RIP Bobby Robson

This is not Arsenal related, but i can trace my love for football due to a few instances, all linked to the World Cups of 1986 and 1990, all in epic matches involving England and Robson.

Although i was far too young for 1986, the 1990 World Cup is more a memory, growing up in Southern Africa, the whole continent was behind the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon. That they took England to the break, a team which Robson trained, i was compelled to watch more of that England team. The tears of Gascoigne are also a memory, and of Robson consoling him.

The 1990 England team doesn't get the respect it deserves, Robson was able to get a technical team as far as they have ever gone since 1966, not forgetting his stint as Newcastle trainer in the late 90's-early 00's. It is a shame that he was not lauded enough during his lifetime, not many other English coaches have had any success on the continent, having trained and mentored real legends like Ronaldo and Figo, and bringing on Mourinho.

REST IN PEACE ROBSON.

Hannover 0 - Arsenal 1

Just a short one, the first half was very good indeed. I won't read too much into the possession and attacking work, Arsenal are renowned for being able to pass triangles against anyone, and although we only scored 1 against the worst defence in Bundesliga 1 and 2 (69 goals let in in 32 games tells it's own story), we should be scoring more than once. In the 4-3-3, we looked good.

What really was good in the first half, COLLECTIVE DEFENDING, and the team being COMPACT and a good DEFENSIVE LINE. The defensive duo were very good in the defensive work, holding a good line and intelligent defending. The midfield spacing between attack and defence needs more work towards the forwards, but they were very compact and compressed space very well.

Second half was different, Djourou needs serious work defensively, he never held the line well and so many long or through balls came in. If Arsenal want trophies, we need a top rate defender as 1st choice sub, on this form, Djourou still shows his genesis as a midfielder in bad positioning.

Next up Atletico Madrid, the true indication comes vs Rangers on Sunday. Then we have a cleare picture what is required.

New Arsenal Leaders

I was fortunate enough to speak with a former Gunner and present player, both French after the 3-1 hammering by Man Utd in the Champions League. That one player said there was a lack of leadership, and that it was up to the new players to make a stand showed that Wenger is evolving his Arsenal team.

The old guard is nearly out, the new Arsenal is taking shape. Adebayor-Toure-Fabregas represent the past, and i will not be surprised to see Fabregas leave the club next summer after the World Cup. One player who should have been in this camp, Robin Van Persie, has been waiting to see where he stands, and he has not been in the same camp as the old guard, and he should now side with the new guard.

Who are the new guard? Andrey Arshavin-Manuel Almunia-Samir Nasri represent the big influences both on and off the pitch now. These are the players who will be the future of Arsenal.

Kolo Toure has been a good player to the club, a symbol for anyone arriving that dedication will ensure you get a chance at Arsenal. Forget his performances in the last few years, thank you Kolo, and best of luck at Man City.

The Defensive Midfielder Question.

In most ideal teams for Arsenal, you are likely to see the recurring 'Nasri-Fabregas-New DM-Arshavin'. There has been so much distrust in the players vying for the perceived position to play in central midfield with the captain, namely Denilson, Alexandre Song-Billong, Abou Diaby. In an ideal world, Arsenal would have the financial circumstances of Real Madrid and buy all the best players in the world, in which case not more than 3 or 4 players would remain in the team. The fall from last seasons heights has been firmly placed on the aforementioned 3 players, when the whole team dis-functioned, the defence was more porous, the captain had his worst season in an Arsenal shirt (something that has gone under the radar so easily), the strikers fell below their qualities.

The question is, why do the fans want a new midfielder? Some in part due to the nature of English football that is blood and thunder, as intimated by Dennis Bergkamp in words to Andriy Arshavin, but also the success experienced last season where Mathieu Flamini fought for everything. Compare that to the understated and quiet operations of Denilson, a player more likely to pass and keep possession has not been enjoyed, similar to Claude Makelele who was insulted in his first few months for showing the art of a holding player to the English public. However to those who analyse his performances without prejudice, will see he has been one of the better players last season, and he actually does his job very well.

