Arsenal Push Forward, but still not good enough.

League Form.

I haven't blogged since the 1-1 draw with Burnley over a month ago, and as you can remember, I was far from impressed. However since then, the team has shown resolve, taking 17 out of 21 points. Whilst coming back from behind twice to get a point from Everton, and to win after being 2-0 down to Bolton were all good, in this season, any points dropped is a missed opportunity, and another one was blown against Aston Villa last night.

It doesn't matter if people think Villa are a good team who are challenging for the Champions League, Arsenal needed 3 points yesterday. 1 point is not enough, winners look to beat everyone. This game is in the past, and what is a common consensus is that the next 3 games, Utd (H), Chelsea (A), Liverpool (H) will define the season. With a 2 point deficit to Chelsea who have a game in hand, all these games are now MUST WIN. Draws are not enough, 9 points is an obligation. Do I think we will get them? Not sure, I think Man Utd will beat us at home, we will lose to Chelsea away, and probably draw with Liverpool. Lets hope this isn't the case.


Transfer Activity.

Arsenal realistically needed backup in defence, a new body in midfield and definitely a new striker. So what has happened? Sol Campbell has come in and Senderos booted out on loan. Nothing else. This is very dangerous, and with 3 days of the window left, looks like no one else will arrive, what a shame. Vermaelen looks to have an injury that could keep him out for a month, meaning Campbell is now first choice with Gallas? Dangerous games indeed. Another defender is needed, how could the club bungle the Smalling deal? Also Eduardo looks to be out for 1 month, meaning only Bendtner is the only choice, Vela has sucked badly this year. Here is to hoping for a miracle and new players arriving by February 1.


Cup Competitions.

Just to say, I'm very angry at the way we keep throwing potential trophies away. Threw the Carling Cup away, yet Man Utd who won it last year and who have won every trophy they have entered in for in the last few years, are rejoicing by getting to another final. If it is good enough for Utd, it should be good enough for us, we need to take it seriously next season. The FA Cup was also thrown away with weird selections. Some say that he had injuries and had to jig up the line up, well if youth team players are the backup, it tells you that you need a deeper squad, buy new players. This means that the club is on a knife edge now, 2 high level tournaments left against elite ambition.

Liverpool 1 - Arsenal 2: Arshavin is a super Sniper.

Back in business, well the result means we are, not so sure about the first half. On a weekend where Man Utd and Chelsea dropped points, anything less than 3 points today would have been a failure, and know what, it seems Wenger was able to transmit this to his players who came back for a change, more of the same please.

During World War II, there were many snipers aka designated marksmen to kill the Axis soldiers, one has been shown in English media with Jude Law in Enemy At The Gates, as Vasiliy Zaytzev. The one least known but very deadly was Ivan Sidorenko who had a confirmed 500 kills. Arshavin is following in this rich tradition, Liverpool can't handle his accuracy, his goal was so precise, no goal keeper would have had a chance, not Banks, not Zoff, not Kahn, not Buffon, and surely not Reina.

The first half really sucked and had me cursing the television at the under performance of the whole team. Liverpool had more desire to win, and knowing we needed 3 points, this for me was unacceptable, and with stories of Wenger losing his cool, he must have thought so too. We need to stop such silly performances, I don't care who the opposition is, because there is no footballing talent reason for our players to not do well in every game, at the very least, they should run and show determination and not look feeble and accept mediocrity.

Even though the team as a unit won, there are still major problems that need to be fixed immediately. Almunia is struggling, and may need to be put out of his misery soon, he is costing us goals and points, what the hell was he thinking of yesterday? There was another thing that made me angry, he threw the ball straight at Liverpool when he had Vermaelen as a short option but he went long, ridiculous.

Sagna crosses, if there is no one in the box, even if it is a nice cross, it is a bad cross because it is giving the ball away. Do you really expect Arshavin to get a header vs Agger? Get real, don't cross if there is no real chance of a conversion. Walcott sucked again, even if he was there for the Johnson goal, he added no value at all. He needs to work harder and add more to his game, not just his speed is good enough, we need a real footballer, not a sprinter.

Player Ratings:

Almunia 2: Cost us a goal, gave the ball away cheaply as well. Routine Save from Torres though.

Sagna 5: Solid in defence again, but crosses still leave a lot to be desired.

Gallas 3: Horror show, he needs a breather. Caught cold in midfield when Torres shot at Almunia, gave away a potential penalty, poor set piece marking, oh boy.

Vermaelen 4: Better than Gallas, but still not the rock we need, how many chances did Liverpool have in the first half, waaaaay too many.

Traore 5: Johnson never got much action, neither did Kuyt, so he did a decent job.

Song 6: This guy is a thoroughbred when the play is in front of him, his ball manipulation skills are on point, player of the season I think. Needs to work on gaining more speed though.

