Cult Football - Arsenal

main

Commentary England Europe Spain transfers

The Inevitable Van Persie to Barcelona Endless Speculation Transfer Story

February 2, 2012 — by Rob Kirby

With Arsenal currently sitting 7th in the Premier League table, it’s now truly inevitable that Robin van Persie will choose a new club come summertime, barring some miracle. But because it seems so predestined, the notion doesn’t trigger anxiety levels of Fabregas-ian proportions from summers past, where you just really didn’t know what was going to happen. Even with Samir Nasri, one thought Arsenal might just take the financial hit and force the Frenchman to stick around, because surely Wenger wouldn’t let two of his three/four best players go at the last possible moment, would he?

Anyhow, just as Robin’s departure seems inevitable, so too does speculation of the destination club. Cue the inevitable stories of van Persie to Barcelona.

Van Persie currently ranks among the most in-form strikers in the world. It’s only natural that he be linked to the best clubs in the world. Money is not the motivating factor. What Robin wants is to win trophies and play with other players of his caliber. Even the most ardent Arsenal supporter will admit that van Persie is in his own league. Wilshere could get there, but certainly not while he’s out for the season.

With talk of Barcelona being the best team of this generation, obviously lazy journalists make “Van Persie to Barcelona” their go-to. They’ve already got the templates, having been through the whole business before with Henry, who left for similar reasons. And they can naturally cut-and-paste parts from the Fabregas template. (Hell, even Alex Hleb!) Despite not currently topping their own league, Barcelona is the best team is the world at present. So, even without a shred of supporting evidence, the link makes sense.

Why player, club and every onlooker might think it’s a good fit is too obvious to really go into any further.

The real question (to me) is: Would van Persie do well at Barcelona? Would he be the preferred starter?

If not, if he knows he will only provide cover for the main striker, utilized mostly as an impact sub, would he choose Barça? (Impact subs get CL winner’s medals, too…)

Van Persie comes from a system not entirely different from the Catalan way, but so did Henry, and that wasn’t exactly an unqualified success. David Villa had played with the midfield maestros on the national team, which made him less of a risk, but Ibrahimovic never had and didn’t mesh especially well, whereas Eto’o did.

Individual chemistry with the team is the unknown and unknowable but crucial factor towards determining an import striker’s success at Barcelona.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Honestly, I really don’t know how it would pan out. Van Persie would certainly kill to play with Messi, Xavi, Iniesta and Fabregas (again), but I find it hard to believe he’d settle for a spot on the bench.

I also find it unlikely he’d move to another club in England, so who else does it leave? AC Milan? Perhaps next year’s coach at Real Madrid can come up with a new hunter-animal analogy for him?

To be fair to both Henry and van Persie, the comparison with Henry is not entirely like-to-like. Many often cite age as a factor with Barcelona-era Henry, but Henry was only a year older than van Persie will be in the summer. (Henry turned 30 in mid-August 2007; van Persie turns 29 this August.) It really was more that Henry was not at his peak, whereas van Persie is most definitely enjoying his peak and may stay there for a few years to come. (He could even get better with excellent through-pass service, however there was no mistaking the gray hairs in Wednesday’s match against Bolton.) With Robin, it has always come down to his injury status. He’s never lacked the finish, simply the fitness.

Henry in his peak combined with the current-day Barcelona squad would have been incredible to behold. God, I wish that had happened. Except that they were all wearing the Red and White. (And except for the whingeing, whining, diving Dani Alves—Barcelona can keep him. Hmm, I just realized that if you take the “an” out of Dani and “Al” out of Alves, you’re left with “Dives.” Sounds about right.)

Commentary England

The Night Arsene Lost the Stadium

January 26, 2012 — by Rob Kirby — 1

After the 2-1 defeat to Manchester United at the Emirates on Sunday, I was emailing with a friend who has been an Arsenal season ticket holder since the ‘70s. He knows infinitely more about the team than I do, so I figured I’d let him speak in his own words. (My email comments inserted for clarity of what questions/comments he’s responding to.)

_____

Me:

Crazy outrage from the fans yesterday.

Incidentally, I really hate Piers Morgan.

http://cultfootball.com/2012/01/can-arsenal-please-disown-piers-morgan/

Response:

Last night represented a tipping point the moment that Arsene lost the stadium.

And here is the key thing, doesn’t really matter if he was right or not about taking off the Ox (i.e. the strain) the thing is that people no longer trust him. The anger and resentment at the lack of recruitment is going to boil over…

Bad times ahead, but here is the thing, due to injuries we have no idea how good we are or aren’t…

Let’s try and stay calm and judge at season’s end.

Me:

I would agree that Wenger has lost the home support. The outrage about the substitution dwarfed by far the “Spend some fucking money” episode of late Aug.

Everyone wants to blame someone. Right now the finger’s pointed at Wenger. Not surprising, as it’s been in that position for 6 months, 18 months. However, re: throwing baby out with bathwater, let’s say Wenger goes, per the collective wish. Who the fuck can attract talent to a non-Champions League side at Arsenal whose first name is not Arsene. RvP is likely off, anyhow. In my opinion, if Arsene gets sacked, it’s not even a question. Furthermore, if Wenger gets sacked, Sagna and Vermaelen seem in major doubt. I don’t mention Wilshere, Szczesny and Frimpong because of their love of the club. But look at their ages. Their only personal memories are of an Arsene Arsenal.

