Borussia Dortmund (A)

We won! It was hard fought, tough and far from convincing but we won. The game on Saturday was far from pretty and a long way off what we're used too. But the squad showed grit and determination and we got out 3 points. At the moment thats all that matters we got the points. The first half looked promising with Arteta creating some lovely moves for Ramsey who should have done better and Walcott whose effort was cleared off the line. Arshavin found the ball at his feet after a complete cock up from Vorm in the Swans goal, take nothing away from him though as he finished from a tight angle. The second half was scrappy and thee nerves began to show but that was expected, our bar was rattled and when Graham turned and shot from 6 yards in the box everyone thought we were going to be drudging away with only a point, but the ball flew over the bar and that was that. 

Tomorrow will be a different affair. We face the German Champions Borussia Dortmund and that in itself says the all, the German Champions. They conceded just 8 goals at home last season which is remarkable and I think they're gonna cause us problems. There will be no return for Rosicky, who scored twice against us when we played them over there last which suggests that we will play a similar side to the one at the weekend with Arteta starting after a top drawer performance on Saturday. Per Mertesacker will also start, I didn't think he played particularly well against Swansea and I know he lacks pace and he isn't that sort of player but my god was it evident. But this is his league and he's played in this competition before so hopefully he'll show what he's got to give. It's just emerged that Ramsey will be out tomorrow night as well which doesn't help things but we are boosted by the return of Song and Gervinho.

In terms of Dortmund they are a well organised team and are certainly dangerous. Robert Lewandowski finds the net regularly as does Grobkreutz (spelt with the funny b). Its not just the forwards that are solid, looking through their team there are many names you'll recognise and they seem to have a solid defence. This said they haven't had the greatest start to this new season much like ours and they sit 10th. Tomorrow will  be a tough match and with the prospect of Blackburn away this weekend it will be a real test of not only effort and teamwork but also fitness. 

I think tomorrow will tell us a lot about the depth of our squad and how well we can cope with players out and a tough away game in the picture this Saturday. We ground out the result on Saturday and thats what we'll need to do this season but there is no doubt it was a moral booster and hopefully our boys can take this into tomorrow nights game. 

Prediction: Borussia Dortmund 1-1 Arsenal 

Swansea City (H)

So after signing some shiny new players on deadline day and an international break the PL returns this weekend with a home clash against newly promoted Swansea. This is a game that we should be winning no doubt and although everyone says newly promoted teams are dangerous and yes to an extent they are but we must win this game. With some new signings looking to start I imagine the atmosphere at the Emirates will be one of excitement. 

From what I hear it seems that Mertesacker will start at the back with Koscielny, Gibbs returns and Sagna takes up his familiar position on the right. I also think Arteta will start in the midfield with Ramsey and Frimpong. Arshavin and Walcott also seem set to start on the wing with RVP manning the front line on his own. In terms of danger men I'm gonna be honest I know very little about Swansea's team. So I'm gonna tentatively say Graham, Britton and Dyer. They haven't scored yet this season so lets hope they continue that run.

In our injury news it seems Vermaelen is going to be our for around 2 months after having ankle surgery on his other ankle to prevent a problem. Not what we wanted to hear along with this we're still without Wilshere with his injury and Gervinho and Song through suspensions that will be served after this match. I imagine we will see Park, Benayoun and Santos on the bench, many people will be wondering why Santos isn't playing and I think its simply he hasn't played football in quite a while so we may be easing him in.

Its an important game tomorrow and one that we really should be winning with ease not only to get our first win under our belts but to instill some confidence in our team and give them a much needed moral boost.

Prediction: Arsenal 3-0 Swansea

New signing's player profiles

Firstly, as painful as it is, I must say that the result on Sunday was competely atrocious. Going down 8-2 to a team that are supposed to be a title rival is just pathetic. There were issues with the whole performace but a few things do need to be pointed out. Yes we had however many first team players out but those who have played for us for years should have performed better. We had a young and inexperienced team out and that did cost us as we got carved up time after time after time. Secondly I thought it was very unfair of Wenger to bring on OC for his debut when we were going down badly, that isn't going to help his confidence at all. However shipping 8 goals does seem to have given Wenger a wake up call, more on that in a bit. What we must remember is that although we got thumped its only worth 3 points, we can make that up. There were two positives that we can take from Sunday, firstly we scored twice. But secondly, the support from our fans was fucking brilliant, you made me feel genuinely proud to be an Arsenal supporter and you all deserve the free ticket your getting. Any comments on their passion now Mr. Nasri?