Alexandre Song-Billong is another one who is bypassed as not being a star player to play for Arsenal, yet his performances at the African Cup of Nations were more effective than the Africans he is compared to, namely Michael Essien and Michael Jon Obi, both of Chelsea. His prime assets are his passes, but after the dour 0-0 draw with Sunderland, he found new belief in his ability, and has begun to use his body to greater effect. We must not forget he is a player who Cameroon have failed to win when he hasn't played thus far in World Cup Qualification, losing to Togo, especially losing the midfield battle due to his absence from suspension.

Abou Diaby is a player that many do not see as a holding player any more, but the word from the training ground and France setup, he has better ball manipulation skills in tight areas than anyone in the Arsenal squad and better than Lassana Diarra in the French team. One way of absorbing presure for your team is keeping the ball and releasing it quickly, something Lassana does so well now for Real Madrid, something Abou has yet to translate from the training ground to the pitch on a consistent basis. Lets not forget it only takes 2-3 games in a row for him to get a call up to the French team, even ahead of former favourite Flamini, so the French technical staff see the talent there.

So why are Arsenal still clamouring for a new holding player, when they already have two players that played well in spells in an inconsistent team last season in a whole new midfield, and a player who may yet realise his potential? If fans want an improvement everywhere, then you can pick bones in the whole team, is Clichy a defender, are the defensive pairings effective, are those on the flanks ready to open the pitch up, is the strikeforce as efficient as perceived after the sale of Adebayor?

Personally, it will take a concerted effort from the WHOLE team for midfieldto be strong again. If players like Zidane would bust a gut off the ball and still had Deschamps and Davids behind him, then why can't Arsenal's front players do the same? To leave the whole defensive responsibility on one player is asking for trouble.

Arsenal Squad Austria: Senderos Last Chance Saloon?

Arsenal will announce the pre-season squad which will travel to Austria to play SS Columbia on Tuesday and begin the real pre-season preparations for what will be a long and arduous season for the club and many players. NO player from the First Team squad will be left behind unless there is a last minute injury, what remains to be seen is which players from the Youth squad will make the cut. As it is, Arsenal have a squad of 28 players, 3 Goal Keepers, 10 Defenders, 11 Midfielders and 5 Strikers, which is a large group already.

One player who has kept a dignified silence and worked extremely hard in training thus far has been Philippe Senderos. Having spent last season on loan at AC Milan where he failed to get a deal, the teams that have hovered for his signature in the ensuing weeks have not been to his wanting. Will he stay and fight to win a first team place? He must try emulate the attitude of Mathieu Flamini who two years ago made the central midfield position his own and kept the then Copa America winning captain Gilberto-Silva on the bench.

The first goal Arsenal conceded yesterday cried out for a commanding and organizing defender to deal with, Vermaelen-Gallas-Djourou-Silvestre, all rivals, failed to deal with it, would Senderos have done better? In January to March 2008, he deputised well for Toure, and performed so well, the consensus was why did Senderos have to make way for Toure after his AFCON 2008 return.

There is still a spot up for grabs alongside Gallas, he is the second tallest player in the squad, and he is the only one to have shown himself capable of withstanding an aerial assault in the team. The question is does he back himself to leave his rivals on the bench and finally realise his potential? If he stays and fights, he will be an asset to the team.

Barnet 2 - Arsenal 2.

A so/so start from Arsenal, however drawing 2-2 with a low opponent even in a friendly is not as bad as the performance that went with it, especially in the first half. There are still some remnants of the bad points from last season.

1) No cohesion of the primary defensive unit and no organizer. Four central defenders played, Djourou-Gallas-Vermaelen-Silvestre, and none could organize the defensive scheme for set pieces, and the longer this persists, more goals will flow. This is the easiest route to score vs Arsenal. If you do not have a tall defender, then find other solutions to counter this threat, unsettle the opponents so they don't have clean runs to do damage. BIG BIG BIG IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED.

2) No emphasis on reclamation of the ball when it is lost. There is no need for a defensive midfielder if the other members all contribute to stopping the team coming under pressure. This is a serious issue to be addressed, the attackers must also work hard and become defenders as soon as the ball is relinquished. Oneplayer cannot be expected to perform this if the opposition uses 3-4 players to attack.

However as i noted earlier in this blog, Rosicky and Arshavin have already developed a relationship as both speak Russian, and it is a pre-cursor to the 1 playmaker - 1 fast player model that Wenger will look to employ this season on the flanks.

Dzeko to Arsenal?