Fabregas 4: Bad passing, not much defensive work, not what we expect from him.

Denilson 5: Not visible, but effective, was the extra barrier required, especially in the second half.

Walcott N/A: That bad I won't grade him, won't waste any more words on him either.

Nasri 4: Cross for the Johnson goal, apart from that, he is no winger, he needs to be in midfield, not wide, please change it Wenger, this guy is the future of France and we are killing him.

Arshavin 6.5: Quiet first half, stunning goal, and done more than Eduardo and Vela have all season as a striker. One of the teams potential game changers.

Diaby 4: Not on long.


Trainer Rating

Wenger 5: He gets points for the half time rollicking, apart from that, he needs to read the game better, had Liverpool had luck and their shooting boots on, they would have been 3-0 at half time for sure. The continued deployment of Arshavin is good, but Walcott has no effect, he shouldn't be starting, I'd rather have Eduardo than Walcott, at least he has some vision, Walcott is just fast.

Liverpool vs Arsenal: Time To Test The Will of The Team

Simply put, this game is a MUST WIN. Man City have done Arsenal a very big favour in beating Chelsea, and to fully profit from that, we need to take 3 points from Anfield, something we haven't done for a very long time. Should Chelsea win against Everton today, that gap will be 11 points with us having 2 games in hand, I won't take us winning those matches for granted, the only thing that counts is the points on the board, not the points that may or may not come.

I do worry though, Liverpool are supposed to be having an awful season, but they are only 4 points behind us, a loss and draw and them winning, and we are where they are right now, so Liverpool are not as bad as people think.

What is impressive about them is they will have already devised a tactical plan for Arsenal, with or without Gerrard-Torres-Aquilani, they will know what they want to do and how to do it. I suspect they will isolate Fabregas from who ever our point striker is and that could be enough to shut us down unless we adjust things, as if the space between Fabregas and the striker is big, we have no one else who can step up.

This is also a big test for our mentality, we need to play our lives out for 98mins, we need to realise we need to WIN, 3 points is absolutely required and anything less is a failure. I hope Wenger transmits this to the players and he also ensures he reacts for a change, and not by throwing on Walcott and Vela to run around aimlessly, but for them to take shots from any range, or long balls so we can strike off those second balls they head out, passing will get us nowhere if we are behind.

Up the Arsenal.

Arsenal 0 - Chelsea 3: Lightweights Squashed.

Another smashing at home to Chelsea, last season, 4-1, this season 3-0, not even a goal to celebrate? The true value of Arsenal was shown last evening, to win championships, you need to show you can derail your opponents. Instead, Chelsea have shown us where we need to get to if we ever want to be champions again, especially in the short-medium term. Ashley Cole must have thoroughly enjoyed this, two assists, and Drogba put the icing on the cake with a thunderous freekick.

1) Solidarity.

Chelsea had easy pickings yesterday, they were all united in what they wanted to achieve, they attacked as one, the defended as one, no weak links, and when Obi did mess up, even Anelka would come back to help. Contrast that to Arsenal, the whole team never operated as a single unit, clear divisions in how the midfield, attack and defence play, no synergy at all. When facing a formidable opponent, you need to be one, otherwise you will fail.

2) Tactics.

This is something that needs to be addressed. prior to the game, Fabregas and Wenger said, "we'll play our game and see how it goes," compare that to Ancelotti who said after the game, "We knew that Arsenal like to play in the opponents half and we prepared very well our defensive positions, keep control of zones." Is it any wonder why Chelsea knew exactly how to win, and we never? You can't stick to 1 scheme in every single game, it is easy to plan for. We never prepare for the opposition, and only ever had 1 striker on the pitch at a time, so where will the goals come from? And since when did random crosses become a method of playing? We may be a small sized team, but with the right tactics, we can negate that deficiency.

3) Champion mentality.

Once we go behind, we never come back, especially against such big teams. The team feebly tried to come back by running hard and applying pressure, but they had no method in that madness, Chelsea are ready for high impact, you need to be intellectual to open them up, we sent in crosses for Eduardo, thinking Terry and Carvalho are short..... The team needs to react quickly, once the first went in, we should react, not after 2 goals have gone in. And this business of giving up after 70 mins sucks, Liverpool and Man Utd have shown in the Champions League that nothing is ever a lost cause. We need to stop giving up, and give our all for 95mins, I thought the players said they had learned to concentrate for a whole game after the Liege, AZ and West Ham games?


Player Ratings

Almunia 3: One good save, after that, the rest he could have at least reacted. The Drogba free-kick was because he decided to move and not be confident.

Sagna 2: Rotten crosses as usual, and two goals came from his side. Once upon a time, Sagna was a rock at the back, what has happened to him?