Ok its deadline day and the window has closed. But boy have we done some wheeling and dealing. This is the quick rundown of whose done what. Chu Young Park - Signed on a one and a half year deal (before he returns to Korea for his National Service). Per Mertersacker - Signed on a "long term" deal. Andre Santos - Signed on a "long term" deal. Yossi Benayoun - Signed on a season long loan. The big one, I can confirm that Arsenal have agreed a 4 year deal for Mikel Arteta. In terms of out-going players, Armand Traore signed for QPR the other day, Nicklas Bendtner has signed for Sunderland on a season long loan and Henri Lansbury has signed for West Ham on a season long loan. All of those are confirmed. There are many questions that can be asked about why we left it so late and all sorts but tonight all Arsenal fans enjoy it and go to bed happy, its been a productive day!


So lets take a look at our new signings...

Chu Young Park
Age: 26
Height: 6 ft 0 in
Position: Forward
Goals: 61 (Club)
Now from what I can gather Park is pretty decent. I've known about him for a while and he's quick and can most certainly score goals but he see's himself as a support striker which mens that he could well partner RVP upfront and feed him as well as score. He is South Korea's captain and has made 53 appearances for the Senior team. He is also a good free kick taker. 


Per Mertesacker
Age:26
Height: 6 ft 6 in
Position: Centre back
Goals: 20 (Club and country)
The cries for a centre back have been answered and with a good one at that. Per Mertersacker is a top class defender and I do mean top class. He has 75 senior caps for Germany and with his height he looks like the sort of man that can clear high balls and might be the solution to our set piece issues. Some people say he hasn't got enough pace but bollocks to them cause you can't have everything. A proper partner for Vermaelen and two centre backs you certainly wouldn't mess with. It appears he'll be wearing the number 4 shirt.

Andre Santos
Age: 28
Height: 5 ft 11 in
Positon: Left back
Goals: 27 (Club and country)
In all fairness I don't know an awful lot about this man but if your good enough to play for Brazil then you must have something going for you. He currently has 22 caps and signs from Fenerbahce, where he has 52 appearances. From what I hear on the grapevine he is a rather attacking defender so expect to see him tearing up the wings and sending in some balls. Certainly a good replacement for Clichy and can give Gibbs some competition.


Yossi Benayoun
Age: 31
Height: 5 ft 8 in
Position: Attacking Midfielder
Goals: 153 (Club and country)
This was a great signing for us albeit a loan deal. Many people have been quick to slate Yossi Benayoun however I have a lot of respect for him and I think he's a quality player to add to our ranks as we try to fill the gap left from Cesc and Nasri. He's creative and can score goals when he has too (I remember one or two against us). I really hope he fits in and gets games because he's too good to not play, another victim of Chelsea's ludacris spending. He'll wear the number 30 shirt.


Mikel Arteta
Age:29
Height: 5 ft 10.5 in
Position: Midfielder
Goals: 53
What a fantiastic signing this has been and it only really materialised today. Mikel Arteta is certainly the big name that we all wanted and he comes with great expectations. I can say that this has been a crushing blow for Everton, but its business and in business you have to be ruthless. We knew they were in a poor situation financially and we used it to our advantage although the fee will be high, in the double figures. Mikel is a tremendous midfielder and will slot in well to fill the gap in the middle. He'll wear the number 8 shirt. Watch this space.

So it appears players are like buses you wait the whole summer and 4 come along in one day. Now I'm sure we'll be criticised for buying for the sake of buying but I think they are very smart moves and Wenger has finally spent big and brought in a number of players. The only downside about all this is that we have to wait a minimum of a week and a half to see them play (damn internationals).


Keep checking for any more updates on team news and everything else Arsenal. Until the sleep tight. (Signings Yay!)

Manchester United (A)

Well we pulled it off against Udinese, after a few shakey moments in the first half. In fact to be totally honest we were shit in the first half and I was preparing to be watching us play on Channel 5. Then in the second half we played really really well, after a typical Arsenal goal from RVP, Szczesny pulled off probably the best penalty save I've ever seen and proceeded to get mobbed by our squad. A well worked second from Walcott and Udinese were beat. 

However today we go to a place where no team won last season. Manchester United v Arsenal not long ago was a hotly contested game with either side having equal chance of coming out on top. Nowadays however it's almost certain that at Old Trafford we'll lose and to be honest looking at the squad we're likely to field today I'm not at all surprised. More on that in a minute. Arsenal fans everywhere are sick and tired of being taken to pieces by United and everyone would like to us giving them a good run, or at least scoring a 93rd minute winner after Vermaelen has broken Rooney in two when clearing a corner.

