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.

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.