Gallas 3: Costly errors for the first two goals, couldn't handle the Chelsea attack.

Vermaelen 3: Latest Arsenal defender to fail to contain the Drog. Own goal and awful defending for the first goal.

Traore 3: Sent spiralling by Drogba when they fought for the ball, and Ivanovic did a similar thing to him. Got forward but with no quality.

Song-Billong 3: Carried the ball well and compressed space, only had 45mins, injury or tactical?

Fabregas 3: No invention, and as captain, gave up very easily again, becoming a ritual. In tough times, the captain should stand up tall.

Denilson 3: No passing, not much defensive work either, what value did he add?

Nasri 3: Not a winger, but still played there, why? Not able to unlock the doors for his team. He is best behind strikers, not on the flank.

Arshavin 2: Much is expected from him, but not on the same wavelength as his team mates.

Eduardo 1: No confidence, not a lead striker, got nothing from Terry and Carvalho.

Walcott 1: No technique or intelligence, very very very predictable, Cole and Ferreira had an easy time with him. Speed is not everything.

Vela 2: No right foot, and runs into blind alleys, never let off any shots, what was the point?

Rosicky 1: Made a few nice passes, but cowardly kicks on Obi, if he had shown as much ambition in his attacking play as those kicks, we may have actually scored.


Trainer Rating

Wenger 1: His marriage to one formation is killing the team yet again. Never deployed his players where they are best, Eduardo is not a lead striker, Nasri is not a winger, and why keep Rosicky on the bench for so long, he is one of our most intelligent players with experience against big opponents.

No tactical variation, Chelsea knew exactly what was coming,and he never changed it. Why not use 3 defenders and have two strikers on? Instead we kept with a 4-3-3 with inadequate players for it for 90 mins. Does he also approve of aimless crosses? He never told them to stop it, if he approves, he needs to stop this tactic, it doesn't work.

Time To Go To Work.

On Sunday, Arsenal need to clock in for work and get a job done, it doesn't matter how, they simply HAVE TO WIN. This is where we can really judge if we are ready to box with the top teams for a domestic championship.


Last season, the players never went to work and were destroyed 4-1 at home, in most instances, such a result should lead to questions on the trainer, especially as the team sucked all season. I called it '11 employees contracted for 90mins', this time round, all 18 members of the matchday squad need to stick together and be ready to bleed, or as Gallas said in 2007 after the Man Utd 2-2 home match where he scored a last minute equaliser, "We had to fight. We said if we had to die we would die together on that field."


The players need to understand, allowing Chelsea to extend their current 8 point lead at our expense is out of the question, as seen by other teams losing 9-1 in the league, we cannot rely on others to do the job for us, if you want something done, do it yourself. This means we need to chase goals, and unlike last season where Wenger elected to use 1 striker and have 2 on the bench, this time, use Vela and Eduardo together from the start, where else do you expect the goals to come from if they don't start?


Tactically, Wenger needs to change some things. This Ancelotti side is very narrow, but they can also change instantly to become a more wider team because Ancelotti has done a lot of tactical work with the players. We need to pressure who ever is at the base of their midfield and stop the ball coming out, and by doing this, we also leave ourselves open for Chelsea to run at our defence or shoot from range. As a keen watcher of Serie A, the way to beat Milan under Ancelotti was not stifle Kaka or Pirlo, but ensure Gattuso and Ambrosini never made the primary pass to them, Wenger needs to do this and whoever does it must be fit and concentrated for 90mins.


Silvestre has been a common denominator when we have lost heavily, and he seriously needs to have a good game, it is matches like this where we need him most, and if he doesn't have a good game, I expect the other 9 out field players to help him out and not leave him in the cold to freeze, if they do, we will lose.


I won't predict a result, but I'm certain we will lose if we don't force the issue and tell Chelsea we are willing to die, Chelsea have nothing to prove, nothing to lose, only everything to win, a loss and they won't lose top spot for another fortnight, a win and they have daylight over an opponent allowing them more room for error. We lose, we have no room for error, and are fighting for nothing for the rest of the season.

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 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.

"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.

Two Weeks To Build For The Title.

There are two weeks to go until the transfer window opens, and possibly one signing may arrive before the window opens. This is a step in the right direction, but considering we are likely to buy a player from abroad, they need at least 1 month to sort their personal lives out, so signings must be closed in now, it is nearly 1 month away from our first pre-season friendly, we return to training a week before this match. Gazidis and Wenger, sort the ins and outs ASAP so we know the team before pre-season, other clubs in Germany-Italy-Spain have already done the bulk of their improvements, we need a lot of improvements.