There is emerging word emanating from Brazil that Wolfsburg are due to make a €15m bid for Internacional striker Nilmar with a view to completing a deal by the end of next week. The official line from the Wolfsburg hierarchy is that they want to augment the Wolfsburg attacking line-up that includes Grafite-Caiuby-Esswein who have all played in the pre-season matches thus far whilst German Player of the Year Edin Dzeko is nursing an ankle injury sustained after a kick from Andrea Barzagli a week ago.

There was a well publicised dispute between new trainer Armin Veh and the Bosnian hitman earlier in the summer after a move to AC Milan was blocked. It has also come to light that the offer from AC Milan was only around the €19m mark. Dzeko signed a new contract that included a buy-out clause, the value is unknown but it will be close to the amount Mario Gomez went for to Bayern Munich, €30m. Trainer Veh has begun implementing a more defensive approach with a 1 striker system, possibly designed for Europe, having Nilmar gives them 3 top level strikers, of which Nilmar will demand first team football to keep his place in the Brazil team.

The window of opportunity has opened again, it remains to be seen if Arsenal make a move for a player who must have been the most consistent striker from February-May as he guided Wolfsburg to their first ever Bundesliga crown. Of all the potential options, ignore the transfer fee, this is a player who is entering his peak who has all the technical qualities to play for Arsenal.

The Return of Tomas Rosicky

The Czech midfield maestro will make his long awaited return tomorrow at the pre-season match against Barnet as he will start the match. The Czech had been due to return after the Roma matches last season, there were no real setbacks, but as Arsenal had secured 4th, there was no need to risk him. As for the cup matches, it was felt his mental preparation would have taken much longer, especially to play in matches of such magnitude.

The word from the training ground is that he has a good relationship with Andrey Arshavin, and that his technical ability is there for all to see, all that needs to be put to test is his mental hurdle after such a long time, and if he is able to get into the rhythm of the team quickly, a starting berth is there for the taking. He is applying himself well in training and is working at just getting to the level of the squad after such a long time out. Rosicky is often the man everyone forgets about when naming their ideal team for the season, he may just force them all to re-evaluate those thoughts as he is aiming to get back to being an important cog in the first team

Welcome back 'Little Mozart', and we all hope you return to your best as soon as possible.

Arsenal Squad Assessment Part 5

Having undergone a look at the squad, just how does it all merge together to ensure Arsenal have the best chance of success in 2009-2010?

1) Collective Responsibility.

Last season, Arsenal took a long time to gel collectively, and by the time they did, they were out of two competitions, the Carling Cup and the Premier League. Defensively, the defensive unit played on their own, especially the spacing between and towards the central defenders, unless the central defenders can set the agenda as a duo first, the defence will be easily opened up.

In midfield, it was startling, it was four players playing an individual game with no cohesion and identity. Nasri did his own thing, Walcott and Eboue their own thing, Fabregas failed to knit the team together and it left Denilson to try cover up for everyone else. Another showing of this in midfield, the highest concentration of talent at the club, and the season will not be well again.

The strikers were left on little service, and thus we never saw the best of them as they constantly had to drop deeper to retrieve the ball. An enduring sight was Arsenal having strikers outside the box and a cross arriving with only opposition defenders present.

2) Individual Responsibility.

As with a young team, it takes them time to get into the habit of taking responsibility. Marcel Desailly on French TV constantly criticises the French team and their young players like Benzema-Nasri-Diarra-Ben Arfa as not taking enough responsibility for themselves and their team. The play badly and then hide and hope no one remembers. This syndrome exists at arsenal, players can under perform and then they hide behind the excuse they are young. They all need to take responsibility for their own performances, only then can they take responsibility for the team's performance.

3) Champion Mentality

Arsenal need to find the mentality of a champion, and this manifests itself in never giving up, always giving their best, and doing anything to win a match. Tactically they must also apply themselves to winning matches and giving themselves the greatest chance for winning matches, instead of containing the opposition. Arsenal have good players capable of beating elite opposition if they set themselves up to win those matches, in the crunch matches however they set up to contain the opposition and no champion wins games in such a manner.


