aguero, they will be a threat. But we can compete. As for Liverpool and Spurs. They are of no threat.

We are title contenders. Our players are good enough. We as fans just need to make sure we are the twelve man every game. To cheer the lads to victory.

Arsenal Football Club – 2013/14 Premier League Champions; Why not?

Keenos

3 more sleeps till Ozil

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In 3 sleeps time, we will be able to experience one of the greatest moments in recent history (ie the last 5 years). The debut of Mesut Ozil. The first truly world class player that Arsenal have signed since Dennis Bergkamp. Maybe even before that. He is a truly great signing. His story and journey has been done to death. This is more about the excitement of his debut.

It feels like the countdown to Christmas day. Only that I have not been able to open a little door hiding a chocolate for the last 24 days. The excitement  is building. I imagine that this Friday, just like on Christmas Eve, I will not be able to sleep. Might have to have a few drinks to knock me out.

On Saturday morning, I will be getting on the train to Sunderland. At 9.44am from Kings Cross to be exact. Landing in Newcastle at a little before one. Cross the road to O’Neill’s for a few beers before making the way to the game. I am buzzing just writing this.

Not only will it be the debut of Mesut Ozil, it will also be the first proper away trip after a relatively short trip to Fulham what seems like an age ago (thanks FIFA). Last year Sunderland was rated by The Lads as ‘The Best Away Trip’. This year it could go either way, with the tight train jounrey on the way home (miss our 6pm train from Newcastle, and thanks to National Rail doing works on the line, we could end up taking a 4 train, 5 hour journey via Newcastle, Sheffield, Loughborough and finally getting to Kings Cross at around midnight!). What you do for love hey?

Anyway, back to Ozil. Originally the thoughts were he would not start. Arsene Wenger has a history of ensuring a new signings first start was at home. And with today being the first training session with his new team mates, it would have been likely that he would be on the bench against both Sunderland and Marseille, before making his first full start against Stoke City next Sunday.

However, after Theo Walcott limping off against Ukraine, Tomas Rosicky picking up a thigh injury and Podolski, Oxlade Chamberlain, Arteta and Diaby still injured, we are light in midfield (where have we heard that before?). Luckily reports of Aaron Ramsey being out look to be unfounded. This could lead to Ozil making his first start of the season, potential on the right wing:

Wilshere Flamini Ramsey
Ozil Giroud Cazorla

Just writing this has made me excited. We have Mesut Ozil. Mesut Fricking Ozil.

And on Saturday, no matter if he starts or comes off the bench, we will see his debut. And I can not wait.

3 more sleeps to go

Keenos

Not buying a back up for Giroud could cost The Arsenal….

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Firstly congratulations to everyone at The Arsenal who somehow managed to persuade Ozil to join us, what a great great player and one that’s already getting tipped to be the biggest signing since Bergkamp. If he’s half as good as everyones hype we have got one hell of a player on our books now. But my problem is who he’s going to pass to ahead of him to bang in the goals.

It seems very odd that at the start of the transfer window Wenger started off by bidding and in Suarez’s case openly tapping up every available front man in world football, sadly he managed not to net any of them. This has led us to the position where all our eggs are firmly in Giroud’s basket, he is the only proper out and out front man at the club right now.

Giroud has started off the season in great form, banging in the goals, looking fit and covering a lot of ground. His recent work rate is only second to Ramsey and maybe that’s down to him feeling secure that he is the number one forward at the club, but in reality he is the only one. I fear for the worst if anything would happen to him as the back up is non existent.

Wenger has a few choices if anything were to happen to Giroud…

Podolski – Out injured for 12 weeks
Oxlade-Chamberlain – Out injured for 12 weeks
Sanogo – no-where near ready for 1st team action
Bendtner – Unfit to wear an Arsenal shirt
Park – WHO ?

So basically that leaves us Theo Walcott, who I have no problems in seeing him in a more central role. With his pace and ever increasing confidence in front of goal I have no worries that given some chances he can deliver the goods. But with our current injury situation who does that leave to play on the right side of attack? Ramsey, our stand out central midfielder who so far this season and let’s not forget when Wenger played Ramsey down the right he had a few stinkers and was subject to a few stupid boo boys. Not Ramsey’s fault, he is not a wide player, he is a central player.

We are basically screwed if anything happens to Giroud, for the next 12 weeks there is no plan B. Wenger has messed up in not landing an out and out forward and there is no way I can see Giroud playing 2 games a week and keeping up the sharpness and work rate he has so far this season.

So thanks for Ozil but he is just really papering over the cracks of a weak squad and the sad thing is there was still plenty of money left unspent

GC