Arsene has made Arsenal believers believe they are pre-destined to end up in the top four. Say he’s axed (and I realize you’re not necessarily saying he should be–rather that that’s the vibe), who would do better? Perhaps a couple folks… But who would the board pay for? None of them.

If Wenger gets axed, the only way I can see it not being an utter fiasco is to surprise-hire a former star to be coach. If experience is a judge, it’s highly risky and rarely pays off. If he’s to get sacked, obviously I hope for the Cinderella story. But isn’t that exactly what has pissed people off about Wenger? He keeps saying, “We can, we can,” and then when the mioracle fails to transpire, we don’t and the fans turn on him. How much leeway would Steve Bould get? Or Tony Adams. Or Bergkamp, even, though he seems eminently happy at Ajax.

Response:

The Wenger issue is wrapped up in what the board do or don’t want the club to be.

It is clear that twice in the last five or six years the team needed a little investment and they could have pushed on. But the investment never happened. This lack of investment finally produced the inevitable when we started the season in disarray…

Now, there are only a few possible reasons for this:

1. Wenger won’t spend.

2. The board won’t back him.

3. The money isn’t there

4. Wenger has identified players and the board, which doesn’t feature a single real football man, doesn’t know how to get a deal done.

Only when you can make a call on the above can you make a call on Arsene.

My own take on it is that more 2-4 than 1, but also that Wenger is appalled by the prices and wages. He is to some extent the last sane man football, but there lies the problem, football isn’t sane…

However, changing him as manager only makes sense if you want to change the way the team operates. And why would silent Stan do that? We are very well run financially and we generate our own money… And are vaguely competitive.

So you are right, what is the point in changing wenger? He is the best man for the job. As defined by the board. And the board isn’t changing….

But, what the fans see is a Tottenham team made competitive by Scott Parker who cost peanuts. A manager who started the season with a woefully weak squad, a manager who has allowed our best player to get into the last two years of his contract without renewing. And now won’t.

A manager who puts too much faith in players who are always injured or just not good enough… Diaby, Gibbs, Denilson and Chamakh and so the anger mounts and the frustration grows and last night something broke. Mutiny is upon us. Something snapped last night and I am not sure that the return of Henry or promise of Wilshere can fix it. Wenger needs a marquee signing to lift the club’s (everyone’s) spirits and perhaps if he combined that with dropping Arshavin and Chamakh (perceived as non-tryers by the fans) and playing some of the homegrown players then he might turn it around.

But I am not holding my breath.

It’s very sad but I think this is the end of the Wenger era.. Football has changed for the worse (look at man city) and I think rightly or (almost certainly) wrongly Wenger can’t compete any more. He needs a new challenge and we need a new leader to rally round.

P.S. The irony is that if he does get this squad to fourth it will be his greatest ever achievement!

Me:

Thanks for your thoughts. I guess the primary point is that regardless of how divided Arsenal supporters are, everyone hopes for fourth. A common enemy can be powerful.

There are, of course, those who wish their team to fall on their face so that change happens, but I don’t believe in that. And frankly, I feel incredibly negatively towards that mentality. If a fan wants their own team to lose, fuck them.

Response:

Want the team to fail? Sorry but I think you are wrong on that. There isn’t a fan in the stadium who wants them to fail. Getting pissed at Wenger or the board because you don’t want them to fail is not the same as wanting them to fail..

But you have to get the context.

English football has been through seismic changes in the last two decades, partly due to the revolution on the pitch that Wenger started.

Fans (including me) are starting to feel alienated.

Twenty years ago I could arrive on match day and pay £6 on the gate to get in.. I watched mostly English players play a game we recognised as English. And we loved it. Yes we envied the Europeans their flair and sophistication, but our game was hard, fast, harem scarum and damned exciting.

Games were at 3pm on Saturday. the FA Cup meant something and you couldn’t watch matches on telly very often. Our stadium carried 70 years of history and the club felt special and unique. We felt part of something, and our songs and our chanting helped the team, or so we believed. Better still the players were accessible, they were like us, we knew them, or knew someone who knew them. They earned four times as much as us, maybe ten times as much but we all lived on the same planet. So we belonged to our club and more importantly our club beloved to us.

Now at Arsenal we sit in the modern corporate bowl that is the Emirates and we cringe at the ‘Arsenalisation’ process (adding murals etc) that for us equates (no offence) to an Americanisation. We wonder how ‘our’ club got sold to a billionaire who won’t speak to us and what happened to the promise of competing we were sold when the club decided to move.

We loved our old home, it and we meant something to us, and man, we loved Wenger, this strange unknowable Frenchman who brought Vieira, Petit, Overmars, Ljungberg and Henry. Who kept the steel and grit of The Arsenal and added unbelievable flair.

Now we sit in this wonderful, soulless edifice to the new middle-class game and pay absurd ticket prices to watch players who aren’t fit to polish the boots of the invincibles and we wonder what the deal is?

We wonder why did we leave Highbury and we still can’t compete. And to make it worse the club operate a weird system of omertà. They massage the attendance figures as if we are morons who can’t count the empty seats and they tell us the money is there but then never spend it.