Verdict: I am sure Arsenal can improve on two of the three aspects outlined, however i don't think they believe they are champions, there is still an inferiority complex that gives the advantage to the opposition. The squad may be decent, but may also lack the mental strength for a marathon campaign, a 38 game journey takes mental strength, and with many of the team already used to low finishes, the step to becoming top of the pile may be a step beyond Arsenal. Another year of further development.

Arsenal Squad Assessment Part 4.

The final part of the Arsenal Squad for 2009-2010, this one focuses on the strikers.

Strikers

9.Eduardo Da Silva. Possibly the best finisher in the Arsenal squad, all Arsenal fans have a special feeling for the Croatian after his horrendous leg break over a year ago against Birmingham City, that had a lasting impression on the squad's mental fragility. He made a brave return in the cup competitions, scoring 3 goals, all special efforts to underlie his immense goal scoring talents, and not forgetting his return to the Croatia team with two assists and a goal. He also had a few injuries after not playing for so long, so we all expect him to be near full fitness this season. His first task is to carve a niche for himself in the team, as it stands, Adebayor and Van Persie are the starting strikers, and the only way he can displace one of them is to be a goal machine. This is a big ask for him, but if he impresses in the pre-season matches, he could be given that lifeline of being the striker the team relies on.

11. Robin van Persie. The player of the season for Arsenal with a career best of 20 goals in all competitions. In the past, his fitness and discipline was a major concern, and to some extent it still could be, he missed 10 matches in the league, but this is a vast improvement over previous seasons where he missed 12-18 games in the league. He has also assumed a more senior role in the team, although he got a petulant red against Stoke, he rose to the big occasions when he could. On the plus side, he now has a right foot as strong as his left which in the past was a major weakness in his game, and he has started to score crucial goals to make the difference. There is still some way to go though, discipline, he chalked up the most cards in the squad, 1 red and 9 yellow, this means he misses more games due to bad discipline than fitness.

12. Carlos Vela. The Mexican striker has become a cult hero thus far, mostly from his exploits in the Carling Cup where his class showed through with some well crafted goals, curled shots and chips. In the league when the team was going through a bad patch, he was deployed on the wide left to use his speed, however his impact was not as great as it is when he is in the penalty box or running into it. For him to have a big impact this year, he must become more mature and try be the one to make the difference in the League and Champions League, The Carling Cup is the place to gain confidence, but that confidence must be fuel in the bigger matches, he must look to displace one of the starting strikers. Tactically, he still has some way to go as well, but that only comes with experience.

25. Emmanuel Adebayor. The man everyone loves to hate, and possibly a player who does not hold some of the fans in the best light as well. The previous season he scored 30 goals to cement himself as a senior striker, only to drop to 16 goals the following one, and this compounded with bad PR from himself in agitating for an increased contract has led to him being fed to the lions. However despite this, he chalked up 1 less goal than Van Persie in the league and was among the top assist makers for the side, so he operated at the same level as his peers at the very worst. To make a bigger impact this year, he must rediscover his work rate that had served him so well in his career before last season, the more pressure he applied high up the field made his job easier to score against a reorganising defence, from a static start, he wouldn't have as much influence. He must also make more darts into the box rather than staying outside and looking for the final pass. More work on his left foot would aid his variety as well.

26. Nicklas Bendtner. Another play who gets heat for under performance, but of all the strikers, he has a genuine big upward curve. He has 2 less goals than Van Persie in the league which shows he has some quality, and he has become more versatile by willingly playing on the flanks when requested. However he needs to work on the same wavelength as his team mates, too often he rushes on his own without being in synch with the others. His finishing technique requires better refinement, something he is improving on. He has a big aura and belief in his qualities, this is a season where he must genuinely look to put one of Adebayor or Van Persie on the bench and stop being the first choice sub or a man for the aerial game as he has good qualities that are more than just heading.

Verdict. The strikers last season accounted for 31 of the 68 goals scored in the league, which is a decent return, but with the chances the team creates, this amount could be better. Arsenal have a wide selection of different strikers with different qualities, and all of them need to make the step up from last season to increase their tallies, a team that concedes goals needs ultra effective strikers to win matches.

Arsenal Squad Assessment Part 3.

Continuing on from the previous two sections that focussed on the goalkeepers and defenders, this is for the midfielders.