So to the teams likey to play today. We lost Nasri to City during the week to nobodies surprise, but it was a complete piss take when he says that we have no passion since moving to the Emirates when he never fucking played at Highbury. He's right in my opinion but he can't make that call. Anyway along with Nasri fucking off and just flicking it in to Dzeko, 2-0 city against spurs, we also face the loss of Song due to his ban. Vermaelen and Kosciely are both touch and go. I would expect to see Sanga and Jenkinson on the wings, I do feel for the young lad whose really been thrown in at the deep end. I also wouldn't be surprised to see Rosicky start after playing really well when he came on against Udinese. RVP will be upfront on his own as usual and Gervinho is also serving his ban. So who to watch for, that Shrek-faced piece of shit obviously as well as Danny Welbeck who has been lethal so far. Young and Nani on the wings are always dangerous and of course its a given that if Park plays he'll score, the little prick.

I really do worry about us being embarassed today. I think they'll just take us apart, and we could face a drumming, that said I'm not right about much these days, lets all pray I'm wrong. Even with the likes of Welbeck and Cleverly on the pitch they are still an incredibly good team. To show the confidence that some people have in us one of that larger betting companies is refunding all losing bets if we win. Yet on the other hand the Telegraph seems to think we're gonna draw 2-2 (I'd take that right now). But somehow I can't see it.

A win today would be tremendous but I just can't see it, a loss means we'd be 8 points behind United after just 3 games. Good luck lads.

Prediction: Manchester United 2-0 Arsenal

Udinese Calcio (A)

So the other running saga of the summer came to a close today as a deal for Samir Nasri was completed. I'm not sure of figures, I believe it is around the £23m mark. To be honest we could all see this happening and its no shock to anybody. However we are now in the situation where we didn't want to be, two of our best players have left and we have days left to close any deals. According to Arsene we are looking at midfielders but we've heard all this before. 

The squad for tomorrow I must say can't be described as ideal. Wilshere has been ruled out for up to 3 weeks with a knock picked up in training. Koscielny is also out which leaves us with defensive problems as always but Djourou is in the squad and ready to play. However on the positive side Song and Gervinho are available as is Van Persie and Emmanuel Frimpong who played a blinder against Liverpool until getting sent off.

Anyway looking at Udinese they are a dangerous team and if we underestimate them then we may be looking a Europa League for the rest of the season. In terms of their key players the threat comes obviously from Di Natale who is a quality striker and was top scorer in Serie A last season. Other striking threats come from Barreto and Pinzi who can both pop up with a goal here and there. As we saw at the Emirates they can create chance after chance however this tends to leave them open at the back which I think will be our chance to get at their goal. However AS IT STANDS the pressure isn't on us to attack, whoever scores the first goal will set the mood for the game. Should we score first then I think we'll settle in and their moral may drop, however should the reverse happen I can see us panicking and that leads to errors I just hope we can score first.

I think this is the most important game of Wenger's career and I do mean that, yes we've been in cup finals and huge PL deciders but this is the game that will define this season, his most important yet. If we win tomorrow and lose at Old Trafford then I think many Arsenal fans would accept that, I always see Man U away and expect a loss. However lose tomorrow and we drop into the Europa League, moral will plummet and the fans will get more and more agitated, which I can see leading us into a disastrous season. Don't get me wrong should we fail to qualify tomorrow I will be devastated and angry and Arsenal fans everywhere have the right to be. Either way I don't think we'll be seeing the "In Arsene we trust" banners around the Emirates as often as we used too.

So tomorrow is an enormous game and I really mean enormous. I think (hope) we can pull it off, keeping a clean sheet at home was pivotal and should we score once Udinese will need to score 3 and I'm not sure they will do that. A word to the wise for fans going to Udine, firstly you've left it fucking late, secondly their fans are complete lunatics and will kick fuck out of anyone who they see as getting in their way. However the atmosphere will be electric and I'm sure you'll enjoy the game.

Prediction: Udinese Clacio 1-1 Arsenal 

Poor start and utter frustration

Apologies for the lack of posting recently its been a rather hectic week. As an Arsenal fan its also been a frustrating week. So 3 games into the season and none of our performances have been remotely convincing. So lets start with Newcastle, after the whole fracas with Barton and Gervinho we end up with 10 men due to that thuggish prick. How he got away with nothing is still beyond me but we've lost Gervinho for the trip to Old Trafford and also the home game against Swansea which is most definitely not helpful. With Van Persie being the only striker that I have faith in, the loss of Gervinho was not helpful and on top of that we've lost Song for a "stamp" on Barton. I don't blame I'd find it hard to resist stamping on him.

Now to Tuesday night. Our first win of the season. We managed to overcome Udinese thanks to a well worked Walcott goal. Although we didn't seem to have much confidence in ourselves and Di Natale who is a top striker was unlucky not to find the net with a number of opportunities. Full marks to Wojeich though for a good performance. I must say I don't think we are going to find Wednesday's trip to Udine easy, by any means. They are dangerous and will go all out to get the result they need. The match previews will resume starting with that one on Tuesday.