They sell our best players and they buy kids to replace them and we look around and we wonder if David Dein was right?

We wonder if we should have stayed at home and looked for investment for players not seats. We wonder why Tottenham spend more money than us, and we are sick and tired of watching Wenger build half great teams and then refusing to go the extra million or two for the player that would/could/should make the difference and we want to believe….

We want to believe that Wenger still knows, that the five, six, seven year plan will bear fruit, that UEFA will enforce the Financial FairPlay rules. That we will somehow have the last laugh and then we look at our squad and we look at the oh so obvious fault lines – fault lines that we all discussed in the pub at the beginning of the season, but which the club didn’t fix and we wonder WTF, and then, well then we get mad, wouldn’t you?

We feel ripped off, sold out and lied to. We don’t trust the board, or the manager anymore and we don’t trust in the players any more either.

So to go full circle to your primary point. the Arsenal fans want to believe. But we just don’t. The support this year has been great until recently, really behind the team. But something broke last week. There was real, genuine anger. The worst I have ever heard. I heard serious anti-Wenger chants for the first time and I am not sure his haughty response in the press conference will have helped.

I think the club is at a tipping point and revolt is in the air. Fourth place might quell it. But I’m not sure.

Gonna be an interesting ride between now and the end of the season.

Commentary England

Can Arsenal Please Disown Piers Morgan?

January 23, 2012 — by Rob Kirby — 3

Come on everybody, channel your inner Piers Morgan. Throw your hands up in the air, aim for the hills and run with abandon. Just don’t forget to unlock your wrists, so that the sprint for the horizon seems that much more fueled by pure terror. And remember to shrill.

Wayne Rooney, his sidekick hair transplant and his nefarious Mancunian buddies traveled to the Emirates on Sunday. As everyone knows Manchester United won 8-2 in the last (cataclysmic) matchup. They won 2-1 this time. Rooney had scored six goals in his last six appearances against Arsenal in all competitions. Over the years, he scored his first Premier League goal against Arsenal, as well as his first Premier League goal for Man United, his 100th Premier League goal and his 150th goal for Man United in all competitions.

Everyone feared the big bad Roondog. But this time he let Antonio Valencia and Danny Welbeck rack up the numbers tally and run riot over centerbacks playing out of position as fullbacks.

But to listen to Piers Morgan, sports expert par excellence, the match had nothing to do with anything but a substitution at the 74 minute mark. The first hour and a quarter meant nothing, because a 74th-minute substitution made it all a foregone conclusion. At 1-1, three minutes after Robin van Persie equalized off a quality Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain assist, Arsene Wenger substituted Arshavin for the Ox. It was surprising, since Ox had been playing fantastically, but it was his first Premier League start. Tell that to the fans, though.

The crowd boo’d, van Persie shouted, “Nooooo…..!” and the crowd boo’d on. It was “Spend some fucking money” all over again, but more intense.

Shortly after, Valencia slid past Arshavin, Song and Vermaelen and crossed to Welbeck for the winner. Predictably, on Fox in the post-match, Morgan had heaps of blame to apportion.

According to Morgan, the substitution of Arshavin for Ox singlehandedly led to United winning. Furthermore, the United win means Arsenal will now definitely not nab a Champions League spot. Not qualifying for the Champions League means a loss of £30 million in TV revenue, all because of that substitution. Wenger must now be sacked.

The only true statement in that paragraph is that failing to qualify for the Champions League would mean a massive loss in revenue (though that could happen in the 4th place qualifying spot, as well).

Take a step back. United is the defending champion and is hot on the trail of City for the title. Arsenal lost 2-1 to United. Welbeck, Rooney, Nani and Valencia manoeuver past specialized fullbacks on a weekly basis. And Arshavin could have done better defensively, but does that mean that Ox would have? And anyway, the Arshavin/Ox question is really one of attack–Ox was playing a great attacking game, whereas Arshavin has not put in a great game since many moons ago, which is precisely why Ox started. When the substitution happened, no one was thinking, “Oh great, now the defense is going to fall apart.” Arshavin does not hustle enough to be a great help to the defense, but the raw teenager is hardly the lynchpin of the Arsenal defense, either.

If Arsenal fails to qualify for the Champions League, the recent draws and defeats to bottom-table teams have much more to do with it than a 2-1 loss to the defending champions and second team in the league.

As for Wenger’s job, I think Arsenal would be shooting itself in the foot, but that’s a question for another day. If Arsenal ends the season outside of the top six, let alone top four, van Persie and Wenger would be the two main selling points for any players the club might want to sign. Van Persie may be off this summer regardless, but without Wenger, that departure is a lock. So, without van Persie or Wenger, would Eden Hazard ever consider signing? Mario Goetze? No Champions League, no van Persie, no Wenger = “No chance in hell.”

Lest one forget, there were positives in the match: Ox playing out of his skin and laying off to RvP for the equalizer, Rosicky putting in the best performance I’ve seen from him in a long time, RvP getting a knee knock and walking it off instead of being out for the rest of the season…

But if we’re not going to look at the positives, let us not, at least, be swayed by the judge of “America’s Got Talent.”

Ideally, Ox would not have been substituted, especially given the assist shortly beforehand and the narrow miss, but Wenger made a choice. After the match, Wenger had to justify that Ox had started to fatigue and his calf was feeling off, after coming off an illness during the week.