Midfielders

2. Abou Diaby. This will be his 5th season at the club, and despite flickers of what he is capable of, it is safe to say we are still waiting for him to arrive as a big player for the club. He still had a few lingering injury problems, which hopefully will have been cured after his summer with renowned physical preparation specialist Renaud Longuevre to improve his physique. Size will never be an issue with Diaby, what has been a problem is mental application, he seems to hide and hope no one mentions it when he plays badly,unless this changes and he applies himself, he will remain an enigma. He also needs to have more confidence to make use of left foot to open the pitch up. Still a long way to go for the tall midfielder.

4. Francesc Fabregas. The new captain, the 2008-2009 season was underwhelming at best for the fulcrum of the team. He sustained an injury that kept him out for just over 3 months. Before his injury he never held the midfield as he had done the season before, after his injury he was deployed at the apex of the midfield where his mobility was exposed against elite opponents. Technically, there is little for the Spaniard to improve on, maybe to develop a greater use of his left foot to open the pitch up more. Mentally he was a let down at the end of the season, as captain it is a prerequiste that he is the last one to let his head down, but he was among the first to do it. Regarding his comments not having a 'defensive insurance policy' behind him is a vote of no confidence in his team mates that played there, maybe he should have adapted his game to aid this area, Arsenal have the same players this coming season in central midfield, and unless he adapts to this reality, it may be another lost season for his immense talents.

7. Tomas Rosicky. The Czech international never made an appearance all of last season, and in that time there were disgraceful rumours on why this was. Despite being the forgotten man, he was the glue in the team that challenged on three fronts the season before last. His chemistry with Hleb off the flanks created chances galore for all the other players. In his absence, Arsenal missed a genuine leader and organiser of the structure of the midfield due to his maturity, something that Andrey Arshavin rectified in his short time at the club, which emphasises the impact of an established player. To get fully match fit and stay fit is where Rosicky will need to get for this season, if he achieves this, he will be a candidate to start all the matches as he has all the attributes to be a leader in midfield.

8. Samir Nasri. An encouraging début season from the French playmaker, the goals came all in a few months which indicated to him becoming a key player. However he struggled to adapt to playing on the flank, he was unable to come inside with or without the ball, and this stole his biggest attribute, finding passes to the strikers or runners. He still hasn't developed sufficiently from his biggest weakness at the Stade Velodrome of scoring more goals after very good work. For him to make a bigger impact will depend on his deployment, central midfield is where he shines most as shown in his cameos there when Fabregas was injured, notably Roma (home) in the Champions League where he was finding the passes. If he remains on the flanks, he needs to find a way to come inside and still be creative which took Hleb two seasons to master, a hard transition for a natural playmaker.

14. Theo Walcott. The English striker-cum-winger had a decent season. He scored a hat trick against Crotia which elevated his confidence before becoming a targeted man and that led to many injuries. 6 goals in all competitions is a decent return, he has a lot of deficiencies, but that indicates he also has a bit upward curve still to arrive, the question when will it? He still hasn't got the better of a top level fullback over 90mins, the elite opponents shut him down completely because of his tactical and technical shortcomings such as not being able to come inside with the ball with conviction and not having a left foot to increase his options. If he gathered these skills rapidly, combined with his speed, he would scare elite opponents, at the moment speed is the only weapon he has, and speed can always be countered by well prepared tactics, which the likes of Ashley Cole and Patrice Evra have executed on him.

15. Denilson. The player with the most appearances last season in the league, the Brazilian had a break out season despite his many critics. He only missed one game due to being rested by the trainer Wenger against West Ham, after that he was a constant. He was the only one to fully realise that there was a spot for grabs and he gave his all to obtain it, he although maybe tried to hard which led to blow out for him. He also played on the flanks and showed tactical understanding to move flanks to help a team mate. Many say he is not a good holding player, however they should watch his performance against Roma (home) where he delivered a textbook performance in how to execute it. He still has scope to improve, to be better positionally and maybe enhance his long passing range to augment his good short passing qualities. If he isn't given an opportunity to build on his solid displays from last season and other players keep their jerseys, there will be a sign of favouritism from the trainer.

16. Aaron Ramsey. He had many of his chances in the Carling Cup where he was the director of the symphony, however in the bigger games, he never had the same impact. Tactically there is still a long way to go for the Welsh youngster, and he needs to develop the mentality of a player at a prestigious club which means every player must have the capacity to make the difference in every game, regardless of age.

