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.

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.

Arsenal Rehab...NO, NO, NO.

Stop lying to us, if you want to leave, just say it and pack your bags with your mouths shut. First the captain, a few days ago he waxed lyrical about if Guardiola called him, he'd leave without thinking, only for him to say today that he never said that and he wants to stay.

What does he take us for, and he added the extra insult of “Coming over with the national team has been total liberation for me.

“I feel happy to be able to be playing in the Confederations Cup with this top-quality team.” And this is supposed to be the Arsenal captain?

Next is Bacary Sagna, a player who had a solid debut season, only to follow that up with a season where his crossing success rate as high as Kolo Toure's wild free kicks, he hears that Perez wants him for the Madrid project and he is not against it, only for him to deny it moments later, what does he think this is? Gael Clichy is the only player of honour, he was linked with Madrid and he instantly said no.

Then again how can we blame the players when even the coach admits he may want to go there in public?.

If they really wanted to stay, why can't they keep their mouths shut like Eduardo-Almunia-Walcott-Nasri-Rosicky who we have not heard this summer? They don't allow speculation, Clichy showed how to handle it by saying NO. Those that want to leave, please save us the time and lies, GET OUT NOW, you can be replaced, bigger and better players have left before you and Arsenal FC are still here, we won't allow you to hold this prestigious club to ransom.

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.