“Oxlade-Chamberlain had started to fatigue, started to stretch his calf, and was not used to the intensity. He was sick during the week. Arshavin is captain of the Russia national team. I have to justify a guy of 18 who’s playing his second or third game? Let’s be serious.”

The Wenger of years past would never have had to justify the substitution. Like it or not, his stock has fallen with the Arsenal fanbase, which could lead to he and the club parting ways and Arsenal locked out of the top 4 for years to come. If that happens, will the self-aggrandizing Morgan see any connection? Of course not. He wants everyone to look at him, listen to him, follow his pointing finger to his chosen object of blame.

Any damage resulting from Wenger’s dismissal will be someone else’s fault. Or still Wenger’s fault.

In case it hasn’t come across clearly enough, I’ll just spell it out. Piers Morgan sucks. All sports commentary outlets should file a restraining order on him immediately.

Commentary England

A Few Random Arsenal Thoughts At Year’s End

December 31, 2011 — by Rob Kirby — 1

A few quick comments as the minutes tick closer to midnight.

Robin rules. It would be impossible to heap too many superlatives on his form this season. He finally got to show what he could do when he remained injury-free. Long may it continue. He’s shown himself to be a great captain so far and hopefully he sees his future with the Arsenal going forward.

Welcome back, Henry! But this does not mean we don’t need another striker… Repeat, this does not mean we don’t need another striker.

Park is the invisible man. Can someone please un-invisibility-cloak the poor guy? When Wenger finally plays him in the league, it really will seem “like a new signing.”

And the award for first-class jackass goes to Bendtner! The Greatest Player To Have Ever Lived proved he is far better at smashing up cars than smashing in goals. He burned his bridges back to Arsenal and meanwhile Sunderland probably wouldn’t quite mind returning him. Let’s hope the team can recoup some cash from some sucker somewhere (who reads only Niklas’s quotes and doesn’t actually watch the Premier League).

It was sad to see Fabregas go, but it’s great to see him flourishing alongside the likes of Xavi, Messi and his other La Masia buddies, even if they’re a bit smug for their own good (not Messi). The fact is that he deserved to leave and play with the Barca dream team. But yet Arteta, Ramsey and Rosicky have managed to keep up the creativity. No one could ever really replace Cesc, but after an adjustment period the boys are making it work. The expected February return of Wilshere will be huge. If anyone is Cesc’s replacement, it’s him. (Cesc said it himself.) If the midfielders can start getting a few more goals in, the team will become much more balanced and dangerous.

Song has become such a huge part of the squad, and with Frimpong and Coquelin as his understudies, we now have serious depth in the midfield enforcer role that we lacked so glaringly before. (Frimpong perhaps needs a loan spell–update, apparently he’s off to Wolves.)

Szczesny has kicked so much ass since emerging from fourth choice ‘keeper purgatory last season. His cockiness is awesome, because he backs it up. And along with Wilshere and Frimpong, he truly seems a red-blooded Gooner. The clip of him leading the away crowd in an Arsenal chant is simply awesome.

Gervinho has such a strange, jerky style. He seems one tactical improvement away from really being able to make it click. Until then, though, you can’t fault his workrate even if his consistency leaves a bit to be desired. When you get back from Africa, more goals, please…

Arshavin and to a lesser extent Chamakh can come good again, I really believe that. However, aside from Arshavin’s goal against Barcelona in the Champions League, 2011 was most definitely a year for both to forget. Hopefully the numerology of 2012 suits them better. The voodoo hex just needs to be lifted. Otherwise, all parties involved should probably call it a day at season’s end. (With Chamakh away at the African Cup of Nations tournament, I don’t see him leaving the club this January.) It will be unlikely, but I think either one of them could turn it around. They just need to do it, already! Arshavin provides some assists. He still has moments of magic in him. And Chamakh does work hard. You have to give him that. But as to Chamakh, especially, a striker who doesn’t score is not someone who should be playing for Arsenal. We send such people to Sunderland…

Walcott—so frustrating. He’s racked up the assists to van Persie, but he blows so many of his own chances. His defensive work has improved significantly, but with his pace, he should be getting at least double digit goals per season. As it stands, Walcott is okay but doesn’t deserve a permanent position in the starting XI. Just for example, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is raw, but he’s the better player. Wenger is wise to blood him slowly, but what to do about Walcott? Keep hoping for the best and keep watching him race down the flanks and finish with nothing to show for it? Theo needs goals to keep his place. A while back, the Southampton coach said Theo had not progressed under Wenger as he might have if he’d stayed at Southampton. It’s impossible to know, but after all these years, he defintely hasn’t exploded into new terrain. The defensive hustle is appreciated, though.

Benayoun = good loan signing. A hard-working squad player who will likely get some more games while Gervinho’s off with the Ivory Coast. The match-winning header at Aston Villa alone justifies his signing. And the anti-Chelsea congratulations tweet to Arsenal after the awesome victory over his “home” club ingratiated him into the hearts of many. Well, maybe not in West London.