17. Alexandre Song-Billong. The Cameroon midfielder grew in the latter stages of the season, and the start of this came after the disaster 0-0 match with Sunderland where him and Denilson passed across and not forwards, leading to Fabregas telling both of them that they were wearing important shirts and needed to show more courage when wearing it. After that, he was like a man reborn, he had shown small stretches of good form like in the closing stages against Chelsea (away) and Liverpool (home) where he took responsibility to keep his team in the game. Until then he was only showing 20-30 mins of quality, in the last third of the season he was giving 80+ mins of quality which has led to him being demanded as a starter for Arsenal. He still has scope for improvement, to be better positioned and setting the scheme of the midfield. More use of his left foot as well will be very welcome, as well as more communication with the defenders.

19. Jack Wilshere. Another youngster who is still far away from the first team despite his prodigious talents. He was good in the Carling Cup, even better in the FA Youth Cup where he was head and shoulders above everyone else despite being the shortest player on the pitch. I do not forsee him playing in the bigger exposure games yet, he is still very young and needs to identify his weakness' and work on them himself.

23. Andrey Arshavin. In 4 months, he has revitalised the fortunes and hopes of the team, aiding the team with goals and assists, he is a mature performer who showed his experience in being the organiser and leader of the midfield and how they should structure themselves. Added to this, after a goal, he was the one speaking to the players on what they must do instead of celebrating wildly. For him to improve though, he must get into the game more often, a scary thought as he does so much without being in the game much. Maybe his deployment as well may give greater returns to the team if he is placed behind a striker than on the flank.

Verdict: The numbers are present in midfield for Arsenal not to have to juggle too much, however deployment and collectively is where the destiny will be decided in the most important part of the pitch. Nasri and Arshavin are not at their best when deployed on the flanks, Diaby so far is not at his best on the flank or as a deeper midfielder, Fabregas has shown no confidence in his current team mates so how will he react, Walcott as yet is not a top level wide player. If positive solutions are found to these doubts, then the Arsenal midfield have won more than half of the battle with their technical ability alone.

Arsenal Squad Assessment Part 2.

Continuing on from the previous section of the goalkeepers, this one is for the defenders.

Defenders.

3. Bacary Sagna. Current first choice right back, he is a consistent performer, however his effectiveness in his second season hasn't been as stellar as his début season. There is still lots of room for improvement, his crossing has been very bad all season, if there is no one in the box, don't cross. He also needs to work on coming infield with the ball instead of only moving on the axis. Improve on this, added to his reliable defensive work, the right side will be locked.

5. Kolo Toure. The veteran at 28, since his lofty performances under Sol Campbell in the Invincibles and Philippe Senderos in 2006 in the Champions League, he has regressed markedly. Underlying fitness issues to his mobility, and his non-genesis as a defender have combined to making the fans favourite a weak link in the defence. To improve and play a big impact, he needs to improve his physical conditioning, and communicate with the other defenders, in particular Mikael Silvestre and William Gallas, with whom he has been very bad with.

6. Philippe Senderos. Returning from an injury ravaged season at A.C. Milan, the Swiss defender is rumoured to be looking for a transfer. Despite stretches of good form, he hasn't managed to sustain it, only for an elementary technical error to undo his good work. To improve, he'd need to read the game better and play in unison with his co-defender, however with more teams buying quicker strikers, he may be caught cold on the turn.

10. William Gallas. Ignoring the events off the pitch, many which have been blown out of proportion, and are not as corrosive internally than many think, the former skipper is the best defender at the club. He has shown a champion spirit on many occasions, when the team needs a goal to get points, you can rely on Gallas. This season which may be his last, in a World Cup year where he will hope to lead the France defence, he should be inspired. He cannot improve in the aerial game, but we hope to see sharper last ditch tackles which are his forte.

18. Mikael Silvestre. Consensus is that he had a disastrous début season at Arsenal. He never seemed to communicate at all with the other players, then again he arrived 10 days before the close of the market last year. Despite this, he has experience that in theory should help the team, he only needed 3 games with Arsenal to earn a recall to the French squad after a 2 year wilderness, so the quality is there in parts. If he is able to form a bond with the other long standing players in defence, he will be a useful cog in the squad.

