Tag Archives: Borussia Dortmund

Defeat and Rain Fail to Dampen Arsenal Spirits

Despite a home defeat and torrential rain to great the homeward bound fans, the spirit of The Arsenal was certainly not dampened last night, with fans walking under Highbury House in high spirits.

Borussia Dortmund were last years Champions League runners-up and one of the best rated teams were always going to be a tough draw. However Arsenal performed admirably on the night and only lost due to going for the win, conceding on the break to Dortmund’s only shot of the 2nd half.

Whilst it was a negative result, it was a fairly positive performance as Arsenal proved they could compete with one of the best attacking sides in Europe, restricting a side who had scored 22 league goals this season to hardly any shots, and 2 goals, one of which was a poor error by Ramsey, the second on the break.

Arsenal played some brilliant football at times, with Rosicky, Cazorla and Ozil brightening the second half. We once again lacked a bit of pace going forward, and you have to think had either Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain or Podolski been playing, we would have got that second goal.

The group is now extremely tight and you have to think it is most likely that we go to Napoli in the last game level on points with the Italian side, meaning they need to beat us to progress ahead.

On a side night, the German side’s fans certainly won the battle of the fans, however, I did wonder a few times about how manufactured and choreographed they were. With a drummer and 3 orchestral conductors, they lack the spontaneity of a proper away end. The conductors seem to be the norm in Europe, I have never been a fan of them and wonder whether being told when to sign and clap is really that good?

Moving forward to Saturday, we face Crystal Palace. We need to ensure that we get back on the horse and win again. The last time we lost to a German side at home, we entered a negative spiral, according to Andre Villas-Boas. If we enter the same negative spiral now, things will continue looking good for The Arsenal.

On a final thought, if you were one of the fans who got on the back of the side at the final whistle, shame on you. You do not deserve any of the future success we will have.

Keenos

Time for Europe to stand up and take note – The Arsenal are back

It was not just the win last night which is getting Arsenal fan’s excited. It is the manner in which we won 2-0. It was a show of brilliant attacking football. We only got 2-0 goals, but you feel we could have got more. It was arguably the best Arsenal performance in terms of style and substance in a long, long time.

The play was clinical and direct. With 63% of the possession, Arsenal dominated the play. But it was the passing for passing sake as in previous season. This was direct passes driving the team forward. It has been a long time since an Arsenal side has passed the ball so accurately, but also so hard. Gone was the tappy tappy football. It was hard into feet, knowing the player receiving the ball had the talent and technique to control and pass it on. A pass accuracy of 89.1%. It was exhilarating.

This was a very comfortable win against a very good Napoli side. A Napoli side which beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the last round. A Napoli side who many were tipping to finish above Arsenal in the group. A Napoli side who were some people’s dark horse to win the Champions League. A Napoli side who spend €90million this summer. A Napoli who have P 6 W 5 D 1 in the Serie A this season. This was not a poor team.

Arsenal played scintillating football from start to finish. Dominating the play. Dangerous in attack. Stingy in defence. Yesterday was a coming of age for this Arsenal side. A show to the world that we are a team to be recognised with.

And lets not forget, this Arsenal side which destroyed Napoli was without Cazorla, Podolski, Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain and more. This was by no means a full strength Arsenal side. Or a fully fit XI. And that is what is scary. This Arsenal side is good. Very good.

Arsenal are top of the most competitive domestic league in Europe. Top of the Champions League ‘Group of Death.’ It is time for the rest of European football to stand up and take note – The Arsenal are back.

Keenos

5 Strikers Available to Arsenal in January

With over £40million still available to Arsene Wenger for January transfer, we at SheWore speculate in a 4 part series (Striker, Midfield, Defence, Others) on realistic potential transfers that we might make in January. We start this week with 5 possible strikers that could be available to Arsene Wenger for January.

Luis Suarez – Our number 1 striking option for the summer eventually fell through due to a lack of clarification over his transfer release fee. There is a strong possibility that we could return to Liverpool in January. With Daniel Sturridge having scored 6 goals in 5 games, were he to continue that form, Liverpool may well be willing to entertain a big bid, as they would not require to sign a replacement. This one would require Luis Suarez to play up over the next few months, once more making it clear to world football that he wants out of Liverpool.

Robert Lewandowski – Rumours are that over the summer, he and Bayern Munich cam to an agreement that he will sign on a free transfer next summer. Reports are Borussia Dortmund were happy with this deal, as it meant Lewandoski would not leave to Bayern in the same summer as Mario Gotze. However, nothing has yet been signed, leaving the door open to other clubs to make a bid. Dortmund would still prefer to see Lewandowski go abroad. A move in January would generate a fee for the German club, whilst a summer 2014 move would see him go on a free. It would come down to how much Lewandowski wants to go to Bayern Munich.

Rickie Lambert – A deadline day target whom we enquired about once the Demba Ba deal went dead. Could Arsenal go back in for the English striker in January? He would provide short term cover for Olivier Grioud, before we make a bigger signing next summer. A stumbling block would be a transfer fee. He would be a temporary solution, but Southampton would command northwards of £10million. A big fee, but half a dozen goals in the run in to a title chase could prove priceless.

Fernando Llorente – Having joined Juventus on a free transfer in the summer, he seems to be no longer wanted by the club after the signing of Carlos Tevez. He was clearly signed with the idea of leading The Old Lady’s line, but once Carlos Tevez came on the market and was signed, he has found himself starting just 1 of their first 3 games. If his frustration continues, and with it being a world cup year, he could look to get some game time elsewhere in January. Some reading might say “He can not move club again” however, the FIFA rule is:

“Players may be registered for a maximum of three clubs during the period from 1 July until 30 June of the following year. During this period, the player is only eligible to play in Official Matches for two clubs.”

In the 2013/14 season, he has only been registered with, and played for, one club – Juventus. Whether he would leave the bench of Juventus for the bench of Arsenal is another story…

Christian Benteke – Having turned down bids from Tottenham, Aston Villa agreed a new 4 year deal with the Belgium international after the big man withdrew his transfer request. A backtrack like this is only usually seen by David Cameron , an Aston Villa fan. You have to think that the signing of a new deal included a transfer release clause. Were Arsenal to meet this clause, Aston Villa would have little choice but to let their top marksman leave. I would speculate that this clause would be around the £30million mark. A lot of money for someone who is not considered as ‘top draw.’ However, for £30million you are getting a 22 year old who has 23 Premier League goals in a little more then a season. He would not need to settle, and would soon repay that fee if he scored crucial goals in a title run in.

Next week: 5 Midfielders Available for January

Keenos