The centerbacks are manning the entire back line with the unprecedented loss of both left backs and both right backs. Broken legs are no fun, and losing the ever-solid Sagna was a huge loss. Jenkinson, too. Not a stellar right back, but the English Finn crosses as well as anyone on the team. On the left, Santos shed the pounds and was starting to exhibit the Brazilian flair before his regrettable injury. And Gibbs…he’s good, but like Diaby he is always injured. He’s caught in a vicious cycle of injuries begetting injuries because he can’t get a string of games under his belt. Diaby’s ankle break against Sunderland years back did him in, which is a real shame, because he too can be good. Not sure why Gibbs is so brittle. May they all heal soon and stay healthy.

The return of Vermaelen was timely and excellent. He’s been getting goals, he’s added solidity and leadership to the back 4 and he just all-around kicks ass. His stare alone can make opponents cower. Apparently, he’s now out for two weeks. Let’s hope that’s all it is. Miquel should be getting some January runouts now. (Again, a centerback as left back. Remember when we had no fit centerbacks?)

Mertesacker gets some flack, but he’s done really well in my opinion. He is most definitely a white man who can’t jump, however, so it’s good he’s 6’6. Great addition to the team who will continue to improve as the season goes on.

Koscielny had a bit of a rough first year (visions of Carling Cup final…shudder) but he has done spectacularly well this season and got his first cap for the French national team. Compare to Djourou. Or don’t, really. Djourou doesn’t come off looking too hot, and we need his confidence up. At least a fit Djourou is fortuitous for right back during this fullback epidemic, even if he’s not much on the attack. To be fair, he’s getting better, after his horrible first game in the position.

And as for newbies coming up from the reserves, Miquel has done incredibly well. We’ve seen less of Yennaris, but he impressed, too. And one hardly even thinks about Coquelin and Frimpong as recent reservists. They are first-team material (as is Miquel).

Almunia, Fabianski, Mannone and Squillaci, what to say about the forgotten men? If only Fabianski and Mannone hadn’t reminded us how screwed we’ll be if Szczesny ever gets injured when they clowned it up against Olympiacos. Absence was almost making the heart grown more kindly disposed. You can’t help but feel bad for Almunia, though. May he find first team action somewhere. Good guy, terrible goalie.

Anyhow, who would have thought after the 8-2 disaster at Old Trafford that we’d ring in the new year fourth in the table? The comeback has been hard-fought and well-earned. Robin got the goals and the last-minute signings helped shore up the defense and add experienced heads in midfield.

The departures of Nasri and Fabregas dealt the team two big blows (less so, the former), but each of the summer signings have come through in the clinch at one point or another. Gervinho and his spasmodic style have scored some goals and added a new jerky attack that confuses opponents (at least those that he doesn’t dribble directly into). Mertesacker has settled in and has massive experience. Benayoun scored a key header in the clash with Aston Villa and truly never gives up. Santos started to really come into his own before the injury in Greece. And Arteta knows how to create in midfield but also how to drop back and calm things down. His presence and example will make Ramsey and Wilshere better players, and it’s great that he gets to play in the Champions League at long last. Hopefully he’ll get many more games in Europe this season (meaning the Gunners survive a few knockout rounds) and help us qualify for next.

Yes, we are far too reliant on van Persie right now, but the team is shaping up. On the wish list for January, a quality striker and a loan deal for a decent left back. The rumor mill has Arshavin and Chamakh as possible departures, but I doubt it. Please, Arsene, sign a striker that can fill in for Robin and possibly partner him upfront. As for the constant talkk of Goetze, Hazard, Gourcuff et al, I’ll believe it when I see it. Not likely to happen, but I can guarantee I will do the first backflip of my life (or attempt to do so) if any of those deals materialize. Top fourness at least helps in attracting new talent, though, so thank Jeebus for that.

Lastly, an open letter to Juan Mata: it’s not too late, you can still join the team. Chelsea ain’t even in the top four these days, and John Terry will only drag you down.

Happy New Year.

Commentary England

City Slips by the Gunners – Gunners Slip Out of Title Race?

December 22, 2011 — by Suman

A big game–especially in the world of CultFootball, which seems to be heavily populated by Gunners fans–took place this past Sunday in Manchester. Arsenal visited Etihad Stadium to take on the league-leading, Qatari-funded, completely stacked Manchester City. The result was a tense but exciting match, which ended 1-0 for City.

Some commentary from one of the CultFootball head honchos:

City deserved the win, though Arsenal had their chances and maybe the game would’ve tipped if Arsenal had scored first or at all. I wanted Arshavin in earlier after Walcott did nothing in the first half, only to wish the Russian had stayed at Zenit to begin with. Arsenal just don’t have any game-changers they can bring off the bench (though maybe they should’ve tried the Ox) [i.e., Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain]

The difference for Man City, not surprisingly, was a slight Spanish man named David Silva, who scored the goal in the 53rd minute (Alhough a great deal of credit also goes to “the flamboyant Italian” Mario Balotelli, who created the chance by running into acres of space on the right flank, taking the wide pass (can’t tell who provided it from midfield), squaring up Alex Song on the end of the box near the touchline–and then bursting back and in, creating just enough space to take a hard low shot that was just too difficult for Szecesny to handle–Kun Aguero got a head on the rebound, which fell to David Silva, who did well to half-volley into the open goal.)