Our performance against Liverpool wasn't a disaster. Until we lost Frimpong. Now I've had reservations about Frimpong, in fact I thought he was shit. But yesterday he was tremendous on his PL debut. His long range effort deserved to find the corner. He got a totally unjustified first yellow but the second there could be no complaints about, he went over the ball and he had to go, the fans applause as he left, showed that he did impress. it was also funny seeing Lucas land on his head after doing a flip. Nasri played which shocked a lot of fans but I'll give him his due he gave it his all and played well, the whispers that his move is off are now circulating. The reports in many papers that he stated it would be a bitter departure came from a fake facebook account, so although he may have fucked us around it goes to show that the media never helps. It was nice to hear his chant in the tune of give it up. Vermaelen was very vocal at the back which is good, he certainly shows what we missed last season. Szczesny was again brilliant and was at no fault for the two goals we conceded. The first was tremendously unlucky from our part with Miquel clearing into the face of Ramsey and looping over although the creation should have been flagged for offside. The second we were simply undone with a well worked move.

So it hasn't been the greatest start to the season. One thing that all 3 games have shown is that we have no depth in the squad. Yes we have injuries and suspensions etc. but we don't have the experience or the power on the bench to compete with other teams. Players are needed and we can only hope that Wenger spends, the so called defensive signings that Ivan Gazidis said we were working on just haven't materialised and until they do our defence will always be questioned.


Well enjoy the rest of your week and hopefully we can pull it out of the bag on Wednesday. Match Preview will be up Tuesday, until then.

Pre-season round up

I apologise that I haven't posted in a while, I'm currently still in the US although I return home soon. Since I last posted a lot and not a lot has happened. We managed to draw with both Boca Juniors and New York Red Bulls to lose the Emirates cup although it was a nice thing to see Thierry raise the cup. After a young lad put the ball through our own net minutes from the end there were thunderous boos from our own fans. Really? At a pre-season friendly? I dread to think what the reaction will be when we lose at home during the league. I think booing the team in a pre-season game is excessive and also bad for moral, you must remember that these games are simply warm up exercises to bring fitness levels up so losing them isn't the end of the world.

I understand the fans frustration at what seems to be a poor summer of few signings and few improvements. I understand that because I am a fan, but surely booing the team off the pitch after a pre-season tournament isn't the way to go about supporting our boys. Following the Emirates cup we suffered our first defeat of the pre-season , going down 2-1 away to Benfica. Now this may not appear good, but we bossed the first half with a team that I imagine will resemble the starting line up (minus Cesc, Samir and Jack) with the Dutchman RVP scoring. There were 6 changes at the half and a much younger untested squad took the field and this showed a problem for us, which is that the squad is lacking depth. Looking at United, Chelsea and City they all have players on the bench who can fill in when needed and do the job well. We, on the other hand offer little in the shape of stand ins. I'd like to say that we will strengthen by dipping into the transfer market but looking at developments today I highly doubt that, more on that in a bit.

 
So the saga of Cesc continues and it has reached a point now where all parties involved at our end seem totally fed up of it. The board have stated they want to sort this sooner rather than later, but with Barcelona continually pissing around its still going on. I really hope the pathetic way that Barcelona have treated us this summer comes back to haunt them. But the fault doesn't only lie with them it lies with us, I read that Hulk as he is known has a 100M Euro buy out clause in his contract. 100m! Now why didn't who drafted Cesc's contract agree a £40m buy out, that's what we want and that ensures that we get it. Anyone who knows the ins and outs of football contracts and clauses, answers on a postcard please. Cesc was left out of the squad for both the Emirates and Eusebio Cups, due to a "Thigh Problem", whether this is true or not who knows but we seem no closer to a conclusion than we have all summer. 

As for Samir Nasri, well fuck only knows whats happening about his future. He was also left out of the squad with a muscular problem but Wenger seems confident he will be an Arsenal Player this season. However the window is open till August 31st so who knows what could happen between now and then.

Now to the transfers I touched on earlier and we have made another one! Don't get too excited this one has been in the pipe line all summer and its that of 17 year old Alex Oxlade-Chamerlain. Another winger, just what we need right now. Another for the future but hardly one that at the moment, with all respect, gets the blood rushing, I really don't understand the signings of winger after winger unless we're planning to play 1-1-8 next season but hey, I'm not ruling it out. Also during last week we had another bid rejected for Jagielka but as I said, I think that deal is miles away from completion so we shall see what happens this week. Arsene said we were looking to sign "super quality", if a 17 year old Southampton winger is his idea of super quality then god help us all.

Anyway the season is almost upon us and men (and women) everywhere are starting to get excited about that first game of a brand new season. The dullness of a football-less summer is nearly over and the harsh reality of the Premier League starts for us with a tricky trip to Newcastle, followed by our Champions League qualifier with Udinese, who also may be a challenge. But at least we avoided the trip to Russia the following week. 

Next post will be Thursday, until then enjoy your week.