However the main idea i have, can Arsenal win the title? Statistically, in the last 3 seasons, the minimum threshold for the title is 27 wins, Manchester United have had 28 wins in two of the three. In that same time, Arsenal have had 19-24-20 wins, this shows there is still a lot of room for improvement. To achieve those 27 wins, we may need to beat all the teams 10-20 in the table twice to get 20, and then beat teams 7-9 twice and maybe 1 win against the other rivals to make the 28 wins.

Even then, that may not be enough. We draw far too many games as well, 11-11-12 draws in the last 3 seasons. When you look at Arsenal's chances of being domestic champions using these figures, you can see it is a big ask and improbable. Even if we buy 3-4 more players, i am not sure we have the cutting edge and stamina to last a 38 gruelling campaign.

The Most Important Summer Signing Is........

Whatever moves are made this summer, this is the most important, the trainer Arsene Wenger must be kept at the club. The Board have let him down, and this is impacting on his prestige globally as a trophy man, his rivals Ferguson and Mourinho all bagged league triumphs this year, a rookie trainer Guardiola has won a league title playing football the way Arsene Wenger does, so it comes as no surprise he may want to enter into a deal with the devil to win what he deserves.

We all know that Wenger plays mind games all the time, but to say something of this magnitude on a prestigious TV show indicates there may be some truth in Perez wanting him. For years Wenger has had to convince his players not to leave, this time it must be the board who must convince Wenger to stay, a tough ask indeed. Lets not forget that this season was thrown away by the board by sacking keys cogs in the structure, and just like the team, never replaced them, leaving Wenger having to multi task in recruiting, managing contracts,and coaching. We have seen the results on the pitch this season.

The Board needs to sort it out now, get stability in the boardroom, be it selling up to Uzmanov or most likely Kroenke, or getting rid of both of them, and then to quit playing hard ball with money, what kind of football team gets involved in property gambling and has no reaction to the quality of the squad falling every year? This Board is too concerned with being noble and reaping profits, whilst other boards are concerned with winning trophies. They need to release big money for new players, we are already at the bottom of the class of the 'Top 4', we are clinging onto that spot, we are closer to 5th than 3rd. Now they risk losing their biggest asset, the trainer who ensured Arsenal moved to a new stadium.

This is no TEAM, it's 11 EMPLOYEE'S who are contracted for 90mins.

Gosh, that was a true horror show today. Despite some good moments, even those in a Sunday League game know the basic rules, if you concede, ensure you can outscore the opposition. Thus you either need an awesome striker up front, or numbers that break forwards...Arsenal have neither and decide to only have 1 striker and 4 on the bench.

Arsenal have no defence, those up the pitch don't want to do it, those paid to do it at the back look like it's a foreign job to them. The common denominator when Arsenal have caught a bashing has been Silvestre (4-4 Spurs, 3-0 City, 4-4 Liverpool, 4-1 Chelsea), but the others offer no help. Fabianski needs to calm down or get out.

Wenger yet again is the primary fault though. How many times has his trick of Diaby on the left worked? How many times has his 4-5-1/-4-2-3-1/whatever new formation he employs worked? Until this is sorted out, we may see more results like this.

Ratings:

Fabianski 2: Not good enough, caught starring for the first, bad movement for the second, went walk about for the third, too slow to react for the fourth.

Sagna 3: Bad crosses, outnumbered on the overlap, got an assist though.

Toure 2: Never takes responsibility, had an own goal and argued with Drogba, we need a defensive leader, not a player just who plays.

Silvestre 3: Bad marking, but cleared and cleaned up better than Toure. Bad summer buy.

Gibbs 4: Not outplayed, but with the team so far behind, we needed a converted winger to rampage more to get us back in the game.

Walcott 2: No brain, no left foot, and a new contract! Too predictable, just as Gallas warned him, needs to step up to justify his starting spot and £60 000 contract.

Song 5: Not mobile, but physical and clean passing, a delicious lob to spot Walcott as well. One of the better players unfortunately.

Fabregas 2: Early card and the goal came from his foul, from there, his head dropped, no inventive passing, resign as captain if the job is too big.

Nasri 5: Has not found his role in the team, lots of technical brilliance and knows how to use it, but not finding the route to goal for himself or other team mates.

Diaby 1: How many chances does he want, although on the flank, it should allow him more space to express himself. Bad decision making, a loan spell or a transfer, he is a passenger we do not need unless he lives up to his talent.

Van Persie 3: Not a lone striker, not in the box enough, not a match winner today.

Denilson 4: Not much impact.

Adebayor 3: is he a striker or a link man? Strikers must pass and get into the box, not hang around trying to find a pass. Two shouts for a penalty, looks lazy at times.

Bendtner 6: Scored a good goal, a very direct player, lots of energy, and tries his best. If everyone tried like him, we may be somewhere not losing like this.