Tag Archives: Arsenal

Arsenal set for defensive crisis against Stoke?

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Against Leicester City, Arsenal showed a weakness against the high ball into the box. A weakness which Leicester City exploited ruthlessly with all 3 of their goals coming from crosses into the box.

In Arsenal’s defence, they were playing two left backs and a 21 year old Rob holding at centre back. But it is not really a defence, in both ways.

Leicester continually played balls down the channel between Rob Holding and Hector Bellerin, which dragged the only centre back out of position. This left space in the middle for Jamie Vardy and Shinji Okazaki to attack.

Arsenal were also poor at corners. They lacked leaders at the back, someone to take control of the situation and get his head on it. So often this man is Olivier Giroud, but with him playing second fiddle to Alexandre Lacazette, Arsenal looked short at the back. Literally.

Up next is Stoke City. And there are reasons to worry.

Stoke City have one of the narrowest pitches in the league and have destroyed Arsenal before using the simple game plan of swing as many balls into the box as possible. If over the next few days Arsenal do not develop a game plan to deal with the high ball, the side will once more struggle.

Laurent Koscielny is still out suspended. Stoke City will be the third game after the silly sending off on the last day of last season which caused him to miss the cup final.

Also missing from the game against Leicester was club captain Per Mertesacker.

Having been involved in a gruesome clash with Chelsea’s Gary Cahill at the Community Shield, his wound had not sufficiently repaired itself in time for the victory over Leicester.

The Arsenal website does not have him listed as injured, but they do list Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey as out. My bet is the lad who updates the website is currently face down in a gutter in Magaluf.

Mertesacker’s height in the middle of the park would be key against a side like Stoke City. And his organisation and leadership would see both Holding and Monreal perform better.

Shkodran Mustafi was fit enough to be on the bench against Leicester. Another weeks training under his belt and he should be fit to start against Stoke City. Gabriel is 100% out – injured and set to be sold.

Taking into account the threat faced by Stoke City, if Mustafi and Mertesacker as fully fit, it would be worthwhile playing both alongside Rob Holding. It would even be worth starting Olivier Giroud upfront.

If Arsenal do start with the same defence as they used against Leicester, Arsenal’s travelling fans could be in for another tough day in the grim city.

Keenos

 

Arsenal’s transfer window has derailed

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Well it has happened. The transfer window started off so well with the capture of Sead Kolašinac and Alexandre Lacazette but has now derailed like a South West Train in morning rush hour.

It is all so predictable. It has all been seen before. And it is all so frustrating. Just as you think things are going to be different, you were promised they were different, you fooled yourself into believing they were different, you are let down.

This transfer window is turning into the exact same as other transfer windows. And it keeps happening. And you can only blame the management, from Arsene Wenger upwards. If it was a one off, you would give them the benefit of the doubt. But it is not a one off. This sort of transfer window has happened for Arsenal for over a decade.

Firstly we have the public chase of Monaco’s Thomas Lemar.

Reports are Thomas Lemar was done. That he wanted, and had agreed, to join the club. All that was left was for Arsenal to agree a fee. And like so many transfers beforehand, that was the stumbling bloke.

Of course, no one knows exactly what is going on, but reports are that Arsenal did not meet Monaco’s early season valuation. The two clubs were not too far behind, but Arsenal were just not willing to stump up the cash.

By the time Arsenal finally decided to pay the asking price, Monaco had moved the goal posts. Having already sold Bernardo Silva, Tiémoué Bakayoko, Benjamin Mendy and a handful of squad players, the asking price of Thomas Lemar jumped up. Arsenal had dragged their heels and have ended up missing out.

Perhaps Arsenal should have given up on the chase a few weeks ago, when the Monaco management had made it clear that Lemar would not be sold. Arsenal should have either made Monaco an offer that they can not refuse, or just moved on. Instead it seems we have done neither.

We then come to player sales. How long have we moaned about too much dead wood at the club? Too long. Yet here we sit, in the middle of August, and the likes of Mathieu Debuchy, Carl Jenkinson, Francis Coquelin, Kieran Gibbs and Lucas Perez are still at the club.

Even the ‘semi dead wood’ of Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott and Calum Chambers are here.

Clubs do not want to sign our players. Are we holding out for too much? Are they demanding too much money? Or are the players just crap? Probably a mixture of all 3. But it feels like a blocked drain at the moment. There is too much shit waiting to leave that we are unable to add anymore on top (I will work on this analogy).

With Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain looking to move, and no central midfield reinforcements on the horizon, we might end up in the situation where some players who really should not longer be at the club end up remaining as squad players.

Having got through a U23 game a few days ago, I can see Wenger looking at Jack wilshere and thinking might as well keep him. Rather than spend £20-£30m on someone like Jean-Michael Seri, he keeps Jack Wilshere.

Likewise, if Ox does go, Debuchy or Jenkinson will be thrown a lifeline.

Add in Coquelin likely to stay, Gibbs seemingly happy to see out his contract, Walcott not being replaced, and Arsenal pricing Chambers out of a move, it will be the same old stale squad filled with players who should have been shifted on years ago.

It is all a little depressing. All a little bit of same old, same old.

Keenos

TWO in the frame to replace Oxlade-Chamberlain at Arsenal

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So rumours seem to be floating about that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is on the verge of going to Chelsea for £35m, and the response from many seems to be mixed.

On one hand, he is an extremely talented player, homegrown, and has come into his own over the last few months playing at right wing back.

On the other side of the coin, he is in the last year of his contract, is very inconsistent, has never really fulfilled his potential, and seems to want to play central midfield. On top of this, he has struggled to maintain his fitness throughout his Arsenal career.

At £35m, I think Arsenal would be getting a good price for a player who’s own plans does not really fit into Arsenal’s plans. The big problem that Arsenal will face is replacing him.

We already have enough deadwood players to get rid of, and whilst Oxlade-Chamberlain has often flirted with being surplus in the past, he has recently become a player we need to keep.

Let me paint another picture to you. Oxlade-Chamberlain leaves, it means either Mathieu Debuchy or Carl Jenkinson is back up to Hector Bellerin. This is the thing of nightmares. That two players who really should have been shipped out 12 months ago, would now be back in the plans of Arsene Wenger.

But we could buy a replacement you are currently thinking.

But remember, this is Arsenal, this is Arsene Wenger.

We have already messed up getting Thomas Lemar over the line this summer. We look no closer to a central midfielder, and a centre back will not happen. Our transfer dealings are done. And it is not good enough.

If we sell Oxlade-Chamberlain, we will not buy a replacement. Wenger will not spend what is needed to bring in the quality. He will not want to kill Hector Bellerin.

That means Ox out, and either Jenkinson or Debuchy, or even both, stay.

And our summer transfer window gets progressively worse…

Keenos