20. Johan Djourou. The Swiss defender had a decent shot at the games that he started last season, and has become one of the fans favourites because he is a tall player 'to deal with the high balls'. However he hasn't delivered killer performances that will consign one of the other senior defenders to the bench, and thus remains just another of the squad players. His genesis as a central midfielder show at times where his positioning and reading of the game put the team in trouble. This season he must dedicate his all to establishing himself as the best defender at the club, rather than a stand in player.

22. Gael Clichy. This will be his fourth season as a starter, and his previous three have been satisfactory, two seasons ago he edged his compatriot Patrice Evra as the best left back in the league. Despite his all energy performances, there are some serious defensive cracks in his game, still loses concentration, and his crossing doesn't lead to assists. He is a good player at the moment, Arsenal need him to be better, he must improve on these aspects of his game to become a better player.

27. Emmanuel Eboue. A versatile player who has played everywhere except as a striker, but he bore the grunt of a disgruntled fanbase when boo's rang out as he was substituted against Wigan. Most other players would have been left totally shattered, not the Ivorian who has had tragedy in the cival war in his country, and to his credit he has maintained his smile and work rate in training i gather. Despite this, a berth in midfield will be limited this term, and unless Bacary Sagna has a long term injury, chances are limited there too. He can work on his overall game to improve, but with no assigned position to work on, the levels he can aspire to are limited.

30. Armand Traore. He has returned from a loan period at Portsmouth, where he played mostly in midfield. Opportunities in defence will be limited, and maybe as well in midfield. His defensive and offensive work needs a lot of refinement as does his dribbling stance that makes it easy for the ball to be taken away from him.

40. Kieran Gibbs. The youngster got extended spells in the team, first choice in the Carling and FA Cups, and a run at the end in the League. However at this rarefied level, mistakes are punished, and his ultimate mistake was to slip in the Champions League semi final for Man Utd to score and take the advantage. Despite this, he has a big upward curve, he appears to respect hid defensive duties and is not cavalier, he also respects keeping the ball is vitally important for a full back. It will take a mammoth effort to dislodge the incumbent Gael Clichy, but this must be his ultimate goal.

Thomas Vermaelen. The former Ajax defender and Belgium international has been bought in to hopefully play as a first choice player. I have never seen him play so i have no assessment of him, but hopes are that he is here to put one of the central defenders on the bench, as that shows squad improvement.

Verdict: Individually, Arsenal has some good players, they do lack cohesion and a definite plan in the art of defending. All of them have scope to improve, which they must, statistically the defence is still a major problem, 31 goals conceded in 2007-2008 and 37 conceded in 2008-2009, so defence has been a long standing issue, and it requires a big improvement and desire to stop goals from this unit as a collective as well individually to take responsibility for no goals being given away.

Arsenal Squad 2009-2010 Assessment. Part 1.

The wait is nearly over, from Monday 13 July, the squad will begin to work more intensely with the ball and the identity of play which will be employed for the season. I will give an assessment of the squad, goalkeepers first, defenders second, midfield third and finally strikers. Any new acquisitions will be addressed at the close of the market in September.

GoalKeepers.

1. Manuel Almunia. The current number 1, his third season as a regular beckons. He thrived in his first as he had Jens Lehmann breathing down his neck, his second he had little competition, and despite being a very good goalkeeper, unless Fabianski applies intense pressure, he may slip into a comfort mode. Last season he made the difference between more goals being scored, showing he understands the destiny of the team are in his hands, he also had bad errors though like Ronaldo-Bentley.

21. Lukasz Fabianski. He needs to really step up this term and aim to relegate Almunia to the bench and keep him there. To do that, he needs to calm down and realise the destiny of the team is in his hands, this he never did last season where he appeared casual and suicidal in the chances given to him. A place in the Poland squad is up for stake, so he needs to step his game up. A classic case of an able deputy is Juventus, Buffon was injured, Manninger played with distinction many thought he should have played more games, we need this from our Pole.

24. Vito Mannone. A number 3, i do not think he will get many chances, he isn't ready to hold the destiny of the team in his hands that affects results. The most he can hope for is Reserve team football and the Carling Cup.