Take a look at the highlights–not only the goal, but also two sitters that Man City flubbed (an early one by Kun Aguero, a late one when former Arsenal star Samir Nasri mishit an easy square cross just out of reach of both Balotelli and Silva); a fantastic play by Balotelli to bring down a high ball in between two Arsenal defenders while falling down and turning to get a good shot off; and Arsenal’s late chance to equalize via a curling shot by Thomas Vermalaen that Joe Hart did well to tip over the bar:

PL Highlights: Man City/Arsenal

You don’t see it in the highlights, but we saw it during the telecast–a banner up in the Etihad stands emblazened with the words “Silva es magico.” Even though we’re more Gunners fans, we can’t dislike Silva. He’s a beautiful player to watch–perhaps the quintessential example of the attacking, creative midfielder who plays “in between the lines”: who drops back into midfield to pick up the ball, who provides the pass to “unlock” the opposing defense, and who often moves up into the box to score himself.

In fact, we just came across a great ESPNSoccernet column by Spanish football observer Phil Ball written in October devoted to this position–specifically on this current golden generation of players who can play that position:

Silva is another example–as if there weren’t enough already of La Liga stock–of what the Spanish call the ‘media punta‘. This is an interesting term, which translates non-literally to the English concept of the man ‘in the hole’, or the one who plays behind the striker. This player has also been called the ‘false number 9’ but that epithet gives the (false) impression that the player is nevertheless a striker. The media punta is nothing of the sort in Spain, and there is a whole doctoral thesis waiting to be written on this one. Perhaps, in years to come, someone will look back and realise that this present period in Spain was a golden age of this type of player, and that such a proliferation of talent in this position is unlikely to ever re-occur.

In fact, Silva is a player who would (have) fit right into a Wenger squad. Indeed, 5 years ago he (and/or another Spanish media punta who recently moved from Valencia to England–Juan Mata) probably would’ve ended up in north London instead of east Manchester (and west London, respectively). Just as yet another Spanish media punta moved from La Masia to Arsenal back in 2004–Cesc being the previous great media punta in England. Of course, now he’s back in Barcelona, who have he’s perhaps only the 3rd best player who plays that sort of position–behind Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi, who just happened to be 2 of the 3 nominees for last year’s Balon d’Or (the 3rd being of course Barcelona midfielder Xavi, who plays a little deeper, scores less).

More from that Phil Ball column, specifically about Silva:

Commentary England

Arsenal Lose to the Dastardly Petropounds

November 30, 2011 — by Rob Kirby

Arsenal’s 1-0 home loss to Manchester City in the Carling Cup match yesterday showed, once again, the power of the petropounds. One goal from over £150 million in transfer fees is a pretty weak return, but a win is a win and even if City are on the ropes in Europe, they’ve booked their spot in the semifinals of the league cup.

Costel Pantilimon (Loan)
Kolo Touré (£16 million)
Nedum Onuoha (Academy)
Pablo Zabaleta (£6.5 million)
Aleksandar Kolarov (£16 million)
Stefan Savic (£6 million)
Owen Hargreaves (Free)
Nigel De Jong (£16 million)
Samir Nasri (£24 million)
Adam Johnson (£7 million)
Edin Dzeko (£27 million)
sub: Sergio Aguero (£35 million)

Transfer fees depend on many factors and are a dubious way to judge a squad, but compare the total of City’s transfer fees for this roster, roughly £153.5 million, with that of the side Arsenal fielded (roughly £33 million). Aguero alone cost more than the entire Arsenal starting XI.

Lukasz Fabianski (£2 million)
Sebastien Squillaci (£4 million)
Johan Djourou (Academy)
Laurent Koscielny (£10 million)
Ignasi Miquel (£1.1 million)
Yossi Benayoun (Loan)
Francis Coquelin (£0.9 million)
Emmanuel Frimpong (Academy)
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (£12 million)
Park Ju-Young (£3 million)
Marouane Chamakh (Free)

A battle of reserve sides, yes. But Manchester City’s second team could mow down almost any Premier League opposition, acknowledging of course that at first contact Hargreaves might shatter into a few million pieces. On the plus side for both teams, Arsenal held its own and Hargreaves still walks the Earth unshattered.

But Manchester City couldn’t possibly be expected to score with the paltry attack they fielded in the starting XI, so of course they brought on superstriker Sergio Aguero as a first half substitute, a decision that eventually paid off in the 84th minute of the match.

The Arsenal back four consisted of all center halves. Squillaci played the best game I can recall (not just good for him but actually good), Koscielny put in another good shift, Miquel performed well at left back. At right back, Djourou wasn’t half bad. Considering he’s not a natural right back and he lacks the pace and stamina of someone like Sagna, he did a commendable job of neutralizing Dzeko, Nasri & Co.

Frimpong and Coquelin shut the City midfield down effectively, to the visible frustration of Nasri, frustration that led to a reported bust-up in the tunnel after the final whistle blew. Oxlade-Chamberlain played a great match, nearly scoring on a 20-yard, left-footed strike to the upper right corner of goal. A first touch strike, no less.

No one has kept a clean sheet against City this season, domestically. And Arsenal proved no exception. Down the field on a breakaway counterattack, the passes from Dzeko to Johnson and Johnson to Aguero were fantastic and Fabianski was blameless for the goal. Aguero was never going to miss, and Fabianski never had a chance.

So, Arsenal exits the Carling Cup, but lessons were learned and/or cemented. Oxlade-Chamberlain looks ready to develop into a truly excellent player, given the right guidance. Same with Frimpong and Coquelin, who are becoming formidable in midfield, both separately and in a defensive partnership. And once again, Chamakh has shown that he is not is the answer in the strike department. Perhaps Park can yet play some role in the mix, but in the interests of all parties, Chamakh should head back to Ligue 1. One of the strikers from the reserves like Benik Afobe should get a chance before the Moroccan. Is Wenger playing him in the hopes that he’ll finally score a few, not necessarily for the here and now (though it’s what we desperately need) but rather to raise his January sell-on value?

Random aside: Why can’t commentators put it together that Miquel is not the man’s first name? He’s not the waiter from Fawlty Towers, and it’s not pronounced, “mee-GELL.” Yes? We good now? We get it. He’s Spanish. But note the Q, dumbasses.

Commentary England

Checking in with the Arsenal Loan Diaspora

November 10, 2011 — by Rob Kirby

Jack Wilshere’s successful loan spell at Bolton proved the final piece of his development. More please…

Even before the quarterfinal draw for the Carling Cup paired Arsenal with Manchester City (a.k.a., the Death Squad), many speculated that the reserve teamers logging time on the big stage would soon cede their places to first team players in a push for the silverware. The best then would seek loan opportunies at smaller clubs in the Premier League, in lower leagues or, less ideally, on the continent.

Arsenal has not yet faced the Death Squad in the league, but if they can annihilate the team that annihilated us 8-2, it’s hard to be too confident of much more of a Carling Cup run for any Arsenal player. Manchester City could rest Sergio Aguero, Mario Balotelli and David Silva and continue to perma-rest Tevez and STILL expect to win at the Emirates, no matter which team Arsenal fields.

The youth players need playing time, and Arsenal can’t necessarily afford to have them ramp up to Premier League speed on its watch. The team concedes enough goals from errors as it is. The lesson of Jack Wilshere is the model. His successful loan spell at Bolton provided the final piece of his development, playing week in, week out. Academy players graduate to the reserves and while reserve fixtures are vital to their development and match fitness, eventually they have to show what they can do when the stakes are higher and the opposition fiercer. At a certain point they have to play and prove they have what it takes. Only at such point can Wenger decide if they’re ready to graduate to the first team.

Ignasi Miquel and Nico Yennaris lead the list. The team’s official site still lists them as reserve teamers, although both seem closer to the first team than the frozen-out veteran Sebastian Squillaci. Miquel and Yennaris both started the Carling Cup victory over Bolton and played very well. Both are expected to seek loan deals in search of match play, although Wenger may decide to keep them in the squad to blood them himself, depending on the injury situation. Bolton substitutes Oguzhan Ozyakup and Daniel Boateng will likely also seek temporary pastures new, as will Chuks Aneke and Sanchez Watt, who sat on the bench at Bolton. No word yet on expected destinations.

But what of the current loanees? The hodge podge of players Wenger couldn’t offload during the summer (Bendtner, Vela, Denilson), secure work visas for (Joel Campbell, Pedro Botelho, Wellington, Samuel Galindo), and near first-teamers (Henri Lansbury, Kyle Bartley, James Shea) have been proving their mettle on the field, domestically and abroad. Some have impressed and some have not. The Offload Three, in particular, have done little of note. In fact, Denilson and Vela have failed to score a goal between them. No shocker, there.

But without further ado:

Nicklas Bendtner, The Greatest Player of All Time, has scored two goals in seven for the Black Cats. Against Manchester United, he failed to connect with a late Sebastian Larsson cross that could have equalized the match instead of losing 1-0. Bendtner needs to have a stellar season at Sunderland, as he’s burned the bridges home with anti-Arsenal sentiments in the press, fueled as ever by his overactive ego. One hopes he does do well, if only to cash in on him at the first opportunity. He’s better than Marouane Chamakh, but you don’t get a medal for standards that low. Sunderland currently finds itself 15th in Premier League.

Out-of-favor Denilson the outcast has zero goals in 10 appearances for Sao Paulo. Sounds pretty much right. Arsenal will continue to have trouble unloading him at this rate. Sao Paulo is in 8th in the Brazilian Serie A, with 5 games remaining.

Former golden boy Carlos Vela has scored no goals for Real Sociedad in his 7 appearances. As with Denilson, not much changed there. The scoreless striker will continue to be difficult to offload. And Real Sociedad desperately needs the goals. Rayo Vallecano just thrashed them 4-0 to send them tumbling to last in La Liga. Unsurprisingly, Mexico chose not to call Vela up for the upcoming match against Serbia due to his abysmal form. Arsenal supporters had high hopes for Vela, as with Denilson. Now they just want to see them off the club roster.

Henri Lansbury has one goal in five appearances for West Ham United. He missed out on the 2-0 defeat of Hull, but the Hammers currently occupy 2nd in the Championship. With possible promotion to the Premier League, though it’s far too soon to make any predictions, Lansbury may be learning to enjoy the taste of success and will probably be ready for the first team.