Verdict: Almunia has a possible England place to play for, Fabianski has to perform to get a place in the Poland 2010 squad, between these two, if they play towards these objectives, Arsenal can have some inspirational performances, just like Lehmann who realised this reality in 2005 to become Germany Number 1 in 2006.

Sky Sports Liars......for now.

Contrary to the reports of Sky Sports that St Etienne dynamo Blaise Matuidi was in London last night are not true according to my links at the base where his team are preparing under Alain Perrin.

St Etienne are currently based in the south of France, Chambon-sur-Lignon, and yesterday the team went through it's paces on their arrival, and after some fitness work, they began working with the ball, and the central midfield pairing of Matuidi and captain Loic Perrin moving around together. Training finished in the late afternoon.


Today, the team began training just before noon, and followed roughly the same routine, but this is a team already deep into it's preparatins after a disasterous season where they just escaped relegation despite having a talented squad. Matuidi was present and joking with Bafe Gomis and Dabo, whom he trained with closely today.

If Matuidi was able to 'sneak' out and be in two places at once, he really is a special human being! There is talk of Gelson Fernandes in the French papers joining the Geeens, in the anticipation of Blaise leaving, however this has yet to be put in motion.

No Melo-Drama, laughing at you Arsenal!!

Arsenal will not acquire Felipe Melo, neither will Emmanuel Eboue opt for a switch to Fiorentina. What has been published on the Fiorentina website is another sign of botched transfer negotiations with a club from the Peninsula, a lack of local knowledge.

When you propose a transfer in Italy, you need to have the deal sorted out within 2-3 days maximum before it collapses, the Italians are not ones for drama and saga's, you either put your money where your mouth is, or you are publicly shamed as not being professional enough to conclude a deal.

Arsenal witnessed this with Inler last season, then again they did not have a sporting director and relied on the trainer to do it himself, Arsenal seem to have made the same error again, they made tentative noises in December, they had from May 24 to conclude a deal and were unable to do it. Much maligned Juventus sporting director Alessio Secco seems to have learned from his errors, and has swooped in promptly to get his recruits, Diego-Cannavaro, and he has botched the D'Agostino deal by stretching it for over 3 weeks. It seems this is the same error Arsenal have made.

Juventus have signed Felipe Melo, and he will be presented as a Bianconeri player next week, and they have already begun printing Melo-4 as his squad number.

"No Fight for the Title=End of Youth Policy"

The words of the trainer Wenger to French Radio RMC today. The key statement when asked if he was close to joining Real Madrid, he said no, and that it is because he has built this young team. He then went on to say the important quote: "Je ne nie pas que ce sera une année décisive. Si on ne se mêle pas à la lutte pour le titre, il faudra tout reconstruire." This translates as "I don't deny that this will be a decisive year. If this team doesn't fight for the the title, then it will have to be reconstructed."

In the interview, the trainer says not many acquisitions are required to supplement the squad, and that will depend on possible departures. He also is banking again on a fit squad, especially in midfield to make the difference, compared to last season where it was a whole new midfield.

The most decisive year for Arsenal. If you ever want to find out what the trainer really thinks, don't look on arsenal.com or on local reports, he along with many of our players speak to the French media.

Abandoned Project.

It was interesting last night to see the presentation of Kaka, he never said he was persuaded to join because of the potential salary or the potential players that Real Madrid would buy, but instead all it took for him to come was when Perez told him about "a specific project". This project undoubtedly means collecting titles and making Real Madrid the best club and team in the World, and at any cost, sporting ambitions come first.

Since 2004, Arsenal have had a project, to blend young players with our Invincible champions, that soon turned into building a young team, i am not sure what the project is now, but i lean more towards getting more money, thus a financial ambition over the sporting ones. A clear example, releasing two kits this summer which will only be worn this season, if you buy all three including the home one, it's £120 on shirts alone.

If the club had as much ambition on buying quality players every season like they bring out quality shirts, the trophies would have arrived a long time ago, instead they look for money to pay unproven and under performing players(Walcott earns £60k/wk, Ozil who destroyed England on less than £10k/wk), the board have chosen the wrong path.

Oh, and the transfer window is open now, all the team has is Vermaelen, i frankly don't care what Gazidis does now, we need all the players before pre-season training begins next week, Perez has shown he is a true CEO, he thrills the fans, puts sporting ambitions over financial ones.