Central defender and former reserve team captain Kyle Bartley returned from a lengthy injury to log his second appearance for Rangers, who top the Scottish Premier League. Rangers employed the center back in midfield in the 3-1 defeat Dundee at Ibrox. If Bartley gets more playing time, he could also make a strong case for the first team.

The Costa Rican teen Joel Campbell has scored two in nine for FC Lorient in Ligue 1. Arsene’s go-to French loan club is in 7th place. Impressively, Campbell has been shortlisted in Tuttosport’s annual “Golden Boy” award (think poor man’s Youth Player of the Year). However, he competes with Arsenal’s own Jack Wilshere, who took second last year, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, not to mention ultra-heavyweights Eden Hazard, Mario Gotze, Xherdan Shaqiri, Thiago, and Phil Jones. Once he plays more matches with the national team, he’ll be eligible for a work visa. Fortunately, he’s been called up for the upcoming matches against Panama (Nov. 11) and Spain (Nov. 15), so he’s on the right track.

The Bolivian Samuel Galindo has no goals in four matches with Gimnastic De Tarragona. Even after a 5-0 home victory over CD Sabadell, the team languishes in 21st in the Spanish Segunda Division, but the victory did see them claw its way from the bottom of the table.

Wellington picked the right or the wrong year to get loaned out to Levante. The Cinderella story topped La Liga and now sits 4th. However, the Brazilian hasn’t seen a second of playing time, hardly ideal for a loan spell.

James Shea has made three appearances in goal for Dagenham and Redbridge, who sit at a pitiful 22nd in League Two.

Currently injured, Pedro Botelho has scored one in eight appearances for Rayo Vallecano in La Liga. The team occupies eighth in the table.

In related news, Manuel Almunia returned from his emergency month-long loan spell at West Ham, where he reportedly played well. With Robert Green healthy again, he has returned to London to hope against hope he can get back into at least a backup goalkeeper role. And most of the Arsenal fan base will hope those wishes do not come true.

Commentary England

Arsenal Hits Chelsea For 5

October 30, 2011 — by Rob Kirby

Robin van Persie now has nine goals in five matches.

Mindblowingly awesome.

I speak of course of the massive and totally unexpected Arsenal 5-3 away victory over Chelsea on Saturday. Chelsea had not lost a game at home this season. Arsenal found itself racking up its worst string of away results since 1992. But the stat junkies must now officially hit reset. And update Robin van Persie’s tallies for 2011 to 28 goals in 27 matches. He has notched 9 in the last 5 and he just scored the second hat trick of his career.

Every match is about scoring more goals than the other team, but the Stamford Bridge showdown took it to another level. The players celebrated afterwards as if they’d just won the domestic treble. And though it was just one game, three points like any other, I felt exactly the same, staring at the TV in disbelief. In recent memory, only the 2-1 victory over Barcelona last spring and last December’s 3-1 victory over Chelsea compare in terms of sheer jubilation.

When I ended the match preview on Thursday with, “Van Persie has scored six goals in the last four league games. Hopefully he’s saved a few for the Blues.” I never thought anything like a hat trick possible. Or John Terry tripping himself and faceplanting from out of nowhere to set up the easiest goal van Persie will ever score. Terry is innocent until proven guilty, and the allegations of a racial slur against Anton Ferdinand are yet still allegations, but you have to imagine the brothers Ferdinand will save that match on the DVR for months to come. I wouldn’t mind looping that clip into a continuous play video myself.

In fairness, Chelsea did not play their best match. As expected, both defenses lacked solidity and leaked goals. If not apparent before, Mourinho has truly left the building, even though many of the old guard remain. As with Arsenal, Chelsea’s game plan mandates scoring more than they concede, because they look ever ready to concede.

Theo Walcott, Aaron Ramsey, Laurent Koscielny, Mikel Arteta and of course van Persie had outstanding performances. For the opposition, Juan Mata played excellently for the Blues. He is very much the one who got away. Linebacker Romelu Lukaku opted for a different approach, that of launching an NFL tackle on Andre Santos. Interesting tactic, and apparently not card-worthy in the eyes of the official.

Fernando Torres, the £50 million man, did nothing, and I mean nothing, of any consequence whatsoever on the pitch. He did catch a point-blank ball to the face, though, which was fun to watch. At Liverpool, he was incredible. Those days seem increasingly long ago.

Santos had a terrible first half, but he emerged from the tunnel a new man in the second. He defended much more effectively and scored his second goal in seven games with Arsenal. To compare to a recently departed Arsenal left back, Gael Clichy scored 2 goals in his 8 years at Arsenal. Just saying.

The team unity at the final whistle was a great sight to see. Thomas Vermaelen, Gervinho, Arteta and Santos looked ecstatic. And van Persie, for all the speculation of his moving on to pastures greener, looked a happy Gunner. After the match. Chelsea supporters called Yossi Benayoun “Judas” for complimenting his current loan club on the victory over his home club. One wonders if the hecklers considered the Israeli irony of it all… Yossi, you can kick it with us. Forget about the boo boys in Blue.

I would venture that the team has still not “turned a corner,” but Arsenal definitely took another step in the right direction. Eight in nine, now. Of course, Arsenal drew Manchester City for the quarterfinals of the Carling Cup on Saturday, so we might be out of that competition quite soon, but one step at a time.

Tottenham, third is now yours for the taking.

Newer Posts Older Posts